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Finley had texted Calamity and offered for them to come over, luring them with the promise of ice cream.
When Cal texts to let zhem know that they're there, Finley hurries to the front door to unlock it and usher them in, eyes creased warmly. Of course, mask is in place. "H-hey..."
Ice cream? Fuck yeah.
Calamity's grinning, when Finley opens the door, and they're dancing from foot to foot. "Hey." They bring their hand up in a small wave, but don't make any movements forward. They seem a little nervous, and really, who could blame them after all that texting about holding hands and cuddling?
"Sorry I had to go so fast last night."
"It's... okay," Finley murmurs, looking them up and down. No wounds? Check. No smell of blood? Check. They head down the stairs into the basement apartment--the windows have already been uncovered, the curtains even taken down. "Can you tell me what happened? I was really worried..."
"The guys just...got back home, had shit for me to do." They look away, to the windows, and then back at Finley. "D'you take those down...for me..?" A smile creeps across their face.
Finley glances at the windows, then back at them. "Yes? You're uncomfortable being here with them covered."
"...Thanks." They dip their head, and nudge Finley gently with their shoulder before padding over toward to sofa and flopping down on it. "So...what're we doing tonight? Movies? Phaedra said you two played Dragon Age, that sounds pretty cool...?"
"It did?" Finley perks up. "Do you want to give it a try?" Zhe steps over towards the TV, reaching for the game off of a shelf. "What was it they made you do?"
"...Just help put shit away." It's evasive, no roll required to get that. "I don't know shit about DA, but. Prob'ly anything you like's pretty cool, so...?" The shrug, and smile at Finley.
"Also, ice cream."
Finley stares for a long moment. Not blinking. Definitely creepy. "Why are you lying? Did they hurt you?"
"...What? No?" They sound a little offended, now. "'Course not, I just ain't gonna go talking about the shit we do to...anyone. 'S plausible deniability, and shit." Those are big words from them, given their usual vocabulary.
Zher brows crease at the offended tone, shoulders sinking a little. "You just... sounded... scared..."
"They'd just get...weird. If they heard me on the phone." Calamity shrugs. "Maybe think I was doing something I shouldn't, I dunno. Sorry I made you worry."
Finley's brows crease together tighter. "That is not a good situation, Calamity. They are not your friends, if they don't like you talking to people you care about. That... that's bad."
"They're not gonna care who I was talking to, I'm just never on the phone. So it'd be weird, and...I don't want 'em to know about you, anyway. They'd just fuckin...make fun of me and shit." Calamity picks at a loose thread on their sweatshirt.
"If they cared about you, then they wouldn't make fun of you," Finley points out firmly.
"...'S just teasing and shit, it's...whatever. Lets play Dragon Age." They gesture to the TV.
Finley watches them for a moment more, then turns away to the TV to put in the game, speaking softly, "You... d-deserve... to be around people who... appreciate you. And care for you. And... w-want you to be happy... Not... people who would... rather control you, than see you... really living your life."
"...Okay?" Calamity frowns - Does Not Compute, apparently. "Seriously, the guys aren't that bad, they don't control me or whatever." (you're welcome to empathy!)
The way Calamity's talking, it's pretty clear that they don't actually think that their gang controls them, and that being a part of it makes them feel safe and protected, and that's close enough to happy to call it the same thing, right?
Finley looks over zher shoulder, staring at Calamity for a moment as the game loads up. Zhe picks up the controller and steps over, but doesn't hand it off right away. Zhe sits down beside them, staring intently. "Other people can make you feel safe. You don't need them. I... I'd protect you. And I want you to be happy."
"...Thanks, Finley." They don't quite sound like they believe zhem. Which might make sense, given that they only know that zher invisibility. "I want you to be happy too, you know."
"I mean it," zhe insists, staring perhaps a little too intensely. "I'd tear anyone who hurt you apart."
"Okay..." their laugh is a little nervous, and they squirm under Finley's intense stare.
Finley stares for another moment, then looks down at zher hands. "...I want to tell you something. A secret."
Calamity cocks their head, frowning in slight confusion at the change in subject.
"I'm..." Zhe hesitates, shoulders sinking a bit more. "I'm not psychic."
Their eyebrows snap together. "Then what are you?" It's a little demanding, just short of being rude.
"I... Um... I'm..." Zhe starts to fidget with the sleeves of zher sweater, nearly unraveling part of it as they tug nervously. "I'm not human. Um. I'm... a... a vampire," zhe mutters, almost a whisper.
"What?" It's almost a laugh, and Calamity's half grinning, like Finley's told some sort of joke.
"I'm serious," Finley mutters, shoulders sinking.
"...Prove it." They're defensive again, and look like they're trying to somehow relate this - it must be a joke, right? - to what Calamity's been saying about their gang.
"...You gotta promise not to freak out," Finley whispers.
"Sure." They say it immediately.
It's not hard to notice that Finley's hands are trembling as they lift to pull the straps of the mask off from around zher ears...
Calamity sits up fully on the couch, watching Fin with wide, intensely interested eyes.
The mask slips off, revealing the monster underneath.
