TIMING: Tonight
PARTIES: @letsbenditlikebennett and Sammy (aka Ace) via @inspirationdivine
SUMMARY: Ariana and Sammy sneak back out to their spot in the woods to see each other. They take a stroll over to the cliffs overlooking the beach and chat for a bit. Ariana sneakily follows him back home.
Ariana had been surprised she had been able to slip out of Ulfric’s without being questioned on where she was going. Celeste had been in the shower and Ulf was outside keeping watch, but she did her best to be extra quiet as she slipped out the door. She’d packed her backpack with some snacks and a blanket so they could keep it low key. The last thing she needed was someone recognizing her from her description. She jogged lightly through the woods, looking for the spot she ran into Ace the night they had met. She’d been bummed she missed him the last time he had been looking for her. Every part of her was hoping he’d be there tonight. With everything going on, getting to spend time with a friend would be nice and a very welcomed distraction. She hoped he was doing okay. Something had been off and she wanted to get to the bottom of it. Maybe if she saw him tonight, she could sneakily follow him back home to maybe find some answers. It was a beautiful, clear night out with the stars peeking through the trees, and she leaned against the same tree she left a note for him on. The note wasn’t there anymore which means he’d probably gotten it. The thought made her smile as she kept an ear out for footsteps. She heard a crunch of leaves and called out, “Ace, is that you?”
This whole sneaking out thing was getting easier, even if Sammy was trying to avoid so many people to minimise risks. Sneaking in and out of Al’s Diner and trying to find the wood working place Ari had mentioned had all failed, so it was back to the woods. This time with a small flashlight, so he could see where he was going. He wandered around kind of aimlessly, enjoying the freeing feeling of just being outside, right next to the ache of not having seen Lydia since this morning. He’d almost started flicking the flashlight from hand to hand, when - shit. “Ari! Yes. Are you okay? That note had me worried!”
Ariana’s face lit up when she heard the response. She’d been hopeful she’d find him again and it was good to hear his voice. She hadn’t meant to worry him with that note, but she’d been in a panicked state when she had written. “Sorry,” she said, “ I hadn’t meant to worry you. I’m not like okay okay, but we’re figuring things out. Have you been alright?” She wished she had a better answer, but anything else would be untrue. “I’m glad I found you though. Think we could maybe skip the trip to town this time? I’m trying to keep a low profile.”
“You’re figuring things out, but something happened that meant you had to change your appearance? Or was that, like, metaphorical?” Sammy asked, looking over at her. “Uh, I don’t know how to answer that without lying, so I’m not gonna. Things are gonna suck extra extra hard in the next few weeks. But like, same as last time, so.” He’d seen the words scribbled out, too. It wasn’t like she didn’t have anything to worry about. “Yep yep yep, gotcha. Oh, speaking of! Here’s what I owe you.” Stolen fresh from Lydia’s wallet, but he’d done that before the previous time he’d snuck out, and she hadn’t noticed yet, had she? It was totally fine. “Maybe we can try the beach? Or, uh, the lake? Get a scenery change. By the way, like the hair! Bangs suit you.”
“Yeah, I know it sounds kinda cryptic and I guess it is? I don’t know, it’s like this whole thing. It’s kind of a lot and I don’t want to, like, totally freak you our or anything,” Ariana responded as she tried to attempt a laugh. It came out more nervous sounding than anything which totally didn’t live up to the badass persona she was trying to maintain. “I kind of figured as much, but it never hurts to ask. I’m sorry things are going to be sucky. If there’s anything I can do, let me know,” It was becoming more and more clear that Ace couldn’t answer that question even if he wanted to. She’d definitely be trying to figure that one out. He was a nice person, if she could help she wanted to. She was surprised that he was handing her money. She took it hesitantly and said, “Oh, thanks. I wasn’t really worried about that.” At the mention of the lake, Ariana’s eyes widened and she immediately exclaimed, “No, not the lake!” She hadn’t meant for it to come out quite like that, but she really didn’t feel like taking on a giant squid monster. “Sorry,” she said, more calmly this time, “We can walk to the beach. The lake is just currently home to a giant squid monster and I’d rather we not become its dinner.”
“Yeah, that’s like fair. But consider this: I can’t tell anyone else about this either. So like, space to vent if you want it, or whatever.” Sammy looked at her with a soft little smile, frowning just as much. She was so young, and woah, yeah, that thought made him feel old, even though it was barely a few years between them. “Yeah. Well. I was. I don’t want to be… indebted.” To anyone other than Lydia, anyway. At her exclamation, Sammy startled, jumping back. “Wait. The lake is what to a what now?!” Sammy stopped short, looking around wide now. “Is that like… a new thing? Weird that they don’t have that on the welcome sign. Beach it is. Cool. Cool cool cool.”
