fetish.

          the last thing salem wanted was to be dragged out of the comfort of his bedroom yet here he was sat in the car next to the person he really didn’t care to see in that exact moment. arms crossed over his chest and his jaw clenched firmly - he wasn’t going to budge any time soon, in fact he hadn’t spoke since they got into the car. blue hues trained on the passing trees and buildings instead of the other sat in the drivers seat. “what do you want me to say? so excited to leave my fucking bedroom! woo! trips! love them! because it’s not happening.” and he knows it’s odd to hear swear words come from between his lips but he was tired, done. he wanted to be home.

✖ ⁝ ophelia

     shrugging gently as he heard her questions, the soft laugh falling from lips. she really thought jason controlled everything he did when it really was quite the opposite, jason tried to get salem to do things but he didn’t. he was a homebody, he hated people and everything about the outside world. salem had sheltered himself. “everything jason tells?” he questions with a raise of his eyebrows and the dimpled smile still on his face. “he could care less if i attempted to cook as long as he could make sure he knew i’d be safe. our cook doesn’t let me cook because she swears on her life that i almost burnt the house down.” running his fingers through his hair and biting onto his lower lip. “side note, i didn’t. she’s just a paranoid old woman and would most definitely beat me with her dirty spoon if i even breathe in the direction of the stove.”      scowling jokingly at her teasing and grabbing the tomatoes as he walked over to the sink, he began to wash the brightly colored fruit - vegetable? he didn’t know. he wanted to say vegetable but people always say it was fruit or something of the sort, he was now lost in thought about it with furrowed brows.his hed snapping back up at the mention of his twin’s name. “no, he’d probably tell me i’m clumsy and just fix it up. but he really wouldn’t be pleased at all.” a sheepish smile curved at the edge of his lips. “also..this is random but i really want to say it because i can’t say it to jason. i hate ashley. there! i said it.” raising his hands in defense as if she was going to raise her voice or maybe even possibly hurt him - it became a bad habit. jason always felt his heart break whenever salem did that gesture especially because he knew why the younger did it.

     jason had finished his phone call quicker than he would’ve liked but he wanted to make sure salem was okay, it was a habit of his. he couldn’t handle not seeing his twin for long periods of time. even an hour was too much, he didn’t want to be the overbearing older brother but he had his reasons and he certainly didn’t trust ophelia just like she didn’t trust him. striding back into the kitchen and his hues began to frantically scope out the entire scene and once everything fell into place and it looked safe his shoulders dropped in relief. he was glad he didn’t walk into the room to see his precious twin with a knife in his chest gasping for breathe because jason knew he couldn’t live on, he wouldn’t be able to. slowly walking behind salem and peeking over his shoulder. “what are you making? you know if renee was here she’d totally have a fit.” he points out with a wide smile, the female had become like family to the vasher twins and he was more than happy about it. it was their mom’s idea to hire the old woman and jason thinks it was one of her best ideas. “also..don’t forget to call mom, you know she will have the both of our heads on a silver platter if we don’t tell her we’re okay.”

     the idea of the twins even having a mother figure had her quiet. it was such an odd thing to think about. how could a mother be okay with the lifestyle jason lives everyday?? more importantly, how could she not know?? it was so obvious the both of them were troubled and mostly keep to themselves, salem more so. the differences between them were great and at the same time they were so alike. they cared for one another. which makes ophelia smile to herself as she starts to cut the tomatoes that the younger twin washed. “we’re just making homemade spaghetti-- i have a thing for cooking, i guess. think you can be patient enough to actually have dinner and not fill up on snacks??” she questioned in an unusually kind tone, unusual when it comes to jason anyway. but she meant it. 

