A Case of Mistaken Identity {Drew}

[Drew Richardson]

Festive lingerie?  Well, THAT was a hell of a thought!  His mind could go all sorts of directions with that, and without even really TRYING.

WAIT.

He was supposed to be thinking about serious stuff, and as nice as lingerie was, that really wasn't his utmost concern right then.  Really.  As much as he wanted it to be.  Damn it.

She didn't exactly make it difficult for Drew to get back on topic, in all honesty.  She busted out about 'dosing him up' so that the lady who'd attacked him couldn't try for round two, and she wasn't really looking at him.  Before he could really consider what she could possibly be dosing him up with, she started talking lions and leopards and....tigers?

OH HELL.  SHE WAS TALKING ABOUT MAKING HIM ONE, TOO.

If it had been any other situation, he might have been pleased that she'd put so much thought into it as to even come up with the hair thing, but this was talk of making him into a CAT.  A BIG ONE.  If she hadn't been in his lap, he'd have probably pushed off of his chair so fast he'd have cracked his head again. 

"WAT?  I don' wanna be a cat!  I wanna be like I am!" he told her quickly, eyes wide again.  He definitely wasn't cool with THAT. 

[Melisande Theroux]

Mel reached out, putting a hand on the table to steady herself as Drew sat up so fast he almost dumped her off of his lap. She frowned a little, but she just shook her head, putting a finger to his mouth to stop him. "Drew, stop yelling. I'm sitting less than a foot from you, and I have really, really good hearing now, okay? I know I'm not making you happy with what I'm saying, but please, just... listen to me. Hear me out."

She sighed. "The place I work - All Hallows? Everyone there is special - like Aimee and I. Marius, the bouncer, and Nikki, the bartender? Both vampires, but also shapeshifters. Drake, the other bouncer? He's a shapeshifter, too. Tawny, the pretty blonde girl with the long legs? She's a python. We watch out for eachother, too, and I'm not the only person who's worried about you. Aimee and Josh and Wesley are, too. The vampires that run that place, Drew, they're bad. All those kidnappings recently? That's them. When I realized you were missing, I thought..."

She trailed off, looking away. She didn't want to think about what could have happened. She looked back to him, blue eyes lidded, expressing her weariness. "If you were a shapeshifter, that couldn't happen again. She'd have never been able to just snatch you up like that - it's against their law. It's a law they can't break without risking death, it isn't like the laws humans have. So you see, I wanted to do this because I wanted to protect you. Josh had pretty much the same reaction, but the second he stepped out of my apartment door, he got the crap kicked out of him by another vampire. If Wesley's friend hadn't have shown up, Josh would be dead. Do you understand how severe this is? I mean, they can hit you once and break bones - literally."

She sighed. "I'm just trying to protect you," she whined.

[Drew Richardson]

Hear her out.  Even though the things she was saying were absolutely ridiculous and NOT COOL, he could hear her out.  Besides, she'd put her finger over his lips, and he wasn't going to fight with her to not sound like an idiot trying to say anything.  That didn't mean he was sold on the idea, though.

He couldn't deny that, as long as he believed everything she was saying and didn't just decide that he was insane and needed to get professional help, that what she was suggesting made sense.  That didn't mean he was sold on the idea, still.  It just meant that he saw the good attempt at strategy that was in that plan.  He had one great big issue with it, however. 

Well, actually, two, but he'd already mentioned the other one.

"It's great that all y'all are worried an' wanna protect me an' all, but I ain't ever had a problem like this before.  Ain't ever had to worry 'bout vampires or shapechangers or whatever y'all are, an' what says this ain't just a fluke?  I prolly ain't ever gonna run inta somethang like that again," he reasoned.  He thought it was a pretty good argument.  Just because Josh got pwnt as soon as he left didn't mean that Drew would. 

[Melisande Theroux]

"Okay, fair enough," she paused. She looked at him, and raised her eyebrows. "What if I got attacked, though? You, as a human, wouldn't even be able to jump into that fight. You wouldn't be able to do anything - I could accidentally hurt you myself. I heal within minutes of small wounds, hours of big ones. I'm incredibly hard to kill, but that doesn't mean it isn't possible. What if I were being attacked by a vampire, or even another shapeshifter? What would you do? And before you say shoot them, you don't have a clear shot."

She waited, knowing his game. He was going to use the argument that it would never happen to him, so she was going to try and appeal to his manliness by putting herself into hypothetical danger. Drew wouldn't be able to get into a fight between she and another Nyeusi - he'd die, easily. Hell, if she and Aimee decided to go at it, he ran the risk of getting shredded to ribbons. Not that they'd fight, or hurt him, but in hypothetical land, anything was possible.