Ariana looked down at her hands briefly and she nervously fidgeted with her fingers. She hated this whole situation, but venting usually helped. “Well, long story short, there’s a hunter in town who knows about the bounty Celeste’s parents have on me. We made it look like we left town so hopefully we bought ourselves some extra time to figure things out. They’ve wanted me dead since I was like a kid kid.” It still brought a fair amount of stress, but it felt a little better to not have yet another secret hanging between them, She was definitely going to be following him back tonight, she needed to know he was safe. She slipped the cash into her bag and shrugged, “If you say so.” Ariana laughed softly at Ace’s reaction. Clearly a giant squid monster was a lot to take in. “I said what I said. There’s a giant squid that we should probably stay away from. So yep, beach it is. It’s over this way.” She pointed and led them toward the beach. “If you see any coins on the beach, don’t pick them up. They’re like cursed or something. Pretty sure that was taken care of though, but just to be safe.”
“That’s so fucked. I mean, like, no kid is dangerous, no matter their species. Hunters like that, which are so black and white in their thinking are the worst. I’m so sorry. You managing to keep safe, though, yeah?” Sammy asked, touching her shoulder briefly. Sammy followed her until the forest gave way to cliffs, and the soil turned to rocks. “Great. So no cursed coins, no giant squid. Anything else I should remember to avoid? I kinda figured I would only have to worry about the woods.” You wouldn’t get five miles. No shit Lydia moved them to such a dangerous place. Somewhere to hide from hunters. Sammy thought about Annie, and swallowed. Nowhere to go but die, and still he wanted to return to Lydia in the morning.
“You’re telling me. I don’t know, the whole thing just has me feeling off. Like before I felt determined to fight for my right to have roots somewhere and now just…” Ariana trailed off, unsure of how to explain what she was feeling, “I guess I just have a lot more to lose now, you know?” She welcomed the gesture of a comforting hand on her shoulder and smiled weakly in return. She took in a deep breath as they reached the rocks, appreciating the smell of the ocean breeze. “Well, if you’re in the woods, watch for hedgehounds and spinach deers. Don’t touch the spinach deers, they look spooky and have red heads. That doesn’t sound promising, huh?” It was becoming more apparent that White Crest was pretty dangerous, but she could handle herself. She worried more about Ace sneaking around in the night. “Hopefully you haven’t come across anything crazy yourself… well, at least not crazier than a werewolf.”
“You should! You should be able to live wherever you want without fear of consequence. Fuck letting some assholes control your life,” Sammy said, a little too vigorously. Little too much like it was something he related to. “Are there people you can talk to? Like an anti-hunter committee or something, to keep you safe?” As soon as he said it, he knew it was an absurd suggestion. They would know if there was anti-hunter committees. “I’m sorry. Do you, uh, want a hug or something?” As Ariana described the creatures of the woods, Sammy couldn’t help but snicker. “Hedgehounds and spinach deers? The most dangerous things out here are plants? No, I know there’s some wacky stuff out here.” He clambered onto a nearby boulder, his sneakers definitely not made for this. “No. There was a mime, the other night, but it kinda left me alone. I mean, he, probably, but he was walking on his toes and fingers and just looked real weird. I’ve heard some of them aren’t human? Maybe? No, I don’t think the most dangerous stuff it out here.”
Normally, Ariana would have found herself having Ace’s kind of energy. It was what she had said only weeks ago. She wanted to fight for her right to live here. But now, with Celeste’s parents arriving seeming like a much more likely possibility, she couldn’t help but feel worried someone she cared for would get hurt because of her. Still, she did deserve the right to have a home and friends just like any other teenager. “You’re not wrong. It’s not something I should have to fight for, but here we are.” She was slightly stunned at the idea of an anti-hunter committee. That would be an awesome thing, but then again, there were hunters like Celeste who chose to judge people on their actions rather than their species. “It’s okay, I wish something like that existed. I wouldn’t say no to a hug.” She carefully made her way over the boulder looking slightly concerned at Ace’s lack of footing. “Slow and steady is the best way over these things. Also, they’re not plants. They’re like giant animals, though the hedgehounds look like moving plants. Much more vicious though.” Ariana giggled as she jumped up another rock. “Mime sightings aren’t rare in White Crest. Think I know the one you’re talking about. Pretty sure it eats cats. Still wouldn’t get too close. Couldn’t resist the mime restaurant, huh,” she said, playfully nudging him once he was steady on the rock beside her.
