"I love you, Jason." The words fell gently from Mel's lips, dripping with affection. Of course she was the first to say it. She tended to wear her heart on her sleeve.
Jason was quiet for a moment, obviously taken aback by her confession.
That wasn’t the response she’d been hoping for. "It's okay!” she hastily said. “You don't have to say it back. I know it's difficult."
"Mel…" Jason sighed, his hands traveling from her hips to her shoulder and cheek. She was straddling his lap, face just inches from his. They’d been sharing a kiss before she spoke up, but his gaze fell away from hers now, unsure of what to say.
She felt much the same, blurting out, "I'm serious! Just pretend I didn't say anything."
His silence continued for a few moments longer, heavy as Gotham clouds draped over them. "You know you mean more to me than I thought anyone ever would," he finally said, his voice soft. "I didn't believe I would ever have this."
"Me either," she admitted. "Kinda figured I was too damaged for this. Figured I'd spend my days keeping to myself."
"Just…" Jason paused, considering his next words carefully. "Give me time, sweetheart."
"Of course, Jay. Take all the time ya need.” Mel smiled, cupping his cheeks and brushing her lips against his, the touch soft and reassuring. “I'm not going anywhere."
A stray bullet tore through Mel's abdomen, hot metal cutting through flesh like a knife through butter. The pain brought her to her knees and then to the cold floor. She’d gotten careless and hadn’t moved out of the way quickly enough.
"Mel!" Jason cried out, putting a bullet in the head of the gunner who’d shot her before running to her side, taking her in his arms. "Mel, baby!"
She let out a cough, then a groan. "Jay…"
"Shh. Don't push yourself, sweetheart." He gently brushed the hair out of her face, his voice soft despite the modulator in his helmet. "You're gonna be okay, all right? You're made of tougher stuff."
She grabbed a hold of his arm, sputtering out, "Don't know about that…"
"Don't you give up on me!" Jason shouted frantically, doing his best to get her bleeding under control.
A little smile pulled at the corners of her lips as her golden eyes began to fade. She just barely managed to gasp out, "Jay…"
All she could hear in response was his voice calling out her name as everything went black.
It was the squeeze of a familiar hand around hers that pulled her from unconsciousness. Fluorescent lights buzzed above her, and she squinted as she came around, trying and failing to lift a hand to shade her eyes. She was alive, but thoroughly exhausted. Everything hurt.
"Melantha?” It was Jason’s voice. Even wiped out as she was, she’d know his voice anywhere. “You there, baby?"
"Jay…"
"Fuckin’ shit, Mel." He let out a nervous laugh, reaching out to touch her cheek. It took a heinous amount of energy, but she turned her face into his palm, her eyes slipping closed. "You had me really worried there for a minute."
"Told ya I wasn't going anywhere," she said with a weak chuckle.
His blue-green eyes were misty when he said, "Good.” His smile was strained, and it didn’t quite reach his eyes, but there was a softness in it that she’d never seen before. “I'm gonna hold you to that."
Teetering on the edge of consciousness, infinitely comforted by his presence, Mel murmured, "I love you, Jay."
This time, Jason pulled her in close, careful of her wound. "I love you too, sweetheart,” he said, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “I love you, too.”
Thank you @ablushofrobins for editing 🥰
(Dividers are not my creation. If anyone could help me credit I'd be grateful. My dumbass forgot to take note before saving them.)
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Completely forgot to post Chapter 8!
Click the link or read below!
Sanctum Macabre
Chapter 8
"He said what?" Sister Obedience couldn't believe what Dahlia had just told her.
"He said that humans and ghouls don't mix," Dahlia repeated, no longer in tears, but moping, her face buried in her pillow.
"Well, that's just bullshit." Obedience cleaned under her nails with a file as she spoke, her tone clipped and sharp. "I've slept with plenty of ghouls in my time here." More to herself than to Dahlia, she muttered, "Mostly during their ruts, but still."
Dahlia lifted her face from the pillow, tears threatening to fall again. "He must really not like me, huh?"
"Oh, please." Obedience held her hand out, checking her nails. Dahlia couldn't help but notice the scars on both her arms and hands, but she had too much on her mind to ask about them right now. "It's not like he's the only fish in the sea."
