Hello and welcome to my depraved little corner of tumblr. Here I write for a variety of slasher and horror characters. Primarily will be featuring drabbles with the occasional longer piece. Headcanons will feature from time to time
At the time I do NOT consent for my work to be translated or posted anywhere else.
Below you will find some more information on who and what I write.
MINORS DNI. Due to the nature of these characters and potential content, only 18 and older are allowed.
Author's note: A little fic based off the request I had received from an anon wanting Rusty with a sweet reader who had no idea he was a killer. Hope it's liked! As always, not beta read. Mistakes are my own. Likes are appreciated, but reblogs and comments help keep muse alive and me writing more.
Tagging: @umnitsa
The house was relatively quiet, only the soft subtle music flowing from the kitchen filling the nooks and crannies that had been cold and void of any life. Floating through the entire house was the sweet scent of freshly baked cookies. You hummed gently to the music as you finished putting what remaining dough you had into a cookie sheet before the one that was in the oven needed to be pulled out. Rusty was supposed to be home today and you had wanted to make sure that he had a nice homecoming. He had been out on the road for what felt like forever but in reality was only about a week and a half.
His job was hard. Constantly being out on the road was draining, mentally and physically. It was why you always like to try and make sure that he had something nice to greet him when he walked through the door. A homemade meal or sweets, a warm cup of his favorite coffee, and a gentle smile.
You had spent all day in the kitchen, making a handful of different cookies after you had gotten some homemade bread done. The idea behind it was that you could have enough time to get the cookies and a meal done for him. Oh, what they said about the best laid plans. The cookies had taken longer than anticipated, meaning you were far behind on the plans for the meal. While you knew he wouldn't mind, it still felt like a letdown, leaving you disappointed with yourself. Nothing could be done about it now. You pulled the finished tray out of the oven and popped the last one in. With that set aside to cool before you attempted to move them. Now, you could finally focus on the dinner. Just in time for the front door to open. You closed your eyes, letting out a small sigh. Maybe he could take a nice hot shower and by the time he was finished, dinner could be ready.
Pushing off your own feelings, you wiped your hands on a rag at the same time that you moved towards the door. He was toeing off his boots already, looking like he needed some relaxing.
“Smells good in here.” The low rumbling timber of his voice jolted you out of your thoughts. Heat immediately rushed to your cheeks at having been caught off guard. Moving forward, you leaned up at the same time he leaned down so a kiss could be placed on his cheek.
“I may have made a few of your favorites as a welcome home,” you offered gently, hands moving to his chest. Frowning, you felt a hole that hadn't been there before. In fact, now that you were close, you noticed that his jacket was entirely different. You hoped that nothing bad had happened that had caused it. That was not the thing to focus on right now. You pushed any worries down, knowing that he would talk about it if he wanted. If not, well, you trusted him to handle whatever it was. The truck could have had an issue, and the jacket could have been ruined. It could have been caught on something while they were loading or unloading the truck. Maybe it got covered in something that he just couldn't clean thanks to some small, no-name, disgusting hotel. There were a million different reasons, and not all of them revolved around him getting hurt. His hands gave your hips a squeeze, pulling you back to the present rather than the stray thoughts that had nearly taken over. "I was just getting started on dinner." Rusty was all smiles and soft touches, as he often was after time on the road, and it was something you were more than happy to indulge in and reciprocate.
"You didn't have to do that, darling." He always reminded you. But, you knew he ended up enjoying every second.
"I know. I wanted to. You deserve it after being on the road." Your hands massaged his chest softly, rubbing against the soft material. "Did you want to shower, or I can get you your favorite cup of coffee, and you can sit on the couch to relax while I finish up." It was a fifty fifty shot on which he would choose. Sometimes he went for getting clean, other times he went for the relaxing and unwinding. He hummed softly, and you couldn't help yourself as you leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his chest. If only to feel the rumble of that hum.
"Why don't I give ya a hand?" You laughed softly. No, he wouldn't exactly help but distract.
"Come on. You can do some taste testing instead." You grinned as you grabbed one of his hands in both of your own at first for a small squeeze before bringing him to the kitchen. There was no better feeling than his eyes on you, warm and heavy. It made you feel like you were the only one in the world, the only thing that mattered. The smile that appeared was well worth all the work.
"You really outdid yourself this time, sweetheart. Were you looking to feed an army?" Maybe you had gone a little overboard, but he deserved it.
"Nope. Just one man who has been on the road too long and likely survived off things that barely constitute as food." It took a second to make sure he sat but once he did, you moved to grab a plate of one of everything that you had made, five types of cookies in total, before setting it down in front of him and grabbing a drink.
"Things quiet while I was gone?" The question always came and typically not long after he had gotten home. His hand snagged your waist before you could walk away. The immediate response? One hand moved to rub at his shoulders and his neck, a gentle affection meant to help ease any remaining tension as he enjoyed his small treats. Dinner would have to wait a few moments.
"They always are. Oh!" You were reluctant to pull away, but it was necessary. Another quick kiss to his cheek had you free of his grip. "I have something to show you." He chuckled, the sound pleasant to the ears and filling you with a sense of accomplishment and joy. The I'll be right back went unspoken as you hurried off to the closet in the hallway. This surprise was something that had been worked on quietly for months each and every time he had been on the road. It had been a task to keep it a secret, but you knew it would be well worth it in the end.
"Where did you scurry off to?" He called out. It took a second for you to gather the surprise before heading back.
"I hope you like it…" A sudden rush of insecurity filled your chest. Rusty had been nothing but kind and complimentary towards your endeavors. Even when you knew they fell short. It shouldn't be any different this time.
"If it's from you, I'm sure I'll love it." His brow furrowed as he caught sight of the large blanket you were toting back. "Now, what's all this?"
"Well, it's a blanket that I made for you. Figured you could either bring it with you when you are on the road or if you wanted to keep it here. It doesn't really matter." His expression softened further, the smile that crossed his lips undeniable.
"You are something else," he murmured and reached out to pull you close once more before beginning to inspect the blanket. "Gotta be the luckiest guy in the world." Heat rose to your cheeks. He was the sweetest man. "Ain't nothing better than coming home to you." This time, the kiss was pressed to your lips, soft and sweet, with a hint of the lingering need that underlined it all.
"I'm glad you like it."
"Like it? I love it, darling. It's one of the nicest things that I've ever been given." Another few kisses were peppered against your cheek and to your lips, bringing a giggle out of you.
"I gotta make dinner," you laughed out between the kisses.
"All right." His fingers lingered against you a few extra seconds before finally relinquishing their hold. The freedom allowed you to step back, carefully placing the blanket against one of the chairs, as you planned on what to make that wouldn't take forever. The entire time, you could feel the comforting weight of his gaze and could not stop smiling. As much as he loved being home, you loved having him home more.
Hi!! I've recently been on a major Joy Ride kick and there isn't enough content for Rusty! Can you please write what you think he'd be like with a really sweet partner?
To be more specific, they don't know that Rusty's a serial killer and they're really affectionate, basically spoiling him with attention and baked goods whenever he's home.
I love your works sm!!! Thank you for reading my request.
- 🕸️ Anon
Thank you very much for the request 🕸anon! I appreciate you reaching out with it. There certainly is not enough Rusty content out there. I am glad to be able to provide. This request spawned a little fic first but I thought it would work well as a means of posting my first headcanons. Two for the price of one!
As always: Not beta read, mistakes are my own. Likes are appreciate but reblogs and comments keep the muse alive.
While sweet, there was a certain innocence and naivety to you. Untouched by the horrors of the world. That was what first drew Rusty to you.
You were different from everything he typically encountered. The sort of break that he needed in his life. He had decided to keep you before you had even known of his existence.
Rusty preferred to keep you as innocent as possible, which meant hiding all of his activities from you. You were barred from going into the barn. He explained it as dangerous for you given all the machinery and old equipment. You took the lie without question and obeyed the request.
Doesn't ever want you finding out about what he does on the road. Or be exposed to those sort of people. Makes sure that business never enters the house by any means necessary.
Possessive. Without a doubt. Rarely lets you leave the house on your own. He has to accompany you. It's under the guise of ensuring you had the help you needed. Again, you don't question it.
Constantly has some sort of hand on you, or his body all but plastered to yours when you are out. No one will dare to get close. Not on his watch.
Hates it when you talk with others on those trips. Basically willing to do anything to distract you, cut the conversation short, and move you along.
Happily the guinea pig for any and all baking experiments. Even the ones that are barely edible, which is rare. Sweet about it the entire time with compliments and praise.
Same thing with your cooking. Will devour anything set in front of him. He has his favorites and his heart does melt a bit when you take notice and make those more often.
The first time you make a cup of coffee for him, it's perfect and completely catches him off guard. He didn't tell you how he liked it. It's such a small detail and yet showed your level of care that he is entirely smitten with you all over again. No one has ever bothered to take such care.
At the same time, he reminds you not to over do it and take it easy. He doesn't expect it and wants you to take care of yourself. Even though he never says no when you say you are cooking or baking.
Southern gentleman and yet will allow himself to be pampered. You wanna run him a hot shower after he's been on the road? He won't complain. You made sure his jacket was shown up from a tear? He will make sure to thank you in whayever way you appreciate best. His laundry is done, despite the suspicious stains you never ask about? Man will make sure to run you a hot bath in return.
Free with his affection when he is home with you, showering you in it. Matches the enthusasism that you show for it yourself. The only time he ever feels guilty about being on the road is when he has to leave you.
He adores when you allow him to sprawl out on the couch, with his head in your lap and run your fingers through his hair. It's one of the most relaxing things in the world to him.
Finds out that you love cuddling up to him when watching movies. He makes sure there is always a blanket near by. When he is on the road, he makes sure to leave one of his worn in flannels for you. All little things he would have never thought of before you.
Never does a complaint pass his lips about you being affectionate or clingy. He is happy to hang you pressed against him, hanging onto him, or fluttering around him. The only exception being if he has work to do in the barn.
Ends up getting a guard dog to help keep watch over you when he isn't there. You find it silly since you live in the middle of nowhere but humor him about it since he is so serious.
There was a time when home was a small sanctuary and one that he enjoyed but the pull of the road was far more. As time went on, he enjoyed being out there more than being home. But knowing that he was coming home to you? There was a genuine excitement that bubbled up. A sense of peace knowing he was going home to a well cooked meal and your gentle affection. It put a sense of right into the world and made all the work he put it worth it.
Ultimately: Rusty soaks up every ounce of affection and care that you give him. He's protective and possessive over you, willing to keep you as safe and guarded from the rest of his life as possible.
Update to the character list of who is being added and who is being removed:
Removed: Ethan Belfage, Dr. Richard Sommers, Lawrence O'Neill,O'Reilly, John Sheperd, Cole Bennett, Cylus Atkinson, Raymond Crowe, Jim, Chase Harper
Added:
Tyler Mane characters: Crimson Matthews, Michael Wolffsen, John, RJ Firefly, Andrew Woodsman
Kane Hodder characters: Angus Finn, Jon Roy, Victor Crowley, Sheriff Sickle, Cody,
Derek Mears characters: Hawes, Chissolm, Chameleon, Mr. Elliot
Kyle Gallner characters: Drew, Alex Jacobs, Emmett, Joel
Additional: Travis Hackett, Bones Slaughter, Lucas Baker, Jack Baker, David Powers, Gier Olac Brath, Paul Duerson, Butcher Slater, Roger Bladecut, Viktor Frankenstein, Madison, Patrick "Paddy" Feld, Cooper Abbott, Player 2, Alias, The Other, The Jester
Warnings: Loss of sight, this entire movie? Not much else this go around honestly
Author's note: This is a follow up to my previous witch reader one-shot featuring Mayor Buckman. Far more fluffy this time around. Not beta read, mistakes are my own. Likes are appreciate but reblogs and comments keep the muse alive.
Tagging: @slashingdisneypasta
Mishaps, accidents, and fallouts were an inescapable part of life. Even the best laid plans could turn sideways and upside down without warning. Instances like that were even more common when one was involved with the supernatural. You did everything that you possibly could to minimize the risk and consequence when and where possible. That sort of planning had a habit of working in your favor, leading you to avoid the larger sort of consequences. Negative results and fallouts were often nonconsequential. Part of you knew and had to acknowledge that it was perhaps nothing more than a string of luck that had led to it. Something that you felt a bit blessed to have if anyone were to ask.
There were those times where it did go sideways and did not work out the way that you had wished. When shit did hit the proverbial fan, you had always been on your own to deal with it and find a way to move on from the damage. All before you had shown up to Pleasant Valley a few months late and had come across all of the locals.
The catalyst to the incident hadn't seemed like much at first. A few people were wandering through Pleasant Valley. Not unusual and not something that hadn't been dealt with many, many times over. Whether they were led by yourself or happened to stumble upon the town themselves. The latter was considered a fortunate event and easy work. Semantics that you never really bothered with and were never at the forefront of your mind really.
