what big teeth you have

"C'mon just leave me alone," Clover insisted once again, holding her purse tightly to her side as she pushed her way through the exit of the bar. Three big burly jocks had been trying to keep her trapped inside, one even going so far as to grab her shoulders, his fingers running down her arm. Clover was beginning to regret the outfit she had chosen to wear out tonight, wishing she had worn something that covered her a bit more. Maybe then she wouldn't have attracted their attention. She hated thinking that way, she knew it wasn't her fault. Tonight was supposed to be a fun one, she had been planning to meet her friends here, but they had stood her up. Something better had come up, apparently. It didn't surprise her.

Clover tried to walk away from the establishment as fast as she could, without outright running. "Don't just leave us hanging here, babe. I've never been kissed by a goth bitch before!" Her body completely stiffened, and she was beginning to actually worry about her safety. They were following her, they weren't just going to leave her alone. And her car was a few blocks over, where the parking fees had been cheaper. She was cursing herself under her breath now for not just shelling out the extra couple of bucks to park closer.

"You think you're just going to ignore us?" Another one of the bulking men called out, loudly. From right behind her. His hands wrapped around her shoulders and she let out a quiet whimper, feeling tears burn her eyes as they forced her down the dark alley next to the bar.

She tried to thrash around, kicking and slinging her purse in every direction, trying to do anything that would free her from the stranger's grasp. "Let me go!" Clover was forcefully slammed up against the side of the building, the four of them almost completely hidden by the shadows.

"We just wanna have a good time. You came out for a good time, right?" She could feel their hands beginning to pull at her top, sliding the straps down her shoulders. Her hands shot to her chest, trying to keep the little lace piece there. She hadn't worn a bra and with the men ripping at her clothes, her breasts were almost popping out already.

"Stop!" She shrieked, tears crawling down her face.

Henry was barely the shell of the man that he had been before he came to the small city that he had settled down in. It wasn't the home that he had lived with, with his pack but he needed to put distance between where the accident had happened and where he settled. If he didn't... he would be found. As a werewolf, Henry wasn't stupid. If a human found out who he was, could point themselves in his direction, his fate would be the same as his pack's. Henry's heart broke just thinking about it, remembering the howls of his alpha as he was taken down.

The wolf had transformed and howled, desperate to alert the pack to the surrounding danger but Henry's alpha had died in vain. No one had survived, as far as Henry was aware. No one but him.

His hands shoved into his pockets as he made his way through the streets, his eyes locked on the ground as he navigated his way through. Henry often went on walks so that he could try to clear his head before sleep. Otherwise, he was plagued with nightmares of that night.

Lost in his own thoughts, Henry's head jerked up when he heard a shriek. It was several streets away but the panic the woman felt was clear. Before he could think twice about it, Henry started running in the direction. The closer he got, the stronger the scent of fear, the louder the men were being. He snarled as he entered the alleyway, his fingers wrapping int the shirt of the man closest to him. Henry wasn't shy about tossing the man backward but it gave the other two the chance to jump at him.

Knowing he couldn't use his powers, Henry was beaten down more than he would have liked. Sneering at the retreating men, Henry spit at the ground between them. Blood sprayed on the concrete but he paid no mind to it as he turned toward Clover, breathing heavily. His brows pulled together as he studied her for a long moment. Even her jacket was ripped. Henry shook his head as he shrugged his own coat off before holding it out to her. "Are you okay?" Henry wasn't the least bit concerned about himself, leaving as much distance between him and Clover as he could. She was clearly terrified and he couldn't say he blamed her.

This is it, Clover thought, sure no one was going to come to her aid. Her mind was going straight to the worst, being used and possibly murdered, left in this dark alley. Trying to press herself into the wall behind her back, she shut her eyes tightly and turned her head away. Maybe if she just stopped fighting, stopped screaming they would just take what they wanted and leave her alone afterward... "P-Please stop," she cried one last time before she felt a pair of the hands rip away from her. Hearing a loud thud and one of the men gasping in pain, she slowly opened her eyes to see a fifth had joined them.

The other two men who were grabbing at her peeled themselves away from her, turning their attention to the new stranger. Who, luckily, seemed to be there to help her. With their hands off of her now, Clover tried to keep her chest covered, the left side strap of her shirt completely torn. Fumbling for her phone in her purse, she thought it would be best to call the police. For some reason she couldn't, completely struck with fear as she watched the other two men beat her savior to the ground, kicking his sides and stomping on his chest a couple of times before dragging their third friend away.

