"Easy there, I'm not gonna hurt you", Charlie said and held his left hand towards Ethan.
The protective leather suit creaked a little as he bent his knees to put the basket containing some clothes and a closed bowl of meat cuts down next to him. Slow movements. The man looked like a cornered animal and probably also felt like one. They had been through this with his first transformation and if Charlie was being honest, this was so much more in his league than a seven foot tall goo monster. He crouched down so he was on the same eye level as the creature, but avoided looking straight at him. No need to antagonize him.
"Alright, Ethan. Remember me?" Charlie asked softly.
To his surprise, Ethan narrowed his eyes and tilted his head, as if he was thinking about it. Silvery strands of hair fell over his forehead and partially in his view. His features were still void of human emotion, concerningly blank for something that looked more man than beast. After a few moments, his attention strayed to the basket without showing any answer to the question.
"I've brought some clothes and food."
At the last word, the white-haired head snapped back in Charlie's direction. Okay, so he at least remembered a few meanings.
"Clothes first. You make us a little uncomfortable."
Maybe insisting on putting on clothes before handing him raw meat wasn't the wisest choice, but he hadn't lied about the discomfort. The discussion within the squad had lasted for almost an hour, going back and forth between the question of whether he would rather destroy than wear it, concerns about his digestive system - or rather lack thereof - and how to get a lycan into some sweatpants.
Carefully, he fished a black shirt from the basket. Getting him into it would be an improvement, from their estimate it should cover his torso to just below his hips. On the other hand, he wondered whether starting with pants would have been the smarter move since those had one less hole to thread a limb through.
"Well, here goes nothing", Charlie mumbled. "It's okay, Ethan. It's just a shirt."
He had no idea how to convey the concept and forcing it on him just spelled disaster, his leather gear would stand no chance against jaws capable of chewing bones like candy. Tentatively, he stuck his own hands through the arm holes in reverse and wiggled his fingers. Ethan tried to replicate the motion and once both arms were threaded through, he gave the hem a tug to pull it over the head. The neckline was rather wide and the shirt hung loosely from his slender frame, as expected. It was extremely oversized, after all.
"Good job", Charlie praised him.
In the back of his mind he was aware that he was dangerously close to those claws and teeth, especially since Ethan still showed no real sign of humanity.
He tried the same approach with the pair of boxer shorts, showing how to put his legs through while sitting, but hoped he didn't have to help. After the fourth attempt, Ethan had both legs where they belonged and besides a little puncture hole from one of his toenails, the fabric was in good condition. Unlike Ethan's patience, that was wearing thin alarmingly fast. His black eyes darted to the basket at an increasing frequency, then back to the man squatting in his way. Charlie noticed the white hair on his nape bristle and decided against further delay by trying to get him into some sweatpants, fishing the bowl from the basket as Ethan watched intensely.
"Wait. I'll open the dish", Charlie said.
As he removed the lid and the smell filled the air, Ethan's pupils dilated until the irises were nothing more than a thin golden ring swimming in pitch black.
"Wait, wait! Ouch", Charlie groaned.
In his enthusiasm, the lycan had knocked him over on his butt and was almost climbing onto his lap in an attempt to reach the bowl that he held above his head. So the concept of meat being food and Charlie being the provider, not part of the meal, was not completely lost to Ethan. The thought that it was a pity it wasn't Catwoman crawling all over him briefly crossed his mind, but he dismissed it quickly. Not the best time to think about comics when there was an apex predator inches from his jugular and begging for food. Slowly, gently, he laid his free hand against Ethan's sternum, who let himself be pushed back off Charlie's lap. The lycan wasn't happy with the increased distance to the bowl, however, and his lips curled back to a snarl as he crawled forward again. Long fingernails dug into the leather on Charlie's thighs, not hard enough to break through the thick material, but distinctly threatening. Paper-thin restraint, nurtured through hours of trust-building, was all that kept the young soldier off the menu for now and he had no intent to test Ethan's patience further. He lowered his arm and the bestial gaze followed the movement.
"Careful, wait till it's on the floor", he admonished, barely masking the shudder in his voice.
Charlie scrambled to the side while the lycan crouched over the bowl, both hands submerged in the luke-warm meat. Thank goodness it was only that. Not a carcass, not a fresh corpse, not the dead body of a friend or colleague. Of course he had read the witness reports on zombie attacks, poor fellows finding a loved one elbow deep in someone else's ribcage. He had seen the photos in the files, in training, in briefings.
