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dominimoonbeam · 1 year

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Scars That Remind - Finale

It’s finished! Thank you so much to everyone that read along with this fic and left comments. You make writing and sharing so much fun! I hope you like how it turned out.

I wanted to explore how different things could be if we just changed something seemingly tiny, like Gabe taking in Darlin when they were a teen, and it snowballed into this AU. If you want to read it from the start, it’s here on ao3!

Scars That Remind - Ch.15 the end.

Darlin stood in front of the mirror, fingering the ring of clean skin on their neck where Sam’s teeth had been. He’d healed it. Of course he had healed it. It cut through a few scars, like someone had taken an eraser to their skin, like it was that easy.

Darlin wasn’t sure how to feel about it.

Scars had always been reminders. Proof of a moment.

But then they thought of that time Gabe had dragged them to a healer after their first fight with Quinn. What was he had said?

Their heart clenched in their chest.

“You don’t need this reminder, kid. You’ve got enough.”

Tears rolled up before they could stop them.

As soon as the first one fell, Sam was knocking on the bathroom door. It wasn’t locked but he still knocked. “Darlin?” he asked, sleepy voice full of worry.

They pushed the back of their hand to their mouth, trying to swallow down that sudden rise of emotion enough to talk, to say they were fine.

��Darlin, I’m coming in, okay?” he called, waited another beat, and then opened the door.

Had he actually heard the tear? Smelled it? Or was it the way their heart had beat and their breathing changed? Did vampires notice everything like that or was he just paying attention to them? Why? They knew why.

He looked genuinely worried. They still had one hand to their neck where the scars had been erased and the other pressed to their mouth. “Oh Darlin,” he sighed, coming closer, tentative like he expected them to be mad at him. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t think about it, I swear. I wasn’t trying to—”

Darlin threw themselves at him to make him stop apologizing. They pressed their face into the side of his neck, and he scooped them up just like they’d known he would.

They knew.

Because he was one of those few people in their life that wasn’t going to make them regret trusting him.

In the weeks that followed, he didn’t erase all of Darlin’s scars. He didn’t try to, and they didn’t want him to. The clean circles that cut through other bites were enough.

David had stared at it the first time he saw it, his jaw tight. Darlin could practically see him trying to decide how to feel about it. Symbolically, he would like it, but practically it meant that Sam was biting them. In the end, they didn’t talk about it, but Sam was invited to more gatherings and meals—either to casually try to scare him off or just to make sure he knew they were watching him.

When Asher asked Darlin what being bitten by a vampire was like, they knew he was checking up on the situation for David. They didn’t know if their brother had actually asked his best friend to do it, but they knew it was why Asher was asking, even if he played it off like he was just drunk and curious at a party.

Darlin spent more time at Sam’s house than their own and they’d signed up for mostly afternoon classes next semester.

They should have known something was about to go wrong because too much was going right.

Cam would have said that was the negative thinking trying to bring them down, but as much as he tried, he didn’t understand. There was negative thinking and self-destructive behavior…and then there was Quinn.

In hindsight, Darlin knew they shouldn’t have been surprised.

But they’d expected him to roll into town like all the previous times—to get word that he was around, or see him standing on their doorstep one night trying to frighten them.

They hadn’t considered that this wouldn’t be like all the previous times because they were the one that had changed the game. They had reset the field. They had let the rumors of their new life spread. Even if they had called off the plan of luring him home, they hadn’t stopped doing exactly that.

So, when a truck slammed Sam’s from the side, crunching metal in around him and driving them off the road, it shouldn’t have been the god awful, gut-wrenching surprise that it was.

Because it was exactly like Quinn to take what was the single most traumatic moment of their life, the one that wasn’t about him, and make it fucking about him.

Darlin couldn’t breathe. They gasped and gasped, for long seconds forgetting how to exhale after the truck had finished rolling and landed upside down. Their memory of the crash years ago and that moment overlapped, replaying and blurring together.

They were upside down and right side up.

They were next to Gabe and they were next to Sam.

They reached for him, both of them, shaking so hard that they thought they’d shift right there in the cab of the truck. Gabe’s truck. Sam’s truck.

Sam wasn’t moving.

Gabe smiled, tears rolling off his lashes onto bloody cheeks. And then his eyes closed.

His eyes closed.

Sam’s eyes were closed.

He wasn’t moving.

And Darlin screamed.

They could breathe again after that scream tore up from their throat. They clawed at the seatbelt, ripping themself free and falling to the hood of the cab. “S-Sam…” Their chest hurt. Their heart hurt. Their soul fucking hurt.

They knew it was Quinn. They knew he was outside watching.

And a part of them was still shocked he had done it, even when they had no doubts. How could he do that? Knowing everything he knew about them. How could he be so cruel? Killing them was one thing, but this?

“Sammy?” they rasped, crawling to him, touching his face. Blood. There was blood on his face, but the could see his torn shoulder and neck healing. He was alive. His eyes rolled under their lids. He was alive.

Darlin unbuckled him and got him down, careful of his head while dragging him out of the wreck and onto the grass in the rain. They thought of the story they’d told him about how he’d been turned after a wreck. The cruelty of the moment doubled unintentionally, and it was their fault.

They looked up, over his body and the wreckage, and locked eyes with Quinn. He grinned, like he could hear their thoughts and was delighted. He knew exactly what he was doing when he caused that crash.

Sammy convulsed on the grass, eyes opening and struggling to focus, one hand coming up to reach for Darlin.

Quinn’s gaze flicked down to Sam and his lip curled.

Darlin knew Quinn too.

He was disappointed the other vampire was still alive. He would try to kill Sammy again—would love to make them watch it.

Darlin shifted a split second before Quinn started forward with all his speed. They jumped over Sam and collided with the other vampire.

Sam’s fingers brushed Darlin’s fur, almost grabbing on before they were gone—leaping over him and snarling like thunder.

The fight was a blur of motion to any onlookers, even empowered. The storm tried to muffle their sounds, masking it enough to let the residents of the neighborhood tucked safely in their homes brush them off as pieces of a storm.

Darlin bit and clawed, shifting in and out of their wolf form to avoid his teeth or get out of his grip, to throw punches before biting again, all the while pushing him down the street or running from him in that same direction, pulling him away from the wreck, away from Sammy.

They ripped his arm open and he broke their leg for it.

They bit into his chest, breaking ribs like they wanted to get their teeth right into his heart, and he cracked their skull.

They came to a stop on Darlin’s yard, blood soaking where blood had always gone—home. Darlin felt sick, like the world was spinning, but it wasn’t. Their head was just messed up. One eye saw only red, not metaphorical fury red, but actual blood red. That was new. Quinn snarled in their face, his hand on their neck. “You did all this to get my attention?”

And then his gaze flicked down to their throat and everything drained from his expression. His cruel smile withered. Rain rolled off his jaw and his lashes. His thumb stroked down the side of their neck, over his nest of scars and all the missing circles. The clean skin was what stood out now, not his bites.

His breath shuddered out of him and Darlin realized, even through all the firing panic in their system, that he was hurt. His blood was on their teeth, but that wasn’t how they’d hurt him.

“You…” he started, but for once didn’t have the words.

Darlin smiled up at him. “Me.”

His eyes flashed to theirs, his hand flexing on their throat. “I was going to make you watch him die… I was going to turn you when I was done and we would be together, the way we used to be.”

Darlin tried to keep their vision focused on him, tried to gather their core to shift again. If they could get into the house, past the ward… But their head hurt so much and they couldn’t quite convince their legs to work, let alone their core to shift.

Quinn jerked their head to side hard, making their spine twinge and their breath strain. “You were a waste of my time,” he growled before pushing his face into their neck.

They didn’t feel his teeth this time. Their brain was firing wrong. Maybe that was a mercy?

They felt the pull, their blood leaving their body in great gushing mouthfuls and allowing the cold of the world to sink into them. Finally. They couldn’t fight. Finally.

A lifetime and struggling flashed through their mind, of bleeding and screaming and clawing. Their parents. The street. Every bully. Quinn. Every enemy. Quinn. The car crash. Quinn.

It was over. And he wasn’t going to turn them. This wasn’t going to get any worse than dead. And dead, despite fighting it tooth and claw their whole damn life, seemed so peaceful.

And then the rest of their life rolled through their mind.

Gabe had loved them. He had made them a home and made that home safe. David. The pack. Their friends. Sammy. …Sammy.

Darlin pushed. They weren’t sure what or how, but they fucking pushed.

Energy snapped out of them in an arch that rolled upward, bowing their body in a final kick and throwing Quinn off. Rain pelted them from the sky, their limbs cold and numb and their neck hot where what was left of their blood poured out of that gash his teeth had left.

“What the fuck was that?” Quinn panted somewhere to their right.

They rolled in the opposite direction, onto their chest, and then started kicking at the wet grass, clawing their way toward their front door. “Magic…” they mumbled, blood rolling off their lips. Magic. They had gone to DAMN. They had dabbled to see what they could do before focusing on history.

They couldn’t see anymore. They could barely feel their own body. They had to stretch up to reach the doorknob, shaking so hard that they nearly failed to get it open. If it had been locked, they would have died.

The door opened and they fell through it.

Quinn hissed somewhere in the rain, rushing after them on all four. He clawed their boot, grabbing their foot and nearly dragging them all the way out in one pull, jerking so hard that their hip popped. “No!” he raged. “You’re not getting away. Not again!”

Darlin grunted, landing on their back, head and half their torso over the threshold and numb hands weakly holding onto the frame.

It occurred to them that if they held on when he pulled again, they might break the frame and the ward that offered protection. Then there would really be no escaping this fate.

Quinn laughed, the sound ugly and full of rage. His hands scrambling up their legs and hips, until he had hold of their waist. His fingers dug in, bruising and breaking. If they could just kick him. If they could just…

Lightning flashed outside, a bulb going on and bursting in the night. The raindrops turned to bits of silver sparkling in the air, Quinn’s face was twisted in the final form of all his emotions—hunger—and there, behind him, was Sam.

Darlin relaxed, letting go of the frame, and just as Quinn began to lift them to pull them out into the yard, Sam slammed him forward. The ward lit up, Sam’s hand in the back of Quinn’s hair, pushing him right up against it and driving Darlin in. They slid along the tile floor, the toe of their boot just inside the doorframe and out of reach.

