Delicate

“Ah… I’m good, actually, just… that.” Cody left the phone out in case she needed it, or anything. Wasn’t like he had a look he had to keep for anything. He just wasn’t up for change, at the moment. Any. At all. Permanent or otherwise. 

So it’d been weird, the pictures. Wasn’t in LA, but, then again - Hollywood was its own kind of freaky. He could only laugh, something sheepish to it. “TV, movies…” Talkshows, magazine covers. The odd runway. Cody brushed by all that, didn’t want to get into it, didn’t need to. If she lived under a rock, well, that was her business. Besides, it was kind of nice. Less pressure, somehow. No expectations to live up to. Fucking novel, man. “It’s - yeah, they’re like that. Nice thing about the Pines, most people have more important shit to think about.” Like their babies, or their rosebushes, or arthritis, or the weather. He settled back, raised an eyebrow. “How about you? What do you do, when you’re not… doing this?” Little bit of chit chat, sure. Part of the hairdressing deal. 

“A waste, but I’ll manage somehow.” she said, shaking her head. “Ah, a big shot. So how did you end up in my chair if you’re a big star?” she asked, wondering why he wasn’t in Los Angeles. She hated Los Angeles, too many people, too many crushed dreams, and far too much traffic. “That’s my favorite thing about the Pines, people stay out of other people’s business. For the most part.” she said, combing gently through his hair. “When I’m not doing this? Hm, I spend a lot of time doing research, reading, hanging out at the bar. Doesn’t my life just sound thrilling?” she laughed, disappointed with how her story had gone. She had so much time, and what was she doing with it? Nothing. 

What do you see for yourself? Great question. Hadn’t seen himself searching around the Pines for a decent haircut, for starters. He’d got one just before, well - rehab. Sometime around there. It had been a couple weeks, that’s it. But here he was, feeling… shaggy. And prickly. No matter how close he shaved. If he was in Los Angeles, he’d hit up his barber, get the whole hot towel treatment. But he wasn’t. So the cut would have to do. “Honestly, just… a trim, I guess?” Cody sighed, too tired to get particularly descriptive. Or anything else, really. Fuck, when had he last had a real night’s sleep? For specificity’s sake, he took out his phone. Was it strange, being able to use paparazzi shots of yourself as reference? Sure, maybe so. But, hey, they got every damn angle. “Should wind up… like… this…” He scrolled through a few, glancing the hairdresser’s way. Half-winced, for effect. You played nice, with your hair people. Always. “Sorry. Not really looking to get wild, here.” 

When he pulled out pictures of himself, paparazzi photos nonetheless she resisted the urge to roll her eyes. He was probably someone important but she barely payed attention to who was who. She had other, more important things to focus her energy on. “Just a trim okay, okay. Can I at least show you another way you could style it, just for fun. If you really hate it I’ll put it back the way you like it. Nothing permanent.” she said, placing her hands on his shoulders. 

“So you have people following you around and taking pictures, and I’m sure it’s offensive that I don’t know why, but do you mind if I ask? Are you on TV or something.” she said, pulling out her tools. The small talk was one of her favorite things about being a stylist. She didn’t get to interact with people in a natural way very often, partially because she had a bad habit of being rude and partially because they were usually in love with her. She worked hard to ensure that she managed both of those things while she was at work. That meant suppressing her powers in a way that was exhausting. 

      At the voice, Casper pointed the beam of his flashlight downward catching on the upturned dirt. A thousand questions fired off in his mind, and only a few were answered in the second it took to survey the scene. A beat of silence stilled the air between them and then Casper cocked his head to the side. “What are you digging for?”

Fuck. She hated nosy people, especially nosy men more than anything. Worse came to worse a quick touch of his hand would fix all of her problems, but she wasn’t doing anything illegal. Not yet. “I don’t one hundred percent see why I need to answer any of your questions.” she said, folding her arms. “I’m not doing anything wrong, and I’ll pat the dirt back down after. It’s nothing a thousand dogs haven’t done before.” she said. “Why are you shining lights in girls eyes late at night?” she asked in return.

