Nate Hastings

Charlie: did you know yesterday was national kissing day?

Charlie: yesterday was national kissing day and i did not get kissed

Charlie: what has my life come to? that i am no longer celebrating major holidays like this??

Nate: No...?

“Got it.” Keeping her eyes on him to let him know she was serious about this. As much as she wanted to confirm he wasn’t a nobody to her now was the time, especially when it involved her feelings being mixed in. It was the last thing that Nate needed to add to his plate. “I thought I told you to stop laughing.” Narrowing her eyes playfully, she held up her first to let him know that she’d hit him again. “Trust me my life has been exciting enough in the past. Let me get excited over shoes for a while.” Grinning back at him and she gave him a wink.

“I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant because you’re both now half wolves. I’m sorry—“ Apologizing quietly, she reached out and took his hand. Giving it an easy squeeze as she apologized, sheet her thumb rub over the back of his hand in the homes that it’d help comfort him. “I guess you are.” Rolling her eyes at his words before offering a shrug of her own. “No I was not taking about dancing with you, just going with you and dancing badly myself.” She pointed out with a smirk. “Please do not make me go with you sisters, that’s weird. Come on. If you go with me I’ll go to some country thing with you, Deal?” Putting out her hand to him as she offered up a deal she knew she’d later regret if he accepted.

“Umm…” Feeling herself turning slightly red as she panicked and tried to play it off. “I mean you’re like attractive and would I be attracted to you in a general like physical sense I mean sure like—.” Panicking more while she rambled on, she knew her face was as red as a lobster at this point. “I mean like I’m sure someone in this town likes you I mean it’s not like you’re not hot.” The more she talked the more Ava realized her error, the fact that she hadn’t even answered his question. Putting up her hand in a stop motion in front of his face to signal for him to not even make the comment she sure he was dying to make. “How about we just change the subject? I mean I think you’re right there’s clearly no fan club and we should just move on. I mean look at this beautiful weather around us. We should talk about that.” Looking anywhere but at Nate while she pointed up to the sun and clouds.

Ava had expected a lot of things, but Nate replying back to the kiss was not one of them. Moving her hand from his face to the back of his neck, she deepened the kiss when his arms went around her. Biting her bottom lip as they pulled back, she settled back in her seat. Despite how flushed her face was turning in the moment, she didn’t dare move her eyes away from him. “Oh.” Shifting in her seat so her back was against the door, she was facing him. “I mean—“ Opening her mouth to continue to speak, but she was at a loss of words. While she’d liked Nate for a while she’d never expected anything to actually happen, figured she’d just end up pinning over him until one of them eventually found someone. “I don’t know.” Admitting honestly, she locked her dark eyes onto him. Sitting there quietly for a long moment, she rested both of her hands on knees. “I like you a lot, but I never thought anything would happen and I would just sit here quietly until you met someone you liked. Once you did I just kind of hoped I’d move on. Have I thought about kissing you? Obviously.” She continued to admit out loud, she put both of her hands to her face as she continued to ramble on. “If you just want to be friends I’ll bottle the feelings up and we can pretend this never happen.” As much as Ava didn’t want to pretend this never happened, she understood that someone else in this had emotions beside her. “If you don’t tho— Ummm…” Stopping once more, she put both hands over her face while she took in a deep breath. Preparing herself for the rejection that was bound to happen. “If you don’t want to take it back when you’re ready and more settled with this whole werewolf thing, I wouldn’t be against seeing where it goes. I mean I get that this could go nowhere and you not like me or it just not be there on your end. I mean I get it and I respect it. No matter what I still want to be there for you and be your friend. I mean you’re kind of my best friend anymore and I really don’t want to lose that.” Ava knew at this point she was beyond rambling, she fought back the urge to play with her rings once more. “I know I’m talking a lot at this point, but it boils down to I want this.” Gesturing back and forth between them with her finger. “And I want you.”

