[Closed] [Mature] Safe in Hail & Rain [Matty Morvay]

[Sunner Baywhite]

Bethas 15, 2720
Outside of Pickwick Tailors, Vienda, Late Afternoon

Sunner exhaled, sending curls of smoke up from his nostrils. His cigarette was fizzling out in the damp air, and it certainly didn't help that he'd dropped it in a puddle when he'd gotten to the tailor shop where Matty had taken a job.

He did his best to shield the damp cigarette from more of the rain. Sunner had gotten soaked as it was on the walk up to the shop, but he didn't mind that too much, and the walk up gave him time to think about his own work. Matty had (barely) managed to convince him to cut down on drinking so much life-giving booze in order to afford more parts for the engine he was building, which was coming together at a glacial pace, but still, he was slowly accumulating parts while making sure the tub they had bought was going to be even remotely seaworthy in the first place, before he tried to put an engine in it.

For now, he had given up on the engine, there were a few more pressing issues with some of the current steering system that needed to be fixed, and that was proving to be a slight challenge even for Sunner, with all of his alcohol-drowned knowledge of mechanical instruments.

He shifted against the wall he was leaning on, loitering like some common thug, looking probably like he was casing somewhere to rob. Sunner took another drag from his damp cigarette, eyes half-focused on a nearby puddle. He needed to find something he could use as a driveshaft, and the sheer length of metal he would need was occupying his mind currently. Sure, he could probably weld together two pieces, but the fewer failure points it had, the better it would turn out in the end, and the fewer failures it had, the more he could say he-told-you-so to Matty when all was said and done. He was pretty sure a few of the scrapyards would have what he needed, but it wouldn't be cheap, which meant... even less booze.

Sunner sighed, this was just awful, how was he supposed to survive with so little alcohol? Was there no merciful god available to him? He tossed his half-smoked and still damp cigarette into the puddle he'd been staring into, glaring at it, as if the puddle and the rain were the cause of all the problems he had in his life at that moment. He scratched his neck, did it always take this long for Matty to get off work? He couldn't remember, not that it mattered. Maybe he should have left a little later than normal...

He was out of matches, so smoking another cigarette wasn't going to happen, and besides, he was likely to drop it in the puddles again anyhow. Sunner shifted, leaning against the wall, doing his best to shelter from the rain under a bit of an overhang. He picked at a bit of stuck-on grease on his hand, head now empty of any useful thoughts while he waited for Matty to appear out of the doors of the shop.

[Matty Morvay]

Bethas 15, 2720

Outside Pickwick Tailors, late afternoon.

Matty had spent the afternoon working hard. There had been a lot of work to do before he ended up getting chased through the Painted Ladies by a man he’d hoped to never see again, and missing that hour or so meant there was even more that he needed to get done before he could leave for the night. He had been relieved when he returned and Glen hadn’t asked any questions or given him any trouble. Matty wasn’t sure what Ava had said in the note she had sent to him, but he supposed it didn’t really matter. He worked efficiently, but perhaps a little more quietly than he usually did. The shop had closed roughly an hour ago, but Matty had promised to stay late to catch up, and so stay late he did. He had been in almost a daze, he found, and was only jostled free from it when Glen told him that he’d done enough for the day and could go.

Matty didn’t protest. Free from the fog of distraction that work had offered him, he remembered how tired he was. The turn his day had taken had been taxing on him physically and mentally. He wanted to go home, to his bed and his boat and his safety away from the city. He made his way out to the front of the shop, spotting Sunner through the window, loitering under the overhang. He stood there for a moment, just watching him. Seeing him standing there made Matty feel just that little bit better. It was like seeing the sun break through the clouds, or a light at the end of a dark tunnel. No one would dare to try anything, not with the towering blonde human around. His walk home would be quiet and safe.

It seemed he hadn’t brought the other umbrella from home, which Matty supposed was fair enough. Sunner had seen him leave with one that morning, and had no reason to think he wouldn’t still have it. He did have an umbrella, really, though it wasn’t his. And it was broken. It belonged to Ava Weaver, the owner of Woven Delights, who had been kind enough to shelter him earlier. He had told her that he would get Sunner to fix it as thanks. It would have worked in a pinch, but he was honestly past caring at this point. He didn’t need to look good for anything else. They were only walking home. He pulled on his coat, buttoning it up to his chin, and then pushed open the door, stepping out into the rainy street.

