Sawyer's near the dorms. He'd ventured out to get something to eat and he's minding his own business as he makes his way back. He's very aware of his surroundings, always on edge. Nothing is out of the ordinary but still.
After the initial confusion over…all of this, Bishop was beyond ecstatic to find something familiar. Someone. Familiar.
It had taken him all of about five seconds to gather Sawyer up into his arms and feel the tension in his shoulders release all at once, “You’re here,” he breathes against his neck.
Sawyer tenses the moment he feels someone close, how hadn't he noticed...? He feels himself pulled up into someone's arms. He freezes, terrified as he feels the breath against his neck. He can't seem to form words or to fight to get away.
What... The voice doesn't sound familiar but they seem to know him.
Of course nothing can go well. The shift of scent and Sawyer tensing up and not saying anything hit at the same time. He didn’t smell right. He, well, he smelled like him but…different.
Bishop doesn’t want to let go. And it takes real effort to slowly release Sawyer but he doesn’t move away. He can’t. Not yet.
“Sawyer?” Questions. He has questions. Why didn’t he respond? Why did he tense up? Why did he smell different?
Sawyer is still drawn in on himself, eyes wide as he stares at Bishop once he's put down. He's doesn't understand why a stranger knows his name... why a stranger touched him and he's scared. He thought he had escaped all of that... everyone, everything. His hands ball up into fists but he still can't seem to move.
Bishop can smell that fear even without Sawyer being…his, Sawyer.
“I don’t know. I…,” he worries the inside of his cheek, “if this place exists then maybe that means there are different…versions of us, too or something.”
He hesitates, “where I come from, I guess a version of you, is a wolf. I reached you from a really fucked up pack…and you became my mate. That version of you. — I’m not going to hurt you. I’m sorry I just grabbed you like that. I didn’t realize you were different.”
Different... realities... It's not the hardest thing for Sawyer to believe and there's something instinctive that makes him want to trust this man but he doesn't know what it is. He's never felt something like that. He swallows a little and turns the explanation over his mind.
He's no less afraid but at least he's not running away from Bishop right or outright calling him a liar. He chews on his lip.
"I'm not a wolf..." whatever that means. He doesn't get it. Mate...wolf? He doesn't know enough pop culture to even have a passing knowledge of werewolf mythology.
Bishop is patient, he doesn’t move too much so that Sawyer can work through his own head a bit. But he does smile a little when he does speak.
“No…you’re not,” he unintentionally sniffs once at the air before shaking his head, “but…everything else seems the same.” He looks him over a few times, unable to fight the fondness despite all of it.
Sawyer doesn't stop chewing his lip. His breathing is a little uneven as he tries to stop himself from having a complete panic attack. He doesn't know what to do. He's not had anyone to help him make decisions since he'd escaped from the asylum. He's not had anyone at all. He's just as bad as that little omega Sawyer that Bishop had rescued.
He shakes his head a little at the apology, swallowing heavily.
"I'm... your mate?" he asks softly. "What does that mean?"
“Partner. Boyfriend? Boyfriend is the closest equivalent, I suppose,” he shifts a little on his feet and puts his hands behind his back to resist the urge to reach out and pull the others closer.
Glancing behind him, Bishop bites the inside of his cheek, “you were going somewhere before. I can walk you? Or leave you alone. Whatever you want.”
Oh. Sawyer stares at him at the answer and looks down at his feet. He can tell that the other is holding back on whatever it is he wants to do. That intrigues him. He's never really seen someone holding back. People would see him, take what they wanted, and used him for whatever they wanted or needed at the time.
"I was going home..." he says softly. Or what passes for home he guesses. "You can."
This wasn’t his Sawyer but he was Sawyer and Bishop had a hard time wanting to let that go. He knew he would have to at some point but a walk would be okay. Make sure he got back safe.
With a nod, Bishop took another step back to give Sawyer space to walk, “how long have you been here?”
“So this is all really new for you, too,” Bishop comments, sliding his hands into his pockets once they start walking.
He looks around them a bit as they walk, as alert as he usually is, mindful of the space kept between them unless someone else nears them on the path to which he instinctually slides a little closer and creates a little buffer between Sawyer and them.
Sawyer nods. He's quiet but that's not unusual. He holds himself as they walk and it's strange how it seems like Bishop is going out of his way to try and not scare Sawyer -- almost like he knows what to do. He furrows his brow -- and the weird instinct to trust that he's never really felt before.