✖ ⁝ ophelia

     he offered a closed lipped smile but nonetheless his dimples still poked out, grabbing his phone to slot it into the back of his pocket. “no need to thank me, ophelia. it was the least i can do.” running his fingers through his hair and he listened to her words, he wasn’t sure why she was staring at him but he knew it made him a little uncomfortable. whenever people stared at him in his own home he felt like he was entirely too vulnerable. he hated that feeling. clearing his throat and shuffling towards the other side of the island to slot himself in a stool, grabbing his phone yet again and saving the number the girl had dialed - just in case she wanted to call her mom again, he’d have it ready for her to pull up. after he had done so he went back to texting the girl that had texted him earlier - she was just someone that was willing to take his mind off of things in a healthier way than drugs so he didn’t hesitate to text her when he needed to. a small smile tugged on his face, he tried to tune out the laughs and voices that belonged to ophelia and salem to the best of his advantage. it didn’t exactly work as good as he expected so he dialed up ashley’s number and placed the phone to his ear, shuffling out of the stool and his raspy smooth tone called out a soft. “hey there, ash.” and moving towards the exit of the kitchen yet again.

     salem read over the ingredients and his eyes widened, there was a lot to grab or at least he felt that way. he cooked here and there but he certainly was no chef, they had a cook for the house and salem would always watch her cook out of amusement. quickly grabbing everything they needed in one go because well - salem could be quite lazy and sometimes it didn’t work out in his favor. a grunt of struggle leaving his and his bottom lip jutted out at her words, watching her grab the tomatoes. “i’m just..i’m being lazy, lemme live! and yes i don’t cook much at all, i’m not allowed to.” he points out with a sheepish smile, setting the rest of it down before his blue hues snapped to jason with a frown. salem never liked ashley, he didn’t know why but he didn’t in the slightest. he wanted to ask jason to join more than he did before, biting down onto his lip. he just wanted his twin to forget about the other female for awhile but it didn’t seem to ever work no matter what he tried to offer.

       at the sound of a vaguely familiar name, ophelia’s face scrunched up in distaste but she was careful enough neither of them could catch it before she giggled at salem and went on pretending that jason didn’t exist. was she jealous?? no-- definitely not. or at least she hoped not. jason was a murderer and even an attempted kidnapper, though he does a poor job at both. being caught and then allowing her to make phone calls without supervision probably isn’t the wisest but a part of her told her not to call for help. she believed he wouldn’t hurt her, even if he was capable of it. as soon as he leaves the room, ophelia couldn’t help but glance over the doorway he disappeared through and pout-- the only thing pulling her out of it was the sound of salam huffing with a handful of pasta sauce ingredients. it makes her smile, so instead of wasting her feelings on jason and the phone call he was involved in, she turned her attention to salem and pulled one of the bowls in front of him. “so you’re practically a prisoner here and you’re not even allowed to cook?? do you really do everything jason tells you to??” she was in absolute shock, why was salem so sheltered?? especially when jason was.. not. or at least that’s how the dynamic seemed. 

✖ ⁝ ophelia

     was it stupid of jason to be jealous over her asking his brother to help her cook? yes. but was he? yes. he oddly felt left out and he never liked that feeling much, when he was younger all he wanted was to be left alone but now the emotional and mental damage - physical damage too had been done and he hated being alone. and of course salem would offer for them to step out so he didn’t bother to wait up as he pushed himself away from the counter and exited the kitchen, fingers running through his soft blond locks. he hated everything that has happened today but he thinks that about every single day in his life. the only times he doesn’t mind it is when he’s at home and locked away from all the unpleasing things he has to do in his life. and just because he left the room didn’t mean he wasn’t listening in on her conversation - he felt bad. but she was making a mistake by threatening him, he wouldn’t hurt her, no. he had just meant to scare her a little to make her agree.

