Rowan nodded. "Of course. Where do you want to bury him?" he asked. "Or there's the option of cremation, and then you could keep the ashes somewhere safe." he replied, holding Damian close, rubbing his back gently. He didn't know what else to do.
“Do you have any trees by your place?” Damian asked softly, closing his eyes. “Bailey always liked the woods. Some days we’d go hiking, and he’d always get so excited to come with us…” Damian told Rowan softly, taking a deep breath.
Rowan thought for a moment. "There's a stand of trees, yeah." he replied softly, kissing Damian's cheek. "We can bury him there, if you like." he kept holding his boyfriend.
“I’d like that a lot,” Damian whispered back, soaking in that gentle kiss on his cheek. Regardless of Rowan being the Reaper or not, he knew he could count on this man when it mattered most.
Rowan nodded. "Alright. How about you go out to my car, and I'll wrap Bailey up in a blanket and bring him out, okay? Will it be easier that way?" he asked, looking down at Damian.
“Yeah,” Damian replied softly, managing a small smile up at his boyfriend. “Thank you, Rowan. Really. I- I don’t know what I would’ve done without you,” Damian whispered softly before making himself stand up, then grab the ice cream tub and put it back in the freezer. “I’ll- I’ll meet you out there,” Damian told him softly, glancing back towards his room and ignoring the pang in his heart, then he finally made himself walk out the door so he wouldn’t end up getting emotional again.
Rowan nodded, and watched Damian go. He let out a breath, and headed into Damian's bedroom to deal with the body. He wrapped Bailey's body up in a blanket, handling it gently. He cradled it in his arms as he came out, locking the door to Damian's apartment behind him. He set the body in the trunk of the car before getting in the driver's seat. "How are you feeling?"
Damian had nestled himself in the car, tucking his legs close to his chest and closing his eyes. He focused his thoughts on Rowan, on all the good parts about him—not that parts about being the Reaper. It was enough to distract him the entire time as he sat, and he only cracked his eyes open when Rowan got in the car and spoke. “A little better,” Damian whispered, looking out the window, “and a little cold.” A lot cold.
Rowan nodded, and started the car, then turned on the heat. "Okay. We're gonna go to my place, bury Bailey, and then we can watch movies and cuddle or something, alright?" he replied softly, leaning over to kiss Damian's cheek. "Can you do that with me?"
“That sounds lovely,” Damian whispered back, and he could stop himself from wrapping his arms around Rowan’s neck when he leaned in to kiss his cheek. Then, he claimed a proper, lingering kiss on the lips. He didn’t want to let go yet, Rowan’s lips were just so soft and distracting, they made him feel all warm inside when everything else felt cold around him.
Rowan nodded, and kissed Damian back, wrapping his arms around the other male. "I'm so, so sorry, sweetheart." He said softly into the kiss. "If at some point, when you're ready, you want another dog, we can go out and find one together, yeah? I know some good, no kill shelters near here."
“That’d be perfect,” Damian responded softly, managing a small smile. “Really, really perfect.” Damian wasn’t sure if he was ready for another dog now, but the fact that Rowan was there for him, and always would be, filled his heart with warmth. Things would get better, especially when he had Rowan beside him.
Rowan nodded. "Alright." he pulled away. "Let's go, alright?" he started driving, smiling softly. He reached out to take Damian's hand in his as he drove.
Damian hummed his response and intertwined his fingers with Rowan’s, closing his eyes as he waited for them to get to the other’s home. Things would get better. Rowan was here with him, the death had stopped… everything was okay.
Rowan held onto Damian's hand gently as he drove, parking in the driveway for his home. "Come on. Let's bury him." he said, getting Bailey's body from the trunk and carrying it gently. "We'll get some shovels out of the shed, and bury him in the trees."
“Alright,” Damian whispered back, staying close to Rowan the entire time. He didn’t think he’d ever be able to talk Rowan enough for this. Even if he wasn’t sorry for being late, for doing what he did… this made up for it. Rowan’s kindness, his gentleness with Damian right now when he was so emotional, made up for it. Damian needed this -needed Rowan- right now more than ever.
Rowan led Damian towards the shed, taking a deep breath. "I need you to grab and carry the shovels, okay? I don't have a free hand to carry them right now. The shed should be unlocked." He kissed Damian's cheek softly.
“Okay,” Damian responded softly, holding his head high as he walked to the shed. He slowly opened it, and after a moment of looking, he grabbed two shovels. He walked back to Rowan, putting on a small smile. He told himself he wouldn’t cry anymore. Bailey was probably in a better place now anyways, and Rowan was here to support him now.
Rowan kissed his forehead when he came back. "Thank you, sweetheart." he said softly. "Let's go bury him now, okay?" he started walking, heading along a gravel path towards the rear of the building, going slow so that Damian could keep up easily.
((Hey dude I’m sorry I haven’t responded in so long))
Damian nodded weakly, keeping pace with Rowan. “Thank you, again, for this…” Damian said softly after a moment of silence. “Really. Thank you.” Rowan was helping more than Damian let on. He helped Damian stay calm, he helped him come to terms wit his dog’s death, he helped Damian just by being there.
(it's totally fine!)
Rowan nodded a little bit. "Of course." He replied quietly, keeping a steady, even pace as he walked. He knew this was so, so hard on his boyfriend, and he wanted to help him however he could.
Damian followed Rowan to the back, soaking in the silence until they stopped. He looked at the two shovels in his hands, taking a deep breath. Bailey had been his best friend and only true companion for so, so long. Maybe he sensed when Damian found Rowan, and once he knew he was no longer alone, it was time to go. Damian wanted to believe that, at least.
Rowan gently set down the dog's wrapped, small body, taking a shovel from Damian. "Let's bury him right here." He said softly. "If that's alright?" He looked over at Damian, knowing how hard this was for his boyfriend.
"Yeah, yeah it is," Damian replied quietly, his gaze skipping over the lump of blankets. He clutched his shovel tightly, taking a deep breath as he looked at the soft ground. He slowly moved, digging the tip of the shovel down to break the soft earth.
Rowan let out a breath and began to help Damian with the digging. "We can't do a shallow grave. Something could…smell it and dig it up." He said slowly as he dug into the dirt.