“Yeah, here you are. Doesn’t mean you have to feel okay with it.” Sammy agreed, watching her carefully. Once they were on the boulder together - and her balance was so much better than his, but Sammy had trained with hunters even if he would have been a shitty one even with the right genetics - he wrapped his arms around her tightly, and tucked his chin against her head. God, it was the only hug he’d had in months, and he squeezed her gently. “Yeah, slow and steady.” He let her go after a moment, and after a moment took a big step onto the next boulder. “That’s what I don’t like in this town. Why is a weird mime never just a weird mime? Why does it have to eat cats? Yeah, you know, big fan of…. Mime food? Is it striped?” He playfully nudged her back, and sat to stare across the ocean. “Do you know what’s weird? It feels like when I’m out here my head starts to clear a little. Like, uh, removing cotton whool or something. I bet this beach is real pretty in the daytime.”
“I’m not okay with it. Still gotta figure out how to live with it or make it stop,” Ariana responded somewhat defeatedly. Eventually, they’d have to face Celeste’s parents and this would be over with. Until then, the whole thing was stressful and she was pissed off about it. She relaxed a bit as Ace wrapped his arms around her and rested her head against his chest as she hugged him back. It brought a certain level of comfort with it. The sound of his heartbeat drummed in her ears and she found it to be soothing. Something about hugs were a nice reminder that you weren’t alone in the world. Now more than ever, she had actual friends and hope of surviving this whole mess. “Thanks,” she said softly as he let go, “That did make me feel a little better.” She looked over the ocean and marveled how it also sparkled under the moonlight. A laugh escaped her lips at Ace’s rant on mimes not just being mimes. “It’s part of the White Crest charm, nothing’s what it seems. Pretty sure there’s something magical about the mimes. I’ll keep you posted on that one though.” She took a seat down on a larger rock overlooking the water and patted the space next to her, indicating she wanted him to join. “Weirdly, I haven’t been in the daytime yet. It was like night time here for like nearly a month thought. I kind of prefer the beach at night anyway. I love the way the moonlight reflects in the water. I know, stereotypical werewolf loves the moon. Tonight it’s in the Waxing Gibbous phase so it looks almost full. If you’re ever able to come during the day though, I’d join.”
“That’s the aim of the game!” The moment Sammy said it, he flushed bright red. Why… why did he have to say stuff like that? Cheering her up, like, totally not a game. When she sat, Sammy slowly clambered to his feet, and stepped over carefully to join her. When he sat, his foot slipped, and Sammy winced as he landed on his ass hard. “Whoops!” Sammy looked at the scrape on his hand, his pulse starting to rate. Nope, nope, he had to stay calm. Totally calm. Or it would wake Lydia. Not that she’d find out about it in the morning anyway. “I’m okay,” he said quickly, looking back over to Ariana. “But, I uh, probably won’t ever come during the day. Very Cinderella like that. Might turn into a pumpkin.” He swung his arm around Ari’s shoulder, not like in some goofy teen movie, but to give her another quick hugging squeeze. “Hey, I can’t think of anyone who doesn’t love the moon. It wild, to think a rock a million miles away has an effect on the oceans, and magic and people, too.”
Ariana let out a weak laugh at Ace’s joke. She could tell it left him a bit flustered after she said it, so she tilted her head and smiled at him to indicate it was totally okay. He’d still made her feel better than she had been feeling all day. She was slightly startled by him slipping as he sat down. She tried to reach a hand out to help, but it was too late. “Can I take a look,” she asked as she reached for his hand. It had a scrape on it so she went digging into the backpack she set down. “I’ve got a hiking first aid kit in here somewhere, and oh, I brought snacks, too. You feeling sweet or salty?” She took his hand and warned, “This might sting a little bit.” She took the sanitizing wipe to his scrap before applying a bandaid to it. “There you go. Just gotta be careful getting back down from here.” A frown crossed Ariana’s face as he mentioned he’d probably never get to come during the day. It only affirmed every suspicion she had that he was in a bad situation. She’d definitely have to sneak follow him back to wherever he was staying if she had any chance of helping him. For right now, she enjoyed another gentle hug and made an effort to lighten the mood. “Cinderella, huh? Does that make me Prince Charming? Are you going to leave behind a shoe so I can search the town for you? You know, it’s the carriage that turns back into a pumpkin, not Cinderella herself, right?” She nudged him gently with a laugh, hoping it brought a little light back to the situation. “Yeah, I don’t know if it’s a wolf thing, but I’ve always been captivated by it. My physical strength is also influenced by the lunar cycle, so there’s that. It’s also just… beautiful, you know?”
