[Ben doesn't like to think of himself as "clingy."
But it doesn't mean he's not, especially after those people tried to take him away from Maria. He has a difficult time letting her out of his sight anymore, and he finds himself sleeping in her room -- wolfed, because that seems more... proper, somehow -- more often than not.
And she hasn't tossed him out on his ass yet, for which he's profoundly grateful.]
[If she's being entirely honest, Maria hasn't done that because she likes having him there. There's something enormously comforting about hearing him breathing when she wakes in the middle of the night, knowing that he's still with her. If she put down a folded quilt on the floor (for the nights when he sleeps there instead of the bed) specifically to encourage him keeping up the habit . . . well.]
[He huffs out a whining breath and leans into the caress, closing his eyes and grounding himself in her scent. This was the dream where the crusaders didn't just walk him past a body that resembled Maria's, they stopped and let him get a good sniff and proved it was her.
But it wasn't, and he is home safe with his Alpha. And Ben is profoundly relieved by that fact.]
[It has honestly never occurred to her that there's anything particularly unusual about these one-sided conversations when Ben is wolfed. He's still Ben, he can hear her and understand her, why shouldn't she talk to him?]
What do you say to breakfast out this morning, hm?
[He brightens considerably, nosing her hand and thumping his tail, running his tongue out in a grin before hopping down and heading into his room. He grabs some clean clothes and gets the shower running, and it's not long before he's back to a semblance of human and wandering to the living room, scrubbing his fingers through his damp hair.]
Breakfast out? Count me in. [And not just because he doesn't particularly want her taking off without him. Don't be ridiculous.]
Yes? Sehr gut. Excellent. There is a lovely place right near to the bank which serves the most fantastic crepes. Also steak and eggs for larger appetites.
[There's a little teasing in there about his notion of what constitutes a "real" breakfast, but it's very gentle and so full of affection it barely counts as teasing.]
[He grins. From any other Master, it would read as a rebuke, and he thanks Dad every day she bought him instead. He's actually gained some weight since he stood on the block, for the first time since he can remember.] The fact that I even have an appetite is a testament to how happy I am with you, Maria. [Especially with the newly-installed tracking chip giving him an extra layer of security.
He pulls his boots on and laces them up.] Ready when you are.
[Maria retrieves her jacket and the necessary paperwork she'll need for the bank -- it's a small matter, but one of those rare transactions that still can't be done entirely online.
She also snags the small wool traveling blanket she's taken to bringing with them when they'll be taking a subway ride. If Ben must sit on the floor, he can at least sit on something clean and at least marginally comfortable.]
[And it's that consideration for his comfort, in the tiniest of matters, that makes Ben so fiercely loyal to her. She doesn't do it because she wants things of him he's not willing to give, she does it because she does care, no matter what those LLF assholes said.
And he follows her out the door, carrying her things, at the prescribed distance. Just because he's allowed liberties behind closed doors doesn't mean the rest of society understands. But he's still watching and on alert, because her safety is his responsibility.]
[And if there is a part of her that chafes, just a little, at that distance and all the other social rules that come with it, well. She ignores that part, mostly. Nobody knows better than she that things are rarely all they seem in public, after all.]
[And Ben plays his part and sits at her feet like a good dog on the subway, and screw them anyway, what do they know. Nothing, is what. And if he sits a tiny bit closer to Maria than what is considered "normal," well. He's never been normal, has he.]
[Nobody on the subway pays them any particular mind, although one young man frowns and turns to murmur something to his companion with an expression that suggests disapproval.
Maria raises her chin and gazes pointedly past him until they reach their stop. As if the opinions of anyone else matter to her and her Ben.]
[Ben shoots the guy a "what are you looking at, asshole" glare before studiously looking away. And he properly waits for Maria to get up before he rises to his feet and folds the traveling blanket over his arm. He follows her off the train toward the restaurant, and no one would know just by watching what kind of relationship they actually have.]
[She smiles at him over her shoulder as they reach the restaurant. It's a little place with a wide front patio and cheerfull, colorful awnings. A fresh-faced young waiter is laying tables out on the patio, and he looks up with a smile for Maria. "Can I help you, ma'am?"]
Yes, danke. A table and menus for two, please and thanks.
But it doesn't mean he's not, especially after those people tried to take him away from Maria. He has a difficult time letting her out of his sight anymore, and he finds himself sleeping in her room -- wolfed, because that seems more... proper, somehow -- more often than not.
And she hasn't tossed him out on his ass yet, for which he's profoundly grateful.]
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But this morning he's on the bed with his head nestled behind Maria's knees. And he twitches violently when he wakes up.]
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Shh, Volchok. Just a dream. Safe at home with me, n'est c'est pas?
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But it wasn't, and he is home safe with his Alpha. And Ben is profoundly relieved by that fact.]
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[It has honestly never occurred to her that there's anything particularly unusual about these one-sided conversations when Ben is wolfed. He's still Ben, he can hear her and understand her, why shouldn't she talk to him?]
What do you say to breakfast out this morning, hm?
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Breakfast out? Count me in. [And not just because he doesn't particularly want her taking off without him. Don't be ridiculous.]
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[There's a little teasing in there about his notion of what constitutes a "real" breakfast, but it's very gentle and so full of affection it barely counts as teasing.]
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He pulls his boots on and laces them up.] Ready when you are.
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[Maria retrieves her jacket and the necessary paperwork she'll need for the bank -- it's a small matter, but one of those rare transactions that still can't be done entirely online.
She also snags the small wool traveling blanket she's taken to bringing with them when they'll be taking a subway ride. If Ben must sit on the floor, he can at least sit on something clean and at least marginally comfortable.]
Here we go, then.
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And he follows her out the door, carrying her things, at the prescribed distance. Just because he's allowed liberties behind closed doors doesn't mean the rest of society understands. But he's still watching and on alert, because her safety is his responsibility.]
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Maria raises her chin and gazes pointedly past him until they reach their stop. As if the opinions of anyone else matter to her and her Ben.]
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Yes, danke. A table and menus for two, please and thanks.
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