The Pet Shop (bxbxb)

15. Dodge

Working overtime was never fun. Working, in general, was never fun. It wasn't until nearly nine o'clock that Warden was finally able to leave his office and head back to the tiny apartment above the pet shop. 

On his way up the stairs Warden shrugged off his jacket and took a deep breath, blowing it out along with a good deal of stress. He just wanted to throw something in the microwave, drop onto a chair by the table, since they hadn't gotten a sofa yet, and eat before he passed out.

I've got Cerat tomorrow. He thought, a little more upbeat. Sure, he was still unsure of how to deal with him, but he would figure it out. After a meal and a good night of sleep.

The second he stepped into the apartment, his nose wrinkled at the smell of smoke. He hurried into his kitchen, surprised to see that it wasn't on fire. He was also surprised to see Drake standing over the sink, washing... dishes?

"I'm afraid to ask." He said as he walked past the man to take a slice of triple meat pizza from the box on the counter.

Seeing Drake doing the dishes, though he could have sworn that he had barely cooked anything in the past few days, and not having to pay for the pizza he ordered?

"You left a twenty sitting out." Drake mumbled as he finished drying a pan, then pulled the drain on the sink.

Shaking his head, Warden hopped up onto the counter and nudged off his work shoes. "Why am I not surprised." He said before taking a big bite of the pizza.

If he ordered pizza, and it's not burnt, then why do I still smell smoke? Warden thought as he eyed Drake. The man turned and returned the stare for a moment, before reaching for the pizza box, only to stop when his fingers opened the lid and there were only two slices left.

"I uh, am full." He mumbled to himself as he let the lid drop back into place.

Now I know something''s up. Warden thought with narrowing eyes. Drake never got full. He could eat two pizzas easily. One? He should have had it gone by the time Warden had gotten home from work.

"Alright, Drake. What's up?" He asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

The other man shifted awkwardly, then ran a hand through his hair and stared up at the ceiling. He was silent for a moment before lowering his gaze back to Warden's and shrugging. "I tried to feed Cerat earlier, because he was hungry, but he threw up on me almost right away. And I tried to uh, cook."

That's it? Warden thought, confused.

"You aren't telling me something. Is Cerat okay? Did he do something bad to get your blood?" Warden pushed, leaning forward where he sat on the counter. He knew he could just go check on Cerat since he had seen him in huddled in his corner in the living room, so he had a feeling that the young man throwing up wasn't causing Drake's stress.

As he watched him, Drake paced around the kitchen, running his fingers through his hair and tugging at the short strands repeatedly. When he wouldn't stop walking and actually speak, Warden blew out a breath and slid from the counter. "Fine. Don't tell me, darn dog." He grumbled as he stomped past him.

He could feel Drake's eyes on him as he headed for the bedroom and heard him take in a deep breath, but if he wouldn't talk to him, he wasn't going to waste his time watching him pace.

Seeing Cerat actually out from under his blankets was a welcome surprise as he passed through the livingn room. Warden gave him a smile. It wasn't returned, but at least the vampire didn't try to hide.