She didn't expect the man to get back up, but he did. Slowly, spitting blood out of his mouth, one of his hands holding his side tightly as he held his jacket out for her. She didn't hesitate to reach out and take it, but her hand lingered around his. "Are you okay!?" Clover frowned, taking the jacket from his hand and throwing it on so she could comfortably reach out to inspect him. Tears still slid down her face, mixing with her eyeliner and mascara, but she didn't care. She was safe now, hopefully. Her hands grabbed his shoulders, steadying him as she tried to offer him so sort of help. Her hands squeezed his arms, feeling just how large his biceps were. This man was much larger than any of those other guys, taller too.

And yet, she didn't feel nearly as intimidated.

"You're bleeding," she whimpered, one of her hands rising to his face, her thumb gently running over his busted lip.

@ castle.

Henry's hand pressed into his side in an effort to calm the ache in his ribs. He was pretty sure that his ribs were broken but they would heal within the next few days. It was nothing for him to worry about truthfully. Henry was only surprised that Clover was asking him if he was okay. He wasn't necessarily okay but he wasn't going to let on just how injured he was. That wasn't on Clover to feel that sort of guilt. He had been the one that stepped into the middle of the situation because he had wanted to. No part of him had felt right about letting a woman be attacked. For a brief moment, Henry wondered if she would feel as comfortable as she did stepping up to him if she knew what he was. Most humans were completely and utterly terrified of wolves. "'m fine," he answered, his voice coming out a bit more harsh than he had intended for it to.

Shrugging his shoulders, Henry's eyes dropped to watch as Clover reached to brush the blood from his lip. "It's just a busted lip. It'll heal just fine. Better that than... well," Henry trailed off, not wanting to actually name what had been about to happen. Henry wasn't one to stand down and watch unfair things happen. It was just a shame that the one night that it had really mattered, Henry hadn't been able to do anything about it.

Henry forced himself to stand up straight, his arm dropping from his side despite the pain it sent shooting through his side. He was exhausted and he wanted to sleep now. He knew that he would regret it. The fight would serve to remind him of that night. He gave her a tight smile despite himself. "Where do you live? Close? I'll come with," he added, giving a nod of his head. "Wanna make sure you can get home safe."

It didn't surprise Clover that this man wanted to act tough, pretending like he was completely fine. She took a step back, feeling sick to her stomach when his voice dipped, practically a snarl to demand he was fine. "Okay, okay," she pulled her hands away from him, instead tightening his jacket around herself. It was warm and heavy, and felt like a big hug and that's exactly what she felt she needed at the moment.

Her hands wiped at her face, trying to dry the tears and smear away the ruined makeup. Clover dropped her gaze to the ground, not even wanting to think about what would have happened had he not stepped in. "Th-thank you so much," she whispered, forcing herself to look back up at him. Even in this dark alley, his blue eyes were almost glowing. "Really, I-I don't know what I w-wouldve..." Clover knew exactly what she would've done: nothing. She would have just taken it.

"My, uh, car is a few blocks..." Her eyes dropped to his side, where he had been holding himself. He was almost doubled over, his breath even bated. She wasn't entirely sure if he'd be able to walk that far. "I.. could give you a ride home? Show my appreciation?"

Clover felt horrible. She had found herself in this situation on her own. It wasn't fair that he felt the need to step in, only to get beaten to the ground. Still, he had saved her and Clover didn't look at him like he was weak or anything. If anything, part of her wished they could've met under better circumstances. The stranger in front of her was handsome, with a nice clean shaven face and a strong square jaw. Not to mention his beautiful eyes again.

Moving back to his side, she offered her arm to him, even if he had insisted he was fine. Her eyes fell down him, noticing how his shirt had gotten damp when he fell to the cold, wet floor. It was sticking to his torso in places, only exaggerating his already broad chest.

@ castle.

"Nothing you need to mention, miss. Any decent person woulda stepped in. Wasn't right, what they were trying to do," Henry said simply. He gave a slight shrug of his shoulders because to him, it was a situation that had no other option. The moment that Henry had heard Clover yell out the first time, it had been over. If Henry had just gone home, he wouldn't have been able to sleep tonight. He let out a small groan as he glanced toward the entrance of the alley. He could walk her to her car and once she was safely inside, Henry would make his way home. That was the only logical solution here.

But then Clover was offering to drive him home and Henry couldn't help the way he tensed. He knew that she would be safe, that he wouldn't dare hurt her but... was she doing it out of obligation? Did Clover feel comfortable doing it? Henry exhaled slowly before giving a small nod of his head. "If... you're okay with it."

