Kevin Monal

Alphonse waited patiently for the kid to come down the ladder; the entire time, he couldn’t help but wonder - why them? What was so special about this kid that Charles wanted him so bad? Given, he’d been surprised once or twice before by a creature that looked deceptively harmless, and he knew that all it took was for something to be rare and unknown to the hunting community for Charles to want it. In the end, it didn’t matter to him; a paycheck was a paycheck, regardless of what he was after. When he looked at Kevin, all he saw were dollar signs. That’s all the motive he needed.

Alphonse immediately rolled his eyes the moment the kid hit the ground and took off. He reached out quickly to grab them by the collar of their shirt and yank them back. “Well, that’s fucking rude of you - a stranger helps you out and you run immediately run off? Where are your manners, Kevin?”

-

The force of the tug on his shirt sent him straight back towards the stranger. They turned their head just in time to read the lips of the man angrily saying his name. Uh oh, this is bad. So Kevin hasn’t been paranoid, they’re being followed. It’s finally caught up to him.

Transforming isn’t the answer right now. The grip on him is far too tight and he definitely doesn’t need this man seeing him transform right now. Whoever this person is, they don’t need to provide them with more confirmation than they apparently already have. But how do they know who he is?

Kevin starts to struggle, trying to loosen the grip the man has on him. They work for any sort of slack that might give them the chance to escape. To run. 

Pascal mumbles an apology around the popcorn in his mouth and taking another look around the place. His nose scrunches up, turning to his friend and nodding at the suggestion before grabbing a hold of their arm and taking off towards the diner. “Once again, great minds think alike,” he crows. 

He’ll have to figure out an excuse to Rosa later as to why he bailed on the movie, but in his defense it’s a miracle he’s made it that far anyways. Redirecting them to the booth in the corner, Pascal slides in and gives a friendly wave to the waitress they know, beaming widely at the prospects of a full stomach and some peace and quiet. “Long time no talk my dude,” he signs slowly, still getting the hand of it, “What’s new with you?”

x

@pascalward​

Kevin sends a smile towards the waitress as they follow Pascal to their booth. Leaving the crowd behind has already put them at ease. “I’m hungry as hell. Maybe I’ll order your usual today instead of mine,” Kevin laughs. 

“Seriously though, I’ve been...okay. Kind of nervous lately.” Out of everyone he’s met, Pascal has been the only one that he has really shared his shapeshifter anxieties with. Maybe because they’re the only one who will ever truly understand it or maybe Kevin just trusts Pascal that much. “How have you been? I missed you dude.”

The thought of Riley wondering why Kevin left her again really got to them. They don’t want to put her through that. Maybe that’s why she’s the first person he thought of calling while stuck on the roof, with no one around but stranger who rung his alarm bells.  

It’s probably time. Time that someone else knows his secret, and why he disappears. Kevin pulls out their phone when the person disappears into the building. They start sharing their location with Riley before sending her a quick text, “don’t freak out but there’s some things I need to tell you.” He hits send and then curses to himself, starting a text with ‘don’t freak out’ is definitely going to make her freak. 

Below him, the top of the ladder comes into view. Kevin dials her number and shoves it in their back pocket, no idea whether or not she will answer and hear anything.

Target acquired. 

Alphonse was done messing around. Charles’ delay in arriving wouldn’t last long, and the alpha werewolf had a reputation for following through on his hunts. This one in particular had proven to be more challenging between Doug having little experience navigating urban environments - he was more proficient in the wilderness -  and the target itself being frustratingly elusive. But fortunately, with a little seismic pressure on the kid, he’d finally coughed up the general location of the target. Douglas had hesitated to - which pissed him off - and made him wonder if he’d made a mistake in letting the young werewolf out on his own. He wanted him to trip over his own feet to look bad to Charles, but if he’d gotten too attached to the civilians here, then he was compromised - and Alphonse would look bad to Charles for letting the kid out on his own to develop his own thoughts and feelings about the world. 

So now he was in a game of fixing that mistake, yanking on the leash on Doug that he’d given too much give on, while simultaneously ensuring that he got prize. Simply put, it was time to work and do what he did best. Terrorize and capture. Kill if necessary.

A huge shadow passing overhead caught Alphonse’s attention while he walked through the part of town filled with warehouses near the docks.  He looked up, eyes scanning the sky for it, the hair on the back of his neck raised as he felt he’d found his target. For a moment, nothing happened - there was no sign of the source of the shadow again, when he heard a strangled yell claim his attention from the warehouse roof behind him. He turned and looked, eyebrows raising when he saw the person on top of the roof, trying to get his attention. “Now, how did you get up there?” He asked, half smiling as he feigned pleasantness, “Need some help getting down? Hold on, I’ll go find a ladder. Surely there’s one around here somewhere.” He remembered that Doug had written down on the napkin in the diner that the target was deaf - so he motioned with his arms to be very clear.

