TW - mention of violence

I didn't dream. Well I did, but I don't know if sitting in a moonlit meadow having a giant tongue lick the side of your face counts. It felt warm and rain-soaked wet and a little rough, all together disgusting. It was strange because I could never remember actually feeling anything in my dreams before.

My eyes snap open when I hear a familiar warm velvet voice reprimand something or someone.

"Malcifer! Stop that, now," the voice was demanding without having to full on shout. Even though I wasn't this Malcifer, I wanted to completely stop even my breathing.

Of course now I realize I still feel a tongue on my cheek, a big slobbery one. My eyes widen comically in fear when I turn them to see a huge black fur covered head and floppy ears and big reddish brown eyes staring straight at me. He's stop licking me but a massive blackish pink tongue lolls outside his mouth dripping a big glob of saliva onto my shirt-covered shoulder. His breath is really foul and smells, for some odd reason, like burning sulfur.

I cough and turn my head away.

"Ah, you're awake."

I turn back to see the dog pulled away and Mr. 14C himself standing over me.

"Sorry about, Mal, he's just excited for a visitor," he says and I see a trace of a smile. It's as if there is one hiding underneath the stoic demeanor just begging to burst out.

I'm about to say its okay but I notice that he isn't wearing a shirt. He's lean and I would call him malnourished if it wasn't for the noticeable muscles underneath tight pale skin. There is even a small trail of dark hairs leading into his leather pants he still has on. The button on them is undone though. I don't know what comes over me but I totally freak out. I jump up to my feet somewhat clumsily and push back onto the back end of the sofa I have been laying on. A dark teal blanket slips off me and crumples to the floor and my hands stick to the wall ready to kick this guy in the face if he tries anything.

The whole time I have been shouting and rambling, "Oh my God! Are you going to rape me? Please don't! Go away! I don't want to die! Don't chop me up into little pieces!" It goes on like that for a few minutes. I mean I have a right to freak out, yes?

My supposed attacker merely clasps his large slender palms on either side of my face and looks me directly in the eyes. I stop almost immediately as if he just hit a switch. I don't think I could look away even if I wanted to. His hands are icy cold as if he just stuck them in a bucket of ice water and I shiver hesitantly moving my own hands up to grip his wrists. This time I watch in awe as he shivers and closes his eyes, he pulls away right after. I wonder if my hands are cold too and I touch my face where his hands had been, but they are fairly warm. I continue to stare at him.

He opens his eyes and speaks slowly, "Calm down. I am not going to rape you. You passed out in the hall and I just brought you inside my apartment to wait for you to wake up so I might find out where you belong."

"Oh," I frown and look down at the throw on the floor. "So you're not going to store me in little pieces for the winter?"

This time I get a brief smile and a short laugh out of him as he shakes his head. "No, kid, I am not going to do that. "

I nod and slowly sit back down on the couch, or rather slump down. "Don't call me kid, I have a name," I say after a minute or two of silence.

"What is it then?" he asks politely.

"Colin," I say simply. I don't know if it's a good idea yet to give my last name.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Colin," he responds and offers his hand while I shake it. No shivers this time, but it's still very cold.

"What's your name?" I have to know.

He really smirks this time and leans back. I realize he's been sitting in a chair in front of the couch beside the thick oak coffee table. It looks like a kitchen table chair. Had he been sitting in there before watching me sleep? That's kind of creepy.

"Felix," he replies.

I can't help it. I laugh out loud but then quickly try to stifle it into my hand. He doesn't quite frown but the smirk drops. I feel horrible...almost.

"Sorry, I just didn't expect that."

"What did you expect?"

"I don't know...one of those dark old names like Silas or Thaddeus or something."

"Thaddeus?" He chuckles at that and it was like a spell had been broken, as he seemed nothing more than human then. He sighs and shakes his head this time. "You are a strange one." Coming from the man who could be the cover model of Dark & Macabre Monthly. 

"Right, well, I should probably go now," I say with a careful small smile and stand up. He mimics my movements and I feel cautious, eyeing him briefly before moving past him towards the front door.

"Of course," he replies calmly following behind me.

I took that moment to really get a good look around his apartment or from what I could see of it. I feel a bit disappointed that it looks completely normal if a little traditional and...European? The walls are still white. Not much of a decorator I suppose. I can't say much though since our apartment looks cluttered and random. Nothing matches.

I open the door and pause before I step out. I turn around to face him and almost jump out of my skin but instead take a step back. He stood less than a foot from me. "Thanks, uh, I guess I'll see you around."

"I guess so, Colin." His eyes almost twinkle then.

"Right, well, bye!" I say before making a dash for the elevator down the hall. I could not get out of that odd and unnerving situation faster.

When I get inside my own apartment, I lean against the door a moment to catch my breath. I wheeze a little my body not appreciative of the workout and press a hand against my chest to feel my heart beating faster than it should. I need to calm down. Several gulps of oxygen later, I've slowed down enough to make my way towards the sofa. My mother is passed out on it still in her skirt and blouse. I glance at the digital clock on the VCR/DVD player. 9:48 pm. How long was I out? I look back at my mother and sigh. I pull off one of her heels that hadn't quite escaped like the other and move her legs carefully so that they are both on the couch. I remove the deep blue throw on the back of the couch and drape it over her. I kiss her temple and smile before I make my way to my room too tired to do anything else.

Once in my room, I slip right out of my slippers leaving them behind as I make my way to my bed. The lights are off but I know where everything is. I fall unceremoniously into my pillow and shift around until I'm under the blankets. I'm ready for sleep but just as I fall into it I remember I left my printed papers on Jellyfish. Crap.

                                                        ---

I dreamed again only this time it involved an army of bat winged jellyfish lead by Mrs. Cunningham attacking me. To be honest, it was very unsettling. Thankfully I woke before I was eaten alive. It didn't take a genius to decipher the meaning of that nightmare. After I slunk out of bed, I peek out through my door and then wander out into the living area to check on mother dearest. She's not there, only the throw blanket left haphazardly. She must have moved to her room sometime during the night because when I press my ear against her bedroom door all I hear is soft snores and the creak of the ceiling fan. She usually sleeps in till noon on the weekends so I let her be.

I spent the better part of the morning devising plans to retrieve my papers without directly having to deal with Felix. The only plausible solution was to get Joanna to do it. This of course was only after I ruled out learning to lock pick, sending agent Mabel, and commanding a swarm of mice. Yeah, I'm not sure where that last one came from.