#dr fearless

You aren't sure how it happened, but somewhere along the way, you found yourself as a regular at Dr. Fearless’ Midnight Horrorshow, far after Halloween ended and the seasons changed into something more cheerily festive. The spooky decorations around the city and in the stores were quickly switched out for Christmas, which felt weird this time around after spending so long amount coffins and cobwebs, but still it happened, and Dr. Fearless and his set never changed. There were a few things to show that the new holiday was coming, some new decorations going up on the mantle and on the table that held his - very real - wine, but the overall vibe of creepy was still there, and remained all the way until January.

It went back to normal for a bit, then a surplus of heart themed decorations went up for Valentine's day, which you saw personally seeing as you were dating the host. He put up an extra special heart in honour for you since you couldn't just come on as a guest again, it was too personal this time, but you knew what the anatomically correct heart with an arrow through it resting on a stand meant when it sat on the guest's table, even if your seat only held a skeleton dressed in the outfit you brought. He did bits with it all night, several moments of woe on how much he missed the poor soul's presence, but he never mentioned your brief character by name, because to do so would mean there'd be no chance of you returning, and it was his show, so he refused to make that ‘canon’.

During the breaks he watched you instead of the things playing on his TV, and you knew he also wanted nothing more than to end the night with him pretending to drink your blood in front of everyone again.

It was more of the same through the upcoming months, you had no idea what to expect for the 4th of July but a skull with a beard a top hot in a cloche certainly wasn't it, and before you knew it, you'd been to countless shows leading up to October once again. All that time you and Fearless, or Max as it became increasingly harder to not call him while on set before he was dressed and the urge faded again under the power of those fangs and that haircut, got to know each other better and better. You meshed incredibly well under it all, the flirting, the love for horror, the cryptic way he'd ask you out in front of everyone because he loved watching you figure out what the hell he was trying to say.

Your dates weren't always creepy, or horror-related, in fact there were so many where you got to lead and show him what you were into now that there was no need to pretend you were your friend, who still didn't know about your relationship. If he found out he'd see Max as himself, something you both were trying to avoid since he liked to keep that part of his life private from his own real life, to the point where literally no one else knew who he really was other than you. There were guesses online, he had a small fanclub which made you both proud and jealous, which you'd also never admit out loud to him, held up by the fans who'd gone to his café and seen it in his eyes, but he never openly said anything about it, addressed it.

You made sure to be discreet with your public dates because of all that, because if anyone saw you together that'd be the end of all the speculation considering everyone was very sure that you were together after that stream, and those who came to the shows saw you sit with him every movie. There'd be no denying it and he'd lose his animosity, and he really didn't want that, so even though you wanted to parade him through the streets like you were dating Dracula himself, you couldn't. 

You had a plan to change all this, however, since October was nearly here again and you wanted to get back in that chair.

Your one year anniversary was technically on the day you first met, he held it that dear to his heart, and you held your plan in your own heart when you heard a knock come to your door, right on schedule. It was Max, out of costume but still sporting those devilish eyebrows of his as he held up a cape that wasn't there yet in front of his face. ‘I am here to escort you, my dear, your carriage awaits us,’ he whispered in The Voice, your cheeks instantly starting to heat at the sound of it even after so long.

‘Shh, he'll hear you, he's already home,’ you hissed before pulling him into your foyer; he'd been here many times before by now, but he still flushed at being in your apartment, at being at this level of intimate with you like he was still afraid that he'd scare you off by embarrassing you in your own home. It was something you still needed to work on, you hadn't even seen his place yet even though it'd been a year, your dates mostly taking you here or other places when the weather was nice and the crowds were thin, like you were trying to date an A List celebrity with constant paparazzi tailing him. You didn't fault him for it, he'd explained last year that you were his first real relationship in years because his ex had left him thanks to getting hounded by fans, so he took this kind of thing very seriously, and so would you. 

‘Forgive me, my- sorry, I just like being able to drive you,’ he apologized a little more sheepishly than normal, his voice switching back to normal as you finished cleaning up so you could go, and you saw him leaning against the counter and playing with the hem of his coat, the top of an Elvira shirt poking through the opening. You smiled fondly and walked over to get him to look at you, those brown eyes could draw anyone in, vampire or no, and you pressed a quick kiss to his lips to see his smile return.

‘I'm just worried about him knowing, there's no way he wouldn't immediately tweet that his best friend is dating Fearless,’ you reminded him as your thumb brushed over his cheek, and he leaned into your touch before nodding.

‘Having read that letter, I don't doubt it,’ he agreed before kissing your palm, ‘you sure you don't wanna move?’

‘In this economy? I'll be lucky if I can find another place half this size without it being double,’ you cringed again, as you did every time you thought about apartment hunting, you were very lucky to get this one when you did. ‘I'll be fine here, but you know, we won't have to worry about him if you in-’

Your voice cut off at the sound of knocking, your eyes locking on his because he was already here, so who was at the door? ‘Hey, I know you're home, I thought we could go tonight, I know you had fun the last time,’ your friend's voice came through the door, and instantly the both of you felt like a couple of spooked black cats with your backs arched and tails puffed. He sprinted for your bathroom and shut the door to hide as quietly as he could while you made your way to the door, and you opened it to find Simon waiting there eagerly, already dressed up for the occasion before you could even answer. 