He shakes his head at the question. No one he's close to. He doesn't really know how to talk to people or make friends. He's barely been able to function without people telling him what to do and when to do it.
In some ways he probably would have felt better knowing Sawyer had someone. In some ways he’s…irrationally relieved. His brow furrows and he slowly looks away again. No, he would not self impose himself on this different version of his mate. He wouldn’t do that. That would be…weird.
“I know you don’t know me or trust me. My um. My version of you took a while, too. But…if you need help with anything…you can find me.”
Sawyer nods again. He looks where he's going and he's still hyper aware of his surroundings but Bishop is also pulling a lot of his attention. His eyes look so... soft. He chews on his lips, lost in thought as they come up close to the building he's living in. He stops when they get there, turning over Bishop's words in his head.
No. Absolutely not. That would be the wrong decision. Going in there would be—
“If you want me to, then yeah, I’d like that,” well. Staying away now that he knew he was here would be harder than he thought. Bishop tries not to look too happy about the invitation but he’s probably failing on so many levels.
Sawyer gives a slight nod. He doesn't know why he invites him in but he allows him. He leads him into the building and into the area that's his. There's nothing there that makes it seem personal. It's very clean, nothing out of place. He carefully takes off his shoes and rubs one of his arms as he looks up at Bishop.
He feels so tall and big and it makes Sawyer feel very small but he's not... extra afraid of him now that he isn't picking him up out of nowhere.
"So... I'm... your mate?" he asks again, his brow furrows and he moves to get Bishop a water -- habit. He offers it to him.
Inside, he follows suit, removing his shoes and—he smiles whether he realizes it or not as he looks around. It’s very…Sawyer.
He can tell Sawyer has relaxed a bit more and he looks over to take the water, murmuring a thank you before he finds a place to sit down.
“Yeah,” Bishop nods and carefully sets the water aside, “I was just going to take you away from the other pack. You didn’t deserve to be treated the way you were. I’d heard about it and acted without thinking, really. But um…” he chuckles quietly, ears turning a rosy shade of pink in the process, “I realized really early on that I wanted you to be mine. Not just part of the pack. But mine.”
There's not really a lot of furniture so the floor is really the best place to sit down unless you wanted to sit on the bed. Sawyer sits down on the floor himself, crossing his legs and he picks at his fingers as he glances between them and Bishop as he listens to him talk.
Bishop doesn’t answer that question immediately. He watches Sawyers face for what feels like a long time but really it couldn’t be more than a few seconds.
“I don’t know how to answer that…” he fidgets with a bracelet on his wrist and looks down at his hands, “if I say yes, that just sounds…creepy. If I say no, it feels weird because…you’re still you you’re just…different.”
Sawyer contemplates that answer and he stays where he is. The omega Sawyer had thrown himself at Bishop much more intensely, scents and the immediate fear of where he'd come from fueling him.
For this Sawyer it's different.
"I've never felt like I should trust someone before," he says softly. "But I feel like I'm supposed to trust you."
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2022-04-23 09:45 pm (UTC)He doesn't see the person nearing him.
(no subject)
Date: 2022-04-23 10:26 pm (UTC)It had taken him all of about five seconds to gather Sawyer up into his arms and feel the tension in his shoulders release all at once, “You’re here,” he breathes against his neck.
(no subject)
Date: 2022-04-23 10:30 pm (UTC)What... The voice doesn't sound familiar but they seem to know him.
(no subject)
Date: 2022-04-23 10:35 pm (UTC)Bishop doesn’t want to let go. And it takes real effort to slowly release Sawyer but he doesn’t move away. He can’t. Not yet.
“Sawyer?” Questions. He has questions. Why didn’t he respond? Why did he tense up? Why did he smell different?
(no subject)
Date: 2022-04-23 10:52 pm (UTC)"how...do you know my name?"
(no subject)
Date: 2022-04-23 11:00 pm (UTC)“You’re my mate,” he murmurs, and then amends, “or…were. Uh…you smell different.”
(no subject)
Date: 2022-04-23 11:04 pm (UTC)"Mate...? Smell..." He bites his lip and takes a step back, wanting to run or otherwise disappear.
"I don't know what you're talking about..."
(no subject)
Date: 2022-04-23 11:19 pm (UTC)“I don’t know. I…,” he worries the inside of his cheek, “if this place exists then maybe that means there are different…versions of us, too or something.”