The bell over the door signalled his exit. He stopped for a moment to turn up his coat collar before moving over to where Sunner was waiting.

“Hi, Sunshine,” he said, looping his arm around Sunner’s. “I’m sorry I made you wait so long.”

He hoped that the tiredness he felt didn’t come through in his voice, or show on his face. He had a feeling it would despite those hopes. He could feel it in his bones. He definitely looked a bit less put together than he had that morning. He leaned against Sunner and closed his eyes briefly.

"It's been a long day."

[Sunner Baywhite]

Bethas 15, 2720
Outside of Pickwick Tailors, Vienda, Late Afternoon

Sunner yawned, staring out at the street, he wondered what dinner would be, probably something cheap and easy to get hold of, maybe he could convince Matty to get something that he could eat while he worked on the boat, like a sandwich... Sunner's stomach growled a bit, and then his head throbbed. He wondered if he could sneak some liquor. When was the last time he even drank? Sunner couldn't remember, which was likely a result of not constantly drinking now.

He was staring out, eyes partially glazed over, mouth slightly agape as he thought about it, when the sound of a door opening and closing shook him out of his non-liquor fueled reverie. He smiled as Matty stepped out of the shop, instantly shelving the issue of the engines driveshaft in his mind. He'd figure it out later, maybe Matty would have some suggestions or ideas, too. He'd ask later, if he could remember to do that.

"Hey," Sunner said, leaning over to plant a kiss on Matty's forehead. "Don't worry 'bout it, I wasn't waitin' that long." He added with a shrug of one shoulder. He examined the wick for a moment, squinting at him, "Y'seem tired, busy day?" Sunner didn't wait for the reply before starting off back toward their boat, taking a fairly leisurely pace, trying his best to stay under various overhangs to keep Matty out of the rain.

Sunner didn't know if tailoring was a particularly tiring work, he assumed it was about as complicated as what he did everyday, maybe even more, considering he could fix a lot of things just by smacking them with a mallet or wrench. He hadn't even considered how difficult-- or easy, maybe?-- tailoring was, but, as he sort of looked over at Matty, admiring him briefly with a lazy smile, he figured it must not be quite as physical as what he had been doing. After all, Matty usually had to yell at him to bathe every day, but never seemed to get dirty himself.

Sunner also hadn't noticed any of Matty's recent dishevelment, the wick still looked as pretty as he had when he'd left that morning. "S'pose I oughta find an umbrella one'a these days..." He muttered to himself, reaching up with his free hand to swipe his now quite soaked hair back from his face, scratching his neck as he lowered his hand.

[Matty Morvay]

Bethas 15, 2720

Heading home, late afternoon.

Matty smiled faintly as Sunner pressed a kiss to his forehead. It was a comforting gesture, and one that saw more of the day’s stress slide off Matty’s shoulders. He let out a soft sigh, opening his eyes again and looking up at the other man. It wasn’t long before they were walking off down the street. It was a bit awkward to walk while clinging to Sunner’s arm, and so Matty opted instead to hold his hand, his slim fingers intertwined with Sunner's rough and calloused ones.

“It’s always busy,” he replied when asked.

He was quiet for a bit, then, as they walked along, keeping to the overhangs to stay somewhat dry. Matty didn’t care much about the rain now, though. At the mention of umbrellas, he looked down at the one in his hand, remembering why he had it. He moved a bit closer as they walked, fighting the urge to look up and around to see if they were being followed, or if he recognized anyone. He realized he needed to tell Sunner what happened, in case anything else did. He chewed his cheek for a moment before he finally spoke.

“I lost mine,” he said. “This one is Ava’s. It’s broken, I thought you might be able to fix it for her.”

There was a pause, and then he continued speaking, gazing off ahead of them. “I saw someone today. Someone I know,” he said, holding a bit tighter to Sunner’s hand. “One of the security guards at the Lily. He recognized me, I think. He chased me halfway across the Painted Ladies, but I made it to Ava’s and she got rid of him while I hid in the back.”

He felt incredibly small, like a mouse, and he could feel the panic from that afternoon clawing at the edges of him, trying to drag him back into its depths. He clung to Sunner’s hand like the other man was a rock in a storm. He would be fine, he told himself. He knew that, rationally, but it only helped so much.

