Rude Awakening

After a night of tossing and turning and constantly waking up from very unpleasant dreams and recollections, Devon was damn tired and finally snoozing away peacefully in his bed -and had been for maybe an hour or so- when all of a sudden he was roused from his slumber by the sound of someone pounding on his front door. No 'tapping as of someone gently rapping'. Oh no. This was a full on 'wake the fuck up, there's a fire in the building' type knocking.

He practically shot out of bed, nabbing a pair of jeans from his hamper and stumbling out his bedroom door as he continued to tug them on and wrenching the door open, looking very harrassed and sleep-tousled and all-around grumpily cute, squinting in the bright, sunny light and steadying himself with a hand against the door frame. Once his eyes had adjusted enough he blinked, looking ultimately puzzled and none-too-pleased to see Dom at his door. "The fuck...?" He muttered and blinked a few times more, his Irish brogue thick and very much pronounced. To hell with trying to speak Italianw hen he just woke up. The trickster would just have to deal with his English. "The hellya doin' here?"

At first he had been tapping on the door. A lycanthrope would be able to hear the slightest tap so he had no need to really knock but after ten minutes of repeating the same pattern, the tapping knocks had turned in to full blown hammering on the door. What the hell was taking so long? The kid was in there, he could smell him and even if he had been in the shower or cooking something or doing laundry, he would still have heard Dom knocking and answered the door after a couple of minutes.

He was about to knock again, his arm poised and ready, when he heard movement. Devon was on his way to the door and calmly Dom stood back, re-adjusting his red shirt where it had risen up and exposed the top of his black shorts. Seeing the door swing open, his ever present smile widened in to a cheeky grin. He looked like he had just been given a wealth of amunition and he was the gun. He didn't even faulter when Devon spoke in English, merely replying in heavily accented english that made him sound latino. He supposed that's what he got for having a hispanic mother though.

"Looking for you of course hunk muffin. Get dressed, let's go already. Jon asked me to show you around. Give you the whole 'Everything the light touches is our Kingdom' thing, ya know."

Devon groaned as the other leopard spoke and scrubbed at his sleepy face with his hands. A tour? Come on he could at least have given him warning ahead of time. Like last night or something instead of just appearing and banging down his door. "Couldn't you have bloody called or something? Made sure I was awake before you came rolling on over? It's damn rude to just show up and assume someone'll be ready to go on your whim."

He leaned against the door frame, waiting for his eyes to adjust and snorted at the 'everything the light touches' bit. What was this, a Disney flick? Maybe an R and X-rated one after what'd happened the few times he'd beenn anywhere near the other pard members, Jon included. "No offense, boyo, but Mufasa you ain't. Not even the right species. And I'm sure as hell no cub to you."

Shaking his head Dom sighed and checked his atch. According to the little mechanical machine on his wrist, Devon should have been more than ready. In fact seen as the kid had decided to join the Pard he would have to get used to it. They got up early every morning, except sundays, to train together. It helped build Pard bonds and unity and all that sort of thing. Occasionally one would duck out and offer to cook breakfast but even if some didn't train, they were still up early.

Laughing softly, Dom ran a hand through his extremely dark hair before gesturing inside. The kid was going to get the other tenants drooling and the clouded leopard thought he knew just how to get in.

"You're right, leopards are so much cooler and if you haven't noticed, it's half one in the afternoon. What person in their right mind isn't awake at that time? So come on, go get dressed before you get me like a compass pointing north."

The omega snorted and folded his arms over his belly, not the least bit remorseful for not having been bright and chipper at this time of day. "The kind that doesn't sleep well the night before." he retorted, shoving the door open with his arm and gesturing for short stuff to walk under. Okay so maybe he wasn't that much shorter than Devon was, particularly since devon was in his bare feet, but after the stunt Dom had pulled during his 'initiation' of sorts... Devon felt entitled to give hi a bit of crap. "And so long as you're not pointing at me, th'hell do I care?"

He sooo was not a morning person. Particularly when he hadn't slept a wink and knew he was in for a day of awkward heckling at the hands of someone that, while a tad shorter and a smidge younger than he, was technically his superior. That right there chafed him pretty good.