"I just…" Dahlia sighed, hugging her pillow to her chest. "I felt like we were really connecting. I wanted nothing to do with men after what happened with Adam, but Aether just showed up and made everything feel better."
"If you think he's that into you," Obedience said, "just make him jealous."
It seemed a little manipulative, and that usually wasn't Dahlia's style. Something inside her was drawn to Aether, though. Could she do something so backhanded? Would he even care?
"If nothing else," Obedience said, "just get laid! Get him out of your system! Who's to say you need to be in love right now anyway? It just doesn't seem worth the trouble to me."
Dahlia sat up, kicking her legs over the edge of the bed and staring down at the floor, not sure what to say. She couldn't help but envy her roommate's carefree nature.
"Besides, if I were you, I'd be more focused on taking your prep classes," Obedience continued, trying to take Dahlia's mind off matters. "You did read over what's expected of you, right?"
Shit. "Oh, yeah! Totally!" Dahlia said with a nervous laugh.
Obedience rolled her eyes and chuckled, "Y'know, they don't give you all that paperwork just for fun."
Gnawing on her lower lip for a moment, Dahlia asked, "Are the classes tough?"
"Nah, just long-winded and boring," Obedience said with a flippant wave of her hand. "Hope you like listening to an old guy go on and on about rites and initiation."
"Initiations?" Dahlia parroted.
"Yeah, baptism, confirmation, first confession, and first communion."
"Oh."
Obedience gave a soft, smoky laugh. "You didn't expect them to just hand you your habits and call you a full-fledged sister of sin right away, did you?"
"...Kinda."
Rolling her eyes again, Obedience tossed her nail file aside and flopped onto her side. "You've got, like, a year's worth of work cut out for you before you're even baptized into the congregation," she said, resting her weight on one elbow. "'Til then, you're just Sister Dahlia. You'll get your name of virtue during your baptism."
"I see." Dahlia grabbed the paperwork Imperator had given her from off the nightstand, thumbing through it. It was overwhelming, to say the least.
"I think your classes start next week," Obedience was saying. "They usually give you a week to adjust to life here in the abbey."
Glancing up from her paperwork, Dahlia asked, "So what do I do 'til then?"
Obedience shrugged. "Relax, study." With a smirk, she added, "Try not to obsess over that big, sexy, ghoul. You could make some friends by helping out with chores. Not what I'd do, personally, but whatever."
"Can I help you?" Dahlia asked, unsure if she was ready to make some friends just yet. "I just need something to keep my mind busy that doesn't involve studying." She cringed at the thought. She wasn't exactly the bookish type, which worried her. How was she ever going to move forward in this place?
"We've got a little time before I gotta get down to the kitchen," Obedience said, glancing at the brass clock that hung beside the door. Dahlia did the same. "I'd catch a nap if I were you."
A nap did sound nice. Even if things weren't going her way, at least Dahlia could turn her brain off for a short time.
***
It was a few hours later when Sister Obedience and Dahlia made their way to the ministry kitchen. The place was a mess from dinner, with plates stacked high next to the sinks. The counters were sticky, and the floor needed both a good sweep and a mop.
"Looks like someone got lazy after dinner." Obedience pursed her lips, clearly irritated.
"Good thing you have help!" Dahlia chirped, rejuvenated after her long nap. Having a hot meal had helped, too. "We can work on the bulk of the cleaning to start, then I'll finish while you prepare breakfast!" Grateful for the distraction, she jumped right in, grabbing a cloth to wipe down the counters.
"Yeah, thanks," Obedience huffed. She'd rather not do kitchen duty at all. Hell, she'd rather not do any chores, but the work needed to be done, and she preferred to keep Sister Imperator happy. Satan knew she was going through a lot with such a large, sudden influx of new siblings.
The time flew by once the girls got into a rhythm. Before she knew it, Dahlia was almost finished with all the cleaning, save the floors and a few more dishes. She figured they'd save the floor for last.
Obedience was hard at work cutting up fresh fruit for the breakfast crowd when she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. "Hey, Dolls," she said, wiping sweat from her forehead, "I think we have an audience."
