The Pet Shop (bxbxb)

12. Sense

(Galapagos tortoise, Winston, 83yrs old and 500+ pounds.) 

After finishing cleaning his beautifully groomed fur, Drake shifted into his human form and languidly climbed out of the bed. Well, it was Warden's, technically, but he didn't care.

The guy has less friends over than I have orgasms in a week, and I doubt that he's going to be using this bed for anything but sleeping with his pet vampire here. He thought as he sauntered into the bathroom and stepped into the shower.

His sensitive hearing easily caught when Warden returned home. The lighter sounding footsteps that followed his before the door shut could only be Cerat's. Mm, my little carrot.

Remembering what Warden had told him earlier in the day, he eagerly finished washing up, dried off, and tugged on a pair of silver shorts. Moments later he was heading for the living room, lips stretching into a grin as Warden came into view. From the look on his face and slouching posture, the day had been quite interesting.

"Hey Tweety. You look like you had a blast with my carrot. Should I be jealous?" Drake asked as he followed Warden into the kitchen, intent on stealing whatever he planned to cook after noting Cerat getting comfortable in his now-trademark blanket in the corner.

When Warden just pulled out a container of orange juice and began sipping at it, straight from the carton, Drake frowned. He didn't like being ignored, but Warden didn't normally do it unless he was exhausted or overly-stressed.

"What happened? You said he seemed to be acting weird in the email you sent me." Drake said as he hopped up on the counter, letting his legs hang over the edge as he stared down at Warden.

It wasn't until Warden took several more sips from the juice carton that he straightened and leaned his back against the counter, then turned his head to meet Drake's eyes. "It's almost like he's decided to change who he is now. The Cerat we've had wasn't the one I saw for a few minutes at the pet shop today. He was... different. Not a different person or a split personality, but he seemed so much stronger than the Cerat we know"

Drake nodded silently, his eyes staring past Warden as he thought about his words. It wasn't too surprising to him, mainly because werewolves could technically change similarly if there's an upheaval in the pecking order. The temperament could change depending on the situation and, in Cerat's case, he finally seemed to be growing a backbone. 

"I think it's actually something normal. To a point." He said as he refocused his attention on Warden.

The angel raised a brow, his expression changing to one of confusion. Knowing that he'd likely just stare for awhile, as Warden wasn't the best with words when he was stressed, Drake just continued on.

"Werewolves that have to deal with sudden changes in their pack tend to evolve their personalities depending on what is best for them. Cerat's vampire, after being suppressed for so long by him refusing to drink blood, is likely just beginning to learn that it is actually allowed to exist and can have a say in what Cerat does, as long as he's willing to agree with it."

When Warden still didn't respond, just lowered his eyes, Drake rolled his own and leaned forward. Bumping the other man's forehead with his own, Drake gave out a quiet growl and chuckled, the mixture of sounds making his voice deep and rough when he spoke. "Cheer up, War. He's still Cerat. In fact, seeing the evolution of his personality tells us that the vampire part of him is still there and that we aren't just trying to help half of him. We need to support him as a whole. When the vampire is comfortable with who Cerat is, and Cerat is comfortable being a vampire, his personality will likely even out. So, if he's just being a bit more a brat right now, I think we should welcome it. He's still our carrot."