striking matches

constantine "costa" kattalakis || 30/129 || werewolf, kattalakis pack

[costakattalakis]

@xkeirc

Goddammit.

Costa used to be good with his hands, back when things used to be simple. He missed the days when a set of standard tools could fix everything that needed fixing. He was a wolf caught between wishing for the days when his life had been so clear cut, one purpose, one allegiance, one pack, and the current time now, where everything was so much more gray, but brimming with possibilities. He could go out openly with men, practice his own career, and cultivate his own interests. Constantine Kattalakis could be his own person, but sometimes he wasn’t entirely sure who that was.

And still, above all, his first loyalty was to his brother and pack. Which was why after trying to arrange a date for the following weekend, clocking out his shift at the hospital, and playing an online poker game while eating a fast food dinner, he was on his way home. It was dark, then, the light of the moon filtered through the branches of the trees that towered over the road he rode his bicycle down. The light was bright - and soon it would be time for him to shift. But not tonight, not when he had other things to worry about, such as the hissing sound that alerted him to a flattening tire.

“Aw, shit,” he said aloud, hopping off his bike. “Goddammit.” It was miles to his place. He could walk there easily, but it would take time, and...he wouldn’t admit it, but the sight of Nala Malraux haunted him, an alpha wolf brought to her knees and slaughtered. If someone could do that to an alpha, what could they do to a beta? He was frightened, and he hadn’t been so in a long time.

Which was why when the sound of an engine roaring down the road alerted him, he looked over quickly, heartbeat picking up. Then, around the corner, emerged the motorcycle’s headlight, and, as it stopped some distance away from him, so did a figure that drew itself off the bike and stood in the darkness, one he couldn’t quite make out when he was half blinded by the beam of light before him.

Constantine cleared his throat. A wolf never showed his belly, and he wouldn’t now, even as he was aware of all the potential ways he could be ambushed and killed.

“Kinda late to be out, huh? Guess it’s my lucky night. Know anything about fixing a tire? Or do you have anything to help out?”

[costakattalakis]

xkctherine‌:

              Since her coming here, Katherine mostly kept to herself. Deciding on coming to the founders parade and just going with the flow. She would drink on occasions and maybe done a walk of shame or two in returning home. She recalled everything about East End before she was taken by her aunt to live in Salem. Most wont recognize her ( which is a given considering she left the town thirteen years ago )  or just know her as Mercy’s granddaughter. The people who knew her grandmother well, were the ones she avoided. It’s been three months, people die. Naturally or not, she accepted it a long time ago. 

                Feeling the night cold breeze hit her skin before SHIVERING. “–I should have brought a jacket.” She muttered but soon enough shrugged as if it were something she would get over soon. Eyes wandering about everywhere. People chatting, dancing, drinking, playing games. You name it and it was happening. Observing all as she ate her cherry gummies, Katherine wondered how her two companions were doing at home. Hopefully Lux is behaving. 

“You can have mine, if you like.” Costa had taken a break from dancing. The men and women were more attractive tonight, in the crystalline hues of green and gold and blue, but he didn’t particularly feel like socializing with anyone. He’d had too much to drink, and even a wolf had his limits. Too many beers and not enough water had gone to his head, and behind his outgoing nature, a penchant for just a moment of silence emerged.

To prove his offer, he took off his plaid shirt jacket and offered it to her, the smile in his face easy and genuine. “If you let me sit down with you. I think I had a little bit too...too much, and I just need to take a break, y’know?”

[costakattalakis]

suttcnwilliams‌:

“If you can keep a secret, then I may just feel inclined to share this.”

“I’ve kept enough secrets to last three lifetimes. One more won’t be too much to add,” Costa said with a wink.

[costakattalakis]

ines-malraux‌

              “Can you believe they wouldn’t even let me see her — some bullshit about it being an active crime scene and an autopsy being needed. Pretty sure a heart being ripped out is a fairly solid assumption for cause of death.” Ines couldn’t explain the whirlwind that was the past twenty four hours. The youngest Malraux could remember the night prior perfectly, having spent the evening at the family estate she had given her sister a tight hug before making her way down the long drive and back to her town apartment. Nala was happy, smiling even, and to think that was all gone, that her sister and the woman whom had practically raised her in their mothers absence was dead. It broke her. 