[Sunner Baywhite]

Bethas 15, 2720
Going home, Vienda, Late Afternoon

Sunner was blissfully unaware of any issues, apart from Matty being tired, as they walked down the street. He had nodded when his question was answered, busy was good-- right? That meant money, which meant more progress with the boat. And booze, it also meant booze, but Matty was a bit more stringent with that subject, still, he hadn't totally cut Sunner off yet in that respect. His liquor ration, however, was running out.

"Aye, I can take a look at it, never fixed an umbrella before but, how hard can it be?" He shrugged a shoulder, confident in his ability to repair anything, including something as finnicky as an umbrella.

Sunner was about to ask Matty to describe the issue with said umbrella, so he could get to thinking about how to repair it, but the wick continued with something far, far worse than a busted bit of kit. His face contorted into a scowl, listening to Matty describe the days earlier events. It was not good, in fact it was bad enough that Sunner was considering if he could risk marching his greasy arse back to the Lily and beat the guy up, after getting a description from Matty of course.

A small voice in his head said that was a very, very stupid idea, and that he shouldn't be putting them both at risk like that. "Well." Sunner grunted, not pleased with this development. "I'll walk ya t' work for a while, fer safety." He said, doing his best to smile, but he really was considering violence. "Y'let Ava know I might be lurkin' 'round fer a bit too, I won't do nothin' stupid, though." Sunner patted his chest with his free hand, scouts honor.

"I ain't lettin' nobody scoop y' up, a'right?" He stopped them both, taking Matty by the shoulders. "Yer not goin' back nowhere except to our boat, anybody starts makin' eyes at you, I'll borrow a sewin' needle and stick'em in the eyes with it." He pulled Matty into a tight hug, and holding him for a solid thirty seconds before letting go, and once again taking the wicks hand. "Y'ain't my property but I ain't lettin' no arse-faced tough take you away from me, I need yer help, an' it's nice to have company." He kept it to himself that if the security guard showed his face again that he'd probably sucker punch the man, preferably from the safety of a dark doorway so he couldn't identify Sunner right away, Matty didn't need to worry about that, though.

[Matty Morvay]

Bethas 15, 2720

A dock in the dives, early evening.

Matty barely heard what Sunner was saying as he carried on. Something about walking him to work, and hanging around just in case. That should have made him feel better, and it would have under normal circumstances, but at the moment he was too busy trying not to let everything tip him over the edge again. Deep breaths in and out, holding tightly to Sunner’s hand. It wasn’t until Sunner stopped them both and placed his hands firmly on Matty’s shoulders that he actually paid attention, the calloused hands and the pressure on his arms grounding him. He stared at Sunner as he spoke, his eyes wide, but as he listened his expression shifted. I ain’t lettin’ nobody scoop y’ up, he said. Yer not goin’ back nowhere except to our boat.

Matty looked like he was about to cry by the time Sunner pulled him into his arms. He slumped against him, his hands balling into fists in the damp fabric of the man’s shirt. He let out a shaky sigh as Sunner pulled away, very carefully wiping his eyes on the cuff of his coat sleeve to avoid smudging his eyeliner.

“I know you won’t,” he replied.

He was fairly certain that if he went missing, Sunner would burn down half the city looking for him. He wasn’t really sure why the other man was so protective of him, but he was grateful for it. It wasn’t in a smothering way; he was free to do whatever he liked. As Sunner had said, Matty wasn’t his property. He only told Sunner his exact plans because he was afraid of the possibility of being caught and sent back to the gilded cage he had only just escaped.

Sunner took his hand again and they began to walk once more. Matty brought Sunner’s hand up to his lips and kissed the back of it before letting their hands fall back to their sides. He stayed close, walking shoulder to shoulder with him as they walked. They stopped briefly at a coffee shop that was still open, picking up sandwiches to eat for dinner before they made their way back to where they had moored their boat, on a slightly derelict dock in the Dives. They had been there for a few days now, and had yet to be told to move. Being in the city made it easier for Matty to get to and from work, and for Sunner to pick him up and do whatever else he needed to throughout the day.

Despite their efforts to keep to overhangs to stay dry, they were both quite wet by the time they reached the boat. It had gotten chilly as the sun had begun to go down. Matty left Sunner to light the little wood stove in the cabin and began changing out of his wet clothes. He was not shy, stripping right down before pulling on a patched and frayed sweater that belonged to Sunner. It was long and baggy enough on him that he didn’t need to wear much else. He washed his face, then began hanging up his clothes to dry on a line he had set up in the cabin. Once that was done, he pulled the blanket off the bed and retrieved the bag that held their food, settling in in front of the stove, wrapping the blanket around his shoulders and legs.

