Carlos hadn’t been feeling well when he got up this morning. That didn’t stop him from going down to the lab to work, of course not, but he just felt… different.
As always, while working Carlos had the radio running and he was listening to Cecil’s show in between the weather reports and the eyeless children that showed up at the station to give memos from City Council.
Carlos wandered through the forest. He knew he’d seen a cave somewhere – it looked like an old bear cave, though he hadn’t gone in it before. He wanted to be as far away from his camp and the summer camps, in case the children had an idea to wander around at night to hunt for snipes. The full moon would make visibility perfect for it, so it was a reasonable concern in Carlos’ mind.
He finally came across the cave he was looking for. And not too soon either – the moon would rise probably within the next ten minutes. Carlos ventured forth, holding his flashlight up to search the inside of the cave. Hopefully it was empty. Could a werewolf beat a bear? Maybe?
he lifted his head up ‘You Don’t Have To Go, Honestly It’s been Nice Having Someone To Talk Too..’ he sighed softly ‘I’m Sure You’ve Noticed There’s Not Many Other Animals Over Here…’
There still aren’t, Carlos couldn’t help himself saying. He looked at his clothes and tried to think of the best way to carry them. His paws could grab onto things, but they were so massive that… he just wasn’t used to them at all.
he tilted his head confusedly as he looked at the clothes ‘What Do You Mean By That?’
Carlos looked back at him. Um… I’m not exactly a wolf? I would have thought my size alone would have clued you in, but… you know, most wolves aren’t exactly sapient like you and I…
he looked more confused before replying ‘You’re The Same Size As Other Wolves..? I Thought You Were An Indoor Wolf..’
Carlos just looked at him. An ‘indoor wolf’?Like… a dog? No, I’m… quite a bit bigger than that too.
‘You Smell To Much Like The Camp To Not Be Though..” he shifts his wings
I’m really not a dog either. I’ll just… I’ll try to be out of your hair before sunrise. It’s for the best.
he whines softly, looking abit upset ‘You Don’t Have To Go..’
I really do. I have, uh… stuff to do.
Carlos used his paw to pick up his labcoat and tried to lay it out flat on the ground. Maybe he could make a bindle with it…
he whined again, laying his down slowly ‘Okay…’
This made Carlos pause. He felt bad about it, yeah, but… he was concerned. The other creature said
it was alright with children, but it also said that people were…
hunting it, or something. Carlos, as an adult, could be perceived as a
threat (maybe more threatening than a giant wolf-man, apparently). And
as a human, Carlos couldn’t defend himself. It was just… logical that
he try to relocate before he turned back.
Should he try to explain
it, though? Explain what exactly was going on with him? He barely knew
this other creature, and honestly didn’t quite trust it, but… it
seemed genuinely upset by Carlos leaving.
Do you… have a name?
he asked curiously. He wasn’t expecting an answer, really, since he
didn’t think animals gave themselves names, but… he wasn’t sure.
his ear flicked slightly, taking a minute to think before replying “People Call Me Drake Alot, So I Guess That’s My Name, What’s Yours? Do You Have A Name?”
He could use this as a segue, he thought.
It’s… Carlos. It’s a human name.
‘Do You Spend Your Time Around Alot Of Humans?’ he tilted his head slightly
All my time, Carlos said. Except tonight. He didn’t mean to sound cryptic – he was trying to ease into the actual truth with half-truths, like slowly opening a velcro bag so that it didn’t make too much noise.
Carlos wandered through the forest. He knew he’d seen a cave somewhere – it looked like an old bear cave, though he hadn’t gone in it before. He wanted to be as far away from his camp and the summer camps, in case the children had an idea to wander around at night to hunt for snipes. The full moon would make visibility perfect for it, so it was a reasonable concern in Carlos’ mind.
He finally came across the cave he was looking for. And not too soon either – the moon would rise probably within the next ten minutes. Carlos ventured forth, holding his flashlight up to search the inside of the cave. Hopefully it was empty. Could a werewolf beat a bear? Maybe?
he lifted his head up ‘You Don’t Have To Go, Honestly It’s been Nice Having Someone To Talk Too..’ he sighed softly ‘I’m Sure You’ve Noticed There’s Not Many Other Animals Over Here…’
There still aren’t, Carlos couldn’t help himself saying. He looked at his clothes and tried to think of the best way to carry them. His paws could grab onto things, but they were so massive that… he just wasn’t used to them at all.
he tilted his head confusedly as he looked at the clothes ‘What Do You Mean By That?’
