Day 10:
Hope
The questions could wait. They had to. Dlmor’s weight and warmth remained on his knees as the creature’s form blinked out. At first he didn’t understand. As much as Dlmor had taken away most of the pain, it was like there was a fog in his brain and it wasn’t till he caught movement on the stairs that he understood.
Beckett came to a stop at the top, hand remaining on the railing. “Food’s ready,” they informed him. “Cole said not to bother you if you crashed so you don’t have to come down.”
Dlmor’s weight left his knees but he felt the bed dip to his right and Dlmor pressed into his back hard enough to shove him forward. He went with it, getting himself to his feet at Dlmor’s insistence. “No, food sounds good.”
Dlmor brushed up against his leg and stayed against it. Curiosity had him reaching down as he started for the stairs and found his fingers burying in warm fur at Dlmor’s shoulders. Despite the dark, ink appearing form, the fur was soft and fluffy radiating warmth under his still cold fingers. A thought drifted through his mind of how Dlmor walking at his side was like the service dogs he had seen in passing. It was an amusing thought in his foggy brain and it drifted out without leaving a trace behind.
“Hey, you alright?”
He blinked, looking up. Cole had a concerned look on his face and it took Artemis far too long to register the fact that he was sitting at the dining table with everyone else and a plate barely touched in front of him. Dlmor nudged his hand and he absentmindedly rubbed at the creature's head under the table. Several memories - many memories - drifted at the edge of the fog of the numerous dogs they always had in the home growing up, the labs and other large dogs, and the small handful of cats.
White teeth flashed near his wrist and he brought his thoughts back to the present. “Yeah,” he finally responded, offering a tired smile. “Just tired.” He pulled his hand from Dlmor’s head in order to start eating.
Cole’s hand rubbed at his shoulders. “Eat what you can and then go get some sleep. We’ll keep it quiet for ya.”
He shook his head, a laugh bubbling in his chest. “I think you guys could have an all out screaming war and I’m fairly certain I’d just sleep through it.”
Amusement flickered across Cole’s face. “If you’re sure.”
Dlmor nudged his elbow and he blinked, finding himself alone at the table. He could hear laughter coming from the bedroom Cole and Lora were staying in. Looking around revealed Dean, Sam, and Orlean were on the larger couch. Dean was using the armrest as a pillow, Sam sleeping on Dean with her head on his shoulder and her legs tangled with his on Orlean’s lap. Orlean had a book propped on the pair’s legs but he wasn’t reading it. Orlean had an arm propped on the back of the couch, chin resting on his palm as he talked quietly with Dean.
He pressed the heel of his hand into his left eye at the flare of pain behind his eyes. The view of his bed from the stairs filled his mind and he found words leaving his tongue. “Too far.”
Dlmor huffed and he felt the breath against his elbow before he caught Dlmor’s form shifted out of the corner of his eye as he dropped his hand from his face. Warm hands wrapped around his ribs and he found himself getting to his feet at Dlmor’s directing. He flinched from the brief flare of pain as Dlmor gave him a wordless apology. He could feel the guilt and regret under it. “You’re fine,” he countered quietly as he started for the stairs feeling weightless thanks to Dlmor taking most of his weight.
The bed taking his weight surprised him but the blanket that was pulled over him startled him. He turned sharply, a spike of fear shooting through him only to find Beckett standing over him. They offered him an apologetic, amused smile. “Came up for my laptop. Figured you could use a blanket if you were going to sleep on top of your covers.”
He sagged back into the mattress. “Thanks, Beckett. Hadn’t heard you come up.”
They grinned at him. “Yeah, that happens.” The expression fell a bit as concern replaced the amusement. “You sure you’re ok?”
He felt Dlmor crawl onto the bed behind him and lay down against his back. He watched as their gaze flickered to the space behind him but their expression didn’t stay. “Yeah, I’m sure. Just been a long day.”
