Free Spirits (Zombie_In_A_Box X Pigeon)

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

Damian blinked, looking up at Arumi when he offered food. "I thought you were out getting food?.." He muttered, eyebrows raised slightly. "Besides, I bet anyone else would poison my food." The brunet sighed out as he pulled away, somewhat disappointed to lose the warmth of the dragon's body. He did want to lie down for a bit...

[Kotorichan]

"Yes... But they're taking so long..." Arumi sighed, holding the man a little closer to his chest. "I could go see what's taking them so long and try to find something that will be prapered sooner..." He wasn't sure if the servants would be able to figure out how to prepare Damian's food, and he didn't want the human to be forced to wait much longer.

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

Damian shook his head frantically, moving closer. "Don't go anywhere, please." He murmured, his eyes closed. The brunet let out a sigh as he laid down slowly, his head beginning to hurt. "Do you have to do anything today?" Please say no. The man begged silently, his hands curling into fists without him noticing, grabbing the sheets slightly. Today he really didn't want to be alone.

[Kotorichan]

Arumi frowned deeply at the man's reaction. "No... I can stay here with you" he said, gently pulling Damian into his arm. "Please don't worry, I won't leave you alone" he nuzzled the human's forehead, hoping to comfort him in some way.

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

Damian felt so relieved to hear he wouldn't have to be alone. Any kind of presence would be soothing right now... Especially if he was being held like this - the warmth of Arumi's body really felt good. A small smile tugged at the corners of his lips, as he moved closer, closing his eyes as he hoped the headache would soon pass away. "Thank you."

[Kotorichan]

Arumi gently led the man to bed, helping him lay down on the soft mattress. "Here... You should rest more, I'll stay right here beside you..." He suggested, trailing his fingers through to Damian's hair. "Please try to relax and let your wound heal, it would be very bad if it got infected..."

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

Damian let out a soft sigh, shifting closer to place his head on Arumi's lap, which proved to be just like the softest pillow... "If it does get infected, you could bring me the herbs to heal it." He murmured out softly, eyes closed. "Can you just... Wake me when the food comes?" He asked, already dozing off. It never took him long to fall asleep if he was feeling bad, like when he had a cold or a headache.

[Kotorichan]

Arumi smiled and nodded slightly. "Of course, please just rest..." He lightly ran his fingers through the human's hair to help him relax. When Damian was asleep he seemed so peaceful, it was hard to believe that he just went through such terrible things.

 

Arumi let him rest until the food arrived about half an hour later. The servants quietly left it near the bed and then left the two alone. Arumi gently shook the human's shoulder to wake him, unsure of what would be the least distrubing.

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

Damian took only a few minutes to fall asleep, the soothing motion on his head pushing the nightmares away. He slept calmly, only his fingers or face twitching from time to time. It seemed that when he slept, his body showed his dreams in real life as well.

 

As he was shaken awake, Damian's first instinct was to get away as soon as possible and defend himself. With his eyes only half-open, he abruptly pulled away, the knife already in his hand, pressed up against Arumi's neck. His eyes went wide when he realized where he was, lips parting slightly. "D... Don't wake me like that..." He whispered, hands shaking.

[Kotorichan]

Arumi froze as the cold metal pressed to his throat. It would be all too easy for him to react, to change forms and crush the human, or simply to let out a hot wave of fire into the man's face. But he needed to keep his instincts under control, he needed to make Damian trust him and if he couldn't trust the human then he wouldn't make any progress. "I'm sorry..." He breathed, pulling his hands away and holding them up in a sign of peace. "I didn't want your food to grow cold" the dragon kept still, not making any move that could startle the man. He wanted Damian to be safe, protected, not on edge like this.

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

Damian's hands shook as he pulled the knife away, slowly putting it back to his belt, where it always rested. "Just... D-Don't ever wake me like that... Again... Please..." He nearly whispered, trying to calm his heart as he closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath. The man sat up slowly, his eyes still wide, bearing hints of fear. He didn't want to apologize for what he'd done, he found no reason to. No one should apologize for protecting themselves, and as long as he didn't actually hurt the other, there was no reason to apologize at all. The man reached for the food, still attempting to even out his breathing and calm his heartbeat. He was so used to living on the edge, always prepared for an attack, it was weird to know there wouldn't be so much danger here... As long as he stayed in this room.

[Kotorichan]

"How should I wake you in the future?" Arumi asked gently, lowering his hands again. He lifted the tray of food, far more than a human could eat, and set it in front of Damian. The meat had been roasted over an open flame, the outside was burnt but the inside was cooked to perfection. He scooted back on the bed to give the man more space, not wanting to crowd him and make him anymore nervous that he already was.