“You did. But, you forgot, I don’t listen to you,” He said teasingly, grinning over a her, before quirking an eyebrow as she mentioned how exciting her life used to have been. “Really? What was the old Ava’s life like then?” He asked curiously, wanting to know more about her. “I told you I’d take you already, didn’t I?” He chuckled, grinning over at her.

“I get it,” He said with a little shrug, knowing what she meant, but still feeling weird about it all the same. Taking her hand, he gave it a little squeeze back. “Mhmm, sure you did,” He chuckled, shaking his head over at her in amusement. “I’ll think about it,” He said teasingly, knowing he’d eventually take her up on it.

Nate let out a laugh as she rambled on and on, smiling over at her before he noted, “You’re cute when you’re overthinking things, you know that?” He glanced up at the sky and grinned up at the view above them before turning back to her and saying, “Clouds like that mean it will probably rain sometime today or tomorrow.” It would only be a summer storm, but he couldn’t help but be amused by how she found beauty and optimism in something when he saw clouds and rain.

“You’d what now-” Nate trailed off, eyes widening as Ava went on. He couldn’t help but feel shocked by everything Ava was saying. Sure, he had an inkling that she liked him, but nothing could have prepared him for this. Letting out a breath, he leaned back in his chair processing. If he was being honest with himself, he wasn’t quite sure how he felt yet. This was all new to him. A part of him looked over at the girl beside him and thought she was off her rocker, but another part of him couldn’t help but smile whenever she was around. He didn’t know why he kissed her. He was just reacting. Following his gut. Or at least he had thought it had been his gut. But then again- “Yeah. We can see where this goes,” He said with a nod after he had given it some thought, turning back over towards her. The corner of his lips tilting up as he took in her nervous expression as she sat there fidgeting with her ring once more. “I don’t know what I want yet,” He admitted, leaning over and tucking a stray strand of her hair back behind her ears as he spoke. “But, I know I like kissing you?”

She remembered a little of what he’d told her about his parents from that first night they met, and the bits and pieces she’d gathered since, but Luna didn’t really know a whole lot else about them. “I still believe what I told you at the firehouse that day. You deserved better. No kid should feel like they’re alone in their own family.” And maybe there were things Luna didn’t know in regards to the full story, but did it matter? Could they have ever said anything to justify making Nate feel so isolated? They had to of known what it was doing to him. They had to of. Mirroring his actions and leaning back where they sat as well, Luna turned her gaze from the floor to him. “How do you feel? Physically, I mean,” she added, not wanting him to think she was repeating her earlier concerns. Luna didn’t know if it felt any different when someone triggered compared to when someone was bitten beyond what Ned had told her of his experience, and that had been years after it actually happened. “Can you feel a difference yet?”

“Yeah I know,” Nate said with a little shrug, staring down at his hands as he spoke. “Doesn’t mean I don’t miss them though,” He said with a little shrug, feeling a tinge of guilt in his chest at the thought. “Oh. Um... fine? Great actually. And yeah, I can. It feels like every muscle in my body is wide awake. I kind of feel invincible, I guess? Why?” He asked curiously, wondering if it had been the same way for Luna when she turned.

“That’s just… we are civilized even if we are better than an average human.” She stressed. Peeing in bushes was for children and feral animals. “Oh I should think I would prefer to skip to telling you so but I’ll hold onto it for a while more. I never had any doubts about my rightness… so. Besides, turnings aren’t all that special after you’ve seen a few,” she shrugged. “Also been part of a few. Though the back never really cracks that way again afterwards, I will say that.” That part had been very painful from what she could remember from it, as a human with no wolf parentage she had a bit of a tougher go with the turn and vaguely recalled blacking right out during it. “You’ll regale the true gritty feelings and any shame when you’re ready. Tell me though, what colour did you end up?”