Now that he watched Ethan chew chunks as big as his fist and throw his head back to swallow the barely masticated pieces, the full brunt of the realization hit him. He was sitting next to a monster that could gut him with ease and he had rarely felt so alive.
Curiosity got the better of Charlie, he stretched his arm and his fingertips brushed over the white hair, pulling them back as Ethan flinched at the touch. It felt fine and soft, almost like silk, but there was no way in hell he could ask Dion if it had felt like that when they encountered him at the research outpost. Best case scenario, he couldn't remember.
"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you", he whispered.
Ethan stared at him, one eyebrow twitching as if he tried to arch it without success, but it stopped when he focused on the bead of sweat running down from Charlie's forehead. It was warm in his leather suit, but the adrenaline rushing through his veins made it worse. The lycan leaned forward, one hand on Charlie's knee and one on his shoulder, and dragged his rough tongue along the cheek from stubble to temple. He was too stupefied to react, a flaw that he worked on diligently because with any other B.O.W., this would have been the end of him. There weren't even claw marks on his clothes after the hands left him and Ethan went back to licking the bowl clean as if nothing had happened.
Still a little dazed, he collected the basket, heard himself thank the lycan for putting up with wearing clothes and locked the door behind him on the way out. He made it all the way out the door before the ebb and flow of tension and relief caught up to him, chuckling a little as he wiped his forehead and the side of his face with his hand. Fuck, he felt great, like the time he had beaten his sprint record, exhausted but fantastic. The sound died in his throat when he noticed Tundra, leaning casually against the wall and smirking at him.
"Not bad for somebody who used to be afraid of dogs as a kid", she whistled approvingly.
"I… did you read my file?"
"Read? I was the one who suggested hiring you to Redfield. Of course I read it."
Charlie's face fell, reality was snatching him back into its unrelenting embrace. Among humans and outside of missions, he was still his awkward, insignificant self. Emily seemed to notice his mood drop.
"How about a little snooping into someone else's dirty secrets to make you feel better?" she asked with a sly smile. "I could use your help with something."
Chris couldn't fall asleep, again. Or rather, he had decided to get up after a restless hour of tumbling from unpleasant memories to nightmares, turning from one side to the other until he snapped wide awake. Being sober for a few years now might be the healthier way of living, but dealing with bad dreams on his own was a pain in the ass. The only time he got some actual rest was either when he passed out in his bed after a mission or when sleep deprivation caught up with him. Luckily, there was no one next to him he could disturb; when was the last time he had shared a bed with anyone, anyway?
His mood was foul enough as it was, without pondering on relationships. Breathing a frustrated sigh, he slipped into his boots and grabbed his hoodie from the foot of the bed. Spring was just around the corner and the nights were still chilly, especially with a cloudless sky like this, the nearly full moon shining through the skylights from an ocean of stars. The door to the other bedroom was ajar, a quiet voice and muffled laughing came from the main hall. Seemed like he wasn't the only one up and about tonight.
"...and then he dropped the arrogant bastard on the mat. Taught him a lesson that day he won't forget. So, yeah, that's why I try my best to keep up with everyone."
Charlie's voice carried through the crisp, silent air. As Chris stepped closer, he saw him sitting on the floor, wrapped in his blanket, with Ethan on the other side of the glass wall, almost mirroring the posture. The lycan looked more relaxed than Chris had ever seen him, his eyelids fluttered heavily and he yawned like a dog, tongue curling and licking his lips afterwards. The man outside didn't mind him nodding off, maybe it had even been his goal.
"You're gonna regret it tomorrow if you fall asleep here", Chris said, startling Charlie.
"Shi… sorry, did I wake you up?"
"No, didn't hear you through the closed door. How about you, are you okay?"
"Couldn't sleep well around the full moon ever since I was a kid. At least I'm not afraid of werewolves crawling through my window anymore", Charlie chuckled and pointed at the snoring lycan. "This one can be bribed with a beef heart."
"Really? I would have figured him for a brisket guy. Personally, I prefer sirloin", Chris said and sat down on the chair nearby. The other man looked at him quizzically.
"Uhm, okay? I think I like poultry", Charlie replied.
"To each their own", the older man shrugged. "So, anything new?"
