Chapter Three

Summary: Dirk witnesses Todd's second shift in as many nights.

A/N: I'm assuming since werewolves aren't technically regular wolves, that they possibly can see color.

Dirk arrived back at Todd's flat a mere 45 minutes after he'd left, carrying a ridiculously large, very orange overnight bag. "There's a pizza arriving in... fifteen minutes," he told Todd cheerfully, checking his watch.

"Great," said Todd, rather sarcastically, Dirk thought. He also looked like he was trying to wear a hole in in floor with his pacing. Dirk let him be for the moment, pulling a couple of brightly-colored, overstuffed pillows from his bag.

"I thought these would help," he said. "It's rather tiring sitting on the floor all night, isn't it?"

"This isn't some slumber party, Dirk!" Todd practically snarled, whirling around to get in the detective's face. "In 45 minutes I have to go back into that prison and go through the worst - You have no idea what it's like! God! I knew this was a mistake!"

Dirk shrank back in on himself, trying (and failing miserably) to pretend that Todd's words hadn't just cut him to the core. He heard Todd groan and looked up to find him practically tearing at his hair in frustration.

"Dirk, I'm sorry," Todd said softly, his voice no longer laced with anger and sarcasm. "I didn't mean that. I... This is another reason why I'm better off on my own. It's close now, and I can feel it itching just below my skin, and it's... angry. It's always angry and that makes me angry, and I turn into an even bigger asshole than usual."

"Then, you don't mind if I stay?" Dirk tried to keep his voice neutral, as though he didn't care about the answer. He wasn't sure he pulled it off.

"Of course you can stay," Todd sighed. "But if I snap at you, try not to take it personally, okay?"

"I never take anything personally," Dirk said brightly (as though that weren't a complete lie where Todd was concerned). "Why don't you take these to the room while I wait on the pizza?" He shoved the pillows at Todd, reasoning that perhaps if he had something else to focus on, it might distract from his bad mood.

Todd eyed the decorative throw pillows thoughtfully. "You know, if you don't want these torn up, you probably shouldn't bring them in. Like I said, the wolf is always angry, and it has a tendency to destroy anything I put in there. I had a mattress in the beginning, and it was in shreds by the end of the first night."

"That's alright," the detective reassured his friend. "I was thinking of getting new cushions for the sofa, anyway. These are a bit plain, don't you think?"

Todd shook his head, looking at the disgustingly bright neon pillows, and apparently decided not to comment in favor of taking them into the small room off the kitchen.

Dirk didn't have to wait long for the food to arrive. Once it did, he placed the pizza on the counter, deciding to wait until he saw how the wolf would react before he introduced food into the mix. (Dirk didn't know much about animals as a rule, but even he knew better than to feed a possibly wild beast.)

Making his way into Todd's "prison," as he had referred to it, Dirk found his assistant standing awkwardly against the wall with the chain. Dirk's pillows had been placed in the far corner near the door, just out of reach of the chain's reach.

Todd was rubbing the back of his neck, eyes fixed stubbornly on the floor, and looking distinctly uncomfortable. After a short moment of silence (in which Dirk was distracted by the sudden blush that crawled across the shorter man's face to the tips of his ears), Todd mutter a soft, "Fuck it," and began to strip. Dirk felt his own face grow suddenly hot, and he immediately averted his eyes, heart suddenly too loud in the quiet room.

"Is... Is there anything I can do?" he asked, his voice sounding strained, even to his own ears.

He heard the rustle of clothing pause before Todd said, "No. Just keep back. Stay on your pillows until you're sure it's safe."

Dirk sank down on his pillows, pressing his back against the corner of the wall. He tried valiantly not to look at Todd, who was getting naked, but Dirk had never been very good at resisting temptation. He let his eyes flick upward once and was met with the sight of a gloriously naked Todd fastening the worn leather collar around his neck.

God.

The detective averted his eyes again quickly, but the image seemed to have burned itself into his brain. Suddenly, it was all he could see or think about, and he found himself snatching up one of the pillows and placing it in his lap very quickly, praying to any deity that might exist that Todd hadn't noticed.

"Okay," Todd said at last. "Just... Okay."

Dirk looked up, heart suddenly clenching for an entirely different reason. He watched as Todd's beautiful eyes closed, brow furrowed, as he let out a shaky breath. There was a moment of silence, and then the screaming started.

If Dirk had thought that watching Todd transform into the wolf would be easier now that he knew what was going on, he was sadly mistaken. He watched as his friend - his only friend, really - doubled up on himself, screams of agony ripping from his throat as he clawed frantically at the ground.

Gripping the edge of his cushion, the detective felt tears prickling at the corners of his eyes. He wanted so badly to go over to Todd, and do... something - anything - to help, but Todd had told him to stay... As the muscles beneath Todd's skin began to shift, the screams changed to howls, and Dirk clenched his eyes shut, tears spilling over, unable to watch Todd in so much pain.

His human side had been drinking that fowl substance again, the one that made the it so terribly hard for the wolf to claw his way out, even now that his human side was no longer trying to fight him. He had thought they were past this.

He howled again in pain. Even the hairs pushing through his skin was painful tonight.

When it was all finally over, and he was panting, exhausted and overheated on the cool floor, he knew instantly that something was different. There was someone else in the room with him.

Suddenly alert, he saw that it was the man from the previous night. His comforting scent was already heavy in the air, but - wait, he smelled... He was distressed. Why was he upset?

Forcing himself up on shaky legs, the wolf tried to run to the man, but he was stopped by the cursed chain that kept him tethered to the wall. He let out a frustrated yip, followed by a series of low whines, pulling ineffectually against his collar.

The man opened his eyes. "T-Todd?"

He tentatively reached out a hand and shift slowly toward the wolf, doing an odd sort of squat-shuffle so they remained at eye-level. Once he was close enough, the wolf bypassed the outstretched hand entirely, moving swiftly to lick at the salty wetness on the man's face. It elicited a surprised bark of laughter from the man that helped to soothe some of the wolf's worry.

"Are you alright now, Todd? You are, aren't you?"

The man never seemed to be quiet, but the wolf could hardly complain as he was suddenly running his hands through his fur. The wolf couldn't ever remember being touched before, and certainly not by someone who smelled of home and pack. It was... divine. He could smell the man's scent clinging to his fur, and he nuzzled up against the man to spread his own scent. The man laughed again, a much more genuine sound than before, less... hysterical.

"I don't know what you were so worried about. You're much more affectionate this way."

The man took his hands away to drag over the colorful lumps that were piled in the corner. The wolf watched him in confusion, with a cocked head, until he realized what the man was doing. He was making something like a nest for them. The wolf felt something unclench in his gut that he hadn't even realized had been there. When the man sat, the wolf crawled upon the soft lumps with him, placing his head in the man's lap with a contented sigh.

A/N: Reviews are my inspiration! ^_^