“That’s fucked up.” Costa didn’t know what to say. He’d lost his pack, but he hadn’t lost Zach. He couldn’t even imagine what that would feel like, and to Ines, losing Nala was the same thing. Costa knew he’d feel like a failure, like a Beta not deserving of the title. Someone who couldn’t protect even one person. “Do you know where she is? We could break in. Who could stop us?”

[costakattalakis]

zxchkattalakis

“Who the hell else would you have learnt it from?” He wouldn’t deny it, not in the least, Zach had been the ringleader well before he’d become alpha of their pack, it came with the territory of big brother, and he’d not been gentle in teaching any bad habits to his siblings. He’d always found much more peace in the act of chaos. “He ain’t worth it, you’ll get a chance to let off a bit of steam soon enough, this place won’t take long to implode, even still..– there’s an influx of hunters headed this way since that blackwell fellow showed up.” And gods knew how much he’d hated hunters after what they and the rogue wolves had done to their pack – to his wife. “Best idea you’ve had all night.”

“No one. But then again, maybe that explains why I’m a little fucked up, don’t ya think?” Costa nudged Zach with his elbow. Honestly, Costa didn’t even really remember his parents at this point. Zach had pretty much taught him everything he knew, and although he might’ve been biased, Costa thought he’d done a damn good job. “Fuck, you’re no fun. But fine. No jumping, violence, or fighting tonight. But we’ll watch our backs,” he said, vaguely acknowledging the others’ words about hunters. Inwardly, the very word sent Costa into a defensive position, but he postured so his brother wouldn’t know. “Okay, let’s go. And we’re getting shots. Lots of shots. I bet I can beat you in how many shots I can take.”

[costakattalakis]

apolloix‌

✺ - // and to think apollo was sick of seeing sterile hospital walls. now he was confined to them, encased in white, suck on a stiff bed. he kept fidgeting so that his legs wouldn’t fall asleep. after the storm, the hospital was severely understaffed, despite the surplus of patients. cases ranged from hypothermia, bruises and broken bones from falling debris, and burns from the clocktower storm. apollo begged the head doctors to let him help, but the burn on his leg needed urgent care.

he’d been tossing and turning, trying to fall asleep, trying to wake up again. sometimes it felt like he was wearing a straitjacket. sometimes apollo wanted to yank the tubes out of his arms, the bandages off his leg. a movie played on the tv in the corner, muted through all the static. apollo wished they’d invest in flatscreens after paying off the damage to the maternity wing.

a knock at the door somewhat roused him, blinking until he could make out the familiar face approaching. “h-hey.” apollo smiled, sitting up. god, to have costa see him so disheveled. “i ordered the lobster actually. this hospital gown can double as a bib.” a small laugh. “i’ve been alright. they think this might actually be a second degree burn, so i’m in here for at least another week or two.”

Constantine grinned, white teeth flashing wholesomely. Of course, the wolf’s thoughts weren’t always wholesome, but he had his moments. Of his siblings, he was probably the one who valued connection the most. He didn’t think he’d know what to do with himself were he to be the only one of his own tribe. The pressure would probably be too much.

“They were fresh out of the lobster. When the water came, they all saw their chance and ran. Of course,” he said, stepping forward, “Doesn’t look like everyone got so lucky.” He watched the other in silence for half a moment. He felt bad for Apollo, felt bad that he’d gotten caught up in whatever fucked up supernatural vendetta was going on now. He didn’t deserve anything that bad.

“Well, if it helps, I bribed the charge nurse to give me your room. Was that weird? Sorry if it was. But I promise I’m not like the other nurses,” Costa said, winking. “I’m a cool nurse. But for real...can I get you anything? Sounds like you’re in pain.”

[costakattalakis]

@apolloix

Constantine had been one of the first to return to work after the hurricane. The injuries were many among the townspeople, and the hospital was needed more than ever. Honestly, the whole incident had thrown him for more of a loop than he’d been expecting, and any time that he wasn’t sitting around moping was time much more well spent. As it was, he’d managed to scrape by for nearly two days working. He disappeared a few times for naps here and there, but no one had noticed anything amiss otherwise. The staff were too busy with patients to care.

Having spent nearly nine hours on his feet, Constantine was on his way to what he felt was a well-earned nap. A name on a chart caught his eye, though - how many Apollos could there be in this town? The only one Constantine knew was the charming musician who’d returned his flirtations. The kid who’d seemed genuinely nice.

Deciding he could put off his break a while longer, Constantine knocked on the door before entering.