"It's a mixed bag. One time he is so docile I could pet his head, another time he growls if I move too suddenly. And sometimes… I don't know how to explain it."
Charlie couldn't put it in words, those fleeting moments when he saw something in Ethan's face - a glint in his eyes, a hint of an all too human frown and the opening of his mouth as if he tried to say something - that passed before either of them could seize the opportunity. It was almost heartbreaking to watch the sliver of humanity vanish again, progress was so agonizingly slow now he was back on a pure animal diet.
"Maybe we could try what Mia suggested", Charlie said quietly after a few minutes of thoughtful silence. "It's just blood, after all. It doesn't matter where it comes from."
Chris tensed up, remembering what exactly she had told them: human material for human intelligence, the more he got the faster he would recover. Anything with protein and information would help - fluids, organs, muscles… The way she had put it, void of any sympathy for possible victims or anyone involved, was worse than her just cheerfully saying "go murder somebody, feed him the corpse and he'll be fine". According to her rambling explanation, their approach would only get them to ninety-nine percent. For the last step, only human proteins would suffice. A sickening thought.
"No", the captain said sharply.
"I don't mind donating, I've given blood for the Red Cross before."
"That's completely different."
"How is this any different?"
"What next? Are you gonna cut off a finger if Mia tells you it's necessary?"
"No! But we're talking only about something we do for other humans all the time. Donating blood is not that big a deal."
"This is wrong, Charlie."
"So it's not right because it's not you sacrificing something? You're not the only one caring about him. Don't pretend you're a fucking martyr!"
"One more word, Graham. I'll kick you out and you'll never set foot in this building again."
The men glared at each other, moonlight painting their faces ghostly pale. The only sounds in the room were Ethan's slow breaths and the humming of the air filters working to clean and warm the room. Charlie was the first to break eye contact, all steam gone as he looked down.
"I do apologize, sir. I overstepped the mark."
"No, it's… One vial of blood per person, once a week. We're talking point two ounce and you're not doing this alone. No more sneaking around behind my back. If I find out you gave him more than we agree on, you're out. Are we clear?"
"Yes, sir", Charlie replied sheepishly.
"God, he sleeps rather soundly, doesn't he?" Chris sighed.
A faint scratching noise pierced through the veil of dreams and demanded the attention of the two men sitting in old office chairs in the middle of the main room. Chris groaned as he stretched his legs, everything hurt from the unnatural posture he had taken. In the other chair, Charlie moved and nearly knocked the small table with the cups and thermos bottle of tea over. There was still time before sunlight shone directly in, but the sky began to turn cyan with small, scattered clouds lazily drifting across the vast canvas.
"Fuck", Chris cursed. "Bad idea."
"How late is it?" Charlie yawned.
"The others should be on the way by now. I'll clean up this mess, you take care of his breakfast and meds", the captain said with a nod to the enclosure.
Ethan sat cross-legged on the floor and watched them, head tilted to one side. Surprisingly, he had made no attempt to attack Chris since his transformation into a lycan, though he caught him staring with almost completely black eyes sometimes, tensed up and ready to pounce, but never actually doing it. Maybe something had changed in him or the meds were working better, he welcomed it either way. It had been frustrating being unable to approach his friend while Charlie became a trusted fixture for the molded. Resenting the younger man for this was ridiculously petty, seeing them together stung nonetheless.
Among the supplies left by the previous occupants were enough medical products still good, including two packages of vials and several boxes of hollow needles. After giving Ethan his breakfast and a very brief talk with Mia, who headed off to the appointment with an Umbrella pediatrician afterwards, they collected the necessary materials and set it up in the upstairs lab area.
"What are you two up to?" Emily interrupted.
Charlie flinched guiltily at the sound of her voice from the doorway, whereas the captain calmly continued preparing a cotton swab.
"Uhm, we…", the younger man sputtered.
"Drawing some blood. Mind helping us while you're here?" Chris asked.
"Better than helping Dion setting up an obstacle course in the mud for his two adorable fleabags. Which ones?" she replied and pointed at the boxes.
"The red ones marked EDTA. One from each of us."
"Special reason for that? Are you feeling anemic?"
"No, it's… it's for feeding Ethan", Charlie said and the blonde nearly dropped the bottle of disinfectant.
"Are you kidding me? Feeding?" Her gaze darted between the men, searching for a sign they were joking. Chris' nod was met with disbelief.