Since your arrival and the way that a pattern had been established in the way that you and the spirits had been feeding off one another's energies, they were corporal far more often than they weren't. More people wandering around, the more chances they had to see to it that the unjust blood debt was repaid and they were able to rest in peace. The kill count had risen fast over the last few months since you had found a home in the seemingly quant little town.
The people wandering around this time were not college kids or wayward vacationers that had taken a wrong turn. That was the first problem. Apparently, your actions had been enough to attract the sort of attention from the wrong kind of people that you took every measure to avoid. A set of hunters had come looking for you. How they had caught wind of you? That was a mystery but they had arrived and were looking to wipe your existence from the map. These individuals were very different from what the town of Pleasant Valley were used to dealing with. They were smart. They were prepared. They weren't about to be caught off guard by the usual antics. A situation that Buckman and those cursed to walk the grounds had not come across and didn't really know how to deal. They could be violent and ruthless when the moment called for it, yes, but things often worked out in their favor in terms of ease. While the residents were incapable of being injured anymore, you were not so lucky.
The fight hadn't been pleasant. Downright vicious would have been an accurate way to describe it. Wounding them hadn't been easy as they had been ready for most of your tricks. But you had managed. It only caused their resolve to double down, as it often did when hunters found the deck stacked against them. Each blow was returned, damage dealt in turn. It left you battered, bloodied, bruised, and exhausted. If you hadn't been in the town with the extra boost of energy, they likely would have succeeded. They almost did as it was. If it hadn't been for Rufus's timely intervention, there would have been harm done that you would not have been able to recover from; narrowly avoiding being skewered through the chest. As bad as the physical damage that had been done, it was the magical damage.
A rebounded hex of your very own had blasted you right in the face. You hadn't expected them to be able to shield themselves from the hex but it had happened. It was by dumb luck alone that you had not sent anything meant to maim or kill in that moment. Instead, you were left with next to almost no eyesight. A position that was far too vulnerable to be comfortable.
You certainly weren't used to the fact that there were others looking out for your wellbeing and willing to help when you needed it. But things had changed. Something that you had never been more grateful for from the moment that you had woken up. Soft words and a freshly brewed cup of tea had greeted you when you came back to the world of the living. Buckman's southern twang was gentle, though your brain could hardly grab onto what he was saying right away.
Every inch of your body hurt. That quickly became secondary though when you realized that you couldn't entirely see. Blurs, shapes, barely discernible colors. Buckman had been one giant, mostly grey blob sitting beside you.
“Easy there, buttercup. You still with us?” You avoided rubbing your eyes by the skin of your teeth. It would simply make what limited vision that you had worse. While you knew that the hex would eventually wear off, and could be helped along with some carefully brewed teas, it didn't stop the second of panic that built in your chest. “Patched you up the best that we could. It's been a bit since anyone's needed to do it.” Firm hands helped you get into a seated position. “How are ya feeling?”
“Like I've been tossed about and trampled by a bunch of horses.” It was an honest response. You didn't feel the need to try and hide it. There wasn't an inch of you that didn't hurt. You felt pain in places that you didn't know that you had muscles. You could almost hear the frown in his voice.
“Well, nothing for you to worry about right now besides resting in this bed until you are feeling back to yourself.” The shadow that passed in front of your face made you flinch. This time? You heard the reaction that came from the man. It demanded an explanation or he was going to fret.
“I can't…” You swallowed. Even knowing it was okay, the admission was still hard. “I can't exactly see right now.”
“Whadda ya mean you can't exactly see?” The darkness got closer before gentle fingers against your chin turned your head. You knew what he would see. The red would be obvious as it rimmed your eyelids accompanied by a low red haze that would cover your entire eye. The hex had been one of your own creations. It had been meant to throw someone off and leave them defenseless, which it had certainly done. Just not in the manner intended. You had always intended for it to be used as a method of escaping without having to kill someone. Occasionally such moments came up.
“I don't know what those men had but the hex I used rebounded right to me.”
“Is it permanent?”
“No.” You almost shook your head but didn't feel like dislodging the soft touch. It was far too soothing to the nerves that were raw and frayed after nearly dying. Was it your first near death encounter? No. But that didn't make it any easier to deal with. Less so with how you were feeling. “It will wear off but it will take awhile. Two weeks, roughly. Less if I am able to make some teas….”
********************
You hadn't needed to ask for more from that moment on. Granny Boone had been happy to brew teas. Buckman was there, spending a decent amount of time at your side. Whether it was helping you move, giving you the teas, or simply reading to you to help pass the time. You were thankful for his presence. When he wasn’t or couldn't be for one reason or another, Rufus or Huckleberry would be the errand boys.
As anticipated, your vision was slow to clear up, but it did clear up. LIttle by little. It was the most that you had laid around in a long time, years really. And you were feeling a little antsy a week in. You felt that you knew the town well enough to be able to walk around without your sight intact but Buckman was having none of it and apparently, your appeals to Granny Boone fell on deaf ears.
It was a moment of consequences be damned that had you up and at the door when it opened.
“Now, just what do you think you're doing, missy?” Caught and you hadn't even made it out of the door. Now, that was just embarrassing. Given the amused sound that left the man next, your look must have been a cross between embarrassed and sheepish. The look had meant to be apologetic. Before you could say anything though, a gentle touch was guiding your hand. The familiar soft touch of the fabric of his coat. Your arm was through his.
“I know you're getting restless, buttercup.” A sympathetic pat to your hand. “That's why we're getting ya outta this room.” Your eyes instinctively shot in his direction. The blob was a little more defined today than it had been but still, it was far more silhouettes and shapes than anything discernable.
“What?” A chuckle was given. He sounded far too pleased with himself.
“Don't sound so surprised. Ya might offend me.” All a tease. He led you carefully out of the room and into the surprisingly pleasant warm air of the southern fall. The sun directly on your skin was warming, practically feeling like heaven. Even as ridiculous as it felt in the seconds after, you found yourself closing your eyes and soaking in the feeling. Buckman paused, giving you the moment needed to appreciate the feeling. “All right, come on then. We got a little walk before getting to where we need to go.”
*********************
He was considerate the entire walk, making sure to keep you close so you didn't knock into anything. He didn't let anyone run into you either and made sure you were steered clear of any trip hazards along the way. The gentle breeze was pleasant against your skin and the sun felt like heaven after a week cooped up in bed. Buckman was quiet beside you, for the most part. There was a soft hum that came from him. Enough that it was clear and made you smile.
“Now, just gonna need you to stand right there for just one moment.” He pulled away as you gave a nod to show you understood.
“Got it.” Colors were more clear than they had been and you could make out enough to tell that he had led you to the fields. A bit out from the rear of the town. Peaceful. Quiet. A spot that you both were likely to not be bothered at.
“Sit right on down for me, buttercup. Nice and easy.” There was no need for him to help you down but the man wouldn't let you brush off his help. “Got one of your teas right here. Granny brewed it right before we left.”
“Thank you.” He pressed the mug into your hands, making sure your fingers had a good grasp before moving about once more. “You didn't need to do this. Not that I'm not appreciative. Clearly, I was crawling the walls… I just know you have other things that you need to see after.” You took a sip of the tea and hummed softly.
“Don't you go starting any of that,” he chided, taking a spot right next to you. A sigh that sounded like some relief came from him. Buckman was a busy man, the entire town dead or not. The responsibility fell on his shoulders. All of it. From making sure victims were lured in, to ensuring that they all made it to their final resting place. As fun loving and lively as he was, you knew that it wore on him. “We both needed a little rest. You needed outta that bed and I needed a break from those boys.” The comment brought a laugh. You knew he loved his sons but they certainly were a handful at times.
“Well, I have to thank you, anyway. Hopefully, my vision will clear up fully in the next two weeks and I'll be back to helping out like I should be.”
“Only thing you gotta focus on right now sweetheart, is getting better.” This entire thing would have been an utter nightmare if you had been on your own. Every soul guaranteed protection and a chance to heal where you didn't have to constantly look over your shoulder or hole up somewhere and pray you wouldn't be found. You leaned against Buckman lightly, smiling as you sipped the tea. He was content to drink whatever alcohol was his choice of poison today and regal you with stories of some of the more embarrassing predicaments that the townsfolk and himself had found themselves in. Things that had been lost to history and would have been forever forgotten if he hadn't been there to share it with you.
This was just what you needed. The warmth of the sun, the smell of the grass, and the light breeze blowing through. It was funny how you could count on the revenge spirit beside you more than you could anyone living that had been in your life.
Author's note: First Jason fic! Can I get a hell yeah? I went in with non-zombie Jason in my head, but you could picture whichever version floats your boat. Soft boy needs an equally soft soulmate. Not beta read. Mistakes are my own. Likes are appreciated but reblogs and comments help keep the muse alive.
Birds chirped overhead, the gentle rustle of leaves both below and overhead helped break the silence of the woods, and the scent of dew and wet leaf litter from the recent rain clung to the air. There was not any sort of ominous presence that blanketed the area. No sense of aggression or rage. No. There was a deep sense of sadness, as if the forest itself was practically forlorn. That was what remained here. The lingering hints of trauma and tragedy.
The trip out to the woods had been a little impromptu. An argument with your parents had been the inciting cause. They had always been persistent and regimented when it came to raising you, and that included trying to sort out your soulmate. Or lack of one. The timer that was supposed to count down to the fated meeting hadn't been running correctly since you were a teen. They saw it as a sign that you were broken, defective in a way that couldn't be fixed properly, so they had to do something to save face. That something came in the form of trying to marry you off.
The idea was never something you had agreed with or to and promised yourself that you never would. To marry someone simply because your parents felt it proper and to save reputation was a deplorable idea. It churned your stomach and burned your throat in the worst way.
As always, the argument had come down to them all but telling you that you had no choice. It was unreasonable to expect anything else. You had shot back that their expectations were unreasonable and treated you like far more a commodity and an item that they possessed than a person. Such arguments left a sour taste in your mouth and a desire to escape. Anywhere in the end by typically into the peacefulness of nature.
You were all by yourself, and while you had not intended to end up as close to the infamous Crystal Lake as you had, things had happened on your hike, and there you stood. The sun reflected off the water beautifully. It stood in stark contrast to the decaying buildings that once housed a summer camp. Taking in the sight, you felt that deep sense of sadness more than anything else. Lives cut short. One that stood out above the rest. No child deserved to have their life cut short in such a tragic, violent manner.
“I'm sorry,” you murmured out without thinking. It was clear to see that most who visited the place weren't respectful. Of what had happened or of nature itself. With a shake of your head, you set your pack down and reached in for a garbage bag. You might as well try to do some clean-up while you were here. The entire day had been dedicated to being in the woods and finding peace within nature. Cleaning up after idiots that trashed the place wasn't ideal, but it was a little giving back. Trash made its way into the bag that you fully planned on hiking out with. Every so often, you would find yourself stopping and glancing around or staring at the water. It was hard to imagine the place vibrant and well cared for, with kids running around, counselors chatting, and the smell of campfires and campfire foods.
It felt like you had hardly made a dent in anything when there was a small thump beside you. You paused to listen. Nothing. Several seconds passed by with nothing before you heard it again. It was a small sound, but it was there nonetheless. You settled your pack and the bag of garbage down in order to investigate. It was coming from some of the debris of what was once a cabin to your left. Worried that it might be some trapped animal, you began to pick through the pile of trash, twisted metal, and broken wood. Little by little, it was cleared away. Your first instinct had been right. There was a small rabbit tangled in the remnants of what had once been sheets, under a few pieces of wood.
“Hey there. It's okay,” you cooed gently. The little animal was going to panic and break its back if it continued. While you knew no amount of soothing would help it calm, you couldn't bring yourself to stop. “I'm gonna get you out of there. You just need to give me just a second here since you are so tangled. We don't want you breaking your back.” The rabbit was a prey animal. Logically, you knew that there was little you could do to calm it down, and it would sooner break its back in an attempt to get away before just laying there. Still, you persisted and gently rubbed its head. It seemed to stop thrashing somewhat. Anything was better than nothing. It took some time and effort to untangle the frayed sheets enough for the little animal to be free, all the while you cooed and reassured it. After what felt like forever, you managed to pull the last piece of fabric away.
“There you go, little guy. All set and free. Go on, I'm sure there is a nest somewhere around here for you.” You chuckled as the bunny bounded off without hesitation, scurrying into the woods. Two good deeds for the day done. Well, mostly done. You planned on cleaning up a little more trash before needing to hike back towards the trail head and your car.
A sense of accomplishment filled you. Others might have found it silly. All in all, there wasn't a massive difference, but you felt better for the deed having been done.
“Okay. Rabbit freed and trash cleaned up. Pretty decent day.” It had put you in a better mindset than when you had first entered the woods. The sadness of the place hadn't leeched into you, but rather the quiet, peaceful stillness of it had. You let out a low sigh, the sort that came from a day of hard work that left a satisfied feeling brimming from your very core. That's when the crunching out of twigs breaking behind you sounded out. Gone was the peaceful stillness, and instead, there was that eerie, spine tingling sense of being watched. It wouldn't have been unusual to come across others who were hiking. Or troublemakers looking to make something out of an old ghost story. Generally, their presence was announced, and they called out to not catch someone off guard. There wasn't another sound. The crunching stopped as if whoever it was had stood stock still. An animal would have kept moving. The hair on the back of your neck stood as the sensation morphed into that sense of no longer being alone. Eyes were most certainly on you.
