chillin' like a villain.

          ❛it is both a blessing and a curse that we share such a beautiful complexion. what’s yours is mine, that’s what marriage is.❜

          ❛xiomara, you know i love you dearly but you do NOT mess with a man’s skin care routine!! moisturizer always comes after toner, no exceptions.❜

            things had been quiet... he couldn’t complain. they had won. for now. and, for now, that was enough. believe it or not, he didn’t assume the worst when he heard a knock at his door. he was ready to go and answer when she walks in, and he stands quickly with a small smile rising to his face. ❛hey          ❜ he’s cut off just as quickly as he starts, but it doesn’t wipe the smile from his face. i’m glad you’re here, you don’t have to call. maybe she’ll give him the chance to say those things later. he’s not dead, it’s true. he probably shouldn’t have laughed at the fact - morbid, isn’t it? - but he can’t help the chuckle that escapes him. brows furrow as she speaks, but his unanswered questions lay idle on his tongue. and then she says it. and he’s just... quiet. parted lips frozen in a semi-smile, eyes glued on her. don’t fall in love with a dead man. it leaves a certain weight on his chest, the kind he thought he’d gotten rid of. if it meant saving them, he would have met that fate. he would have left her behind. he would have missed this. ❛you have         no idea how happy that makes me.❜ he realizes it probably isn’t the response she wants, but it needs to be said. because he is happy, she makes him happy. and for once, happy actually seems possible. ❛i love you, too.❜ it comes out freely. it’s almost a relief to say it. he’s been thinking about her ever since that kiss, trying and failing to come up with a way to tell her how thankful he was for her. maybe this would suffice. 

          ❛you must be the stranger-danger my son keeps talking about. i’m rafael.❜

            he was thankful for the quiet, for so long it had been chaos. they weren’t safe forever; he knew that. but for now, it was good enough. he’s up early, his body still tuned to the panic of the past few weeks. the past few years. he tip toes through the house in hopes that he won’t wake the other two. he’s mid-spoonful of cereal when she walks into the kitchen, and he looks at her just long enough to realize that this would be yet another day of radio silence. he wasn’t sure what he’d done, but he’d been too afraid to ask. she would talk to him eventually... right? so, he continues to eat his breakfast, leaning aginst the counter and glancing up at her every few bites. the surprise is evident on his face when she pulls an earbud out to speak to him. his mouth is still full of cheerios, his eyes wide - possibly hopeful. he tries to mumble a response somewhere along the lines of okay. he wanted to talk to her about liam, to talk to her like normal siblings. he knew they weren’t normal, but he would take what he could get. but then she’s quick to change her mind, and his expression turns skeptical as she disregards him so suddenly. ❛okay, what’s going on with you?❜

          he shakes his head, hands balling into fists at his side. this was cruel. he’d thought he’d accepted her death, moved past the pain that it brought him. but he feels that pressure in his chest again, his lungs void of the air it desperately needs. he needed to see her, needed to see if she was real. BUT SHE WASN’T. he knew that. he knew that, didn’t he? but she wasn’t asking him to open his eyes. she wasn’t asking him to give in. she was asking him to fight. he’s willing himself to turn, the confusion leaving him dizzy, when something crashes into him. he gasps, hands reaching out with every intent to push away the predator. but her touch is gentle, kind. he finally takes the breath his lungs had been begging for, and the metallic smell invades his senses. blood. defensive hands soften, though his fingers still tremble, as they reach forward to touch her. one hand rises to lay over her own, the other finding the contour of her jaw. though his eyes are closed, they sting with unshed tears that threaten to break through.   ❛h-how are you here? you’re bleeding, why are you bleeding?❜ if he could just open his eyes...  ❛i’ve missed you so much.❜ it comes as a tentative whisper, not quite sure if he completely trusts her. but she deserved to know, real or not. she had to know.

