(for Davin - backdated to Tuesday - Trigger Warnings)

[jamesthorn]

Trigger Warnings: discussion of violence, injuries, homophobia, and slurs 

James hears about the attack like everyone else at the station. He comes in that morning, steaming cup of coffee in one hand, and it's the first thing someone says to him. A young male was attacked and bad enough to need to go to the hospital, and there are rumors swirling that it was more than just an attack. At first James misunderstands. He thinks it's a something, not a someone. Because this is Siren Cove. Witches and sirens live in this town, and people get hurt. 

But this isn't what that is, James realizes as the conversation swirls through the station that morning. It isn't until around nine-thirty when one of the officers on duty last night comes in and says, "Well, I think I woulda rather had some of our regular hocus pocus. You know? Hate crime." The officer shakes his head. "Kid was gay, and they beat him up. Cracked ribs, bruises, bad sight." James is at his desk inputing ticket violations from last week, and he immediately freezes in the middle of typing. He looks up and calls over to him, "You said it was a kid?" The officer shrugs. "White male, early twenties. Kid didn't even want to press charged. Can you believe it?" 

He sighs because he hadn't needed to ask to know the guy was talking about Davin, and there is a heavy pit in his stomach. That day he had taken his car to be fixed, he had noticed those two guys working with him weren't very...happy to have him for a boss. Before James gives it a second thought, he gathers his coat and drives straight across town. He remembers Davin mentioning he lived about a bakery. The station picked up donuts there sometimes, so he knows the one. 

After he parks along the curb, he heads into the bakery and is directed to Davin's door upstairs by the elderly lady running the register. He isn't sure what he is about to find, but he prepares for the worst. James knocks three times on the door hard. "Hello? Davin, it is James," he announces. 

Comments

[davin]

He feels James stiffen when Davin leans against him and for a moment he feels so stupid for doing it, cheeks heating up, and he's moving to pull way when James curls his arm around Davin's shoulders. He goes slack with relief and turns in towards him just a little. He knows that he's messed up and needy, and that he's starved for physical affection, but James is humoring him and for that he's grateful, even if it is embarrassing.

"I am, I promise." He sighs and curls up as best he can with his sore ribs and closes his eyes. "The video is on my computer at the shop. We can go get it. I gotta figure out how to clean up - the floor. It's not gonna look pretty in there."

He can't imagine what it will be like, scrubbing his own blood from the concrete, but it has to be done. "An' we can go t'the station. Whatever ya need from me."

[jamesthorn]

James reaches out patting Davin against his knee already shaking his head. He shifts a little to look at him. "You aren't going anywhere. Clean up and the tape can wait until the morning. Just sit here and rest," he says, standing back up. "I am going to make a quick phone call to the station."

Because he was at work and apparently he is going to have to watch Davin like a hawk if he expects the guy not to leave his couch. "I'll be right back," he says stepping out into the hallway for a few minutes as he phones the front desk.

[davin]

"Okay, sure." Davin's face flushes as he has pull away for James to stand up. That was dumb, clinging to him like that. He didn't mean to make James uncomfortable, but friendly touches seem to help erase the memories of the bad ones, at least for a little while. God, he should be stronger than this.

He watches James go and sits up, scooting over more towards one side of the couch to make plenty of room for him when he returns. His cocoa is on the coffee table and he eyes it, but bending forward to grab it just sounds exhausting right now, so he settles back into the corner of the couch and closes his eyes, taking deep breaths and doing his best to collect himself so by the time James returns, he won't be a sniffling mess anymore.

[jamesthorn]

It's rare for James to ever call into work which is why the phone call takes longer than it should. The front desk assistant even asks him if everything is okay, and he assures her that everything's fine and just to hold his messages until in the morning. He calls into his work voicemail after that, checks his messages, and then returns to where he left Davin sitting on the couch. He doesn't know why, but he has a very strong urge to stay here. Just to make sure Davin doesn't need anything.

He comes back inside and pulls off his coat, folding it across the arm rest of the couch. Maybe he should've asked if he could stay for awhile. "Will anyone else be around today?" he asks, taking a seat back beside Davin.