“Are we now? Says who?” He chuckled, grinning over at her with a drunken smile. He gave a little nod as Cath spoke followed by a thankful nod of his head. Nate was tired of people telling him how he should react or asking him the gory details of how it had happened. He knew he should feel guilty about it, but he didn’t. Not when he knew that Alex was still alive and okay, not after the man he killed had went after people he cared about. “You never know. I could be a sociopath and just feel nothing,” He joked, despite knowing she’d probably be right about the grit and shame too at some point. “Hate to break it to you, Red, but a dark brown.”

“My bad,” Dash muttered with a smirk now as he mimed zipping his lips. “My lips are sealed from here on out,” Dash said now with a smirk. “Yeah, I mean I had a sneaking suspicion is all.” Dash joked. “I’ll leave you to your brooding though, I know you got like a reputation or something you’re trying to protect here.” Dash joked as he backed away now. “Dinners at 6, probably mac and cheese and chicken nuggets if Darcy has her way.” He said with a shrug before heading back towards the house. 

“You know that’s all I ask,” He chuckled, the smallest hint of a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “Darcy’s a smart girl that one!” Nate called after Dash, grinning as he watched the man head back downstairs.

“Always.” Mara replied, she walked over to the bed. “Do you want to eat in here or should we go sit in the dinning room?” She asked, held the pizza up in her hand still. “I swear you’re an accident waiting to happen.” Shaking her head at him and she looked down at Panda for a moment. “I thought you were suppose to be keeping him in line girl. We talked about this.” Talking in a joking voice as she addressed Panda. “I’m well— here? I have a new job and a new phone. Nothing too exciting.” Shrugging as she leaned against the door frame, she wasn’t sure how much she should tell Nate about the Liam situation given how bad the Nick one had turned out. “So how are you liking it down here? Is it enough space and privacy for you?”

“Why not, here? I’m feeling adventurous. Tackling one crumb on the bed at a time,” He gave her a small nudge before cracking open the lid and picking up a slice. “But I’m your accident, aren’t I?” He joked, taking a bite out of his slice as he spoke. “A new job? Where you working?” He offered up, curiously as he took another bite. “Eh- it’s works. Better here then in a house full of two little kids who I could hurt, right?”

“I know you’re not.” Staring back at him, she bit the inside of her cheek. “You’ve never been a nobody to me.” Keeping her eyes on him and she resisted the urge to reach over and touch him. “Do not roll your eyes at me and do not laugh at me.” Bawling her hand up into a fist, she hit him in the arm relatively lightly. “I mean it’s shoe shopping there’s plenty of excitement to be had, but jumping jacks were never really my thing. Teleporting from place to place was though. It was always fun to just randomly pop on in on people and scare them.” Thinking back to her witch powers, she continued to light up as she talked. Even though she missed her powers the memories still had a fondness to them. “That’s a weird thing to say, but sure. I’ll save my compliments for later.” Rolling her eyes at his words, she shrugged lightly.

“Just give it time. Before you know it everything will be like second nature.” Placing her hand over top of his for a moment, she gave it a light squeeze. “Plus just think our child is going to love you even more now that you two are one in the same.” Ava responded a wrinkle of her nose. Panda practically worshiped Nate as is, she could only imagine how bad it would be now that his curse was triggered. “Well if you ever want to not sit on the roof alone you know my number. Even if we don’t talk while up there sometimes having company isn’t the worst.” Suggesting to him incase he didn’t want to all of his time up there alone. “Look at you living quite the boring life, Hastings.” Teasing him with a smile. “Who said I even want you to dance with me?” Challenging back, she raised an eyebrow at him. “Well Mara isn’t the one with the tickets, you are. Plus I don’t think your sister wants to spent that much time with me.” Ava pointing out again, she recalled the last time Mara had even spoke to her which wasn’t pleasant. “You better.” Reaching over and she ruffled his hair in the same way he’d done to her earlier, she kept an amused look on her face.