[Drew Richardson]

Oh, that was just NOT RIGHT.  She was smart, he'd give her that, and he'd actually been opening his mouth when she mentioned that he didn't have a clear shot in this hypothetical situation, and he shut it.  Whether he'd been about to say exactly that or not didn't really matter, but he was painfully low on potential reactions for such a situation.  This wasn't a game he was going to win, that much was clear, but what was he going to do about it?  Just agree?  That seemed wrong.  He didn't WANT to be anything but a human!

"I'd figure somethang out," he told her indignantly, not commenting on the fact that the idea of getting his ass beat wouldn't even factor into his decisions regarding such a situation.  He'd jump in anyway, and try to get a clear shot or work a knife in there, and if he got hurt in the process, well, that was something he'd just deal with.

It wasn't like he hadn't been injured for less in the past.

He was confident that he wouldn't be helpless.  If it was so impossible for those things to be dealt with by humans, then why didn't they just take over or something?  Why hide?  "I'm not helpless, you know.  You gonna tell me there ain't no way for a human ta deal with one of those things?  I wouldn't leave you ta get hurt by somethang."

[Melisande Theroux]

Melisande sighed angrily and got off of his lap. She turned, placing a hand on the edge of the chair, and gave it a hard shove, wedging him in a proper seating place at the table as though he were ready for a formal dinner and not leaned back, foot rested on the leg of the table itself. "Drew, I could pick you up in that chair where you sit right now," she informed him. "How the hell strong do you think a male lion shapeshifter would be compared to me?"

She walked away from him, because his stubbornness and unwillingness to listen to her logic was starting to irritate her. She could see why Wes had punched Josh the first time, at any rate, and she sighed angrily, running her hands through her hair as she tried to think of a better way to approach the situation. She might have to pick a fight with someone for him to understand what heavy hitters shapeshifters were. She didn't know, and she turned back around to stare at him from several feet away.

"I don't know what else to say to make you understand that this isn't some sort of game. I can't force you, though. I want this to be your choice, but I'm afraid that you're making the wrong one, here." She shrugged. She didn't know what else to say. "Next time you pick a fight with Josh, though, you'd better keep your guard up. One wrong hit from him and I'll be bringing you a stuffed teddy for when you wake up in the hospital," she said glumly, flopping down onto the couch. The edge of it picked up and landed with a thump at the sudden force in which the new and improved Mel had hit it.

Her eyes went from it to Drew, pointedly, as if to say, "See?"

[Drew Richardson]

Okay.

Being manhandled, even if it was really his chair, by his girlfriend was startling enough.  Watching her manhandle the couch just by sitting on it too hard was worse.  It made him wonder just how hard Josh COULD hit him if he was now one of these shapeshifter things.  If Josh and Wes were BOTH shifters, then who the hell was he going to horse around with?

Why did he suddenly feel like he was very alone?

He hadn't even been the sort to cave to peer pressure, which this felt something like, but this was already so unbelievable that it really didn't matter if that image just made it seem more surreal.  His girlfriend was trying to get him to agree to letting her dose him with something that was going to make him a cat.  That was downright weird. 

This wasn't looking like an argument he was going to win, though.  He definitely didn't like his girlfriend being able to push him around like that, either.  Great. 

He made a face that suggested he really didn't believe he was saying this, but he finally spoke up.  "Tell me more 'bout whatever you're tryin' to dose me with."

[Melisande Theroux]

"I don't want to talk about it anymore right now," she said, a hand pressed to her temple. "Will you come sit over here?" she asked, looking through her fingers at him. She scooted over on the couch enough to make room for him, but it was pretty clear that she was moody enough at the moment that the prospect of trying to prod her into talking any further was going to piss her off. She just wanted to snuggle for a little and try to think - she found it easier to think when she was curled up on his chest.

A flicker of a smile splashed across her lips, and she lowered her arm from its crooked position against the couch cushion to motion him over. "I just want to cuddle for a little. I'll tell you anything you want to know, but first, I want happy feely," she said. Mel was actually feeling pretty unhappy about telling him any of this. Yes, it made her glad that he wouldn't leave her over it, but it didn't make her happy at all that she was basically giving him an ultimatum about his humanity. She supposed it would bother her more if she'd ever really been a normal human, but she hadn't. She'd always known about the Nyeusi somehow - she didn't know what allowed her to see them or sense them, but it separated her from other humans at a young age, and the segregation was enough for her not to freak out when her humanity was stolen from her as Wesley had done.

Perhaps she should have reacted differently.

[Drew Richardson]

Well, weren't they a pair?  He was finally nearing a caving point, and she didn't want to talk about it anymore.  That was just brilliant.

Fine, he could handle that.  It didn't mean he'd stop thinking about it, but he could shut up and go sit with her so that she could cuddle.  He tried not to be incredibly obvious about having to push his chair out to get up, but she couldn't really miss it, since she knew she'd shoved his chair the way she had.  Still, he didn't need to draw attention to it.

