#* thrylcs .

" this isn't happening to you for a reason. “ // @thrylcs​

                    there are bags under his eyes . never had his skin seemed so pale and thin as it did now . ramifications of blue veins could be found on his eyelids ; the frailty of jonathan harker had become horribly evident to the world and he despised himself for it . jonathan was not as intelligent or strong as the men in that room . on the contrary ; mr. harker felt as if he were the most foolish creature alive . a monster had slipped into his chambers last night and fed on his wife’s blood , all whilst jonathan laid there , asleep , unaware of the crime being committed only inches away from his body . he remained as clueless now as he had been when first entering transylvania .   ───    and mina had to gamble her life due to his ignorance .

                         one of jonathan’s slender fingers slowly tapped against the table as he gazed into the void , waiting for professor van helsing to examine his wife . he had wanted to do something to help but he had been assured that there was NOTHING HE COULD DO . his nostrils flared at the thought . but as always , he remained still and passive , finding solace in that small scratch on the wooden table where his blue eyes dug into . part of him prayed that the professor’s diagnostic would bring about good news . BUT JONATHAN KNEW BETTER THAN TO HOPE .

                            enter quincey morris , the american , the cowboy , one of the suitors lucy had once mentioned . she had enjoyed the man’s company , that jonathan could remember . but he had never met him . he had only known the man through lucy’s curved lips and open hands ; a factor in her happiness , a source of delight for a woman who deserved nothing but beauty in her life . but lucy was dead and quincey’s attempt at comfort was like ash on jonathan’s tongue . it wasn’t happening to him at all . that was the horror of it all . if there was no reason for all this horror , WHY HAD GOD FORSAKEN THEM ? why had he gone away in this time of great desperate need ? his posture remained stiff . only jonathan’s heavily-lidded eyes moved to sink into quincey’s flesh . he had always been so cordial ... his father would have been disappointed to find him glaring at a guest .

                                “   i would very much like to converse with you mr. morris ,   ”   jonathan said as he rose from his seat . the gentleness in his voice was completely lost to his clenching jaw .    “   perhaps when the timing is right ?   ”   mr. harker lingered there , a warning ringing in the air between the two . he did not require a stranger to ease his misery ; all he needed was mina to be safe .

                        jonathan’s gaze lingered on quincey’s reflection on the carriage’s window . he had not spent nearly as much time with this man as some of his traveling companions had but , already , he was ready to surrender his life in his name . QUINCEY LOOKED TIRED . but his fatigue was well earned . during the chaos of the last few weeks , never had the man complained about the long days of travel or asked for a break . he would always be the first to step up to the challenge , always show himself available to battle the worst of adversaries with all of his fingers , teeth and bullets . now , as they sat there , watching the beautiful transylvanian horizon burst into shades of purple and pink , all of the restless nights had caught up with them . the setting sun was a bright shade of red but , this time , it was not due to the blood of the innocent . for the first time in a very long time , THE NIGHT CARRIED NO TERRORS FOR THE LIKES OF THEM . and that was , in part , due to quincey’s unmeasurable bravery .  

                         ❝        yes .     ❞     jonathan harker replied with a small smile , watching as clouds brushed past the other man’s hair along with rows of mountains and forests . he thought he would leave it at that , but there was so much more he wished to tell him . jonathan wanted to make it known to quincey that he was forever in debt to him , not out of obligation , but out of pure uncorrupted love , for during that trip they had become similar to BROTHERS . he wanted him to know how he was always welcome in his home and that he wished to see him again , far into the future , until they were both greying and living off nothing but old memories . there was much the man wished to share but , alas , jonathan harker had never been good at EXPRESSING HIS FEELINGS TO THEIR FULLEST CAPACITY . years and years of bottling things up for the sake of  “ decency  ”  had made him a serious quiet man . but still , he thought he ought to offer quincey at least an ounce of truth , for he had also lingered close to death numerous times and learned the importance of NOT LEAVING WORDS UNSPOKEN .

             jonathan was clearly out of his element . he had outstretched the arm holding the gun while folding the other behind his back and yet he could not , for the life of him , properly align the barrel of the revolver with the empty bottle he was supposed to shoot . dark blue eyes shifted to glance at quincey , wondering just how obvious his distress might have been . it was apparent enough for the other man to step in and instruct him on what to do . jonathan thought he heard something about his posture , but the proximity left him somewhat alarmed . blue eyes fluttered as they shifted around frenetically , noticing that the american’s other hand had moved to press against his side , encouraging harker to straighten his back , while his fingers maintained a strong grip over his elbow .    ───    he cleared his throat . the collar of his blouse suddenly felt too tight against his jugular .

                   after a bit , the proximity becomes overwhelming and jonathan , regrettably and perhaps too evidently , shrugged his shoulders in an attempt to escape from his friend’s hold . the arm holding the gun dropped , defeated .       ❝         forgive me , quincey , but this seems pointless . i simply do not think i was built fo   ───       ❞      harker’s finger must have slipped for , suddenly , a LOUD BANG went off right next to him . he had accidentally fired a shot into the ground and caused a distant murder of crows to fly away , screaming in terror . his right ear was left ringing . jonathan swirled his head to stare at quincey , wide eyed , like a child who had just experienced their first fall . his heart hammered against his ribs as he mumbled , still trying to catch his breath .        ❝        my god .      ❞    

6. MY MUSE PINS YOURS TO THE GROUND // @thrylcs​

                          jonathan watched as quincey morris struggled to pull one of his legs from beneath his fallen horse . the beautiful animal was , sadly , dead . its’ warm blood still poured onto a thin layer of snow , creating a cloud of vapor to rise close to its’ wounds . a strangely soothing sight amidst all the gore . jonathan might have once quivered when faced with such imagery but the time spent amidst the count’s wives had made that horrible shade of crimson an awfully mundane thing  . but quincey , dear quincey , despite all his skill and strength could not , for the life of him , push the creature off . dark eyes gazed up at him , looking for a helping hand to aid him in that hour of need . 

                          but despite his first impulse being to reach out and rescue the man , jonathan felt something horrible brewing in the depths of his mind . the way the american’s hands clawed at the snow reminded him of quincey’s bravery . the same which had been his companion through his travels . that boiling unwillingness to give up , to lay still , to rest when there were animals still to be hunted .   ───   quincey would have fought a wildfire with his own bare hands if that meant keeping others safe . but he had not seen the extents the count and his brood would go to break a man . the heights that their cruelty could reach ... and quincey burned so brightly . he would not go gentle into that good night . and those monsters would know it the moment they laid their eyes upon him . they would cage him like they had jonathan . and because he was an extraordinary man , he would fight them and resist the beasts hidden within that castle with great honor ...

                                  AND HIS FALL WOULD ALL THE GREATER BE . 

                              harker reached over , but not to pull his friend from under his horse . instead , the man’s hand went for quincey’s belt . he eyed the gun in his hand with a well-earned familiarity . he’d use it well . after all , it had been mr. morris himself who had taught john to aim and shoot . his free hand pressed upon his friend’s chest , pushing him down gently but firmly so that he would lay , once more , upon the tapestry of snow and blood . he could feel quincey’s heart , raging in protest against his palm .