Sammy curled his hand into a fist, before sighing and unfurling it, holding it out in front of Ariana. “You’re a modern scout, aren’t you.” He winced anyway, despite her warning as the alcohol stung his palm. “Sweet, please.” He flexed his hand, watching the bandage curl over it, and knew he’d rip it off before he got back in the house. “Thanks, Ariana. I’ll, uh, try to be less clumsy.” He gave another squeeze to her shoulder. “Hell yeah it does! Except, kinda need my shoes, so you’ll have to find me some other way.” He chuckled. “Yes, of course I do! But it would be so much cooler to turn into a pumpkin, don’t you think?” He nudged her back, staring over the water. The sky was beginning to lighten. “Yeah, it’s so cool. Do you get, like, physically stronger near the full moon?”
Ariana knew alcohol on a fresh scrape stung like hell, but it was better to clean it than let it possibly get infected. “I was never actually a girl scout, but I’m sure I have more camping and hiking skills than most.” At the request of something sweet, Ariana pulled a thing of Double Stuf Oreos out of her backpack and a couple of bottles of water. “Hope you like Oreos then.” She smiled and handed him the package so he could enjoy some cookies. She munched on one before she jokingly said, “I hope this doesn’t sound totally creepy, but I could always sniff you out. Weirdest re-telling of Cinderella ever. That’s gonna be a no from me. I like you just as you are. Plus, I’d have to keep people from trying to like turn you into a pie or something and it sounds exhausting.” She smirked and let out a breath as he nudged her. This really was kind of perfect. The view of the sky over the water and knowing they were both safe, at least for this moment. No hunters or no whatever clearly had some sort of hold on Ace. “Yeah, I get stronger as it gets closer to the full moon. Further away from it, I’m closer to human strength. Given being an athlete and training in carpentry, I’m way stronger than you’d expect a girl who’s 5’1” to be.”
“I’d be a great pie! But yeah, just a tiny bit creepy. But hey, I know how to track- certain… types of people?” Hitting the boundary of those promises mid sentence, it was. Great. Sammy hoped she was joking, but not enough to ask whether she was joking. Something deep in his chest stopped him from asking her not to track him. God, he could practically hear Chloe already, scolding him for letting anyone even close enough to joke about it. Sammy scratched the back of his head, before accepting an oreo and pointedly ignoring his head-Chloe, to listen to Ariana. “I mean yeah, I’m not surprised you’re so much stronger, anyway, but it’s so cool that it changes. Like, do your muscles physically grow over the course of the month?” Sammy looked up at the sky, and held up his oreo so it briefly covered the moon. “Speaking of being Cinderella, I probably have to bounce soon. Not right yet, though. You doing anything nice at the moment, while hiding from hunters?”
“I know being a snack is a compliment, but being an actual pie is not what they meant. My bad, super wolf sense of smell. Kinda the main way I navigate the world. Certain types of… okay? I’m guessing you can’t finish that thought,” Ariana said with a small frown. The bright side was he didn’t explicitly tell her not to sniff him out, so her plan of following him back without him knowing was still ago. She needed to know he was safe and if he would be for much longer. The whole situation with him was very cryptic, but he was so sweet and she enjoyed his company. She felt inclined to try and get him out of whatever trouble he was in. “Thanks, I like that me being strong isn’t a surprise,” she said with a small laugh, “No, they don’t physically get like bigger or anything, but I can feel a big difference. Having the extra strength makes me feel a little faster, too.” It was getting late, even without looking at her watch, she could tell by the sky. She knew the whole house was probably wondering where she was. It has hard to sneak away in a house full of wolves and a hunter. Still, she gave him a pout, “Fiiiiine,” she said dramatically, “But really, that’s cool. I do have school in the morning unfortunately. Outside the hunter thing, yeah, things are pretty nice. Prom’s coming up, so gotta find a dress for that and graduation. Apprenticeship is going nicely, too. I’ve actually been working on a pretty dope coffee table as a birthday gift for a friend.”
“Hey, I’m a snack and I still stand by being a great pie. I’d be the most delicious pumpkin pie in town!” Sammy grinned, “Yup, definitely can’t finish that thought. Oh well. It would be easier if I could tell you what I can’t tell you but I’m not even able to tell you that.” He swallowed, unwilling to let the darkness creep back into the conversation, so he barrelled on into the rest of the conversation. “So like the Kanye song, then. Sick.” School in the morning. Despite the hunters, despite the hiding and the hair, she still had school, normality and friends. (Was it a tiny bit weird hanging out with a high schooler? Yes. Was Sammy feeling picky? Absolutely not.) He stood up slowly, sliding down the rock and gesturing for her to walk with him back to the road. “What kinda dress are you thinking? I bet your friend will love the table too.”
