savetheearth | Cat got your tongue

Who: Anthony, Richard, and Dirk
When: Backdated to the evening of the 28th.
Where: Richard's house
What: Tony gets home after a narrow escape from feline mafia goons?
Warnings: Yes. Language, stressful potentially triggering talk I don't even know. Just yes.

It was late when Tony slipped in, given he had sent Richard a message saying he was going to stay late to help L with closing things, but this was much later than that should have taken. He was out of breath, pale, shaking a little though valiantly trying to keep a reign on it. Getting out when they had meant he'd missed his bus and had to hoof it home. And boy did he ever, as fast as he could for as long as he could run.

You'd be amazed how long you can run when you're terrified out of your skull.

He tried to walk quietly, skulking was a skill of his after all, to avoid waking Richard if he'd already gone to bed. But his mind wasn't completely with him, still reeling from the events he'd just barely escaped. Thoughtlessly he propped his sword against the wall, tip still stained with now dried blood.

If he could just get a shower or something, a few minutes to himself to think things over. God what was he going to do, what had he been thinking? Tony didn't even know, honestly everything was still a blur.

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See, what Richard never told Tony is that there's a line to be drawn between 'I'm going to be a little late' and 'I'm going to be so late you'll start getting concerned', and Tony had crossed that line a couple of hours ago. There was really no way that the kid would be able to get past him at this point.

"Where the fuck do you think you've--"

He pushed himself up from the couch the moment Tony walked into the room but faltered half way through the irritated demand, expression flowing smoothly from annoyance to what the hell as he took everything in in a split second. His voice dropped, both in tone and volume, shot through with a thread of worry.

"... Where have you been."

It was the tone more than anything that startled him, so reminiscent of the jeering calls of the goons they'd fled from. The adrenaline was still high, perhaps the only thing keeping him on his feet at the moment, that coupled with the nagging disappointment of a fight ended too early had the kid high strung as it was.

As such his first response to the shout was a bit of a jump, planting his feet like he was ready for a fight, and baring his teeth and letting out a positively menacing hiss at the source of the aggressive sound. Fortunately Richard wasn't a 'threat' and as soon as it registered who he was hissing at Tony threw his arms over his head both to hold himself down and to cover his eyes.

"No, nonono no no. Just.. stop, no. Stay."

Between the mumbled, nonsensical alarm he was trying to convey that Richard needed to keep his distance for a moment, Tony wasn't really entirely stable right now. He didn't want to hurt him, didn't want to hurt anyone. Snakes and living lighters were one thing, but now he was attacking people... and oh god he was going to be sick just. Give him a moment.

"Bus! Missed the bus."

That is not the whole story Anthony and you know it.

Dirk was in the other room, getting himself a drink when Tony came home. He had arrived hours earlier, planning on waiting for Tony to get off work, and spend time with his uncle in the mean time. But hours passed, hours past the time he should be home. Concern and worry settled deep in Dirk's mind, possibilities by the thousand ransacked his overworking brain like clockwork, and it took every bit of concentration to keep his resolve. But he was honestly scared.

With the sound of a second voice from the front room, Dirk dropped his glass, not even paying any mind to it shattering as he quickly made his way into the room to see--

Tony.

He was terrified, his arms over his head, looking like some frightened animal. Dirk could feel his throat tighten, his mouth a Sahara, and his legs moved themselves. Before long, he was by Tony's side, he didn't care about what warning he might have missed to stop and stay back, Tony was here and terrified, and he needed to do something about it.

First instinct was to gently put a hand on his shoulder, a firm grip, but nothing done to startle him.

"Tony, it's alright. You're safe." He said it with a low, even, and calm tone. Despite the anxiety and worry rattling him. He knew if they were to get any answers at all, Tony needed to calm down, and needed to feel safe, because he certainly didn't look like it.

Under normal circumstances, Dirk would have at least got an exasperated look for breaking a glass (those things came in sets, you know) but as things were there were far more important things to be thinking about. Like the young man having what looked like a panic attack in the middle of his living room.

There was a small attempt, despite the knowledge of how ineffectual it would be to stop Dirk from getting too close. Not much of one, really, just a hand briefly on his shoulder that would be easily brushed by.

He joined Dirk, though didn't touch the other boy, just rested his weight against one hand as he crouched down in front of him.

"You're okay, kid. Just take a deep breath."

The sound of the shattering glass made him jump, but thankfully he didn't try to bolt or otherwise become hostile. Just stayed where he was, frozen in the moment as everything that had transpired rushed down on him. He was a little stuck in his own head for the moment, please hold.

Then everything was cascading at once again. Dirk moved in, too close, his heart was already racing then a hand on his shoulder. Again he jumped, made some kind of uncomfortable agitated sound that wasn't words at all. Shoulders tensed, one eye peeking out warily at Dirk but once it finally dawned on him who it was and where he was he relaxed, if only slightly.

"Dirk..."

Now Richard was there, also too close, but he was low and slow and quiet, not the annoyed tone he'd used at first. Okay, yes, breathe, he could do this. One shuddering breath in, then slowly out. Calm down, sort your thoughts, stop snarling.

"T-the shop's trashed," He swallowed hard, his tongue moved slow and thick in his mouth, felt like it was covered in sandpaper. "Water. Can I have some water?" Before he spoke he'd need a drink, he'd been running for ages.

Cat got your tongue

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