#creatvresoftheniight

Fucking Marcus McCarthy. 

That was all she could think of since that stupid, dumb drunk text that he decided to send her. How dare he have the audacity to ask her something like that when he was drunk? That was not a thing you bring up when you’re blackout drunk. You bring that up when you’re sober and when you fucking mean it. How in the seven Hells was she supposed to think that he actually meant it and it wasn’t some drunk stupid idea that he had on the spot? 

If you mean it, have the balls to ask me that when you’re sober.

That’s what she had told him before leaving his place and heading back to her bookstore. A week went by and he never brought it up. Never asked her. So obviously he didn’t fucking mean it and she was an idiot for believing that maybe, just for a split moment, that this was something that he wanted. That she meant something to him. How could she be a fool? This was why she didn’t do relationships. Why she didn’t get close to anyone or let anyone get close to her.

Because shit like this proved to her what her father said.

Shit like this hurt her and she had sworn she would never let herself get hurt by anything or anyone.

And yet, she had done that with Marcus. She had let him get closes and look where that had ended her. She had let herself fall into this little trap and now, where was she?

Well, now she was at the club, dancing and drinking the night away. Claire needed to distract herself and she needed to do it the only way she knew how - alcohol and meaningless sex. She had already made a few connections and was thinking about which one she might take home - if any of them. Currently she was in the middle of the dance floor, sipping on her drink and dancing. There were a few guys lingering around her and she gave them a playful wink. But as she turned, she caught sight of someone on stage and her mood immediately plummetted.

Fucking Marcus McCarthy.

The fucking asshole was on the stage dancing, acting like a stripper and obviously getting a lot of attention. But that wasn’t what bugged her the most. They weren’t a thing. They weren’t an item. But she was here to get her mind off of the pompous, asshole, self-centered, ball-less prick that was currently the center of the entire club and what was she to do? With a growl, she pushed her way through the crowd and towards the bar. “Tequila, double,” she ordered, leaning against the bar. She needed something strong so she could numb herself somewhat.

Although it didn’t help that her eyes were back on Marcus on the stage.

Welcome to the war, Dragomir “Drago” Emil Alaricovich Angelov-Stone. Please see here for your marching orders and report within 24 hours.

He lifted the pan from the heat just as he could feel her steps landing on the gravel road leading to the house. There was enough food for two. The door creaked open before she could knock, “Tea or coffee?” he called as she entered.

Aliza: Hey Aunt Rosie

Things were.....weird. That was the only way Claire could seem to describe what was going on between herself and Marcus. Marcus. Fucking Marcus McCarthy. What started out as just a one-night stand turned into the occasional trist and now....and now.....they were dating? Going steady. In something serious....how the hell had that happened? This was Claire Benoist we were talking about. Claire never, ever in a million years ever saw herself as getting into something serious with anyone. But here she was, and as much as she wanted to blame this all on Marcus (because let’s be real, it is super easy to always blame him for anything that happened between them) this was mostly her doing.

It started with that fight in the club. Fight....more like Claire feeling miserable about herself and Marcus trying to get a rise out of her. And instead of just leaving and finding someone else to bang for the night, she had pushed back, only her attacks weren’t attacks, so much as her actual feelings so he would just leave her alone. After all, feelings seemed to terrify the both of them, so maybe yeah, she thought that if she told him how hurt she had been when instead of telling her that he wanted to be more than what they were to her face and sober he had just disappeared that he would feel uncomfortable and leave once again. At least that way she could have had some peace. Instead, it led to that night of amazing sex (when wasn’t it amazing?) and then the conversation the next more. 

We’ll talk in the morning. Yeah, they did and it went as smooth as she figured it would be. The nervous baffoon could barely string enough words together to convey what he wanted and Claire had to be the one to tell him what it was going to be like.  “Listen, idiot, since you can’t seem to grow the pair to say it, I’ll just tell you how it is. We’re doing this. Boyfriend-girlfriend thing. That’s all I’m going to say on the matter.” It worked, strangely enough and now here they were. Boyfriend and girlfriend. How the fuck had this happened?

Of course, not to say that it was anything like a typical relationship, so to speak. It wasn’t like they were constantly spending the days together. They didn’t really go on dates, either. It was mostly just the two of them being the two of them but actually knowing what was happening between them now. It worked, sort of. Claire had her bookshop, after all and Marcus was busy in his workshop doing....whatever the hell it was he did down there. They were investigating the occurrence that happened during the super moon, forever trying to find an answer as to what happened. It did take up a lot of time so she was sure that was what he ended up doing most of him time, much to her chagrin. But she definitely made it known to him that when she wanted attention that he was going to give it to her - one way or the other.