Alphonse went off to find a ladder, spending a few minutes searching through an empty warehouse before he found one. He brought it back out, extending it with a quick flip of his hand before setting it up against the building where the kid could use it to get down. This was like shooting fish in a barrel. Too easy.

-

Regret washed over Kevin the second they made eye contact with the person on the ground. Instinct didn’t come to them like this often but something tells him to run. Kevin watches as the person below yells something at him. He explores his options as the person leaves. 

Shit shit shit. It’s too late to transform and fly away. They’ve already been reckless enough that someone was that close seeing them transform the first time. Finally, Kevin pulls out their phone and scrolls to the person they think of first- before they see the man returning. Get to know thy enemy? That’s a thing, right? They can do this. 

Kevin makes a split second decision as the person leans the ladder agains the building. Escaping has always been his specialty, if something goes wrong, he’s got this. Kevin begins to descend the ladder, they realize it might be a worse idea to run and lead them to their hiding places. Kevin jumps on the ground and signs a quick thank you before turning and attempting to speed walk away.

-

New for the season. That made sense. Doug looked at them like a puzzle piece had clicked in his head. “Me too, kind of. I’m only here for a little while. But I’m hoping to get to stay longer - or at least come back soon. Where are you from?” He asked, honestly genuinely curious. He’d been searching for this shapeshifter for what felt like forever, and he never really had a lot of information about who he was tracking. He was just supposed to find them and report their location immediately, but Doug hesitated to do that. He smiled, immediately forgetting that he had an objective, and relaxed into the friendly and curious conversation. “Is it inconvenient to type replies to me like that? I don’t want to hold you up if you had somewhere to be.” 

He couldn’t help but wonder, how had this shapeshifter evaded hunters when they were deaf? He’d been told that they were faster than they were, even for werewolves, but nothing about this. 

-

“Yeah, there’s something about this place that makes it hard to leave. I get that,” Kevin doesn’t really like leaving Prentiss. For as long as they remembered, they have always had to move around a lot to lose hunters on their trail. Something about Prentiss always draws him back.

“I’m not really from anywhere. I’ve moved around since I was a kid. Never settled,” Kevin isn’t keen on letting Doug know a lot about him, but he types this out knowing it’s an honest answer.

Kevin buries a smile with the last question. People usually don’t think twice about him responding on his phone. “Typing isn’t ideal but I’m used to it, not a lot of people I run into know ASL. It’s a bit slow though,” Kevin types. They hesitate a moment before replying to the last bit, Doug gave him the out he wanted so why is he debating it. 

“I better go. Coffee has been calling my name. See you around?” From the few moments he has known Doug, Kevin has realized that this boy tends to have a lot to say. He lingers as Doug reads his phone, in case of a response. 

Maybe this wasn’t a good idea. No, it definitely wasn’t. But it’s been so long since Kevin had the opportunity to fly like this- to fly for fun and not for escape. It felt wonderful. Especially stopping and gliding through the air. 

Just a few more minutes and they’ll drop down and find a place to transform. But for now, they’re going to let themselves enjoy this. 

Kevin looks down and finally spots an empty area to land. They get a little nervous, they may look beautiful in the sky but they’re always clumsy on the landing. They slow down and dive towards a roof. It’s early enough that most of the town is still sleeping, but Kevin is always careful. 

They perch at the edge of a flat roof of some warehouse looking building. Kevin sits for a moment, looking around to make sure the coast is clear. Hopping over to the center of the roof, they stretch their wings one last time before transforming with a quick flash of light. 

Okay, fine, back to business. Kevin could seriously use some coffee anyway. They walk to the edge of the roof before realizing there’s no easy way to get down. Shoot. He should have checked for this. 

☀

Busy, that was the first impression he got of the movie night and it wasn’t a good one considering he had shown up early to try and scope out a good spot for watching. He can feel the tension in his neck as he looked around, coming across many faces but none he was too familiar with and all he could do was plaster on a smile as he backed away, and hid behind a tree. It was probably due to his “trauma” or whatever, but Pascal thought he was being a very brave little boy and should receive many pats on the back later for pushing past his discomfort.

Back to the task at hand, he peeked out from behind the sturdy trunk and did another scan around the place, spotting a familiar backside and immediately making his way over as fast as he could. His “ ‘scuse me” ’s and “pardon me” ‘s could be heard as he bobbed and weaved, immediately plastering himself to Kevin’s side the moment he was within arm’s reach.