“Hang up your clothes when you change,” he told Sunner, “don’t leave them on the floor, or they’ll smell.”

[Sunner Baywhite]

Bethas 15, 2720
Dock in the dives, Vienda, early evening

Once safely back on their boat, Sunner stripped his own shirt off, and wrung the fabric out on deck before retreating into the cabin, dumping the damp, wrinkled up shirt to the floor. With a bit of effort, and a few muttered curse words as he signed a couple hairs off his scruffy face, he got the stove lit. The cabin, being as small as it was, rapidly warmed, but there were still a few spots where the cold air found its way in, making the woodstove a welcome source of heat. He left the cover open momentarily, fussing over the logs and the stove itself, eventually deciding he had gotten it as good as he could for the moment, maybe he'd mess with it a little more once the fire chewed up the fuel a bit more.

He almost was distracted by the food they'd gotten when Matty started to change, so instead of cramming his dinner into his gullet, he watched. He wasn't being lascivious, mostly, he appreciated the butt the wick had, and found it was very cute when Matty would wear whatever clothes of Sunner's were left for comfort and warmth. Sunner was even quite sure that sweater was clean, for once. He sheepishly shuffled over to properly hang up his shirt when Matty chastised him for leaving his things strewn around, though. "Yeah yeah..." He muttered, settling down so he could admire Matty's butt a little more before it disappeared within the blanket. He scooted over to sit next to him, and took a large bite of the sandwich he had been holding.

"My clothes already smell." He said, for once not speaking with his mouth full, "Not much hangin'em up is gonna do 'bout that, y'know." Which was partially true, perhaps if he would have ever washed his own clothes in his life, he would have known that smell could be mitigated by not allowing the clothes to mildew on the floor. He took another bite of his sandwich, and leaned over to poke the fire with a poker he'd fashioned out of a bit of scrap that hadn't quite worked out for the purpose he'd picked it up for initially. Satisfied that it would stay burning for a while, he nudged the cover shut, and settled in to devour his sandwich.

It did not take him long, moments after he had settled, there was naught but crumbs left on his lap. "I'll take a look at that umbrella t'morruh." He said lazily, leaning on his palms.

[Matty Morvay]

Bethas 15, 2720

A dock in the dives, early evening.

Matty had felt the other man’s gaze on him as he changed, and again as he settled in front of the stove. He didn’t really mind, so long as it was Sunner who was staring at him. If it were anyone else looking at him like that, it’d make him want to take out their eyes. He’d had enough strangers leering at him to last him a lifetime, by this point. Sunner was different. He knew the man appreciated his looks. He had been told so many times, when they were together. Sunner had been different from the first time they had met. He had practically worshiped Matty, and still did. It was part of the reason Matty had decided to run away with him. He got the feeling, at first, that Sunner had perhaps hoped that running away with a prostitute would entail more free sex, but he remained respectful of Matty’s choices and never tried to pressure him into anything. That was part of the reason why he stayed.

He had started in on his sandwich as soon as he had sat down, though he went a little slower through it than Sunner had. He looked up as Sunner mentioned starting in on the umbrella the next day, and nodded.

“She said some of the spines were broken, and there’s a rip in the fabric,” he explained. “I can fix the rip, but not the spines. I’m sure you’ll manage. There’s no rush, I told her I would bring it by when you were done with it. I figure getting it fixed is the least I can do to repay her for helping me.”

He finished his food and crumpled up the paper the sandwich had come wrapped in, dropping it in the bag with Sunner’s garbage and shifting to take up the poker, hooking open the grate of the stove and chucking the paper in before closing it once again and settling back down closer to Sunner. He reached up to wrap the blanket over Sunner’s bare shoulders so that it enveloped both of them. Him slightly more, considering the height difference between the two. He leaned against Sunner, closing his eyes and sighing heavily.

“It’s nice to be home,” he said, “I didn’t realize how tired I was until Glen said I could leave.”

He opened his eyes again, looking up at Sunner. “What do you think about getting a cat?” he asked, “Lots of ships have cats for catching pests. I don’t know how many mice one would catch on a boat this size, but… we could have one anyways.”

