𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚝 𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚎

Michael shook his hand. "I'd still say the ones who do come in here do tend to be on the nicer side. They obviously want to socialize."

"The owner might seem like a grump, but he's a big ol' teddy bear." He gestured to the tall wolf behind the bar who seemed to be having a conversation with a bartender, though they both were smiling at the time.

admittedly, hayden's head jerk at the blatant explanation of other creatures being around. sure, he'd smelled them. sure, he'd suspected more than met the eye. did he really give off other vibes? what if everyone could tell he was a hellhound?

he could feel his eyebrows pinching together in a mixture of embarrassment and fear. the last thing he ever wanted was to scare other people with the idea of him, instead of who he was as a person. the name hellhound didn't exactly instill images of cute and fluffy.

" i know that type, " hayden smiled something more genuine. thoughts of tatum's grumpy expression came floating back. compared to how he was with other pups or human children? one would assume they were two different people. " definitely a good type to have around. they protect. " not that he wanted to assume the mannerisms of a complete stranger based on a few personal interactions.

" find inspiration, some kind of purpose. to take a second to face the shit that makes me me.... "

He tilted his head to look up at the man, though it was more of a bird like manner. Despite his wings being out of sight, it couldn't hide his avian sort of scent. Even his dark colored talon like nails could be enough to give him away, at least to someone who knew the supernatural existed.

honestly, hayden wasn't used to being in such a setting by himself. sure, he, his brother, and his ex had spent a good amount of time out in the world before hale ended up in the military. with a circle of friends, it was easy enough to be himself. they surrounded him like a cocoon of protection, allowing him to forget the world.

which also meant, he didn't anticipate the whole talking to other people bit. staring at the label on his drink had nothing to do with not walking to talk to the singer and everything to do with the nervous thump in his chest.

" no, " the hound shakes his head. when he stops moving, his eyebrows pinch together as the slightest whiff of something bird-like hit his nostrils. that's quickly brushed away as something from the outside as opposed to the inside. " this would be my first time here. " and, finally, he dares to look up and meet the eyes of the voice greeting him. a timid grin pulls at one corner of his lips. he'd always been too far in his own head to be much for social interaction. time to get past that, he supposed. one thing this new life tauight him was that he couldn't depend on the same group of people to be around him all the time.

that wasn't very fair.

Michael took a deep breath just after he finished his final song. It was a little different than his usual up beat songs that he had played for the rest of the set. He thought he’d test it out, being more of an open mic night, at least for a portion of the night, anyway. Eventually it would be back to its normal dancing and heavier beats routine. It seemed to go over fairly well.

He was actually in a good mood, despite how somber his last song had been. It was rather cathartic in a way.

go out, hale said. it'll be good for you, hale said.

how hayden managed to land in a club full of werewolves was anyone's guess. charon, of all people, had suggested the place as somewhere the hellhound could find himself and regroup. clearly, they both had different ideas on what that meant because he would not have chosen somewhere he was reminded of all the things he lost. then again, in the off chance something triggered him into unexplainable frustration ( and then, anger ) the wolves were much more likely to survive than a club full of humans.

the hound was nursing a beer in a dark glass bottle, leaning against the edge of the bar to try and stay in the middle of a space in the crowd. the music captivated him. the voice reverberated in his chest, bring out memories of nostalgia; he and his brother sitting outside the pack house with a radio on blast. in fact, several times he could himself swaying to the rhythm. once, he wouldn't have been so self conscious about it. a younger version of himself would've been at the very center of that dance floor. now, he was too worried about hurting other people.

both hale and charon had one thing right, though. hayden felt as close to his old self as he ever had.

" isn't the smallest chance of victory enough of a reason for us to keep on fighting? "

i said i'd make them! i hope you enjoy these, and as always: DO NOT ADD, EDIT OR CLAIM THIS LIST AS YOUR OWN!

[ WAKEN ]: the sender touches the receiver's shoulder to waken them from a nap or sleep.

[ STILL ]: the sender places their hands on the visibly angry/upset receiver to try and restrain them.

[ STAY ]: the sender, noticing the receiver attempting to escape a meeting or a conversation, quietly rests a hand on their shoulder and pulls them back into their seat.

[ REST ]: the sender places a gentle but firm hand on a weakened/sick/injured receiver's shoulder to push them back into their bed to rest more.

