For the horror prompt A. But man do I also like T and W.
A - Hunting for cryptids/paranormal investigator AU, T - Coming into contact with a curse AU, W - Learning how to use dark magic AU(but in this case more like actually using it). This works well with an AU I came up with a long time ago so I guess this is both a prompt fill and a start of that AU.
Harry adjusted his night vision goggles as he crouched even lower behind a moss-covered rock. He tried to calm his heartbeat by breathing slower and inhaling deeper, the images of his last escape still fresh in his mind. In his ears, Hamish had let out at least ten different expletives, at least two of them were French.
Harry spun the communication wheel attached to his glove, selecting the yellow triangle which often meant Silent or I don’t know or in this case, for god’s sake, shut the fuck up, Hammy.
“Fine, I will,” said Hamish, or Merlin, as he always insisted when they went on this kind of trip. “But you have to admit that that was the closest you’ve got to being burnt and frozen!”
Harry nodded in agreement, but realised quite quickly that his friend and co-founder of the London Boys Seeking for Ghosts and All Kinds of Horrible Things couldn’t see it, so he settled for a green circle instead. If possible, Harry would choose to use every curse words he had accumulated for the last two decades or so, but considering there were an unknown fire-breathing creature and an ice imp hot on his trail right about now, the curses would have to wait.
“Get a move on Harry, the tracker you’ve managed to get on them are showing signs that you’re very close to being found out,” Merlin warned, the sound of him slurping a mango smoothie followed noisily.
Easy for you to say, Harry thought, biting his bottom lip. Merlin was in their truck tucked way outside the entrance of the forest, whereas Harry just narrowly escaped the doom cave by throwing smoke bombs and hitting a possible cryptid in the head with a tree branch.
Harry was listening for any sound that might alert him of an imminent attack when suddenly a pained howl rang out.
“What was that?” Merlin asked.
Yellow triangle, Harry turned the gear to his left again, I don’t know.
“Hey, a tracker just stopped moving, it’s beeping still, though much slower than it was before,” Merlin reported. “Hey, do you think it’s resting? Giving up on the chase?”
No, Harry thought, remembering how familiar the howling sound was to the furred creature’s in the cave.
“Oh, the beeping, it’s stopped. It, did it shake your tracker off? How the hell-”
Harry leaned forward to check the surrounding area, there was nothing else around him but trees and the light of fireflies.
“Merlin, start the engine,” Harry whispered.
“What? Why? Do you think it’s coming for you?”
“No, no I don’t think so. The howl we heard, I think that was it. The beeping didn’t stop because my tracker fell off. I think,” Harry tied his shoelaces as tight as possible before continuing, “I think it stopped because he just died.”
“Do you think it was the ice bat? I mean, ice imp.”
Harry laughed, standing up at his full height now, and fixed his hair.
“I’d be dead if it was him,” Harry said and took off running.
“Because, Hammy,” he pulled out another smoke bomb labelled as ‘Garlic - Ugh’ while saying, “The fire one in the cave is at least a level 3, and I had already used a boiling spell on the imp.” He added before Merlin could cut in, “A strong one, Hammy.”
“That means. That means whoever or whatever took down the cave being is at least a level 2. Oh, shit.”
“I’m starting the engine now, and,” Merlin paused, probably to check his tablet, “You’re less than 500m away from our vehicle. Fucking hurry up, Harry!”
But Harry didn’t have the time to reply, he traced back his old trail marked by tiny pebbles that were dipped in pixie dust, now illuminated by the moonlight, and found the path he had taken to explore the forest.
The wet earth stuck to his boots and made the ground slippery, twice now he almost slid off and fell before slowing down a little.
The trees, seemingly lifeless and silent hours ago, now all started to whispered to his ears: “He’s coming. He’s coming at last.”
“He’s coming for you, young one.”
“Oh, he was woken from his slumber and he has discovered you.”
“Run, boy, because he’ll find you in no time. He’s taken down the hell dog. And he’ll bring the same end to you if you don’t run now.”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake! Shut up!” Harry cried.
“But I didn’t say anything.”
“Not you, Hammy. The tree spirits.”
“You mean those leafy ghosts? What do they say now?”
Taking out his sealed knife, Harry said in a rush, “That I’m gonna be dead if I don’t get back to you in time.”
“Huh, so exactly what I said. Thought that they’d say something more helpful,” Merlin laughed, spinning in his chair a little while staring at the screen, Harry was a few hundred metres away from the entrance now. He could see the frantic beeping transmitted from his friend’s tracker when the sound suddenly slowed down and settled into a steady rhythm.
One-two, one-two. It was as if Harry had already-
“Harry? Are you taking a breather?”
But there was no reply coming from the other end. So Merlin asked again and this time, he received a yellow triangle.
“Telling me to shut up again?” Merlin sighed, and watched as the glowing green dot minutely backed away from the entrance.
“Hello there,” came Harry’s voice, strangely calm this time despite being slightly out of breath.
“Hello? Harry, I’m right here, what are you-”
“They told me about you,” Harry carried on, completely ignoring Merlin’s question.
So Merlin tapped his screen to turn on the camera on Harry’s goggles, he rarely remembered to use this, since Harry needed another set of eyes for navigating the general area more than seeing what was right in front of him.
On the screen, though dark and grainy due to the lack of light source, Merlin could make out a human-like form taking shape and glowing gently from head to toes.