[Sunner Baywhite]

Bethas 15, 2720
Dock in the dives, Vienda, early evening

Sunner nodded as he listened to the explanation of the umbrella's issues, he wasn't the best with delicate mechanisms, but he could probably get it working properly again. He made a mental note to swing by a scrapyard early in the morning to look for some smaller tools, and maybe some other broken umbrellas he could cannibalize for parts.

He grinned a bit as the fire consumed their dinner wrappers, sparking a bit, but nothing too dangerous. It was nice to be able to sit and relax, now that the cabin wasn't leaking as much as it had been in previous weeks. Now the stove actually heated the cabin and kept it warm, but the remaining drafty parts helped to make sure it didn't become an oven. He would have to take a closer look at some of the leaky portholes, maybe he could seal them without losing the ventilation... That, however, was a job for much later.

Sunner shuffled a bit under the blanket, and then decided to lift Matty up onto his lap, making sure to secure the blanket around himself before doing his best to completely swaddle the wick in it, wrapping his arms around him for extra coziness. "Hmm." He squinted, resting his chin atop Matty's head, "I s'pose it ain't a bad idea... we don't need mice chewin' up my hard work..." He was still squinting at the fire. Sunner would have preferred a dog, but he had to admit, a cat was much smaller, and was a bit more appropriate considering there were all sorts of small varmints running about on the docks they'd moored at. A dog wouldn't be as skilled at mousing as a cat, and a dog was liable to jump off the boat while chasing anything else.

"Jus' gotta make sure it ain't afraid'a water, y'know? I don't wanna get turned into ribbons tryin' to get the damn thing onto th' boat in the first place." He stopped squinting at the fire, patting one of Matty's legs under the blanket. He hoped the cat would be good company for the days he spent working alone while Matty was at the shop. "And... s'gotta be a cuddly one." He added, thinking of a large, extra fluffy feline curling up on a shelf, legs tucked into its massive fluff, looking like a large feather duster with no handle.

He was deep in thought about a big, fluffy cat when a thought occurred to him, what if Matty wanted a sleek cat? What if they ended up with a baby cat? Immediately he was worried, thinking of a kitten falling overboard, or worse, getting stuck somewhere. "Prob'ly shouldn't get a kitten..." He said quietly, "Otherwise it could get hurt." Dogs were less likely to get stuck somewhere, but even a puppy wouldn't be terribly smart, especially if it was a young one. He was worrying about any potential animals the way he worried about his young sisters, and reached up to scratch his beard, picking at some of the follicles. What was he getting himself into?

[Matty Morvay]

Bethas 15, 2720

Home, early evening.

Matty was more than willing to let himself be pulled into Sunner’s lap, settling against the larger man’s chest. He fit against him like he belonged there, his head at just the right height for Sunner to rest his chin on. With the blanket and Sunner’s arms wrapped around him, he felt safe and comfortable. He closed his eyes, listening to Sunner’s rough, warm voice rumble in his chest as he spoke about cats and what would be the best qualities to look for as the boat gently rocked and bobbed around them in the ebb and flow of the river. He’d meant the suggestion of a feline friend mostly as idle musing, thinking back to Ava’s grey cat and how nice it had been to sit there petting the little thing after such a harrowing afternoon. Sunner seemed quite serious about the idea, though, in a manner that was extremely endearing. He rattled off his list of qualities: it had to be fine with water, and cuddly, and maybe not a small kitten on account of all the little nooks and crannies it could get into. Matty couldn’t help but chuckle.

“I guess we’ll have to start looking, then,” he said, “there are plenty of strays around. I’m sure one of them might be a good fit.”

He was quiet for a bit after that, once again just enjoying the comfort of Sunner’s embrace and the motion of the boat. He listened to the sound of Sunner breathing, and the patter of the rain outside, feeling the rise and fall of his chest. The events of earlier seemed like a bad dream, far away and fuzzy, at least for the time being. Nothing else mattered. Just himself and Sunner. He sometimes marveled at how easily just the man’s presence could make him forget all sorts of things. Things that he thought he would never be able to. Sometimes it was better to hold on to them, but right now, he decided, he wanted to forget.

Matty shifted slightly in his lap, nuzzling against Sunner’s neck, brushing his lips against his skin in a line of feather-light kisses. There was a brush of teeth as his hand found Sunner’s under the blanket, guiding it a little further up his leg, hoping he’d get the idea. We can talk about cats later, he wanted to say. I'm tired of thinking. His mouth was busy with other, more important things, though, his teeth grazing Sunner's earlobe briefly before he traced another line of kisses back down across his jaw.