#he played willy a as a genuinely creepy gross dude and it was GREAT | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

fatfitallie · 5 years

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Auston laughs -- actually laughs! -- a tiny little low sound in his throat, but Mitch recognizes it for what it is and it's weirdly... It makes him happy? And it's probably because Auston did werewolf-y mojo on him, but it's still nice to think about something other than how much the giant hole in his side hurts. "It's okay to laugh," Mitch says without really meaning to. "I mean. Laughs are good. In general. Laughter is acceptable. And healthy."

Auston picks up the stack of printouts Mitch had been marking up the night he got hurt, untouched since. "Eat, Mitch."

"You should develop more variety in your speech patterns. Or, wait, are commands a thing you do because you're an Alpha? That's weird. It's like natural to you?"

Auston flips the first page over, eyes scanning. Mitch cringes. It's a bunch of collected werewolf lore and the notes he'd been making aren't exactly generous. Auston just keeps reading, pages turning as Mitch dips his sandwich in his soup. It's a good sandwich. Auston's nice. Mitch kind of hates this euphoria thing. He watches Auston laugh and shake his head, grabbing a pen off the table and scribbling something on the paper in his hand. Mitch thinks it's kind of nice to have Auston here. The euphoria thing isn't that bad. It's distracting at least. And his side isn't burning as bad, which is great. He should think about trading Auston for Willy in his friendship hierarchy. Willy hasn't come to see him at all since he's been awake. But he did punch an Alpha. Maybe he'll just be mean to Willy for a while.

"I'm out of here. You going to be okay until your Patty gets home?"

Mitch looks up at Auston. His mouth is definitely hanging open and he knows he has to look confused as hell. "Uh, yes? Yeah. I'm fine."

"Okay." Auston drops the papers on the desk.

"Hey, thank you again. For the not letting me die and the feeding me and also doing your magic stuff." Mitch wiggles his fingers in Auston's general direction. "You're not doing this out of pack duty, are you?"

"What?"

"Like, because Willy is being a really terrible friend," Mitch says really loud just in case Willy is listening somewhere. "You're not... like, covering for him?"

"There is no amount of cover I could provide that would keep Willy from looking like a dick."

"I'm going to be so creeped out if this turns out to be some weird pack dynamics thing that I can't understand because I'm just a lowly human. I refuse to be a pawn in your werewolf chess game, man."

"Mitch?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up and get some rest."

Mitch is pretty tired, really, so he settles back into the bed and tries not to anger his wound. Auston's gone before he's settled, but he half shouts, "I'm not going to sleep because you said to!" and he swears, swears, he hears a laugh in the distance.

---

Mitch doesn't see Auston the rest of the week and, if he's being honest with himself -- which, really, he's not that great at -- he kind of misses him? Maybe. Mitch can't be sure of anything, everything still hurts, but his Patty's kind of loosened his grip on the prescription painkillers, so he's feeling a little generally hazy.

Willy does come to see him though. And Josty. With a JT that clearly wasn't at all excited about being there if his running commentary about Mitch' smell was any indication. "Dude, the locker room usually smells better than this. You smell like a walking scab that hasn't bathed in a month."

"You're really sweet, JT. I'm so glad you're here. I think your presence is actually healing me."

JT just smiled sarcastically and went back to playing with his phone while Josty caught Mitch up on classes. She kissed him on the cheek when she left. Normally, he'd have thought immediately about how he should've been impaled sooner. But she was with JT and JT was a wolf now. It wasn't the same. Mitch thought that must be something like growing up, but then he thought about tripping JT the next time it was convenient, so maybe he wasn't ready for any maturity trophies just yet.

---

Mitch heads back to school on Monday with a one-Vicodin-a-day ration and spare bandages in his bag. He's already missed two weeks and it's worth the pain to not have to catch up on any more work than he's already dealing with. He's healing, Willy tells him every time he gets close enough. "I don't know, dude, it's just this smell. Like the opposite of rot."

"I smell like growing? Am I a plant?"

Willy just grins and laughs. "Maybe. It is kind of flowery."