Quinn raged, clawing at the ward and screaming, more angry about losing Darlin than about the vampire behind him. The ward shimmered and Darlin felt the dull vibration of that alarm singing out.

It pulsed and then it went quiet.

The whole world went quiet.

But they were home and home was safe. Gabe had said so.

It hadn’t been hard to find them and it had made sense when he realized Darlin was leading Quinn home.

They had a ward. They would be safe if they were in the house and if Quinn hit the ward, the pack would know it.

Whatever hope Sam had held of finding Darlin tucked inside and Quinn throwing a fit on the lawn was crushed by the weight of blood in the air. Even with the rain diluting it, pushing it down the gutter and soaking it into the lawn—it was stifling. It was too much.

When he reached the house, Darlin was half-inside with Quinn about to yank them out.

Sam hit Quinn hard, one hand fisted in the back of his hair and driving him face first into that ward. He held him there while he thrashed, until he was sure he had lost his hold on Darlin, until the silent alarm of the ward was jangling against his core, and then he pulled back and threw Quinn away from the house and across the yard.

Sam had imagined this fight since the night Quinn killed Fred and Bright. And he had imagined it anew after meeting Darlin. He had thought about how it would go, what he would say, and what he would do to make Quinn pay for everything he had done.

When it actually came, it was a blur, because all he could hear was the frantic, dying heartbeat of Darlin inside that house. Far away, the wolves were howling in the rain, coming. Quinn tried to escape but Sam wouldn’t let him. This wasn’t going to happen again. This was it. This was the end.

Sam had never bit anyone to hurt them before, but he ripped chunks out of Quinn. He snarled and bit again because Quinn tasted like Darlin and he had no fucking right. Distantly, he registered the damage he took in the fight. He knew that Quinn had bit him back. He knew that something in his chest had broken and at one point Quinn nearly snapped his neck. But Sam was hellbent on bleeding him, on taking back what he had stolen, on dragging every last drop of Darlin out of that son of a bitch.

There was no exchange of words.

The whole fight had been ugly and fast, neither pausing because the other would have finished it.

Sam didn’t ask any of the questions or make any of the speeches he had imagined.

He just killed him.

Sam didn’t even watch what was left of Quinn’s body settle on the rain slick street before he was stumbling back up to the house.

“Darlin?” he rasped, blinking blood and rain out of his eyes.

They were curled up on the floor just inside the door, the tiles were smeared red and he knew it would be so much more blood if they had more to give. Their heartbeat was an erratic flutter against his core. They didn’t move.

Sam pushed against the ward but it didn’t budge. He called again, pleading, but they didn’t move. He screamed, but they didn’t move. He beat at the ward and clawed at it over the doorframe, trying to rip it up even though he knew it was impossible.

“Darlin, please! I can’t reach you,” he called, willing them to just move enough, just push one boot over the threshold.

He slid to his knees. He couldn’t help them.

He could hear them dying and he was so fucking close. If he hadn’t been a vampire, it would have been so easy to cross that line and put them back together. If he had been the man he used to be, he could have saved them. On some level he knew that logic wasn’t sound. The man he used to be would never have met them. The man he used to be would never have been hunting a vampire. The man he used to be wouldn’t have been able to kill Quinn.

And then the barrier broke.

Sam fell forward, his hands in their blood on the cold tiles.

David dropped the piece of frame he’d ripped from the house and crossed the threshold, sliding to his knees beside Darlin. Sam didn’t even have time to thank him, scrambling over Darlin and tenderly stroking fingers down the ruin of their neck.

David’s hands hovered over their swollen face and wet hair. “I…I think they’re bleeding here too,” he heaved out the words, like his chest was almost too tight to let them go. “Darlin, can you hear us?” he said, louder now, firmer.

Sam laid his palm over their neck and closed up that gash, trying to quicken the building of blood in their body, trying to keep that struggling heart from going out. “Keep…Keep talking to them,” Sam whispered, hands shaking.

David leaned over Darlin, his forehead touching theirs the way Sam had seen the wolves do to each other before. “Hang on, dumbass. You can’t win and then die, it kind of ruins the whole thing…”

Sam gently pulled Darlin to lay on their side, his hands ghosting over them to look for the worst of their injuries, looking for gashes and breaks. Their leg was broken, some of their ribs and the finer bones in their hand too. He checked their spine, their neck, and…the back of their skull was broken. He swallowed and settled them on their back, cradling their head in his hands. He groaned, heaving more power from his core into their body.

The Stealth that was dating one of the pack members lingered in the doorway behind him for a while, breathing hard and talking fast. Sam only vaguely realized they were reporting the incident in to someone, probably the department. When they were done, they climbed into the little entryway and settled down somewhere between him and David. The space was fast filling up, legs and arms overlapping to get in close to Darlin.

“An ambulance is coming, the clinic knows we’re inbound. They’ll have blood and more healers. What do you need?”

What did he need?

Darlin.

He needed Darlin.

The Stealth worked on Darlin’s ribs while Sam worked on their head. Soon the street was flooded not just with the Shaw pack but the Department. They would be going around the neighborhood making sure no one saw anything they shouldn’t.

Sam didn’t know any of that though, because he and David were in an ambulance with Darlin. They were okay. He told himself that over and over, but he wouldn’t be able to believe it until they woke up.

And despite all the healing, they hadn’t woken up.

David had seen Darlin after a fight plenty of times. He had seen them pulling pieces of glass from their skin, supergluing cuts that definitely needed healing or stitches, and that time their eye completely swelled shut.

He thought he had seen just about everything.

But seeing them perfectly healed but unconscious, was surreal. They took turns waiting with Darlin in the days that followed Quinn’s death. Sam was there every night, only leaving sheer minutes before sunrise. David, Asher, and Milo sat throughout the days.

David had never doubted that they would wake up, but he was starting to worry about the toll it was taking on Sam. Sam was definitely worried. So worried, that his king, William, had paid the empowered hospital a visit to speak with David. He had asked in careful words if there was anything he could do and David realized Sam had no idea the king was there, offering to turn a wolf for his boy. David bristled but held it back, assuring William Solaire that Darlin was fine.

And Darlin was.

Three days of beauty sleep later, they woke up.

David was there to see it and, despite all that certainty and belief, he exhaled a breath of relief that almost pulled him to his knees beside their bed.

Darlin blinked and coughed and frowned. They sat up and pulled the cables and tubes off, swearing at them like they’d attacked them. “The fuck, David?”

He didn’t even try to stop them. He had had all that time to imagine how they would wake up and this was exactly it. “You scared your boyfriend,” he said.

Darlin looked up at that, gaze flashing around the room.

“It’s two in the afternoon. He’s probably tossing around his coffin worrying about you.”

“He doesn’t sleep in a coffin…” Darlin shoved the thin covers off and swung their legs over the edge of the narrow bed. They frowned at their knees. “Where are my boots?”

David snorted. “Not even your pants or your shirt? You just want the boots?”

“The boots are the hardest to replace,” Darlin argued, voice gravelly but there.

He collected their things from the cupboard and dumped them on the bed.

“Everyone is okay?” Darlin asked, testing their legs and stretching.

David stayed close in case they stumbled. “Everyone but Quinn.”

Darlin paused, body stiff. They looked up at him through a mess of hair. “He’s dead?”

David nodded, watching them carefully. Their eyes misted over but their jaw set tight.

“Good.”

He knew they meant it, but he also knew it wasn’t that simple. They’d had history.

Darlin pulled on their jeans and then a t-shirt. Asher had picked out clean clothes from the house and brought them to the hospital on day one. The boots had four scratches across the leather and he watched Darlin thumb them before putting the shoe on. Milo had cleaned the blood and mud off.

David grabbed their jacket before they could ask for it and held it for them while they slid in one tired arm at a time. A healer came in and actually tried to put Darlin back to bed, but the Shaw siblings were leaving and no one was going to stop them.

Darlin took a deep breath of clean air when they walked out of the building. Their body felt good, shaky and empty, but good. They couldn’t believe they’d been out for three days.

David slowed when they walked up to the truck. He hesitated and they knew why. Darlin always drove when they were together, because they’d freaked out before, thinking of that night with Gabe. But Darlin had just woken up from a damn coma. Still, David held out the keys to them. He’d rather risk his life on Darlin driving than force them to relive that nightmare. He was a good brother.

Darlin pushed the keys back to him. “It’s okay,” they said. “You drive.” They climbed into the passenger seat and settled in.

David waited until they put their seatbelt on, just the way Gabe used to. He couldn’t help being like their dad sometimes, and Darlin wouldn’t have it any other way. Shit happened but if things were going to go badly, Darlin wanted to be there with their family.

The engine rumbled and the truck pulled out of the parking lot, sunlight dancing on the windshield.

“Take me to Sammy?” Darlin asked. They should probably go home, deal with the mess, or go visit the pack, but right now they just needed to see Sammy.

David nodded, not needing to change direction.

It took Darlin a while to realize they weren’t going toward the Solaire lands. They were winding through the neighborhood, toward their childhood home. “David?”

“I told him he could sleep in your room…” he said, sounding a little conflicted. “I know it’s yours and you decide who goes in there, but your vampire was a mess, Darlin. I’m not joking when I say you gave the man a scare. You’d think he’d never seen you near dead before…”

Darlin would have laughed at the way David said it, if the idea of Sammy being alone the last few days weren’t so crushing.

They were surprised that the yard was clean and the pavement dry when they got to the house. In their head it was all still rain-soaked and spotted in puddles of blood. Someone had even fixed the doorframe and cleaned the entrance.

The front door opened before Darlin was even out of the truck. He didn’t come out, the bright daylight across the yard the only thing holding him back, but Darlin could feel Sammy there in the shadows waiting for them.

“We’ll be by tonight,” David said and they knew he meant the whole pack.

Darlin flashed him a smile and closed the door.

They crossed the lawn and went home.

#redacted asmr #fanfic #redactedverse #darlin/sam #slight au #darlin & david siblings #FINALE!#that's right I finished this long fic #dominimoonbeam

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adenei · 9 months

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Sparks Fly

Written for Microfic Mayhem! A good old GOF AU/Missing Moment (ish?)

