but you painted me golden

i could be anything in the world

As white teeth latch onto his fingers, Remi waggles them playfully in the fox's jaws. It's the sort of thing that could easily trigger a predatory response, but the Alchemist is fairly sure he can handle it.

As Ianto looks up at him, Remi gazes back with boyish and intentional misunderstanding, blinking sea-glass eyes at golden ones and looking entirely bemused. "Oh, that was a hint." He says at last with a grin to match the fox's. Allowing himself just a moment where he relishes the warmth of the small body against his, breathing deeply the woodsy-scent that the monsoon hadn't entirely washed away yet.

"Alright, you monster." Remi huffs, collecting the fox in his arms despite any protests he might receive, and carrying him away from the chairs. "I'll try and make this as quick as possible, but you are an absolute mess." Setting the fox down, Remi kneels at his side. Water simply pours from the Alchemist's fingers, which he works against the fox's underbelly to try and dislodge the worst of the mud.

THE ALCHEMIST

but all i wanted was to be his

i love it when i catch you looking at me

Maybe, the fox says, teeth still bared in a grin as he’s lifted up with Remi. Like a real monster, he of course wriggles and growls and is a general nuisance as the Alchemist sets him down, only to suddenly be made wet from water pouring from his friends hands. That’s a clever trick, he notes, snapping his teeth at the streams of water and yapping as he is cleaned up.

Soon enough the brown streams out of his fur, revealing snowy white and copper red; he rolls over to shake himself off (obviously soaking Remi in the process), tail thumping against the ground. Thanks, he says, sniffing around the Alchemist’s feet.

i could be anything in the world

"Well, it's going to be a cold and clever trick if you don't settle." Remi warns the fox with an admonishing smirk. Working his fingers between the fox's legs, down to his paws, and through his thick tail, when Ianto eventually does shake, he releases a good deal of water onto the surrounding area.

And Remi.

"Cheers." He grumbles as another towel appears in his hands. Rather than letting Ianto rub himself on it like last time, the Alchemist reaches forward to wrap him up like the disobedient canine he's being, holding him tight despite protests. "Are you going to let me dry you off, or do I have to make you?"

THE ALCHEMIST

but all i wanted was to be his

i love it when i catch you looking at me

Yipping a sound that is very much like smug laughter, Ianto bounds in a circle and splashes in the water Remi has made - only the sudden appearance of his towel prison stops him. Oh, you are no fun, he informs him, panting and trying to wiggle and snuffle at his friend. Go on then, he tells Remi, finally sitting still but for the wagging of his tail. He’s dripping wet and he’s made a mess of the both of them, but at least he’s clean.

Do you want to give yourself a shower while you’re at it? Or did I do a good enough job? He tilts his head, an ear twitching errantly to try and get rid of all the water. Sorry, by the way. I can’t help it like this. Which Remi probably knows all too well, with his own animal instincts getting in the way.

i could be anything in the world

"What I am is soaking wet. And I think I recall someone saying he wanted to sleep by the fire." Remi counters. He glares playfully at the tip of Ianto's tail as it continues to wag. Fluffing the fox, well and truly enjoying the way the white ruff of his chest hair sprang to life as it was dried, Remi pauses a moment, lowering the towel to peer into Ianto's golden stare. "Do I need one?" The fox has a far keener sense of smell than he, and given Ianto's reaction to his armpit earlier, perhaps Remi does need a shower.

"I think you could have helped it a little." Narrowing his eyes skeptically, he finishes with a blast of air that comes directly from his palms. Aimed at Ianto's face, Remi seems to be trying to blow-dry his friend's head (and certainly not to make him look ridiculously by forcing his lips backwards).