“Well … anybody could be a serial killer, honestly,” Hunter admitted with a small, crooked grin. “There’s no telling in this town especially.” He lifted the bagel in his hand. “But okay … just coffee it is.” He was surprised to find himself somewhat disappointed. Maybe if coffee went well she’d be open to more. He just hated feeling like he’d picked up a random chick for a hook up and then just went on his merry way. That wasn’t him. He saw things through. He tried to be a good person. So this was the right thing to do … hopefully.

He moved to stand. “Thank you for the bagels,” he said with a small smile. “Should I, um, should we exchange numbers so I know how to contact you for the coffee da … thing?” He cleared his throat, blushing some at his slip. He shouldn’t call it a date if it wasn’t. Was it? Was going out for coffee considered an official date?

“Yeah, anybody.” she said mindlessly. There was no warning him. She could flat out tell him she was a demon trying to suck the life out of him and he would probably just laugh it off. Human flaws. She could tell he was a little disappointed and placed a hand on his shoulder smiling, “It’ll be fun, I’m excited.” she said, hoping her touch would calm. 

She chuckled at his slip up. She hadn’t been on a date in a long time. Maybe it would be fun, maybe she had finally found a way to be normal. Maybe. “Yeah, here put your number in, I’ll text you when I’m available for the date. Unless that word scares you too much.” she teased, handing him an open contact on her phone. 

There weren’t enough fingers in the world to count how many times Cassie had been told that little tidbit. Really, she was grateful she wasn’t actually a germophobe – the responses would have annoyed her too much. She flashed Addie a tight smile and said tartly (probably a little too tightly, but all her recent discoveries about her powers were stressing her out so, well, sue her), “I’m working on it. Thanks for the advice.”

She sat back as Addie scanned the pamphlet. She was clearly interested, if the speed she’d grabbed the thing at was any indication. “Lots of people round here do believe in things like that,” she said slowly, considering her answer, and how much she wanted to give away – especially with someone giving off definite non-human vibes. “It’s a pretty big deal if you ask the right people.”

When Cassie became short in her answers Addie shook her head. “What can I say, I just love helping germaphobes see the light.” she said, an asinine sarcasm flavoring her voice. “Right, right I knew that. But that’s not what I asked is it?” she said, glancing up at Cassie. Why was she being so elusive all of the sudden? “I asked what you thought. Maybe you’re the right person.” She put the pamphlet down and folded her arms, wanting to figure this girl out. “So, have you always been nervous about...germs?” she asked. 

‘  bartenders in shit towns like this make nearly thirty dollars an hour. they don’t need a big bad girl like you defending their glory.  ’  the brunette whipped around to focus on the petite blonde before her. there was an elusive hair around her. she didn’t dig too deeply into gut feelings. all she knew was that nobody talked down to her that way.   ‘  why don’t you do us both a favor and fuck off?  ’

“They could make a thousand dollars, doesn’t mean you need to be a dick.” she said, shaking her head. This generation had no class, no morals. It made it easier to prey on them. Maybe she should teach this girl a lesson. She pushed the thought to the back of her head. She was full, she didn’t need to gorge on energy. “Both a favor? I’m having a great time, aren’t you? I thought we had a real connection.” she said sarcastically, finishing off her gin and tonic. 

“Addie.“ He tries her name out for himself. “I’m Santino.” She doesn’t seem to put a name to his face (not many other Santinos around here), but some people don’t pay attention to politics. So he doesn’t take it to heart that she fails to recognize him as the mayor of this town. Probably a transient anyway. Lured in by Blackwood’s supernatural reputation (they get a real boom in October).