They nodded. “That it has been. Lora’s working on getting Cole to crash for a nap too since he kept calling breakfast lunch. Not that any of us corrected him. Certainly been a busy enough morning that it felt like lunchtime.” They shook their head. “I’m going back down to keep her company. I think the only reason why Dean and Orlean are still up is because they’re still talking.”
He smiled at that. “I give them five more minutes before they’ve joined Sam in dreamland.”
Beckett chuckled at that. “Hopefully you’re in it before I make it to the bottom of the stairs.”
“Only one way to find out,” he teased.
Beckett grinned again. “Have a good nap.”
“Have fun going through your photos,” he genuinely responded as Beckett moved towards their things.
He closed his eyes but sleep didn’t take him immediately so he listened to Beckett going through their things trying to picture what they were doing based on the sounds. He knew their backpack had been on the side of the bed that faced his. The zipper on the large pocket ran smoothly as they pulled it open, rummaging through it. There was the sound of the zipper rubbing against the laptop case as they pulled it out. They tucked it into their lap and closed the zipper again. Beckett stood with a look towards his bed before starting towards the stairs. They glanced back with a confused frown on their face before they started down the stairs.
His eyes snapped open as the world shifted around him. He rolled over enough into Dlmor to look at the creature that had turned its head to look at him at his movement. It had settled so its chest was at his waist and its hindquarters were against his shoulders. He stared at it. "I saw through your eyes."
It lowered its head in a motion that spoke of guilt and regret.
"Why?"
Dlmor rested its chin on his hip, turning its head towards the stairs. There was a prick of pain as he found himself understanding that as long as they were touching - and something else he couldn’t quite understand with the fog in his head - it would just happen.
He stared at Dlmor. "Is it possible to do so from a distance?"
Dlmor raised its head, glaring at him. The prick of pain got worse but he got his answer anyways. It was but not in the state he was in nor without practicing. Dlmor's annoyance drifted in with the answer.
“Right,” he offered, apologizing. He reached out rubbing the top of Dlmor’s head. The creature pushed into the touch. “No talking till I’m better.”
Dlmor settled against him again, its head on his hip. He followed suit and settled back on his side, closing his eyes.
He knew he had dreamt something. Whatever it had been, he couldn’t remember, but when he was woken by Cole what was probably hours later, he felt like he hadn’t slept at all. In fact, it felt like he had been ridiculously busy and needed to sleep for three days straight. The loft space was dark despite the lights Cole must have turned on. “Hey. Dinner’s ready if you’re hungry.”
He didn’t feel hungry but he felt Dlmor get up behind him. Cole’s gaze flickered towards the creature but the lack of reaction told him Cole hadn’t seen anything. He saw Dlmor as the creature padded over to the stairs and sat down. The look sent his way was firm. “Ok, thanks.”
Cole stepped back to give him the room needed to get up but the other didn’t go much farther. “Artemis, are you feeling alright?”
“Yeah.” He stood, stretching his arms above his head and arching his back. “Why?”
“You’ve slept through the day. It’s going on 7.”
There was a pause as he did the mental math. He knew he had fallen asleep after breakfast but he couldn’t remember looking at a clock. A rough guess though put him at nine hours. He frowned, looking to Cole. “You guys let me sleep through lunch?”
“Lora said that when she woke you for lunch, you muttered something incoherent before rolling over and going back to sleep. She got you to wake up enough a second time to check your temperature but it was normal. You just really needed some sleep.”
He rubbed at his face. “Kind of feels like I still do.”
Cole gave his arm a squeeze. “Let’s get some food in you first, then you can sleep some more, ok?”
“Ok.”
He followed Cole towards the kitchen. The fog seemed to have receded but the headache was back as a low, steady roll of pain at the back of his head. As they approached Dlmor, the creature became visible on the edge of his vision for a second and he was surprised when he felt fur under his hand. He hadn’t realized he had reached out for it till Dlmor had walked under his hand, settling his hand in the fur at the back of its neck.
