five AM on the bathroom floor from the night before

It warmed Artorias' heart to hear Grimshaw's laughter and see him smile, even if it was fleeting. His brother had been through a lot, and if he could give him even a few moments of peace and brighten his cloudy mood just a bit, he'd consider it a successful night. Their relationship might have had a rocky start as pups, but he considered Grim firmly within his family, and he loved the other young brute. He saw Grim's new sharper teeth in his grin, an intrigued look crossing his expression for a moment, but he wasn't given much time to inspect them before the mirth seemed stolen away by a thought. Artorias didn't know when Grimshaw's teeth had changed, but it made him think of the changes that had occurred in his own body, though his were much less noticeable than those of his adopted sibling. He was impressed by Grim's transformation into a rugged, muscular, dangerous warrior.

Grim's passing comment about the stories needing to be true didn't go unnoticed by the azure-furred wolf, especially not when that had been what had taken his brother's charming smile away from him. Artorias tilted his head in curiosity. Was the Armada not providing the experience Grim had been hoping for? It sounded like he was chomping at the bit to see some action—not that Art could blame him. He didn't know about the daily goings-on of the Armada, but at least in the Hallows, they'd gotten the chance to fight off a group of raiders and were still on an active manhunt for the psycho that skinned their mother. Perhaps Boreas had become more peaceful than he'd realized, where Auster seemed to be growing conflicts. Either way, Grim seemed... disillusioned with the life he was leading.

"You're always welcome to return home, temporarily or permanently. I don't know if we'll have what you're looking for more than the Armada, but we did just chase off some raiding pirates, and we're still hunting down a killer. I'd value your help, especially now that you're all..." He gestured with a paw around Grim's entire body, emphasizing his defined musculature and his new deadlier jaws. It was a simple offer, but hopefully one who's importance wouldn't be lost on the drunk Grimshaw. Art wanted his brother to be happy and fulfilled, wherever that took him. Maybe giving him the chance to be proactive in some more actionable ways would be good.

Then Grimshaw balked when Artorias asked for the name of their romantic interest, clearly caught off guard by something. The Aegis turned a curious sideways smirk to his brother, eyeing him with keen fiery eyes while he recovered. Artorias was tipsy, but not as drunk as Grim was yet, so he didn't miss the way the other dire's eyes roamed over him. It brought a strange sensation to the young brute—but not an unpleasant one. Strange perhaps because this was the wolf he'd thought of only as a brother for so long. But they weren't blood brothers. Perhaps that explained the curiosity Art felt when he looked back at his brother's own body, his size matching Artorias', but his muscles... Art was not skinny by any means, but Grimshaw was a beast compared to him! Broad, defined, the definition of masculine in all traditional senses. It sent an unfamiliar quiver through the young brute.

Artorias took a long swig of wine, slipping further from buzzed toward drunk with every swallow. Grim looked away abruptly—had he caught Art looking back at him?—and confessed the name of his crush. The smirk on Artorias' lips grew into a full grin while he reached over to rub Grim's shoulder. "Look at you go, Grim! Malachai's a lucky brute to have a wolf as fine as you chasing after him," he said with a proud laugh. There was a pause once Grim finished speaking where the other male seemed to struggle with something before admitting the problem. He didn't know if Malachai felt the same way. Artorias just gave a casual shrug and sipped some more wine before passing the bottle directly back to his companion. "Only one way to find out. Hell, I bet he takes one look at you and falls head over paws for you. I mean, look at you, Grim! We all had glow-ups, but damn you got big and... and buff! And you've always been intensely passionate in everything. How could he not feel the same?"

With the help of the wine, Artorias had entered the honesty phase of his drunkenness. It was no secret that all of the Carpathian kids had grown up to be attractive wolves—save for maybe Rudy, but there were exceptions to every rule—but Grimshaw had possibly the most profound change as he grew from a chubby puppy into a veritable Spartan warrior.

"Artorias Carpathius" | "Carpathian" | "Corbin" | "Argent"