“Alright, alright. You can be a pumpkin pie when you turn back into a pumpkin. It is my favorite pie,” Ariana agreed with a laugh that was quickly cut off at the mention of things he couldn’t say. It would be nice if he was able to tell her what he can and can’t talk about. Something like that would make it easier for her to figure out what had a hold on him. “Right, that’s okay.” It seemed Ace didn’t want to dwell on it too much which she could understand. She nodded and looked back out at the water sparkling under the night sky. “Something like that.” A quiet laugh escaped her lips and she focused on enjoying the rest of their time together. It seemed like they both had plenty to worry about. “I’m not too sure about the dress. Going shopping with a friend soon. Nothing too poofy. The table is coming along beautifully, I’m sure he’ll love it.”
“Next time we meet you’ll have to show me what you chose,” Sammy said, with way way way too much enthusiasm. They reached the road, and Sammy looked down to fiddle with a tiny corner of the band-aid. “Right, so I’ll see you around, yeah? Best of luck getting that table finished and stuff. I’ll try not to miss you, either. Just watch out for the bat signal.” He nudged her teasingly, giving her a short wave before jogging off. As soon as she was out of sight, he ripped the bandaid off his palm, rubbing the scab idly. He’d start with the clay work early tomorrow, it would be fine. The bridge to Harris island wasn’t far, and Sammy had learned that it was one of the few places you were unlikely to run into anyone - anyone who lived on the island would be driving along the bridge, not walking. Then it wasn’t far to a small grove of trees, covered in ivy or some other dangly plant, Sammy had no idea. What he did know was that when you moved them out of the way, it lead to a a bunker style tunnel, that led right into Lydia’s home. Rather, it led out - Chloe had found an emergency bunker in the basement, for whatever reason someone in a town like this might have needed it.
“You got it, there will be plenty of picture updates on the prom experience,” Ariana said with a wide smile. Having some semblance of a normal high school experience was something she was looking forward to. The brief excitement faded when Ace said he had to head back home. “Yeah, yeah,” she said, “I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for bat signals. Stay safe out there, Ace.” She gave him a quick hug and was mindful of his scent, committing it to memory. With a wave, she began walking in the opposite direction to let him believe she was going back home. Once he was out of sight, she began following his trail. The smell of him was still fresh in the air and she found herself quietly sneaking through the trees. She noticed his bandaid on the ground and furrowed her brows. Why would he need to take that off? She supposed if he was sneaking around behind someone’s back, the band aid would make it obvious. She shook her head and kept following his scent until she reached the bridge. Ace was up ahead, just nearly all the way across. She ducked down so he couldn’t see her and waited until he was out of sight again before crossing the bridge and following his trail into a grove of trees. This was odd, but she kept tracking him. She was shocked to find a tunnel. His scent was still fresh, he must have gone into the tunnel and she went into it herself. With every step, Ariana was mindful to make sure she was being near silent. When she reached the house, she decided it was best to turn around. She could probably find the front of it without the tunnel, but it was getting late. She would take the not tunnel route when she came back, earlier in the evening one of these nights soon. The whole tunnel thing definitely confirmed her suspicion that Ace was being held against his will, likely by something magical since he physically couldn’t tell her certain things. Her stomach felt like it was twisting. Whatever situation Ace was in, she knew she had to get him out of it.
Here is your card for Bad Things Happen Bingo. Happy writing! !!!! Requests are open, I haven’t really introduced my ocs here yet so feel free to just request a square! Thanks!
Could I request how the love and deepspace love interests would comfort mc who got into a minor car accident and is fine but a bit sore from the whiplash
( I was rear-ended on my way to school while stuck in traffic because the person behind me wasn't paying attention. Now I lay at home with no injuries but sore and feeling pathetic searching for comfort)
Absolutely! Thank you for the request! I'm glad you weren't hurt in your accident. I hope this helps you feel better
I did my best to follow the prompt as exactly as possible. Caleb's ended up being mutual hurt comfort.
hey just wanna say thank you for posting mydei and welt with an autistic s/o headcanons... i never have felt the urge to passionately shove my tongue down a man's throat so intensely as I did upon reading "and if you try to apologize he shuts that shit down"!! have a good day
Haha! No problem. I definitely get the urge. It's definitely a fairly frequent one for me.