“There you are,” Pascal exclaimed, eyes widening at the bucket in his friend’s hands and he immediately opened his mouth, hoping to be fed. “Let me tell you dude, definitely not our best idea coming here. Did you know this many people even existed in this town? Also, seems kinda creepy watching a horror movie right? Seems like we’re just asking for trouble.”

-

The sudden hand appearing in his popcorn startles Kevin, causing him to jump just a bit. Oh thank goodness, it’s Pascal. They give Pascal a stern look and elbow him. No matter how long they have known each other, Pascal will always forget Kevin can’t hear. 

They shove the popcorn in Pascal’s grasp and begin to sign. “You scared the shit out of me.” Kevin tries to send a frustrated look in his direction but laughter bubbles out of him. “You’re right. Way too crowded and no subtitles. Should we leave? French fries and milkshakes are calling my name.” Plus, maybe they could catch up. 

Kevin gestures in the direction he assumed the diner would be and gives Pascal a pleading look. “We can always watch a movie inside.” 

-

Doug could hear Alphonse in the back of his head, egging him into to grab the creature and be done with it. He stood there, starring at him awkwardly, hesitating for way too long. His first instinct was to wonder what Charles would want with this kid, but he knew from experience that looks could be deceiving. Especially when it came to the supernatural.

“No worries, I should have been paying more attention myself,” he replied, trying to enunciate his words clearly for him to read. He knew he could talk a mile a minute when he was nervous or excited.  “I - uhm. I’m Doug. What’s yours? Are you new here?” Douglas knew the answer to that, but it’d taken him months to find him for the first time. Now that he had the supernatural in front of him, he didn’t know what to do. Doug didn’t have an aggressive bone in his body, but now he had to worry about scaring him away. Shoot. He should have just called Charles. Too late now. “I’ve only been here for a few months, so I’m - uh - still kinda looking for new friends. I mean, if you want to.”

-

Oh. Throughout this entire conversation Kevin debated whether or not he should leave. Now they are faced with a choice. Run or stay. Find a reason to leave the conversation or agree to be friends. 

The logical part of them is screaming to escape, but goodness they don’t want to. They could do this, they could try friends. With how quiet it’s been lately- maybe that could mean it’s time for friends. He kinds of miss having people around, being so preoccupied with running.

Kevin looks at the nervous boy in front of him and quickly smiles, returning to type on his phone. “Kevin. I wouldn’t say new but I am new for the season. I come and go.” They pause for a moment and give Doug a smile that they hope comes off comforting. Starting a new line Kevin continues to type, “friends sounds good, we can be friends.” Below this he types his number for Doug to copy down. 

They quickly turn the phone toward Doug and let him read their phone, hoping it will ease the boy’s nerves. 

☾

Riley started to laugh upon seeing the book, not surprised in the slightest. He was always reading something about animals. Usually birds, though Riley never understood why he loved them so much. She was more into cats or dogs, sometimes even an elephant or a dolphin. “Looks… Interesting?” She signed back, smiling as she did so. Even though she didn’t know anything about it she assumed they would. 

The girl looked down at her wrist where at watch would be if she had one. She pursed her lips as if in thought before nodding. “I think I can squeeze you in,” Riley signed slowly before nodding her head towards the corner cafe. “Coffee?”

-

Coffee is exactly what Kevin needs right now, thank goodness for Riley. “Only if I can read,” Kevin signs with a smile, hoping she gets his joke. As they start walking together he realizes how much he wants to ask her about. There’s so much to catch up on and so much he wants to know.

“How are you doing? For real,” they give Riley a stern look, hoping for an honest answer instead of a change of subject. They look away to give Riley a moment to think about her answer, staring up at the trees. They find themselves worrying about Riley, of course she can handle herself but he always wants to be there for her if she needs. Kevin looks away from the trees and back at Riley, he doesn’t need to trip over something and give her a reason to change the subject. He sends her a reassuring smile as they continue to walk. 

Another potential friend? Lilo’s eyes lit up reading his message. Everything was falling into place lately. She’d met Doug, Riley, Max, Shona – if she could count her – and now Kevin, all seeming interested in getting to know her. To say she wasn’t used to people being so socially accepting was an understatement. I’ll try not to run into you next time, she typed out with a sheepish grin.

I was trying to meet the mailman, but he’s probably already left my house by now. I’ll just get my package tomorrow. It wasn’t the end of the world, as she may act like it was. I’m really sorry for cracking your phone.

-

Kevin’s eyes widen as Lilo shows her screen. “Don’t worry at all about cracking my screen, I think I give it a new crack on the daily. It adds character,” he types out.