             ❛i always want you as a part of my army, isaac. but you’re safe, and that’s what matters. i’m glad they didn’t find you.❜ 

          he can’t help but stare in amazement, a small smile rising to his face.  ❛dude... that’s awesome. super impressive.❜

             his eyes leave hers just long enough to gauge the wound at her chest, doing his best not to let the fear show on his face. it’s bad, but she knows that. it wouldn’t have worried him had it not been laced with wolfsbane, had they not been one step ahead.  ❛hey, don’t talk like that.❜ he grasps her hand with his free one, the pad of his thumb catching the tears falling down her cheek.  ❛i’m not going anywhere, and neither are you. keep your eyes open, okay? look at me.❜ stay with me, please. losing her isn’t an option, but his hands begin to shake just thinking about it. the hand at her cheek moves to the bleeding gunshot wound at her chest, gentle fingers trying to find a way to fix this. he’s afraid to touch her, but he has to do something. he can’t let her die, not here. not after everything they’d been too. he still had so much to show her. his grip tightens, doing his best to take any pain she’s feeling. ❛i’m sorry you didn’t get to go to paris, i promise that i’ll get you there. you have to stay with me.❜

            ❛hey, so... did you really get shot in the toe?❜

             ❛i’m kind of glad you weren’t here,❜ he admits, stepping back with a small smile. one less person to worry about. ❛things got kind of messy.❜

            you failed everyone. especially her. he turns on his heels, tracing the relentless taunting that leaves him on edge. he wasn’t afraid. he wasn’t afraid. if he said it enough, maybe he could convince himself. his eyes are shut tight, the tension almost painful. if he opened his eyes, he would let them all down. and wasn’t that really his biggest fear? but then he hears her. ALLISON. his heart sinks. she sounds so real, alive. but it’s a trick, it has to be. she’s always been his weakness. ❛you’re not real,❜ he murmurs, turning once more to face the voice carving into his sanity. he’d always wanted to see her again, just one last time. ❛you can’t fool me, i know you’re not real.❜

          ❛isaac!!❜ yes, he did miss it. but no, scott doesn’t really care. ❛i’m glad you’re here.❜

                 every bullet that ricocheted from the cement at his back had him jumping, nerves on edge as he coiled into himself as a means to avoid getting hit. he’s useless standing here, but there’s nowhere else to turn. bullets fly past him in an angry array. he tries to locate the others, turning his head to seek them out. her name leaves his lips before he’s even aware of it, calling out for her, hoping that she’ll answer. when she doesn’t, he listens for her heartbeat. it’s quick, but so is his. it’s erratic, but so is his. there’s something else there, though. something that he can’t place, but it sets his own heart racing. he needs to find her. he’s running in a matter of seconds, ducking behind anything he can find to keep from getting hit. he may have been grazed, but it doesn’t phase him. he’ll heal. he needs to know that she’s okay. the closer he gets, the more anxious he becomes. he can smell blood, wolfsbane. ❛malia!❜ he calls for her again, wide eyes honing in on her as she lays against the wall. he’s crouching to get to her, falling to his knees. ❛what happened? where’d you get hit?❜ despite the chaos that surrounds them, his voice is small as he leans over her. one hand rises to the side of her face, his thumb brushing over her cheek in hopes that she would just open her eyes. 

                    scott knew he was scared. hell, he was scared too. there was no guarantee anymore. things had gotten out of control and he was making empty promises. he was searching for hope in desolation. but whatever he had to give, he would give it to his beta. ❛i know you do. i trust you, liam. be careful. i’ll come as soon as i can.❜ (don’t make this a goodbye.)

                    he knew that he wasn’t alone, but in the biggest sense           he was. he was their protector, all of them. as their alpha, he was supposed to lead and protect them. if this was the end, he couldn’t let them go down too. but he would never tell her that (though he was sure a part of her already knew). he blinks suprisingly as the blindfold is ripped from his head, eyes immediately opening to look back at her. he’d felt it too. DOOM. he knew it was the fear, the anxiety. but it was a fear he couldn’t seem to shake. just don’t let it stop you. ❛because we’ve never fought anything like this before. we’ve never had to fight fear like this.❜ they were being hunted; it was personal. to fight the supernatural and the human wasn’t an easy feat. ❛i don’t know if we can do this.❜

                    there was always a chance that he could be wrong. honestly, that scared him more than anything. how could he give them hope if that hope was leading them into danger? ❛i could be,❜ he confessed. there was no use in lying now. ❛but i trust you, and i believe in you. so don’t prove me wrong.❜