Thank you @cruelsummer-ficfest for helping me find my writing groove again and hosting a FABULOUS fest

Song: Sparks Fly

Ship: Romione

Read on AO3

The way you move is like a full on rainstorm

And I'm a house of cards

You're the kind of reckless that should send me running

But I kinda know that I won't get far

“‘Next time there’s a ball, ask me before someone else does, and not as a last resort!’”

Hermione brushes past Ron, heat rising in her cheeks and tears stinging her eyes. She only makes it a couple of steps before he grabs her by the arm and pulls her back. The room is starkly empty all of a sudden.

“Let me go, Ron,” she warns, but he doesn’t.

“You weren’t a last resort.” The words are barely audible. She wouldn’t have believed he actually spoke if she hadn’t seen his lips move.

“Oh, really?” She yanks her arm out of his grasp and steps forward so that they’re nose to nose again. “So, what? You just needed to ensure I was, in fact, a girl first?”

“I’m well aware you’re a girl,” he responds through gritted teeth.

And at that exact moment his eyes drift down, settling on the tiny bit of cleavage heaving up and down from her breathing before snapping back up to her face. Flattered as Hermione is, her nostrils flare and her cheeks flush with anger. “You have got to be kidding me.”

“What? No, I—” His ears are scarlet now and he steps back to shed the outer layer of his robes. “C’mon, Hermione. Trust me, I noticed.”

“Yes, well, don’t seem so shocked. I’m fully capable of wearing form-fitting clothes or undoing an extra button on my shirt. I just choose not to.”

“Why?” Ron’s eyes widen slightly, giving away that he didn’t mean to ask the question out loud.

Hermione sighs. “Because I’ll never be as desirable as Fleur or Lavender, so why bother trying?”

She’s not sure where the honesty comes from. It must be all the Butterbeer she’s had tonight that’s finally catching up to her.

“You’re clearly desirable. Viktor fucking Krum took you to the Yule Ball.”

“If only he were the one I wanted to go with,” she admits in a whisper.

Ron scoffs. “Yeah, right. Sure didn’t look like that in the Great Hall.”

“I’m not saying I had a horrible time,” Hermione snaps. “It’s just—”

“Just what?”

I'm on my guard for the rest of the world

But with you, I know it's no good

She shudders, but doesn’t know if she can tell Ron. Sure, he’s her best friend, but admitting this would be a step too far. But he gives her that look and her heart melts a little more before the words come tumbling out.

“I was having a good time until the end of the night. He tried to kiss me and I—I turned away.”

Ron balls his fists at his side. “He what?”

“No, no! He tried, but he didn’t. Being his date to the ball was one thing, but—I don’t know, I just couldn’t…he’s not who I wanted to share a first kiss with.”

Silence hangs thick and clouds the space between them until Ron finally speaks. His hands are no longer clenched and his jaw is more relaxed.

“You’ve thought about who you want to share a first kiss with?”

Hermione lets out a derisive laugh. “Of course I have! I am fifteen, you know. Even if I don’t always act like it…I would like the experience of kissing a boy at some point.”

“But you didn’t kiss Viktor.”

“I did not.”

“So who then?”

“I can’t say.”

“Can’t? Or won’t?”

“Can’t.” Her lip turns up into the slightest smirk, and perhaps it’s still the Butterbeer coursing through her veins, but she’s pretty sure the proximity to Ron is getting to her. That’s the reason she’s brave enough to say, “Rumor has it, he thinks I’m a nightmare.”

Their fingers brush and she hears a slight hitch in his throat and—did he just move closer? She’s so busy contemplating it that she almost misses his lips brush hers. It may not be a true kiss, but it’s pure heaven. Hermione closes her eyes and sparks fly, but before she can bask in the moment, it’s already gone.

“He definitely doesn’t.”

They remain frozen like that for a beat, and Hermione wishes he’d move back in and truly kiss her this time. Now that she’s had the smallest taste, she wants more.

But Ron pulls away instead. Running a hand through his hair, he grabs the discarded robe, and backs toward the boys’ staircase. Hermione is left reeling in the common room, frozen in place as she watches him leave. She leans on the back of the sofa for support, almost missing when Ron flashes a lopsided grin at her before disappearing up the staircase, and she’s left wondering if all of this is real.

Regardless of whether it did or didn’t, the question still remains: Now what?

Gimme something that'll haunt me when you're not around

'Cause I see sparks fly, whenever you smile

#romione #ron x hermione #ron weasley #hermione granger #hp fanfic #hp gof #missing moment #slight au

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martianbugsbunny · 5 months

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That's How He Knows He's Yours (A Lokius Fic)

Would you like a little bit of self-indulgent Lokius to heal from the finale? You would?!?! Good!! Because I just so happen to have some! *opens green coat to reveal a fic* All the context you need, which is little to none, is in the fic, so just read on and enjoy and patch up your little broken heart!!!

The TVA was having a party.

That wasn’t really the important thing, but it was interesting anyway. Mobius couldn’t remember the last time they’d had a party—but they needed to keep their spirits up after finding out that their entire lives were, in fact, lies, so a party it was. Every sector was having its own shindig, because the TVA was immense, and all of the employees couldn’t have fit in a single room if they’d been threatened with death to do it.

Well, anyway, the important thing was that Mobius wasn’t going alone. He’d convinced Loki that it would be more fun to go together than to go separately, or not to go at all.

The other important thing was that Mobius had offered to braid Loki’s hair, which had grown considerably longer than it had been the first time they’d met, and that Loki had taken him up on it.

He’d spent hours studying both Jotun and Aesir braiding styles—not just the actual construction, but also the meaning behind them. In the end he’d picked the Jotun style that signaled “I’m taken” because it was beautiful, and because he was pretty sure Loki didn’t know enough about his own culture to know what it meant himself, so Mobius could convince himself it wasn’t that much of a presumption.

“I’m not so sure about this suit,” Loki said, patiently waiting as Mobius brushed his hair before twisting it together. “The gold stripes are a bit much, don’t you think?” “What happened to the guy who used to strut around wearing gold armor and a cape?” Mobius teased, beginning the first braid. Left under the middle, right under the middle, he muttered to himself.

“I’ve been wearing your boring TVA clothes for months,” Loki said. “The drab must’ve rubbed off on me.”

Mobius rolled his eyes. The truth was, he was outside his own comfort zone in a fancy suit. His didn’t have metallic pin-striping on it like Loki’s did (because it was a bit much, although Loki wore it well) but it was black, and a much sharper cut and a much more dashing style than he was used to wearing. He’d been just an analyst in a plain brown suit for centuries, and now here he was all dressed up like he thought he was Prince Charming or something.

He tried to focus more on the different strands of dark hair in his hands than on the way his fingertips brushed against Loki’s temples as he gathered new locks to add to a braid.

He failed.

As he began to pin the completed braids up using glittering golden hair pins, he tried to focus more on not stabbing Loki’s scalp than on the brush of his hands against the nape of Loki’s neck.

He failed.

Loki was built like a prince, Mobius sometimes caught himself thinking. It didn’t matter if it was princedom of Asgard or of Jotunheim. There was an elegance in the set of his shoulders, in the movements of his hands as he wielded his magic, and a determination in the curve of his back and the way he stepped, that was just plain regal. Gold, like the simple rings he was wearing that night and the hair pins Mobius had found for him and the single slim chain around his neck, seemed to have been built into the cosmos for no reason other than to have Loki wear it.

That was waxing poetic. Mobius didn’t do that often—only for Loki and Jet Skis. What could he say, they were both remarkable singularities in the universe.

He finished setting the last braid into place, nestled among the others like a crown across the top of Loki’s head. “All done, puss,” he said, patting Loki on the shoulder.

Loki’s head turned slightly to the side at the use of the nickname, and Mobius could just see a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “Do I dare look?” he asked.

“I didn’t mess it up that bad,” Mobius said. Loki chuckled and got up from the floor in front of Mobius’s couch to go check his appearance in the mirror on the other side of the room.

Mobius could see the reflected green eyes widening as he caught sight of himself. For some reason Mobius’s heart was in his throat.

“I didn’t know you knew how to do this,” Loki said.

“What, braids?” Mobius managed to speak past his racing pulse. “It’s not that hard.” (It was, actually, quite hard, but learning it for Loki had made it seem easier.)

“No. The Jotun style.” That quick pulse stopped altogether. Mobius sat there, stock still, feeling very much like he was going to throw up if Loki didn’t break the sudden silence.

He turned from the mirror to look Mobius in the eyes properly. He was smiling, his eyes glittering beneath the faint liner he’d applied earlier that evening and a light dusting of shimmery white eyeshadow. “Seems the pussycat has caught himself a guilty little mouse,” he said, his voice sultry and honey-smooth, dripping into Mobius’s soul. “You didn’t realize I knew what these braids meant,” he stated. There wasn’t a hint of doubt on his face.

“You caught me,” Mobius said. He was impressed with himself for being able to get any words out at all, with Loki’s gaze focused on him like that.

“I’m taken, am I?”

Now Mobius found himself entirely unable to speak. What could he say, after all, other than "we’ve been spending a lot of time together and you don’t mind when I call you ‘puss’ and I catch you staring at me sometimes in a way nobody ever has"? It seemed stupid even in his brain. None of that meant he and Loki were…whatever he’d been subconsciously thinking they could be when he’d picked the style.

Loki walked back across the room, a new sway in his hips that Mobius was positive hadn’t been there before, and sat down on the couch to lean directly into Mobius’s personal space. For a long moment, far too long, far too breathless, he simply studied Mobius’s face, as though he could see everything single thought that had ever crossed his mind.

“We’ll see about that when we get back from the party,” he said finally, gaze flicking briefly down to Mobius’s lips. “Maybe you’re the one who’s going to be…taken.”

He crossed into that last bit of personal space and pressed their lips together, his touch surprisingly light, stunningly tender, as one arm came up to drape across Mobius’s shoulders and draw him even closer.

“Don’t be so sure of yourself, puss.” Mobius finally found his tongue again after the kiss (although in a few moments, he was sure the cat would have it) and flirted back, laying a hand on Loki’s thigh. “You’re the one with the fancy hairstyle to prove it.”

As Loki laughed, Mobius captured his lips in another kiss, just as soft as before but oh-so-many leagues more passionate, and he thanked his lucky stars he’d been fool enough to pick a Jotun way to call Loki his.

