[C] The Last Table

Hayden's lips quirked up as half the turtle pressed against them, parting as he took it and chewed slowly.

"I'm feeling a lot better, I just....panicked before."

He replied, trying to play it off, he had been terrified, he hated feeling helpless like that but he was in a situation where there was no way he could have helped himself, if Dario hadn't rescued him he would have drowned while a crowd of drunken males all laughed.

He ran his fingers through the boy's fluffy hair, trying to brush it out a little neater.

He was sure his looked a total mess. Also very fluffy, in tight ringlets, looking almost like an afro. He was trying to not think about what his hair looked like.

"Nothing to panic about now," he assured.

He wasnt letting anyone jump him and drag him out to sea. Hayden was safe with him.

He purred gently as fingers ran through his hair, leaning into the gentle touch.

"I know."

Hayden knew he was safe now, no one would come near him while Dario was by his side, the man's strength made him feel more empowered, enough so that he wasn't still down the beach curled in a ball sobbing.

"Don't think I want to go into the water again anytime soon though."

He would try again, just not for a while.

"Understandable."

He wasn't surprised the boy didn't want to go near the water at the moment. It was completely understandable.

His fingers ran through the boy's hair as it stuck up at odd angles. "So messy." It was so fluffy. It needed a good brush taking to it.

"I'm sure mine is even worse."

He smiled and reached up, running his fingers through the curls, winding them around his fingers to try and neaten them up slightly.

"The salt water separated your curls."

Hayden muttered with a soft laugh, his curls had gone from ringlets to loose springs that jutted out fuzzily from his head.

"Oh well."

He add, pursing his lips as Dario's hair refused to stay down, his hand stroking through his own hair.

"I'll have to fix myself up when I get home."

"I'm sure we look a pair," he chuckled, running both hands through his hair.

His hair was a mad mess at the best of times. Letting it dry by itself without being brushed was just asking for trouble.

"The best pair of men that have been dragged through the sea in Sicily." He grinned at the boy, hazel eyes alight.

Seeing Dario's hazel eyes so lively was infectious and he found him mood lifted even further until what had just happened seemed like a distant memory.

"Hopefully for the first and only time."

He replied with a little grin of his own, next time he stepped foot in the ocean he was determined to know how to swim, even if that meant joining the child's lessons down at the local pool.

"Next time I decide to save someone, I'll remember to bring a hairbrush with me."

His hair was much less...untamed when he stuck a brush through it.

His fingers ran through the boy's fluffy hair again, attempting to straighten it out again to no avail.

"Your hair's such a pretty shade." It was a lovely brown colour. Dario much preferred that shade to his own almost black hair.

Idly he wondered if he could shift into another form, a more masculine man, taller with a better body in order to get the man's attention, knowing full well that he was too young to be able to hold such a form for too long.

Though those thoughts melted away completely as Dario stroked his hands through his hair and spoke of the colour, bringing a little blush onto his cheeks.

"Thank you."

He murmured, his hand reaching up to curl Dario's hair through his fingers, admiring the glossy dark strands.

His fingers continued to stroke through his hair gently.

The movements were so much more gentle than he was used to dealing out. It was a nice change.

He was so used to slapping people. Tying them up. Whipping them. So many things that would make a grown man cringe. Being able to just sit with someone like this was a great change of pace.

Hayden brought his legs up onto the bench and scooted closer to Dario, resting his head against the man's shoulder as his hair was stroked so gently.

It was an amazing feeling just to sit with someone like this and have any form of tender contact, more often than not when he was close to people he wasn't even in his real form, today was so much different.

"I'm glad I met you, Dario."

He muttered softly, sitting across from him in that coffee shop was the best decision he had made all day.

"Yeah?"

The man smiled. A big, bright genuine smile that reached his eyes and made his whole face glow.

"I'm glad, too."

Not the sort of glad he usually was when meeting people, either.

He was glad he met Doc. That man had a large wallet that he was feeding off. He was glad he had met Doc because his wallet was what was paying for him to finally attempt to lift his head out of the water.

This was different.

He was actually finding a friend in Hayden. There was no ulterior motive behind talking to Hayden. He was glad just to sit and talk to the boy. This didn't happen often.

"Do...you want to hang out again some time?"

He asked, looking up at the man with a small, innocent smile. He really did like Dario's company, if he could see the man again it would definitely make him very happy.

Hayden didn't have many friends, it was a rarity that he hung out with people his own age and though Dario was a fair but older than he was he felt connected to him, like he could actually sit down and have a conversation with him for hours on end.

"Yeah, I'd like that."

He smiled down at the boy as he nodded.

He'd like to hang out with the boy again. A genuine friend was hard to come by nowadays. One that wasn't in a shady profession was even more difficult.

He wasn't going to pass this opportunity up.

He nestled in comfortably to Dario's side, cuddling up to him as his head rested on the man's shoulder, looking up at him with a bright, excited eyes.

He had already decided that he wanted to take Dario somewhere special to thank him for today.

All he had to do now was figure out where he wanted to go with him.
Excitement bubbled up inside of him as he thought of the possibilities.

His fingers continued to run through Hayden's hair gently.

It was a comforting action. The boy's hair was soft and he could feel his small body press closer to him. Hayden couldn't have disliked it if he was pressing closer.

A little smile curled his lips.

He was really beginning to like the boy's company. He didn't mind just sitting around like this.

So many people wanted to be up and about all the time. It was nice to just rest for a few moments.

Hayden could happily sit here, soaking wet, his hair mattered and filled with sand, all day, provide than Dario was next to him, running his fingers through his hair.

Just talking, sitting beside one another and having a conversation or cuddling up next to him and saying nothing at all.

He really did like this, just being near the man made him happy.

A gentle purr sounded as fingers kept push through his hair and the sun slowly began to dry their dripping bodies.