A moment of silence stretched between them before Henry spoke again. "But only if you're okay with it. If you'd rather I just walk you back to your car, then that's fine, too. I don't live too far," Henry muttered. He gritted his teeth as he turned, beginning to follow Clover out of the alley. His shoulders squared and his chin raised as he walked, making himself appear as big as he could. With the sole intention of making it clear he wasn't to be fucked with.

"You can keep the jacket," Henry spoke, to break the silence between them. "I have a million. Besides, I tend to run hot but it was pretty windy when I left my apartment," he said. A plausible enough excuse that Henry was sure Clover wouldn't question it.

Clover's heart was still beating rapidly, she could feel it pounding, how it felt like it was in her throat. The danger was gone and yet, her body was still panicking. Leaving the dark alley with the man, she stayed close to his side, just in case he collapsed or needed help. Clover had always been the kind of person to care more about others than herself, and now, she was almost wishing he hadn't interfered. He could try and stand as tall as he wanted, lift his chin and puff his chest out to come off intimidating, but Clover could see the way he limped.

"I'm more than okay with it, I promise." It was shocking how different men could be. It seemed like she had just met both sides of the spectrum. The three men who attacked her had been monsters, and then this man, even after taking a beating only seemed concerned with her. Shoving her hands into his jacket pockets, she felt a few things in the pockets. A stick of gum, a lighter, a piece of crumpled paper. She allowed herself to fiddle with the items as they headed towards her car.

"Are you sure? Thank you." The last thing she wanted to do was drop him off at his home, give him back his jacket and then be driving around with a boob out. Her whole body was trembling and she couldn't wait to be home, to shower and crawl into her bed and pretend like none of this had ever happened. Leading him into the parking garage, she tried to remember where she parked. Now that they were in a heavily lit area, she allowed herself to steal another look at him, but kept her head down mostly. "My names Clover, by the way..." She felt pathetic. Having just almost been raped in an alley, now she was swooning over the man who saved her. He was handsome and seemed gentle and sweet, and had acted like a knight in shining armor. Sniffling, she wiped at her eyes again, trying to calm down as they got to her car and she unlocked the doors.

@ castle.

Henry's shoulders sagged the moment that they stepped into the parking garage. He had lifted his nose and inhaled sharply but it was enough for him to realize the garage was empty, save for the two of them. There was no unseen threat to be wary of. He winced at the moment, his hand sliding to rest against his ribs in an effort to ease the pain with each breath he took. His thoughts were elsewhere, his attention only being grabbed when Clover introduced herself. He glanced toward her, giving her an easy smile despite his pain. "You can call me Henry."

When they reached Clover's car, Henry hesitated. He eyed the front passenger door before deciding that wasn't the best option for him to take. Clover had already been traumatized and being squeezed into the car with him right beside her certainly wouldn't do any more good for her. Instead, Henry pulled over the back door and dropped himself inside with a low grunt. He winced as he reached over to pull the door shut before just slouching against it. The position looked a bit awkward but it was far more comfortable than straightening himself out.

"Live on the street just behind Blue Donuts, over in Mississippi," Henry's voice was softer now because he knew there was no danger. Briefly, he had let himself wonder if this was all some sort of trick to get him back to where he would meet his fate. Maybe hunters had caught on and Clover had been bait... Henry exhaled slowly, trying to keep his mind from wandering as he clenched his teeth together. No. Clover was thankful for his help and she wasn't going to do that. Right?

Clover stood at the her door, hand on the handle as she watched Henry force himself into the back seat of her small car. A frown pulled at the corners of her mouth watching him lean against the door. All he wanted to do was make sure she was comfortable and she really appreciated that. You don't find men like that often. Sliding into the front seat, she glanced over her shoulder at him once more.

The pain he was in was written all over his face. His breathing was short and ragged, and he was wincing each time he inhaled. She felt horrible, it was all her fault. Reversing out of her parking spot, Clover left the parking garage and headed in the direction of Henry's home. The car ride was mostly silent, besides the disgruntled noises Henry made each time something hurt.

"Here?" She asked him, making sure it was the right place before she put her car in park. Her fingers tapped against the steering wheel, nervously. She wanted to help, but something told her he wouldn't let her. Cutting the engine, she slid her keys into his jacket pocket and looked over her shoulder at him.