It was a struggle to not turn and look. If you let whoever it was know that you knew they were there, the situation could escalate quickly. You had wanted the time to assess it all and figure out your best course of action. Running through the woods in a wild panic was not the best plan and likely the quickest way for harm to come to you. Thinking was critical. So, instead of giving into the prey instinct of running, you stood there and observed the scene that you had helped to clean. Small details that seemed insignificant lost to time. A small stuffed bear lay half under one of the dilapidated cabins. The fire pit was nearly lost to leaf matter and the rummaging of the local wildlife who had likely tried to find whatever remnants remained from what had caused the smells. It was almost like you could still hear the sounds of children playing. Then, screaming in terror as the grief of a mother brought bloodshed to the ground.
There still had been no movements behind you. Whoever, whatever it was, hadn't moved from the spot it had stopped. The feeling had not vanished. Squaring your shoulders, you took a deep breath and shifted to head back in the direction that you had come from. Despite the overgrowth, it was relatively easy to find the trail. You carefully listened, trying to remain as calm as possible. There were footsteps, semi hurried, that followed right behind you. The need to look could no longer be denied. You took one more step before quickly spinning on your heels. There was someone there. Not just anyone. No. The hulking mountain of a man that stood there screamed intimidation. A worn, dirty looking hockey mask covered his face, the skull that could be seen around it misshapen enough to look odd. A machete was tightly clutched in one hand. His clothes? Ragged, worn, torn in some places. This was someone who was out here in these woods. Someone who had likely been that way for quite a while. He was utterly silent, only adding to the intimidation factor. Yet, there was not another move made. He did not yet forward to close the distance. The machete remained at his side.
You couldn't take your eyes off of him. A warmth flooded the skin of your forearm, right where your timer sat. It bordered on painful, certainly meeting the requirements for discomfort. As if there was a match lit under your skin.
A stand-off. That's what it was. Neither of you made a move, and while there was tension, you couldn't help but notice that he hadn't moved to harm you just yet. If he was there to do that, he wouldn't have stopped. Right? He would have just gotten on with it. Unless he was waiting for you to run? The world continued to turn. The birds chirped. The leaves rustled with the soft breeze that blew through. Even so, it felt like time was standing still. His head tipped to the side, only slightly. Curious. That was what it signaled. Your weight shifted foot to foot, trying to understand what was happening here and what the next logical step was going to be.
“Um, hi,” you started. There wasn't any harm in seeing where this was going, right? It was either some sort of prank or a misunderstanding. Or it could be that there was some credence to the ghost stories that floated around about Crystal Lake. “I'm sorry. Uh, about being here if I wasn't supposed to be. I accidentally came upon the place while out on a hike and figured a little clean-up wouldn't hurt. No one should be leaving trash like that….” Still, nothing came from the man. There was not a single sign that he understood what you were saying. The trash bag at your side shook a little as you couldn't help but reach across and clasp your forearm with your free hand. A quick glance down, something deemed worth the risk, only caused the confusion situation to become all the more unsteady. Your timer, the one that had ticked up instead of down, that had flickered in and out at times, that had never functioned correctly before now, had finally hit zero. That meant one thing. Your eyes shot back up to the man that stood across from you.
You hadn't thought the timer would ever hit zero. Those words from your parents echoed in your head. Despite the best attempts to not let them get to you, after hearing it so long, you had started to believe that you were broken and would never find a soulmate. You had started to believe that you didn't even have one. Now you were staring down the other that was that very individual.
How did you even bring it up? Especially with a man who had yet to say a word. He may not even be able to say anything. Would he care? What was he really doing out here? A million and one questions swirled through your head, yet nothing came from your mouth. Effectively, you had been rendered entirely mute by the discovery.
A step. The first movement that he had made, and it was a single step closer to you. You made no move to run. You couldn't, feeling physically rooted to your spot now that you had found your soulmate. Everything else seemed a distant buzz, not worthy of focus or time. Silence continued to stretch out between you. The next movement was swift, this time no hesitation as he closed the distance. Standing before you, he was even taller than he had seemed at a fifteen foot distance. He smelled of the forest and something else. Something that you couldn't entirely identify. This close, it was obvious that the machete was old, but it wasn't just rust that stained the blade. That was blood. Who's or what's blood was the question. This close, you could see that there was a difference in the level of his eyes, one appearing lower than the other through the mask. This close, his presence felt overwhelming. The peace that had been achieved slowly melted away, and yet panic hadn't clawed at your throat. You weren't running away screaming. He could kill you right now, soulmate or not, and you wouldn't have had a chance to even attempt to survive.
Staring at the man, you could do nothing but wait for some sort of sign, anything to come from him that would indicate how this would go. His head tipped a little more, his breathing calm and even. You hadn't expected his hand to move at a lightning speed and grab a hold of your chin. Not your throat, your jaw, more than anything. The touch wasn't harsh, but it wasn't exactly soft either. You swallowed hard, remaining stock still in the hold. It felt like neither of you was going to blink. While firm, it didn't feel overly threatening. Now, it was a different sort of standoff. You couldn't possibly know what was going through his head at that moment.
The seconds slipped by, turning into minutes. The longer it went on, the more unsure you were about this all. The stare felt heavy, as if he was trying to see through you or into your soul. Your hair stood on end, and your skin prickled under the intense scrutiny. Even so, you found yourself slowly raising one hand. Gently, ever so gently, you laid it against the thick forearm, fingers curling against the muscle. It wasn't a grip. it wasn't meant to be any attempt to pry his hand off of you. That idea was a stupid one, and you knew it without trying. He could easily overpower you, and pissing him off was not something you wanted to do right then. No, it was a soft touch that meant to convey that you weren't going to go anywhere. Not right then. Everything was okay.
To your shock, his posture seemed to relax almost instantly. Shoulders dropped, spine curled from ram rod straight, and all that tension uncoiled in an unspectacular fashion. You weren't sure what you had expected, but that sort of relief was not it. Gathering your courage, you ventured to speak once more.
“It's okay.” The same tone that you had used on the frightened rabbit was used on the massive man. You could just feel it in your gut that it was the right approach. “I won't go anywhere right now. I know it's gotta be a lot for you. It is for me, too. We can figure this out. Together. If you want. Does that sound like a plan?” A response was given this time, and you couldn't help but smile. It was a stiff nod, but it was better than the silence or seemingly blank affect that you had gotten before. Before you could comprehend exactly what was happening, he had swept you up into his arms, bags, and all, as if you weighed nothing. Some of that fear came back, but you fought to tamper it down. You could walk, but apparently, that was off the table, and frankly, you didn't feel like asking or demanding and stirring the pot.
The whole thing wouldn't be easy. You knew that somewhere in the back of your mind, but this was your soulmate. Whoever this was. That meant it was worth a try.
Warning: Canon typical violence, Hoyt being Hoyt, injury, cannibalism (mentioned in passing), blood, minor character death
Author's note: It's been a year since I've been around? Jeez. I hadn't meant to up and disappear. Life happened, as it often does and not only pulled me away but also stomped on any muse. It's been a while since I've written, but I received a burst of inspiration to finish this last evening. Hope everyone enjoys. There are some more things coming. The character list is also going to be revamped. As always, not beta read and mistakes are my own. Likes always appreciated but reblogs and comments help keep muse alive.
Tags: Uh, not sure if anyone would want to be tagged. Let me know.
Deep, slow breaths. In and out. The action was calming, and calming was just what you needed right now. Lord save you from the stubbornness of southern men. Now, did Hoyt and you always see eye to eye? Hardly. But, you also understood that, for the most part, his intentions were good when it came to protecting and helping the family. Sure, that would be very different from what most would accept as protecting and helping, but no one else was going to give a shit about any of you, so you all did what it took to survive. But, there were times, just like right now, that the man made you want to pull out every last strand of hair on your head.
Though, if it was any sort of consolation, the man looked like he was about ready to do the same. Or reach across the table and throttle you. If you weren't family and weren't important to Thomas, there wasn't a doubt in the world that he would be doing just that. Maybe it was because you had known him and the family for years that made it easier and more comfortable for you to challenge and not worry about being harmed.
“Listen,” you started slowly, your voice far more steady than before and far more calm. “I'm not saying that you are wrong or that it can't be done. I'm just saying how we go about doing this is the problem. Someone is going to get hurt. And as good as we've become patching up wounds, there are things that are beyond our skill. And I don't think anyone wants a repeat of what happened with Monte.” A small light of recognition flitted in his eyes, but the man was too prideful and stubborn.
“Well, it's a good thing I didn't ask for your opinion, sweetheart. Why don't you and Tommy just go to the basement and leave it all up to me, like it always is.” A frustrated groan escaped you before the sound could be stopped, and you looked to the ceiling as if asking God himself for some help. Not that any would come your way.
“No, you didn't. So, don't be a grouch when things don't work out the way that you want them to.” It was a nice way of saying don't be an asshole since as much as you wanted to say it, you couldn't bring yourself to do so.
You could feel Tommy’s presence not far behind you. No doubt he watched the exchange. He trusted Hoyt, but sometimes, he got a little overprotective of you when you and Hoyt went at it. Shoulders slumped and defeat conceded as much as your pride would allow. You walked over to the mountain of a man, whose eyes slipped to you almost as soon as you turned. A smile was quickly given to assure him that everything was fine. There wasn't any sure fire way to guarantee that. If the feeling in your gut was anything to go by, things were going to get messy. Quickly. It wouldn't just be Hoyt dealing with the consequences of his decision either. You all would. There was nothing to be done about that now. All you could do was be as prepared as one possible could be. Those thoughts temporarily slipped away when Thomas reached out, his large hand engulfing yours.
“It's okay, Tommy,” you soothed, voice not above a whisper. There was a sound akin to a grunt that came from him, but the issue wasn't pressed anymore. You both headed upstairs to your room instead, knowing that chaos would likely start soon.
Screams filled the night. The loud roar of the chainsaw rumbled out, attempting to overpower both physically and figuratively. The heavy, copper scent of blood tinged the air that entered your lungs. Not all from the prey that was meant to fill the freezer.
You had told Hoyt. Repeatedly. The couple he had set eyes on weren't a good choice. They had been looking at land not far from the Hewitt property. Lord only knew the reason that they were coming to a desolate town. You hadn't been too bothered listening to the story. The polite smiling and appropriate responses back had been muscle memory, an act that felt as mindless as breathing by now. He had been worried about them being too close. You had been worried about the military background of the man.
Then he had mentioned the friends that would be joining them. A little commune of sorts of veterans. The sort of shit that Hoyt wouldn't have touched with a ten foot pole. That stubbornness had saved your lives. There was no doubt about that. But, that stubbornness would be what caused problems.
Oh, how right you were to be worried. This one wasn't going down without a fight. Nor were his two friends. In the explosion of violence that overtook the home, you had lost track of almost everyone. It had broken down so quickly that your head had spun. The first concern in your mind was getting Luda Mae out of dodge. Tommy and Hoyt would have to be the ones who handled the men, even if they were at a numbers disadvantage. You had managed to grab the older woman and just pull her out of the grasp of one of the men. It put you in the direct line of fire.
Luda had whacked at him with a frying pan, knocking him upside the head, but the blow had come too late. The men weren't looking to take hostages and escape. They were looking to kill. The shard of glass he had picked up from the basement dug deep into your side. Pain erupted and panic immediately welled up in your chest. No. Not like this.
The chainsaw roar reached your ears, and you hoped against hope that Tommy was making out better than you. He had to have at least one of them dealt with by now. Hoyt? Hopefully, he was on the other one.
The man was dazed from the hit to the head but not knocked out. He drew the glass back and went for your throat this time. It was only because you lunched forward to throw him off balance, did the strike miss, and cause the glass to be embedded in your shoulder. It was your own blood that lingered in the air this time. Another blow from Luda and survival instinct that caused you to latch onto the man's neck, hard, biting down with all of your might. The man struggled, but he was far more disoriented. Luda kept whacking away while you refused to ease the pressure of your jaw. Even as spots began to dance before your eyes. When you pulled back, flesh came with it, and blood sprayed.
The room spun, and your legs gave out, refusing to support your weight as the body in front of you dropped to the floor. You could hear the exclamation that came from Luda, but it was muffled. It took a lot of energy for you to push yourself back into the wall. Blood seeped from the wound on your shoulder but was more of a steady flow from the stab wound to your side. Tommy. The only thing in that moment that you so desperately wanted was the one man who brought peace to your world, who mattered more than anything else.