     licking his lips as he thought about her offer before nodding softly, he figures he could learn how to cook something from complete scratch. glancing over at his twin and he wasn’t sure if he should offer jason to join them or not so he remained silent and waited to see if ophelia would invite him. “uh, yeah, sure i could help.” he finally voices and offers another soft smile before stepping out, scolding jason to not listen in on her conversation but he knew it was useless. once the phone call ended he waited a few more moments before he walked back into the room, tilting his head to the side with a frown painted on his petals. he didn’t say much then either because he didn’t want to upset her further, he waited for her to speak.

       ophelia felt a twinge of guilt for not inviting jason to help, but could anyone really blame the girl?? after all, he practically scoffed at her offer of food at all-- so what would’ve been the point?? still-- a piece of her felt something when it came to jason. pity, maybe?? it was unclear but evident and salem seemed much more taken with the thought of a homemade meal so it seemed fitting. besides, he’s been so kind to her despite the circumstances and it was a way for her to show her gratitude. his phone rested on the counter as the two brothers came back into the room, their presence practically overwhelming. choking back the threatening tears, ophelia flashed them both a smile. one that could convince almost everyone she was perfectly fine. “thanks.. jason..” she muttered politely, chewing on her lower petal. saying thank you to jason was almost laughable given what’s happened between the two since they crossed paths but salem really cares for his brother, it was written all over his face and in the words he used to excuse the older twins behavior so giving him the benefit of the doubt when it comes to the kind of person he was seemed like the least she could do. “here’s a list of ingredients we’ll need, if you don’t mind collecting them?? unfortunately i couldn’t find anything on my own in this room..” 

✖ ⁝ ophelia

     jason wanted to laugh at her offer for dinner but he didn’t push it, he just rolled his eyes making sure she didn’t see it though, he didn’t want her to nag at him some more about his behavior. he hears enough of it from his own mother, he doesn’t need two. “thank you for the offer but don’t wait up for me.” is all he says despite his stomach practically screaming at him to eat, he didn’t want to deal with people in that moment. hearing his phone ding caused his brows to furrow and he grabbed his phone that she had set down. hand running across his jawline as his caramel hues read of it, a laugh emitting from his lips. quickly typing up a reply that read he’d talk later before handing the phone towards her again. “there, no interruptions now.” leaning his weight against the counter and kept his hues trained on the fruit he had decided to munch on. he preferred something a little more unhealthy but he was shit out of luck for that much.

     salem wanted to be able to say something that would’ve eased the small girl but he was a t loss for words. jason’s mood was always something that wasn’t easy to deal with and he knew the mention of ashley’s name usually wasn’t a great thing. especially when jason smiled down at his phone. it really didn’t mean anything good in the slightest. his wide blue hues trained in on hers and he offered a small smile and a half shrug - he couldn’t do anything even if he wanted to. “want us to step out?” he asks softly in hopes of soothing her unease.

       she didn’t know what the unfamiliar feeling developing in the pit of her stomach would be categorized as, but she didn’t like it and it was probably better to avoid altogether. salem brought her back to the moment though, his voice a soft reassurance that had her smiling in his direction, jason’s phone nestled back in her hands. “i uh-- if it’s not too much trouble. i just wanna call my mom really fast and then i was going to start on making some homemade pasta.. did you maybe.. wanna help, salem??” cooking was one thing to let the boys in on but having one of them helping her was entirely new altogether. 

✖ ⁝ ophelia

     jason couldn’t stop the pang in his heart at her words, they ran deeper than she expected them to. clearing his throat and stuffing his hands back into the pockets of his jeans, he didn’t know it was possible to dislike himself more than he usually had but in that moment he knew that it was more possible than he had ever thought. swallowing thickly as his caramel hues locked in with his sock clad feet, he didn’t want to look at anyone in that specific moment. “don’t speak like you know why i do what i do. i didn’t pick this life because it’s what i wanted, step in my shoes, ophelia.. try to tell me how it is living like me.” and his tone held something different within it - longing, despair, anger, hurt. he didn’t know but each word she spoke was a reminder of how badly he wanted a normal life that he just couldn’t get and he hated it. he hated every single second of it. but after he spoke those words he slipped his phone out and handed it to her with ease. “it doesn’t have a pass code so..go ahead.” he gestured before turning around and strolling towards the pantry to look for something to snack on.