"Huh?" Dahlia glanced in Obedience's direction, following her gaze to the little window in the swinging doors. Eyes shone in the darkness there, all different colors, barely blinking. It was eerie. "Just how many are there?" Dahlia asked, trying but failing to count all the pairs of eyes.
"Plenty," Obedience said with a smirk, "and trust me, you don't wanna catch 'em hungry or in a bad mood."
"You're just trying to scare me!" Dahlia laughed, and an undertone of nervousness played off her voice. "Aether is gentle as a lamb!"
"Well, yeah, there are obviously well-behaved ones, but they're still denizens of Hell," Obedience pointed out, shrugging one shoulder. "They can be kinda menacing sometimes, so watch your back."
It wasn't fear that was twisting Dahlia's stomach. No. It was curiosity. She felt a strange pull towards the creatures, so much so that she set down the plate she'd been washing and approached the doors that led out to the mess hall. A few of the sets of eyes disappeared altogether when she peeked through, as if they'd been spooked.
"Uh, what're you doing?" Obedience asked as she set down her knife.
Dahlia didn't answer, compelled by something she didn't quite understand to get closer.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Obedience said, though her tone was light. She returned to her chopping as if this happened all the time. "Even if they aren't an immediate threat, they'll fuck with us the second we give 'em the chance."
"I just…" Dahlia spoke as if she were dazed. "I wanna say hello."
Obedience sang, "Don't say I didn't warn you."
Dahlia carefully pulled one of the swinging doors open, latching it in place so it stayed open, the light shining on the remaining ghouls. One or two hissed and scurried off, but the one at the forefront showed no signs of fleeing.
He was short for a ghoul, though still taller than Dahlia by a good five inches or so. Long, golden hair cascaded down his shoulders, past his chest, accompanied by a mustache of the same color, and his eyes shone a piercing orange. His skin was a pale red that looked burned at the ends of his limbs. He had a long tail with a pointed end, and– Were those gills on his neck? "Why, hello, little sister." His voice was soft and yet still menacing. "You should really take a lesson from your friend over there."
The ghoul ignored her, a clawed hand grasping Dahlia's chin as he smirked, baring large fangs. "Wouldn't want you to get in any trouble now, would we?" he said with a tilt of his head.
"Dew!" A deeper voice snarled from across the cafeteria, "Don't touch her."
"What's the matter, Aeth?" Another voice called out in the darkness of the room. "'Fraid you'll lose this one to one of us?" This voice was smooth and enchanting, with a huge foreboding grin to match it. All Dahlia could make out of the other ghoul was that smile and bright white eyes. "She's kinda cute, isn't she, Dew?"
The one called Dew tilted his head again, looking into her eyes as if he could see right through her into her soul. He let out a chuckle, his fingers moving from her chin to run through her raven hair, grabbing a lock between his claws.
Dahlia was frozen where she stood, entranced by these beasts.
"I think I'll play with this one," Dew sneered, flashing his fangs once more.
In an instant, Aether had his back to her, Dew's wrist caught in his grasp, growling low and intimidating, "I said. Don't. Touch. Her."
Dew looked up at the bigger ghoul, annoyance clear on his features.
The ghoul with the bright teeth and white eyes laughed at the tension in the air. "C'mon, big guy. We're all just having a bit of fun!" he said, stepping into view. He had dark brown skin with a similar, darker gradient extending to the ends of his limbs, like Dew. His hair hung in dreadlocks with golden jewelry that clinked together as he moved. He was also very pleasing to look at. Approaching Aether, he put a hand on his shoulder, trying to calm him.
Aether huffed and released Dew's wrist, to which Dew whipped his arm out of reach, glaring at Aether as he backed away.
The ghoul with the dreadlocks looked around Aether's broad shoulder at Dahlia, his teeth on full display. "Sorry, Doll, we didn't mean to frighten you… All that much." He tossed a wink at an irritated Obedience as he slunk away into the shadows.
Aether, though, was fully focused on Dahlia, turning to face her with an expression she hadn't been expecting. He wasn't angry. He looked more sad and concerned than anything else. "Hey, you okay?" he asked. "Those two can be quite the handful."
Dahlia snapped out of her trance-like state, coldly turning away from him.
"Okay, I had that coming." Aether sighed. "Please… Can we talk?"
