order pizza. You want some?”
Ashi paused mid-form at Thad’s shout. He walked over to the door and opened it a tiny bit.
“Uh... sure.”
He was halfway into his next form when he went back to the door and opened it again.
“Thank you.”
He would never understand sitting around on a couch. Even though he was tiring out much faster than he used to, he was happy to discover he was by no means a weakling. Lounging around was something you did when you were injured or ill. If you could move, you moved, and you moved as hard and as long as you could until you couldn’t move anymore.
He frowned as he attacked the air. Could he take down a vampire like this? Not Royce—he was too fast, too strong. But if there were younger vampires here, maybe he could do some damage and escape. That thought almost made him smile. He really wished he had a punching bag.
Thad put in the order for pizza, figuring if Ashi wanted something other than the Meat Lover’s special, he could be the one to order in next time. He was very glad to get back to the movie, sitting on the edge of the couch to watch as Jason Statham kicked a guy up and down a bus.
Ashi sat on the edge of the bed and breathed. Calming down was his main concern right now. His heart had been beating like a rabbit’s since he arrived. John chomping on him didn’t help anything.
Once he was calm, he could figure out what he needed for a long run and how to get it. Analie would have to help, as would Christoph. He wondered what the ape was doing right now. Probably getting the life sucked out of him.
Wesley brought the pizza to Thad when it arrived, muttering about being “the damn bellhop of the building” on his way out. Thad plopped the box on the coffee table and pulled out a slice, settling down on the couch next to Sebastian and leaving a seat on the end for Ashi.
“Food’s here!” he shouted through a mouthful.
At the call, Ashi shuffled out of his room. The pizza smelled heavenly. Definitely not something he ate on a regular basis. He gingerly sat on the edge of the sofa—as far from Sebastian as possible—and took a slice.
“What movie is this?” he asked after taking a few bites. Damn, this was good.
“The Transporter,” Sebastian answered, as Thad’s mouth was full. His eyes were glued to the screen. “You missed a bunch. The baldish-looking guy there transports illegal goods for a living. He found out he was transporting this hot chick and saves her. He’s helping her save some other people. Mostly it’s about fighting and explosions. Just watch, you’ll see.”
Ashi thought it was the stupidest thing he’d ever heard of in his life. He stared raptly at the screen as explosions went off and people were throwing punches at each other. Well, he was in this far.
As the movie came to an end, Thad grinned and looked between the two. “Transporter 2?”
“Yes,” Ashi said quickly. He reined it in. “...if that’s cool. Whatever.”
If it had as many fights, he would be a very happy man.
Thad pulled out a six-pack of Budweiser from the fridge, put it on the table, then put in the next movie. He settled back in the couch with a Bud and a grin.
“Showtime.”
After Thad’s second beer, Sebastian grabbed one. The two of them made the occasional comment, shouted epithet at the screen, or cheered at some amazing fighting or explosion. The movie didn’t lend itself to much conversation, but the brothers were both pretty happy that Ashi was finally loosening up.
Ashi was enjoying himself. He’d never admit it, of course. Not even to himself.
He told himself that the movie was stupid and he had been right in avoiding this sort of entertainment for the better part of his life.
Also, pizza. Good thing he didn’t eat this on a regular basis. Though he could. Dear God, could he ever eat this stuff by the pound on a daily basis. Usually he had chicken. Chicken and veggies, chicken in curry, chicken with pineapple. Digested easily, good fats, kept him fed. Eating out was expensive, so he made everything at home on his tiny stove.
Alcohol was something he stayed the hell away from. After seeing what it could do to Christoph, and abusing that to the greatest extent, he wanted no part of it. Instead, he got himself a