Lachlan Dunn

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Kana stepped from the shadows, his tongue clicking against his teeth. “She was a lot of fun. Lead me straight to you honestly, found out what she was and I couldn’t pass up the chance to possibly add her to my collection and do some research as well.” He grinned as he leaned against the tank, tapping it to get a reaction from the red head that caused him to smile. Her eyes full of fear as she pressed against the opposite side of the tank, a laugh crawling up his throat as he watched her. “She knows what’s coming to her after I get done with you, pretty boy.” 

His attention turned to Lach and he smirked, “you put up quite a fight back there. Sorry about the vervain but I really had no choice. So, what do you say we start this party maybe put you a step closer to true death.” His boots echoed across the floor as he disappeared into the shadows only to reappear with his trusty tray of tools. He hummed a laugh when Tanis pressed against the glass, sadness in her eyes. “She likes you apparently, don’t worry. It’s just a friendship kind of like. You were kind to her, she likes kind people. That’s how I got her here. She’s gullible.” He grabbed a scalpel and twisted it in his hand. “So, shall we start this? I wanna see just how fast you can regenerate. I’m sure with the slight traces of vervain still in your system,” he stopped raising a brow at the blonde. “I won’t call it a blood stream because it’s not your blood flowing through it.” He then cleared his throat to continue, “you will probably heal a lot slower, won’t you. Hopefully you won’t get to hungry, unless you’re a fan of sushi, I don’t have much on the menu.” 

The chemical in his veins made his reaction time slower, he hadn’t even realized there was another person in the room, but he should have. Even if he couldn’t smell the guy, which he could, he should have been able to heart the beat of the heart. It thumped through the room, a steady beat pushing life force through a body that didn’t deserve it. Lachlan’s eyes slid from the tank that held the girl he’d sat on the floor of his shop and spoke to, to the man that had attacked him in his shop. “Release me and we can go again. Let’s see who’s stronger.” With the vervain in his system, this monster would be stronger but once it was gone, Lachlan would again be the stronger of the two. “You got lucky last time.”

His head turned to the girl in the tank and his eyes softened. She was sweet and nieve. Poor girl. He had no idea how old she was, but he didn’t think it was that old. He was only 80, not even out of his first century, but he’d seen far more than he would like. Nieve was not something Lachlan was. “You talk a lot,” Lachlan said with a sneer, eyes sliding back to his captor and over his little bag of tricks. Lachlan’s hands grabbed the chains above him and attempted to roll his shoulders. 

Opening his mouth, the words he had planned failed him so it closed and then reopened a few times before he just lifted his shoulders into a shrug. It was a whole lot easier to just say sorry than to actually say why. To admit to what he had done and why he had done it. Eyes falling to the floor, he shifted so that he was no longer leaning against the door. This behavior, it wasn’t like him. He’d always been a take life by the horns kind of guy, and yet he couldn’t seem to do that, not when it was over something as important as this.

“I shouldn’t have kissed you. I shouldn’t have taken something like that. Not with you, Lach. I don’t-” he cut himself off with a shaky breath, giving a weak smile in the direction of the other. “You’re to important to me to lose over how I feel. I can do better. I can make it where you don’t even notice it. I’ll even get another room if you’re uncomfortable sharing with me.”

His mouth was moving and words were tumbling out, a plea to his voice as he silently begged his best friend not to hate him. To just accept him as is and let this thing between them go back to how it was, as much as it could when Bryden was still craving the taste of his lips. When he had spied Lach on the bed, he had wanted nothing more than to curl up behind him and just hold the other man to his chest, but that wasn’t the reality that they lived in. 

There was a moment of static in his head, a light buzzing sound that he couldn’t shake. His mind had stopped focusing on his own self-loathing and started focusing on what Bryden was actually saying. His apology was for the kiss, just as Lachlan had suspected it would be, but the rest of it was what shocked him. Everything he was saying, everything that happened. All the fears and doubts that had festered in the memory of the kiss sluffed off and the memories refocused. Suddenly Lachlan was seeing a picture he hadn’t thought. 