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

Damian breathed out slowly as he stared at the tray, also trying to think of a way that would be alright to wake him up. "I... I don't know. It'd be best if I woke up naturally, but I doubt that's an option. I guess... Stronger smells should be enough for me to wake up." He finally decided, blinking in confusion when he realized there was no cutlery. "Erm... Can you try to tear off the burnt part of the meat?" He asked, motioning at his hurt arm.

[Kotorichan]

"Oh, of course. I'm sorry" Arumi said quickly. "Just a moment" He pulled away and changed into his dragon form, lightly wrapping his tail around Damian in a protective manner. He wiped his claws off with a napkin before slicing the meat into bite-sized pieces. "There, eat up" He changed back into his human form and moved close to the man, trying not to be too clingy. He wanted to make Damian feel safe but not smothered, but Arumi didn't have much experience with relationships so he didn't know exactly how to act.

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

Damian waited patiently while Arumi turned into his other form - the change still scared him - and cut up his meat into pieces he could actually pick up. Sure, with the size of his claws, the pieces weren't really 'bite-size', but it was good enough. Seeking comfort, the human moved closer to the other and leaned against him slightly, finding it calming to feel Arumi's heartbeat and breathing against him. As he ate, Damian managed to relax fully and licked his fingers after finishing the unburnt meat. "Thank you."

[Kotorichan]

Arumi smiled slightly as he watched the man, he was glad that Damian seemed somewhat relaxed around him. "Did it taste alright? No one here knows how to cook meat but I tried to explain..." he lightly wrapped his arm around the human. He didn't know if this was a normal thing for humans but it seemed close to wrapping his tail around him like he would have done if he was in his dragon for.

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

Damian shrugged, letting out a soft hum. "It was alright, could use a bit more spices, but I doubt you even have anything I could use." He spoke with a sigh, blinking as the arm was wrapped around him. He looked up, soon realizing Arumi probably had no idea how human contact worked - he was a dragon, after all. "So... What do we do now? Do I just sleep and eat, like some pet or?.."

[Kotorichan]

"Well... Once I kill all my brothers and father then you can do whatever you want. But for now you'll have to wait" Arumi sighed and rested his head on the human's shoulder. "I have books and I can teach you how to read our language so you have something to do... I do have a couple human books but not very many, and if you want to write or draw then I have plenty of paper"

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

Damian blinked, looking away quietly. There was no way Arumi's plan would work out. "I'd like to learn how to read in your language." He said, hesitantly lifting one hand up to stroke through the dragon's hair. A quiet sigh slipped past his lips as he closed his eyes, for a moment letting his feelings consume him. The man just hoped he would get some time alone. He needed time to grieve, he didn't get enough at first...

[Kotorichan]

"I'll teach you then..." He sighed and closed his eyes. "But I have to go do some things.. Will you be alright being alone for awhile?" The dragon opened his eyes and looked up at the man. "I can cancel my plans if you need me here with you?" He knew that his brother would be furious if Arumi cancelled on him.

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

Damian shook his head, tearing himself out from his sadness. "I'll be fine." He assured the other, his hands clenching into fists as he willed himself to stay without breaking down for a while more. "You should do what you have to do... Don't worry about me." He added with a small smile, swallowing down his pain and grief.

[Kotorichan]

"Alright... if you're sure that you'll be okay" Arumi slowly pulled away from the human and pushed his hair back out of his face. "I'm going to have to put a collar on you again... Just in case someone comes in. You won't be chained to anything and I'll make sure that the collar isn't tight on your neck"

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

Damian shuddered at what he heard, obviously disgusted at the idea of the collar. "Just hurry up then." He muttered, taking in a hitched breath. The man clenched his hands into fists as he waited for the collar to be put around his neck and Arumi leaving - only then was he able to let his emotions out. At last, all of the pain he'd been holding inside came out, all at once - he felt like he was being torn apart, piece by piece. He tried to keep quiet, as quiet as one could while mourning for the loss of his home.

[Kotorichan]

"I'm really sorry about this..." Arumi said softly as he loosely put the collar on the human's neck. "I'll take it off as soon as I get back" He gathered his things and left the room.

 

About an hour later the bedroom door opened and one of Arumi's older brothers slipped inside. He was technically Arumi's half brother, but no one really cared about that. He was in his dragon form, which was even bigger than Arumi's and had bright golden scales. The dragon looked around for Damian, he had heard that his brother had brought home a human and he wanted to see it.

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

By the time Arumi's brother decided to show up, Damian had cried out what tears he had. He was curled up on the bed, his eyes red and puffy. The man let out a terrified gasp as he saw the dragon, a violent shudder running down his body. This is it, he thought. I'm going to die.