The world beyond the windows were dark but the light spilling out revealed a thick sheet of snow was blowing sideways. Almost all the lights in the cabin were on as if it would be enough to stave off the darkness. He felt the rumble of a growl under his fingers but a quick look around didn’t show him whatever it was Dlmor was growling at. The headache spiked as Dlmor pushed towards him indifference and patience, as if the creature was telling him to not worry about it. He carefully fisted a handful of fur as discretely as he could manage in an attempt to convey that the creature growling at anything made him uneasy.
Another spike in the headache came with a soft apology.
“Ey~. Welcome back to the waking world,” Dean called out from the table, drawing everyone’s attention to Cole and Artemis.
“Evening guys,” he offered in turn, letting the words pull a smile on his face. “Have a fun day without me?”
“Seeing as most of us slept, too,” Orlean informed him, “it’s been more of a lazy day than a fun day.”
He sat down in the chair that had become his somehow. He caught Dlmor slipping under the table at the edge of his vision to sit on his feet, leaning against his legs and resting its chin on his thigh. He placed a hand on its head. “Hey, lazy days aren’t a bad thing.”
“It’s what this week’s supposed to be,” Beckett added, grinning. “Even if we had originally planned a lot.”
Orlean raised the glass in his hand. “I’ll gladly take a lazy week at this point.”
“Same,” Dean and Sam chimed, Dean raising his own glass.
“What about you?” Lora asked him. She held his gaze when he looked. “Did you get some good rest? You’ve slept all day.”
He shrugged. “I feel like I could sleep for a good number of hours more.” He frowned, offering a bit of truth. “I’ve got a mild headache, too.”
Cole leaned forward in his seat. “Do you want anything for that? We’ve got drugs.”
He shook his head. “No, it’s fine. Eating something and drinking water will probably help. That and probably more sleep.”
There was a round of chuckles at his lame attempt at making a joke as Dlmor rubbed against his hand. Another spike of pain, another apology. He scratched at the top of its head with the hope that it understood he had no hard feelings over it. Shit happened and he could deal with a headache. The amount of sleep he apparently needed was alarming, though. Hopefully he would be fine come morning, that the damage would have healed by then.
He ignored the little idea that started at the back of his head; the damage wasn’t permanent. He would be fine.
Beckett came to a stop at the top, hand remaining on the railing. “Food’s ready,” they informed him. “Cole said not to bother you if you crashed so you don’t have to come down.”
Dlmor’s weight left his knees but he felt the bed dip to his right and Dlmor pressed into his back hard enough to shove him forward. He went with it, getting himself to his feet at Dlmor’s insistence. “No, food sounds good.”
Dlmor brushed up against his leg and stayed against it. Curiosity had him reaching down as he started for the stairs and found his fingers burying in warm fur at Dlmor’s shoulders. Despite the dark, ink appearing form, the fur was soft and fluffy radiating warmth under his still cold fingers. A thought drifted through his mind of how Dlmor walking at his side was like the service dogs he had seen in passing. It was an amusing thought in his foggy brain and it drifted out without leaving a trace behind.
“Hey, you alright?”
He blinked, looking up. Cole had a concerned look on his face and it took Artemis far too long to register the fact that he was sitting at the dining table with everyone else and a plate barely touched in front of him. Dlmor nudged his hand and he absentmindedly rubbed at the creature's head under the table. Several memories - many memories - drifted at the edge of the fog of the numerous dogs they always had in the home growing up, the labs and other large dogs, and the small handful of cats.
White teeth flashed near his wrist and he brought his thoughts back to the present. “Yeah,” he finally responded, offering a tired smile. “Just tired.” He pulled his hand from Dlmor’s head in order to start eating.
Cole’s hand rubbed at his shoulders. “Eat what you can and then go get some sleep. We’ll keep it quiet for ya.”
He shook his head, a laugh bubbling in his chest. “I think you guys could have an all out screaming war and I’m fairly certain I’d just sleep through it.”
Amusement flickered across Cole’s face. “If you’re sure.”