“I’m not going to knock it off. Stop worrying that pretty little head of yours.” Ava couldn’t fight back the eye roll at his words. “I’m sure someone in this town would have if I didn’t. I mean there’s got be at least a few girls in this town that are apart of the Nate Hastings fan club. I’d join, but we both know I don’t like you that much.” Smirking at her words which were about as far from the truth as you could get. At his never she sighed dramatically, she shook her head disapprovingly at him. “Oh— I umm… don’t know actually.” Stammering her words, she tiled her head in confusion. Looking in his direction as he walked away, confusion was still spread across her features. “What in the world?” Ava said quietly to herself, she shook it all away before she focused on it too long and made it weird.

To say Ava was surprised by the turn events at hand was an understatement. She had expected pretty much everything, but what Nate actually did. Keeping her hand on the door, she dug her nails into the plastic. She did her best to relax so she wasn’t fixated on the blood or the fact that he was actually seeing her like this. Looking back at him as her fangs retracted, but the veins her eyes still stayed stressed as the smell of blood warmed her nose. Even though he’d told her not to apologize  Ava was ready to start apologizing again, but her words were cut short by his mouth colliding with hers. For once she wasn’t focused on the blood or anything else going on around them, she was just focused on him and trying to make sense of what was happening right now. Reaching her hand up to put against his face, but he pulled back, she greeted by whiteness all around her. “What the—“ Cutting off her words as she tried to process what had happened in the past 30 seconds, but nothing was making sense still. She could feel every part of her brain working over time to figure out what happened. She was still stunned by the fact that he’d actually kissed her. “What the fuck?” Mouthing to herself while the sheet still covered her, she shook her head. Had he seriously just kissed her then threw a sheet over her head? When the car started up Ava put her hand over the shifter to prevent him from putting the car in drive and moving again.

The longer Ava sat there under the sheet the more her anger built up and ripped the seat angrily off her head and tossed it in the backseat. Narrowing her eyes at him for a moment as she continued to try and process everything, she ran her fingers through her long hair. Had he seriously just kissed her and threw a sheet over her head? “What the actual fuck?” Asking aimlessly while she put both hands up in confusion, before Nate had a chance to reply she put one finger up singling for him to give her a minute. Looking over at him, then back at road while confusion washed over her face, she repeated this same action a few times. “You know what fuck it.”  Turning back to Nate in one swift motion, her hand was on the back of his neck and the other on his cheek. Not even giving him a chance to think or speak before her mouth was against his once more, she was pulling him in closer to her. Even though she knew better she’d waited six months for one of them to actually make a move, she refused to have the only time one of them did something end with a sheet over her head and them never talking about it.

Pulling back from the kiss after a long moment, she opened her eyes as she looked at him once more. Realizing what she’d done and she could feel her face turning red quickly as she blushed with embarrassment. Opening her mouth to start apologizing once more but she realized she wasn’t sorry for once, instead she just shrugged. Continuing to look over at him as bit her bottom lip, she settled back into her seat while still facing him. “So…. what now?”

“Okay. Then don’t treat me like one. Got it?” He told her, giving her chin a little nudge as he spoke. “Okay, okay,” He said, laughing even harder as she hit him lightly on the arm. “I think you need to re-evaluate your definition of exciting,” He joked, grinning over at her as she spoke.

“Yeah, no. How about we don’t word it like that?” Nate told her, wrinkling his own nose at the thought of just being referred to as a dog. “Never said it was. I’m hanging out with you, now aren’t I?” He pointed out, giving her another shrug, followed by the slightest hint of a grin. “Um... you? Literally a second ago. But, if you want to pretend that it didn’t happen, we can go right ahead,” He chuckled, shaking his head over at her as he spoke. “Maybe not. But I think you underestimate her love of free concerts,” He teased. 

“So you think I’m pretty?” He called back, grinning as he left the car. “Oh really? Name one?” He pointed out, knowing fairly well he was one of the more least favorable people in town. “Ha, ha, very funny.”

