[oops did I say tender I meant tenderizing, anyway--
The blow catches him completely by surprise. Ethan doesn't directly hit his windpipe, but the force is enough to still knock a strangled gasp out of him, and he immediately retaliates by grabbing the boy's wrists and throwing his weight on top of him to pin him to the ground.
Mal's no stranger to how people look when they snap out of a nightmare, or the way they lash out at anything that touches them at the wrong time. But he's also had too much experience with people pretending to be dead or asleep just to spring on unsuspecting would-be rescuers (or scavengers). Being no fan of Ethan's, he's all too ready to assume the worst of him. Just give him any excuse to pound that face of his right into the ground.
He leans in close to Ethan, baring his teeth like an angry dog, and lets out a hot breath right in his face.]
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The blow catches him completely by surprise. Ethan doesn't directly hit his windpipe, but the force is enough to still knock a strangled gasp out of him, and he immediately retaliates by grabbing the boy's wrists and throwing his weight on top of him to pin him to the ground.
Mal's no stranger to how people look when they snap out of a nightmare, or the way they lash out at anything that touches them at the wrong time. But he's also had too much experience with people pretending to be dead or asleep just to spring on unsuspecting would-be rescuers (or scavengers). Being no fan of Ethan's, he's all too ready to assume the worst of him. Just give him any excuse to pound that face of his right into the ground.
He leans in close to Ethan, baring his teeth like an angry dog, and lets out a hot breath right in his face.]
Nice try, you shit.