He hesitates, “where I come from, I guess a version of you, is a wolf. I reached you from a really fucked up pack…and you became my mate. That version of you. — I’m not going to hurt you. I’m sorry I just grabbed you like that. I didn’t realize you were different.”
(no subject)
Date: 2022-04-23 11:22 pm (UTC)He's no less afraid but at least he's not running away from Bishop right or outright calling him a liar. He chews on his lip.
"I'm not a wolf..." whatever that means. He doesn't get it. Mate...wolf? He doesn't know enough pop culture to even have a passing knowledge of werewolf mythology.
(no subject)
Date: 2022-04-23 11:33 pm (UTC)“No…you’re not,” he unintentionally sniffs once at the air before shaking his head, “but…everything else seems the same.” He looks him over a few times, unable to fight the fondness despite all of it.
This Sawyer wasn’t his. He wasn’t…
“I’m sorry I scared you.”
(no subject)
Date: 2022-04-23 11:42 pm (UTC)He shakes his head a little at the apology, swallowing heavily.
"I'm... your mate?" he asks softly. "What does that mean?"
(no subject)
Date: 2022-04-23 11:50 pm (UTC)Glancing behind him, Bishop bites the inside of his cheek, “you were going somewhere before. I can walk you? Or leave you alone. Whatever you want.”
(no subject)
Date: 2022-04-24 12:00 am (UTC)"I was going home..." he says softly. Or what passes for home he guesses. "You can."
What else could he say?
(no subject)
Date: 2022-04-24 12:08 am (UTC)With a nod, Bishop took another step back to give Sawyer space to walk, “how long have you been here?”
(no subject)
Date: 2022-04-24 12:21 am (UTC)"Just... a few days."
(no subject)
Date: 2022-04-24 12:28 am (UTC)He looks around them a bit as they walk, as alert as he usually is, mindful of the space kept between them unless someone else nears them on the path to which he instinctually slides a little closer and creates a little buffer between Sawyer and them.
“Do you have anyone you’re close to?”
(no subject)
Date: 2022-04-24 12:34 am (UTC)He shakes his head at the question. No one he's close to. He doesn't really know how to talk to people or make friends. He's barely been able to function without people telling him what to do and when to do it.
(no subject)
Date: 2022-04-24 01:05 am (UTC)In some ways he probably would have felt better knowing Sawyer had someone. In some ways he’s…irrationally relieved. His brow furrows and he slowly looks away again. No, he would not self impose himself on this different version of his mate. He wouldn’t do that. That would be…weird.
“I know you don’t know me or trust me. My um. My version of you took a while, too. But…if you need help with anything…you can find me.”
Fuck.
(no subject)
Date: 2022-04-24 01:19 am (UTC)"Do you want to come in?"
(no subject)
Date: 2022-04-24 01:26 am (UTC)“If you want me to, then yeah, I’d like that,” well. Staying away now that he knew he was here would be harder than he thought. Bishop tries not to look too happy about the invitation but he’s probably failing on so many levels.
(no subject)
Date: 2022-04-24 01:30 am (UTC)He feels so tall and big and it makes Sawyer feel very small but he's not... extra afraid of him now that he isn't picking him up out of nowhere.
"So... I'm... your mate?" he asks again, his brow furrows and he moves to get Bishop a water -- habit. He offers it to him.
(no subject)
Date: 2022-04-24 01:43 am (UTC)He can tell Sawyer has relaxed a bit more and he looks over to take the water, murmuring a thank you before he finds a place to sit down.
“Yeah,” Bishop nods and carefully sets the water aside, “I was just going to take you away from the other pack. You didn’t deserve to be treated the way you were. I’d heard about it and acted without thinking, really. But um…” he chuckles quietly, ears turning a rosy shade of pink in the process, “I realized really early on that I wanted you to be mine. Not just part of the pack. But mine.”
(no subject)
Date: 2022-04-24 01:58 am (UTC)"Do you want me too?"
(no subject)
Date: 2022-04-24 02:04 am (UTC)“I don’t know how to answer that…” he fidgets with a bracelet on his wrist and looks down at his hands, “if I say yes, that just sounds…creepy. If I say no, it feels weird because…you’re still you you’re just…different.”
(no subject)
Date: 2022-04-24 02:08 am (UTC)For this Sawyer it's different.
"I've never felt like I should trust someone before," he says softly. "But I feel like I'm supposed to trust you."