[Fic: I'm Your Ride Home]
Mattie sat stiff, silent, concentrating on the soft whimpers from across the room as the girl--woman, girl, he wasn't sure if there was a difference with her--tossed and turned, wrinkling the stained sheets as she struggled, stained fingers curled into cracked fists. What was he doing, keeping vigil over her, letting her have his mattress on the floor? She wasn't his Katya, she would never wake him up in the middle of the night with a soft kiss and a giggle. The girl--he had named her Scout because she had no other name--wasn't like Katya. Katya was sane. Katya knew exactly what Mattie was thinking, feeling. She was calm, poised, skilled, beautiful. This... thing, the broken thing someone had thrown away or misplaced was non-functional, unrepairable, not worth keeping around. He had no use for this tiny, crazy thing. At least with Katya, he could trust her to follow his directions, or not as the case may have been. Katya made sense, most of the time. The things she said weren't puzzles, fragments that spilled from her lips and required a lot of decoding. You couldn't kill people when communication with your partner was limited. He need a Rak, sure, but not this one. Anyone but this one.
As if she knew he was thinking about her, the tiny insane demon cried out, a slur of unintelligible syllables. With a sigh, he stood up and crossed the room. She turned over again, striking a fist out at someone he couldn't see. He slid to his knees, reaching out to grasp the flailing wrists and pin them to her sides. She growled at this, snapped her teeth, fought him in her sleep, but he just pulled her close and held on, prodding at her mind in the meantime, pushing calm at her while she struggled in his arms. She murmured, shaking her head from side to side.
"Shh," he whispered, pressing against her until she settled, still rocking as much as he would let her. With a sigh, he released her arms, only to be struck in the face as she began to flail again, shrieking all the while. Wincing, he pinned her once more, held her close until he could feel her panicked whimpers in his ribs.
"Shh," he tried again, rocking her just the tiniest bit. She seemed to be at least vaguely soothed, settling again into a fairly fitful sleep, the nightmare now passed. He didn't dare let go of her again, though. He had seen her teeth--unnaturally large on her small face, and sharp--and he knew she probably wouldn't hesitate to bite in her sleep. She didn't hesitate to bite when she was awake, and Mattie was pretty sure the crazies didn't get less crazy in her sleep.
A breeze floated in through the open window, making the peeling wallpaper shake and shiver before the cold air settled onto the two demons on the mattress. Scout curled into Mattie's side, pressing her head against his stomach. He glanced at the crumpled blanket at the end of the mattress, then back at the demon in his arms To cover them both, he would have to let go of her, and he felt like the pressure on her arms was the only thing keeping the nightmares away. Mattie was not at all in being hit again, or bitten. With a sigh, he curled up around her, keeping her warm now rather than holding her down. He felt his eyes begin to close, and as he exhaled and stopped fighting, he fell asleep.
The next thing he knew, Scout was shifting against him. He opened his eyes to see her staring up at him, her dark eyes sparkling. She smiled.
"Live," she said, though he wasn't entirely sure she was talking to him. "Live, 'live, yeah?"
He smiled back--simply as an encouragement. He wasn't actually happy to see her awake. "Yes, I'm alive, and so are you."
"Sleep?" she cocked her head to the side.
He was picking up on her speech patterns, and it was kind of scaring him. "I did sleep well," he lied. "But you didn't, did you?"
She shook her head. "Water," she whispered, then shivered. "An' coldbloods, yeah? Don't say please, into the water, drown if try t' kill."
Mattie froze. "Coldbloods?" he asked. "You mean angels?"
She nodded. "Knowers," she said. "Usta know, yeah? Fixing, fixating on killers, baddies, me"
Mattie bit his lip. He had heard about angels of knowledge who 'took in' children of demons, raised them to be upright, caring citizens, pounding the lessons into them before they got their callings and things went to hell, quite literally for some of the more violent demons whose bloodthirsty callings could not be drowned, beaten or shocked out of them. Some just died, others went insane like Scout. That wast he reason he and Katya had parted ways, the reason Katya was dead now--she had tried to liberate one of the holding facilites, and had been gunned down in the process.