Dlmor nudged his elbow and he blinked, finding himself alone at the table. He could hear laughter coming from the bedroom Cole and Lora were staying in. Looking around revealed Dean, Sam, and Orlean were on the larger couch. Dean was using the armrest as a pillow, Sam sleeping on Dean with her head on his shoulder and her legs tangled with his on Orlean’s lap. Orlean had a book propped on the pair’s legs but he wasn’t reading it. Orlean had an arm propped on the back of the couch, chin resting on his palm as he talked quietly with Dean.
He pressed the heel of his hand into his left eye at the flare of pain behind his eyes. The view of his bed from the stairs filled his mind and he found words leaving his tongue. “Too far.”
Dlmor huffed and he felt the breath against his elbow before he caught Dlmor’s form shifted out of the corner of his eye as he dropped his hand from his face. Warm hands wrapped around his ribs and he found himself getting to his feet at Dlmor’s directing. He flinched from the brief flare of pain as Dlmor gave him a wordless apology. He could feel the guilt and regret under it. “You’re fine,” he countered quietly as he started for the stairs feeling weightless thanks to Dlmor taking most of his weight.
The bed taking his weight surprised him but the blanket that was pulled over him startled him. He turned sharply, a spike of fear shooting through him only to find Beckett standing over him. They offered him an apologetic, amused smile. “Came up for my laptop. Figured you could use a blanket if you were going to sleep on top of your covers.”
He sagged back into the mattress. “Thanks, Beckett. Hadn’t heard you come up.”
They grinned at him. “Yeah, that happens.” The expression fell a bit as concern replaced the amusement. “You sure you’re ok?”
He felt Dlmor crawl onto the bed behind him and lay down against his back. He watched as their gaze flickered to the space behind him but their expression didn’t stay. “Yeah, I’m sure. Just been a long day.”
They nodded. “That it has been. Lora’s working on getting Cole to crash for a nap too since he kept calling breakfast lunch. Not that any of us corrected him. Certainly been a busy enough morning that it felt like lunchtime.” They shook their head. “I’m going back down to keep her company. I think the only reason why Dean and Orlean are still up is because they’re still talking.”
He smiled at that. “I give them five more minutes before they’ve joined Sam in dreamland.”
Beckett chuckled at that. “Hopefully you’re in it before I make it to the bottom of the stairs.”
“Only one way to find out,” he teased.
Beckett grinned again. “Have a good nap.”
“Have fun going through your photos,” he genuinely responded as Beckett moved towards their things.
He closed his eyes but sleep didn’t take him immediately so he listened to Beckett going through their things trying to picture what they were doing based on the sounds. He knew their backpack had been on the side of the bed that faced his. The zipper on the large pocket ran smoothly as they pulled it open, rummaging through it. There was the sound of the zipper rubbing against the laptop case as they pulled it out. They tucked it into their lap and closed the zipper again. Beckett stood with a look towards his bed before starting towards the stairs. They glanced back with a confused frown on their face before they started down the stairs.
His eyes snapped open as the world shifted around him. He rolled over enough into Dlmor to look at the creature that had turned its head to look at him at his movement. It had settled so its chest was at his waist and its hindquarters were against his shoulders. He stared at it. "I saw through your eyes."
It lowered its head in a motion that spoke of guilt and regret.
"Why?"
Dlmor rested its chin on his hip, turning its head towards the stairs. There was a prick of pain as he found himself understanding that as long as they were touching - and something else he couldn’t quite understand with the fog in his head - it would just happen.
He stared at Dlmor. "Is it possible to do so from a distance?"
Dlmor raised its head, glaring at him. The prick of pain got worse but he got his answer anyways. It was but not in the state he was in nor without practicing. Dlmor's annoyance drifted in with the answer.
“Right,” he offered, apologizing. He reached out rubbing the top of Dlmor’s head. The creature pushed into the touch. “No talking till I’m better.”
Dlmor settled against him again, its head on his hip. He followed suit and settled back on his side, closing his eyes.
