Meals on Feets [Davin]

[littleredsiren]

 It had been a few days since Iris' first encounter with Davin. If she was being honest, her promise to bring him a meal to pay him back for finding her keys had completely slipped her mind. But, thankfully, she'd remembered as soon as she'd woken up this morning, and spent the better part of the day putting together a variety of dishes.

So now she was on his door step, arms loaded down with spanakopita, lemon chicken soup, and a variety of baked desserts, all for her new friend. He certainly wouldn't be going hungry any time soon, if she had anything to say about it.

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[davin]

Davin took a sick day for the first time since he became manager of the shop. He didn't want to, but he was still sore and freaked out and he just wanted to curl up in a nest of blankets and hide from the world. Mel just snorted when Davin called to let him know, so he called up a few of his clients personally to move around his schedule. His voice is raspy and low from the injuries to his throat, so he didn't really have to do much convincing to get them to believe that he's sick.

The bottle of healing potion in his cabinet had been nearly empty, and not quite strong enough to deal with his injuries. He mainly used it for small cuts and burns he got while working, and didn't think about brewing anything stronger. It was enough to close the cut under his ribs so that it didn't need stitches, and it probably won't scar, but it's still red and angry looking and stings. There are finger-shaped bruises around his throat and his back is scraped and bruised from being slammed into the tree. Basically, he's a goddamn mess.

He's laying on his couch in only a pair of flannel pants, watching TV from under about a dozen blankets. The knock on the door makes him groan and he considers ignoring it, but he doesn't. It could be important.

He pulls himself off of the couch like a scab and wraps his comforter around his himself, hood-like over his head as he clutches the sides together with one hand over his chest. On the other side of his door is a tiny gorgeous redhead, and he can't help but to smile. She's laden down with various containers and Davin tilts his head curiously. He didn't really tell anyone what happened, yet hear she is with comfort food?

"Iris, hey," he says in a raspy voice, giving her a smile as he steps aside to let her in. "Come on in."

[littleredsiren]

Iris frowns when he answers the door. He looks... awful. And that worries her. Stepping into the entryway, she sets down one of her armfuls of food.

"Are you sick?" she asks, concern clear in her voice as she presses a hand to his forehead. He doesn't feel warm, but then not every illness comes with a fever and he is clearly not feeling well. "You should have called me! I would have brought over more food..."

[davin]

Davin blinks at the strong concern in her voice. He's so used to being on his own dealing with things without help, that suddenly having someone else there is a bit of a shock to his system. A welcomed one, but a shock nonetheless. Even if he had been sick, he wouldn't have called her. They just met, but he wouldn't call anyone when he was sick. It's just how he is.

"I'm not sick," Davin assures her, nuzzling into the touch of her small hand. He takes some of the containers and carries them over to the coffee table, and the comforter slips down to show the mess of his back and the deep bruises ringing his neck. He pulls the blanket back up and sits down on the couch, looking small and pathetic with just his face peeking out. "The Halloween romp through the woods was night a not a fun an' happy time for all."

It's easier than saying that he got his ass kicked by a ghost.

[littleredsiren]

She can't help the soft gasp that slips out when she sees his injuries. Of all the things she'd expected, that wasn't it. He looks like he's been strangled and tossed about like a rag doll and its all rather horrifying.

"What happened?" Iris asks, carefully spooning some of the soup into a bowl and reheating it for him. It feels impossible for her to sit idle when her friend is clearly in pain. She needs to do something. "Have you cleaned up those cuts? You need ice for your neck, I think."

She's fretting. A lot. And bustling around his kitchen like its her own, not even considering that she might be intruding.

[davin]

Davin blinks as she rushes around like a little auburn-tinged hurricane, but he doesn't do anything to stop her. He doesn't mind having someone else in his space. She puts a bowl of soup into his hands and suddenly he's all emotional, because no one does this for him. His own mother didn't even do this for him. He swallows past the lump in his throat and takes a deep breath.

"I look way better than I did last night. I looked like a slasher film reject. I put some uh, stuff on it." He side eyes the empty bottle of potion on his coffee table, but it's a just a clear stopper bottle, not even marked. He considers playing it off, but he sighs and shrugs one shoulder as he reaches for the spoon in his bowl. "It was a ghost. Some kinda dark spirit. It sounds crazy but I know it was. I was attacked by somethin' I couldn't even freakin' see."

He knows what he saw, just like he knows he'd most likely be dead if he hadn't had his magic. He shudders at the memory and curls in on himself even more, hunched over the bowl of soup as he takes a bite.