There's no way this can possible be some sort of birth defect. There's too many teeth that are too sharp, made all the more horrifying when zhe opens zher mouth--not that Finley is, currently. But even with zher jaw tightly clamped closed, the teeth protrude outwards, lips drawn back too far to cover them. It's like some mutated cross between a shark and a lamprey. Finley's eyes lift to meet Calamity's, scared and anxious.
They can't keep the flicker of fear from crossing their face - of course they can't. And they lean back slightly without realizing it, tugging their sleeves over their hands. But they also don't stop looking, they can't seem to.
"...Fuck," they finally breathe after a few seconds of silence.
"...It's not makeup, right, like...like you don't know someone whose insanely good at special affects shit?" It comes out in a rush, and with a nervous laugh.
The flicker of fear isn't unexpected, but it still makes zher shoulders slump even further, hands gripping at zher forearms. "No," zhe murmurs softly, barely opening zher mouth to get the breath out.
"Fuck," they repeat.
"That's...'s kinda cool as shit, Fin. Like - don't get me wrong. Fucking terrifying. But..." They offer a small smile. "Now I kinda believe you a little more about protecting me."
Zhe stares back at them for a long moment, as if expecting the smile to switch somehow to a scream of terror or something. When it doesn't immediately happens, Finley turns a little to face them more head on. "I wouldn't... hurt you, Calamity... But I'd hurt others, if they hurt you."
"You don't gotta do that, I can protect myself..." they pull their knees up to their chest, their smile widening.
"Wh - how long have you been a vampire? Do you have to drink blood? Is that why you cover your windows and live in a basement?" The questions spill out of them before they realize they may be rude, and they stop. "Sorry."
Finley blinks a few times, then shakes zher head. Questions were better than screams. "I-it's okay. I don't mind. Um... yeah. It's why I have to keep the sun out. Or I'd burn up." Zhe rubs zher arm slowly, watching them. "I drink blood, yeah.. Um... I've been like this for a little over a year..."
Zhe's still speaking softly, mumbling, barely moving zher mouth at all--clearly afraid of scaring them if zhe flashes the teeth too much.
"Fuck." It seems to be the thing they say when they can't think of anything else.
"Did you - drink my blood, is that why you wanted me to...?" They gesture in the vague direction of the hospital.
"...U-um." Now zhe looks nervous and more than a little guilty. "I... I tasted it. A little bit. But I really did run the tests..."
Calamity wrinkles their nose. "...Huh. Anything...special?"
Zher head shakes from side to side.
"Mmph." They're not quite sure how to feel about that, it seems. "If...you wanna put your mask back on, you can. I don't...wanna make you uncomfortable, or anything. D'you wear it even when you're alone?"
"No. I just... don't like scaring people..." Zhe reaches for the mask to slip back on, looking away from them.
"It doesn't - scare me. Too much." They flash a smile at zhem.
Zhe glances back at them, but puts the mask back on anyway. Zher hands rub over zher knees afterwards. "Thanks... for not freaking out. Um. Please... don't tell anyone. Okay? Or I'd get in a lot of trouble."
"Who'm I gonna tell? No one'd even believe me, anyway." Their grin widens, and they lean over to nudge Finley's shoulder again. "Secret's safe with me. That's...'s why you're so scared of my fire, isn't it...?"
Finley grimaces a bit, giving them an apologetic look. Zhe nods faintly. "Mm... Fire turns us to ash. It's... bad. I--I mean, the fire isn't bad, but the wounds are bad..."
"I'll be. Extra careful when you're around, then. I don't wanna hurt you." This time they actually scoot over, getting much closer to Fin. "Is there...d'you like it? I'm assuming there's like...other shit you can do, besides go invisible."
Finley watches them scoot closer intently. Zhe doesn't lean in or move closer in return--still seeming afraid zhe's going to spook Calamity. "...No," zhe says. "But yeah, there's a lot of other things I can do."
"Oh. I'm...that kinda sucks. A lot. 'M sorry." They frown at zhem, more concerned than anything, and reach out, ever so hesitantly, to put a hand on zher shoulder.
"I didn't... choose to be like this," zhe murmurs. "I don't like people being scared of me. And having to hurt people." Zhe's quiet a beat. "I guess there are some cool things about it, though."
"Yeah it...the like...vibe you have's 'cause of it, yeah? That sucks. 'Cause...you're really cool, and sweet, and you deserve to have a lotta friends."
"Yeah," zhe murmurs softly, glancing away embarrassedly. "...Thanks. I... I understand, if you don't want to hold hands or cuddle now. So long as you'll still be my friend."
"Shut up I totally still wanna cuddle." And they scooch closer to illustrate the point, getting all up in Finley's personal space. "Extra now that at least I know why you got a vibe, and shit."
Finley goes rigid for a moment, freezing up as zhe blinks slowly in disbelief. Zhe stares for a second or two... then abruptly reaches out to grab Calamity and pull them into a tight hug, with a surprisingly strong grip, crushing them to zhem. For a moment it might be scary, like Finley is about to bite them maybe--but zhe just buries zher face into their shoulder and clings.