‘You seem confident in my answer,’ you said flatly as you looked him over, and he invited himself in with a smirk.

‘You're the one who stayed after I left,’ he reminded you, your lips attempting not to smirk back as you held in that you'd been to more shows than he had at that point, ‘c'mon, they don't start for another hour but I wanna help you get ready again, it was pretty fun last time.’

‘I think I'm good, I can meet you there,’ you said as nonchalantly as you could, because if you left now then you'd be trapping the host in your apartment or leaving your door unlocked since he didn't have his own key. 

‘That's no fun, we rushed it last year, we can actually take our time, maybe make this one of our things,’ he suggested hopefully, you were probably the only other person he knew who knew about the show since it was so niche, and without the allure of free tickets to motivate him, he just genuinely wanted to hang out with you. ‘I know it's not really your thing, but I've been thinking about it all week, and I figured that if you ever wanted to go back, just for a night or two, we could always make a night of it.’

It was so hard to turn him down, you two never got to hang out anymore since you'd been filling your months with Max and Fearless, and you wanted to just tell him when you heard a shuffling from the bathroom.

‘What was that?’

‘Nothing, my pipes have been acting up,’ you lied faster than you could blink, Simon's expression turning to a frown as he started to head over.

‘Want me to take a look? We both know that idiot downstairs won't,’ he offered as your adrenaline started to race, even without his makeup there was a very good chance that he'd recognize Fearless on that normal face, and you sprinted over and threw yourself in front of the door. ‘Okay, you're acting weird…’

‘I'm not weird,’ you snapped back instantly on reflex, ‘you are.’

A muffled chuckle couldn't help but drift through the wood.

‘Is someone in there?’ Simon whispered as he leaned in, and the way your eyes widened and face grew hot answered it against your will. ‘Oh my god, did you start seeing someone without telling me?’

‘It's not like that,’ you whispered back, your body still braced against the wood and your arm spread wide, ‘we wanted to tell you, we're just waiting for the right time, you'll ruin the surprise.’

He never could resist a surprise, and you knew it. ‘Fine, but I still wanna hang out, if I go can I expect to see you there?’ he asked as he backed up and let you relax, although you weren't entirely sure if he'd go for the handle the first chance he got.

‘Yes, I'll definitely be there, I remember the way,’ you promised, And he looked at you, then the door, before moving for the handle just to make you try and guard it again so he could laugh at you.

‘You'd better, I wanna know about whoever's in there, I'm not gunna hustle down a bathroom door, that's one degree off from a bedroom on the possible nudity scale and I don't want that to be my first impression to be of an ass,’ he conceded, and you let out a sigh of relief as you walked him back to the front door.

‘I will, I'll even bring some snacks, how's that?’ He hummed in satisfaction and walked out, and you waited until you heard him go right towards the elevator before sighing again and going for the bathroom. ‘You can come out, he's gone,’ you called out, and the lock clicked before a frazzled Max poked his head out, ‘I might consider moving after that, honestly, that was too close.’

‘Sorry, I couldn't stop myself from laughing,’ he apologized once he was back in the living room, ‘you're just- you made my heart soar, my phantom,’ he cooed as his hands dramatically covered his heart; you'd also learned long ago that when he felt so much for you that normal words just wouldn't cover it, he'd slip back into Fearless Mode to compliment and flirt with you, since that also hadn't scared you off, and it was still charming enough to calm your adrenaline again.

‘Alright, I know I overreacted, but now you'll have to drop me off down the street or something since he'll see us go in together,’ you almost pouted, you enjoyed getting the perk of going in early and helping set up, especially now that the Halloween decorations were coming back out and you were allowed to add your own personal touch to the set.

‘Not exactly, we can go in the back this time, I have a key for when I need to sneak in when we're closed,’ he told you, usually you just went through the front like everyone else since someone else was already there to unbolt the door for the others by then, in other words, you tended to make him late since he could never take his hands off you as soon as you reached the car. 

‘We can do that,’ you said with a shake of your head to clear those thoughts, you'd really be late if you got him started while you were so close to your bed, and he went to head for the door when you stopped him. ‘Wait, he's gunna expect me to dress up again, would you- I mean, do you want to-’

‘Help you get ready for the show?’ he finished for you, and when you nodded you could have sworn his canines were looking longer than usual when he went to bite at his lip. ‘I would, but I think that we'd need more time, if I'm late it throws everything off,’ he held back after checking his watch, and a glance at your clock told you that he was right,’ but, if I have the option…’ He trailed off and mysteriously made his way to your bedroom, and you had no choice but to follow. You found him going through your closet, and you sat down on the bed before hopping back up and standing there patiently as he, like Simon a year ago, went through your clothes until he found what he was looking for. ‘For you, my haunting spector, you'll draw all the eyes in this, although I may have to spill blood if you do,’ he swooned as he presented the clothes to you, he was going to be extra vampiric this month you could already tell, the mood was constantly getting to him with the additions of orange leaves and pumpkin spice, and you just chuckled to yourself and looked over what he'd chosen; you'd gone shopping many times over the year so you could fit in with his crowd better, plus the fashion had grown on you so much that you were constantly eyeing black clothes and wondering if he'd like them. He'd made an outfit out of these trips, and you went to get ready when he sat down on the bed and waited patiently, his eyes watching you hungrily and reminding you exactly why you'd chosen to stand.