“Ah, shit. What happened, ma?” Hoyt appeared in the doorway, bloodied with a gash to his right arm but appearing overall none the worse for wear. He stepped towards you immediately, knowing that Tommy was still preoccupied with the last of the meat.
You glanced upward in time to see a worried look cross the face of Hoyt. Then he was scooping you up off of the floor. No matter how hard you tried in that moment, you couldn't stop the pained yelp that came.
“On the couch, now.” Muscles twitched and spasmed out of control, pain invading every sense and being the sole thing you were aware of right then and there. Everything else faded to the background before going black.
**********************************************
A warmth pressed to your forehead. Heavy and present. It was the first thing that you felt aware of as consciously filtered back. As you went to move it away, your hand found that it wasn't any cloth. A hand was pressed to your skin. Not just any hand. Large, calloused, scarred. Tommy. A small whimper came from your left. The pain. Every breath brought a screaming sense of agony to your side and your right arm.
“Tommy?” Another soft sound, halfway between a whimper and a grunt. His hand moved from your forehead to your cheek. His skin felt cool against yours. That never happened. Tommy was practically a human fireplace. He was always warmer than you.
“Tommy, ya gotta let ma change those bandages.” You could feel the way that his arm tensed, even as his touch remained soft. It was your signal to open your eyes. The room was bathed in the waning light of the day. You didn't know which day. Hoyt stood in the doorway, and Tommy was glaring daggers in his direction.
“It's okay…” A shiver wracked your frame before you could reach up. The movement brought his attention back to you. “Tommy, it's okay.” He looked so sad. The sort of sad that you hadn't seen on his face in years. Haunted and terrified. Nothing made Tommy look like that. It had to be bad.
“Glad to see you up, sweetheart.” Hoyt's voice was soft, and you couldn't quite make out his expression, only quickly glancing at him before refocusing on Tommy. He didn't say another word before silently leaving.
Tommy leaned down and pressed his forehead to yours. The soft sounds that came from him practically broke your heart. You tried your best to reassure him softly, but nothing seemed to ease that fear and sadness. He was blaming himself for you being hurt. There was no doubt in your mind. It wasn't his fault. You knew that. Logically, he couldn't be everywhere at once, dealing with the group.
“I'm here. I'm gonna be okay. None of this is your fault, Tommy.” A huff came from him. No, he wouldn't believe you. “I promise. I couldn't ask for anyone better to look after me than you. I love you.” His free hand took yours and carefully pressed it to his chest, over his heart. A returned sentiment without words.
“Honey, you're up.” Luda appeared, interrupting the soft moment. Just how long she had been standing there was a mystery. You were not going to ask about it. “I have some medicine you'll have to take for that fever. And we have to change those bandages. Tommy's gonna need to help get you moved around for it.”
“Okay.” You felt tired. Agreeing to what needed to be done, dutifully, you took the medication that was handed to you while Tommy helped you hold the glass of water. Your mind wandered, trying not to focus on the pain as your frame was shifted and Luda inspected and cleaned the wounds. You were alive. That was what mattered. Once you could get out of this bed, you were going to give Hoyt hell over the decisions. Maybe next time, he would listen to you.
Apparently, I've been around a whole year already. Sort of mind boggling to think about. Thanks for all the follows and reblogs. Wasn't sure what to expect when I first ventured into the horror fandom. To all the awesome friends I've made in the past year, I appreciate you all!
This is not a drill. I am finally starting in on The Evil Dead Franchise. Let's see how this goes. One of the first "classic" franchises that I'm actually starting off with the first movie.
When you write for Jason Voorhees, do you have a specific iteration of Jason in mind?
Oh, this is a good question. Honestly? It's kind of an amalgamation of Jasons. Most of the time, it's some variation of an alive Jason. But at the same time, the presence that Hodder brought to him is always there in my mind? The first Friday movie I saw was admittedly the 2009 remake. So, it's a mix of the appearance of Mears and Brooker with the presence, movement, and just that thing that Hodder shaped into the character. Not that I have anything against zombie Jason, and do love him as much. But "alive"/non zombified physical Jason tends to be who I see in my mind when I write.
Warnings: Death, the movie itself, and Buckman count
Author's Note: Another Buckman piece! And the second of the day because I couldn't wait. This one wouldn't exist without @tinalbion . Not only did I receive amazing encouragement, but I was also given the blessing to write this based on her work. Find it right here, and please go read, follow, and reblog. I will continue to shout her praises from the rooftops to the end of time.
Tagging: @slashingdisneypasta
Having grown up on a farm, you weren't a stranger to hard work. Everyone did their part, pulled their weight. It was how it had always been. For generations back. You remembered listening to your father talk about it and rolling your eyes when you were younger. There was only so much one could take of listening to how Grandpa Thomas had worked for his father and so on, with the farm being passed down.
It was just you and your brother to help out your parents. It meant that you weren't treated any differently from him. Whatever he had to do, you had to do as well. Not that you ever minded. It was nice to be on evening footing. Especially since your brother was a troublemaker and a pain in the ass. He rarely, if ever, got away with anything because he wasn't special like you had seen happen with some families.
The farm was fairly self-sufficient. The land provided almost all of the food that you needed. Veggies, fruit, and meat. From an early age, you and your brother were taught how to hunt. It wasn't a game. It wasn't for trophies. It was for survival. And you treated it as such.
You were a far better shot than your brother, something that caught your father's attention. A shared hobby for both of you as he helped hone in your skills. He taught you all he knew, having done trick shots himself. It was good quality time for the two of you outside all of the work that came with running the family farm. You won a few local competitions, and it almost got to the point that you were getting some interest to do it professionally, but honestly, that had never really been your interest. As much as you enjoyed it, you wanted it to remain that. Enjoyable. Moving to doing it professionally would have taken that away. It would become too serious.
That didn't mean that you had an idea of what you wanted to do with your life. And there wasn't a whole lot of extra money going around to be able to send you off to college or anything like that. Neither of your parents pushed. They liked having you around and helping on the farm. None of it really mattered when the house burned down and you lost everyone and everything that you had ever known. All it took was one small instance, and your life was forever changed.
The insurance money that came in didn't mean much to you. What were you supposed to do with it? Money didn't replace your family. It only numbed things for so long. There was no amount of traveling, fine dining, or purchases that could be made that would ease the pain that you had suffered. It had allowed you to travel, though, the only thing that kept you from going insane if you were honest. The constant moving along with the need for focus, if only to know where you were going, what you were doing, where you would be staying, was a helpful distraction. Not foolproof, but enough that you could at least move through life without it feeling like everything was crumbling down around you and everything else was pointless.
Aimless. The travel and wandering were fairly aimless. All until you came across a small place down in Georgia. Pleasant Valley. Now, things had been a little crazy in your life but the last thing that you had ever expected to come across were a bunch of cannibalistic Civil War ghosts that were stuck to their homes due to tragedy. Torn away from their lives, any friends or family that hadn't been in town that fateful day, everything that they had ever known. While their tragedy was far worse than your own, it was more relatable than just about anything that you had come across since you had lost your family. In an odd way, it almost felt like you were meant to find the place. Whether they felt that way or not took quite some time to figure out.
You had earned your place in Pleasant Valley by accident, really. Clueless as to what was really going on, you had seen one of the guys that had stopped into town shortly before you holding Granny Boone at knife point. It had happened without a lot of thought, an almost knee-jerk reaction that you had never had before, but you couldn't stand the thought of seeing the older woman hurt. The man was spouting babble, though you hardly paid much attention. Something about his friends dying since coming to the quiet town.
Sure, it was backwards. More than you really cared to think about. But it was nice. The people were pleasant. It was quiet. Here, there weren't thoughts of your family that plagued you night and day. So, it was almost on instinct when you pulled your gun and shot at the man. The first thing that you had actually shot another human. There was no ringing in your ears, no concern about what would come after that. Especially as eyes turned to you and wide grins appeared on faces. That was when you realized things were a little more off than even you had realized when it came to Pleasant Valley.
Granny Boone and Mayor Buckman had pulled you to the side after that, trying to make a determination if you were going to be allowed to stay or if you were going to join the man and his friends. Not something that you realized when they had pulled you into the hotel, under the guise of making sure that you didn’t go into shock. Calm, you had remained calm through it all, even surprising yourself. The man needed to be stopped, and if that required you to kill him to do so, then it was what it was.
*************
Things had drastically changed for you from then on. You had gone from wandering aimlessly and not having a place of your own to suddenly having another place where you belonged. Even if you were slightly out of time and place among the others. While Granny Boone had not needed the protection, it had earned some favor among most of the town that you had done so without thought of the consequences. And it only grew the longer that you stayed and the less they seemed to have to worry that you were going to cause any trouble. Could you have? You didn't know. Nothing seemed to truly affect the ghosts. They were beings around you, ones that you could physically touch and interact with, but any physical harm seemed to do no damage. They moved on as if nothing had happened. You supposed that was a good thing, meaning when others came to Pleasant Valley, you really only needed to worry about yourself. Not that you wouldn't defend them when the moment was called for. The town was a fucked up family but in the end, it was the fucked up family that you had been adopted into, and ghosts or not, you didn't want to see anything happen to them.
It had taken some time to find a rhythm. Not like there was a lot of experience out there to go off of now that you had found yourself living among ghosts in a town that technically didn't really exist? At least not as a town anymore. But, eventually, you managed. Surprisingly, or maybe it shouldn't have been all that surprising, it was Buckman that made things easier. Saving Boone had apparently gained you more favor with him than anyone else. He had a charm about him, that much was obvious. Even when he wasn't putting on an act for anyone coming through. Natural charisma, that was what made the sometimes boisterous attitude tolerable when compared to anyone else.
“So, you never explained to any of us how you got so good with that gun of yours.” They didn't know half of it, having only seen you shoot a handful of times, and only when there was a person to aim it at. The two of you were relaxing out behind the barns, overlooking an empty field. Some food and drink sat between you both. His reasoning for the impromptu picnic? Getting to know the newest member of the town better. The reasoning didn't matter all that much to you. It was a real meal and a moment to relax. Something that you found yourself doing more and more while here in Pleasant Valley. It was funny how you would feel at ease and comfortable around a bunch of ghosts that routinely killed and ate people. “Not something that many women know how to do.” Right. Another reminder of how different the lives that you had led were.
“Well,” you started off slowly. The memories of your family were still painful. Surely, something that he would understand. Buckman was silent next to you, watching and waiting patiently. “I grew up on a farm. It was my brother, my parents, and I. It was always all hands on deck, doing everything around the farm. Didn't matter who you were. You could do every job to keep the place running if someone was ill or out of commission for any reason. It kept costs down, not having to hire help. And honestly? It was a point of pride that we ran it on our own since the farm had been in my family for generations.” Buckman nodded, not saying anything to allow you a second to gather yourself. A few seconds passed without another word spoken. You shook your head and were able to continue after another moment.
“Being self-sufficient meant that we also hunted for our meat. My father taught my brother and I when we were young. It was a matter of ensuring that there was always food on the table.” A smile came to your face finally. “Turned out I was a better shot than my brother. By a long shot. Hunting became a shared activity. But, my father was also a marksman. He taught me everything that he knew. Honestly, they are some of my best memories. Standing out in the middle of a field like this, shooting tin cans off a stump or a fence.” It wasn't a lie. Those were some of the best memories of your childhood. Carefree, happy.
“Sounds like it was a good time for the both of you.” You risked a glance at Buckman, noting that the man seemed to be in thought after that comment. It was not something that you wanted to press.
*********************************
“I don't know….” Harper hummed out. You rolled your eyes as he acted as if he didn't already know how he was going to respond.
“Respectfully, we both know that's bullshit,” you offered back, swallowing down the laugh that wanted to come with the words. The corners of his lips twitched, obvious that he was trying to fight a smile himself. Before anything further could be said, there was a hollar of your name. Buckman. Looking over your shoulder, you saw the man hurrying up to the both of you. He looked pleased with himself, a broad smile on his face. Harper took a step back, greeting the man with a warm hello and smile of his own.
“Been looking all over for you this morning, sweetheart.” That was news to you. Especially since you were under the impression that he had a lot of things to do today. What was there for a mayor of a ghost town to do? You had no idea but didn't question either. There were a lot of things that you didn't bother questioning since this had become your home. It wasn't worth trying to figure out. While you knew it would come to an end one day, after all that was what they were pushing for, an ending to all of this. Peace. You pushed the rapidly spiraling thoughts away the best that you could and turned to face the man fully as he came to a stop beside you.
“And to what do I owe the honor today?”
“I'm not interrupting anything, am I?” There was a note to his voice that meant something else was underlying. But it wasn't anything you could place right away.
“Not at all, sir. we were just finishing up our conversation.” You weren't anywhere close to the end of the conversation, but you had to let it go for now, shooting the man a look as if to say that this wasn't over. Nothing else could be said, though, as he walked away, leaving you with Buckman and whatever plans that he had for the day.
“That boy could sweet talk his way out of anything.” Buckman sucked in a breath for a moment before his eyes found you once more.