“She was.” He taps the sign of the cross–forehead, heart, each shoulder. “I was a pretty well-behaved kid though. Don’t let this face fool you.” He tips his chin down at the newspapers. “And I’m pretty sure you can get most of it from that right there. I was a kid. Just knew it was bad to be out after dark.”

She nodded when he introduced himself, thinking that his name sounded familiar but she couldn’t quite place it. When he tapped the sign of the cross she tensed up a little bit. Religious symbols didn’t effect her as much as some other demons, but that didn’t mean that she liked them. God wasn’t a fan of her, he had made that abundantly clear. “You’ve lived here a while. There are people who blame demons and ghosts for all the havoc. Do you believe that?” 

“We can start with the name.“ Felix relaxes his grip and lets her fingers slide free. “Who are we looking for?” He scoffs when she pardons him, mouth twisting crooked because– “You’re acting like I set off fireworks. C’mon–the diaries are this way.”

He’d gotten hands on with some of the projects he started since moving here, so Felix can pretty much wander to the right shelves with his eyes shut. It helps that he has a good sense of smell. The local journals and diaries have an inky, yellowed odor to them, a bit herbal and more pronounced than the other books in the library. 

“Uhm, it might be Caitlin Lucas. That’s the last name I’m working off of.” That was the tricky thing about demons, names meant nothing to them. She followed him to the diaries rolling her eyes. He was confident in himself, maybe she ought to bring him down a notch. A bad thought entered her head but she quickly ushered it away, recognizing her hunger gnawing away at her. 

She raised her brow when he started describing the smells of the journals, laughing. She quickly realized he was serious and nodded her head, “I prefer the dewey decimal system, but whatever floats your research boat.” she said. She started tracing her fingers along the shelf, looking for the late eighties. “Kind of crazy that all these people would donate their old diaries. My diary is like my worst thoughts, I would hate it if someone read it.” 

Hunter blinked, still trying to get his bearings as Addison suddenly appeared and said something about bagels. He realized he was starving and grabbed the bag that she pushed toward him. “No, yeah, this is great,” he said, though guilt was already starting to turn his stomach inside out, and he wasn’t sure how much he could actually get down.

He took the water gratefully when she returned, taking a long drink from the glass before setting it down. He swallowed hard, then, as he looked across at her.

“I … what we did last night … I don’t remember a whole lot, but I know I kissed you, so I just wanted to make sure … you wanted that, right? I had your consent to do that? I swear, I don’t go around picking up girls at bars, I’m not that kind of guy, so I guess I just want to make sure … you’re okay? I can take you out for some coffee or something, whatever you want. You seem really great, and I … I just want to do this right.”

It’d been so long since he’d last dated someone, and he’d never gone about it like this before, so he was floundering. Looking at her, though, he was struck again by how beautiful she was, and he realized that he still wanted her. It felt different than how he usually felt attraction toward someone, though. He couldn’t quite pinpoint how it was different, but … the difference was there.

He thought he was the one who was blurring the consent line? Addie was taken aback by the statement, and started laughing. “Yeah, everything was super fine. I’m a big girl, you couldn’t force me to do anything if you wanted to.” she reassured. The last man who had gotten too close to her had left with a broken arm, but Hunter didn’t need to know that. She balked when he asked her to get coffee. She thought that had just been exhaustion talking. “Coffee sounds great.” she blurted out without thinking. He should really stay away from her, but she did miss company. 

She felt his aura surge again and tried to ignore it, remembering the falseness of it all. He wasn’t her friend, he was her prey, and no matter how guilty she felt that would never change. “Just...don’t feel like you have to do stuff because of last night. It’s not...you don’t have to feel guilty.” she said, sensing his anxiety. 

Hunter was surprised when she laid his head on her lap. He closed his eyes, though, enjoying her touch. He’d missed this. This intimacy, the comfort, the feel of warm skin against his. He’d forgotten how good it felt. His chest ached and he didn’t want her to stop. “Maybe … we can get some coffee or something?” he mumbled as he felt his consciousness start to fade away. “I’d … like that …”

Darkness consumed him, and he slept harder and deeper than he ever had before. 