[littleredsiren]

"It's not that crazy. Believe me," she assures him, frowning as he seems to retreat into himself. It's hard to watch someone in pain and, instinctively, she leans over and tugs him into a tight hug, careful not to bump any of his injuries. "That sounds scary. And not the fun kind of scary that that whole thing was supposed to be."

Iris gently strokes back his hair, trying to comfort him as much as possible. "Have you been to a doctor yet? At least to make sure there are no permanent injuries?"

[davin]

Davin lets out a sigh of relief when she believes him without question, and he sets the soup down on the coffee table to curl up against her side when she hugs him. The soup is delicious, and he's hungry, but being held feels more important.

"I got looked over. Kind of. ...By a vet." Davin tips his head back to look up at her with big amber eyes. "But he was a really, really cute vet."

[littleredsiren]

Iris tuts, shaking her head. "Well... That's better than nothing, I guess," she sighs. "But you'd better go straight to a doctor if you start to feel worse, okay?"

She drums her fingers against his shoulders as she thinks, only stopping when she makes up her mind.

"I'm going to be your personal nurse," she finally informs him, tone implying there will be no arguing. "You need to rest up for a few days and that means no cleaning or cooking. I'll handle those, okay?"

[davin]

"I will, but I'm fine. I'm just tired and a little sore." He grips the corners of his comforter and opens it wide like wings, wrapping them around Iris and pulling her tight against his chest so they're both inside the blanket. He pulls back a little to look down at her, frowning. "I need to go to work tomorrow. I have a new employee to train. Hot blond guy? I think you two have met."

[littleredsiren]

Iris cuddles against him, perfectly comfortable. "Oh!! You've met Jason already? He's my boyfriend!" she chirps, grinning broadly. "I was wondering if you were who he was going to take his bike to!"

[davin]

Davin snorts and snuggles her in closer, burrowing them into his blanket pile and kissing the top of her head. "Yeah, he brought it in, all criminally hot and devastatingly straight."

He laughs and gives her a squeeze. "He's gonna work for me part time to help me out and offset some of the cost on the restoration."

[littleredsiren]

That coaxes a giggle out of her. "Awww... I'm sorry. Its probably for the best though. I'd hate to have my new friend steal my boyfriend," she teases, clucking her tongue at him. "But I'm glad you've met. I think you two could be good friends, especially if you can bond over his bike. I bought it for him, but I don't know much about them myself. It'll be nice for him to have someone to talk about it with."

[davin]

"Yeah, he's a good guy. We had lunch together. You mean he didn't run home an' tell you all about his awesome new boss? I'm hurt." He laughs and relaxes, rolling them a bit so Davin is pinned between her and the couch. He feels warm and safe and cared for, and he wriggles down until he can rest her head on his shoulder. "Thanks," he says quietly, hiding his face. "For this."

[littleredsiren]

"I think he was too excited about getting his new bike fixed up," she laughs. And then he thanks her and her heart clenches up. Hugging him tightly to her, she presses a kiss into his hair. "Don't you worry about it. Its important to take care of your friends when they're sick or hurt. And I bet you would've holed yourself away in here with no one to coddle you if I hadn't dropped by."

[davin]

Davin's eyes slip shut when she kisses him, and he relaxes against her with one arm wrapped tight around her slender waist. She smells good and she's warm and he can actually feel how much she cares, and he doesn't quite understand it. They don't know each other all that well and he isn't anything special but she's still here anyway, caring for him. It makes Davin's chest ache in a good way and he's so grateful that he doesn't know how to describe it.

Davin is good at making friends for a night. He's good at talking to people and getting them to come home with him. He isn't good at making them stay.

"You're not wrong," he says quietly, muffled with the way he's got his face pressed to the delicate curve of her shoulder.

[littleredsiren]

"See? So its good I came by. I can take care of you until you feel well enough to do it yourself," she says, smiling at him, even if he can't see it. Iris briefly considers using her powers to push a wave of comfort at him, but shakes off the idea. It wouldn't be fair to him, not when he doesn't even know she's a siren.

Though... "Wanna hear a secret?"

[davin]

Davin smiles to himself and then lifts his head, resting his chin on her chest as he looks up at her curiously. "Always."

[littleredsiren]

Iris grins, a tiny bit nervously, but she trusts him. Everything she's seen of him so far has shown her that he's a good person, and she trusts her instincts, at least for this.