Calamity goes very, very still, like a prey animal confronted by a predator. Because that's really what this is, underneath it all, as much as either of them tries to pretend otherwise....but when it's clear that Finley just wants to hold them, Calamity wraps their arms around zhem too, and rest their chin on zher shoulder.
"You're...really strong..." is all they say, quietly.
"S-sorry," Finley mutters, immediately loosening zher grip--nearly pulling away completely. Zhe probably would have, if Calamity hadn't wrapped their arms around zhem in return. "I... um. Yeah. I am, I guess... ...Your heart is racing. I'm sorry. I'm not going to hurt you..."
"I know." Calamity nods, and doesn't let go. "I...huh. Weird. I guess I trust you."
Finley hesitates a few seconds, then relaxes slowly against them, resting zher cheek on Calamity's shoulder--head tilted so zher face is pointed away from Calamity's beck. "Your heart is racing," zhe murmurs softly.
"I...yeah," they say with a quiet laugh, pulling away just a little to look at Finley, unless zhe doesn't seem like zhe wants to move. "Dunno why? Some big deal shit, I guess."
"Mm... I guess..." Zhe doesn't want to move, but sits up when Calamity shifts back, eyes lifting to look into their's. "You... make me feel human, Calamity."
"That's...that's good, right?"
Finley nods, then looks down, reaching to take Calamity's hand to hold. "It's... it's something I've... had a hard time with. Feeling human. Being... human. And not a monster. I... I've done really bad things, Calamity. And it made me... forget. But I want to remember."
"I don't mind helping you remember." Calamity smiles at zhem. "'Cause even with your teeth and shit, you're my friend, and that's a pretty human thing to be. Right?"
Zher eyes crease warmly, staring at them for a long moment before nodding. "O-okay. Thank you, Calamity." Zhe squeezes their hand. "Do you still want ice cream? I bought a bunch. And I can't eat it, so please have whatever you want."
"You can't eat Ice cream? Fuck, that's...that's extra shitty." Calamity wrinkles their nose. "I still want some, yeah, if it won't like...make you sad, or anything. For me to eat it when you can't."
"...Well, technically... I can, but... I'd have to throw it all back up, later. It's... not usually worth it," zhe murmurs, then quickly shakes zher head. "N-no! It'd make me happy to see you eat it."
"That sounds awful." They wince in sympathy, but perk back up once Finley reassures them. "What kind did you get?"
"A lotta Ben and Jerry's." Zher eyes crease more. "Go pick one out? And I'll get a new game started up for you."
"Sweet." And they scramble to the kitchen, pulling the freezer open and spending a good long while debating before the settle on something with a lot of chocolate. Then there's the sound of drawers opening and closing as they look for a spoon, and eventually they return to the couch.
"Before I prob'ly would'a asked why there's like...nothing in your kitchen..." Calamity grins at them.
Zhe watches them deliberate with a soft, fond expression. "I... I bought snacks!" ...All the snacks are for Calamity, granted. "At least I don't keep blood samples in the fridge..." That fridge, anyway.
"Yeah, that'd be a little gross. But if you gotta, you gotta. Do you like...go to a blood bank, or...?" Calamity digs into the ice cream after they ask.
This makes zhem grimace faintly. "Um... No. Not really. Blood isn't... nourishing, once it's been out of the body for more than a few seconds." Zhe fidgets with the controller, looking down at it. "I feed from people."
"...oh." It's quiet. "You don't gotta...kill 'em...right?"
Zher head shakes from side to side. "No. I usually just take a little bit at a time. Usually... from people in the hospital. Um. From the ones that aren't too sick, I mean. Just a little bit from people in comas and stuff--I can monitor their vitals and make sure they're okay. Or... if I get desperate I'll just..." Zhe shrugs. "Jump someone. But I try to find bad people, if I do that."
"That...sounds really really hard. Having to do that all the time." Calamity's sitting at the other side of the couch again, but they've turned so they can stick their feet against Finley while they eat.
"I... guess so. You kinda get used to it, after a while. You just... have to. If you go too long without feeding, the hungrier you get, and the more likely you are to really hurt someone..."
"Like...being hangry but a million times worst?" They grin at the joke.
Zhe grimaces. "...Sort of. Sometimes we loose control and turn to real monsters... If we're hungry or... scared or... mad enough."
"...If that ever happens, you should use your fire. It will scare me and make me run away."
Finley's seriousness wipes the smile from Calamity's face.
"I...I wouldn't wanna hurt you, though. Even if you're like that, I...I dunno if I even could."
"It's better than me hurting you," Finley murmurs, looking over at them. "I'd heal."
"...Well hopefully it won't ever happen. You'd have to be...really scared or really mad, right?"
Zhe nods. "I think I'd have a hard time being really scared or mad around you. You make me feel calm. And I'll do my best to never be hungry around you."
"'Kay." They continue to eat the ice cream.
"Thanks for...telling me all this, Finley. Glad you trusted me."
"Thanks for still liking me." Zhe gives them a soft, fond look. Then shifts a bit closer, leaning against their legs as zhe gets the game ready for them, then hands the controller over to walk Calamity through making their character and getting going.
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