“Did someone order the filet mignon and truffle fries?” He announced, tone laced with exhaustion but still good humored. Smiling upon seeing the familiar face, he continued. “Oh, wait, wrong room. But I do have some pain meds. How’re you feeling?”

[costakattalakis]

hcrperhq‌

      The sound of the wind and the old wooden walls made it pretty obvious where they were. It wasn’t going to let anyone forget where they were, that’s for sure. Taking a deep breath, Harper shook her head and looked at the male who sat opposite of her. Yeah. Looks like some people are already trying that. She moved her gaze in the direction that Costa had looked and she saw the same as he had; people getting drunk off alcohol that they wouldn’t have to pay for. She couldn’t help but wonder, would the tavern get paid for all this?

      Someone needs to step up. I would, but… I suck at those things. “I’m sure you would have been great,” Harper spoke and nodded, smiling softly at the words coming from his mouth. “Honestly, I think people would listen to you. You.. You look like an authority guy, if that makes sense,” she said and laughed softly, “I would have followed you.”

      What’s the first thing you’re going to do if - Harper looked over at Costa - when we get out of this? “When we get out of this, I… I’m going to eat pizza.” Harper nodded her head and then laughed, before shaking her head a little bit. “I know it’s a little silly, maybe, but… I don’t know.” She didn’t have family to go see. Harper didn’t have anyone special that she should go and see. The smile on her lips faltered ever so slightly at the thought. “What about you? What’s the first thing you’re going to do once you get outta here?”

“No, I am definitely not an authority guy.” The thought cracked Constantine up, and he smiled. “That’s my brother. He could make anyone listen to him - if he stopped being grumpy long enough to put on his game face. He’s pretty badass.” Constantine was proud of Zach, even if he was the one who chose to distance himself from the back. The bonds of brotherhood ran too deeply to be broken up by most things.

“Pizza? Pizza sounds really fucking great,” he sighed. “No, it’s not silly. It’s a great idea. We can go together! If we’re still alive.” The thought was sobering, but he didn’t mind talking honestly. It was better than pretending they were totally fine. “Hmm. I think I’m going to change my Tinder bio. I feel like there’s something I could do better. Or maybe take a new picture. I’d show you, but my phone ran out of battery.”

[costakattalakis]

apolloix‌

✺ - // apollo coughed up a laugh himself. “yeah but it got you to smile so mission accomplished.” his cheeks still burned, both embarrassed and flattered. he knew something seemed a bit off, despite his satisfied tone. maybe he wasn’t into dudes. usually this scenario flipped, where apollo played the coy lothario. then the girl would blush and he would get her number and so on. she’d tell him upfront if she was gay or taken. oh shit, maybe this guy was taken. “yeah, talk to you later.” he took the flyer back and sighed, knowing he needed to say one more thing. “i’m – sorry if i came on too strong. i’m an idiot.”

“Cheeky. But true.” And this guy was making Constantine smile, that was for sure. Okay, maybe he was a bit...young. But lots of people were for Constantine, and it wasn’t as if he was the paragon of maturity or stable adulthood anyway. Anyways, he was confident enough in the way things could potentially go, and was about to walk away and let Apollo do his thing when the other spoke again. “Sorry? Why sorry.” He quirked a dark eyebrow and shot him a toothy grin. “Feel free to come on as strong as you like. I don’t mind.”

[costakattalakis]

zxchkattalakis‌

“And I thought I was the dramatic piece of shit.” Zach wasn’t all that surprised by his brothers reaction; the connection between them had always been one that held such protective notions, much like the rest of their pack. “We’re not callin’ anyone, the last thing I need if to have to bail one of you bastards out of jail.” Simply jumping someone would never be so simple for those with an affinity for violence.

“Well, I probably learned it from you, so you still are. Don’t worry.” That was the definition of being siblings for Constantine - the ability to give your older brother hell and then have his back. Even if he didn’t seem to want it. Wrinkling his nose in obvious distaste, he shrugged. “That would only be if we got caught. But you’re the boss, big brother. Maybe we could go get a drink? Might make you feel better.”

[costakattalakis]

hcrperhq‌

      “Challenge accepted.” The grin on Harper’s lips widened and a soft chuckle fell from her lips soon after as se looked at him. “You are going down, sweetheart,” she said and winked, then crossed her arms over her chest as she looked at him with a teasing expression on her face. Biting her bottom lip, Harper’s smile fell a little. What if neither of them made it out of this? What if both of them drowned? It was one of Harper’s biggest fears. Drowning.