As she reads what they wrote Kevin begins to think. He only just met this girl and he doesn;t really want to part yet. They take another moment to let Lilo read what they wrote and then continue typing, “It was surprisingly nice bumping into you, I would love to hang out more if you’d like to swap numbers.”

It’s been a long time since Kevin actively tried to make new friends, they’re not the greatest at opening themselves up to new connections. Especially lately. Still, they hope it’s okay that they asked. They both had their phones out anyway but he really didn’t want to overstep any boundaries.

Kevin focuses their gaze on their phone screen, buzzing with nerves as Lilo continues to read.

There’s one reason Kevin showed up to movie night, and that reason is very difficult to track down right now. Well, two reasons, the second being the popcorn. Kevin beelines straight for the concession line, taking a break from looking for Pascal. He has to be around here somewhere. 

Movie nights weren’t exactly Kevin’s favorite place to be. They would much rather be at home, cuddled up with a purring Zazu, watching a movie with subtitles. Maybe he should put in a request for subtitles at move night. Who would he even talk to? 

Popcorn acquired, Kevin continues his search for Pascal. He better be in human form tonight- it will be impossible to find him otherwise. I’m not shapeshifting tonight buddy, not in a place like this, you know that. Kevin settles at the back of the crowd waiting for the movie to begin. Shoving popcorn in their mouth, they decide to wait here for a moment content with scanning the crowd in front of them. 

Riley was glad her energy could be of use. Her posture straightened, her smile growing proudly as she signed, “Riley reporting for duty. At your service.” It was a bit muddled but she knew they’d be able to follow. Kevin usually pieced together her signing, it was her who would get lost. “It’s okay, I missed you,” she continued, her features glowing with joy. 

“I’m good, how are you?” It wasn’t entirely true or false. Riley didn’t know how she was, just that she was existing right now. Her situation found itself to be a difficult one to explain to anyone. “Really?! I’ve been practicing,” she beamed. “I’m trying to keep up with you, Bird Nerd.” 

-

“You know, I wish I could fight the bird nerd name but unfortunately,” he pauses his signing and reaches in his coat, pulling out a book with a hawk on the cover. He shows it to Riley, letting her read the title. Helen Macdonald’s H is For Hawk. He puts it back in his coat and continues to sign, “it’s accurate.”

Kevin takes a moment and looks at Riley with affection, he really did miss her. He needs to be better at this, he needs to stop isolating himself when he gets into that place. This bird is part of him, and a part he loves, but it doesn’t need to take over his entire life.

“Do you have time right now? I’d love to see what you have been working on. Only if you’re comfortable sharing.”

Lilo was a bit confused and slightly offended when they seemed to ignore her to pull out their phone, but it clicked once he turned the screen around for her to see. She didn’t waste any time pulling out her own cell. She’d already knocked into him, the last thing she wanted to do was drop and bust his. It seemed about one crack away from shattering. It’s okay, I was going too fast around the corner, and dangers to society are my favorite kind of people. A quick thought of Stitch. I’m Lilo. I’m sorry if I gave you a concussion.

Leaning over to read the last part of of the message as she held out her phone for Kevin to see, her lips tugged into a small smile and she quickly added: I won’t sue you if you don’t sue me. Deal?

-

Kevin reads the message Lilo had typed for them and laughs. Danger to society? The best he can do in bird form is mild annoyance, he jokes to himself.  They flash her a smile and start typing a new response on their phone. “Nice to meet you Lilo, sounds like we’re going to get along.” This energy is refreshing for him, he’s drawn to this girl. That’s rare. 

They type a new line out, “I’m okay, I promise. No legal action here. Is there somewhere you had to be? You seemed in a rush and I don’t want to keep you.” 

☾

She glared at him, letting her facial expression fall before signing back, “No one’s fault.” Riley hadn’t seen Kevin for a little while now. There were times when she wondered if her friends had forgotten about her. It was silly but she couldn’t help it. That’s why she smiled so wide when he seemed happy to see her. “Me too,” she signed. “Where you been?” Her sign wasn’t perfect but she hoped they understood. 

Riley shook her head at their question before responding, “No, you?”

-

“Not at all, just looking for something to wake me up. Looks like I found the answer.” Kevin smiles, glad to be back around Riley. He feels a sudden wave of guilt wash over him as he realizes how long it’s been since he’s talked to her. “I’m sorry I haven’t been around I’ve been... dealing with some things.” 

As much as they love Riley, Kevin isn’t sure how to even broach the subject of shapeshifting. “How are you?” they sign. “You’re signing is coming along nicely, let me know if I need to slow down.”