‘I'll meet you in the car,’ you shooed him off, and he pretended to pout and want to take a bite of you as he passed. You just laughed and shoved him away, he'd made you into quite the vampire hunter this past year in a way, and when he also left your apartment you proceeded to get dressed as fast as you could. You thought about your plan as you did, a bit of eyeliner drawn on before you were rushing for the elevator, you still had candy to buy yet, how you wanted to pitch it to him before the big day, but you had no idea how; you wanted to be a part of the show, not as his host, you couldn't possibly think up that many quips to be interesting enough to make your presence worthwhile, but you did enjoy helping set up, and you could help with something else, whatever he needed.

The crew itself was small, made of the couple working the door, Robbie and Mariana, the sound guy, Dani, the two assistants who came on as butlers or whatever the scene needed and did ad reads, Rachel and Nyx, then the resident Spender, Amber, who took this all very seriously and it showed in exactly what she used their budget on. But it was Robbie who was secretly the producer of it all, she and Max were old friends, they'd come up with this together, her friends helping because they were into this just as much as they were, all of them encouraging him to be their host because she knew how much he'd dreamt about it. It was a surprisingly sweet origin story despite the show itself, how none of his current friends and family actually knew about all this, they didn't even like him working at the café because of its theme and wanted himbto get a ‘real job’ at his age, so he was able to fully be himself here, among them. 

You were, for lack of a better word, dying to be a part of it as his partner, even if it was a snack buyer, outfit washer, his personal assistant who got to deliver his wine and pose as his victim, anything, just as long as you could join him on this journey. You thought about it all the way down to his car, where it was ready and warm and waiting for you, his music turned down once you opened the door. He took a moment to stare, you apparently fulfilled his wishes of looking stunning, and you motioned for him to just drive, he was going to miss his own show at this point. ‘Drop me off at the dollar store, I'll grab some of his favourites and walk down,’ you instructed when you approached the turnoff, and he looked ready to refuse when you interrupted him, ‘he's expecting candy and I'll owe him double If i show up without it.’

‘I can send Amber out,’ he said anyway, that idea shot down with a shake of your head.

‘He’ll know something's up, plus she'll think we're insufferable if we start sending her on errands again,’ you reminded him, and he flinched at the way she'd looked at him when he'd asked her to grab you extra gifts for Valentine's day right before the show started. 

‘Mariana, then, Robbie can handle the door by herself.’

‘She's gotta be in the booth, Max,’ you shot down, and he went, ‘Oh yeah,’ before trying to think of something else. ‘It’s fine, you can go without me for 20 minutes, I'll grab your favourite for when the movie comes on, alright?’

‘He's there tonight,’ he was the one to remind you this time, and you felt the oncoming loneliness already at the thought of not being able to sit beside him.

‘Oh, yeah,’ you repeated, your eyes falling to your shoes while he waited for the light to change. ‘I think we gotta tell him, tonight won't be as fun if I can't sit beside you,’ you didn't lie, and he nodded as he pulled into the parking lot, ‘we won't make a big deal of it, let him figure it out when the movie starts, everyone else knows to leave you the seat but he won't so he'll probably sit next to me.’

‘I-I might honestly break character if he tries,’ he also didn't lie, his voice wavering nervously in expectation of your reaction, but you knew how big tonight was going to be for him to let someone in on it all, someone who wasn't already part of the crew, the first person in years apart from yourself. You held his hand when the car stopped so you could get out, he needed to hurry, but you wanted to make sure you did this part first.

‘He won't tell, and he doesn't have to see this side of you right away, he can just know Fearless,’ you reassured him, and he nodded, but you can see that he was visibly jittery. ‘Hey, you got this, it's The 1st of October, your favourite time of year, lets go into it together this time.’

His nod was a little steadier this time, and when you reached for the door and let go of his hand, he spun in his seat in order to pull you back into a kiss. ‘I'll see you when you get there,’ he whispered just an inch from your face, and you fell all over again as you kissed him back.

‘Knock ‘em dead.’

After the promised 20 minutes, you walked through the door and waved hello to Mariana, since Robbie was already in the booth as usual. The show was just about to start but you'd cut it close, so close that your seat was already taken seeing as everyone wanted the couch whenever you couldn't make it in. You just stared them down, the couple seeing you coming and getting up without a fight since that meant Fearless would be taking the front row with you. Simon was on his phone, and you felt yours buzz in your pocket right before you sat down on the couch next to his solo chair, at least he wouldn't have to switch unless he thought the empty space next to you was now for him.