“And he knows it too, which is the problem.” A laugh accompanied the words. “Well, I guess I should apologize to have you running around town all morning looking for me.”
“Nonsense, sweetheart. You aren't prisoner to any one place here.” The comment would have sounded ridiculous to anyone on the outside. Leaving meant risking, not finding them again. But at the same time, no one had forced you to stay, and you had free reign to move about as you pleased. Really, you were less of a prisoner to Pleasant Valley than they were. “Besides, not finding you right away ended up giving some of that weather time to pass. Gives us a nice afternoon. Shall we?” He hadn't been clear on what you were going to do or why he had been looking for you, but it wasn't worth asking right then. There was something on his mind, and it was better to just go along with things, figuring it out as they came. Made life a little more adventurous, and the man beside you did like to be mum when he felt the moment called for it.
Walking arm and arm with the man through town, you could appreciate the quiet that settled over everything. There wasn't any sort of anticipation or need running through town since it wasn't time for the annual jubilee. A gentle breeze blew through after the storms overnight and overhang that remained this morning.
“Silly question, but I do have to ask, my dear. Do you have your pistol on you?” It was a silly question. You didn't go anywhere without it. The weapon was practically glued to your side even as you slept now that you lived in Pleasant Valley. Never knew when it may be needed at a moments notice.
“Yes, I do.”
“So I thought.” There was a smile in the words. You could hear it without needing to see it.
“And are you going to tell me why you are asking?” He did laugh at that, his hand gently patting your own that was resting in the crook of his arm.
“Now, that would ruin the surprise.” Surprise? What did this man have up his sleeve?
It took a few minutes, but he had led you back to that clearing out behind the barns. Away from town and others. Just the two of you once more. It didn't take long for you to realize what the surprise was. The field wasn't empty as it had once been. There were some cans and such setup midway out into the field. A shooting gallery, as only Pleasant Valley could provide.
“Ain't all that much but…” Buckman seemed a little uncharacteristically hesitant and unsure. Only a brief passing second before he was back to himself. “Call me curious, but I wanted to see exactly what ya can do with that gun of yours.” Oh, he wanted a show? You could give him a show.
“So this is all for me?” Impulsively, you leaned over and kissed his cheek as you slipped your gun from its holster. One smooth pull of the trigger as your head turned back to the challenge in front of you and the can went flying off its perch. Then, you swapped hands and shot with the same accuracy, and another can hit the ground. It was a rhythm, something easy to find and get lost in, rolling back the years and bringing you right back to your childhood where you were standing with your father and he was teaching you each and every one of the shots that you were making.
Buckman watched you more than the shots, a smile on his face. The enjoyment in the activity was obvious, and he patted himself on the pack for managing to do something like this for you. It may have been simple, but it was obvious the right choice with the small laughter that came from you. Even if every shot that you made as you moved about was impressive, it was you that was more so.
Author's note: I honestly had forgotten that I had this sitting away. This was part of Nano 2023, and it hadn't seen the light. Big thanks for @tinalbion for reading through this and telling me the flow wasn't as terrible as I thought. You are wonderful! Cruddy gif is my own. Had to look everywhere to find the theatrical cut of Halloween since that is the only version that Bill's character Zach appears in.
Friday nights had always been theirs, a time to unwind, relax, and have the company of someone that they actually enjoyed. Zach couldn't recall a time at this point in his life where it hadn't been the two of them on a Friday night. It didn't matter where. Her place, his, a bar chosen at random. The location never really meant anything. They could make do anywhere and everywhere. It just couldn't be missed and couldn't be messed up.
The exception to that rule had been if one of them was too ill or got stuck at work. Otherwise, the start of the weekend was a sacred time for them both. In the near fifteen years that they had been friends, that hadn't changed. No one else was allowed to encroach on the time. And no one ever had. Relationships came and went, each of them thinking that they had found somebody only to have Things fall through for one reason or another. Through it all, the Friday night get togethers never ceased. It was the one thing that they could each rely on no matter what happened in life.
That was until now. When she had called and said that she wouldn't be able to make their Friday get-together, Zack had thought that she was sick. He had offered to bring her whatever she needed, making the assumption that she was staying home. When she had told him that she was meeting up with a guy, a tightness in his chest formed. That wasn't right. Still, he managed to be a good friend and congratulated her. He was able to spit out the words that he was happy for her, even if they felt like acid on his tongue. He's supposed to should be thankful. She hadn't done it in person, which made it much easier to be able to lie. She would have known right away that he wasn't being genuine if she had been able to see his face. So, Zack did the only thing he could think to do. He picked up a shift at Smith Grove for Friday night. It would at least keep his mind off everything. There was a small selfish part of him that hoped it didn't go well, and if it didn't, he wouldn't be available for a phone call. The thought did make him feel a little guilty, but at the same time, it was fueled by hurt.
Friday night came and went, and there was no phone call. He felt it was safe to assume that everything had gone well. He wasn't sure if that made him feel better or worse. Though he didn't have to wait long to get more information. Midday Saturday, he had received a text from her. It was another apology for cancelling last minute, but in addition it included how wonderful the date had gone. Another false sentiment of happiness was given. Then she confirmed that they were indeed on for the following friday, that she wouldn't be cancelling and that she would be buying drinks. Zack didn't have the heart to say anything else to that besides agreeing. Maybe this thing with this guy would fizzle out, as they often did. If he could consider his luck with relationships bad, hers was worse. Maybe things could have been different, could be different if he could get his head out of his ass and actually say something to her. But the fear of ruining the friendship was far too high.
*******************
Things felt odd all week, something that he couldn't seem to shake. Like something was looming overhead, await that was pressing down and affecting every aspect of his life. Well, Fridays had always been that chance at releasing anything and everything that had built up during the week. This Friday almost seemed to be adding to the pressure. Deciding to have a fuck all attitude, Zack had invited her over to his place for the night. He did not feel like being out among the public or dealing with anybody else. And the thought of running into whoever it was that she was seeing made his stomach churn. Safety of his home was far better.
A knock on the door was the only signal that he got that she had arrived. Nothing about the fact that she had made her way inside with a simple knock to announce her presence was unusual. Hell, they even had spare keys to each other's places if something were to go wrong or the other needed something. But something about tonight felt just as off as the rest of the week had. He shoved it to the back of his mind for now, wanting to focus on having a pleasant Friday evening with her. There was plenty to drink in his fridge, and by the sounds of it, she had brought even more. She had said that she would be buying so he wasn't all that surprised. Coming out of the office, he found her setting a couple of bottles on the counter and two cases of beer in the fridge.
"Hey, was wondering where you were," she greeted softly with a smile. The one that he always enjoyed seeing. It softened her face a bit, brightened her eyes.
"Sorry, was just finished up some things needed for work."
"They got you pulling mandated overtime again?"
"Nah, that was all last week." She scoffed, and he couldn’t help but smile. Always worried about him and the work that he did. It seemed that wouldn't change.
"Got your favorite, figuring that I owed at least that much." He shook his head and leaned against the counter as she finished up in the refrigerator.
"It's really no big deal, you know that."
"See, that's how I know you are wrong." There was a pause between them, but it didn't feel awkward like Zach half expected it to after last week. Instead, the silence that stretched between them held the same level of comfort that it always did. There was not always a constant need to fill that stretch of time with sound. A rare occurrence that he found. Most people seemed to always feel the need to ruin a quiet moment. She never had, contented to move through time on the same level that he did. "You know I wouldn't have canceled unless it was something important."
"I know. And you know that you don't need to go apologizing. Really, it is okay. You're here now, and that is what matters, right? So, why don't we crack open one of these bottles and get started while waiting for the rest of that to cool down?" He reached for one of the bottles of whiskey. Seemed like a good place to start as any. She held up her hands in a gesture of surrender before moving to grab them both some glasses as he opened the bottle and reached for his phone to order some pizza. If the plan was to drink even half of what she had brought, they would need some food. Thank God he didn't have to go to work tomorrow. It wasn't as easy to pull off this shit as it had been even just a few years ago. Not that they always drank heavily, but it looked like the night's aim would be to make up for the missing day last week.
That observation hadn't been all that far off. A bottle down along with a couple of cans of beer and Zach was feeling the pleasant haze of being drunk beyond a shadow of a doubt. Relaxed on the couch beside his friend, thoughts were anything but platonic. She was nearly plastered into his side, laughing as they talked about some of the ridiculous things that they had done when they were younger.
"You remember when we were out for my twenty-first, and that asshole at the bar wouldn't leave me alone?" Zach chuckled and shifted an arm around her, keeping her close to this side, even if the action was unnecessary. There was nothing strange about cuddling. Nope.
"Man would not take anything for any answer. Still swear I shoulda knocked the shit out of him."
"Yeah, but that would have gotten us kicked out. Instead…" He shook his head a little and squeezed her shoulders.
"Instead, I pretended to be your boyfriend. We didn't hear the end of it that night." It wouldn't have been a bad thing, but all of their friends had thought it was ridiculous. Why had Zach listened to a single thing that had been said that night? How different things could be.
"It's your fault for just coming up and kissing me without saying a damn thing!" She laughed. While the memory had been amusing, it was also one of those that Zach replayed over and over again in his mind. Especially when he was drinking and alone. He swallowed hard for a moment and glanced down at her. She was snickering and laughing a little too hard at the memory. Now would be an embarrassing time to let any arousal cloud over what little judgment was left. But did it matter?
Captivated. That was what he was as he watched her fondly, all while his fingers moved absently against her arm.
"It shut him right up and right down though, didn't it?" he could lean in and kiss her now. It would be so easy. As the thought became more and more enticing by the second, he had to be content with the way that he she was turning more into him, pressing into his side and wrapping an arm around his waist. Why was it a bad idea? Liquid courage at its finest, though that was not what registered in his brain. All that kept playing on repeat was that previous kiss. It would be so much better now, wouldn't it? They were closer and knew each other so much better than even then. They had been through so much more.
Before he could second guess the action, Zach was leaning in and brushing his lips over hers. The soft little gasp of surprise sent a shiver down his spine and shot the last little bit of control or thought that his brain could muster. A more insistent kiss was pressed to her lips. Much to his utter joy, she was kissing him back, that soft hand coming to rest against his neck. Nothing outside the two of them mattered. Actions were a little sloppy, the effects of the alcohol apparent, though it wasn't anything that he could give two shits about. He had her here, in his arms, kissing her with her returning the affections.
His currently unoccupied hand lifted and gently carded fingers through her hair. Giddiness, like he was a teenager all over again, forced everything else into the deep recesses of his mind. Finally. After all this time, it was finally happening. For a mere second, there was a break, both gathering their breath. Not a word was uttered. It wasn't needed. Then, she was pressing into his with far more enthusiasm, practically crawling her way into his lap and Zach had to quickly adjust, though it ended with him on his back, waist straddled and his hands against her hips. A position that he would not complain about. Ever. It could have been hours or minutes, but Zach wasn't able to tell. There wasn't any desire to pull back or shift her from his lap. Though eventually, oxygen was needed. The two were silent, looking at one another, soft smiles shared without having to say anything. Fingers gently ran over her cheek, the moment seared into his brain. He felt sleepy, warm, and comfortable. She settled down against his chest, sprawled out over him, allowing him to wrap an arm properly around her waist.
The next thing that registered was the painful bright light that came streaming through the window. With a pained wince, it took effort to manage to open his eyes. There was a warmth atop him. What had happened? Glancing down, he was greeted with the sight of air. Oh, that was right. They must have fallen asleep after drinking and…shit. They had been making out. In the light of day and with a sober mind, he realized that perhaps neither of them had made good decisions last night. Or maybe it was the best decision that he had ever made. Things were yet to be seen. He would have to wait for her to wake up to make that determination. For now, he was going to enjoy the few moments that he was gifted.
A small groan told him that she was waking up. A part of him wanted the moment to last just a little longer, selfishly enjoy something that would likely be ripped away from him in mere seconds. But there wasn't anything to do as she shifted. He could feel her lift a hand, rubbing her face.
"Morning," he murmured gently, not wanting to startle her. There was a dull throb in the back of his head, a sure sign of the hangover that would be plaguing them both as soon as they actually started to move around. There was a small grunt given in response, and he had to do his best not to laugh. It would have been a little too painful right then. She just seemed to nuzzle closer instead of pulling away. Not what he expected, but maybe she hadn't quite come out of whatever dreamland that she had been living in. While it wasn't common, it wasn't exactly unheard of that they ended up cuddled on the couch or passed out and waking up like this. He just figured it wouldn't be the case when she had whatever it was that was developing with whatever his name was.
"Shit…" She managed to slowly pick her head up before realizing what position they found themselves in. Another second, and she was picking herself up off of him. Zach immediately missed the heat. "How much did we drink last night?" His heart sunk a little when that was the first thing that she asked. Did he say anything? Would it be smart?
"Probably too damn much," he offered with a slightly pained chuckle. Zach ran a hand over his face and forced himself to sit up, where, as expected, the throbbing in his head immediately worsened. "If you feel anything like I do, I have a feeling that you'll agree."