[davin]

Davin isn't surprised when James comes back inside, but he is surprised when he takes off his coat and looks like he's settling in. Surely he must have important things to be doing. He should be at work, and Davin wants to tell him so, but he doesn't. He likes that he's here.

"Lara was here earlier. She brought me home from the hospital," Davin tells him, looking down at his hands in his lap and fiddling with the split on his finger. "An' I should probably call Mira at some point, so she doesn't hear 'bout it from someone else. Ya know how shit spreads in this town."

He looks over at James with an expression that's slightly puzzled but mostly grateful, and gives him a shy smile. "Is there anythin' else ya need t'ask me, or do I get James the friend back now?"

[jamesthorn]

"No, I think we can deal with the rest of it later," James assures him giving him a small smile. Considering how little they know one another, it does seem slightly awkward, but he is concerned enough to ignore it and the fact that he is essentially camping out in Davin's apartment. He is positive that Davin would rather have someone he knows, like that Mira woman keeping watching, but he isn't going to let that stop him from staying until someone else shows up.

He looks around the place, finally taking notice. It's a cozy---or small---apartment, but it's isn't too bad. Looking back at Davin, he shrugs a little. "Do you want anything?" he asks.

[davin]

He watches as James looks around, feeling a little self-conscious of his tiny apartment, but not enough for it to bother him. He worked hard for this place, and he worked even harder to fix it up and renovate and make it nice. It was basically an outdated storage room when he found it, but now it's his.

James seems a little uncomfortable, but Davin knows him enough to know that he wouldn't stay unless he wanted to, at least on some level. He asks if Davin wants anything and he blushes a little, biting his lip, because he'd like to press himself against James' side again. He felt warm and safe there, for some reason, but he doesn't feel like he can ask that of James. The last thing he wants to do is make him uncomfortable.

"Um, could ya hand me my cocoa? There's more on the stove if ya wanna grab yourself a mug. It's pretty damn good, if I must say myself. It always makes me feel better."

[jamesthorn]

"Uh, sure." James scoots up to the edge of the cushion to reach for the warmed mug. Carefully he hands it to Davin with the handle facing out. "Thanks. I'll just grab a cup," he says heading for the kitchen. It isn't hard to find given the size of the apartment. A black pot is sitting out on the stove, and James proceeds to fix himself a steaming mug filled with cocoa.

He takes a sip as he sits back down and ends up doing a slight double-take. The drink is perfect. Warm but not scalding, rich but not too sweet. "It's good," he says. "You made this?"

[davin]

He takes the mug with a grateful smile and takes a sip, sighing happily. When James comes back with a mug Davin watches him curiously and then grins at his reaction. His cocoa never fails. "Yep. I melt the chocolate down an' everythin', whole nine yards. I make it whenever I'm feelin' down."

It makes him happy that James likes it and he relaxes back against the sofa, curling his fingers around the mug and looking over at him. "So how is work? It must never be borin', bein' a detective, 'specially in a town like this."

[jamesthorn]

James takes another sip of the warm drink, smiling at Davin's own reaction. Clearly, he'd had others tell compliment the drink before, but it's good. Sitting here is relaxing, much more than work would be, where he had been sorting through a stack of traffic violations. While he loves his job, he there is nothing he likes about doing the paperwork that goes along with it.

"There is no shortage of mysterious circumstances. That's for sure," he agrees with a nod then shrugs. "I dunno. You get used to it, and it's just like being a cop anywhere I guess. We just have a different sort of criminal to deal with."

[davin]

"Well, if ya ever need a witchy consultant, ya know where t'find me." He laughs softly and takes another long drink of his cocoa, looking at James over the rim of his mug, "You should kick your shoes off an' relax. We can watch Christmas movies on Netflix or somethin'."

He reaches over to pat James on the back, hand lingering before he pulls away and returns to his side of the couch. "It's okay t'be lazy every once in awhile."

[jamesthorn]

"If that's going to keep you on this couch..." James reaches down to take off his shoes, pauses and then looks up at Davin. "You really want me to take off my shoes?" This isn't his house, and he really isn't sure if that's appropriate.