‘You made it! Man, you’re so late I was worried you'd flaked on me for your date,’ he teased as you got comfortable, Nyx seeing that you'd arrived and coming over with your usual table for your drinks before Fearless, fully costumed and talking with Rachel about the ad reads for tonight, quickly noticed and called for her to come over to him, Dani nearly drowning him out accidentally with a thunder roar as he practiced his timing. ‘He's so cool, you don't know how lucky it is that we have our own horror host in town, I still can't believe you actually got to sit up there and talk with him for an hour,’ he gushed as Nyx brought the table over to Fearless, and when he spoke to her, she glanced at you before nodding, guess he was telling everyone to keep it cool for tonight thanks to your own guest.

‘He makes me laugh,’ you agreed because if you started talking about him you feared you might not stop, or get into personal likes that you shouldn't know, couldn't spoil the surprise when he could disrupt everything.

‘Yeah he's funny, but did you ever read about him after you got home?’ he asked as he kept watching them talk, Fearless’ voice low since he wasn't in character with them, and you felt your hackles raise in nervousness.

‘What do you mean?’

‘How he and that really tall girl started all this, her name's Robbie Langdon, she has like this business in town that was successful enough to get this place rented, I've never been cause this is cooler, but they did this interview years ago when it started up, haven't done any since. Anyway, they're old friends, a lot of people think they're even together, like this is a couple's venture? He never shared his name, he did his half in character, but since they keep things so private it's a popular rumour, and I can see it, hey, d'you think she's taller or he is?’

If you were also in character, you would've broken it for sure, your arm cramping before you noticed you were digging your nails into the fabric. ‘Robbie's dating Mariana, the one at the door,’ you said curtly even though he was just relaying the rumours; everyone here was forbidden from taking photos of you two by punishment of banishment, respect his privacy or be asked to leave, so there weren't even any amateur paparazzi photos of you two sitting together online, thank god for small viewerships who genuinely listened. 

‘Really? How'd you know that?’ he asked as he looked over at Robbie, who was giving directions as she read over a piece of paper while Dani nodded and took notes. 

‘Saw them leave together the last time I was here,’ you told him, which wasn't exactly a lie, you'd seen them go home together every time you come. 

‘That doesn't mean they're together, though.’

‘They kissed in the car.’

‘Oh. Yeah, that'll do it.’ He sat back and got comfortable, everyone was starting to clear out, the show was going to start any minute now, and you saw that Robbie had the stream open in the booth to check on the timing of things. ‘I wonder if he's single, then, I mean, I know this is all just his schtick, but there's someone for everyone, I bet there's someone out there who'd love all this like he does.’

‘You got a crush on Fearless?’ you asked if only to keep your hands from crossing the gap and strangling him in sheer, monstrous jealousy, you'd been watching too many horror movies. 

‘A bit, maybe,’ he blushed as he watched, and the shock he caused saved his life. ‘I mean, don't get me wrong, things are going great with Clem, and this whole thing isn't for me, but… I dunno, he's kinda doin’ it for me,’ he admitted, and you felt the jealousy rise to dangerously high levels when the swish of a cape drew your attention forward before his voice did.

‘Ah, why if it isn't my delightful guest from a year ago, the one who stole my heart in front of thousands, who haunted my very dreams for many moons after. To think I would see you again on this night of nights, how lucky am I to be graced with such an enticing presence again,’ Fearless swooned openly and loudly in front of you, his arms open wide as he threw aside his cape and bowed deeply, and it was harder than you imagined to not instantly jump back into the bit because you knew it would only encourage him.

‘You remembered?’ you feigned, Simon's eyes wide as he watched the show that everyone else was ignoring, they were very used to such displays by now. 

‘Why of course, how could anyone forget such a face, those eyes, that wonderful mouth that speaks such poetry?’ he continued, your cheeks flushing as you fought the urge to smudge his makeup. ‘I take it you couldn't resist my call, the one I've been sending out every night for you to return to me, to fall back into my arms the way I was able to hold you so long ago, it feels like an eternity to me now.’

‘It feels like that for me, too,’ you gave him, and his eyes shone as he reached out to take your hand and kiss it, his fangs pressing an indent into your skin so his lips could really make contact. 

‘Enchanting, truly exquisite, you'll forgive me if I allow myself such a small taste, such a temptation, before the bell tolls and I must leave you,’ he hoped without letting go of your hand, and you knew you needed to get him onto that couch - in a less risqué way than usual thanks to not being at home, but mainly due to needing to break this secret to Simon - so you kept holding on and pulled him forward just enough to bring his hand close to your face.

‘Only if you'll join us tonight, since you seem to have taken such a liking to me, I've got some room here,’ you asked of him, Simon's jaw dropping at your boldness as Fearless smiled wide before smouldering at you.