He slipped from the bed, the idea of Bry getting a different room to make him comfortable spurring him into action. He tossed the pillow he’s taken from Bry’s bed aside and stood for a moment, a pair of boxers his other clothing. “You don’t have to do that,” he said softly. “You don’t need to apologize or leave. You’re not going anywhere.” 

It was a small room, two strides and Lachlan was standing in front of him. His multi-colored eyes trained on the deep blue of the man he considered his best friend. “Please don’t leave,” he said softly. He wasn’t as quick or as daring as Bryden, his reach was tentative, his hold firm around the back of his neck before he was placing his lips against Bry’s. He was still unsure of himself and of this, but not because he didn’t want it. Him. This. But because he didn’t know if Bryden wanted it. Him. This. 

Bryden couldn’t keep the soft look from crossing his features as he watched the other wake up. Or the yawn that followed after. Like every full moon, the bags under his eyes were prominent. Though he didn’t really care, for in that moment, even though it was brief, it was like all the events from yesterday hadn’t happened and the awkwardness between them just didn’t exist. And it was such a comfort. To know they could still have moments like this. 

“Could have been better, but can’t really complain. Everything went right.” Which, of course it had. If something had gone wrong, he wouldn’t be standing here. “it was probably as eventful as yours.” Of course, only one of them turned into a werewolf that night, and it hadn’t been Lachlan. But he didn’t mind that as long as the other didn’t have to deal with what he did. He’d gladly shoulder all the burden.

Leaning against the door frame, his arms crossed over his chest, This was as far as he was willing to venture in, at that moment. Thoughts of the kiss flashed before his eyes as a guarded look passed over his face. Until it was addressed, until they agreed to just forget about it, Bryden didn’t think he could let himself near Lachlan. Not with what happened just hours earlier. But, boy did he want to be closer. To get another taste. But it wasn’t his to take. And it never would be. Puffing out a rush of hot air, his head bounced lightly against the door frame. “I’m sorry Lach.”

Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes with the palm of his hand, Lach yawned softly. The sound in the room deadening as he did so. It was a strange phenomenon but no matter, the other hadn’t said anything or even moved from the door. It was about that time that Lach realized why. He swallowed thickly and tried to focus more on being awake than on anything else. 

He had been having such a good dream before he was pulled back to reality and now, all he wanted to do was go back to that dream. A beautiful life, a house by the sea. He had been sitting on the roof, curled in a warm embrace, watching the sunrise. His favorite time of day. Why couldn’t that be the reality? Why did that have to be an untouchable dream? 

He sighed and looked up at Bry when he spoke. “You...” He fumbled his words. “For what?” He didn’t really understand why Bry was apologizing. He’d done nothing wrong. At least, not the way Lachlan saw it. He had liked the kiss, though he shouldn’t have kissed back. All it did was show Bryden what he was. He knew better than return the kiss. “Did you do something you shouldn’t have?” 

Over and over the kiss replayed in his mind. Throughout the night, ever detail was seared in his brain. It was most definitely the only time he’d experience something like that, so he thanked the stars that he would be able to remember it. Surprisingly, with that running through his mind, the night flew by and soon the sun was peaking over the horizon. Lips still tingling from the ghost of the kiss, he prepared himself for the shit storm.

Trudging back home, Bryden let his mind wonder. Thoughts of what he was walking back to flickering through his mind. God, he hoped he was still there. That there was a chance to salvage the friendship the two shared. He truly didn’t know what he would do if Lachlan was just gone. The thought pierced him to the core, knocking the breath from his lungs as his feet seemed to move slower. He was hesitant. As long as this moment stretched on, he wouldn’t know what thoughts Lach had on what transpired hours before. But, he couldn’t not show up. Not after the promise of tomorrow.

The house was silent as the door shut behind him. It sent a wave of panic through him as he walked to the little room in the back of the house. “Lach,” he called out, pushing on the squeaky door to find the other man curled up on the bed. With a sigh, of relief or something else he wasn’t sure, the rucksack he was carrying slipped to the floor, Bryden’s eyes stayed firmly on Lachlan. At least he had gotten some kind of rest, it seemed.