"I'm not... quite human. I mean, I guess it depends on your definition of human?" she ponders, tilting her head. "Er. That isn't the point. Point is, I'm a siren. Like, mythological creature kind of siren. I just wanted you to know, because I don't like having such big secrets between my friends and I."

[davin]

Davin listens to her and grins, charmed by how nervous she seems. He almost laughs at her explaining herself, because he knows what sirens are. He thinks she might be the most adorable one he's met, though. It means a lot that she trusts him with that, and he wants to share part of himself in return.

"You're still just Iris," he says fondly, leaning forward to kiss her cheek. He settles back down next to her and looks around, eyes settling on his cell phone. There's enough metal in it for his powers to work on it. "Now it's my turn."

He holds out his hand and flicks his fingers, and his phone lifts up from the table and moves swiftly through the air to land neatly in his palm.

[littleredsiren]

Iris lets out an excited squeak as the phone flies towards him. "Ohh! You're a witch?? That's amazing!" she chirps, bouncing slightly on the cushion. "That's so much cooler than my siren stuff! How did you do it? Is that okay to ask?"

Of course, she knows about witches. Eli and Jason both come from witch families, even if they aren't witches themselves. But meeting one who has powers and can use them is absolutely awesome and she feels as excited as a small child at the little demonstration.

[davin]

Davin grins at her reaction and nods, holding his hand out and letting the phone float a few inches above it. "Yep, I've got more than the luck o' the Irish in me. I came from a long line of witches on my mom's side, but she hates magic. My gran trained me up. I'm a telekinetic, but only with metal. Or things with metal in it. I can call it t'me."

He sends the phone back over to the table and looks up at her. "It's sort of like a muscle that I have t'flex. All I have t'do is think about it. Took some practice, though."

He'll show her how he can create electricity later. That one he keeps a little closer to the belt, considering how dangerous it could potentially be. He especially won't do anything while they're touching, just in case.

[littleredsiren]

"That's so coool," she coos, admiration sparkling in her eyes. "And very useful. You never need to worry about losing your keys down a drain. I wonder if you could do it with a person, if you tried hard enough. We have metal in us, right?"

Iris grins at him, plainly teasing him now. "I wish I could do something that useful. I can turn into a mermaid-y form. And manipulate people. But neither of those are really useful, and I don't really like doing the second," she frowns. "I think I'd much prefer being a witch."

[davin]

"You know, I've never thought of that." He doesn't think he'd try, though. One, he doesn't think there's enough metal, and he'd be worried that he'd just rip it right out of the body.

A blush rises on his cheeks at her awed look and then he shakes his head, reaching up to playfully grip the tip of her nose between her thumb and forefinger before letting go. "You're fantastic jus' the way ya are, darlin'."

He thinks about it and then looks at her curiously. "I've met a few sirens, but I've never seen any of 'em shift. Maybe you could show me?" It's only after he asks that he realizes that a siren's other form is probably incredibly private, and he looks embarrassed for having asked. "I mean, you don't have to, of course."

[littleredsiren]

Iris grins when he pinches her nose, batting his hand away with a giggle. "No, it's okay! I won't go full siren or anything, since I'd probably break something. I'm still not used to the tail. But I can go part way. Just..." she bites her lip, a little uncomfortable. "I look a bit freaky. Monster-y. Just as a heads up."

With that warning, she shuts her eyes and calls up the feelings of the sea and song that she associates with her siren-ness. Red scales slide down her skin, covering her from head to toe, and she can feel her nails and teeth lengthen and sharpen into claws and shark-like fangs. When she opens her eyes, they've gone pure black, the colour overwhelming her irises and sclera. Really, the only thing about her that stays the same is her hair, though it has lengthened considerably, and her clothes. They provide a strange clash of normalcy against the monsterish-ness of her siren shape.

Iris gives him a tentative grin, fingers tangling in the ends of her hair, a nervous habit she's had since childhood. "This is it! Though, like I said, I have a tail if I let myself go all the way."

[davin]

Davin's eyes widen as she shifts, but in surprise rather than fear. He gets up and pushes back to sit on his haunches, watching her curiously. She makes a bit of a shocking image, but Davin isn't afraid. That's still his friend.

"Wow, that is so cool." He reaches out slowly to touch the scales on her arms, dragging his fingers along them to feel the texture. She's playing with her hair nervously and Davin reaches out to take her hand, thumbing carefully at her claws. He holds her hand and looks up at her, smiling softly. "You're not monster-y."

He lets go of her hand and laughs a little, letting his gaze sweep along her body one more time. "I will admit that this form is only slightly less cuddly, but it's still just you."