crooked fangs.

{ samantha everly | twenty-three | vampire } cracked ribs, spilled viscera, there was so much blood, there was so much blood, and a heart beating–– i want i want i want —––between my teeth

[danielprice-blog1]

“Most of ‘em have done a pretty good job of not screwing me over, so I’m glad for that.” 

“Weird’s putting it lightly, but yeah. Wanna head back, or were you going in the other direction?”

[samantha-everly]

Sam steps back to look up at the clock tower, the minutes having ticked by as quick as they usually do with Danny.

“I think I need to go meet up with Max. I’ll see you later?”

[danielprice-blog1]

They get to the Clocktower, and he looks up to its hands. They’re not too far from his workplace and they’re about right on time, still on track to get back before his shift starts. 

“Tell me about it.” That seems especially true with how they’re standing, still ‘50-50′ as ever. “I don’t know about destiny, but I’m glad for all the coincidences that brought us here.” A beat passes before he smiles, more toward the ground. “And whatever happened so I could meet you, anyhow.”

[samantha-everly]

“Yeah. Coincidence sounds more right to me.” Fate has never really appealed to her. Despite the prominent lack of choice in her life, Sam likes to think that she has control over what happens next.

“Me too.” After all, she doesn’t remember a life without Danny in it. “It’d be weird without you around.”

[danielprice-blog1]

Danny laughs, eased somewhat by how quickly she responds. 

“Yeah, well no wonder you guys get along. You don’t hold back, either.” He spares a glance for Sam’s hands as they gather together, looking impressively frail and small for how much she’s capable of holding. Right now, all he can think about is how much he’s grateful for her being here, after everything. “Me neither… More than anything.”

[samantha-everly]

“We get each other.” She usually has to remember to smile, but it’s always the opposite around Danny.

But that smile softens at his words. Sam’s looking up in his direction until she isn’t. Her gaze is back to the road ahead. “Somehow I think everythin’ worked out how it was supposed to.”

[danielprice-blog1]

“He sure is mouthy.”

The next part is a little less comfortable to think about, but he couldn’t say why. “Back then, I dunno. Think it was more up in the air until I met you, and everybody else sorta like us. But maybe you’re right, I would’ve tried. Works both ways though, doesn’t it?” 

[samantha-everly]

“You don’t know the half of it.”

It’s difficult to think about what could be different, or what could have happened. Sam gave up on thoughts like those a long time ago, and she doesn’t decide to pursue it now. Besides, she can’t even imagine who she would be if she never met Danny. “Wouldn’t even be any hesitation.” She wrings her hands as they walk nowhere in particular, but still remembers to smile. “Glad none of that happened.”

[danielprice-blog1]

“You’re pretty observant, huh?” 

The normalcy he’s found with Sam is almost too much–he can’t bear all the appreciation he has for how secure she makes him feel. How encouraging it is to have her smiling the way she does around him. The tips of his ears burn a little when he shrugs, brow quirked as if his grin wasn’t enough. “Probably not. But that’s what happens.” 

[samantha-everly]

“All seein’ all knowin’ thanks to Frisco.”

“Uh-huh. That’s what happens.” Sam doesn’t bother thinking about it, but it’s probably true that she would have really liked some of the people who turned out to be just a meal. Either way, it doesn’t matter. “You prob’ly would’a taken me to lunch if I wasn’t already dead when you found me,” she jokes. 

[danielprice-blog1]

It’s weird–talking about someone having any positive feelings toward him with Sam. At least, it seems that way to him when his stomach does something stupid of a flip, taking matters into it own hands when Sam talks about her lightheartedly. 

Even the potential as a joke is something he doesn’t want to recognize.

“She doesn’t know me.”

“But I think that’ll come in handy when I need an emergency contact for lunch.” 

[samantha-everly]

“Sounds like she wants to,” she teases. Another tiny smile is shot in his direction as proof.

His words aren’t off-putting. They never are. Only natural, and she even nods her head in agreement. “Uh-huh. Bet you won’t have any trouble gettin’ her to come around.”

Sam looks over at the girl again, but she’s a ways away by now. “Bet she’ll be pretty bummed when she finds out the real reason though.”

[danielprice-blog1]

Danny spares a laugh for Sam’s question, but it registers a moment later that this girl won’t take her offer lightly. Bea’s expression shifts, her eyes going a little wider and lips quirking up when she replies, “You wouldn’t mind?” 

And as much as he’d love to set up dinner plans, there’s something more important at hand. Something that stirs a lightness in his chest that he can’t quite place. “Uh… Hey, why don’t we make plans early next week? I still wanna show Sam something.” 

She doesn’t quite bristle, but Bea doesn’t look too pleased with him by the time he’s finished speaking. “Sure, Danny. Maybe next time.” And especially not when she turns to walk off.

“That was weird.” 

[samantha-everly]

Sam doesn’t see it as an excuse, so she turns to Danny with some confused interest. He hadn’t mentioned anything about showing her something, but she doesn’t ask.

The redhead, Bea, leaves after a few more spared words and she’s mostly thankful for the dimming heartbeat. She’s sated for now, but it’s better to be around people like Danny and Max. It’s more difficult for her to focus on any nuance of conversation when fresh blood is so close, but she manages to shake it off.

“Weird?” Maybe because she left in such a hurry. “I think she likes you. She’s pretty cute.”

[danielprice-blog1]

“About what? World War II?” 