Personally, he didn't blame HER for the ultimatum, and as he'd expected, he was still thinking about it all even as she cuddled in against him.  They probably both were, but he had more of a decision situation to deal with, which wasn't cool.  He wouldn't have even considered this if the only argument would have been his own safety.  Hell, if he was going to get killed, he assumed he was going to get killed regardless of whether he was a human or a shifter.  When your number's up, it's up.  That didn't mean he wanted to risk being unable to help Melisande, though.

So.  She'd said lion wasn't possible, even though she was one.  Too many or something?  Leopard, which was what Josh was, and she'd wanted tiger.  Because of his hair.  God, was he really going to agree to this for her?  He hadn't been dating her too long, about 2 months at this point, so this was a big deal, but it wasn't like he'd ever had a relationship that actually worked and just felt so right as this.  Maybe it'd turn out to be a mistake, but he wasn't going to regret not going for it a few years down the line.

"Fine," he said abruptly, even though he'd decided he was going to shut up so she could have her cuddles.  He had to get this out before he lost his nerve.  "I'll do it, but you remember this when I tell you I'm marryin' you, got it?  I ain't gonna be a furrball the rest of my life jus' cause I thank it'd be fun."

[Melisande Theroux]

Melisande had just closed her eyes when he started speaking, and she sat up to stare at him - intently, as always. Something about Melisande when she looked at Drew seemed to change when she was paying attention to him, as though she'd been a feline from day one. Her eyes, no matter where he was in the room or what he was saying, from something as mundane as "Babe, where's my sock?" to "Jesus Christ there's a tiger in the motherfucking pool!" - she was always carefully trained on him, like something golden and diamond-crusted was about to fall out of his mouth. To her, though, most of everything he said was.

Which, of course, was why when he spoke, naturally, she payed him all her attention. What he'd said, though, made her eyes widen so much that she looked like she'd swallowed something unpleasant, and she sat up abruptly, putting a hand on his chest. "You - what?" she asked, scrunching her face up and tilting her head in one motion, like a cat, trying to determine if she'd just heard correctly.

"Whatdidyoujustsay?" she asked again, voice almost a whisper, and words spoken so fast that they didn't make any sense at all. Did... Had he... WAT?

She kept that stunned look on her face, all the while he stared at her with that lazy sort of smile of his, though the expression on his face changed from apprehension to satisfaction and then to worry as he realized she was having a small 'episode' right above him. Before he could speak, though, she just burst out into excited laughter. She dove into him, wrapping her arms around him as tightly as she could - probably squeezing a little too hard, but nevermind that - he'd just proposed, hadn't he? Sort of? Sort of! He'd sort of proposed!

"I promise you won't be sorry! I'll make you the happiest guy in the world!" she cheered, planting lots of tiny little kisses all over him once she'd released her practical strangehold of his neck with her hugging. She wiggled her way on top of him, pinning him down (though not in an overly sexual way), and touched her nose to his, eyes bright and wide.

"OhmygodIloveyousomuch!!!" she squealed, falling onto him for more kisses.

[Drew Richardson]

He was expecting a hell of a reaction from that comment, both from the fact that he'd agreed to the insanity that she and all of his friends were intent on and the fact that he'd just dropped a suggestion of marriage.  Now, he wasn't actually proposing, because that involved a ring and a bit more planning, but he wanted it clear that, if he was going to consider something like being dosed with some mystery virus to turn into some kind of a cat, he was doing it for her and planning on this whole thing to be pretty damn serious.  He definitely wasn't doing it for his own good, since he figured he hadn't done that badly thus far.  Skill had served him well, and luck had picked up wherever his own skills failed him.  Skill and luck really didn't require cat-powers.

Damn, if he was going to be a mutant, he'd have much preferred having powers like Magneto or something.  He definitely didn't want to be Beast or Tigra.  THUNDERCATS, HOOOO!

So, he'd expected quite the reaction, but he still ended up worried at the way she freaked out.  At first, it looked like she might get upset, which was definitely worrisome, and then she pounced at him and squeezed. 

Okay, being human with a girlfriend who could crush you like a python might not be a good idea, because she was seriously affecting his breathing capabilities.  Fortunately, she released before his calm broke, and he had to wonder if he'd have any bruises.  It still blew his mind that she was so strong.

Then came the kisses, and those were much preferable.  They didn't impair his breathing, they alleviated his worry about her being upset in the same way that her stranglehold hug would have if he hadn't been thinking about himself being crushed, and they directly preceded cheering, squealed declarations of love and her jumping into his lap for more kisses.  Definitely worth it.  Considering how upset she'd been when this whole situation started, this was a marked improvement.