A laugh escaped Nate’s lips as he pulled back from the kiss and heard Ava swear under her breath. He waited until she tossed the sheet off of her head before turning and asking her, cheekily, “Oh. I’m sorry. Can I help you?” He grinned, not bothering to hide his amusement by her reaction. The second Ava’s lips pressed back against his, he wrapped his arms around her waist and crashed his lips back against hers, not bothering to hold back this time. He took her in, before finally pulling back and letting out a breath as he glanced over at her, a smile spreading across his lips in amusement as her cheeks grew bright red in embarrassment. “Uh...,”He paused by her question, giving her a slight shrug, before turning to look and her and asking her simply. “It’s depends, I guess? What do you want to happen next?”

“You give me a lot of reasons to see other things.” Dash pointed out with a shrug of the shoulders. “Don’t think I don’t see you helping with bedtime and bath times.” Dash pointed out with a smirk. “I think I’m the one that should be thank you, I mean honestly I know I make things look easy but raising kids is damn hard, I couldn’t do it without you all. So thank you for that man. I know you’re not obligated too, but I appreciate it.”

“Yeah,” Nate trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, not really used to the compliments. “I thought we weren’t going to talk about that? One of those, everyone knows it’s happening but we chose to pretend it’s not kind of things, but- it’s no trouble really. I love those girls. But, you already knew that, huh?”

Bristling at the insult, Catherine sighed. “I do so, but photos leave evidence and we have enough issues without the government having access total to everything you children are dumb enough to leave laying around. Also, my students look young and that’s a lot of extra questions and no photos means plausible deniablity.” Obviously. “You do know most thumbs don’t move efficiently enough to only use one regularly,” she started, eyes narrowing at the thought. Even hers which moved faster than the average persons, it was still awkward and pulled on nerves unnecessarily. “No, we have a large yard that everyone is envious over, don’t we pretty girl?” She cooed down at Lady, who barked softly in response. She bought a manor on a hill for a reason, the large yard near the forest was only part of it. “Cute. You don’t still don’t live on my street though and of the two of us, you’re the new pup on the block so I would look at bringing paper with you in case you need to piddle in public unless you’re gross enough to just go  - forget it, you probably would.” 

Nate let out a laugh at that, shaking his head over at her as he spoke, “Newsflash, Grams, most guys would. Werewolf or not,” He told her with a shrug. Glancing down at Panda before looking back over at Cath and asking, “So, you ask me twenty questions on how I turned like everyone else or are you just going to skip right ahead and get to the ‘I told you so’?”

“Okay, Hastings, first order of business when you’re out of here? DDR competition, no holding back.” She playfully challenged, turning on the game system to get it started. Her nose crinkled as he teased her, though she couldn’t resist a light chuckle. It’d been too long since she’d been around anyone that knew enough about her to tease her over such a thing. “Hey now, technically Rainbow Bright wasn’t a pony at all, she was the girl. And say what you want, but those ponies were kind of badasses.”

“Deal. Just don’t be a sore loser when I beat you,” He grinned. “Rainbow Bright yeah. But, then again, there’s always Rainbow Dash,” He teased, flashing her a wink as he took his controller. “And so pretty too,” He joked, finding himself relaxing back into the seat beside her.

It hadn’t been what she expected to hear - she was only trying to get him to understand where her concern came from - but she leaned into him all the same, appreciating what he said and trying to remember that he was okay, that none of this meant he would go down the same path they had. And in turn, when he explained how he’d always felt like the black sheep of the family, it was her turn to put her arm around him, to let him know that she would be there for him, even if he didn’t seem to need it much right now. “Okay,” she said, nodding. “I believe you.” If he said he was good, then there wasn’t much else she could do, even if a part of her wasn’t entirely convinced. If he wanted to divulge anything more, then he’d have to do it when he was ready. “And I’m glad you finally feel like a Hastings. But if it helps any, I don’t think your family ever looked at you any differently. Mara, Dash, all of them…they love you a lot, no matter what. I can see it whenever I’m around you guys.”