But her trip to his place this day was not for needy attention-seeking behavior. She had ordered a book that might have some answers as to what had happened and wanted to show it to him. So she stormed her way into his home and down to his workshop, not caring what he was working on in the slightest as she dropped the book down in front of him. “I’ve got something that might help us get some answers,” she pointed out, putting her hands on her hips as she watched him. “Take a look.”

Claire had only been here one other time before. It was during the super moon when Marcus had brought her over to show her his place. After all, he got a intimate experience at hers - it seemed only fair. But that was the last time Claire had stepped foot in there. More often than not when they were together it was in her bookshop, reading up on potential reasons for not only the super moon, but also the sudden disappearance of werewolves in the area. In a way, the pair had become sort of sleuths, wanting to discover what was behind such odd occurrences in their town. They were both smart in their own way - surely they could figure it out when they set their minds to it....although it wasn’t very shocking that they would often get a little distracted with something else.

However, for whatever reason, they were going to work over at Marcus’ place. She knew where to go and how to get there, but she still felt nervous about going. This would be the first time that she would be there as herself and not super moon self. She remembered how nervous she originally was when she invited Marcus into her place when they were back to their normal selves. But that was her place. This was Marcus’ domicile. What if he didn’t like her being there? What if she did or said something wrong? These were all ridiculous thoughts and she knew that it probably really didn’t matter. so she squandered those fears as she approached the door.

Once she got closer to the door, she could hear muffled loud music playing from inside. Great, how was she supposed to get his attention if he couldn’t hear her? She knocked, which probably was redundant, but considering he had broken his phone and she wasn’t sure if he had fixed it yet, how else was she supposed to get in? But what she forgot was that Marcus had an AI for the house, who seemed to recognize her or something because the door swung open for her. The music hit her with full force as she stepped inside, following the path of music to where she figured Marcus would be.

It was strange how Matt could still find his way to the old Loser’s Clubhouse, even after being gone for six months. It had always been a good, neutral place where he could go and think about how he was going to approach Erica after being presumed dead. He knew that he owed Erica an explanation and, after coming back to Marcus, he had put it off for just a little while longer. It hadn’t gone as smoothly as he would have liked, and yes, maybe that had something to do with the fact that Marcus had been high at the time, but the occurrence had left him dreading what was going to happen when he came to see Erica. While it was nice to be home, his old room didn’t seem to hold the answers that he needed to figure out how he was going to come out as alive to those he cared about.

That’s why he came to the clubhouse. There was little reminders of what had torn them apart there. It was the place they had all come to to avoid the drama and anger that their families all held towards one another. They could just be kids and do stupid shit together. It was one of his favorite places to go when he needed to get away. And just like when he was a kid, he found his way back to their little hideaway. It was strange how it looked the same after all these years, but it brought a smirk to his face as he stepped inside.

Claire had no idea why she had sent those texts. What in the world had she been thinking in that moment when she decided to text him. It was stupid, of course. This was Marcus McCarthy they were talking about. Yeah, the super moon had done something to them and while Claire knew that the effects of whatever had been done had puled out a side of her that she hid from the rest of the world, she hadn’t lied once and it had terrified her. She had admitted to feelings that she had promised herself that she would never, ever feel for anyone. Yet she had truly felt those and deep down, she knew she still felt those feelings towards Marcus. Maybe not as potent or prominent as during the super moon, but she still felt them.

And she couldn’t continue going through life pretending that hadn’t happened. Claire needed answers. She needed to know if Marcus meant what he had said as well. She needed to know if he was being honest. On the one hand, she hoped that he wasn’t so that they could go back to the way things were before all of this when everything was simple. Just go back to being enemies, hating one another but enjoying sex because it was fun. But, on the other hand, she wanted him to have meant it. She didn’t think that she could handle it if he had been lying.

But why? Why did it mean so much to her? Claire didn’t believe in love or feelings for anyone. Love and feelings meant pain. But that’s what the super moon had done - opened her up to pain because no matter what Marcus was coming to tell her, there was going to be pain. There just had to be. Because Marcus was right; they were enemies. Them being anything remotely of a couple meant that either side was in danger of getting hurt or killed for fraternizing with the enemy, either by their own side or someone else. But she had to know because not knowing was worse than knowing.

And that’s all she could think of as she stood behind the counter of her bookstore, staring at the phone in her hand as she read and reread what Marcus had sent her.  Whatever we said and did because of the super moon... that wasn't us. That wasn't me. I can only tell you what I know for certain. But wasn’t that her? Wasn’t that the side of her that she didn’t show to anyone? A side of her that only Marcus got to see. Fuck, how was she going to explain that to him if he told her that he hadn’t meant anything that he told her during the super moon? Did she lie? Did she tell him the truth? Fuck, what was she going to do?

The half hour passed and she glanced at the door, waiting to see if he would show.