[davin]

"I don't see why it wouldn't," Davin replies, and then looks over at him with a raised eyebrow. What an odd question. "D'your feet stink or somethin'? Ya can't curl up on a couch and relax with shoes on, man."

He looks down at himself and then up at James again with a blush staining his cheeks. "'sides, if ya can deal with me in my underwear than I can deal with ya in your socks."

[jamesthorn]

James laughs at Davin's confusion, realizing he is being an idiot. Again. He should just relax like Davin suggests. "Okay. I can do that," he says kicking off his shoes and settling back against the couch. "Yeah. I guess you're forgiven for coming to the door with no pants. Your neighbors might not appreciate it."

[davin]

"Hey, ya don't know that. Maybe they do. I've been told I have a cute butt." He blushes, because why the hell did he say that, but oh well. It's out there.

And he does have a cute butt.

"Here, I've gotta - jus' lemme - " He moves to get the remote, slow and easy until he's pressed up against James' side and can grab it. James is warm and solid and Davin lets out a breath as he leans into him. He'll move away, he will, but he'll relish in it for a moment. "How d'ya feel about A Christmas Story? I've also got Elf an' Jim Carrey's Grinch on my DVR. Your pick."

[jamesthorn]

"Maybe. Well, I guess I know where to do my drive-thrus now," he jokes, leaning for table to pick back up his hot chocolate.

James shrugs as Davin runs down the choices. Between work and everything else, idle time to watch movies isn't something James has very often so he hasn't seen any of the movies Davin names, but he's sure they will be fine for entertaining them well enough that Davin just rests for the remainder of the evening.

He doesn't notice too much when Davin press against him. He's quickly learning that Davin is...tactile. He doesn't think he even realizes it, and that's hard for James because he is very...closed in normally. He only trusts certain people, and it takes time for him to feel comfortable. "I think any of those is okay," he says. "I'm not really a movie buff."

[davin]

"Be sure an' give me your schedule. An' I'll check the mail in my undies, just for you." He laughs and presses their shoulders together as he scrolls through the DVR. "We'll go with A Christmas Story then. It's a classic."

He presses play and then takes a long sip of his cocoa before looking over at James. He's sitting up stiffly, elbows on his knees, and Davin rolls his eyes as he plants a hand in the center of James' chest. "Relax, man. That's the theme for today."

When James doesn't immediately push him away, Davin presses lightly until James falls back into the soft corner of the overstuffed sofa. "There, isn't that better? Now kick your feet up on the table an' just take it easy."

[jamesthorn]

James looks at the coffee table skeptically then shakes his head. "I'm not putting my feet on your furniture, he says, shaking his head. He settles back against the couch cushion, which is easy as Davin's hand presses against his chest. "Look I'm relaxed. Just start the movie."

[davin]

"It's okay. You're new t'the laziness thing. We'll get there." He starts the movie and sets the remote on the table, finishing off his cocoa and looking back at James thoughtfully. He has his arm up on the back of the couch and Davin bites his lip, hesitating for a moment before carefully stretching out along James' side. His uninjured side is pressed against the sofa, and against James, and he rests his cheek on James' shoulder. "This is part of it. Relaxin', cuddlin' up with someone. It's good, right?"

[jamesthorn]

"You know I do own a couch? I'm not a complete idiot," James says, but he is clearly joking because he smiles a little. Ordinarily James isn't someone that is overly touchy-feely, but when Davin curls up against him, resting his cheek against his shoulder, he tries not to mind. He knows that Davin's been through probably a tough, emotionally devestating event. Sometimes you just need to feel like someone is here with you, and James understands. He doesn't comment on the cuddling, and instead puts one hand around Davin's shoulder. "I do know how to relax."

[davin]

"Yes, but do ya use it for its true purpose?" Davin teases back. He relaxes when James doesn't seem to mind Davin sprawling across him and he lets out a soft sigh, wrapping an arm around James's middle and keeping his eyes on the TV. "Good. Then show me how it's done."

The movie starts and Davin watches intently, mouthing along with some of the lines, and feels comforted by James' solid warmth underneath him, pulse beating steadily against his cheek.