“Thanks, Luna,” He told her quietly after a long pause. “Not the Hastings you know, no,” Glancing over at Luna, Nate gave the girl a small shrug. “But, you never met my parents.” Not that they didn’t love him. He knew that they did. But, it was different. His parents had looked at him like a criminal and a thief for as long as he could remember. He walked around the house on eggshells, constantly being compared to his prodigy sister. Not many people knew that Mara was over ten years older than him. Because of werewolf aging, she had to pretend to be his twin and sometimes he used to wonder, back when folks were still alive, if they had forgotten that fact too. Nate was the kid who could do anything right. The human born to the head’s of a pack. “They never trusted me. Not once.” His family had never understood the boy who’d rather spend his time up on a roof then socializing down below. And now it was too late. No matter how much the other Hastings accepted him, he had always felt like that human. That outsider. But, maybe now things could finally be different for him. Leaning back in the chair besides Luna, he couldn’t help but wonder if now? Now that he had triggered his curse, they might finally be proud of him.

Catherine was out on a rare walk with her own wolf-dog when she smelled him, a little more alcohol-y than normal but still his annoying self, with another animal even. She was curious. Stopping a short distance away before Lady had a go at the other wolf, Catherine placed her hand softly on the top of Lady’s head before addressing his very rude outburst.  “I don’t take photos with my mobile, especially not of anyone under 30…  Mobiles are for calling and nothing more, too much evidence. Alexa is the exception and I did not ask for those, they sort of just… appeared and I’m not sure how - wasn’t really listening to the explanation.” Signalling for Lady to sit down, she continued. “What has your drunkenly soaked self on my street?” 

“Oh yeah. I forgot you’re a grandma. You probably don’t even know how to use the internet, huh? You still text using one thumb instead of two?” He grinned over at her, before glancing back over at Panda who still hadn’t moved from his side. “My dog has to take a piss. I’m guessing yours has to do the same? Or are you the one needing to relieve yourself?” He asked, hazily looking over at her.

Looking over at him when he asked why she wouldn’t let him do anything nice for her and she just shrugged. “Because nobody ever really does anything nice for me. I’m sorry if I’m fighting you on this so much.” Apologizing softly, she kept her eyes focused on him the whole time. “I mean I wouldn’t mind shoe shopping. I love shoes.” Her face lit up with joy at the thought of getting new shoes for herself. “Please take me shoe shopping?” Asking in a sweet voice as she turned in her seat to face him completely. Biting her bottom lip to help fight back the smile that was tugging at her features still from the mention of new shoes. “Wait? Seriously?” Ava felt slightly stunned when he said he would take her shoe shopping, she wiggled her nose with excitement. “Have I told you lately that you win the award for best person around?”

“Sorry— I’m not use to it yet. I mean I can smell you, but it’s still a memory thing.” Using her hands to talk as she apologized. “You sure about that, Nate Hastings? I’m trying very hard.” Challenging back with a hint of a smirk playing across her lips. “It’s two years ago. That’s not that recent. I mean just think of how different your life is now verses two thousand and sixteen. It’s been a while.” Holding to her argument about his CD choices being old. “Don’t worry we’ll have one soon. A big stadium size room where I’ll get to dance horribly with the rest of the white girls around me. I mean you did get Taylor Swift tickets in your basket.” Pointing out with a tilt of her head, she had to admit it felt weird thinking back to the baskets. It had felt like a lifetime ago, but it had been less than a month since she’d started them. “Glad to hear that. You know if you ever want to do this again all you have to do is ask. An adventure or two does the soul good.” Even though she’d been all over the world, there something new to find everywhere with each visit. “I’m not going to knock it off. It’s pretty tight.” Reassuring him as she showed him the ring which was securely on her finger. “Plus you say that like you’d actually miss me if I burst into flames. Don’t start getting a soft spot for me now, Hastings.” Winking to him playfully, she moved her hand away from her ring, let them both rest in her lap.