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msweebyness · 7 months

Text

Descendants: Darcy’s Boogie

It is I, with my first ever Descendants short! This is the last installment of Sparky and I's NBC 30th Anniversary Special! This takes place in the "canon" universe, with the change of including my Nightmare Before Christmas OCs, Darcy Boogie and Jack Skellington Jr (or JJ). For background on these two, check out my post for Artzy's art of them! (And Sparky's Rescendants AU) As usual, @imsparky2002 and @artzychic27!

Here's the background for this short: Halloween is coming up in Auradon, and every year, Halloween Town hosts a huge celebration of spooks and scares for the youths of the whole kingdom. Normally, Ben himself, assisted by JJ would organize the festivities, but this year, as a show of good will to the Villain Kids now living in Auradon, he's decided to hand the reins to none other than the Boogeyman's daughter, which Darcy so graciously accepted. But are they prepared for the best she can do?

An air of trepidation filled the hearts of the Auradonian teens and their Isle-born friends made their way towards the ramshackle building on the outskirts of Halloween Town that had been selected as the hub for Auradon’s annual Youth Halloween Celebration. None other than the boogeyman’s daughter had been appointed by Ben to coordinate the scares and festivities. No one knew what to expect and it had them on edge…

"Ben...as much as I love Darcy, and as great as it is that you want the newer VK's to know we have trust in them...are you sure this was a good idea?”, Jane said softly, her voice trembling as she clung to Carlos’ arm.

“It’ll be fine, guys! Darcy was really happy when I asked her if she’d like to do this! And besides, JJ said she actually kept it pretty tame!”, Ben assured brightly, optimistic as always.

“Yeah, by Boogie standards!”, Jay snarked, earning a smack to the head from Evie.

Finally, they reached the massive, oaken doors of the house, which seemed to open by themselves in response to their presence.

“Hmph! Pretty standard fare for someone who claims to be the best of the best!”, Chad Charming scoffed as they walked in, only to shriek when he felt a hand creep up the back of his neck and a dark cackle echoed through the shadowy entry hall.

“Oh…don’t you worry, Chad. This ain’t even the beginnin’!”, a familiar female voice purred, before all the lights suddenly went out, the room now illuminated only by eerie green candlelight.

This only lasted a moment as an entire display of blinking casino lights illuminated the darkness, accompanied by a funky rhythm that played from an unknown source.

With a devilish smile, Darcy Boogie stepped into the spotlight and began her song.

DARCY: Now, scarin’ all those Isle creeps was becomin’ such a bore!

The same thing every day gone by, just wasn’t fun no more

Darcy mimed a yawn as she remembered how monotonous her scares on the Isle had become with time, but she had no time to dwell on the past. She had a fresh audience to cater to!

Better look out Auradon, I’m about to get my shot! (Thanks, Benny Boy!)

With a playful giggle, she patted the young king on the head (from a higher vantage point, as he was a good bit taller than her), making Mal huff in annoyance at his side.

It’s Darcy’s day to show her stuff

And I'm gonna give it all I got

I just can't wait for you to see the spectacle I’ll make

With a smirk of devious glee, Darcy pulled a lever on the wall, which caused trap doors to open along the floor, bugs of all kinds swarming out over the feet of the Auradon Kids, who yelped and scrambled to avoid them.

"Oh my GODS, Eeeew!", Audrey squealed, prancing on the spot in revulsion, "Where did she even GET this many bugs?!"

But I guess that all depends

On how much terror you can take!

Darcy gave another menacing cackle, before giving the group of frightened teens a playful wave as she disappeared into the shadows and allowed her friends to say their piece.

UMA: Spooky hour approaches

And just out of sight

The assembled teens turned with a start to the pirating sea witch sitting on the top level of the old fountain in the center of the room, grinning nonchalantly as she fingered the blade of her sword.

HARRY: A creature is stirring

To give you a fright

The ‘Hero’ kids shrieked as the pirate dropped down in front of them, hanging upside down while brandishing his hook with a maniacal grin.

GIL: The hearts of the heroes

They’re racing with fear

Sitting up on a ledge, swinging his feet back and forth, Gil’s bright and cheerful smile looked unusually menacing overlaid by the shadows that entrenched the room.

PIRATE TRIO: They won’t get no sleep, cuz our Boogie Gal’s here!

With a maniacal laugh in perfect three part harmony, the pirates all vanished into the shadows as Darcy reappeared with a dramatic flourish, the casino black-lights making her appear to almost glow.

DARCY: Look out cuz that Boogie Blood is back in town!

(Pirate Trio: Woah-oh-oh!)

Darcy felt that the residents of Auradon had been growing soft in the absence of a Boogie to remind them what lurked in the dark, but that was going to change now that she was here! She had plans to remind the world of why her family name sent a chill down your spine!

Honey, you ain’t ready for what’s gonna go down!

(Pirate Trio: Woooah-Oh!)

Darcy grinned and the Auradon kids shrieked as all the lights went out once more, before the floor dropped out beneath them and they were sent plummeting down a steep ramp that landed them in a lower level of the old house. Like the room before it, this new location was quickly illuminated by glittering casino style lighting.

HARRY: Nowhere to run

With his signature crazed giggle, Harry flipped a lever that sealed the passage through which the teens had come, trapping them in the room.

GIL: No place to hide

Gil grinned as he hit a button on the wall that shone a bright spotlight on their captives, illuminating their every move.

UMA: So say goodbye

Uma gave a mocking little wave to the terrified group as she called their attention to where her bestie was waiting to continue the show.

DARCY: 'Cause Darcy’s gettin’ her Boogie on! It’s my turn this time!

(Pirate Trio: She’s got her boogie on!)

Darcy gave the teens a predatory grin as she stepped out onto a balcony above them, her face illuminated by the flashing lights all around them as she twirled a dagger between her fingers.

HARRY: Who's the one gonna make you scream?

UMA: DARCY! BOOGIE!

Harry grinned suavely as he swung up to sit on the ledge beside Darcy, enjoying the glints of fear in the eyes of the young do-gooders at the gleam of his hook.

GIL: Who’s the Isle’s queen of Halloween?

UMA: DARCY! BOOGIE!

Gil swung over to perch on Darcy’s other side, giving her a playful bow as Uma came to stand beside her best friend, resting an elbow on her shoulder.

DARCY: This year, when Halloween comes ‘round

The screams are gonna roll!

Darcy let out another menacing giggle as she let the dagger fly from her fingers, Chad giving a high, girlish shriek as it pierced right between his feet.

Yes, 'cause I got my boogie on

And I feel it in my soul!

When Darcy stomped on a panel of the floor after performing a smooth turn, spikes emerged from the walls around the room, slowly creeping towards the group as they gasped in terror.

It was then that the ‘future queen’ decided now was a good time to run off her mouth.

MAL: Now I think this has gone far enough

So I suggest you listen up

Mal crossed her arms and tried to appear intimidating, though this failed to impress the Boogie girl by any means.

Halloween is sweet in Auradon

Can’t let things get too rough!

With a mocking smile, Darcy rested her chin on her hand as she responded to Mal in the way one would to appease a petulant child.

DARCY: Okay, Dragon Lady, you’ve made your point

I hear you loud and clear

Darcy gave Mal a look of mock sympathy, nodding as if to comply with what she was saying, only for a devious grin to overtake her features once more.

But these spooks need a little spice

And so I volunteer

With a loud whoop of laughter, Darcy flipped down from the banister landing a mere ten feet away from the heroes, before giving a sharp whistle.

We'll fill the halls with creepy crawls

So just sit back and watch

At her call, a plethora of bugs, snakes and spiders crawled and slithered out of the darkness, surrounding the group of teens as Darcy clapped with pride and joy.

Cause this year, Darcy Boogie’s gonna kick it up a notch!

HARRY: Darcy’s in charge now, and things will get wild!

Harry leaped down to land on Darcy’s left side, brandishing his hook with a maniacal grin. The show wasn’t over yet, and he couldn’t wait to see the main act!

GIL: She’ll stop their pulse, and do it with a smile!

Gil jumped down to land at Darcy’s other side, practically bouncing on his heels with anticipation. This was the scariest part of the whole deal, and it was gonna be awesome.

UMA: Papa Oogie, he taught her well!

With a smile, Darcy blew a kiss to an image of her dear ol' daddy on the wall, before turning back to face the frightened teens. He had taught her everything there was to know about terror, and she was ready to put it to use.

PIRATE TRIO: And now she’s got us all under her spooky spell!

Uma was the last to jump down, perching on the fountain once more as she allowed a snake to creep up her arm, scratching it under the chin as Darcy resumed the tune.

DARCY: Look out cuz that Boogie Blood is back in town!

(Pirate Trio: Woah-oh-oh!)

Honey, you ain’t ready for what’s gonna go down!

(Pirate Trio: Woooah-Oh!)

Suddenly, the hero teens were raised above the ground on a platform, which shot them back up to the room they had started in, but now the shadows along the walls seemed to be swiping out at them.

HARRY: Nowhere to run

GIL: No place to hide

UMA: So say goodbye

The pirates cackled as they all brandished their weapons and made sure every exit was sealed off. There was no getting away for the teens now!

DARCY: 'Cause Darcy’s gettin’ her Boogie on! It’s my turn this time!

(Pirate Trio: She’s got her boogie on!)

From somewhere unseen, Darcy’s maniacal laughter sounded as a swarm of bats flew about around the AK’s heads, making them squeal.

HARRY: Who's the one gonna make you scream?

UMA: DARCY! BOOGIE!

GIL: Who’s the Isle’s queen of Halloween?

UMA: DARCY! BOOGIE!

The Pirate Trio all gave dramatic bows as Darcy emerged from the shadows with a small flip switch in hand. The teens eyed it nervously. What now?

DARCY: This year, when Halloween comes ‘round

The screams are gonna roll!

Yes, 'cause I got my boogie on

And I feel it in my soul!

When Darcy hit the small switch, the heroes suddenly found themselves in the center of a large roulette wheel, with various blades of all kinds swinging around them and casino lights blinding them with brightly colored flashes.

GIL: They’re scared

HARRY: They’re sick

UMA: They’re horrified

The three pirates cackled as they looked down from their perch at the Auradon kids' expressions, each one a picture of dread and regret. (Even the normally fearless Lonnie was looking a tad rattled, quite the feat!)