Carlos looked back at him. Um… I’m not exactly a wolf? I would have thought my size alone would have clued you in, but… you know, most wolves aren’t exactly sapient like you and I…
he looked more confused before replying ‘You’re The Same Size As Other Wolves..? I Thought You Were An Indoor Wolf..’
Carlos just looked at him. An ‘indoor wolf’?Like… a dog? No, I’m… quite a bit bigger than that too.
‘You Smell To Much Like The Camp To Not Be Though..” he shifts his wings
I’m really not a dog either. I’ll just… I’ll try to be out of your hair before sunrise. It’s for the best.
he whines softly, looking abit upset ‘You Don’t Have To Go..’
I really do. I have, uh… stuff to do.
Carlos used his paw to pick up his labcoat and tried to lay it out flat on the ground. Maybe he could make a bindle with it…
he whined again, laying his down slowly ‘Okay…’
This made Carlos pause. He felt bad about it, yeah, but… he was concerned. The other creature said
it was alright with children, but it also said that people were…
hunting it, or something. Carlos, as an adult, could be perceived as a
threat (maybe more threatening than a giant wolf-man, apparently). And
as a human, Carlos couldn’t defend himself. It was just… logical that
he try to relocate before he turned back.
Should he try to explain
it, though? Explain what exactly was going on with him? He barely knew
this other creature, and honestly didn’t quite trust it, but… it
seemed genuinely upset by Carlos leaving.
Do you… have a name?
he asked curiously. He wasn’t expecting an answer, really, since he
didn’t think animals gave themselves names, but… he wasn’t sure.
his ear flicked slightly, taking a minute to think before replying “People Call Me Drake Alot, So I Guess That’s My Name, What’s Yours? Do You Have A Name?”
Carlos wandered through the forest. He knew he’d seen a cave somewhere – it looked like an old bear cave, though he hadn’t gone in it before. He wanted to be as far away from his camp and the summer camps, in case the children had an idea to wander around at night to hunt for snipes. The full moon would make visibility perfect for it, so it was a reasonable concern in Carlos’ mind.
He finally came across the cave he was looking for. And not too soon either – the moon would rise probably within the next ten minutes. Carlos ventured forth, holding his flashlight up to search the inside of the cave. Hopefully it was empty. Could a werewolf beat a bear? Maybe?
he lifted his head up ‘You Don’t Have To Go, Honestly It’s been Nice Having Someone To Talk Too..’ he sighed softly ‘I’m Sure You’ve Noticed There’s Not Many Other Animals Over Here…’
There still aren’t, Carlos couldn’t help himself saying. He looked at his clothes and tried to think of the best way to carry them. His paws could grab onto things, but they were so massive that… he just wasn’t used to them at all.
he tilted his head confusedly as he looked at the clothes ‘What Do You Mean By That?’
Carlos looked back at him. Um… I’m not exactly a wolf? I would have thought my size alone would have clued you in, but… you know, most wolves aren’t exactly sapient like you and I…
he looked more confused before replying ‘You’re The Same Size As Other Wolves..? I Thought You Were An Indoor Wolf..’
Carlos just looked at him. An ‘indoor wolf’?Like… a dog? No, I’m… quite a bit bigger than that too.
‘You Smell To Much Like The Camp To Not Be Though..” he shifts his wings
I’m really not a dog either. I’ll just… I’ll try to be out of your hair before sunrise. It’s for the best.
he whines softly, looking abit upset ‘You Don’t Have To Go..’
I really do. I have, uh… stuff to do.
Carlos used his paw to pick up his labcoat and tried to lay it out flat on the ground. Maybe he could make a bindle with it…
he whined again, laying his down slowly ‘Okay…’
This made Carlos pause. He felt bad about it, yeah, but… he was concerned. The other creature said
it was alright with children, but it also said that people were…
hunting it, or something. Carlos, as an adult, could be perceived as a
threat (maybe more threatening than a giant wolf-man, apparently). And
as a human, Carlos couldn’t defend himself. It was just… logical that
he try to relocate before he turned back.