"Kappy called."

"Texted."

Mitch throws his jersey in Willy's face. "You're gross. Love is foul."

Willy tosses the jersey back. "I can't believe Coach is making you dress. You're just going to sit there and look pained."

"I'm going to seize the moment and try to finish at least one of the assignments I missed. I think Josty offered to catch me up to sabotage me. She wants to take valedictorian out from under me. She's using my injury for her own gains."

"You're a junior."

"It's never too early for sabotage."

---

Mitch is actually about to finish one of his English assignments, an essay on the symbolism in The Scarlet Letter because that's really unique and original, when he sees Auston. He's standing at the far end of the field from Mitch, just at the edge of the tree line. He's just standing there, which shouldn't surprise Mitch because that's mostly what Auston does. Mitch does a quick three point check around him, just in case there's a threat he's been oblivious to, but there's no one on the field but the team. He mumbles into his notes, "It's really creepy when you do that. And it's even creepier that you're probably listening to me. Who are you watching? Is this pack business? Stop standing there!"

Greenberg looks over at Mitch, one eyebrow raised.

Mitch shrugs. "I write better when I can say it out loud."

Greenberg rolls his eyes and goes back to his phone.

When Mitch looks up again, Auston is gone. He's kind of... disappointed. He technically told him to stop standing there, but he meant, "Hey! Be a not-creep and come talk to other people!" not "Slink into the woods like a terrifying stealth serial murderer." Mitch isn't very good at expressing himself. Well, he's good at expressing. It's the accuracy that kills him.

---

Mitch falls face down on to his bed as soon as he walks into his bedroom. Well, he sort of half-falls because if he really falls it will hurt a lot and he hates that, so he sort of slumps on to the bed, dropping his lacrosse stick and backpack and trying to undo his jeans against the mattress. Bed is great.

"You take a lot of notes."

Mitch doesn't scream exactly, he's been terrified, injured, and startled far too much in the last year to scream. Actually, he'd be shocked if anything close to a scream ever came out of his mouth again. But he does sort of strangle a loud "What?!" in his throat and barely stops himself from going over the side of the bed.

Auston is sitting at his desk with his werewolf packet on his knee and a pen in his hand. "And a lot of them are wrong."

"Do you find causing terror sexually arousing? Is that a thing? Is that why you spend so much time creeping up on people? Because you get off on it?"

"The notes you have about wolfsbane are wrong. Well, the lore you're citing is wrong too, but your notes aren't good either."

"I know some stuff! I've seen it work pretty damn well on you."

Auston flips the page. "I'm genuinely concerned with how interested you seem to be in mating habits."

Mitch flails his hands in Auston's general direction and pulls himself up on the bed. "That website had a lot of information, okay? I'm just gathering everything I can."

Mitch doesn't miss the curve of Auston's mouth, the smirk. And, uh, that kind of. Mitch apparently has a Feeling about that. Or his body does because his whole abdomen goes kind of warm and his stomach maybe flips a little and, yeah, that's weird. That's... definitely a symptom of being unable to use his dominant hand in its usual way.

Auston goes back to reading and Mitch sits there staring at him for a minute before he realizes that apparently Auston is just going to hang out and quietly read all of his werewolf notes and apparently... highlight them? There is a highlighter in Auston's hand. Mitch blinks a few times and then sinks back into his bed. He's tired and sore. He presses a palm to his bandage. It hurts, but not that bad, and it's warm, but not as hot as when he woke up in the hospital. He's healing.

"Do I smell like flowers?"

Auston finishes marking whatever he's deemed highlight-worthy on his current page and looks up at Mitch. "Generally?"

"No, currently. Like, do I have a floral odor around my person?"

"No." Auston sniffs once, his chin jutting out, nose up. "You smell like healing. And soap. The room is less pleasant. No flowers."

"Willy said healing smells like flowers."

"Willy says Kappy's scent is ginger snaps. I don't trust his ability to accurately identify any smell whatsoever."

"So what does healing smell like?"

"Like red meat and copper."