As content as he was to just accept the flurry of kisses, he reached his hands in to take hold of her face, forcing her to stop for the moment (unless she really wanted to, in which case she could have broken his grip and that occurred to him) so that he could give her a real kiss.  "Love you, too."  Obviously, otherwise he wouldn't be doing this.

Then, he had a request.

"Jus'...don' tell Josh or Wes, yet?  Let 'em thank I fought you over this, or I ain't never gonna hear the end of it," he told her, smiling somewhat self-deprecatingly.  He knew that if they heard that he hadn't just caved for Melisande's sake but also dropped a comment about a future proposal, they'd be on him like white on rice.  He'd be finding Barbie wedding dresses in his locker instead of pictures of Cujo, knowing them.

He knew that's what he'd do if the roles were reversed.

[Melisande Theroux]

"Okay!" she cheered. Really, Melisande was easily pleased - as with most other women, if you gave her exactly what she wanted, she would be contented. She kissed him a few more times, and then wiggled back against the couch next to him, burying her nose in his neck for a raspberry.

"I'll make sure to leave the details out for Aimee, too," she offered, though she didn't know how hard it would be. She wanted to jump up and down and do a dance, but really, right now the spot on the couch was pretty damn good. She snaked an arm around Drew gently, grip the same old one that the normal Melisande had, and pulled herself up for another peck on the cheek. She couldn't stop kissing on him.

Mel was decidedly much more pleasant when she was happy.

[Drew Richardson]

'Much more pleasant' was an understatement.  Personally, he was a great big fan of the same old grip that the normal Melisande had, rather than the Hulk-style stunts she'd been doing otherwise.  The kisses were definitely preferable to the lion bit, too. 

He'd given her exactly what she'd wanted, and more, which was really a bad habit to get into.  Not good at ALL, even if he couldn't argue with the immediate perks.  It was going to be when they were trying to 'dose' him with something that was going to turn him into a damn furry that was going to have him wondering if he'd screwed up BAD.  He still didn't see the purpose of all this, considering the fact that he'd just realized that ALL of his immediate friends (and girlfriend) were total heavy-hitters and could absolutely take care of any situation he couldn't.  That was a blow to the ego, but he could still have his humanity, and that was more important than his ego. 

Hypothetical situations and freak occurrences aside, he was pretty sure that anything she couldn't handle as a shifter that he also couldn't handle with a gun was something that him being a shifter really wasn't going to help much in dealing with.  That was unpleasant, but he got that feeling.  He was really much happier not knowing about all this.

"I'd appreciate that," he told her, squeezing with the arm he had around her just a little as he tried to snag kisses with his lips when she showered him in them, and he meant it.  He didn't know if Aimee would make a big deal out of it or not, but a lot of women would, and it wasn't necessary just yet.  There was still time.

[Melisande Theroux]

If Melisande had known what he were thinking while she rested her head on his chest and amused herself with the sound of his heartbeat and then gentle rise and fall of it as he breathed, she might have tried to say something to make him feel better. As it stood, she could only guess what he was thinking, but really, she was sort of wrapped up thinking about weddings at that point. She hadn't ever really thought she'd get married. She knew she'd wanted to, but she also knew that she hadn't ever really met anyone serious enough to even consider it. She made a little face to herself as she realized just how lonely she'd been before Drew came along.

She looked up at him, shifting her position so that her upper body was laying on him, and she folded her arms, planting her chin on her hands, still atop his chest. "You know, I'm really glad I met you. I mean, obviously, but I just sort of realized that... I don't know. I was missing something," she said, lifting a hand to make a little shrugging motion. She wasn't sure what she was trying to say, really.

She smiled at him a little, and then rolled back to her original position, closing her eyes for a moment to clear her mind. She was so glad she had a big couch. She couldn't imagine trying to do this on a little piddly couch from Ikea or something. No, the internet was the best place for finding furniture - she'd made sure that it was big enough to be a small bed if need be.

[Drew Richardson]

Really, there probably wouldn't have been anything she could have said that would have truly made him feel better, but she could have tried.  The fact of the matter was that he'd agreed, and would do it because he had, but he wasn't looking forward to it and wouldn't say that he really thought it was a good idea.  He just wanted to be himself, no big changes. 

Too late now.  Melisande was just full of changes for him, and he really did assume that the changes were all because of her, since everyone else had already been in his life.  He had no idea that Wes was the one demanding that his friends become shifters, or that he and Josh would have been knocked sprawling by the refrigerator sized lion if Aimee and Melisande hadn't argued that point.  He assumed that she was the catalyst, and he didn't mind it SO much.  The shifter thing and finding out about the supernatural world wasn't exactly his favorite part of it all, but he was much happier with her than before.  Having friends was great, but that didn't do anything for you when you're sleeping alone every night.

"Glad I met you, too," he told her honestly, looking down at her as she planted herself more completely on his chest.  "I thank that maybe you weren' the only one missin' somethang."