‘Why of course, to be invited is such a personal danger, to want to chance the risk of closeness, intimacy, the way a simple bite could take so much if allowed at such a distance, my heart would take flight were it still beating,’ he graciously accepted as he fell to one knee, he was so wrapped up in you now that there was no way you were going to break this loop without Rachel and Nyx coming over to pry him from your side at this rate, so you took your hand back in order to pat his shoulder, you wouldn't dare going above the neck and sending him back to that mirror this close to showtime. 

‘Until then, my dear Fearless, it'll give you something to look forward to,’ you teased in order to snap him out of it, and he looked around and remembered that he really needed to get into place or else Robbie was going to come out there and kick his ass, and maybe yours too.

‘Yes, forgive me, I shall return to your side in due time,’ he swore to you before standing and nearly breaking character in order to rush backstage to get into place, as soon as the lights dimmed he'd be fine, not even you could distract him once the scene was set, and the moment he was gone Simon was in your face.

‘Did that really just happen? No, I'm serious, did you just ask him to sit with you? Are you insane?’ he asked in absolute disbelief, oh if only he were witness to how Fearless usually behaved with you once the movies started, he'll have to behave at least for your introduction night. 

‘I told you, he makes me laugh, it's doing something for me too,’ you just said as the lights dimmed, it was starting, and you handed over his promised bag of candy, you'd have to wait for the break now to get something of your- ‘Wait, that one's mine,’ you nearly shouted when he immediately took out Fearless’ M&Ms and got ready to open it; the other M&Ms were just chocolate in a large bowl on the table and these were peanuts, a safe treat for him at a distance to others, just in case, since they never knew who'd be walking through that door every night. Simon just shrugged and tossed them over before moving onto the next thing, and when the sound of thunder and a musical cup rolled in, you felt your heart skip a beat just like it always did when the show began.

‘Good evening, Boils and Ghouls, my Fiendish Freaks who dare dredge these long, cold nights with the Creatures of the Dark for any glimmer of light,’ his voice echoed around as always, your mouth nearly moving along before you caught yourself. ‘Once again, it is I, your horrid host of the evening, Dr. Fearless, and I thank you all for joining me. It is October once again, my fiends, and my children of the night have gathered your responses from the past fortnight.’ The coffin pushed open deviously slow, his long fingers curling over the side to break the fake seal and allow him to slip out, his eyes instantly finding you in the audience and causing his grin to grow even wider than usual. ‘We have prepared a month's worth of new moving pictures for you, cursed films that call upon your nightmares and dare you to face everything you fear.’ He stepped out fully onto the set and flung his cape to the side, Dani timing it perfectly with the same thunder cue that had nearly drowned him out earlier.

He slowly made his way to his chair, his nails scraping over the material as the fog started to roll in, Rachel staggering on from ‘stage’ right and pulling down a velvet blanket made to look like a curtain in order to show off the new mystery lineup of horror movies everyone would be watching that year. You were in the know this time, seeing as he'd asked you to help him choose a new large batch of options for everyone to vote for, the half of the movies voted out going for next year's poll the same way last year's half had made it into this year's. It had been fun to sit with him, his old laptop on your coffee table next to the was you'd made as another movie played on your TV, one of the options you'd had to miss out on last year, and you'd even gotten to toss in a few of your own favourites because he wanted your input that much.

‘This selection has been carefully chosen by you, my creatures, a cursed lineup of particularly devilish films this year,’ he continued as he then ran his claws over the nameless cases, your adrenaline giving a small kick because you knew what came first, he'd be so happy that it'd made it onto the list this year. ‘Let me see, just a small peek into what horror awaits you tonight… Ah, a classic, so much blood shall pump through your panicked veins tonight, how wonderful,’ he practically purred as he covered his mouth with his cape and returned to his seat just in time for Rachel to return with his wine, which you'd eventually learned was actually alcoholfree when you'd taken him to dinner and found him refusing the red you'd picked out for you to share. He took a long sip and closed his eyes at the taste, his tongue peeking out to lick at his bottom lip and over his fangs, your own mimicking him because he could drive you so crazy just by being himself. Simon noticed this one, and he nudged you with a snicker that you quickly hushed as Fearless set his goblet back down so that he could sit, the lights starting to dim and set the mood even more. ‘But first, I have a tantalizing tale to share with you all, one about the horrors of house hunting, and the people who might be waiting to welcome you inside.’

The TV crackled to life before the screen started to drop, that meant that Robbie was switching the camera to the input so that the viewers could watch the short she had prepared on her computer. Fearless waited until the film started before going to stand, you could see his feet under the screen, but then he caught himself, sat back down, and you ended up missing out on the entire short, which was honestly very true to its name and only a few minutes long. When it was over and Robbie could switch back to the camera, you saw that Fearless had been staring directly at where you were sitting instead of watching the TV next to him, he'd really wanted to steal a quick kiss, and you gave him an encouraging smile to keep going, it wouldn't be long until the movie.