"Oh that is gross." Mitch stops for a minute, his whole face twisting up. "Wait, doesn't that smell good to you? Oh god, is that why you're hanging around? Because I smell like... Because I smell like food?"

Mitch has never seen Auston's face that blank. It's relaxed, but utterly blank. Mitch can barely hold a straight face when he's trying to prank someone.

"I'm not going to eat you, if that's what you're asking."

"Because I'm not a woodland creature?"

"I've never eaten a human."

"You're not denying the woodland creatures."

Auston is conspicuously and disturbingly quiet and Mitch groans. "Oh, man, at least tell me you don't eat, like, chipmunks and bunnies and stuff. You at least take down deer, right?"

Auston is still conspicuously and disturbingly quiet. Mitch groans again. "I'm sorry I asked." He closes his eyes for and tries not to think about Auston biting the head off a squirrel. He's unsuccessful. "Wait, but you didn't say I didn't smell good."

"What?"

"You just said you weren't going to eat me, you didn't say I didn't smell good."

"It doesn't smell bad. It's just a stronger version of what humans smell like anyway. You all smell like bags of blood, honestly."

"That's gross." Mitch rubs his hands over his face. "But each person is like, a slightly different flavor of blood?"

"Why do you care what you smell like to me?"

"Hey, I'm just interested. We're not all big bad mythical creatures here. Some of us are just sad mortals with no super senses. Some of us are just trying to understand."

Auston goes back to reading the packet of papers and Mitch relaxes all the way back into his pillows. He stretches his arms over his head and then settles them against his sides. The drugs have worn off and he's starting to get achey and uncomfortable. He presses a pillow to his side and the pressure helps a little. Auston and Willy keep telling him he's healing, but he'd really appreciate some super speed wolf-healing now.

When his eyes open again, Auston is sitting at the foot of the bed and it is really unsettling because how long has he been there without Mitch noticing and why is he staring like that and what is he even doing here? Mitch still hasn't worked that part out at all.

"You're hurting." It isn't a question.

Mitch nods. "It's not that bad, but you know, Patty doesn't think I should be dosing on narcotics too hard, lest it lead to a life of crime and pleasure."

Auston shifts up closer, his hip pressed to Mitch', and leans over him, pushes his hand under Mitch' t-shirt and spreads it over his ribs, just short of his bandage. Mitch notices for the first time how huge Auston's hands are. Well, all of Auston is kind of large, but his hands. And his palm is so hot against Mitch' skin and Mitch is getting that warm, fuzzy feeling and he can see the black under Auston's skin and, honestly, he feels really bad about that part and he can't stop thinking about the logistics of it, about how Auston's wolf DNA processes pain like most people process alcohol and how with a touch he can take away so much of Mitch' pain and how Auston's hand is pressed to his bare skin and how his stomach is doing that thing again.

"This is nice. I was right, you're nice."

"Mitch, shut up."

Mitch does because Auston is still touching him and he's very warm and sleepy and he can smell Auston again, like the day he made him lunch, and it's a good smell -- a really good smell, like hot asphalt and fall leaves and smoke and burnt sugar -- and Mitch still doesn't understand why he can identify the scent so clearly, but it's okay because Auston came here and took his pain away and he thinks he and Auston are friends now.

When Auston finally moves his hand away, Mitch whines a little. He doesn't mean to, but it comes out of his mouth all high and sad. He thinks Auston smiles. "You feel better?"

"Yeah, but I'm not going to be able to get any work done. This is like drugs. This is better than drugs. Are you making me a werewolf addict? Is there werewolf rehab?"

Auston doesn't say anything, but Mitch thinks he can feel things radiating from him, feelings like "You're an idiot" and "Shut up, Mitch" but they're kind of friendly and fond and he isn't insulted because it's not like Auston says nice things to people anyway. Mean is Auston's nice. Plus Auston is still sitting next to Mitch, their hips touching and Mitch thinks that's nice too.

"You smell like stuff."

Auston's eyebrows raise just slightly. "I would hope so. Most living things do."

"You smell like... the ground. And leaves. And candy."

"You must be awful when you're drunk."