He knew he had dreamt something. Whatever it had been, he couldn’t remember, but when he was woken by Cole what was probably hours later, he felt like he hadn’t slept at all. In fact, it felt like he had been ridiculously busy and needed to sleep for three days straight. The loft space was dark despite the lights Cole must have turned on. “Hey. Dinner’s ready if you’re hungry.”
He didn’t feel hungry but he felt Dlmor get up behind him. Cole’s gaze flickered towards the creature but the lack of reaction told him Cole hadn’t seen anything. He saw Dlmor as the creature padded over to the stairs and sat down. The look sent his way was firm. “Ok, thanks.”
Cole stepped back to give him the room needed to get up but the other didn’t go much farther. “Artemis, are you feeling alright?”
“Yeah.” He stood, stretching his arms above his head and arching his back. “Why?”
“You’ve slept through the day. It’s going on 7.”
There was a pause as he did the mental math. He knew he had fallen asleep after breakfast but he couldn’t remember looking at a clock. A rough guess though put him at nine hours. He frowned, looking to Cole. “You guys let me sleep through lunch?”
“Lora said that when she woke you for lunch, you muttered something incoherent before rolling over and going back to sleep. She got you to wake up enough a second time to check your temperature but it was normal. You just really needed some sleep.”
He rubbed at his face. “Kind of feels like I still do.”
Cole gave his arm a squeeze. “Let’s get some food in you first, then you can sleep some more, ok?”
“Ok.”
He followed Cole towards the kitchen. The fog seemed to have receded but the headache was back as a low, steady roll of pain at the back of his head. As they approached Dlmor, the creature became visible on the edge of his vision for a second and he was surprised when he felt fur under his hand. He hadn’t realized he had reached out for it till Dlmor had walked under his hand, settling his hand in the fur at the back of its neck.
The world beyond the windows were dark but the light spilling out revealed a thick sheet of snow was blowing sideways. Almost all the lights in the cabin were on as if it would be enough to stave off the darkness. He felt the rumble of a growl under his fingers but a quick look around didn’t show him whatever it was Dlmor was growling at. The headache spiked as Dlmor pushed towards him indifference and patience, as if the creature was telling him to not worry about it. He carefully fisted a handful of fur as discretely as he could manage in an attempt to convey that the creature growling at anything made him uneasy.
Another spike in the headache came with a soft apology.
“Ey~. Welcome back to the waking world,” Dean called out from the table, drawing everyone’s attention to Cole and Artemis.
“Evening guys,” he offered in turn, letting the words pull a smile on his face. “Have a fun day without me?”
“Seeing as most of us slept, too,” Orlean informed him, “it’s been more of a lazy day than a fun day.”
He sat down in the chair that had become his somehow. He caught Dlmor slipping under the table at the edge of his vision to sit on his feet, leaning against his legs and resting its chin on his thigh. He placed a hand on its head. “Hey, lazy days aren’t a bad thing.”
“It’s what this week’s supposed to be,” Beckett added, grinning. “Even if we had originally planned a lot.”
Orlean raised the glass in his hand. “I’ll gladly take a lazy week at this point.”
“Same,” Dean and Sam chimed, Dean raising his own glass.
“What about you?” Lora asked him. She held his gaze when he looked. “Did you get some good rest? You’ve slept all day.”
He shrugged. “I feel like I could sleep for a good number of hours more.” He frowned, offering a bit of truth. “I’ve got a mild headache, too.”
Cole leaned forward in his seat. “Do you want anything for that? We’ve got drugs.”
He shook his head. “No, it’s fine. Eating something and drinking water will probably help. That and probably more sleep.”
There was a round of chuckles at his lame attempt at making a joke as Dlmor rubbed against his hand. Another spike of pain, another apology. He scratched at the top of its head with the hope that it understood he had no hard feelings over it. Shit happened and he could deal with a headache. The amount of sleep he apparently needed was alarming, though. Hopefully he would be fine come morning, that the damage would have healed by then.
He ignored the little idea that started at the back of his head; the damage wasn’t permanent. He would be fine.