Should he try to explain
it, though? Explain what exactly was going on with him? He barely knew
this other creature, and honestly didn’t quite trust it, but… it
seemed genuinely upset by Carlos leaving.
Do you… have a name?
he asked curiously. He wasn’t expecting an answer, really, since he
didn’t think animals gave themselves names, but… he wasn’t sure.
Carlos was already pulling off his flannel, and the undershirt with it. He looked at Hancock with a blank expression as he tried to think about what Hancock said.
“Boxers okay?” he asked. Skin-on-skin contact wasn’t something Carlos would shy away from. And it was warm enough as long as they cuddled together. Though if Hancock was asking if he wanted to go nude, he honestly felt weird about it. Not in the way that Hancock might fear however, as Carlos always preferred to wear at least boxers to bed.
“Boxers are fine.” Honestly, as much as the ghoul wanted to take things further, this probably wasn’t the time, he was actually kind of tired anyway.
With a smile, he followed the other’s lead and stripped down to his underwear, hardly giving Carlos any time to look him over before he climbed into bed ahead of him and pulled back the covers on his side. “C’mon, get over here and hold me, ya big lug.”
Carlos laughed suddenly as he tossed his pants over onto a dresser. “You trying to say I’m fat?” he accused teasingly.
He crawled right into the bed and pulled himself right up next to Hancock. He then slid an arm around the ghoul’s waist to hold him and started to gently rub his back, trying to help him warm up a bit now that they were under the covers.
“I met a man named Joe Black today. …I’m not sure I’m ready to meet him again.”
Carlos wondered if that statement begged a response. Maybe the man was just speaking out loud.
“Well… some people are just strange, I guess,” he said, barely sparing a glance to the other person. “Having a weird feeling might mean that things aren’t right.” Like right now. Carlos had a weird feeling that he’d seen this man somewhere before, but he couldn’t place it.
He had said it when the waitress had asked ‘what’s eatin’ ya, hon?’ She had shrugged it off but the man next to him at the counter had responded. Tony glanced sideways through his shades, not answering for a moment.
“Something definitely wasn’t right with him,” Tony finally replied. He wasn’t about to spill all of the tumultuous feelings that had come with speaking to that man. He didn’t want to acknowledge them to begin with.
Carlos hummed and nodded. He reached for some cream and sugar to treat his coffee – his first actual coffee in a while and he was going to milk it for all it was worth (heh, nice. Good joke, Carlos – internal self high-five.)
“Probably best to stay away from him, then,” Carlos suggested as he sweetened his coffee with more sugar than what any other person would deem necessary. “It’s my experience that one should listen to those feelings.” He wasn’t exaggerating.
Tony nodded at the idea of staying away from the man. He wasn’t going to disagree there. Somehow he felt like that man would be lurking, and in a way that wasn’t exactly stalking. No, it was something highly more sinister and yet much more natural than that. Something that couldn’t be held off with a restraining-order.
Carlos mixed his coffee with a straw and blew on it gently before taking a sip. He couldn’t help closing his eyes and giving a soft, happy sigh. So much better than instant coffee…
He opened his eyes and glanced at the other diner. Carlos frowned slightly – the guy looked like he was trying to keep it together, but Carlos had a feeling that he was very distressed by this… Joe Black person.
“Do you think you’re in danger?” he asked the man. “Like… unsafe, I mean?”
Carlos grinned stupidly. “You’re ridiculously sweet,” he cooed. “That sounds great. Dare I say, romantic.” It made Carlos want to just kiss him now. A lot.
“Romantic? Well, perhaps I should take a step back, hmm?” He chuckled as he took Carlos’ hand and tugged him closer to peck him on the cheek. “I hope you don’t have a problem with a little romance, sweetheart.”
Carlos shook his head. “None whatsoever,” he told Hancock and he pressed a kiss to the ghoul’s mouth. “I need a bit of time to freshen up, if that’s okay.” Carlos had a sweater vest and shirt that he’d gotten and was saving for an occasion like this. It didn’t seem like Hancock’s style, but it was Carlos’ and he was hoping to look nice. And that Hancock would appreciate it.
((This is really self-indulgent, but I want to get this off my chest… and I guess start an rp wishlist in the process. Involves Tony Stark and Carlos in the Marvel AU.