"No, really. You have a smell. A scent. Maybe you're making me a werewolf. Are you making me a werewolf?"

"Not permanently."

"Are you making me a temporary werewolf?" Mitch is so sleepy.

"There's some crossover when I take the pain. Like a side-effect."

"I can smell really good right now. Plus I can feel you thinking I'm an idiot."

"I'm always thinking you're an idiot. Knowing that is not a skill."

"You are not that nice."

Auston doesn't smile. "I am not that nice." Mitch likes it better when Auston smiles.

"You made me grilled cheese and you saved my life and made it stop hurting so much. That's pretty nice." Mitch touches Auston's knee with two fingers. "Your face is nice and your teeth. And when you laugh that's nice."

"Mitch?"

"Yeah?"

"Go to sleep."

---

"So, I touched Auston's leg last night and told him he had a nice face."

Willy actually spit-takes some of the peach Snapple in his mouth on to the cafeteria table before he says, "What?" Mitch kinda remembers why he's stayed friends with Willy. Well, and the whole he was there before Mom died and he was there through all of it and he stayed over and listened to Mitch cry and pretended not to hear except for when it got really bad and Mitch needed him to hear. He's a pretty good friend, recent record not withstanding.

"I didn't know I was saying it at the time. Well, I guess I did, but I was hoping I'd forget except, man, that werewolf mojo does not work like regular drugs because I remember everything." Mitch smacks the apple out of Willy's hand. "Also, why didn't you tell me you have like," Mitch wiggles his fingers in Willy's face, "magic fingers or whatever you guys call it. I have had some very bad lacrosse practices in my day and I could've used some pain drain."

"I can explain that if you can explain to me why you told Auston he has a nice face. And why you're hanging out with Auston."

"I'm not hanging out with Auston, he just keeps showing up. My Patty asked if we were dating because he was at the hospital so much before I woke up. He hasn't even threatened to rip my throat out or anything. He made me soup."

"He made you soup?"

"And a sandwich. Grilled cheese." Mitch takes a bite of his burrito. "I thought he was doing it out of some kind of pack loyalty to you because you were too busy moping to take care of your friend that almost died but he said it wasn't. You really didn't know he was there."

"I'm not in his pack and this is literally the first I'm hearing of all this."

"Just because you keep saying you're not in his pack doesn't mean there isn't some kind of weird primal thing going on there. He talked about you broadcasting your feelings and stuff. You're obviously linked."

"Why'd you tell him he had a nice face?"

Mitch pushes his shoulders up to his ears and shakes his head. "I don't know because he has a nice face? He was being nice! You try having Auston Matthews be really nice to you and touch your wounds and make them not hurt and stuff and tell me you wouldn't say something equally vague and stupid." Mitch takes a bite of his apple and throws it back down on the tray. It's mealy and soft inside. He spits out what's in his mouth into his napkin and then tries to wipe the taste of it off his tongue. "Why didn't you tell me about the mojo?"

Willy scrunches his face up and shrugs. "I don't know. I've only ever done it for dogs at the clinic. I didn't even think about people. It seemed weird to be like, 'Hey, I can take away pain from dying dogs. Want to come watch me get choked up while I do it?' I mean, that's a weird thing to tell somebody."

"I will give you that." Mitch finishes his burrito and chugs half of his bottle of water. He sticks his arms out toward Willy. "Try it."

"What? No. We're at school."

"Come on! You're wearing long sleeves and I'm in pain." Mitch frowns, pouting his lower lip. "Lots of pain."

"I know you're not in that much pain because I can smell the Vicodin coming off you."

"Auston says you're terrible at identifying scents, so I don't believe that. If you don't try you'll never know."

"I don't want to hold hands with you in the cafeteria, dude."

"We can go to the library. Come on."

"I don't want to hold hands with you in the library either."

"Well, it'll look a lot worse if we're in the locker room. Do you want it to look like a precursor to having sex at school?"

"You are the worst best friend."

"You never visited me in the hospital!"

Willy puts his backpack over one shoulder and picks up his lunch tray. "Fine."

---

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