"Yeah, okay. We overdid it." He didn't watch as she moved towards the kitchen, listening to the steps that wandered off. Perhaps she was ignoring the elephant in the room. Perhaps it was a simple case of her not remembering. Zach wasn't sure which he would prefer it to be, which might hurt a little less. Pushing the thoughts to the back of his mind in favor of heading to the bathroom, Zach could worry about it later. Things were normal otherwise this morning so why bother messing with the status quo.
*****************
She never mentioned what happened, and after a week where things weren't awkward, he figured that she simply didn't remember what had happened. He did, and it was just making things a little more difficult for him. Sure, it happened when they were both drunk, but Zach really wanted to believe that even with alcohol, she wouldn't have done anything that she didn't want to do. But, like the good friend that he was, he didn't say anything since her relationship seemed to be progressing instead of ending like things had over the last few years. She was happy, so he had to suck it up.
A few weeks went by, and everything seemed typical. Work was work, life went by, and Friday nights continued to be a source of enjoyment. He had gone on a few dates, though nothing really stuck. Everyone ended up compared to her and always fell short. Not that the reasoning was ever fully explained to her when they got together. That would ruin the whole thing that he was trying to do.
It was when a Friday night was skipped without warning that Zach began to feel a little uneasy. At first, he thought it was something that he had done. Maybe she had remembered and had decided that it was something that she couldn't handle anymore. A spiraling thought pattern that he was able to recognize. Zach had to give the benefit of the doubt, calling her to check in and see if she needed anything the next morning. That uneasy feeling grew, though, when she had said that she had forgotten to let him know that she hadn't been able to make it. Her voice sounded off. Off in a way that he couldn't place but enough to make that pit in his gut grow. The sort of off that he heard at work at times, when someone was worried or trying to hide something.
That worry grew into an all out concern when she started to not return texts and when more get togethers were missed without any sort of warning or explanation. All the way, this guy was still in her life. Concern remained present but began to share space with suspicion. Zach was simply a security guard at Smith Grove. It wasn't like he had a lot of reach or ability to look into things. But he was owed a few favors with some people who did have those abilities. Now was the time to call them in. He needed some background information on this guy that was becoming a major part of his friend's life. One that he had yet to meet, one that there was always an excuse so he couldn't. Red flags slowly began popping up left and right but until he had information and some concrete evidence.
****************
Poignantly, information came to him on a Friday night. Another night that was meant for them to spend together, and there had been nothing but radio silence. While suspicions weren't entirely confirmed, Zach didn't like the information that had been given to him. The guy had a record, and there were some things on there that were enough that it wouldn't take a leap to putting hands on someone.
He had to see her and had to check on her after not seeing her for nearly three weeks. It was the longest time that they had gone without seeing one another for almost ten years. Armed with the knowledge that there could be a potential problem when he showed up, he was prepared for all possible outcomes. Arriving at her home, the first thing that he did was try to see if the lights were on. Some sort of sign that she was there. Check. There was a soft glow coming through the curtains. Someone was home. Now, the question was if he used the key or knocked on the door. The key would give him the element of surprise, but if his concerns were correct, that sort of action could make things way worse for her. Knock on the door it was.
He waited patiently, glancing around for a moment as there was nothing but silence on the other side of the door. Another car sat in the driveway, one that he wasn't familiar with but assumed it belonged to the boyfriend. Seconds passed, which turned into two minutes before the door finally cracked open. Zach had been about ready to go for the spare key before he could see her face around the crack in the door. His stomach dropped to his feet as she seemed panicked. Not outwardly, but he could see it in her eyes. The way that they were darting back and forth, fingers fidgeting at the door. Something was very wrong.
"Hey, sweetheart. Hadn't heard from you in a bit and wanted to check in. Was worried about you." She still hadn't fully opened the door, something that hadn't escaped his notice. "Think I can come in?" Under any other circumstances, Zach would have respected whatever answer that she gave but tonight? He wasn't going to take no for an answer.
"Now really isn't a good time, Zach." The words shook, causing him to square his shoulders. Resolve washed through him, reminding him why he was where and why he was doing this.
"I'm gonna say it again. I'm worried about you." He tried to get the point across without saying it outright, but at this rate, it looked like she was going to make him. The sounds of heavy footsteps caught his attention. Whoever was in the house with her was coming to the door.
"Zach, please. Now isn't a good time." It was almost a plea. Enough so that it caused him to press his hand to the door, applying some pressure to be able to get her to open it more. A brief struggle before his willpower was the one that won out.
"I don't care what you think, I'm not leaving you like this. Not when I know something is wrong." Maybe he should have given it a little more thought, but his overriding concern was your safety. And right now? She was not safe. He could hear the angry words that were coming from the hallway right before the man appeared. All before his brain could register the bruise that was forming on the side of her face.
"What the hell is this?" Zach's eyes finally locked on the man that had been causing so many issues and found exactly what he expected. A larger than average frame, both height and weight and a look that screamed rage. Experience told him that this was going to turn into a fight rather quickly. Squaring his shoulders a bit, he was already trying to assess which would be the safest way to get her out of the line of fire and what at hand weapons were closest to grab. None of the options were particularly good, but what was he supposed to do? He was in the thick of it now. There wasn't any turning back.
"I think it's about time for you to leave." The asshole had the audacity to laugh. As much as he wanted to react harshly and immediately, Zach knew that he couldn't. He had to be the one with the level head, thinking clearly would be the thing that got them both out of this safely. It was the same as if he was handling a patient at work. The only difference? He wasn't armed with a loaded shotgun, permission to shoot if things were getting out of hand. So, the next best thing had to be done. Though, it wasn't entirely clear besides getting her out of harm's way what that thing was.
"And just who the hell do you think you are? No one. She's the one who owns this place and decides who comes and goes. And she doesn't want me going anywhere, do you, sweetheart?" Zach didn't miss the way that she seemed to cringe at the pet name, something that she had never done when he used it. It was just another sure sign that his gut feeling had been right.
"See, I know she is entirely capable of making her own decisions, but do you? Because it seems to me that she isn't overly fond of your presence."
"Fuck off and get out of the house." It was Zach's turn to make an amused sound.
"I'm not letting you hurt her anymore. So, either you get out of this house or I call the cops. And I'm not sure that you can really afford another hit on your record right now, can you?"
"Is that a fucking threat?"
"Take it as you want." The man closed down the distance, and Zach tensed, prepared to take a swing or move out of the way as quickly as possible. A good thing too as the punch came without any warning, the arm barely cocking back before flying at his face. While he attempted to dodge, he wasn't able to get out of the way of the full blow, getting clipped on the jaw. Shit, that was a hell of a punch. Probably a good thing he had not taken it full on, otherwise he might have been unconscious on the floor. With the first punch thrown, he quickly moved to put some distance between them while reaching out to grab the closest item that could be used as a makeshift weapon. "Guess that racks up assault." Maybe he shouldn't be taunting the man but he couldn't help himself.
"Danny, stop!" She had reached out to grab Danny, and Zach had to grit his teeth as the man shook her off, sending her into the wall. Just what he had been trying to avoid.
"All right, asshole. This ends now. I'm not letting you hurt her again." Instead of responding, Danny simply took a few more swings. Noot the easiest to dodge but he managed for the most part. There was one blow to his side that had the air knocked out of his lungs entirely, causing him to swing in reaction. It caught Danny on the side of his face, though given that it was an umbrella, it didn't do all that much damage. Enough to make him back off a few steps though, and it opened a cut along his cheek. The opening was enough for Zach to duck by the hulking frame. Taking a whack at Danny's legs from behind, he reached for the phone to call 911. Just two seconds were needed to make the call and get the police here.
*****
The last thing that he wanted to do was deal with paramedics or the hospital. So, as soon as Zach was able to sign the consent form, he did so. Thankfully, it didn't seem like she needed to go. The blow to the head hadn't been recent, so there was no concern for any concussion. There was still a possibility, but the chances were far lower.
Danny was hauled off to sit the night in a cell at the very least. A problem for another time at this point. Zach wanted to focus on getting her back in the house and settled for the night. Actually relax and not have to worry about anything at all.
Ushering her back into the house, the first thing that he did was make sure to remove any trace of Danny. The man had certainly made a mess of a few things. Zach knew that she wouldn't have ever stood for the beer cans laying around or the few articles of clothing that were tossed over furniture. That kept him busy and kept him moving. Preoccupied, really. That worked for a distraction while the silence between them stretched on. She hadn't said much, and it was driving him crazy. Anything would have been taken at that moment. Anger, happiness, anything. But there was nothing. He finally had to break it just to know what was going on in her head.
"Are you going to say anything?" It probably wasn't the right thing to say exactly, but it was what came to mind. A knee-jerk sort of response.
"What do you want me to say?" Her voice was soft, barely audible, but he managed to catch it. Shoulders fell, and he let out a small sigh before moving over to her.
"Anything, sweetheart. Anything at all." There was a hesitation to reach out to her like he wanted to, a nagging doubt in the back of his mind that had never been present during their entire friendship. He hated it. "Just...talk to me? Please?" If he hadn't been that close, he wouldn't have heard the sigh that slipped. Her eyes were focused down on the floor, not raising to look at him.
"I don't know what to say, Zach. I mean, you saw what happened, what he was like." She swallowed hard but didn't break. Not yet. "It's a lot to have to process, and I don't even know where to start." That was understandable and couldn't be argued. Getting over the doubt, he reached out and rested a hand against her shoulder, giving a small squeeze.
"You know that I'm here for whatever you need. I'm sorry about having to force my way in here before. It's not what I wanted to do, but I was worried about you."
"I know, thank you." After a second, she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him. Zach immediately returned the hug, holding her close and tightly.
"I'm sorry."
"You don't have anything to be sorry for, Zach. He would still be here." Her body went slack against him further, her head resting against his shoulder, face practically in the crook of his neck.
"You deserve so much more than that, sweetheart." This was not the time that he needed to be doing this, but the words were beginning to flow without thought. He couldn't stop it now that it had started. "Someone who knows just how special you are and can appreciate everything about you." She sniffled, and his heart skipped a beat. He hadn't intended to have her cry. She didn't say anything right away either, making him a little worried that he had indeed said the wrong thing. A little more sniffling as he held his breath, all before she was finally speaking.
"I know that, at least logically. It didn't start out like this."
"It never does. None of that is your fault. You know that, right?" He needed to hear that she knew that. She would be carrying around enough as it was. She didn't need the extra burden.
"I know that. I'm just upset that I let it get this far to begin with. I should have kicked his ass out weeks ago." He could feel the shudder that ran through her and, in response, tightened his arms around her frame. Reassurance was only going to do so much. Thankfully, she was calming down. Zach felt grateful for that, at the very least. It was something. A few more moments passed by before she sighed and pulled back a little bit. "I don't know what I would do without you, Zach." Words that he appreciated and liked hearing, but they were not exactly what he was holding out hope for. He was jumping ahead of himself right now. After what had just happened, it was the last thing that should be on his mind.
"You know that I'm here for whatever you need. Anytime." The words were easier since they were genuine. He would do anything for her. Maybe one day, she would truly see that.
Warnings: Difficult family relationships, two separate endings, faking dating trope
Author's note: Does this really fit here? No. But I say it does because it's an Englund character. Super niche, but that's never stopped me before. I hope everyone who decides to read enjoys it. Special thanks to the wonderful @tinalbion for all the help with this one, from reading it to helping me figure out the ending(s). This ended up taking on a life of its own and was far longer than intended. Cruddy gif below is my own.
Tagging: @slashingdisneypasta
The holidays were a dreaded time of year. What should have been an enjoyable time with family was an utter nightmare for you. You loved your family, you really did. But the judgment and the nitpicking drove you up a wall. Without fail, there was always a bombardment of questions about your love life and when you were going to settle down. Sure, most of the time it came from a place of good intention but the constant push on the subject made you want to pull your hair out and it was enough to make you feel nauseous at just the mention of the holidays. As always, this year, you planned on grinning and bearing it to the best of your ability.
“You don't get it, Tim,” you complained to your long-time friend. “It's never ending for the entire length of the holidays. From every. Single. Member of my family. You would think a simple response back would be enough. But no. They aren't ever satisfied with the reply that I haven't found the right person yet. No, you would think that is the end of the world.” Tim gave a sympathetic smile, pushing around the rest of his lunch. It wasn't like you didn't know that he was less than fond of the holiday season as well. You closed your eyes and let out a small huff, an apology followed closely after.
“It's okay.” Always easy going and understanding. That was Tim. He had been that way right off the bat during your first meeting in college. “I know it's rough for you, and I know you know it's rough for me. Would rather have you get it out here so you can concentrate at work.”
“Sometimes, I think it would be nice if we could just skip over that time of the year entirely. Not like there aren't plenty of others who hated it just as much.” He chuckled softly.
“Yeah, well, we know that's never going to happen. So, we just have to suck it up and deal with the most wonderful time of year, every year, for the rest of our lives.” You flicked one of the remaining beans from your salad in his direction, as the comment finally brought a smile to your face.
