Some Things Don't Need To Be Understood
It swirled through Manfred's head the same as the ghost's voices, why was he still alive with just a few scars on his side when the tiger could have so easily killed him? One day in the church he started to get his answer, sort of.
Episode 2: Bad Moon Rising
Episode 6: Blinded By The Light
Relationship: Manfred Bernardo/Rev. Emilio Sheehan
On AO3: http://archiveofourown.org/works/11982111
Like all my stories for Midnight, Texas
Churches, when one saw the dead they became a perfect refuge, completely calming and sometimes, there was an energy that soothed and calmed the soul, here in Midnight, it was perfect.
With Creek gone after, everything, with Connor, the small blue house had seemed emptier then ever and it stung, she had just upped and left without a word, leaving a sharp sting behind, and a very pissed off Olivia who was half way to planning tracking the girl down and breaking a few bones.
Manfred sighed and leaned back in the bench, he thought about following her, or just leaving all together but he couldn’t, there was something that pulled him here, different from the energy the town gave off, and that was before he even got into the reasons to stay or to leave.
Good friends that accept him for who he is.
His house was dead proof (and wasn’t that a novelty that hadn’t worn off)
And then there was the fact that he would never be alone again
Midnight was turning into a hellmouth.
Yep, that summed it all up, Manfred nearly laughed at that, but the truth was he couldn’t leave his friends, Joe had already risked so much for them revealing who he was, Lem was dealing with the hunger and then there was the Rev.
His hand drifted to his ribs, gently pushing against the clean, thin scars that had healed extremely quickly between Madonna’s stitching and a little help from Fiji. He still wondered why he was alive. The tiger had been right there, so close and so easily able to take him down and rip him apart, so why the hell hadn’t it?
He jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder, the Rev was right there, crouched besides him, shooting a guilty look at the Gypsy’s ribs, trying to hide behind the brim of his wide hat.
Manfred all but ripped the thing off his head and whacked him with it. The elder man blinked at him in surprise while the younger placed the bloody thing on the bench besides him before gripping the pastors chin, ensuring he had his full attention.
“I have told you a dozen times, it was not your fault and I don’t blame you, and if I here one more apology I’m going to get Olivia to punch you.”
Emilio opened his mouth to speak but closed it, chuckling slightly before speaking again.
“I could have killed you.” The same thought that had plagued Manfred’s mind though in a very different context. The psychic sighed and without thought moved his hand to brush through the others hair, completely absent in the movement that felt so natural.
“Yeah, and you should have, I was the perfect target and yet you didn’t, I’m still here.”
Their eyes locked, brown burning into brown, one with a comforting surety while the other warred with guilt. Neither were sure how or even why it happened, but they moved closer, lips gently melding, moving softly in a tentative dance that came as naturally as breathing.
Manfred felt a firm hand cup his neck as their tongues began to dance, smooth and easy, lead by instinct, the same as when they pulled away, moving to brush their cheeks together. It was Manfred though who pressed their foreheads together, marvelling at the Rev’s eyes, they were a burning gold, enchanting and hypnotic, filled with something primal that seemed to reel him in, the prey caught in the predators gaze.
Manfred’s phone buzzed in his pocket making them both jump in the silence. It seemed Olivia was dealing with a ghostly problem and needed his help. Words failed him, he couldn’t explain or say anything, instead the psychic brushed their cheeks together and left, something tight in his chest that he couldn’t explain.
The next day was the full moon and Manfred felt that pull again, drifting out on to the porch, a beer in his hand when he heard the clink and snap of chains.
Before he knew it there was a tiger right before him yet there was no fear, he just stood, walking slowly towards the vast creature and kneeling before it, looking into the hypnotic, golden gaze. The tiger came closer until in was right in front of the human before rubbing their cheeks together, a greeting and a claim as the human let his arms curl around the animal’s neck, breathing in the wild sent and relaxing with it.
“Manfred?” Olivia’s soft voice caught his attention and he looked up a little to see her and Lemuel stood on the street.
“We’re good, I’ll shout if we need you.” Olivia nodded her head and they retreated, a little weary but if they could avoid hurting the Rev in any way, they would.
It was a testament to the Gypsy now being a Midnighter that spending the night under the stars with a tiger curled around him wasn’t strange in the slightest, if fact it was down right comfortable. He spoke softly for most of the night, fingers absently working their way through thick, smooth fur. He told the were’ about his past, the things he’d done regardless of whether or not he was proud of them, the people he knew from the asshole he’d dated in high school to his black ops cousin Lizzy who was more terrifying then Olivia and just as loveable.
They only moved when the sun began to peak over the horizon, the tiger returning to it’s den to take human form once more.
Manfred made his way inside, feeling incredibly cold and unable to sleep even though he was exhausted, he was drifting in a haze until a warm body wrapped around him and he finally managed to fall asleep in the other man’s arms, feeling the deep, to warm breaths against the base of his neck.
The Gypsy woke up feeling like he’d left the heating on, but he couldn’t bring himself to pull out of the strong arms that held him in place and managed to roll over. Manfred had always thought of Emilio as being ruggedly handsome, but now, while in a relaxed sleep with some of the solemness gone he looked even more so.
Brown eyes opened, a hint of gold still shining there as he searched the psychic features.
“I can’t explain this.” Emilio spoke softly, hand moving to rest firmly on the human’s side.
“Neither can I.” Came the reply. “But I don’t think I need to.” Manfred licked his lips as he waited, almost going boneless when a small soft smile appeared on the elders features before chapped lips closed over his own, not everything needed explaining, they just needed living.
It was easy enough though for people to notice the difference. Manfred found his headaches to be less, Emilio’s calm presence and strength soothing him while the tiger no longer hungered on the full moon, his mind as sane as Manfred’s those nights.
The Reverend became more social, gravitating around the Gypsy, a golden glow in his eyes, subtle, but there.
“So.” Olivia was walking besides the psychic as they hunted yet another creature. “What’s with you and the Rev?” She asked, smirking slightly, Manfred could hear it even as he kept shinning his torch around the warehouse.
“We’re not sure, there’s just this pull, I need to be close, it’s like, he balances me.” He tried to explain but nothing quite worked. Balance was the closest thing he could get but it was more in some ways.
“I know what you mean.” She said, a smile in her voice now. “That’s how I was with Lem, we never fully understood it but...”
She trailed off and the humans looked at each other for a moment, exchanging smiles, they may not fully understand but they didn’t need to, and they wouldn’t change it for the world.