"Seems like you've said all you need to say."
His hand caught her shoulder gingerly, turning her to face him. "Please, Dahlia. I never meant to hurt your feelings. I just– I don't want–" He stumbled over his words as she raised an eyebrow.
"You're very dear to me," he finally said. "I knew from the moment I laid eyes on you that I wanted to protect you from this world… Even if that includes me." Dahlia's expression softened, and tears began to gather in the corners of her eyes. "You've just been through so much, love," Aether was saying. "I don't want to be just another notch in your bedpost. I want to be someone you can trust and come to with anything. I want to be someone you can call a friend."
Dahlia let the tears fall, suddenly feeling selfish as Hell. He was right. She'd been through enough pain lately to last her a lifetime. That was clear. Without another thought, she wrapped her arms as far around his middle as she could.
"There, there, love," he assured her, hugging her back with great care, so as not to squish her. "It's okay."
"Touching," Obedience said from the doorway, arms crossed over her chest. "Can we get back to work? I'd like to catch some Zs before breakfast."
"Sorry, Obedience. Didn't mean to hold up your operation." Aether looked down into Dahlia's wet eyes with a smile, saying, "You better get back to work, dear. Wouldn't want to aggravate your friend there any further, now would we?"
Dahlia let out a soft laugh and wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her hoodie. "Yeah, she's cranky enough."
"I'm standing right here!" Obedience sniped, incredulous laughter in her voice. "I can hear you!"
"Goodnight, love." Aether held Dahlia's hand in his a moment longer before he made his way out of the cafeteria.
"There, are you happy?" Obedience tossed her hair as she grabbed for her knife again. "He still likes you."
"Yeah. I'm grateful for him," Dahlia said as she watched him take his leave. "I've never had a guy friend like him before."
"Yeah, yeah, I'm all sorts of happy for you." Obedience couldn't help the little smile that pulled at the corners of her lips.
(Oops I made Pickles make a promise that he won't keep 🥲)
“So what's new, Dollface? Yer pretty quiet tonight!” Dolly could hear his smile in his voice. She wished she could return his excitement. He had been going on and on about Snakes N Barrels new record deal but she didn't have any pressing news on her end.
“Oh, y'know, just making ends meet. Keeping Jade company. Tonight there's a Twilight Zone marathon on so I got that to look forward to…” a sigh escapes her. She didn't mean to be a downer but what else was there to discuss?
“Gotcha! I miss watchin’ that show with ya… Hell, I miss doing anything with ya!”
“I miss you too, ding-dong. Things aren't the same without you around,” she paused for a moment to keep herself from tearing up, “I'm just glad you're living the life you always wanted!”
“Yeah… I just wish you could be here to see it all. Maybe we could fly ya down-”
“You know I'd love that but I need to stay with Jade. She seems to be getting worse every day…”
“Right…” he sounded hurt, she hated bringing him down like this.
“I love you, Pickles. I'm sorry things can't be like they were.”
“I love ya too, baby. Don't you apologize for nuthin! Someday I'll come back up there for ya! I promise! We'll pick up right where we left off!”
“If you say so. That sounds wonderful.” She sighed once more, imagining his arms wrapped around her once again.
“Of course, angel. I couldn't shake ya even if I wanted to.”
Dolly rolled her eyes as she turned to see her very sweaty boyfriend approach her at the bar. Pickles had just finished playing a set with the boys. She decided to play along.
"Not really! I just had to see this band play. I kinda have a crush on the singer."
The rest of the boys rolled their eyes and took their respective seats.
"Oh, yeah? He must be pretty good lookin' huh?"
"Oh, don't get me started! He's a real lady killer!" Dolly chuckled as she drew closer to him. She didn't mind the sweat, she even found it pretty hot. Pickles smirked, as he wrapped an arm around her dainty waist.
"Well I don't think I can compete with dis guy, but can I buy you a drink anyway?"
"I can't see the harm in one drink!" Her golden eyes met his and he felt his heart melt at her cheeky grin.
"Oh, please, you two! Get a room!" Snazz exclaimed, feigning irritation.
"I think that can be arranged..." Pickles whispered into Dolly's ear, "but first, booze!"