"Is anybody here in their right mind?" she grumbled and poked the needle a little harder than necessary into Charlie's arm. "There, done."
He took the vial from her and pressed the cotton swab on the puncture wound.
"Thanks", he mumbled.
"So, you caved in to Mia's depraved idea of healing her husband?" Emily asked once Charlie was out of earshot.
"It's not like there's much of a choice now", Chris sighed. "Had I refused, Charlie would have found a way to defy my order. He's the kind of guy who would get himself injured."
"Says the right stubborn bullethead. You should check your emails, by the way. I think some of your old friends were trying to contact us. I told them you'd reply immediately."
"Are you making a habit of insulting me and bossing me around?" Chris frowned.
"If that's what's needed around here", she purred and dropped his vial into his palm. "I'll be here, reading, should anyone come looking for me."
She hadn't been joking about the emails, there were a dozen of them and replying and subsequent phone calls took up the better half of the day. The squad met for a short late lunch break - it had been Dion's turn to cook and he had prepared a Cesar salad with chicken breast beforehand. Though it did taste good, Chris envied Ethan a little for his meatier diet.
"How are Rock and Mist doing?" Emily asked between bites.
"Great, I'm glad I purchased both of them. You should join me for a walk, later", Dion smiled at her. "The weather is great and I would love to show you one of my favorite places around here."
"You're right, maybe I really should", she replied with a wink.
"Oh, get a room", Charlie groaned, still groggy from the night spent on a chair.
"Stop complaining, it's your own fault for falling asleep in the hall. Your sleeping habits are worse than Ethan's", she retorted cheerfully.
In the ten days he'd spent as a lycan, his sleep-wake cycle had been all over the place, including a 74 hour wake phase. His breathing and pulse was nearing human levels.
"Plus, Rolando was on duty yesterday. He's watched you sit around and drink tea for over an hour", the dog handler added. "No sympathy from me either."
The loud clang of a heavy body hitting metal startled the female squad member and she nearly dropped the plate into the sink. Their rotating chore system meant that every time Dion cooked, it was her turn to do the dishes and Charlie whenever she prepared lunch, him and Chris being the next pair. Emily had been looking forward to her outing with the dog handler and the two shepherd dogs, but it sounded like that had to wait. In the main hall, the clanging and scratching was deafening. Ethan had managed to dislodge one on the rods that supported the metal bed and swung it with both hands. He wasn't aiming at the walls - the brunt of the force was directed to some point in the middle of the room but since there was nothing but thin air, he stumbled again and again, hitting the glass and beams. Long hind claws scraped over the concrete floor with each step. Charlie was already at the enclosure.
"Is he having a fit again?" Emily shouted over the noises.
"I'm not sure, looks like he's hallucinating or something", Charlie replied in the same volume.
The leader came rushing from one of the side rooms, tucking his holster in place. He didn't even seem surprised anymore.
"He'll hurt himself at this rate. We're going in", Chris commanded.
None of them had had the opportunity to change their ammunition, but in the light of his last big incident, they'd rather take their chances and wound him in a way that stopped him than risk loss of limbs, again.
The noise died down just seconds before the door opened. Ethan stood with his side to them, panting from the exertion. Something was wrong about this; his posture was tense, but straight, and he looked down into his palms with an expression of confusion. His lips were moving, mouthing something over and over without actually uttering an audible word.
"Ethan? Can you understand me?" Charlie asked and stepped closer.
Black and golden eyes darted to the approaching squad, halting in his mumbling, and then his gaze fell upon the weapons aimed at him. Grim determination washed over his face.
They had underestimated how quickly molded could move. Within a blink of an eye, Ethan was right in front of Charlie. He lifted his weapon, but was hesitant to shoot. The bullet would stop the attack without doubt, but the damage was incalculable taking the different properties of the strains into account.
There was one person absolutely certain of the next step: Charlie's hands were flung upwards as Ethan grabbed him and bit into the muzzle. For a fleeting moment he could see deep sorrow in those golden eyes before a loud bang disrupted all coherent thought. The world slowed down as the lycan before him fell.
A/N: Anyone here still reading? I'm going to upload the following chapters to get up to speed with the Ao3 upload in the next few days. I know that M/M isn't FFN's most loved relationship and the distinct lack of female main characters wil drive the rest of the readers off... or maybe I just suck so much at summaries that I don't draw in people anyway. If you made it this far into the fic, thank you for reading!