      Harper swallowed against the lump in her throat and nodded her head slowly at the words coming from the male’s mouth. “Yeah,” she whispered and cleared her throat a little. People at the fire station are set. We’re… Not. She gave him a weak smile and nodded at what he said. “Tell me about it,” she mumbled, while pushing her fingers through her hair. 

      “I guess we’re just going to have to make the most of it.”

“Confidence looks good on you, but we’ll see how long it lasts.” Banter was nice. It kept him distracted from the reality of their bleak situation, but the howling wind and rain wouldn’t let him forget it for long. He wished he could think of a good way to, if not make the situation better, making people feel good about the situation. Or not frightened and anxious.

“Yeah. Looks like some people are already trying that,” Constantine said, glancing over to the people behind the bar, the ones getting drunk off of all the liquor they’d never normally have access to. “We should be working together to do something. Someone needs to step up. I would, but...I suck at those things.” He sighed. “Uh...okay. So distract. What’s the first thing you’re going to do if - when we get out of this?”

[costakattalakis]

ellierosette:

“ ––– Listen,” Ellie piped up, rolling up the sleeves of her plaid flannel blouse. “We’re not going to last in this little place much longer if we all just sit around doing nothing.”  Tension tied her stomach in knots as her fear of drowning gripped her chest, but she refused to succumb to her feelings. “Will you grab the other end?” She asked the person closest to her as she grasped the end of one of the tavern’s tables. “We can push it in front of the door for now.  It won’t hold for long, but it’s better than nothing, right?”

“On it,” Constantine said, quickly jumping to his feet and grabbing the requested table. It wasn’t difficult for him, and he moved to push the table where it was supposed to go. “No, it’s better, right? Totally. I mean...maybe we could stack the chairs against it. Or should we break those down and use those for the windows? Those look like they’ll get fucked up pretty easily too.” But as much as he offered those suggestions, he looked at her to approve them.

[costakattalakis]

hcrperhq

      “Right? If this place had board games, at least we would have something to do while we wait for our inevitable death,” she said and sighed, rolling her eyes before a laugh fell from her lips as she leaned forward and rested her chin against the inside of her hand, looking at the male in front of her. “Oh, I’m a master at Monopoly. Seriously, like… You know how they say that it’s really all about luck? Well, they obviously haven’t played against me yet. I’m the best there is out there,” she said and grinned, while leaning back in her chair, lifting her legs off the ground while wrapping her arms around her legs so they were pressed against her. 

      A sigh fell from her lips soon after, while she rested her chin against the top of her knees. “Do you think we’re going to be alright?” she asked curiously, “I mean, the people at the clocktower, they’re higher up, right? And the people at the fire department, I mean, the building has got to be a lot more sturdy than this place…” 

“Oh yeah? Well, if we get out of this, I challenge you to a Monopoly duel. I meant - when. Because, duh, we’re going to get out of this.” Constantine imbued his words with confidence - after all, he’d survived much worse. A flood, even if it was pretty bad, was just water. There was no way the universe would let him go out like that. Right?

“I...I hope so.” He licked his lips and let a small exhale escape him. “People at the fire station are set. We’re...not. Unless you want to get fucking blitzed. But that’s probably not the best idea right now.” Looking over, he shrugged. “I don’t really know what to do. I usually do, but I got nothing,” he admitted. “Feels like shit.”

[costakattalakis]

hcrperhq:

When the town had been told to evacuate, Harper hadn’t been able to bring any extra clothes, obviously, so as she had left the safety of her apartment, she had been wearing her grey sweatpants along with the matching over-sized, long-sleeved shirt. To begin with, she was pretty certain that it would just be a regular storm, so she didn’t think any of it, but then it picked up and soon, it was obvious that this was more than a rainstorm. On the bridge of her nose rested a pair of her glasses, as she had been reading, a book that she had to leave behind in her bedroom. Harper didn’t make it to either of the safe-zones; the clocktower or the fire-department though, so she decided to seek shelter at the Hangman’s Tavern and it seemed like she hadn’t been the only one doing so. Harper had been sitting on one of the chairs in the back of the tavern, listening to the rain slamming against the rooftop and walls surrounding them, when someone approached her space.

      “Please, sit! Make yourself at home. Seems like we’re stuck here for a while.”

Of course Constantine would end up at the worst place possible. Sure, going for the place with all the alcohol had seemed like the best decision at the time, but with a hurricane incoming, even Constantine had to admit defeat and inaction. There was nothing he could do. At least Zach had also made it here, but drowning together still wasn’t much of a comfort. Or whatever terrible things were to happen.