‘Wasn't that a nauseatingly nostalgic situation? I believe we've all been there,’ he joked despite the short being about nothing but death, and you chuckled and got his eyes to shine. ‘now, at this time of night, we usually treat you to a delicious deal from one of our benefactors, but since it is my most favourite month, my time where I feel the most alive, I think I shall give you all a little trick, to go with my treat.’ You blinked in surprise, your head turning to see Robbie and Dani talking in confusion on the other side of the glass, Rachel and Nyx just standing there with matching expressions since they were expecting to do the ad reads. You turned back to Fearless and mouthed, ‘What are you doing?’ before he waggled his eyebrows at you, and Simon, and well as the entire crew, slowly stared at you as Fearless held up his hand in your direction. ‘Come,’ he told you in his best Bela Lugosi voice, his dramatic accent actually sounding serious, and you felt yourself move as you stood and walked towards the set. It was like you were actually in a trance, he'd never interacted with anything past the camera before no matter what was happening, and you could hear Simon freak out as quietly as he could manage as you walked stiffly back in front of the camera.

Fearless stood as well in one swift movement, his body towering over yours as you took his hand, and he pulled you close and dipped you back so that he could inspect your neck. He hissed at the sight of it, if you'd had time to get ready together then he might've been able to sneak some makeup onto you, and you understood why he'd chosen this particular outfit arrangement as you stared into his eyes. The others didn't know what to do as long as he was just holding you, and Dani attempted to snap him out of it with more thunder so that their small airtime wasn't wasted with his personal fancies. You almost wanted to say something, everyone was watching, and the second you opened your mouth he dropped down to bite you for real. You felt his fangs press into your skin, they were probably digging into his gums like this, but all you could do was cling to him for real as he moaned into your neck.

Your head fell back at the sound, you'd never actually done anything in costume even though you had thought about it, you'd just figured that maybe he didn't want to treat his persona like that for real, but you felt his very real desire and the way he'd been clearly holding back for a year in the sting of his claws digging into your arm and back, how hard his heart beat against you. Everyone was too stunned to do anything, he hadn't warned them at all of this, and when he moved away there was a pulsing pain on the left side of your neck. Your hand slapped over it, there was no fake blood to hide this time, just a real bite that hadn't broken the skin, and he licked his lips and stared down at you before holding you to his chest and facing down the camera again. 

‘Forgive me, my fiends, I grew parched after all that decadence, when I spotted this handsome beauty wandering into my midst, I could not resist taking a bite,’ he told his audience, and his fingers ran through your hair as he held up your head. ‘Now that I have replenished my energy, I have another tale for you, one of greed, one of hunger, and of a desire so strong it corrupts. Please partake in it, while I partake in a little more, myself.’

‘What are you-’ you whispered Into his chest before his head was pressed into the crook of your shoulder again, only instead of biting you this time, it was to kiss where he'd hurt you.

‘Forgive me, having you so far away from me, having to pretend to not be entirely yours, I truly could not resist,’ he panted into your skin, his accent wavering as he just kept holding you. You just sighed, you understood, and you wished you could hold him properly as the next short began to play, the large screen dropping back down already to shield you from everyone's eyes. It took him a little while but he did let go, and he frowned when he saw how hard he'd bit you, but you just rubbed at the area and shook your head, you were fine, you didn't mind. You couldn't talk to him now, you couldn't even stay up there, and you saw his face before you turned to see Robbie actually glaring at him from the booth; she was far back enough that the it'd wouldn't see, but at that angle you both perfectly could, and she pointed to the two of you before shaking her head and making a throat cutting motion, ‘Cut this shit out.’

She'd never had a problem with him sitting with you during the movie, or you arriving early to hang out and help, but disrupting the show was another thing entirely, and you knew he didn't want to have to give up being able to interact with you altogether if this would become a problem. You nodded, as did he, and she jabbed her thumb towards the couch, you had better get your ass back over there before the short ended. You needed to go, and with the screen down Simon was unable to see the way Fearless ran his thumb over the red spots on your neck as another apology. You stood up tall to give him a quick peck on the lips, his fangs pressed to your bottom lip, and he looked a little better as he let you go back to your seat once more. You sat back down with a sigh, the movie would be starting just after the ad read and the next bit, just a little longer, and Simon gave you about five seconds of grace before his hands were wrapped around your arm.

He wouldn't speak while the short was still going, it would disrupt the others, but he looked ready to explode after that display, he was always one for the dramatic too. Once the screen started to lift he turned on you, his eyebrows in his hairline as his mouth opened to silently ask, ‘What the hell was that?’ You shrugged, just the fancies of an old vampire, but he wouldn't be satisfied with that, and he pulled you close so he could whisper this time. ‘What'd he say to you up there?’ he needed to know as Fearless introduced Rachel so she could do the ad at long last, and you didn't miss the way that Fearless almost sank into his chair and tried not to watch you.

‘Just an apology for the sudden bit,’ you didn't lie, but that wouldn't be enough to placate him on a normal day so of course it wasn't enough after that very public display. ‘Alright, he just wanted to see if I was serious about sitting with us,’ you did lie, ‘he's got his own seat for the movie but he wanted to see if I was still for it before he sat down and made an ass of himself.’