THE ALCHEMIST

but all i wanted was to be his

i love it when i catch you looking at me

I do, very much so. I’ll be good, I promise, Ianto assures his friend, letting out a truly pathetic whine as if that might persuade Remi not to be a cruel beast and make him sleep in the marginally less toasty part of the house. He at least thoroughly enjoys being dried off, preening and letting his fur be fluffed up into all sorts of ridiculous styles. But does Remi need a shower? Leaning in, Ianto sniffs at the other man, onto to let out an exaggerated yelp and a sneeze.

Yes, you absolutely do, he informs him, jaw lolling in a grin. But it’s okay, you could just roll around in the rain? The suggestion obviously isn’t a serious one, especially given how his ears are suddenly being pinned back and his teeth exposed by an extensive blowdrying. This seems a bit excessive don’t you think?

i could be anything in the world

'So dramatic" The Alchemist protests, as if he's somehow surprised by his friend's behaviour. "Fine, fine. Let me finish you, then I'll do me." With the smell of wet-vulpine wafting up into his nose, Remi didn't even think for a moment about how that sentence might have sounded to anyone listening.

"Excessive? Of course not. Only the best for you." For good measure a small whirlwind circles around the fox, fluffing him up to nearly twice his normal size which left Remi grinning stupidly at him. "And now—" A bow appeared between his fingers which he looped around one of Ianto's ears before the fox could nip at him for his efforts.

Rising and padding a few feet away so he wouldn't get the fox wet, Remi paused for a moment as he felt his stomach threaten to flop on him. Stop it. You're fine. He told himself, before swallowing down his indecision. "Turn around, if you would." Remi says, trying to sound a good deal more casual about it than he felt. Once the fox did, the Alchemist would hurriedly strip, showering himself with fingers acting like mini-hoses. He made sure the water was extra brisk, just in case. It certainly got the blood pumping, but not in a way he had to worry about.

"The things I do for you." He muttered in a higher-pitched voice, his teeth threatening to chatter as he quickly towelled-off his hair, before wrapping the towel around his waist and hurrying back towards the door.

THE ALCHEMIST

but all i wanted was to be his

i love it when i catch you looking at me

Ianto most definitely could have taken Remi’s words a number of ways, but he chooses to keep his thoughts (and his giggles) to himself as the Alchemist finishes drying him off, much to his fluffy outrage. Snorting and trying to snap his jaws at the bow, the fox is left looking down at his fur stood on end, shaking his head vigorously as if to flatten down his scruff (he does not succeed). Eh? You what? ...Oh! Realising what Remi was talking about, he pads in a small circle so he can plonk himself down and try to smooth out his fur.

Quite why you didn’t use the shower in your own house is beyond me, he informs the other man, semi-successful in looking more like his usual foxy self, though he’s kept the bow. Still, as Remi hurries by in his towel, Ianto is “helpful” - he goes to collect up the Alchemist’s clothes, and nudges the empty stew bowls towards the door with a paw as well.

i could be anything in the world

"Because that would have involved going all the way upstairs, potentially waking my family, and leaving you alone to chew on things while I was gone." Remi points out reasonably enough, though he's absolutely smirking while he says it.

"Mm, oh right." The Alchemist mumbles, reaching down for the bowls (why he stops using magic now is anyone's guess. Habit, probably), as they go inside. Most of the lights are off, with just a few candles burning. Immediately Remi looks towards the ceiling and the large windows to see if Sugar is slumbering on one of them. She might be asleep upstairs with Ronin, but given Remi hasn't come to bed yet, it's just as likely she's prowling around waiting for him. If that's the case, she'll have all his attention to keep her from attacking Ianto. If not, he'll quickly make himself some sweat pants so at least he won't have to keep walking around clutching a towel.

THE ALCHEMIST

but all i wanted was to be his

i love it when i catch you looking at me

I wouldn’t chew on things. I’d climb in your kitchen cupboards and eat your food, Ianto corrects him, as if to tell him that if he’s going to accuse the fox of mischief, it had better be the right kind. Still, he pads inside after Remi, depositing the clothes by the other clothes that the Alchemist has stripped off and dumped - obviously that’s where they belong.