“Seems so. And the worst part is this place doesn’t have any board games,” he joked. “I usually don’t get a chance to show off my Monopoly skills, and the one time everyone’s in a room with literally nothing else to do and no excuses? Can’t find one anywhere. And here I thought taverns were supposed to be fun.”

[costakattalakis]

apolloix:

✺ - // “i’ll take olive them.” apollo shot finger guns. “get it, because olives.” internally he cringed at the stupidity of his explanation. the number one rule of comedy was to never explain a joke. the compliment fueled the burn in his cheeks, now noticeably scarlet. “oh god. yikes.” he muttered to himself. fingers crossed costa didn’t hear it. usually apollo played the shameless flirt, but now he melted like butter under the sun. “sure, man.” apollo rummaged through his bag, perhaps a bit too eagerly, and handed costa more fliers. “thank you so much, man. i appreciate your help.” a horrible realization hit him. “wait, i think my phone is dead. can you scribble your number on one of the papers ? i’ll put you in my contacts as soon as i can.”

Costa blinked, then burst out laughing. “That was fucking awful. And you know it.” Man, could get this guy get any better? Costa was going to be devastated if things went their usual Oh shit you were into me? Sorry man, but I’m straight way that his nature often steered friendships toward. It didn’t stop him from shamelessly flirting, though. “Okay, it’s a deal,” he said satisfied. He took the fliers and glanced at the front of them before tucking them under his arm. “Shit, isn’t that the worst?” He neglected to mention that he was still getting used to smartphones. Costa still remembered rotary phones. “Yeah, of course.” A pen lay in his pocket from his shift, and he pulled it out and scribbled his number on the outermost flier and reached out to hand it back. “Now I got something to look forward to. Talk to you later?”

[costakattalakis]

julescarter:

Julian shrugged, “I don’t have a choice. Through I did nearly get in a fist fight with her fiance, but now I’ve got one of my own, and she’s a really great girl who I want to do right by.”

He laughed. “Well, considering the fact I’ve been a wolf for almost a century, I’ve got to be at least 118 to 124…I can’t really remember how old I was, but it was in there. So, I highly doubt I was surrounded by models. And, I don’t know if I was rich. I remember my mom died when I was young, my dad was very strict and turned to alcohol after she was gone. He worked a lot, wore nice clothes…he was a real asshole. I went out camping or hiking or something and got attacked. I remember crawling into town and a man, who ended up being Silas, helping me in. Then things get foggy. When I woke up, Nala was at my side. God, she looked like an angel. This is back before she was triggered. Apparently the bite didn’t react well with me and pushed me into a fever I nearly died from. Could’ve been I was already a little sick, could’ve been the fact I was wandering aimlessly bleeding out for who knows how long. I owe Silas and Nala my life. That’s why I never left their sides, and why I always thought…I mean…I had no reason to think otherwise…Never mind.” He shook his head.

“See! There’s a bright side to everything. Well, mostly. But that’s why alcohol was invented - for everything you need to just forget the fuck about.”

Constantine too had been a wolf for quite a long time, but he’d been born one. It was interesting to hear of Julian’s pre-wolf life, as little as he remembered. Constantine wondered what he would have been like if he had been a normal human being. He actually wondered about that a lot. “See, that’s what being a pack should be about. You look out for your packmates and they look out for you, no matter what. Or it should be.” He licked his lips, remembering times when he’d not been thought well of simply because of his sexual preference. He sighed, but something in Julian’s words stopped him from wandering down the road of self pity. “Wait, never mind what? You can’t just start then stop a story.”

[costakattalakis]

@avaxcoleman

Constantine was tired. The town’s tension was dragging on and on, like a television marathon of Teen Mom or something equally painful. He didn’t react to prolonged stress well, and Zach and the others didn’t seem to want to fix the problem awfully much. He’d heard about the Blackwell guy, but that seemed like too much even for Zach’s allowance for Constantine to do whatever he wished. Constantine’s number one loyalty would always to his brother, and he didn’t want to do anything to anger him, even if he suspected that Zach was sometimes unhappy with the decisions Constantine had made since coming to East End.

“Hey, you,” he said, looking over to the person sitting one bench over from him. He wasn’t normally much of a night time guy, but he couldn’t relax at his house. “What’s up? Couldn’t sleep either?”