       an unsettling swarm of guilt seemed to swallow ophelia and probably for the first time in her life she was speechless. she’s not used to anyone becoming so guarded whenever she’s being her naturally snarky self-- but jason immediately shut down and tried to physically ignore what was happening inside of him. it was plain to see, but for once, the opinionated brunette didn’t push. instead, she gracefully accepted the phone he handed over and chewed at her lower lip softly the moment their fingers touched. 

✖ ⁝ ophelia

     salem was a little thrown off guard when it came to her question, he didn’t mean for it to sound the way it had. his communication levels were exactly the highest and he often wondered if it was obvious or not - he didn’t have friends but he guesses that was by choice. he felt like he only needed jason and his mom, who else could he possibly need? he didn’t feel like someone could love a mentally damaged boy. sure, jason was too but he had the confidence to speak unlike the blue eyed boy. whenever sal did speak he usually stuttered or stumbled over his words and he was genuinely surprised it hadn’t happened while he spoke to ophelia. “i-i-i didn’t mean it like that..” and he spoke too soon. he was embarrassed and his cheeks were a light shade of pink. the wide blue hues quickly snapped to look over at his twin and a smile pulled at his lips as he listened to the other’s joke, he always found the other funny. he wishes he had some type of humor but he felt incredibly dull. 

     jason’s hand immediately rested on the back of his neck as he sucked in a deep breath - it was a habit he had developed whenever he got in trouble. his caramel hues much softer and held a tint of innocence behind them, it was clear that there was another side to jason that the female hadn’t experienced. a side he wished she never lived a day to see but she had and he couldn’t just snap his fingers and change it like he so desperately wanted to. “well..um..you see, the thing - the thing is..you kind of um..how do i put this?” biting onto his lower lip as a sheepish smile settled on his face, he knew she was’t going to be happy with his words. “you dropped it and kinda broke it and i didn’t know what to do so i just like..i - here..” he pulled it out of his pocket and handed her the shattered phone. “i can totally buy you a new one, any kind you want.” he promises as he shoves his hands into his pockets yet again.

he knew it was probably weird for him to actually come off as nice for ophelia, he felt like it was a little awkward for him too. but jason was just being himself in that moment, not the person he had to be to please his dead father. it made him sick to his stomach that he still somehow had to work and please his father, the man that ruined his life. even with him gone his life still revolved around him and he hated every single second of it. he desperately wished his life was different but it wasn’t and he couldn’t do a single thing about it and that shattered his heart more than he would ever admit to. “first thing in the morning..i’ll replace it.” he promises in a quiet tone and it was clear that he was afraid of being yelled at, being hurt. he was tired of being hurt.

       it was obvious something in salem changed and it was easily picked up on, but instead of commenting, ophelia just gave him a reassuring smile. one that she meant from the bottom of her heart. this guy didn’t have to feel shy with her, but this wasn’t the time to talk about it. especially with jason present. instead the brunette turned her attention to the slightly more agitated one-- giving him a quick glance over. it was definitely strange to see how different he was from about an hour ago, almost like salem now. it made her start to think, how they became the people they were. how does salem defend the life his brother chose?? more importantly-- why does jason do these horrific things?? 