Mattie shifted uncomfortably, shaking Katya from his thoughts. Scout was looking up at him again, her mouth closed for once. "I'm sorry," he said, genuine for once. Scout looked confused, pulling herself into a ball.
"Sorry?" she mumbled. "Sorry, sorry, dintcha do nothin' sorry what, yeah?" She shook her head vigorously. "Not sorry, not, don't."
He shook his head. "I am sorry," he insisted. "I don't have to be, but I am."
Scout rolled her eyes. "Don't hafta, don't wanna, don't," she said. "Yeah? Yeah?"
Mattie shook his head again, but didn't say anything. He sat back, relaxing, staring blankly across the room. He was sorry, and he didn't really know why. It wasn't his fault. It wasn't his fault she had been captured, it wasn't his fault she turned out to be a Rak, and it sure as hell wasn't his fault she had gone insane. THe logic wasn't helping the gnawing feeling--guilt, not that he was going to admit it--that had settled in his chest. He had called Katya 'pathetic' for feeling like this--he was the empath demon after all, and she was his killing machine. But he hadn't felt it before. He got used to shutting it out, and now...
He felt Scout poke him in the chest, hard, and he looked down at her. "Not. Your. Fault." She poked him with each word. "Yeah?"
Smiling, he nodded. "Not my fault," he said.
"No sorry." The look was a serious one. "Or bite, yeah?"
He shook his head. "No sorry," he repeated. She beamed, stretching her lips so he could see her teeth. "Very nice," he told her, and he could tell from the way her eyes lit up that she appreciated the compliment. Her face shifted into a yawn. She moved, curling her bloodstained fists under her chin.
"Sleepy," she told him, her eyelids drooping. He shifted so he could grab the blanket from the end of the bed and cover her. When he moved to get up, however, she grabbed his wrist with her thin fingers.
"Don' go," she mumbled. "S'not safe, yeah? Here." She gave his wrist a good tug. He stared at her for a minute, her eyes closed as she clearly began to drift. He wasn't sure what staying would do, but she had asked, and one just didn't ignore the requests of a Rakshasa.
Finally, he sunk to the mattress on the floor, adjusting the blanket to cover them both. She pressed against him and he wrapped both arms around her, holding her close until her breathing steadied and she fell asleep.
Mattie lay awake in the dark, feeling her chest rise and fall against his forearms, listening to the soft mumbles as she dreamed. He still had no idea what he was doing--laying in bed next to a tiny insane Rakshasa, his eyes getting heavier by the second. HE didn't know why he had let her in, or even what they were going to do now, but for the moment, she stayed with him as he drifted off to sleep.
Muse: Mattie
Word count: 1245
For: _coherent
As if she knew he was thinking about her, the tiny insane demon cried out, a slur of unintelligible syllables. With a sigh, he stood up and crossed the room. She turned over again, striking a fist out at someone he couldn't see. He slid to his knees, reaching out to grasp the flailing wrists and pin them to her sides. She growled at this, snapped her teeth, fought him in her sleep, but he just pulled her close and held on, prodding at her mind in the meantime, pushing calm at her while she struggled in his arms. She murmured, shaking her head from side to side.
"Shh," he whispered, pressing against her until she settled, still rocking as much as he would let her. With a sigh, he released her arms, only to be struck in the face as she began to flail again, shrieking all the while. Wincing, he pinned her once more, held her close until he could feel her panicked whimpers in his ribs.
"Shh," he tried again, rocking her just the tiniest bit. She seemed to be at least vaguely soothed, settling again into a fairly fitful sleep, the nightmare now passed. He didn't dare let go of her again, though. He had seen her teeth--unnaturally large on her small face, and sharp--and he knew she probably wouldn't hesitate to bite in her sleep. She didn't hesitate to bite when she was awake, and Mattie was pretty sure the crazies didn't get less crazy in her sleep.
A breeze floated in through the open window, making the peeling wallpaper shake and shiver before the cold air settled onto the two demons on the mattress. Scout curled into Mattie's side, pressing her head against his stomach. He glanced at the crumpled blanket at the end of the mattress, then back at the demon in his arms To cover them both, he would have to let go of her, and he felt like the pressure on her arms was the only thing keeping the nightmares away. Mattie was not at all in being hit again, or bitten. With a sigh, he curled up around her, keeping her warm now rather than holding her down. He felt his eyes begin to close, and as he exhaled and stopped fighting, he fell asleep.