Lach’s night was not a particularly restful one, but he had at least found some sleep throughout the night. Some of it was gentle and peaceful, while other parts were nightmares culminating in the destruction of his friendship with the only person in his life. Images flashed like snapshots of a moving picture. Fight after fight after fight. He’d woken a few times in the night, soaked in sweat from fear. His heart racing, mind screaming. Tears had been close to the edge of his eyes a few times. 

Some time around 3 am, Lachlan had closed his eyes and willed himself to imagine a different type of scenery. A better one. One that didn’t lose Bry. He fell asleep imagining instead the life he could have with him and how much he actually loved him. What it would be like if Bryden had loved him back. It was such a silly idea but it was the only thing he could do to keep himself out of the nightmares. 

The sound of his name and the squeak of the door was plenty to wake Lachlan, and he shifted on the bed, head raising off the pillow. His eyes were still blurry and his hair fluffed up and messy. “Hey,” he said, voice still thick with sleep as a lazy smile spread across his lips. The dream he’d had, had been a happy one and he was still kind of it in. It took his a moment to fully realize he was awake and speaking to his friend, but when it caught up to him, he made to sit up, taking the pillow with him so that he could use it to keep himself slightly upright. “You’re back. How was your night?”

Everything they had grown up knowing had taught them that men went with women and women with men. It was never supposed to stray because it would be wrong if that happened, but everything inside of Bry screamed that this was right as Lachlan continued the clumsy kiss. It was everything that he’d never allow himself to want and more. The hand on Lachlan’s shoulder moved him, gripping the other’s jaw as his lips said everything that he wished he could have said ages ago. 

Everything in that moment was too good to be true, the hesitation in the other obvious. breaking away, his thumb swiped at the blonde’s cheek as he tried to burn ever second of that into his brain. It wasn’t like he’d get another chance like that. Lachlan was too good too him, allowing him to take something so forbidden,so wrong and not do anything to stop it. With a lump in his throat, he turned away from his best friend, afraid to see the disgust that would be in the other’s eyes. Tomorrow, he’d try and make sure things went back to the way they were, with all memories of today just that. Distant memories to never be thought about again.

“Tomorrow,” he managed to squeeze out before fleeing from the room and from the house. Bryden honestly hoped that Lach would forgive him that moment of weakness, if necessary he’d find a new place to stay if only to make him comfortable again. He couldn’t lose the other. He wouldn’t be complete without him.

The kiss ended and Lach felt like his world had tilted sideways. He was dizzy and breathless, his mind moving a million kilometers a minute. He couldn’t catch his breath or a thought. What was happening? He didn’t know. He couldn’t put anything into words or form thoughts. He barely had time to register Bry’s forced tomorrow and his leaving before it all happened. 

The door shut behind his friend and Lach was left standing stock still in the dead silence. His limbs weren’t working. The only thing he could focus on was the taste of the kiss that clung to his lips. Bryden had kissed him and then left. what did that mean? What could he had been playing at? Why had he left so fast? Was he ashamed of what he’d done? Was he mad that Lach had kissed him back? 

Something was different in the air. Even on the walk home it wasn’t like this. Whatever it was, it was going to drive him mad. Eyes searching Lachlan’s face, he wished that he could think of some sort of excuse to reach out and touch him, even just briefly. But with all that had happened in such a short time, he could really risk it. Afraid he may not be able to stop at just the touch. Their proximity though, Bryden felt the pull of his warmth.

Without really thinking, he clamped a hand around the other’s arm, a gesture that was so natural he hadn’t even realized what he was doing until it was there and he was touching him. Eyes staring at the spot where his hand was resting, it was like the wind was knocked out of his lungs as he froze where he was. Swallowing around a lump, Bryden’s eyes darted up to Lach’s before moving back down to where his hand was still pressed against Lachlan. “Do more than try, please. I worry about you when I’m out there.” Honestly, he worried about him any time they weren’t in the same vicinity. “I’ll always come back for you. No matter what.”