“One of these years, we should say fuck it and just stay home. Me and you. Screw expectations and the rest of the world.” Something that neither of you would ever do, but occasionally, it was nice to dream about it.
“I would be afraid of your mother hunting us down.” He had a valid point. It went without a doubt that your mother would hunt the both of you down and ream you out into the next year. The woman could be outright terrifying when she wanted to be. Nothing would set her off more than missing the holidays. Especially if it would be for unjust reasons in her eyes.
“You're right. As always,” you teased after a second. “Guess that plan is outta the window. We’ll have to come up with something else.” That final thought closed out your lunch as work demanded that you return to your duties. The discussion was tabled for now.
*************************************
The thought came around a whole hell of a lot sooner than you had hoped. After a phone call with your mother, you felt desperate.
It wasn't what you wanted to do, but with little choice, it seemed like the best idea that you could have created. It all hinged on what Tim thought, though, and that wasn't anything you felt you could anticipate. All you could really do was hope that he felt like it was a decent enough idea that would get both of your families off of your backs.
“So,” you started casually, not able to bring yourself to look at him just yet. Things could be made a little awkward. Sure, you had known each other for years. Tim was your best friend and life without him? Well, it was unthinkable.
“Oh, boy. That's never a good start to any conversation.”
“No, no. It's nothing bad or nothing like that.” Your eyes shot up to him in a near panic. Your anxiety about the conversation to come made you overreact just slightly. Tim's smile fell just a bit.
“Hey, it's okay. Take a breath.” Right. The function necessary for living. You let out a sigh and rubbed your face.
“I'm sorry. I had a call with my mother last night and spent the whole night worrying about heading home next week.”
“That bad already? She wasted no time this year, huh?”
“God, no.” You slouched a bit and braced your head in your hands, elbows resting against the counter. “Painful. It was absolutely painful, Tim. I would have rather had teeth pulled.” There was a moment of quiet. Really, what was there to say to that anyway? You managed to pull your head out of your hands and refocus back on Tim.
“Kept me up most of the night, honestly. Spent it trying to think of anything that could get me out of it but came up with nothing. So, I realized I had to change how I was approaching the problem. Instead of removing myself from the situation, I need to change how I'm putting myself in said situation. There were a few scenarios I came up with, all a little worse than the next. Unfortunately.” A pause as you shifted and crossed your arms over your chest, keeping your gaze on the man. “The best I came up with? Bring someone home with me.” His brow rose in surprise.
“Just how do you expect to do that? Are you seeing someone I don't know about?”
“No, there isn't anyone that I'm seeing.” You rolled your eyes. “But if my parents think I am, then my mother would at least get off my back, and maybe my entire family would focus on someone or something else entirely. Some peace would be a miracle and worth it.”
“It might just work. If you could make it believable enough.” He hummed as he thought about the idea you presented. Which was a good thing given what was coming next.
“You think so?” There was a noncommittal sound. Close enough. “The problem is, I don't want to bring home some random person. Would rather have someone I trust, ya know? Make it easier to figure out the whole thing. That being said, how would you feel about coming home with me for the holidays? Escape your family for a bit and get some good homemade food.” The last bit came out in a rush, the words almost blending together. Your eyes slipped from Tim, almost not wanting to see his reaction. The man across from you was the only one that you could remotely begin to trust with something like this. If he said no, it was just going to be another miserable holiday season. You waited on baited breath, unsure what his response would actually be. There were plenty of accurate predictions that you could have made when it came to how he would answer most things. This? It was far out of the realm of anything previously thought possible that you couldn't even begin to venture a guess.
“You're asking me to come home with you on the holidays and pretend to be your boyfriend?”
“I know it's a lot to…”
“You think it would work?” He cut you off before you had the chance to finish your statement. It wasn't an outright refusal. That still left you unsure what the hell was on his mind about the whole thing.
“There really isn't anyone else that I would trust more for something like this.” For a second, just the briefest of seconds, you swore you saw a blush on his cheeks. When you blinked, it was gone.
“It definitely beats dealing with what I'm gonna hear at home. So, why not? If you think we can pull this off, let's do it. Might be fun anyway.” The two of you hadn't really done anything crazy in college like some of your friends had. Playing it safe had practically been built into your DNA. When Tim had agreed, it was like a giant weight had been lifted off your chest and your shoulders.
“God, I owe you. Majorly. Like I can't even begin to pay you back for this.”
“You're getting me away from my house. We'll call It even.” Hardly the case, but you weren't about to argue with him. He might second think the entire decision. Which would be utterly disastrous. And that wasn't an over exaggeration.
************************************
The flight home hadn't been terrible. There was only a three hour delay. Something that you hadn't complained about even if being stuck in an airport was not anyone's idea of fun. It just meant three fewer hours you had to deal with at home.
You and Tim had hashed out the details. It had been surprisingly easy. With your long standing friendship, you both were able to toss out ideas and concoct the story that would be shared with your family. A lot of it was based in fact, something that made it that much easier to remember and be able to spout off with a confidence and genuine nature that would force your family to believe you.
Pulling up to your childhood home, the sense of dread that normally accompanied this time of the year had been significantly lessened due to the presence of the man beside you.
“You ready?” His voice broke you out of the staring contest you had been having with the house. There were already a load of cars present. Tim would have no easing into this.
“As ready as I'll ever be. Are you?”
“I'd like to think so.” Another wave of gratitude and appreciation for the man washed over you. No one could have asked for a better friend.
“All right. Let's do this.” You hoped that if it got to be too much, he would tell you. No backup plan had been created, but you could think well enough on the fly and would sort it out. Your mother was already at the door as the two of you exited the car, and despite having plotted it all out, the way that his fingers laced with yours caught you by surprise. The gentle squeeze had been as equally as unexpected, but the message was clear. Calm down. How he was so calm right then was beyond you. Your heart felt like it was going to beat out of your chest.
“Hi mom.” A moment of thought that this wasn't the best of ideas. She hadn't given any sort of indication about Tim. Of course, she had met the man before. It was hard to be friends with him throughout college and not at some point have an introduction.
“Hey, sweetie. And hello, Tim.” Relief. You felt relief as she smiled and greeted both of you. That was the first obstacle to get over. Now, there were just several more to go before you were both back on a plane and heading back west. “I'm so glad you both could make it our here. Your family didn't mind, Tim?”
“It was a bit of a negotiation but we managed.” The lie rolled off smoothly and your mother bought it. The questioning slowed, beyond the typical asking how everything was going and what was new. Thankfully, given the fact that you both worked at the plant, it made it relatively quick to go through the list and be given some peace to settle In before dinner at the least.
“So far, so good.” Tim wasn't wrong in the assessment.
“Yeah, I would say that we have them all fairly convinced.” No real hardball questions had come your way, nor had there been any sort of awkward or uncomfortable situation. You weren't foolish enough to think either of you would make it through this unscathed. “Then again, that was all the basic, fairly easy stuff.”
“You have a point.” He sat down on the bed that you were supposed to be sharing. That part of this entire scheme had not been something that either of you had thought about, and now it crept slowly along the edges of the room. Once. You had shared a bed once before, back in the early years of college. It had been out of sheer necessity. “You know, if it's easier for you. I can sleep on the floor. I know we've technically shared a bed before…” A memory that had clearly pulled forward for him, too.
“It's fine, Tim. I'm not making you sleep on the floor while we are here. I think we can both handle it.” Just another reason to have brought someone that you could trust. “Besides, we both know that if she walks in here and finds you on the floor, she is going to throw a fit and realize that this is all a giant ruse. And that is something that neither of us wants to deal with.” It might be a little awkward the first night, but you were both adults. You could handle it. He gave a nod and a look, the one that told you that he agreed with what you had said. The wrath of your mother was bad enough. Lord only knew how the rest of your family would react to you trying to fool them. That had been a thought you briefly entertained when you had thought up this entire scheme, but It wasn't anything that you had wanted to give a lot of thought. It had to work out. Otherwise, you might never be able to attend another family holiday.
“What's next up then?”
“Dinner,” you offered as you glanced at your watch. “In about two hours. Meaning we have a little time to kill before being put under the microscope again.” Tim rubbed his hands against his pants before he gave his knees a tap and stood up.
“It's not quite cold enough to be stuck inside. Why don't we take a walk? Get out of the house and go over anything you want to triple check?” That was a wonderful idea. How you would survive this without this man was beyond you.
“Yeah, that's a great idea.” You grabbed your coat as he pulled his on. Outside, a little privacy could be afforded. No one to walk in on the two of you. One last chance to smooth out any wrinkles in how you would respond to your family. “Thank you, Tim.”
************************************
A few days passed and the routine became easier and easier to fall into as you both found sure footing. Your family bought the story and the act that you and Tim put on, without too much questioning. That easy level of friendship that you had was the basis and made the fake relationship incredibly believable to those around you.
It was all going too smoothly. There had to be a bump in the road eventually. And it came in the form of your sister prodding at Tim. The sort of way that immediately had your defenses bristling. The sort of prodding and underhanded comments that should have been left behind in middle school. You knew that you had both grown some thicker skin since school, college included, but that didn't mean that it didn't bother you at all. You felt even more indignant about it all since you were the one who requested that he come. He was here, helping you. Your sister prodding and needling about him and you needing to find someone better wasn't going to stand. Even if you weren't really together.
“That's enough.” Finally, you had enough of hearing it. Tim had been quiet the entire time, not defending himself or saying much. Likely, he did not want to cause a problem. Your sister paused, caught off guard by the outburst. As was the rest of the table, conversation fell utterly silent. Great. You hated all attention on you, but there wasn't anything to be done about it now. You swallowed down the worry that welled up and threatened to rob you of the next statement. “You're entitled to think whatever you want, but I won't sit here and listen to you bad mouth Tim.” The words were forceful, more than you ever typically were with anyone.
“I just don't get it. Supposed you've been friends since college. Why get together now? It doesn't seem right. And besides, it's not like you've improved yourself with him.” Your fingers curled into the material of your pants, as you tried your hardest not to lose it entirely.
“Well, maybe that's just the basis of a good relationship. But, you wouldn't know that would you. Just because I don't go through guys like water and have something solid to go off of doesn't mean it's pointless or not real. And why should it matter what he does? He's been my best friend for years and knows me better than anyone. Can treat me better than anyone. And is by far, worlds and leagues smartest than any of those rich assholes you've brought home. He's a nuclear physicist for Christ's sake. I couldn't ask for better.” You tossed your napkin onto your plate, done with dinner. Unable to really eat another bite. No one stopped you as you excused yourself from the table and all but hurried out the front door. The cooler air was welcomed. Settling. The perfect escape from the heat that had become stifling.
Taking a seat by the front door on the porch was out of question. Too close. There was too much risk of someone coming out and saying something. The best option that presented itself was to take a quick walk and hope that it cooled you down.
Ten minutes passed. And that agitation remained. The quiet didn't last, though. The gentle call of your name caught your attention. It was Tim. A rush of embarrassment threatened to overtake the agitation. But out of everyone in the house, he was the only person you would have wanted to find you.
“I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to go off like that and cause a scene.” Before you could say anything else or move away from where you were standing, Tim grabbed you by the arms. The words that had been threatening to fall from you were stopped dead on the tip of your tongue.
“There isn't anything you need to be sorry for,” he started, with a squeeze delivered to make sure you couldn't escape. And maybe give a little comfort. “You didn't have to stand up for me like that. I know it's going to cause some problems with you and your sister.” You shook your head immediately.
“Of course I did, Tim. I wasn't going to let her talk about you like that.”
“I mean, she wasn't exactly wrong…”
“Don't you dare start on that.” A rueful smile came, his brow slightly pinched. The sort of expression that always came when there was doubt about himself. One you had seen and knew well. “I mean it, Tim. Screw what anyone else says. You're kind, thoughtful, hard working. Intelligent, obviously. I mean, nuclear physicist and all. But those first traits are important. They make you a good man. Look what you are doing for me now. I don't know anyone else who would have done something like this. And there wouldn't be anyone I could trust more with it. I don't know where I would be without you and all you've done for me.” His touch softened against your arms, and his eyes dropped from your face. Almost like he continued to doubt what you had told him. Insecurity was something you could understand well enough, having a boatload of your own.
Instead of saying anything else, you pulled him into a tight hug. After a moment of hesitation, his arms wrapped around you. Standing out in the cool, wrapped up in each other like you were, that agitation continued to die down. The hug lasted a little longer than intended. When you pulled back, you made sure to give a smile. One that felt far more genuine than forced.
“Why don't we ditch the idea of heading back inside? Me, you, some pizza, and that new Star Trek movie?” Frankly, the idea sounded a hell of a lot better than going back inside and seeing your family. Tim laughed at the plan that you laid out, and the smile that stretched across his face finally matched your own.