DARCY: Come on, Heroes, look alive

Or this will be a holiday your weak hearts won’t survive!

Darcy placed a cloth hand over her chest in a “bless your hearts” gesture before she let loose another wild laugh as the blades narrowly missed her captives.

UMA: It’s over now, they’re toast!

GIL: They’re done!

HARRY: They’ve had a decent run!

The three teenagers gave playful, teasing waves to the Auradon Kids before disappearing into the shadows to watch the final act.

DARCY: There's a brand new Boogie here in town

And I've only just begun

Darcy had every intent of carrying on the legacy of frights her father had left behind in Halloween Town. While her tactics might not be lethal or as extreme as his, she still loved to indulge in some good screams! She cackled as she disappeared into a hole in the floor and the heroes were each deposited into different slots on the giant wheel.

DARCY: Look out cuz that Boogie Blood is back in town!

(Pirate Trio: Woah-oh-oh!)

Darcy re-emerged in the center of the roulette wheel, posing dramatically as the lights gleamed around her. She was ready to give them the final scare.

Honey, you ain’t ready for what’s gonna go down!

(Pirate Trio: Woooah-Oh!)

The heroes all screamed as what appeared to be boiling hot lava (a favor from Hades) rose up from vats in the floor, encircling the roulette wheel and making the room grow hotter by the second. Darcy cackled like a loon as her creepy crawly companions scuttled around and over the heroes.

HARRY: Nowhere to run

GIL: No place to hide

UMA: So say goodbye

The pirates taunted the Auradon teens as they threw daggers that narrowly missed them, making them cry out in fear.

DARCY: 'Cause Darcy’s gettin’ her Boogie on! It’s my turn this time!

(Pirate Trio: She’s got her boogie on!)

Darcy took in the sound of the screaming around her, relishing each one. This was what her kind lived for, tasting the fear and panic of their victims.

(Pirate Trio: Woah-oh-oh-oh! Wo-oah oh-oh!)

UMA: DARCY! BOOGIE!

(Pirate Trio: Woah-oh-oh-oh!)

GIL: She’s gonna boogie down!

Uma, Harry and Gil clapped for the shoe as the lights began to flicker out, the lava receded, and the bugs scuttled back into the darkness. Their first performance had been a rousing success!

HARRY: The ghouls of the Isle are taking over the night!

GIL: Happy Halloween to all

UMA: And to all a good fright

DARCY: Yes, 'cause I got my boogie on!

And I feel it in my soul!

As their captive audience was finally allowed to flee the scene when the heavy doors suddenly flew open, Darcy and her “helpers” burst into maniacal, gleeful laughter as a tall, sharply-dressed young man with shaggy red hair and a bemused smile stepped out of the shadows. Darcy turned to face him with a grin.

“See, Darlin’?, she said with a playful giggle as she walked over and took his hand, “I told ya I wouldn’t go overboard!”, with a coquettish grin as she wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

“Well, they won’t be sleeping soundly for some time, my bleeding heart. You put on quite the unforgettable show.”, JJ said, taking one of her hands and pressing a kiss to her knuckles, producing a blush she tried her best to hide.

"That's the idea, ain't it? Gotta live up to my family's reputation.", Darcy said, blushing even brighter as the Pumpkin Prince pulled her close again, their faces an inch apart.

"You did much more than that, my black butterfly. You have a style all your own, and it sends my heart out of my ribcage.", he told her, earning a soft mutter of "Sap..." in response, before he leaned down and the two shared a kiss in the shadowy hall. Two frightful souls, simply meant to be.

I hope you all enjoyed the show, and that it gave you a fitting fright! I love Darcy so much and I hope you all love her too! Song is reworked from this amazing number from the web series, The Villains' Lair!

Oogie's Boogie (The Villains Lair) - YouTube

Let me know your thoughts in the comments and reblogs!

#disney descendants #slight au #the nightmare before christmas #darcy boogie #oogie's boogie #songfic #halloween #auradon #halloween town #minor mal salt #king ben #jj skellington #uma #harry hook #gil legume #reworked lyrics #darcy's boogie #nightmare before xmas 30th anniversary

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artyc-stan-of-tsp · 1 year

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432. 04:32. Four hundred thirty two. Etc.

My og design of this fella was much more tame but I was looking up alarm clocks and I typed "cool ahh alarm clock"...

AND I GOT THAT ADORABLE THING? HOW? So yes this magical they/them, as dubbed by me, is a clockhead. I have many a thought on them but that'll probably be a different post. Also enjoy my weird ahh take on the only other human, Ells, love her sm

And yes the small figure is a tiny Narry, I imagine he can also be 50 foot tall if he so chooses but pish posh, short king in my heart~

#the stanley parable #tspud fanart #tspud 432 #tsp 432 #employee 432 #mariella #tsp mariella #slight au #sketches #for fun

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dick-helmet-magneto · 2 years

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...now wanting to write a fic dealing with the effect of Erik being in solitary for 10 years and trying to make it accurate...hmmm...

#but like #in a world where things were okay #and Charles wasn't emotionally fucked up too #so someone would be there to help him #slight AU #cherik

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wild-karrde · 2 years

Note

I've been making my way through a series called Cin Vhetin on AO3 that I'm really enjoying! Here is the link:

https://archiveofourown.org/series/2734990

It's a fix-it story of sorts that starts during the Umbara arc of TCW. Obi-Wan enlists the help of Kal Skirata to deal with General Krell's treachery and cruelty. From there, Obi-Wan's fate, and that of young Luke Skywalker, is tied up with the fate of Clan Skirata as they all make a life for themselves after the events of Order 66.

It's a fascinating blend of TCW, the prequels, and the Republic Commando book series that I think is very well-written. I haven't finished the series yet, but I find it compelling and think other readers might enjoy it, too!

OOOOOOOH this sounds terribly interesting, and there are so many parts of this series already! I've admittedly never read any of the Republic Commando series, but this sounds very intriguing, and I've been getting into more AUs (and also fix-it fics) lately, so I'll definitely have to check this out. Thanks so much for the rec! :)

Participate in Fandom Friday to show your favorite creators from this week some love! :)

#FANDOM FRIDAY #creator appreciation #star wars #the clone wars #tcw #republic commando #fanfiction #fic rec #fan fic #Obi-Wan Kenobi #Kal Skirata #Mereel Skirata #Captain Rex #ARC Trooper FIves #Luke Skywalker #Slight AU #Fix-It

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dominimoonbeam · 1 year

Text

What are you doing here?

Huxley/David have a meet cute in the wildness with a bear.

Slight AU! No Angel. No Darlin drama, so they’re just a solid part of the pack. Early in the audio timeline. Hux hasn’t met FL yet and David is still an asshole.

tags: getting together, meet cute with a bear, slight injury, care

What are you doing here?

Huxley hiked up the incline to the vantage point he’d found last year. It was early summer, the sun still high when he broke from the trees and stepped up to the drop off. It sloped down, giving a beautiful view of the forest stretching below and a long valley of tall grass.

He was surprised to see movement down there, soon followed by the yips and howls.

Wolves. Dozens of them. They were running and playing. It was chaotic order. And then out to the far side, a campsite of tents, coolers, chairs, and grills, with a bunch of kids and a few adults.

Not wolves. Werewolves. Huxley smiled. He had met werewolves in Dahlia, of course, but he’d never seen them wolfed out. He wondered if he should leave. Was it rude to watch them? He’d heard wolves in the woods before, but this was the first time he’d seen them here. They look happy. Running to run, playing.

“What are you doing here?”

Huxley spun around, his heart jumping into his throat. He hadn’t heard or felt the other guy coming up behind him. But there he was. And he was big. As big as Huxley. His energy howled wolf, even if he was standing on two legs. “Wow. What?”

The guy took a step forward. Huxley wondered if it was supposed to be threatening. He had his back to a cliff edge and this guy closing the space between them. A lot of people would definitely be worried right now. But Huxley felt the ground under his shoes, deep and rich. “I’m camping, dude. What are you doing here?”

“Bullshit,” the wolf snapped. His voice was deep, a low rumble in his broad chest. “You’ve been out here when we were here before and now you’re here again. You expect me to believe that’s a coincidence?”

“It’s a good spot.”

“Why are you watching us?”

Huxley glanced back over his shoulder, at the pack playing in the valley below. He felt the other guy move closer this time and when he looked forward again, they were within arm’s reach of each other. His eyes were so dark and so clearly pissed that he’d looked at them again. Did he really think Huxley was a threat somehow? To wolves? They outnumbered him. They could rip him apart if they wanted to—not that he thought for a second that they would. He hadn’t done anything.

“I’ll leave,” Huxley said. He liked this spot for the stars but he knew of others. He could move if he was making them uncomfortable.

“You didn’t answer my question,” the wolf said, the words grinding.

Huxley sighed, staring right back at him. “Yes, I did. I’m just camping, man.”

“Alone?”

Huxley was surprised by the little jab of pain in his chest. They guy was asking like it was absurd. But he was a wolf with a pack. Of course it would sound absurd to him. It wasn’t like Hux wouldn’t have liked to go with other people…he just hadn’t met anyone in Dahlia who liked to hike. Honestly, he’d had trouble making any real connections in Dahlia. Either people didn’t like him, he didn’t like them, or, in quite a few cases, they’d like to have him in their beds but that was it. “Yeah. Alone.”

“What’s your name?”

“Huxley. Yours?”

“David Shaw.” He said it like it was supposed to mean something.

Huxley blinked.

“You don’t work for the department.”

Huxley almost laughed. “No, dude. I go to DAMN. I’m just hiking on the weekend. I promise.” He offered his pinkie before he could think better of it. It was something his moms always did.

David glared at the offer, curled his lip, and turned away.

Huxley watched him shift. His wolf was huge. He disappeared into the woods, fast and silent.

When he was alone again, he sighed and collected his bag. He’d move south and give them their space. He hadn’t gone that way before. Maybe he’d find an even better spot.

David waited until the elemental moved out, heading in the opposite direction.

Was he telling the truth?

Maybe.

Was David going to put up with this guy lurking around his pack for the second year in a row?

Nope.

He headed back to the valley. It was a spot his dad had found when he was a kid. They had actually found it together. His dad had decided it was a great spot to bring the whole pack and so they had, every year. …Almost every year.