With those words out in the air, a buzzing filled him as he raised him eyes a final time to meet the other’s. If only Lach knew how true those words were. Nothing could keep Bryden from getting to his best friend. Nothing. A rush of mine swept through him, as he stared at the only person in the world who actually meant something to him only to remember the woman who had thought to steal him away. A broken little sound worked it way out of his lips and before he could process what he was doing, his lips were crashing into Lachlan’s. 

Bryden’s hold on his arm was startling and Lachlan’s eyes went wide for a moment. He wasn’t scared of Bryden, had never been. Not even after finding out what he was. Not a single moment in their lives had he thought to fear this man, but as his eyes flicked down to the hand on his arm, his mind wondered, for a moment, if Bry was going to hurt him for being... He couldn’t even put it into words in his head. It wasn’t allowed. 

He looked up again when Bry spoke and Lachlan relaxed a bit. His eyes slid shut and he nodded. “I will,” he said softly. He never slept when Bry wasn’t around. There was something comforting that came with the soft sounds of the other man’s deep breathing when he was asleep. Perhaps it was because Lachlan had always had to share a room with people. He got used to the sounds others made when they slept. They didn’t bother him like they would others. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning, then.” He tried for a smile, letting the words warm his insides. 

He expected the hold on his arm to vanish but instead, something different happened. The strangled sound that slipped from Bry’s lips confused Lach, it wasn’t a sound he understood but before he could ask he found himself pulled into a kiss he had never expected. It took him a moment to understand what was happening. In that moment his brain locked into place and he returned the kiss. Tentative and careful, hoping this wasn’t a fucking test that was about to get him punched. 

Tongue in cheek, Bryden had to take a deep breath as he followed after Lachlan. The fleeting thought of if it was a good idea to be in an enclosed space with him came and went as he shut the door firmly behind them. Everything came rushing to the surface that he’d been fighting for the day. He could smell the other man, and all he really wanted to do was reach out and touch him. Swallowing thickly, he followed behind as they moved towards their shared room. If it ever came out, Bry knew that it would be the end of all the shared rooms, if not the friendship.

It was literally painful to think about that though, so he forced it out of his mind. He had things to gather, to prepare, for the upcoming night. Bryden had come up with a routine. It was the best he could do, and he never had to worry about what he would do as long as he followed the routine. Brushing past Lach, just close enough that he pressed against the other man just slightly, he felt his control slip just a bit. “Sorry,” he croaked out, looking anywhere but at what he desired most. 

Grabbing the rucksack that he usually took, he rummaged through his clothes looking for something easy he could throw on tomorrow. Easy was always better after a night out. Throwing the other necessities together, he quickly closed it and threw it over his shoulder. He hoped this full moon would take the edge off of everything he was currently feeling. All of it was bubbling so close to the surface that when he turned around to face Lachlan he hissed out a breath. “I should be back around sunrise.” The but hung in the air between them. They both knew there was always the possibility that something could go wrong. “Try to sleep tonight, okay?”

The single room had never been an issue before. Hells, they’d shared a smaller space with more people, but as they entered the little space, Lachlan could almost feel the walls closing in on him. How much longer would Bryden feel safe with them sleeping in the same room? He knew it shouldn’t change anything, they had been sleeping in the same room since they could walk and talk, but he knew it would change things. 

He closed his eyes when Bry brushed passed him, a sigh slipping from his lips at the apology that never needed to be said before. “No problem, mate,” he said with a shrug. The words were simple, hiding the slice that slid straight through his heart as he said it. He needed to shake himself out of this, but he wasn’t sure how. Something had changed between them today and it wasn’t for the better. He could feel it. There was a sinking feeling that went with the pit that had started to form in his stomach. 

“I’ll do what I can,” Lachlan said. He was much closer to Bryden then he was expecting when he turned around and his breath hitched. “No promises, though.” Lach didn’t always sleep the best as it was, but tonight... He more than likely not getting a single wink. He’d shower and stay up replaying every single second of the day, trying to see where he went wrong. “Be safe, okay? Come back alive.”

