FIC (Reprise) : Werewolf of Van Nuys

[crabby-monkey.livejournal.com]

Brad gets twitchy, Ryan is pissy, and Drew is a nervous wreck...

Stirring or Stir Crazy?


//Okay, he’s trying to help… but I’m going stir crazy! // Brad found himself pacing the inside of Drew’s house. // No bars on the windows or doors and I can go into the yard, but a cage is a cage is still a cage! // He could feel eyes watching him wherever he went – totally illogical and unreasonable, but he could * feel * them!

What Brad didn’t know is that there were eyes watching him whenever he left the house. Drew had finagled 24/7 coverage of the perimeter of the grounds on the basis that Brad was being stalked and he – and the studio – were trying to catch the person before it went any further. Their orders were to observe the house and the grounds and to make sure that Brad did not leave without Drew by his side. The head of the agency had thought that their orders were a bit strange, but the amount of money Mr. Carey was willing to dish out was enough to quash curiosity.

//It’s only for a week. I can handle it for a couple of more days. It’s kinda nice to have someone around, someone to talk to…//

Every night Drew would come home, say ‘Hey’ to Brad and then go take a shower before reappearing in tee shirt and sweatpants. They’d have a quiet dinner and schmooze in front of the television before calling it a night. It felt peaceful – he could almost forget about the restlessness that took over at odd moments, the partially remembered dreams…

** Restless ** No danger… not hungry… Restless** Legs twitched, running in dreams… Nose twitched, scents strangely familiar… ** Littermate? ** Warm… Littermate curled up behind… Sounds… no meaning… comfort… ** SLEEP **

“Shhhh… you’re okay…” Drew had taken to checking in on Brad before going to bed. As the full moon got closer, the kid was getting restless. It seemed like he was having bad dreams, although he would never mention them in the morning. After watching him toss and turn it was only natural want to try to calm him down, and curling up behind him on the bed seemed to do the trick. (And it’s not like I’m getting under the sheets with him… but I wonder what would happen if I rubbed his tummy, would his leg start getting jiggy? Ok... I am soo not going to go there!)

*****

Countdown


Drew watched Brad over breakfast. The kid didn’t seem to have much of an appetite – he was using the egg yolk to finger paint designs on his plate. It was like he’d never seen eggs sunny side up before – Drew watched as nostrils flared before Brad decided to lick experimentally at his fingers. (He’s getting worse, IT’s starting to bleed over during the daytime.) He cleared his throat and watched Brad’s head shoot up. “Uh, Brad… I think we should try to do it tonight.”

** Ears perked up ** CONCENTRATE! **

// Oh God, I’m not ready for this! //

“Are you sure you’re ready?” //And are you sure YOU’RE ready to do this? What am I saying? I can’t go on like this – either it has to go or I do. // Brad absently continued to lick the yolk off his fingers as Drew talked.

“Yeah. The full is tomorrow night – and I think I’m going to need you at least halfway with it for the hypnosis to work.” (I just hope that I haven’t waited too long!) “I’ve gotta go out for a bit today. How about I bring home a couple of slabs of ribs for dinner and then we’ll try and beat this thing?” (And if I get it well fed and sleepy I might stand a better chance of succeeding!)

“Sounds good. And Drew?” Brad grabbed him and pulled the burly comic in close for a bear hug. “I know this hasn’t been easy on you… and I really, really, really appreciate everything you’ve done, too. You’re a good buddy!”

(I hope he thinks so after this is all over!) A very nervous Drew drove away from the house. When he was a couple of miles away Drew pulled over and dialed Ryan’s number on his cell phone.

“Yeah?”

“Ryan? Drew. Listen, I’ve got to do this tonight. You still want to help, right?” (Please say that you still want to help!) He held his breath and prayed.

“Say when and where. And what time do you want me?” Ryan’s voice sounded tinny, but the concern was still audible.

“I’ll pick you up on the way back tonight. I’ll be able to sneak you up to my room without him noticing – he’s been dozing off before dinner the last couple of days. Then I’ll go get the takeout for me n Brad’s dinner. He’ll be so distracted by the food that you can slip down the back stairs to the basement without him being suspicious. Just remember, you have got to be in the closet down there before I bring him down.”

“So make sure I’ve eaten before you pick me up… anything else?”

“Uh… I’ll tell you when I see you, okay?”

“Sure. See you later then.” Ryan signed off with a click leaving Drew even more alone with his thoughts.