“You can’t!” Continuing to trying to reach for his phone and she sighed heavily when he said he liked it. “Of course you do.” Rolling her eyes at his words, she leaned back in her seat. “Wipe that stupid grin off your face.” Warning him while she eyed him closely, she tried to see if he had a passcode on his phone. “I’ll try not to but no promises. I know how worried about this ring you are.” Teasing with a wiggle of her finger that had her daylight ring on it. “I promise thought hat I won’t tell everyone that you actually care about my well being.” Leaning her head back against the head rest, dark shades still covered her eyes.

Ava opened her eyes slightly when Nate sat back down in the car next to her and even she had to admit she was surprised by his next actions. Staring down at his arm that he was offering her and she couldn’t help the anxious feeling that was creeping up in her chest. Looking back at him and she raised an eyebrow at his nod. Placing her hand gently around his wrist, she stared down at his arm for a long moment. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt Nate, but she was starting to get hungry and the longer she waited the more increased her chance to accidentally hurt him later. Opening her mouth to speak, but the words caught in her throat and she looked over at Nate helplessly. Keeping ahold of his wrist, her eyes looked down at his arm once more. “I really don’t want to hurt you.” Feeling her hunger start to nag at her now that the offer was on the table, she could feel the veins in her eyes straining. As much as Ava wanted to resist ant say no the creature inside got the best of her and she sank her fangs into the flesh of his arm.

Gripping onto his wrist tightly with her hand to the point she knew her nails were digging into his skin, but it was the one thing serving as reminder while she feed from him. Reminding herself over and over that this was Nate and that she couldn’t hurt him. If there was one person besides Ally that she couldn’t get over hurting it was him. Doing her best to try and relax, but everything in her was itching to just give in like she always did. “You wouldn’t hurt me,” Repeated over and over in her like a broken record. He believed in her enough to let her do this, she just needed to believe she could do it to. Realizing his wrist, she forced herself to pull back from him. Removing her fangs from his arm, she scooted away from him and against the door. She could still smell the blood that was now exposed from the tiny holes where her fangs had been, she dug her nails into the palm of her hand. “I’m so sorry, Nate.” Covering her face with both hands while she inhaled a sharp breath, she handed that he of all people was seeing her this way.

Nate glanced over at Ava, raising an eyebrow up at her when she made that comment. “Well I’m not nobody,” He said with a shrug, not taking his eyes off of her as he spoke to make it clear that he meant it. “Oh trust me, I know you do,” He rolled his eyes, letting out a laugh as he shook his head back and forth. “Yeah, yeah. Don’t go doing jumping jacks over it,” He said, the corner of his lips tilting up as he spoke. “Okay. Maybe save the compliments for after you get your shoes, okay, Av?” He said, knowing she’d take it back the second they showed up in the croc store.

“It’s okay,” He said with a shrug. “No one really is.” Himself included. It was like the fact that he had triggered his curse hadn’t officially set in yet. “Welp, let’s see. Still a grumpy asshole who likes reading up on a roof with no one else around. Yup. Nothing’s really changed in the past two years,” He joked, leaving out the part about the Summerdale explosion, not wanting to bring something like that up right at the moment for fear that his anger issues with his new found werewolf strength might cause him to crush the steering wheel between his two hands. “Yeah. I don’t dance. But, you’re welcome to bring Mara with you if you want the whole basic white girl experience,” He pointed right back. Glancing over at Ava, he raised his eyebrow up at her curiously before giving her a slight nod of his head. “I’ll keep that in mind,” He said, followed by another slight smile. 

“You say that now, until you knock it off and combust into flames,” He told her. “I would miss you. Who else is going to send me a basket every day for a month?” He pointed out, nonchalantly as he climbed out of the car, turning back to call out, “Never!” before adding, “And I don’t care if people think I care about your well being. Why would I?” He asked, just as he got up and headed inside.