‘Really? I'd assume that he'd stay even if you were just joking,’ he believed you at once, he had no reason to think you would lie to him, and you mentally bought him another bag of candy as well as dinner for keeping him in the dark in front of everyone else.

‘Yeah, me too.’

Rachel finished the bit and the camera came back to Fearless, who was taking another sip and looking very anxious to get this over with, he hadn't even been this restless to get back to you on your birthday. ‘What amazing deals, what astounding offers, imagine all the horrors you could consume with a year-round invitation,’ he flourished over the sponsorship for a horror-themed media app, he was so happy to get that one he'd relayed when he'd shared his password with you. ‘But now, speaking of horrors, it is time for the clock to strike, to start off our yearly Marathon of Madness, shall we count it down?’ 

He'd cut it close with his stunt, but thankfully he was down to the seconds again, Dani poised and ready with the sound of ticking as everyone in the it'd counted down to midnight, a loud gonging signaling the hour and the true start of October. This time you joined in, your voice so loud that Simon gave you a look, and you felt proud as Fearless bowed deep and walked over to the shelves of movies again. 

‘Now, for the moment of the hour,’ he drawled as he reached for the first one, the white case completely white save for the printed off picture of the poster taped to the front. He spun it in order to see, and even though he already knew the answer he still chuckled evilly as he pulled out the fake tape that they'd move to the next box before tomorrow's show, the case put back into place with a final tap. ‘A wonderful start to a horrible month, as decided by you all once again, a film about the origins of fear, and what happens when it… escapes,’ he taunted as he inserted the tape, the static filling the room as a sound of insects shuttling filled the room, now was the time for everyone to stock up on their snacks before the opening ended, this was your chance since you hadn't before the show started, and you gave Fearless a slight nod as you got up and went to round the couch.

He followed behind, giving everyone space since Nyx would be over with the table and his own snacks from the locker while you were up, Simon already done with his candy and looking to get more. You'd hoped for a moment alone, but with him sticking to your side as you waited in line you just held it in, Fearless practically plastered to the wall to avoid holding you again. This sucked, you knew the risks and how much his privacy meant to him, it was why only a small amount of people knew who he really was, but to not be able to be with him because there was a chance Simon would see the real him, it just sucked. You took your chance when he attacked the popcorn maker as soon as it was free, Fearless taking those steps towards you when you hopped back towards him, and you kept your eyes on your friend as you both leaned in.

‘I'll give him the big speech on your privacy, but yeah, we really need to tell him,’ you said quickly, Fearless just nodding in serious agreement, his lips pursed over his fangs. ‘I thought it'd be okay to keep it up, but I'm not that good an actor, and I'd rather we tell him after the show when everyone's gone, than have him make a big scene and break the rules.’

‘I agree,’ Fearless replied without the accent, he was really serious, and you separated again to try and grab some of the leftover chocolate for yourself once Simon was satisfied with the amount of free popcorn in his paper bag. 

‘That all you're getting?’ he asked, already digging in, and you looked over the spread that had been mostly devoured by a pack of gothic vultures before settling on a big bag of popcorn to share, it would give you a reason to be close before you could break the news. You juggled your candy and popcorn all the way back to the couch, the table finally in place directly in front of it with his wine waiting for him, and he waited until you'd sat down before taking the popcorn from you.

‘Allow me, my dear,’ he whispered, the movie had officially started so everyone was getting comfy, and Simon shot you both another look as you got comfortable yourself. It would be weird to not have him resting against you, or you against him, but you could sit normally, at least, you thought you could, until Fearless moved as close to you as he possibly could without outright cuddling you. Your cheeks heated as you shot a fast glance to Simon, but he was watching the movie, so you allowed it, his M&Ms coming out and handed to him as silently as you could manage. He mouthed you a thanks before taking out his fangs and having some, the two of you quickly becoming lost in one of his own personal favourites. You'd watched it a few times by now when he visited, but it was nice to watch it like this, and you quickly forgot that Simon was there as your body and mind became reacquainted with the rules of No Photos Allowed, his safety net. You rested against the arm when he went to lean on you, the popcorn on your lap and the two of you munching away, a second glass of nonalcoholic wine brought out for you when he motioned for a refill. You didn't even question it, just enjoyed the taste and his company, your arm moving to rest behind his back and subtly hold him by the waist as it always did.

When it was almost over you almost felt disappointed, you'd been to so many of these but you still had trouble remembering that you had to leave once the credits rolled, Fearless already stretching so that he could get back in front of the camera for his outro. He looked almost sleepy, like he'd really relaxed this time, and you couldn't help but yawn when he quickly hid his with a muffled noise on the other side of the screen. Finally it was over, the screen rising and the lights coming up one final time, everyone around you all showing signs of their own fatigue after their usual late night viewing. 