I would love, love, LOVE to play a thread in the Marvel AU where Carlos is at the point where he’s been hired by Tony Stark and has the opportunity to work for him and get to know him as a person. As this happens, Carlos falls in love with Tony because he’s such a genuinely caring and selfless person, but of course he doesn’t think Tony would ever go for him (I usually headcanon Tony to be older than Carlos by at least a decade, since Carlos is 35-ish, so the age is one factor that makes Carlos hesitate).
But Carlos’ heart wants what it wants, and he develops the Hanahaki Disease. Carlos would want to hide this from him when he figures out what it is, but maybe Tony notices that Carlos has started coughing more than usual and gets concerned? Carlos tries to assure him that it’s allergies or it’s not contagious and that he’s fine.
Then Carlos starts to think about how to save himself and thinks about quitting the job as a Stark Industries engineer, but this is such a good job and he loves having Tony as a friend and he wants to be a part of something good (especially after Hammer) and he is so scared of the pain the initial distance would cause. Maybe doing that could make the Hanahaki disease worse before it got better?
Angst, angst, angst, slow build, literal pain and concern for one’s health, but then maybe when Tony catches on to what’s going he tries to help Carlos and maybe likes him too?
Sorry about this being just fragments of thoughts, but I wanted to write it down somewhere to get it out in the hopes that a Tony Stark would see it and would be on board with this (details can be discussed, obv.).
“I know, but I wanted to,” she replied with a grin. With the dishes out now, though, she was free to take her seat at the table and smile at her friend. “You want me to serve the sloppy joe casserole?”
Carlos smiled at her. “Only if you would like,” he said and he busied himself with getting their drinks. “Angie? Do you want to get your mom a spoon to help dish?” He then looked at Mia. “Oh – want any ice?”
“Okay, Papa!” Dutifully, the girl got back up to fetch a serving spoon for her mother.
“No ice, but I appreciate it,” came the response as Mia took the spoon from Angie to begin dishing out the food for all three of them. Angie got a slightly lesser portion than Carlos or Mia did, but the girl just took it as adults having larger stomachs.
Carlos gave Angie her juice and Mia her water and sat down with a cup of orange juice himself. After Strex had changed hands, he wasn’t so worried about citrus drinks anymore.
“I appreciate this, Mia,” Carlos told her with a smile. “Though I’m sure you wouldn’t have wanted to eat just plain mac and cheese anyway, huh?”
“Well, yes,” Carlos said. He stood up and took her hand. “Come on in. Mia? Should we talk about this over dinner? Or should it wait until after? What do you think?”
“I think we can handle talking about this during dinner, unless you’d prefer to wait?” Mia replied, shrugging as she came back into view. “It would probably be easier to share over food, though.”
Looking between her parents, Angie frowned. What in the worlds could they be talking about? She was dying with curiosity, wanting to know what was going on. “Or you could tell me now? What’s going on?”
Carlos gave Angela a smile. “I think it can also be a lesson in patience,” he teased her gently. “It’s okay, honey – there’s plenty of time. Your mom’s food smells really good – we should dig in before it gets cold, don’t you think?”
He turned to lead her to his little dining area where he had pulled up an extra chair from his desk so that there were three places to sit. “What do you guys want to drink? I have soda, coffee, juice…”
“Juice, please!” Angie replied, following her father into the dining area. She was still anxious to find out what they were hiding from her, but if both of them were dead set on keeping quiet until they had started eating, then there was nothing for her to do but take a seat at the table and wait to be told.
“I’ll have a water, if you don’t mind, Carlos,” Mia was busy magicking plates out of the cupboards, but she turned to spare a glance at him as she answered the question.
Carlos nodded as he went to the cupboard with the cups. He watched the dishes fly out with a slight frown. “Awe Mia, you didn’t have to get those out. I could have done it.” And get his hand possibly bitten in the process, but that’s what Nuskin was for. Also, he was hosting.
Still, he gently pet the ‘Cup’-board (as he lovingly called it) and was able to get three glasses out for them without getting bitten.
“I know, but I wanted to,” she replied with a grin. With the dishes out now, though, she was free to take her seat at the table and smile at her friend. “You want me to serve the sloppy joe casserole?”
Carlos smiled at her. “Only if you would like,” he said and he busied himself with getting their drinks. “Angie? Do you want to get your mom a spoon to help dish?” He then looked at Mia. “Oh – want any ice?”
The Perfect Scientist 