Asher was waiting for him when he came back, standing in human form with his arms crossed and his eyebrow raised. “Well? Was he a department spy? Or maybe some wolf-hating elemental hoping to pick us off one by one?”

David shifted human. “Fuck you.” He had never said anything like that. But maybe he’d thought it. Why did Asher have to know him that well?

“Was he hot?”

David shot him a look. “Are you looking to replace Babe?”

Asher curled his lip. He would have growled if it had been anyone else. “I wasn’t asking for me…”

“I told you, I’m not dating anyone. I’ve got enough on my plate.”

Asher frowned. A real frown, tinged with worry. “David… Do you really feel that swamped still?”

David sighed and stopped just when he was about to walk past Asher and back toward the camp. For a moment they were alone, everyone else playing and laughing. “No. It’s not that.” He knew how much everyone had tried to pick up the slack, to help him get the security company off its feet and stable. And it was. “I just…I don’t need that. It would be complicated.”

Asher looked unconvinced.

“Jesus, Ash, this is sort of a heavy conversation to take on just because I ran some elemental off.”

Asher smirked. “Yeah, I made that work for me. We should talk about it.”

David rolled his eyes.

“I’m not saying you have to jump into a relationship with the next person you see. I’m just saying—”

“Yeah. Yeah. I hear you,” David hurried to cut him off, not really wanting to hear him at all. He’d decided he wasn’t going to have a mate. His full focus needed to be being alpha of this pack and keeping them together. At least, that’s what he’d said when he started. Now it was just…safer. He had been grateful that he hadn’t been interested in anyone in his pack when he became alpha. The power imbalance might have driven him away from them anyway. But finding a mate outside seemed impossible. It would be hard to find a person he loved that was also good for the pack, good with the pack, and good with him and everything he needed to be to his pack. It was a lot to ask of a person.

He hoped he never found anyone he liked enough to ask that much of them.

Huxley had walked a straight line away from the wolves until he was deep in a part of the woods he hadn’t been in before. He finally let himself slow down and explore when it had been a while since he heard the howls of the wolves.

He found some black berries along the edge of a little clearing and considered it as a possible spot to make camp. He’d be able to see the stars. He liked that. In late afternoon, he started collecting downed branches and twigs, making his way back toward that clearing.

He realized the bear was there at the same moment she realized he was there. Too late for either of them to make a quiet exit.

Huxley’s heart rammed his ribs. She was beautiful but he was way to close. She huffed, staring hard. He dropped the dry wood and spread his arms, taking a step to the side and back. He was about to take another when he saw one of her cubs roll out from under a bush and knew that this was really bad. “Don’t,” he said, even if she couldn’t understand. He wished he could explain. He would leave. He wouldn’t cause her any trouble and she could go on. But bears weren’t werewolves and there could be no conversation between them.

She roared and rushed him.

Huxley backpedaled fast. It would never be fast enough, not even if he tried to run. He shook the ground underfoot, sliding the soil beneath her beating paws to slow her down and trying to roll her, stop her, scare her off. But she was singularly focused now.

He never stopped taking steps backward, trying to create space between them even when she was shrinking it. He pushed more power out, lifting and felling a tree in her path. It startled her but not enough to stop her for more than a few seconds. She climbed over it, scoring deep gashes into the trunk. Her body thudded on the ground when she landed in a run again. She was huge. She was doing exactly what instinct told her to do—protect her babies.

But what she didn’t know, what she couldn’t know, was the rules between humans and animals. If she mauled him, animal control would hunt her down. Huxley didn’t want to kill her, he didn’t want to harm anything.

He continued to lift and roll the ground, slowing her down but only making her angrier. She snarled and roared, clawing at the ground when it lifted in waves and beating her way through. He thought, that if they both survived this encounter, he would marvel at these memories—at how easily she slammed her body through those walls of dirt and roots. She was unstoppable. But he had to stop her.

She was so close—too close. He could smell the reek of her breath and see the black of her gums against those thick white teeth. He pushed both hands forward and she swiped the air at him, they nearly touched, and then he lifted the ground under her high and hard to throw her back, rolling her.

At the same time, one of his backward steps didn’t connect with ground.

He fell, with no idea how far he would go. The sky filled his vision and his hands grabbed at nothing but air. He was horizontal and then his hip hit stone, followed shortly by his back.

Huxley had had the air knocked out of him plenty of times, but this was worse than when he’d hit the ice in hockey or the ground in football. For long seconds, he couldn’t inhale.

He’d been playing sports, and exploring the woods, and doing shit he shouldn’t be doing since he could walk. One of his moms had taken up healing even though it wasn’t her natural gift and though she never said it, he knew it was for him.

He tried to relax and slowly, finally, inhaled. He couldn’t move yet, but his vision was coming back into focus. He could see the ridge where he’d fallen. It was only six or seven feet from where he’d landed, but he’d landed on a slant of rocks. He could hear the river somewhere below, beyond his head. His hips were higher up than his shoulders, leaving him at an angle.

He watched the spot where he’d fallen, willing the bear not to come for him. The only thing he’d be able to do now would be to use what he had left to throw her off the cliff. He didn’t want to do that. The sky darkened as the minutes slid by. No bear.

He moved his arms slowly. His back ached in a sharp jolt and he winced. He rolled onto his side, the one that hadn’t hit the ground first. He had to get up and figure out how to get down. Going back up was probably a bad idea. His head throbbed in a way he was all too familiar with. Had he hit it? Huxley reached up slowly, palming the back of his skull. His fingers came away wet. “Oh shit,” he mumbled before leaning into the heavy pull of sleep.

He woke up sharply and the sky was full dark. It could have been a matter of minutes or hours. The moon was bright, which was good since his flashlight was in his pack somewhere in the woods. Something rustled up above, on that ledge where he’d fallen. Huxley held his breath, like maybe the bear wouldn’t know he was there. When a large, dark head poked over the edge to look down at him, he had every intention of playing dead. It wasn’t like he felt like moving anyway.

But it wasn’t a bear that looked down at him.

It was a wolf.

They’d felt the tremors in the ground even at a distance. Some of the younger members of the pack giggled about earthquakes but the adults knew better. It was a slight difference—earthquake and earth elemental. But once a wolf had felt both, they never mistook one for the other.

Another tremor.

David realized Asher and Milo were staring off in the same direction as him. It was too far away to have anything to do with them.

“You said he was alone,” Milo said. It wasn’t really a question. He was pointing out a detail that brought up other questions. The real questions. What reasons could they think up for why the elemental was doing that? And was it their business? He was so far away that the unempowered might not even feel the tremors.

“Earth elementals might move the ground to make the hike easier…” Sweetheart suggested, but didn’t sound entirely comfortable either.

Another tremor, this one bigger, and then nothing.

David sighed. “I’ll go check on him.” His whole fucking camping trip seemed to be checking on this elemental.

“I can go,” Asher offered just when Milo was about to.

David snorted, even though he had to fight back the smile that pulled at his mouth. They were always ready to help out. He couldn’t have handled the last couple years without them. He still wasn’t sure that he was good enough to be alpha but they seemed to believe he was. Sometimes that was the only thing that got him out of bed in that first year after his dad passed. They believed in him. They needed him to try.

“No, you two stay with the pack. I won’t be long.”

Sweetheart huffed a laugh, crossing their arms. “You’re really going alone?”

David turned and raised an eyebrow. He would have been furious about that snarky question when they first showed up at Milo’s side eight months ago. But now he knew them well enough to hear the note of worry wrapped in amused judgement. “You want to come with, Stealth?” he smirked around the question. They both knew, that for all of Sweetheart’s incredible abilities and skills, they couldn’t keep up with a wolf in a run.

“It just seems silly to go alone when you have a whole pack right here…”

“He’s scared I’ll outrun him again.” Asher smiled, eyes lighting up. The sun had dropped below the trees, the sky losing color every minute that passed and more stars beginning to appear.

Milo laughed, but tried to hide it by ducking his face and pressing it into the back of Sweetheart’s shoulder.

David sighed but nodded. “Milo comes with. Asher stays put.” He exchanged a glance with Asher. The other was still smiling the way he often did, but there was something sharp in his gaze. He understood his role. He always had when it mattered. He was going to stay with the pack and make sure this wasn’t a distraction. It was far-fetched, but they didn’t take chances. Asher and Stealth would keep an eye on things while David and Milo watched each other’s back in the woods.

“I knew you were scared I’d outrun you…” Asher commented, to make the exchange easy even when he nodded once, agreeing to the responsibility that fell on his shoulders when David was gone.

“Maybe I just trust Milo not to run into a tree and knock himself out.”

Asher laughed, the sound loud enough to earn them the attention of some of the others. They were lighting fires and opening ice chests near their campsite in the clearing. “One time!”

Milo snorted. “Twice, Ash… You always forget the second one.”

“He was concussed. He forgot that whole weekend,” David reminded and then shifted and ran toward the tree line. Milo was with him, both wolves darting through the dark woods toward the origin of those quakes.

David expected to find the elemental, probably settled into his camp and looking innocent again.

The moon came out, the sky completely drained of daylight.

Milo growled low when they both picked up the scent of the bears.

For the first time, David allowed himself to worry. He’d told this elemental to get out of their space. He’d forced the man to move his campsite.

I don’t smell blood, Milo said what they’d both be able to sense. He could feel David’s worry through their link. If the elemental had been mauled, they would be able to smell it by now.

They found a downed tree, pulled right up from the ground. A whole stretch of ground was churned up, plants and stones all rolled together. The elemental was strong. So why hadn’t he buried or crushed the bear? It wasn’t dead.

It’s close by still, Milo told him. He knew that too, but he also knew that Milo was asking what he should do about it.

Stay close but keep track of the bear while I look for him, David said. He’d yet to meet a bear that would pick a fight with a grown werewolf, let alone two.

He followed the wreckage on the ground. He knew his scent from earlier and from a year ago when they were both in the area at the same time. Now the scent was spiked with panic and adrenaline.

David’s heart dropped when he saw the edge ahead, the ground tossed in a wave and the dirt-packed edge scuffed by a shoe dragging back over it. Fuck. He rushed forward and leaned over. He didn’t know what he’d find. He didn’t know if he’d be looking down at a body far below, or treetops and no sign of the body beneath. It was a mix of horror and relief when he saw the elemental on his side maybe seven feet below on a rock shelf. But he wasn’t moving. His heart was beating, David could hear it when he tried, but he could also smell blood now. Fuck, he thought louder. He felt Milo tense. I found him. He fell. Hang on.