"I'm going to help you inside." Clover was never a dominant person, she didn't demand things, but she was forcing herself to try now. Not waiting for answer, she jumped out of the car and came around to his side. Slowly, she opened the door and slid an arm behind Henry's back, helping him out and keeping him steady. His shirt was drenched in sweat and she made sure to keep her touch soft, not wanting to cause him anymore pain than he was already dealing with.

@ castle.

Henry grit his teeth when he looked up, nodding his head when Clover stopped in front of his apartment building. He straightened up slowly, intent on getting upstairs and collapsing on his bed. He would sleep, for longer than usual because of his injuries. He only hoped that it was going to peaceful tonight because he couldn't handle much more. Not right now. He was left sitting there, almost feeling ridiculous when Clover told him that she was going to help him inside. It didn't appear as if Clover was really giving him the option and secretly, he was relieved. But he wasn't about to admit that to her.

When Clover helped him out of the car, Henry groaned as he was forced to stand straight. "You don't have to," he forced out the words, glancing toward her with a slight frown. Henry was sure that she was only offering him help because she felt like she was obligated to help him. He only relented when Clover insisted, walking beside him. He shoved his hand into his pants pocket, pulling out his keys. "The top floor," he said, letting out a bitter laugh. Of course, he lived on the top floor.

Eventually, they found themselves standing in front of Henry's apartment. He stepped away from her, wincing as he leaned against the doorway while he unlocked the door. "Get home safe, okay?" his words were low as he shoved his door open, assuming blindly that Clover was going to leave now. She had no obligation to help him get comfortable or anything of the sort. She had done her due diligence and made sure Henry actually made it to his apartment.

One of Clover's hands rested gently on his lower back and her other was on his stomach as she helped him up the stairs. It felt wrong that her mind was wandering, admiring how his body felt like pure stone, nothing but muscle. Her hands only left him when he leaned against his doorway, fumbling with the lock.

She wanted to help more, to reach out and make sure he could still stand. Part of her felt obligated, but she wouldn't do it if she didn't want to. Henry pushed the door open and Clover was by his side once more. "I'll get home fine, eventually... Let me make sure you're okay first? Not that I don't think you cant manage on your own..." Her voice was quiet. Clover didn't want Henry thinking she thought he was weak, or something of the sort.

Clover forced herself by Henry, grabbing his hand as she went and gently pulling him into his apartment after her. "I can get you into bed, clean your lip up for you, make sure your comfortable?" She really hoped she wasn't overstepping. She had just let herself into his house without permission, and if for a moment Clover thought he was uncomfortable or getting pissed, she would leave.

@ castle.

Henry's brows shot up his forehead when he watched Clover all but forced herself inside of his apartment. His jaw dropped lowered, unable to hide his shock at the action. The situation that Henry had initially found Clover in should have made her timid by all regards but she wasn't. She was forcing her help on him and Henry was thankful for it. He knew that if he had it his way, he would have stumbled into his bedroom and probably passed out before his head even hit the pillow.

"You.. uh, do this often?" Henry asked, glancing toward her direction. He raised an eyebrow. "You can't go walking down the street by yourself like that. People are dangerous," he muttered with a slight shake of his head. It was outrageous to him that Clover had even thought it was safe to do. The only reason he felt comfortable walking the streets was because he didn't think there were any hunters nearby. God forbid that a hunter caught onto him... Henry wouldn't be safe anywhere.

"DIdn't you.. go with friends? Or something?" Henry asked as he limped toward his bedroom. He hesitated by the bathroom before he grunted, shoving his chin in the direction of it before continuing on his way toward the bedroom at the end of the hallway.

"I wasn't just walking down the street, like that..." She sighed, bringing her hand up to the back of her neck, rubbing it out of nerves. "I was meeting my friends at a bar, they never showed and those guys followed me out..." Clover only felt horrible now, feeling like Henry was blaming her for the whole situation. If he hadn't been the one to save her, she might've told him to mind his own business.

Forcing herself to follow him down the hall, she hesitated and stepped into his bathroom, flicking the light on. Poking around in the cabinets beneath the sink, she found a small first aid kit and grabbed it. Turning the light back off, she continued down the hall into his bedroom. "but no, I don't do this often." She forced a small smile onto her face, trying to lighten the mood as she made her way into his room.

Clover was beginning to relax, sure that if Henry didn't want her here, he would've forced her to leave. He hadn't, so he must've wanted her help...at least a little bit? Sitting down on his bed next to him, her eyes flickered up to his and she could already notice a bit of bruising around his cheek. "I'm really sorry, again." She opened the first aid kit and pulled out some disinfectant to clean his lip off with.

@ castle.