With a grin, Dom ducked under the arm and stepped in to the apartment. It as nice, it was clean and even though he had only just arrived, the clouded leopard started looking for vantage points. He may have been Jon's bodyguard but he was tasked wth looking after the pard. Dom knew that Devon especially would need to be kept safe. He was the Raj's mate and that could mean a lot of enemies both inside and outside the Pard. He may even have to train someone up to guard the kid, just in case.

Getting all he needed in a glance, the shorter male started making his way towards the kitchen, speaking with a little laugh as he went. Without being invited he flipped the kettle on and started making two cups of coffee as he waited for Devon to dress.

"Yeah well maybe you should get Jon round here, get him to tire you out. You want me to point my needle at Jon? Maybe i should call him and set up some sorta date, i mean if you can't even get dressed then he'd get tired of waiting for you and dump your ass."

Devon let out a choking cough at the borderline lewd comment about being tired out and blushed hotly, shutting the door firmly and walking briskly past the slightly younger leopard. "Oh fuck you..." he said in bashful outrage. "And you can't dump someone you're not dating so whatever, man..." Not to mention Dom had caught him by surprise. If he'd have at least called or something then Devon could have been dressed and ready in a matter of moments. So it wasn't his fault he wasn't prepared.

Sighing, he stepped into the bedroom to change, not bothering to shut the door but being as modest as he could by staying out of sight. He didn't doubt that if Dom had something to say that he would just barge in anyway so at least this way they could hear each other and he'd be able to see him coming somewhat.

Nervously he slid the day old jeans from his hips and tossed them back into the hamper, even making his bed really quick and checking for any loose socks or shirts on the floor just in case Dom came in. Didn't want to be accused of being a slob in his own place. He wasn't but he was sure the other cat would think of something to get him for just to see him react.

Dom laughed and shook his head at the reaction he had gotten from the older leopard. It was so easy to wind him up and in all honesty, Dom was enjoying doing it. He couldn't let Devon go around thinking that Dom was an easy fuck though, oh no, that would be wrong. It would also probably cause him to be castrated by Ruby and he quite licked his fun time anatomy. It was that which caused his next answer.

"You can only fuck me if Ruby says it's alright Mr. Stud Muffin"

Hearing the second part of Devon's answer though, caused Dom to stop in his task for a moment nd poke his head out of the kitchen. Devon was Jon's mate yet he didn't think they were dating? Since when had that sort of thing ever happened? Though technically Devon was right, they weren't dating, they were bloody married. He had to reinforce that NOW before something went wrong, even thogh he knew eh shouldn't be sticking his nose in.

"You're right, you and Jon aren't dating, you're married. Mated for life, stuck with each other until one of you dies. You may seperate, you may argue, you may cheat on each other but there will only ever be one person that you want to go home to. You can't fight that because it's not your decision, it's your leopards. Jon's your home wether you like it or not."

Devon groaned ad covered his face with his hands at Dominic's lewd teasing. Did the guy ever not have some kind of bad comment to make? It was enough to make a guy that had spendt damn near a decade listening to drunks and players chat people up blush profusely. It was rare that any of it was ever directed at him and most of the time he just chalked it up to them being sloshed. But this...gah! It was deliberate and it got a reaction out of him no matter how hard he tried to resist. "Stop giving me shit!" he called, scrounging around in his drawers for something to wear. "You just want to make me squirm!"

Realizing how what he said could be construed, he smacked his palm against his forehead and called a little louder. "And I do NOT mean like that!" Good gracious... he'd really walked into that one.

At Dom's suddenly serious tone, he froze in his searching and stood up straight. Married? They were married? Since when? He didn't recall putting on a ring or stumbling through some ceremony. So what the hell was he... Mated for life. Mated. Leopards... oh shit! He stumbled to the door to peek out all wide-eyed. "I'm... married? When was somebody going to tell me before I put my foot in my mouth?" He ran a hand through his hair. "Jaysus tap-dancing Christ... well who'da thunk?" He was shocked to te core but... not necessarily in a bad way. It was even plain to see on his face that he was more amazed than anything. And looking utterly amusing now that he was distracted enough to have let the door swing by, leaving him exposed annd perplexed-looking.