✖ ⁝ ophelia

“no, not that common. everyone usually goes for jason because he’s the bad boy.” shrugging his shoulders because he really didn’t have a problem with it, he was just happy to be near his twin constantly. watching her look around the kitchen in awe was something he found maybe a little too enthralling but he couldn’t help but notice the way her hues almost twinkled with an emotion he couldn’t exactly pinpoint but then again salem didn’t understand other people’s emotions sometimes. pursing his lips as he anticipated her words, he expected an insult about his brother and he was fully ready to stick up for him. biting onto his lower lip soon after and a laugh rolled off of his lips. “no, jason doesn’t yell. he gets firm. if he yells you royally messed up but i promise we’re not going to be in any trouble.” and his pearly whites came on show in a reassuring smile. 

jason had heard most of their conversation and to say he was shocked to hear salem actually have a conversation with someone would be a complete understatement. his blue eyed twin wasn’t much of a talker ever since things had fallen into place after their dad had been out of their lives - thankfully. but nonetheless the blond couldn’t help but wish the circumstances were a little different for all three of them. brows raising as he listened to females question and after salem answered he strolled into the kitchen. making his way towards the fridge to grab himself a drink, unscrewing the cap and taking a drink as his caramel hues flickered over the both of them and he soon closed the water bottle before he spoke. “hey, yeah, totally gonna yell at you for being in the kitchen because you’re hungry. how awful can  you be to be hungry? it’s like you’re human or something.” licking his lips and flashing a dimpled grin of his own to show he was only joking. jason’s mood had did a total turn from what it was previously.

       “is that you think every girl’s preference would be?? the bad boy??” there’s a glimmer of humor in the question, ophelia’s eyes mirroring the tone of her question. it’s not hard to wonder the state of any girl’s mentality if who they preferred was a guy that went to the extent of murder-- despite the reasoning, and decide that’s what they wanted. she shook her head, a genuine smile playing at her lips as heels connected with the marble flooring that carry a small brunette towards the fridge. she peaks inside, looking over it’s contents and contemplating possibilities she’d hope could impress. “he’s firm, huh?? not sure how i should take that, but as long as he doesn’t yell at you for being kin--,” jason’s presence catches her off-guard, but his attitude seemed to do a complete 160, (at least). 

at first, she leans back against the counter top and examines the both of them, spotting the very few and more subtle differences that had nothing to do with eye color. making mental notes before finally deciding she should speak and break the awkward silence that seemed to swallow the room. “speaking of awful; which of you boys is the keeper of my cellphone?? if i’m going to be held here against my will, i need to call my mom.. at least tell her i’m okay and not to worry.” 

✖ ⁝ ophelia

     arching his brow in amusement and just for a moment confidence bubbled within his veins as the smirk sprawled across his inviting petals. “so..you’ve been looking at my eyes ? ” and the thought of that made his cheeks heat up almost instantly and he hated himself for that. licking his lips as he finally made it to the kitchen and let go of her hand, gesturing around the large and beautiful kitchen. “and here’s the kitchen, i’m sure jason will be here eventually.” chewing on his lower lip out of nerves and he hoped she wouldn’t be on edge with the thought of jason being around but knowing the twins they were bound to bicker over something stupid. “and hey, not every day this happens. actually it’s never happened before today.” 

✖ ⁝ ophelia

       “alone you can’t but with me you’re fine, he’ll know i told you to and jason can’t stay mad at me worth shit.” offering her his hand with a cock of his head to indicate that he was determined to get food in her empty stomach, he refused to back down in this situation. salem knows that she’s more than likely scared of what jase will do but truth be told he’d probably throw a temper tantrum and tell salem to handle it, he doesn’t do well when his temper is through the roof and the younger knew it was in that moment. once their hands clasped a smile pulled across his lips again and he was quick to lead her out of the enormous living room into the even bigger kitchen that was down the hall and up a small flight of stairs. “is this you telling me you’re going to poison me ? ”

       ophelia was a small town girl with a big time personality. never categorizing herself because she’s always keeping those around her guessing. she’s secretive, spunky, an obvious nut case by pissing off a killer, er, vigilante as his brother excused it; but there are parts that are unsure, quiet, insecure, and genuinely kind. she was a mutuality clause in any descriptive label because she fit anything given the right time and with salem-- she felt this need to put the wall down that jason had been (unsuccessful) to chip away.