“You’re not going to,” He told her seriously, as he motioned back down to his wrist as if to give her the go ahead. He closed his eyes, letting the euphoric feeling of feeding wash over him, relaxing in his seat just as she let go of his wrist and scooted away. Opening his eyes, he took in the veins beneath her eyes and the now exposed fangs resting lightly on top of her bottom lip, but instead of pulling away, he turned towards her, reaching over with his other hand and lifting her chin up to face him as he told her, “Don’t apologize.” Before she could reply, he pressed his lips lightly against hers, holding them there for a second before pulling away and tossing a sheet over her head that he had bought inside. “There. Now you won’t combust when you accidentally knock that ring off of yours,” He told her as he turned back in his seat, took another sip of his soda, before starting the engine. Even though in actually, he threw the sheet over her so that she wouldn’t feel uncomfortable around him when her cheek started to blush.

“You couldn’t ignore me if you tried. I exude confidence that draws attention. Even yours.” He smiled at the woman at the end of the bar who’d been trying to catch his eye. He didn’t want to flirt into more drinks. He wanted to catch up with Nate. Turning his body and his attention back to his nephew he tilted his head to the side and studied the new wolf. 

“You honestly don’t want to know what’s brought me back to Hollow Grove for the foreseeable future?” The last two words would have attracted anyone’s attention. It was the most permanent Logan had ever mentioned when it came to staying somewhere. Usually it was a few days, a week, a month at the most. But he’d never admitted to staying somewhere for the “foreseeable future”. It actually made his stomach turn.

“And You just caused me to puke a little bit in my mouth, I hope you know that,” Nate rolled his eyes, shaking his head as his Uncle smiled at the woman at the end of the bar. Nate glanced up at his uncle, raising an eyebrow up at him. He was curious for sure, but the way Logan was fishing for a response, made Nate smirk back and shrug over at the man as he said, “Nope, I’m good.” He’d get the answer out of Dash or Mara sometime later anyway. “What I do want to know though is whether or not you’re going to buy your not-so favorite nephew a drink?”

“I actually envy that. Not that someone died, unless they deserved it, but that you don’t have that clawing feeling. But I don’t even think I can bear killing someone to find out.” Dinah sighed when Nate asked his question. It was a good question though she rarely verbalized what she thought often. “If I was human, I wouldn’t have minded turning. But I’m not. Or well i wasn’t and I just never recovered from losing my magic. But add to that I was almost drained and killed by someone I considered family…your family members,” she said, her voice lower at that point and yet she stilled adored the family regardless. “It was just like this time, this particular time I just couldn’t get over it. I almost died. And in the midst of getting nearly being done for someone I was trying to save did die. So honestly I can’t shake it. I can’t sleep. I close my eyes and I just…can’t,” she told Nate honestly. “I just need to…escape.” She took the brownie and asked, “So how much do I owe you?”

“It’s not all it’s cracked up to be,” Nate admitted with a shrug, glancing down at his feet as he spoke. “I think it’s sometimes worse? Knowing that you should feel something, but feeling no remorse?Makes me sometimes feel like, I don’t know. Something’s wrong with me? Like I’m a sociopath or something,” He explained before quickly shrugging it off as to not seem too vulnerable. “I get it. Maybe for you being human wouldn’t have been much, but for me, being human was like being your version of a witch,” He shrugged again. He really had loved it. He loved the mortality of it all, the idea that he could get hurt or die at any moment, that this day could be his last, but he was still here in spite of it all. He liked being underestimated and proving them wrong. But, now, even though he wasn’t immortal, his life span had increased by five fold and he was just another Hastings. He was happy to finally feel like he was fitting in his family, finally being a Hastings, but with it came the unwavering thought that he might not be an outsider anymore. And if Nate was no longer the black sheep, than who was he? “You and me both it would seem. And fifteen.”