“Now, that's an idea I can get behind. Come on.” His arm stayed around your shoulders as you headed back to get the rental car. The consequences could be dealt with later. Some time that felt more normal between the two of you was called for, and it would help ease whatever tensions might remain. There were still a few days that you needed to get through, and it would be best to try and manage it when you felt on more level ground. You leaned into the man beside you a little more, and finally felt like everything would be okay once more.
******************************
The night out had been exactly what you both needed for a reset. You both felt better on the drive back to the house, able to settle in and not worry about whatever the fallout would be from the outburst earlier. As anticipated, your mother wasn't happy, ready to chew you out for leaving like you had, but you managed to push it off with a few placating words and lies. There wasn't a chance in Hell that you would be apologizing to your sister for what you had said, knowing that she wouldn't for hers. Besides, you meant what you said. An empty apology would be symbolic, sure, but you didn't even feel like forcing that. Not when she had insulted Tim the way that she had and meant it herself.
It made things a little tense and uncomfortable in the house, but you stuck to your guns over it. Which was fine by you. It meant that you and Tim had a little more peace. There were fewer pestering questions and the sort of focus that made you a little worried that they would see through the charade that you had fooled them with so far. Fine by the both of you, really.
Lazy walks in the colder weather, movies both in your old room and in the living room when no one bothered with the area, and some quiet reading. Or not so quiet reading. An activity that came as a surprise enjoyment just after college. Reading duties would be traded back and forth, one of you listening while the other read aloud. It didn't matter what it was. While you and Tim spent a lot of time together in general, the close corridors meant more than typical. Tim seemed to enjoy the time, relaxed in a way that you hadn't seen in a while. It was nice.
With a few exceptions, it was actually a nice little break from the usual routine that you had fallen into with work and the usual drum of life. In a way that neither of you had realized was needed.
The gift exchange had snuck up before you knew it. The family? They were easy. Typically, everyone was fairly routine each and every year. Not that you did the exact same thing, but they liked what they liked, and it left it almost an automatic purchase. Tim? Tim was a little different this year. He had come here for you, and you knew that he was going to have to deal with things that he shouldn't have had to just because he was there with you. It had to be something with a little more meaning, something that showed your appreciation for his friendship and what he had done for you. Without being too much, of course. That was a fine balancing act.
You were a little nervous about it all. A few practical gifts that you knew he would appreciate. Small things. A new lab coat pocket protector, this cool new little handheld Geiger counter that he could keep on himself, a funny mug for coffee. The bigger one that you had to go searching for? A signed copy of Feynman's lectures. You had heard him mention it once, just once, while you had been shifting through a used bookstore together. Along with it? A copy of a magazine signed by Einstein himself. It had cost you a pretty penny. Both things. But entirely worth it. Hopefully. The nerves were causing you to feel entirely uneasy. Far more than you ever had since the two of you decided to exchange gifts yearly. How was it different? You couldn't pinpoint it for sure, but even on a subconscious level, you knew it was the case.
Sitting in the living room, most of your family had wandered off. Which was just fine by you. It wasn't like they had a genuine interest, and at this point, everyone was still upset at you for spouting off at your sister. So be it. It meant that if you were wrong with the choices, no one could be there to mock you about it.
“So, I know we typically only do one thing. But with what you agree to do this year and what I knew you would have to put up with here, I felt like I needed to do a little more. Hope you don't mind.”
“You didn't…”
“I did, Tim. Just because you aren't fond of heading home yourself doesn't mean that you had to suffer through all of this. Besides, I wanted to.” The response was a soft laughing sound from him as he held up his hands in defeat. It wasn't an argument that he was going to win. It caused a smile, more genuine and more confident. You felt a bit better about it all now.
“Here,” you offered as you shoved the first two packages in his direction. The practical and fun gifts went over well. Not surprisingly. Those hadn't been the ones that you had been worried about. It was the next two. You knew which was which and hadn't been sure if you gave him the books or the magazine first. In the end, it was the magazine.
The look on his face was priceless. Entirely unexpected, caught completely off guard. You were thrilled with the fact as he stared at it.
“This is…” The words died, and he shook his head. The silence extended for a few moments before he finally managed to speak. “Wow. This is amazing.”
“Authenticated and everything. There's one more before you get too wrapped up.” You moved the heavy package over the table in his direction.
“You really…”
“Don't say it. Just open it,” you offered with a laugh. He rolled his eyes and reluctantly set aside the magazine before he reached for the other package. Nerves heightened for just a moment and the inside of your cheek suffered for it as your teeth bit down hard over and over.
“Where did you find this?” It went over better than the magazine.
“It took asking the right questions to the right people but that isn't important.”
“It's signed?”
“Yep.” He held it as if it was gold, and all those nerves that you had built up finally settled. Before you could say anything else, you were caught off guard by Tim leaning in and pressing a kiss to your lips. Spontaneous and something that couldn't have been anticipated. It was soft and quick, and when he pulled back, red tinged his cheeks. No one was here to witness it. It wasn't for show. He cleared his throat a little bit and pulled out two packages for you.
“Uh, here.” Both of the boxes were smaller. “Feel like I should have gotten you something more now but…”
“Shush, it's fine. This is more than enough.” The first one ended up being a beautiful gold watch. Yours had been accidentally destroyed over the summer, and you hadn't bothered replacing it yet. A long moment passed before you realized that you were holding a Rolex. It seemed that you weren't the only one that had spent more money than you probably should have for the season. “Tim, this is beautiful.” He urged you to try it on, and there wasn't any reason not to. It fit perfectly against your wrist, and you glanced up just in time to see the soft smile that crossed his face.
“Wasn't sure about the fit. Glad to see I got it right.”
“I love it.” It would go perfectly with anything that you wore to work and hopefully, you wouldn't do anything to ruin this one. Though it would be more sturdy than the last one.
“There's still one more.”
“All right. No need to be impatient.” The tease rolled easily, the kiss still lingering in the back of your mind. Neither of you seemed to want to bring it up yet, though. There was no need to make things awkward just yet. You found a piece of jewelry in the second box. A small strip of metal among a delicate chain.
“It's a piece of the IRS.” He grinned outright as he watched the way that your eyes widened at the mention of what it was.
“Are you serious?” He nodded, pleased with himself as he sat a little more straight.
“Yeah. I mean perfectly safe of course but directly from CERN. And, no, I'm not going to tell you how I got it.” He had anticipated your next question before it could even be thought of. Your stomach flipped and it felt like your heart might just beat right out of your chest.
“Mind helping me put it on?” He nodded and gave a little motion for you to turn before he reached for the necklace. You shifted and made sure that he was able to see what he needed to do, head tipped a little bit. The weight settled against your throat but it was comfortable. Fingers brushed over the small piece, your mind racing. His fingers lingered on the back of your neck, brushing down to your back slowly. Almost a sense of hesitation.
It was enough of a jolt to you that you turned and before any thought could be given to any action, you leaned in and pressed a kiss to his lips. Fundamentally, it changed everything but things had been subtly shifting since your arrival. Things that hadn't been acknowledged or even really thought about. But they had been there. This was the culmination of it all. When you had made that statement to your sister, acknowledging that there couldn't have been anyone better, it hadn't been initially meant in a romantic sense on your part even though that was what you had wanted them to believe. It had been there though, even then, and it had only grown and shifted, twisted in ways that you couldn't anticipate.
Breaking from the kiss, the two of you were silent. A struggle to figure out what to say ensued. After another few seconds, you started to laugh softly. Unable to help it. He soon followed, and the mingled laughter rang out.
“Okay, so who is going to end up winning the bet?”
“Charlie. Without a doubt.”
“Ahh, shoulda probably have known that one.” The smiles remained. His arm found your shoulders as you resituated yourself on the couch beside him. Comfortable. It wasn't as awkward as there had been worried about. No, it was almost as natural as any other moment of your relationship had been. “We aren't going to hear the end of it.”
“No, no we are not.” It would be worth some teasing and I told you so’s by your coworkers. Even if it was a tad embarrassing, it wasn't like you were going to change a moment of it. His lips pressed to your temple softly, the affection flowing freely and easily. “This might be the best holiday I've ever had.” You couldn't help but grin at his declaration.
“Yeah, I don’t think I can argue. Best holiday I've ever had.”
“Yep.” He held it as if it was gold, and all those nerves that you had built up finally settled. You should have known better than to be worried about it. Tim would have appreciated a box from you. He had always been that way.
“I can't believe you managed to find this. Thank you.” He had barely been able to tear his eyes from the books in hand. Just another, sure, sign that you had managed to get it all right. There was no real compulsion to break the silence or the reverie he seemed to be in. It took a few moments before the spell broke. Like it would be anything that you would complain about. You got the same way after all. It was part of the reason that you two go along so well. He cleared his throat a little bit and pulled out two packages for you.
“Uh, here.” Both of the boxes were smaller. “Feel like I should have gotten you something more now but…”
“Shush, it's fine. This is more than enough.” The first one ended up being a beautiful gold watch. Yours had been accidentally destroyed over the summer, and you hadn't bothered replacing it yet. A long moment passed before you realized that you were holding a Rolex. It seemed that you weren't the only one that had spent more money than you probably should have for the season. “Tim, this is beautiful.” He urged you to try it on, and there wasn't any reason not to. It fit perfectly against your wrist, and you glanced up just in time to see the soft smile that crossed his face.
“Wasn't sure about the fit. Glad to see I got it right.”
“I love it.” It would go perfectly with anything that you wore to work and hopefully, you wouldn't do anything to ruin this one. Though it would be more sturdy than the last one.
“There's still one more.”
“All right. No need to be impatient.” The tease rolled easily. Despite everything, all the fake bullshit that you had to spew for your family and the closer than usual affection and contact, nothing in that strong bond between the two of you had really changed. It felt like a testament to the work that you had both put into the foundation of your relationship. Proof that such a strong platonic bone could exist. No matter what your coworkers and lord knew how many others had said. You found a piece of jewelry in the second box. A small strip of metal among a delicate chain.
“It's a piece of the IRS.” He grinned outright as he watched the way that your eyes widened at the mention of what it was.
“Are you serious?” He nodded, pleased with himself as he sat a little more straight.
“Yeah. I mean, perfectly safe, of course, but directly from CERN. And, no, I'm not going to tell you how I got it.” He had anticipated your next question before it could even be thought of. Your stomach flipped, and it felt like your heart might just beat right out of your chest.
“Mind helping me put it on?” He nodded and gave a little motion for you to turn before he reached for the necklace. You shifted and made sure that he was able to see what he needed to do, head tipped a little bit. The weight settled against your throat but it was comfortable. Fingers brushed over the small piece, unable to keep yourself from smiling. Your own little piece of history. He had hit the nail on the head incredibly well. Not that he often missed.
“It's absolutely perfect, Tim. I'm blown away.” You could hear the grin in the words, not even needing to see his face.
“Gotta say, I gave myself a bit of a pat on the back with that one. Didn't think you would be expecting it. And there wasn't a chance that anyone was getting you anything similar.” There wasn't a lie there. You didn't think that anyone thought even somewhat close to the same realm. It was more than you could have asked for and beyond anything anticipated.
“You may have just won it this year.”
“I don't know about that. These both,” he offered and motioned towards the magazine and books. “I'm thoroughly impressed. Didn't think I would ever own anything signed by Einstein, and I really thought it would be years before I would be able to find the Feynman lectures. And signed? Wouldn't have dreamed that.” All those nerves for nothing. You should have known better. You both settled back into the couch, his arm haphazardly thrown over your shoulders.
“Okay, so who is going to end up winning the bet?”
“Charlie. Without a doubt.”
“Ahh, shoulda probably have known that one.” The smiles remained. It wasn't a secret that there was an office pool surrounding the idea of if you and Tim would end up together. Particularly, the guards. When word had gotten out that he was spending the holidays with you and your family? Pandemonium. Complete and utter pandemonium. To the point that it had been wholly amusing to the both of you. “You know, they probably aren't going to believe it anyway.”
“Yeah, I know. We could end up having a little fun at their expense.”
“God, that could turn into a shit show, but it's so tempting.” The laughter that filled the room was genuine and full. As easy as it was when it was just the two of you alone.
“Right again. Unfortunately. It's probably not worth the headache. As amusing as it would be.” He hummed as if seriously contemplating it before sighing out an agreement.
“Can't have them all, I guess.” There was a comfortable silence that fell over the room. One that there wasn't any need to break right away. The entire thing could not have gone better. Your family believed it. They were off your backs, and for the most part, Tim had seemed to enjoy himself. There was no better pick than the man beside you. No better friend.
“This might be the best holiday I've ever had.” You couldn't help but grin at his declaration.
“Yeah, I don’t think I can argue. Best holiday I've ever had.”
Don't normally post these sort of things, but, was lucky enough to see the national tour of Beetlejuice. All I can say is WOW. Easily one of the best productions I have ever seen. Everything from performance to sound to set design. The theatre geek in me ascended. It beat all expectations. So happy to have had the chance to finally see it after missing it twice on Broadway! Major SUCKS-YES for all those involved. If you have the chance to see it if it comes to your area, do it.