Dom, to be honest, wasn't really listeing to the older male as he chewed him out. He was too busy making the coffee and pondering his date with Ruby which Jon had given him the night off for. It would be fun but he had to do this first. Catching the last few words, Dom quickly filled in the blanks from how people usually reacted and threw together a suitable or not so suitable answer. Either way it made Dom seem like he had been listening when he was infact winging it. He called it his woman sense. In other words whenever he was being nagged he let his ears and mouth go on autopilot and did other more useful things with his brain.

"I give everyone shit, i like giving people shit. I do like to see you squirm though but i'm betting Jon likes it more."

Finally finishing the coffee's, the short male carried two cups in to the living area as he actually listened to a rather panicky Devon. Apparently he hadn't known what it meant to be mated to a Raj or Ra and he sounded amazed. The worry would kick in soon though and as Dom went to take a seat he glanced at the Irish male before grinning. Devon had stopped in the center of the doorframe and was naked as the day he was born, obviously too concerned about the news to even think of dressing. As comfortable as Dom was with male nakedness, even if he preferred female nakedness, he had a feeling Devon wouldn't be comfortable and the thought came that he should mention it.

"Nice underwear and don't worry Maddy will look out for you, make sure Jon treats you right and all that malarky."

At the comment about having nice undies, Devon looked down rather perplexed and swore; ducking back into the room as his nakedness was brought to his attention. Oh how humiliating! "Underwear my ass..." he called with a grimace. He was positively mortified that he had just flashed Dominic! The one person who would give him hell in spades for it and thoroughly enjoy teasing him about it from now until god only knew when.

Groaning, he scrambled to his drawers and quickly tugged out and tossed on on a pair of fresh, low-slung jeans and a tee before shuffling back out and bashfully taking a seat on the couch. "You. saw. nothing." he gritted out and blushed, turning his face away from the shorter man. Oh this was just peachy.

Chuckling to himself, Dom finished up with making the coffee's and headed in to the living area. Without even looking he took the best seat available, making sure windows and doors were covered. After all, Devon was his charge today and even if he asn't guarding Jon, the small male was determined to do a good job. Quietly he place Devon's coffee on a coaster and sat back, sipping his own.

The next time he looked up it as at Devon's seemingly angry and embarrassed words. He didn't understand it honestly. According to the information he had, the kid had been a shifter long enough to feel comfortable naked, even around a stranger nevermind Pard. Looking at Dev, he waited for the male to take a seat before he spoke again.

"No, i saw everything but i don't care. If it makes you feel any better i'll flash you too."

It as a jokey comment with an edge of seriousness. If Devon asked and it ould make him feel more comfortable then Dom had no problem with stripping down to his birthday suit.

Devon blushed scarlet and looked down into his cup at the suggestion. "Don't even think about it," he mumbled then sighed. "God... I'm never going to live that down, am I?"

It was a silly thing to be so embarrassed over a little nudiry but... well. Where Devon had just come from, nudity was vulnerability. You could wear whatever the hell you wanted in your everyday life but when with the Pard and the Kiss... clothing was a privilege. The higher up you were, the more you got to wear. But even then it was skimpy pickins.

And Devon had been pretty low on the food chain. Not something he really wanted to discuss. Though he knew it would come up sooner or later. Talk of his old Pard and his odd behaviour. It was only a matter of time.

Seeing the change in his charge, Dom decided to be nice and stopped his onslaught for the moment. He had finished his coffee anyway and it was about time taht they started their tour of the city. It would take a couple of days to get all the main bits in and today they were starting with Plaza Sommersa.

"Come on. Get your shoes on and we can grab a bite to eat whilst i show you around."

Devon blinked and shrugged, getting to his feet and wandering back to his room for his shoes. "Anything in particular I need besides shoes?" he called out. "I'd ask 'where to first' but something tells me you like surprising people."