Not three feet away from Harry, the ‘thing’ appeared to be a young male in his twenties. He had no clothes on, no shoes, yet his feet weren’t dirtied by the earth. His face was blessed with attractive features and he had a head of soft, silky hair.
‘He’ smiled at Harry and his eyes curved into the loveliest lines of half-moons. He beckoned Harry to come, blood of the fire creature still dripping from his fingers to the ground.
Shaking his head no, Harry asked him, “Did I wake you up?”
At the sight of what seemed to be a nod, Harry said, “I’m sorry, truly. I didn’t mean to disturb your sleep.”
He was treated to another beautiful smile this time, and the grip Harry had on his knife tightened.
The male being took one step forward and Harry immediately stepped back. The distance between them remained the same. Around them, the trees wouldn’t stop their cries, some almost sobbing.
“He’s here, he’s here,” they chanted.
They screamed, “Run, boy, run!”
Some shouted, “Beg for his mercy, beg him for your life!”
But Harry swallowed drily and did neither. Instead, he quietly sent back a signal to Merlin who was waiting for him in the truck: a red cross.
It had always bear one meaning for them. Danger, do not proceed.
Harry listened for a confirmation on Merlin’s side and received nothing but static silence.
In front of him, the creature’s head was tilting, as if assessing his prey. Then, a steam of liquid-like light curled around his hands and the blood disappeared. He inspected his clean fingers and once pleased with them, spread his arms wide and approached Harry with no sign of stopping.
Startled, Harry took several instinctual steps back while brandishing his knife, the sharp blade of it pointing straight toward the creature’s direction.
“Don’t-” Harry warned, about to aim for his slender neck though how pretty it was.
But in his haste, Harry’s leg hit a tree and he almost lost his balance. In a blink of an eye, his wrist was caught in the creature’s steady hold, its other hand came down to Harry’s waist and rested at the small of his back.
Upon the rough contact of his back and the tree bark, it dawned on Harry that he was without a doubt at the end of his rope this time. And yet, despite his picked up heart rate which was deafening to his ears, Harry stared calmly into the vari-coloured eyes of the one whose chest was on his.
Not using all his concentration on noticing how its almost translucent hair was reflecting the moonlight, Harry asked:
“Who are you? What are you?”
Opening his mouth to answer Harry, ‘he’ growled hoarsely.
“Slept for a long time, didn’t you?” Harry smirked. “Sorry, again, for causing all this ruckus. You’ll get to go back to sleep soon enough, once you’ve finished me.”
‘He’ furrowed his eyebrows and shook his head.
“No? To the sleeping or the killing? Because the tree spirits have been doing a damn good job of assuring me of the latter.”
Could Harry prolong his life by playing this ask and answer game? He could find a way to weasel himself out of the situation by confusing the creature with all types of answer. Maybe stabbing him in the abs and make a run for it, then calling for Merlin to come back and pick him up before this guy could eventually unleash his fury.
Harry was busy with his limited options when a hand came up to grab his neck and pulled him forward.
Oh, Harry thought, oh, turns out I’ll be dead by a broken neck huh?
Merlin was already out of the door before he could see Harry’s signal on the screen telling him to go. He grabbed a few of his gadgets and a book of spells just in case Harry forgot which one to use again.
His tablet showed that he was only a few metres away from Harry when Harry’s inconsistent heart rate kept picking up then slowing down for a few seconds then sped up again. Going beep-beep-beep-beep frantically in the night.
‘At least he was alive’ was the only positive thought inside Merlin’s mind. And it was also the one thing that pushed him to run as though his lungs would explode and his legs would give out.
When he got there, close enough to see the both of them, Merlin almost dropped everything on his hands and gaped.
There Harry was, one hand stuck between their chests and the other pinned by the creature’s, back resting uncomfortably against the tree, and mouth softly pressed to a pair of warm lips.
His eyes were wide open from the sheer shock of it, just like Merlin’s were at the moment.
Licking Harry’s bottom lip, his ex-slayer or unknown male being who just stole his first kiss, said something to his ear in an unused voice. It was a scratchy sound that Harry could not comprehend. Although it could be from the fact that he had only two functioning brain cells left.
“What?” Harry asked, breathlessly.
“You,” ‘he’ repeated, slower and firmer this time, “You’re here.”
“Obviously,” Harry said, then regretted his idiotic remark.
But it did nothing besides making ‘he’ laugh, an airy sound coming from the back of his throat, like that of a wheezing man or a gust of wind.
“Yes. You’re here.” His fingers traced the line of Harry’s jaw and neck while his eyes followed the movement, like he was watching the most fascinating wonder in the world.
His eyes slid up after having looked their fill, his lips still wet and open, and Harry felt a phantom pain in his chest, one so deep and vicious it was akin to having his heart carved out by someone who then slowly and meticulously sliced the softest part of it.
“And here I thought you’d never come back.” He said and gave Harry’s throat a soft bite, his teeth lingered on the heat of the skin and the closeness of Harry’s warmth.
“My betrothed,” he uttered, pressing his lips to Harry’s at last.
And with that, the trees ceased their crying.
Around them, all sounds had receded, sucked into a dark abyss born from the appearance of the one who once ruled over the forest.
Trapped between a tree and an unknown creature who could end his life with his bare hands, Harry sighed.
Well, if kissing would buy me more time to come up with better ideas, he thought before pulling the unclothed waist to himself and finally started to kiss back.