A partial weight was lifted from his shoulders at that confirmation. It had become a habit, ever since the night Lach had figured it all out, for Bryden to ask that question. “Just thought I’d make sure. You can’t calm all the monsters by yourself,” he said, a tight lipped smile pulling at  his lips in an attempt to bring back the joyful mood the two had been in for the majority of the day. “Dunno. Could decide to go sight seeing for all I know. I hear some of the sights are even better at night.”

“Remember that little old shack we passed coming into town? Couple miles outside of town? I’ve been back there a few times. Seems awful isolated. Heard a few ghost stories about it too. Thought it’d be as good a place as any,” he said with a shrug. Bumping shoulders with the other as he did so. It was unspoken, as most of their little things were, but it was a sign none the less, of the hope that they were okay.

The walk back had seemed to take longer than the walk earlier that day, but finally they were approaching the house with the rented room. Lights were off, all signs of the lady of the house being away which was perfectly fine with him. If she was gone, the less likely questions would be asked or rumors spread if she were to catch him sneaking in or out. Pulling on the back door, he held it open for Lachlan to pass through, eyes lingering on him just a beat too long before he jerked them away.

He let the smile spread across his lips despite the weight that was settling on his shoulders. “I can try,” he said smartly. He had always had a way with Bry’s monsters, though he didn’t really understand why or how. He was just a simple man, calm and gentle. He didn’t understand why he was able to calm Bry and get him to listen to him the way he did. “But tonight I wasn’t planning on anything and I wouldn’t sightsee without you.” He shrugged. France at night was beautiful from what he could see, he’d woken early and been to bed late to see the sunrise and sets, they were always his favorite times of the day, but he wouldn’t sightsee without Bry. 

He thought back to the outskirts of town, the shack materializing in his mind's eye and he nodded. He had noticed it, yeah. Knew where it was and it made sense that that was where he would go. It would keep everyone safe. “That’s a good place,” he agreed. It gave him a place to look if he woke up before Bry got back. 

When they found their way back to the house he breathed a sigh at the sight. The woman they’d rented from was gone and that was good. It allowed them to have privacy. Lachlan especially needed it after the day's end. He wasn’t in the best mood but he was trying to maintain it till Bry left for the night. “Thanks,” he said stepping through the door, not noticing Bry’s eyes as they lingered on him. 

“Got it, sorry,” Bryden muttered, letting the silence between them over take them once more. This didn’t happen very often, but the awkwardness between them was growing overwhelming. Here lately, this subject had been touchy as of late. And it was really his fault, Bryden knew. If he could just let it go, they could go back to how it had been before. Before all these emotions had started cropping up. He just couldn’t stop.

Lach had never been particularly observant when it came to how people saw them, but Bryden saw it. Saw how people noticed him. How people wanted him. Even without knowing him like Bry did, people could see something in him that he wished that they wouldn’t. He wanted that for himself, even knowing how wrong it was, he wanted it.

“You’re staying in tonight, right?” he managed to ask, needing this air around them to dissolve. He hated when they argued, as rare as it was. It didn’t feel right unless the two of them were off doing something, talking about anything, or just being them. And the last thing he wanted was Lach out on tonight of all night. Bry may have found a place at a reasonable distance from anyone, but that didn’t mean others had.

Lach’s lips dipped into a frown but he let the silence fill the air rather than keep the argument going. He knew what this was about and why Bry was reacting the way he was. He’d figured out what Lachlan was. He figured the only reason Bry hadn’t flat said it was because the respect he still had for their friendship. It was paper thin, though. He could hear it in his voice. The frustration and disgust. He didn’t think that was his own mind supplying that. 

“Of course,” Lachlan said softly. He couldn’t even be bothered to keep up the pretenses of happiness. “Where would I go?” He had nowhere to go, never had. With the full moon upon them, he wouldn’t dare venture out. He’d done that once when he was younger and come face to face with what Bry was. That had been terrifying, but he’d managed to talk Bry down through the snarls and growls. It had been one of his more impressive feats when it came to Bry’s temper. 

“Do you know where you’ll venture?” He always asked, just in case he had to go search for him. He didn’t want to lose Bry, he was all he had and sometimes the town folks of places weren’t so accepting of a large creature roaming their woods. Some locals liked to shoot at things that went bump in the night. 