The elemental. Huxley. His name was Huxley. He opened his eyes and blinked up at him, surprise clear on his dirt-smudged face in the moonlight. “Oh,” he said, voice rough and barely getting out. He coughed like he was trying to clear it but cringed. He tried to sit up.

David shifted human and jumped down. “Stop moving!”

Huxley sat up but had to stop to catch his breath, pressing his eyes shut like the world was spinning.

David crouched beside him, putting a hand on his shoulder to steady him. “Just breathe for a minute.”

Huxley did, but the breaths didn’t come easily, like his chest was too tight.

David looked back up at the ledge, imagining him falling backward off that. “Can I touch you?”

Huxley blinked at him, glancing once at his hand still on his shoulder.

David scoffed. “To check if you broke anything.”

It took him a few seconds too long to answer. David couldn’t tell if that was hesitation or a concussion, but then he shrugged and nodded. “Sure, but you don’t have to. Arms and legs are fine. I can get out of here.”

David snorted, doubting that. He was moving too stiffly to be able to just climb out of there like it was no big deal. He kept the hand on Huxley’s shoulder to hold him steady while the other gently touched his head through thick curls that had mostly escaped their messy tie. Huxley winced when David’s fingers brushed the cut on the back of his head. David muttered an apology.

“You might have a concussion…”

“Oh, I’m definitely concussed, dude.”

“How the hell would you know?” he argued even though the elemental was agreeing with him. David continued to roam his fingers down the back of the guy’s neck, watching his face for reactions.

Huxley smiled. “If they gave out punch cards for concussions, I’d have so many free yogurts by now.”

David continued to stare, not sure if that made sense or not. “I guess that explains a lot about you,” he spat and saw the other man’s expression when his words hit. His smile fell, a polite ghost of what it had been just seconds ago, and his eyes looked away, down. “I’m sorry,” David said, voice low with regret. He hadn’t actually meant to hurt this stranger’s feelings. He was just… well, he was an asshole sometimes. “I didn’t mean that.”

Huxley shrugged, easy expression back in place. He winced when David’s hand was low on his back.

“How did you land?”

“Hard?” Huxley smirked.

David tried not to. “Har har, asshole.”

“On my back, I think. No, hip first, then back.”

“And then head?”

“I don’t remember hitting my head.”

David frowned. Great. At least Huxley hadn’t passed out, thrown up, or started rambling yet. He let go of his shoulder and unzipped the elemental’s jacket.

Milo snapped off a bark and a growl somewhere overhead, warning off the bear when she got curious.

Huxley jerked a little, his gaze going high and toward the woods up there. “It didn’t bite me.”

David lifted the man’s shirt, getting a look at a huge patch of bruising on his side coming up from the waistband of his jeans and spreading over the side of his back. It looked bad, darker in spots where his ribs had taken the brunt of it. He ghosted a hand over them and the guy flinched away automatically, hissing a breath. Broken. He had at least two broken ribs. God, David hoped they weren’t puncturing anything. “What?”

“It didn’t. Just leave them alone.”

David put his shirt back down and looked at his face, wondering if his concussion was kicking in. What the fuck was he talking about? “Who? What are you—”

“The bear. She has cubs. She didn’t touch me so we can leave her alone, right?” I’ll climb down instead of going back up if—"

“Are you insane?” David snapped. Climb down? Maybe he hadn’t looked, but David had. If he hadn’t hit this ledge, or if he’d rolled a little farther, he would have fallen straight down a thirty-foot drop. There was no climbing down. He remembered the path of wreckage above, the overturned ground and the felled tree. “You didn’t hurt the bear.” It had been a choice. He could have but he hadn’t.

“It wasn’t her fault, man. She was just doing what she thought she had to.”

“Are you stupid?” David snapped before he could think better of it. Huxley winced. “You could have died!”

“I didn’t.”

“Because we found you! What if we hadn’t been in the area?” Although, if they hadn’t been in the area, David wouldn’t have pushed this guy out of the area he knew and straight toward a conflict with a bear. Guilt gnawed at the wolf’s heart, but Huxley didn’t even seem to think of that argument.

“I would have gotten up eventually, dude.”

David gawked. He was sure that if Huxley wasn’t injured, he would have shoved him.

“Not to downplay your help,” the elemental added again, as though worried for David’s feelings. It was salt on his wounds. “I really appreciate you guys coming all the way over here to check on me but I’m alright.”

“The hell you are,” David growled. He stood up and looked at the ledge. There were enough rocks piled together to create steps up to it. “Can you get up or do you want me to carry you?”

Huxley laughed before wincing and clutching at his side, still smiling despite the tears that pricked his eyes. “Don’t joke, dude. I think I busted a rib.”

He had busted two. “I’m not joking.”

Huxley dragged a couple careful breaths. “You can’t carry me, man.”

David stared at him, confused. “Yes. I can.”

Huxley met his gaze, looking for a joke and then…was he blushing? Huxley was a big guy. They were roughly the same size. David realized he was used to people being smaller than himself, which meant Huxley probably was too. David couldn’t remember the last time someone had carried him. It had probably been his dad. He pushed that thought away. He supposed Huxley wasn’t used to the idea of being carried. But David definitely could. If it wasn’t for those ribs, he would have already put him over his shoulder and started up the incline and back to the woods.

The bear left, Milo told him over their psychic link. Do you need help getting him out?

Huxley climbed to his feet and David caught is arm by the elbow just in case he fell. He swayed for a few seconds but then nodded, jaw tight as if determined to keep the world from swirling under him.

“So,” David said, trying to start some conversation that might help distract this guy from his own pain. “You fall off cliffs a lot?”

Huxley blinked at him.

“You said you’ve had a lot of concussions…”

Huxley huffed a thin, almost-laugh, and shuffled toward the stone wall. Every step he took looked stiff and pained, but he started climbing. “No, this is a first. I do a lot of sports though and I mean, I did fall out of a tree once. That was kind of like this.”

David laughed before he could stop himself. Jesus. Another Asher…

Milo stood at the top of the drop off in human form. He crouched and offered Huxley his arm.

Huxley blinked at the stranger and the arm. “I don’t want to be rude, but I don’t want to pull you down either…”

Milo looked confused.

David snorted, standing behind Huxley with hands hovering near his back. He didn’t want to touch or push if he didn’t have to, afraid it would hurt him more. “Milo this is Huxley, Huxley this is Milo,” he introduced them gruffly. “Milo could carry you if he needed to. You’re not going to pull him down even if you try.”

Milo’s gaze flicked between the two of them, his smile growing. David wasn’t sure if it was purely amusement or maybe a little pride too. If it was pride, then it deserved to be there. Milo wasn’t big for a wolf but he was still a wolf.

“Oh,” Huxley said in that odd tone that made David wonder if he was blushing again. He surprised himself by how much he wanted to see if he was. Huxley took Milo’s offered arm. “Nice to meet you, dude.”

“Same.” Milo carefully but steadily helped Huxley up over those last steps and onto the ground, not letting go of him until he was away from the edge.

“Thanks,” the elemental sighed, glancing around at the dark woods.

“It’s gone, went that way,” Milo said, pointing south. This would be a pretty elaborate ploy if he was out here trying to spy on us… Milo thought, smirking. David rolled his eyes to himself. Yes, he had been wrong about Huxley. And his mistake had nearly killed the man. If he got attacked by a bear and threw himself down a cliff just to get close to us, I say we give it to him.

Milo ducked away and came back with a hiking backpack. Huxley’s backpack. The elemental wheezed a thin laugh and took it by the strap from the wolf. “Shit. Thanks. You guys really saved me.”

David grunted and took the bag from Huxley before he could try to sling the heavy thing over his shoulder. He was busted up. The walk was going to be hard enough as it was. Huxley looked confused but didn’t fight him over the bag. David pointed north. “We have a healer.”

Huxley blinked and then that blush was back. “Oh. No. I don’t need that. Thank you, but you guys really did enough. I’ll just head back to the parking lot and get out of here.”

Milo shook his head. “That’s a bad idea. You hit your head, right? Have you passed out or thrown up?”

“I didn’t throw up.”

David rolled his eyes and put on the other guy’s backpack. “We already established that you’re concussed, right?”

“I’ll be fine. I’ll go straight for the DAMN clinic. They’re open twenty-four hours and—”

“And that’s a three-hour drive from here,” Milo pointed out before David had to. “What if you pass out and crash?”

Huxley frowned hard, definitely not liking that idea, only David suspected it was more out of fear of hurting someone else in a crash than hurting himself. It definitely wasn’t that Huxley didn’t care about himself. He obviously took care of himself. David had gotten a pretty fucking good look at his chest earlier. No one accidentally had abs like that. And Huxley wasn’t pointedly reckless, he either just prized the lives of others so highly above his own or he didn’t actually think he could die. Maybe it was a bit of both.

David slid a hand under the other man’s elbow and started walking in the right direction. They let Huxley set the pace and David tried to decide on the best way to carry him without causing more damage or pain if his legs finally gave out.

He knew Milo was resisting the urge to make conversation. Huxley’s breathing was obviously a struggle.

He made it a lot farther than David expected him to, even keeping up a good march. Even in the dark and in pain, he was surefooted in the woods. A little more than halfway there, he stopped. Milo had been leading the way and jerked to a stop, turning back.

David had never let go of Huxley’s arm, his grip tightening as he stepped in closer to his side. Huxley closed his eyes, swaying on his feet.

“Go get Marie,” David said, not taking his eyes off the elemental.

Milo shifted and was gone. A howl ripped through the woods, calling to the other across that distance.

The sound forced Huxley’s eyes open again, pressed wide like he could will them to stay open this time. His heart was beating too fast. David stepped into the space in front of him, holding onto both arms now. “Do you want to sit?”

Huxley shook his head, blinking, seeming to try to get his vision to clear. “Sorry,” he mumbled.

David held on to him. “You didn’t do anything wrong.” David had been the one that ran him off. David had been the one that pushed him in that direction and led him to this. “I’m sorry for… I shouldn’t have made you go. This wouldn’t have happened if I’d just left you alone.”