Remi is right to look for Sugar - she’s not asleep, and she is waiting, the pale dragon’s icy blue eyes piercing down at the two of them from the glow of candlelight. At the sight of the fox she does not trill or chirp - no, she growls, dropping from the windowsill in a knife-edge dive. Ianto instantly flattens his belly to the ground, ears pinning as the reptile flares her wings to drape herself around Remi’s bare shoulders and chest, teeth snapping at the intrusive vulpine.

You were not joking, Ianto observes.

i could be anything in the world

"There's almost nothing I wouldn't put passed you." Remi replies with a shrug as he scans the room. Wings itch from his shoulder blades as Sugar swoops, but he owes the dragon the benefit of the doubt. She's a proud and protective thing, and he won't disrespect her by tearing her out of the air with magic or might, simply because she's doing what she thinks best. It's a courtesy he doesn't offer to most humans, but animals? Well, they're a different story altogether.

"No, I wasn't." He agrees, leaning his cheek against the sleek reptilian face. If her claws against his bare skin bother him at all he doesn't show it. Given all the various scars upon him, it's probably safe to assume (correctly so) that the Alchemist's tolerance for pain has grown quite high.

"This is Ianto. You remember him?" Remi asks, trailing a finger down the underside of Sugar's neck. "But he's staying as a fox so that..." Swallowing, knowing that the dragon understands far more than just the mental pulses she receives from Ronin, the Alchemist exhales and in a soft voice adds, "..things are easier for me."

THE ALCHEMIST

but all i wanted was to be his

i love it when i catch you looking at me

They stay there like that, for a breathless few moments, Ianto peering up at the reptile in clear deference, while Sugar pins him with a reptilian glare. Her claws do not dig into the Alchemist, but obviously tiny pinpricks against his skin probably still aren’t pleasant; even so, the growl becomes more of a characteristic chirp at his fuss and his explanation. Huffing out a breath of freezing air, she pushes her nose against the soft space behind his ear, getting a little more comfortable. The verdict is clear: fine, but I’m not going anywhere.

Ianto takes the hint, slowly rising back to all four paws and giving Remi a healthy amount of space. With a pulse of gratitude mixed with caution, he waits for him to lead the way again. For such a little thing, she’s got a big presence, huh, he remarks. Not as much of a people person as Ronin is.

i could be anything in the world

Remi chuckles at this, adoring Sugar for her predatory antics and not minding having a chaperone one bit. He nuzzles against the side of her head as the tension breaks, scoffing under his breath. "Well, you're hardly a people right now, are you?" He points out. "Besides, she's the alpha predator in this house. It's her job." Remi adds with a shrug. He might be the largest predator, but Sugar's heart will ever be truer than his, when it comes to knowing who she really is.

"I'm going to make a fire." Remi says under his breath to the dragon so that she can either prepare herself or gargoyle-herself on a ledge or railing. Moving towards the fire, the Alchemist adds a few logs, and magically breathes life into the hearth. He adjusts a few things, never entirely satisfied with the shape he's built, but eventually decides it's good enough.

THE ALCHEMIST

but all i wanted was to be his

i love it when i catch you looking at me

That is besides the point, Ianto informs his friend - even though it is exactly the point and Sugar only knows the difference because of Remi’s feelings about it. Still, I will not challenge that status as alpha predator. Just a warm hearth for me, and I’ll stay outta your way, and hopefully out of her claws. His laughter is good natured, at least, though he does watch the dragon carefully as they move over to the fire.

With her ribbon-like tail looped around the Alchemist like a scarf, Sugar isn’t going anywhere, and she huffs a note of disapproval at the fire, but doesn’t stop him from his work. She does stick her forked, serpentine tongue in his ear though. Everything has a price, of course.

As the fire comes to life, Ianto lets out a soft yip of contentment, already hunkering down on the stones to watch the wood crackle and burn.