[ PUNCH ]: the sender places a hand on the receiver to draw their attention away from another focus, and once they've turned around, the sender swings a punch at them in the moment of confusion.

[ PRIDE ]: the sender, having heard or seen the receiver successfully achieve a remarkable feat, places a hand on their shoulder to express their wordless pride in them.

[ HUG ]: the sender places their hands on the receiver's shoulders to yank them into a hug.

[ COMFORT ]: the sender, noticing a visibly upset receiver, solemnly moves to their side, and places a hand on their shoulder in an effort to comfort them.

[ SURPRISE ]: the sender, noticing an otherwise occupied receiver, moves forward silently and suddenly grabs their shoulder to startle them.

[ STUN ]: the sender, having been apart from the receiver for some time, makes an unexpected return and greets the unaware receiver with a hand on their shoulder.

[ TIDY ]: the sender reaches forward and lightly sweeps something from the receiver's shoulder.

[ WORRY ]: the sender grabs the receiver by the shoulders to take a good look at them for any sign of harm or injury.

[ ARM ]: the sender rests a hand on the receiver's shoulder, their arm draped around them in order to do so.

[ FOCUS ]: the sender, noticing the receiver has become distracted during a conversation, places a hand on their shoulder to redirect and focus their attention.

[ GOTCHA ]: the sender, noticing the receiver has unknowingly walked into the path of a source of danger, grabs them by the shoulder and hoists them back to safety.

[ PRAISE ]: the sender, having heard that the receiver has achieved great success in a task or accomplishment, gives them a proud pat and squeeze of the shoulder to convey their congratulations.

[ STEADY ]: the sender rests a hand on the shaken and panicked receiver's shoulder to steady and ground them.

[ CAUGHT ]: the sender plants a hand on the receiver's shoulder to stop them from fleeing a potential arrest or accusation.

[ DELIVER ]: the sender, about to deliver some bad news to the receiver, gently places a hand on the receiver's shoulder to stop them from running away from the bad news.

[ SHIELD ]: the sender catches hold of the receiver's shoulder and draws them back and away from a threat, pulling them behind them for their safety.

[ SOOTHE ]: the sender places their hands on the receiver's shoulders and begins to give them a massage.

[ LEVER ]: the sender, wanting to sit next to the receiver, places a hand on their shoulder to ease themselves to the space beside them.

i'm a ghost, hayden wants to whisper. everything about the conversation at hand makes him want to spit out every single truth suppressed within the cage he'd locked them in. i shouldn't even be here. nothing comes out, though. instead, his lips press into another thin line and the apple rolls freely onto the counter until it bumps against the discarded knife.

he could protect himself if push came to shove. this new body and these new abilities were still foreign to him but that ember of anger constantly burning beneath his lungs could make sure he'd at least try in ways he wouldn't before he died the first time.

" i could be bad, " comes out before the hound could stop it. no suggestive smirk accompanies it. in fact, it's one of the most honest things he's muttered since hoisting up onto the kitchen counter. " but those are things that consume people. look at my brother. " the hand not twisted in john's shirt points towards the center of the room as if the wolf in question were standing right there. " he's to busy being mad at himself about all the people he can't save no matter how badly he wants to pretend it's because he's a dumbass. one day he's going to realize he's old and alone. "

and, that was really the heart of this conversation, wasn't it? hayden realized he cared too much about this man right here to let life escape from him that way. whatever john endured to cast this sad exterior was better left in yesterday so tomorrow could be more joyous. he deserved to live life and not sit on the sidelines like a bystander to his own life.

" you sound like tatum, " hayden reaches out with a single finger to boop the tip of the taller man's nose. it's all he can think of as retaliation for his desecrated apple ( which he really had no problem sharing ). with such a large bite taken out of the flesh, the knife clinks softly when it's set on the counter. no point to sticking to the wedges, now. " and hale, now that i'm thinking about it. " the former was all anger and the latter pure spite. even now, hayden had come to learn, his brother fully embraced the emotion as a means of self destruction. he wasn't supposed to know that tidbit, but the hound had always been able to read his twin like a book.

" he held his anger to his chest like armor and, sure, it fed his protective instincts. didn't do much else, though. "

muscles relax with the deep tone of the other's voice. the back of hayden's head rests against something solid behind him. in one hand, the half eaten apple. in the other, the hem of john's shirt is twisted around the tip of one finger as if that would prevent the larger man from putting any distance between them.