Huxley’s eyes were closed again but he smiled, dragging sharp breaths. “Instinct,” he wheezed.

David blinked. “What?”

“Like the bear, man. You were just protecting your family.”

David stared at him. Yeah. That was what he had been doing.

“You didn’t know,” Huxley added. “And you didn’t hurt me or anything. I’m responsible for my choices. I chose to keep backing up.” He didn’t sound like he regretted it either.

He hadn’t wanted to hurt anyone.

David should have just left him alone.

Huxley started to say something but it broke off when his legs gave out. If his eyes had been open, they probably would have rolled back into his head.

David slid an arm around the back of his shoulders, above the bruising he’d seen. Shit. He curled his other arm under the man’s knees and lifted him, curling him into his chest, his head high on his shoulder and his curls against his neck and cheek.

Another series of howls in the distance. Marie and Milo heading back.

David started walking to meet them, terrified that every second might count. Huxley had seemed like this was no big deal, like maybe he got hurt like this all the time. But David had begun to realize the guy didn’t like to be a problem for anyone.

He felt the moment Huxley woke up, but David didn’t lose a step.

Huxley dragged a few breaths, they were tighter now. He grabbed at David’s shoulders, trying to sit up and look around. And then he made a sound, like maybe he was laughing but his chest was too tight. “You’re carrying me…”

David snorted. “I said I could.”

And then he saw Marie. She shifted from wolf to human, still hurrying to meet him. “Oh my,” she said, and David wasn’t sure if it was the damage of the human or the size of him. David stopped and gently set Huxley down, on his knees next to him.

Huxley blinked blearily at Marie. “Hi,” he said, swallowing hard and trying to introduce himself.

Marie smiled gently at the stranger. “Hi. I’m going to take a look at you and see what we can do, okay?”

Huxley sat awkwardly, like he wanted to slouch but his ribs wouldn’t go for it. “Sorry,” he mumbled.

David frowned.

Marie just hummed softly, gently passing her hands over him, checking his neck first.

“He hit his head, and his side is all bruised up, and I think his ribs are broken,” David said, pointing at the side that had taken the worst of the fall.

She nodded like that was no big deal. He supposed, compared to some of the wounds they’d been brought to her with when they were teens, it wasn’t. Darlin had managed to impale a leg on a fence once. They’d tried to pull themselves off of it and David had threatened to punch them if they kept moving. While they were screaming at each other, Asher trying to calm them both, Arden had had the sense to go get Milo and his mom.

David’s dad had to lift Darlin off the fence before Marie could mend that hole in their leg. Asher had thrown up and Darlin had laughed and made fun of him for two years.

Marie’s hand was around the back of Huxley’s head. She paused and David felt the magic moving between them. Huxley’s eyes closed and this time when they opened they were focused, pupils blown from the magic but otherwise good. He dragged another tight, pained breath but nodded. “Thank you, ma’am.”

She smiled brightly. “Have you been in Dahlia long?”

He exhaled. “A little over a year.”

Marie nodded, opening his jacket and carefully lifting his shirt to get a look at his ribs. “Are you studying at DAMN?”

He nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”

She poured magic into him.

He tensed like he expected pain that hadn’t come, exhaling slowly at first and then, when it didn’t hurt, dragging a deep breath. He took another and sighed. “Thank you so much.”

Marie smiled brightly. “No problem, dear.” She moved her hand down his side but he gently caught her wrist and drew her hand away from her goal.

Huxley held her hand between both of his. “The rest is just bruising, I promise. And I more than earned it. You’ve already used so much energy putting me back together, and I’m so grateful, but my moms would be pissed if I let you drain yourself.” He got up while he was talking, suddenly agile again and gently lifting her to her feet too.

David would have rolled his eyes and called him overly charming, if he wasn’t so blatantly sincere.

Marie beamed, squeezing his hand. “Okay, but only if you promise to tell me if anything smarts? I want a real promise.”

Huxley smiled and nodded. “I promise. Thank you. I’m totally good to go.”

David assumed he meant good to walk until he stared at him, awkwardly gesturing to his backpack on David’s shoulders. “I can—”

“I’ve got it.”

Huxley blinked. His pupils were huge. He was probably feeling pretty great despite the bruising because of all that magic in his blood. He’d be sore tomorrow though. “Um. I kind of need it, man.” He laughed a little. “My keys are in there.”

“Still not good to drive!” Milo reminded, already walking away and heading back toward camp now that crisis and danger were all averted.

Marie hummed in agreement but left David to deal with it.

“Oh. Yeah,” Huxley realized they were right, nodding. “I’ll sleep in the truck and head back tomorrow.” He still had his hand out, waiting for the bag.

David growled. He didn’t like the gesture because it felt like he was denying him something. He was not ready to unpack what that was about. “You can camp with us tonight,” he decided what he’d already known was the plan. He’d known it since he saw his busted ribs. “It’s late. I’m hungry. Can we just get moving?” David tried pressing and then winced at how heartless it sounded. “If you’re good to walk.”

Huxley stared. His skin was buzzing from the healing and he felt pretty great after feeling really bad for a while there. David was really inviting him to camp with them? After practically chasing him off earlier that same day? He could see how uncomfortable the other guy was, so he nodded and turned in the direction the other two had gone.

They walked.

David was still carrying Huxley’s backpack.

“It’s really not your fault, dude. You know that, right?” Huxley asked, voice low.

David jerked a little and stood straighter, his eyes fixed ahead. “Yeah. It is.”

Huxley sighed, bumping his shoulder into the other man’s. “Okay. It definitely is. You sent me toward that bear on purpose. Now you owe me food and someplace to sleep.”

David’s head whipped to the side, staring at him in so much surprise that Huxley couldn’t help but laugh.

“I’m sorry. But now that we’re talking about it, I really am tired.”

David relaxed a fraction, nodding once. “It’s the healing magic. It—”

“Makes you tired. Yeah. Not my first time,” he reminded lightly.

David smirked a little. “Right. You’re an expert at getting injured. How many times have you broken a bone?”

Huxley whistled. “Let’s see…” He started listing them off, not in any particular order, but as they came to him. Just when he was worried he’d droned on for too long, David prompted him. He’d been keeping count.

They left the woods for the clearing. It wasn’t as lively as it had been earlier that day. Huxley figured most of the kids had gone to bed, the parents too. Only a smaller group still hung out around the fire.

Huxley slowed down. “Dude. Really, if I’m intruding—”

David grabbed the back of his arm to keep him moving. “You’re fine. I’m the worst of them. Well, except for Darlin, they actually bite.”

Huxley laughed, hoping that was a joke but not really sure.

“A bear?” one guy shouted, almost falling out of a foldable chair in his scramble to get to his feet. “I stayed behind and you got to see a bear?”

David rolled his eyes. They arrived at the group and the group went quiet, staring at Huxley and then at David.

Huxley felt like he usually did, like he didn’t belong, like he was trying to fit in places where no one had asked him to be.

David introduced people and Huxley could see the others relax, like they’d just been on edge until he spoke—something in his voice assuring them that this was okay. They weren’t all wolves, he realized. Milo’s mate was a stealth and Asher, the guy that had almost fallen out of a chair, was with an unempowered human. As soon as he’d gotten everyone’s names, David put his bag down by a chair and then headed toward the table with food. Hotdogs that had lost their heat and buns that were getting dry. They tasted fucking amazing. Huxley was so hungry.

Asher was easy to talk to, which somehow made it easy to talk to everyone. Asher offered him a beer, but David took it away and handed him a bottle of water. “Hydrate first.”

Huxley laughed because he was just thinking that. He pulled on a hoodie from his pack and a bunch of them sat around the fire talking. It had been about the whole bear situation at first but it turned into an exchange of stories. Theirs and his. When he finished the water, David offered him his beer back. It was half-drained but he took it.

He was exhausted, his eyelids heavy, but he still tried to stay awake longer. Some of the others had gone to sleep shifted, curled up around the camp, while others ducked into tents.

“Do you have a tent?” David asked, skeptical.

Huxley followed his eye to his backpack and smiled. “Nah. The weather’s good. I just have a sleeping bag.”

Something in David’s expression hardened again. “Do you always go camping alone?”

Huxley tried to keep smiling. He shrugged. “It’s not like a rule or anything. But I like being outside, you know? Can’t always wait for someone else to want to go too.”

David watched him for a while before nodding once like, even if he didn’t get it, he accepted the answer. He got up and stretched. Huxley watched him. This guy had literally pulled him off a ledge and then carried him to safety. Huxley had never expected that to happen.

David walked closer and Huxley held his breath, those dark eyes reflecting firelight when they flicked over him. He leaned down, closer still, and Huxley stared back. His heart beat faster. His skin and his head still felt gauzy from the healing magic, but it would take a lot more than clouded senses not to see how hot David was. He was close, really close, like he had been before. He’d had a hand on Huxley since he found him, until they reached the camp. It had never been bad, never threatening or grabbing. Just there, steady and reassuring.

David’s mouth twitched. Was that a smirk?

Huxley almost leaned into him. Almost.

And thank fucking god he didn’t, because David picked up Huxley’s bag and then straightened again, unzipping it to pull out his sleeping bag.

Heat rose to his face and Huxley jumped up from his chair with another laugh. “I can do that,” he said.

David rolled it out for him all the same, not too far from the low burning fire. “Things will get loud pretty early, as soon as the kids start waking up, but you’re welcome to sleep through it if you can.”

Huxley nodded, gravitating toward his bedroll. He really was beat. “Thanks,” he said and then stopped to look at David again. “Really. For saving me back there but also for letting me hang out tonight.”

David smiled a little, like he was trying not to. Why was he always trying not to smile? “Better than sleeping in your truck?”

Huxley laughed, dropping himself carefully down onto his familiar sleeping bag. He sighed, stretching out. “Way better.” He was almost out as soon as he was settled, but managed to stay awake just long enough to see David shift into a wolf again and settle on the ground not far from him.

( @zozo-01 I was so excited that I forgot to tag you when I posted this. Hopefully this works... <3 <3)

#huxley/david #redactedverse #fanfic #meet cute #slight injury #rescue #care #slight au #redacted asmr #dominimoonbeam #i love these characters so much!#crackship #rare pair #<3

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