“Fair enough. I’ll take it.” Before he can think of another way to oppose, they’re interrupted–all too coincidentally–by a girl he met by the cafe a few weeks ago. She’s not too tall, a little shorter than he is, has curly red hair and talks a little too much about things she thinks she knows too well. 

In other words, food. But he gives a polite smile along with a quirk of his brow. She seems aware of the fact that he’s with someone, but lifts a hand anyway. “Hey, I haven’t seen you in awhile! The coffee shop has been quiet without you, you know.” 

To which, Danny rubs the back of his neck with a sheepish grin. “Oh… Right, sorry. Been pretty caught up because of my late shifts. I’ll try to get around to it soon, though. This is Sam, by the way.” 

In the entirely possible case that they’re unacquainted, he gestures to her and nods. 

“Bea,” she replies, a little more stunted, but Danny’s not sure why. “Nice to meet you. Are you guys just out walking?” 

“Just sorta happened, yeah. Not a whole lot of planning, right Sam?”  

[samantha-everly]

“And other things.”

Sam shoots him a smile before a redhead stops them in their tracks, and it’s easy to put together that her and Danny must know each other pretty well. Either way, she remembers to give the girl a smile as well.

“Uh-huh, just ran into each other a little while ago. D’you wanna talk him off my hands?” She’s only teasing, but sometimes her tone doesn’t get that across. 

[danielprice-blog1]

“A trophy wife, huh?” He looks around to the streets, just barely crowding with people (most of which are fifty years their senior), and shrugs. “Oh, yeah. Lots of potential over here.” 

“So what? I thought we were fifty fifty?”

[samantha-everly]

“I dunno.” The joke comes to mind quicker than usual. “They could know a thing or two.”

“Yeah, we are. So I’ll tell you all my secrets, but I can’t just go around tellin’ you everyone elses.”

[danielprice-blog1]

“For me? I dunno. Sounds like taxidermy, and I don’t eat taxidermy.” 

“What? Since when? Why’s he got it out for me?”

[samantha-everly]

“You never know.” She bumps her hip into him, only joking around. “Could be someone perfect just around the corner.”

“Cause you’re not his friend, that’s why.”

[danielprice-blog1]

“Maybe a race car,” he humors the idea with a laugh, looking down to the ground they’re walking on. 

“Huh? Hell yeah, I want in. He have anything to say about me?”

[samantha-everly]

“What? Why no trophy wife? Bet there are some good candidates around here somewhere.”

“Uh-huh. But I’m sworn to secrecy.”

[danielprice-blog1]

“Definitely hear stories about a little of both. Race cars, trophy wives. Raging against the machine.” 

“Wish I was in on it. Just don’t pay a whole lot of attention to other people unless I’m figuring out what hours the restaurants are open.” It’s a loose metaphor of course, but he figures that goes without saying. 

[samantha-everly]

“Is that what you’re gonna do next? Get a race car and a trophy wife?”

“Maybe if you get Frisco to like you good enough he’ll start tellin’ you all about the people ‘round here.”

[danielprice-blog1]

“How’re we supposed to have a mid life crisis when we don’t have a mid life?”

“’Course not. I’m sure he’s got all the best town gossip, since it goes around the grapevine and back.”

[samantha-everly]

“Do middle aged people go through a rebellion? I just thought they started makin’ bad decisions.”

“Oh, yeah. ‘Course. I hear all about it.”

[danielprice-blog1]

“Oh,” The word drags on a little as he nods his head, getting a better grasp of what she means. “That’s really weird. Think it’d just make me want to screw with it more. ‘Cause something’s telling me not to. Maybe I’m hitting a late rebellious phase.” 

“Huh. Do you talk back to him, too?” 

[samantha-everly]

“Didn’t know you were such a delinquent.” Sam gives him a little smile. “I’ll show you sometime.”

“Well I don’t wanna leave him hangin’.”

[danielprice-blog1]

“Huh. Maybe it’s just a really great place and it’s hard to leave. Definitely wanna check it out now.”

“Oh, yeah? You like ‘em chatty?”

[samantha-everly]

“I mean,” she pauses, trying to think, “not hard to leave. Not like I didn’t wanna leave it. But like I shouldn’t go past it.” She continued on a few extra yards, exploring like usual, when the feeling hit like a wave.

“Uh-huh, for sure. Max walks one sometimes, and he’s so funny. It’s like he’s tryin’ to talk her out of bein’ done. Chatterbox for sure.”

[danielprice-blog1]

“You’re sure you can’t tell me different how? Or… try to, anyway?”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. If you had to pick a different kind of dog, what do you think it’d be? Like… how they look, or the size and all. Not even I know too many of the actual names.”

[samantha-everly]

“Mmmm,” she hums, trying to put it into words. Her head’s always a jumbled mess. “Like everything was fine when I was walkin’ there. And even when I got there. But it was like I stayed a little too long and went a little too far and suddenly I didn’t wanna go anymore.”

“A husky.” She answers that without any hesitation. “They’re so funny and noisy.”

[danielprice-blog1]

“Alright. You can show me whenever we’ve got some more time. Can’t be all that weird when you think about the shit we’ve seen… Right?” 

Maybe it can get weirder, like how much he wants to head back down to the beach with her again for no clear reason. “Sounds like fun, yeah. Definitely not a cat thing, but I wish it was. Sorta thinking about trying to find a stray all over again.”

[samantha-everly]

“I dunno. It’s just different than all that.” There’s no denying that the two of them have seen their fair share, and more, of weird.

“I think you should. You’ve talked about it a whole lot. I bet there’s lots of dogs around here that need a place to stay.”