The next thing he knew, Scout was shifting against him. He opened his eyes to see her staring up at him, her dark eyes sparkling. She smiled.
"Live," she said, though he wasn't entirely sure she was talking to him. "Live, 'live, yeah?"
He smiled back--simply as an encouragement. He wasn't actually happy to see her awake. "Yes, I'm alive, and so are you."
"Sleep?" she cocked her head to the side.
He was picking up on her speech patterns, and it was kind of scaring him. "I did sleep well," he lied. "But you didn't, did you?"
She shook her head. "Water," she whispered, then shivered. "An' coldbloods, yeah? Don't say please, into the water, drown if try t' kill."
Mattie froze. "Coldbloods?" he asked. "You mean angels?"
She nodded. "Knowers," she said. "Usta know, yeah? Fixing, fixating on killers, baddies, me"
Mattie bit his lip. He had heard about angels of knowledge who 'took in' children of demons, raised them to be upright, caring citizens, pounding the lessons into them before they got their callings and things went to hell, quite literally for some of the more violent demons whose bloodthirsty callings could not be drowned, beaten or shocked out of them. Some just died, others went insane like Scout. That wast he reason he and Katya had parted ways, the reason Katya was dead now--she had tried to liberate one of the holding facilites, and had been gunned down in the process.
Mattie shifted uncomfortably, shaking Katya from his thoughts. Scout was looking up at him again, her mouth closed for once. "I'm sorry," he said, genuine for once. Scout looked confused, pulling herself into a ball.
"Sorry?" she mumbled. "Sorry, sorry, dintcha do nothin' sorry what, yeah?" She shook her head vigorously. "Not sorry, not, don't."
He shook his head. "I am sorry," he insisted. "I don't have to be, but I am."
Scout rolled her eyes. "Don't hafta, don't wanna, don't," she said. "Yeah? Yeah?"
Mattie shook his head again, but didn't say anything. He sat back, relaxing, staring blankly across the room. He was sorry, and he didn't really know why. It wasn't his fault. It wasn't his fault she had been captured, it wasn't his fault she turned out to be a Rak, and it sure as hell wasn't his fault she had gone insane. THe logic wasn't helping the gnawing feeling--guilt, not that he was going to admit it--that had settled in his chest. He had called Katya 'pathetic' for feeling like this--he was the empath demon after all, and she was his killing machine. But he hadn't felt it before. He got used to shutting it out, and now...
He felt Scout poke him in the chest, hard, and he looked down at her. "Not. Your. Fault." She poked him with each word. "Yeah?"
Smiling, he nodded. "Not my fault," he said.
"No sorry." The look was a serious one. "Or bite, yeah?"
He shook his head. "No sorry," he repeated. She beamed, stretching her lips so he could see her teeth. "Very nice," he told her, and he could tell from the way her eyes lit up that she appreciated the compliment. Her face shifted into a yawn. She moved, curling her bloodstained fists under her chin.
"Sleepy," she told him, her eyelids drooping. He shifted so he could grab the blanket from the end of the bed and cover her. When he moved to get up, however, she grabbed his wrist with her thin fingers.
"Don' go," she mumbled. "S'not safe, yeah? Here." She gave his wrist a good tug. He stared at her for a minute, her eyes closed as she clearly began to drift. He wasn't sure what staying would do, but she had asked, and one just didn't ignore the requests of a Rakshasa.
Finally, he sunk to the mattress on the floor, adjusting the blanket to cover them both. She pressed against him and he wrapped both arms around her, holding her close until her breathing steadied and she fell asleep.
Mattie lay awake in the dark, feeling her chest rise and fall against his forearms, listening to the soft mumbles as she dreamed. He still had no idea what he was doing--laying in bed next to a tiny insane Rakshasa, his eyes getting heavier by the second. HE didn't know why he had let her in, or even what they were going to do now, but for the moment, she stayed with him as he drifted off to sleep.
Muse: Mattie
Word count: 1245
For: _coherent