The silence was deafening between them. It was unusual. While they could go hours without talking, they never went long without saying something, even if it was just with gestures and body language. But this, this was pure silence. Bryden to lost in his own thoughts and worries to bother prattling about nothing. His thoughts kept drifting back to that woman, and how confident she was in her approach. 

“Why’d you not go with her, Lach?” he questioned, the words tumbling out of his lips before he really knew what he was saying. Thankfully, the bitterness he felt couldn’t be heard in his voice. “I coulda found my way back alone if you’d wanted that. Seemed to really want your company for a while.” Hands clenching inside his pockets, Bryden released a puff of air as he willed himself to calm down. This close to the full moon- the last thing he needed was to lose his control. They couldn’t afford that. Not here, when there were so many people coming and going.

“You don’t have to miss out on things just cause of me. I’m a big boy.” If his jaw clenched just a bit as he pushed the man who meant the most to him towards going after someone else, well, who could blame him. Even if it killed him, Bryden would happily step aside to ensure Lach’s happiness. And if that was another person, a woman, he hoped that heartbreak didn’t last forever. 

His eyes slid sideways, looking at Bry as they walked. His hands slid into a black jacket and he took a deep breath, trying to level himself and make the heart that beat rapidly in his chest calm. He knew he hadn't played it right. He’d messed up. All of this was a mess. He didn’t talk about girls the way others did, he couldn’t even find it in him to pretend. Bryden had finally figured it out. 

He shrugged at the question. “Dunno,” he said flatly. “It wasn’t about you. I wasn’t interested.”That was only a partial truth. He wasn’t interested in who he assumed was a beautiful blonde with brown eyes. He was partial to brunets with blue eyes. “She might have wanted my company, but I can assure you I didn’t want hers.” He hated to admit that he wasn’t interested, but he wasn’t about to lie to his best friend. He wasn’t going to force himself into a life he didn’t want. 

“I’m a big boy too, Bryden,” Lachlan said, a touch of annoyance slipping into his words. “Why don’t you let me decide what I’m missing out on and what I want to experience.” A hooker, no matter the gender wasn’t high on his list, but one with her specific attributes were especially off his list. 

@deepseededfirewithin

Emotions were high. At least, Bryden’s were. He wasn’t sure who the woman was who had come up and interrupted his and Lachlan’s outing, they were enjoying yet another day out and about in a city that was close enough to Paris that he couldn’t complain, when she just approached them. Bryden wasn’t exactly sure why it irritated him to the point that it did, but it had completely ruined the mood that he had been in. Hands shoved deep in his pockets, Bry continued walking in silence. He didn’t have any reason for this intense feeling of jealousy that was bubbling just under his skin, not really.

“We should probably get back to the room,” Bry muttered, eyes focused on the ground. The sun was going to be setting soon, and he really had a couple things to do before disappearing for the night.  The two, Lachlan and him, shared a room in a elderly ladies home that she was renting out. She was nice enough, though she didn’t speak a lick of English, so for all he knew, she could have been cussing them up one side and down the other every time the were around her. But it wasn’t a complete shit hole, and they could afford it.

Bumping his shoulder against Lachlan’s, he shot his companion a smile, slightly forced as it was. The last thing he wanted was the other one to really notice something was wrong, despite how wrong it felt to even think about Lach with someone else, that was his burden to bear. Besides, after tonight, all the emotions that were running on high, they’d just kind of clear and he’d be free of the effects. For the next month that is.

“Yeah,” he said with a nod. “Sounds good.” A lump formed in his throat at that possibility. He had worked so hard to hide that side of himself. Tried so hard to appear normal and not at all the way others saw men of his preference. It was not an easy task when he slept in the same room as the object of his desires, but he’s work harder at making it look like he was normal. 

He looked up at the jostle, eyes slightly guarded and gave Bry his smile back. He had the evening to himself and would be able to figure out how to fix this. He could do that. He could... He had no idea what he could do but he’d figure something out. The little old lady would leave him alone and he could plan.