                                                                ~~~~~

He didn’t wake again until late the next morning, and as he did he felt groggy and disoriented, not entirely sure where he was. Sitting up slowly, he glanced around, hair sticking up every which way. This … wasn’t his home. He was on someone’s couch. What had happened?

He tried to remember, but only bits and pieces came to him. He remembered the bar, and there’d been a woman … a beautiful woman with long blonde hair that smelled like a garden. Addie. That was her name. And then …

He blinked rapidly. Shit. He’d kissed her. Practically shoved his tongue down her throat. What was wrong with him? He hadn’t even asked her out properly, and he’d taken liberties like that! He didn’t remember what happened after that, but she’d liked it, right? He prayed that she liked it, that she’d wanted it, as he sat up fully, swinging his legs over so his socked feet hit the floor, and he rubbed his hands over his face with a soft groan. He was an idiot. He shouldn’t have had so much to drink.

Addie crept back through her front door, holding the bagels she had gotten from down the street. She made sure her door clicked as lightly as possible behind her, as she didn’t want to wake Hunter. However, when she walked into her living room, there he was, upright and thankfully very much alive. She set the bagels down on the coffee table and sucked in a breath, hoping he didn’t remember. 

“I’m not very domestic and burn practically any food that I try to make, so I went to the bagel shop down the street. I hope you’re not like...gluten free or whatever.” she said, sheepishly pushing the bag toward him. “Are you feeling okay? I was worried about you getting home last night, sorry about the couch, I know it’s not the most comfortable thing in the world.” She stood there awkwardly, thinking of what else humans needed. “Oh! Water, you probably want water. Let me get that.” she said, grabbing a glass and a pitcher from her kitchen. 

The kiss was like nothing he’d ever felt before. He’d been in relationships, so he knew how to kiss and what they were supposed to feel like, but this was different. It was a rush, a surge of pleasure that took him by surprise, but he found himself suddenly yearning for it, for more. Hunter wrapped his arm around Addie’s waist, pulling her close to him as the kiss deepened. Never in a million years would he have made out with someone on the front porch of their home, in plain sight of anyone who happened to walk by, but it was like everything else faded around them and it was just her.

Then he began to grow tired, his limbs feeling heavy, and his mind sluggish. He wanted to keep kissing her, to feel more of her, and his hand began to slip up the back of her shirt some to feel the warm skin there. But he couldn’t focus, and things were growing hazy. His lips were still moving against hers, but it felt like he was underwater, his movements slow.

She pulled away, then, and he nearly fell over, stumbling some until she caught him, and blinking at her with some confusion. What had just happened? He looked down at her, sighing softly as his forehead bumped against hers gently, unable to hold his head up. Maybe he had had too much to drink. He couldn’t remember. 

“Mm, yeah, okay,” he mumbled, reluctant to let her go and so thankful for her support as they turned to enter her house. “Mmsorry for the inconvenience.” He nearly fell over trying to get his shoes off, a tradition in his household. He kicked them to the side, now in socked feet as she helped him over to the couch.

She supported him through the house, almost losing her grasp as he tried to take his shoes off. She almost killed him and he was trying his hardest to respect her household. Man, life is fucked up she thought, and the guilt set in. A lot of it had been masked by her hunger, but now that she had fed and her mind became more rational, she wished more and more she hadn’t used Hunter like that. But here they were. 

She laid him down on the couch, sitting on one end and laying his head in her lap. She ran her hands through his hair, as if she was comforting him. She knew her touch was pleasurable, and he deserved at least a little kindness after what she had done. “Not an inconvenience at all. We can both just sleep and finish catching up tomorrow.” she cooed. She wasn’t tired, in fact she was coursing with energy. She would monitor him throughout the night, ensuring that if he needed more energy she could give it to him. But for now, she wanted to let him sleep.