‘Thank you for spending just a sliver of eternity with me, but now, I must send you back into the night, my children,’ Fearless told everyone after a very slow blink to rest his eyes a moment, but it worked in his favour. ‘You all know the way back to the safety of your world, the comfort of your beds, but be warned, for there are dark and evil things that lurk out there in the dark, past the warm fires my home has to offer you. Return to me again if you dare, and I shall see you here every time you come to call, the next time you face the darkness and everything that dwells inside it.’ He let out a loud laugh as thunder roared and snapped harshly, and he returned back to his coffin and closed it while the lights were dimmed. He gave it about 30 seconds before he reappeared from the right leading to the makeshift hallway behind the set, the lights lifted again so that everyone could gather their things and leave, and you started to head over to wish him another great show when Simon tugged at your sleeve.

‘Hey, should I tag you, or blur your face?’ he asked from behind you, and you slowly turned on your heel to see him holding up his phone in his other hand, his face bright with excitement.

‘What?’

‘I mean, it's a good pic, but if you'd rather not be on the subreddit-’

‘What did you do?’ Your hands reached for his phone, Simon stumbling back into another patron as he pulled on his coat, and he looked at the screen and frowned.

‘Hey, you know you're gunna get kicked out for that, right? Everyone knows you can't take pics of them, it's like, the one rule here other than the usual stuff,’ he let him know, Simon raising a brow in confusion as Fearless quickly noticed that something was wrong and hurried over. ‘He's coming, you'd better delete that if I were you.’

‘What're you-’ He didn't get a chance to finish when his phone was grabbed from his hand, Robbie the one to look it over with a very serious expression.

‘Delete this, right now, you're no longer allowed in the studio,’ she told him, your voice raising to get yourself back into the conversation, Fearless also trying to see what was happening when his face grew even paler under the makeup.

‘He didn't mean it, he will, Robbie, he won't do it again,’ you promised her, but she was Max's friend, not yours even after a year, and her face was very serious as she tried to navigate Simon's phone.

‘Fuck, people have already seen it, delete it,’ she ordered this time as she shoved it back into his hands, and he floundered a moment before you looked over the edge of the screen and saw what they saw; when Robbie had grabbed the phone she'd accidentally clicked to post it, and your face was now on his subreddit with Fearless practically falling asleep on your shoulder. It really was a nice photo, you wish you could keep it, but he'd done exactly as you feared as he quickly took the photo down, only for it to reappear again under someone else's account calling attention to who you might be. 

‘Shit, I'm sorry, I didn't know this was a rule I just thought it was cute,’ he tried to explain, but the damage was done, and Fearless gave you a look of apology before hurrying for the safety of his dressing room.

‘Wait, I can fix this!’ you called after him, but Robbie stood in your way, the others following her lead even though they didn't look happy about it, they all knew how much you meant to him. ‘Please, we can message the account, or call for a takedown, or something, just let me talk to him-’

‘I'm not doing it to punish you, but your friend can't come back, you know how much this all means to him,  if people recognize you they might find him out there,’ Robbie explained lowly while Dani escorted Simon out with Mariana's help, and you have the door he'd disappeared behind one last look before nodding in acceptance. You followed him out to his car, Simon apologizing the whole way there, but it wasn't until you got into the passenger seat next to him that you exploded. You started punching him in the arm, which he made noises to at first, but then he saw just how upset you were about it, and he just sat there and let you hit him until you were done.

‘You couldn't wait five fucking minutes,’ you tried not to sob, and when he asked what you meant you just hit him again. ‘Five minutes, you always do this, this is why we couldn't tell you…’

‘Tell me what?’ he asked slowly, but one look from you said it all. ‘Oh, oh shit, well… if you'd said something like, “hey, you're not allowed to take pictures of Dr. Fearless,” then maybe I wouldn't have-’ he tried to blame, but another punch shut that attempt up fast. ‘Yeah, I know, I'm just- I'm sorry, I was just so excited for you, I didn't know…’

‘Its fine, I'll text him tomorrow, just take care of those posts, please. I don't care about me, but he's worked so hard to keep these parts of him separate, if it's wasted because someone recognizes me-’ You didn't even want to think about it, or what might come next it he needed to cut some ties to go back into obscurity in public, and Simon understood entirely as he sighed and started the car.

‘I'll message the mods as soon as we get home.’

You weren't surprised when Max didn't reply to your texts, but Robbie did, and only for updates on the situation. She explained how she got your number, but it wouldn't have mattered either way, and you let her know what Simon had told you before you ran to work. He'd messaged the mods taking care of the subreddit about the situation, how that picture was to be kept private by request if Dr. Fearless himself, but until they got proof they were assuming that it was actually fake, and, while not savoury at all in that regard, wasn't technically against the rules. Robbie had to step in herself, since she was the public face of the show behind the scenes, and once it was confirmed that Fearless really was dating, it all went to hell.

The picture had been banned from reddit, but that only meant that his tags were blowing up elsewhere, too many accounts to message as everyone wondered and made guesses as to who you were. His streams were filled with comments about it, which he didn't see because he was in front of the camera, how he still went on you didn't know, because he wasn't answering you. You knew he wasn't mad, Robbie at least gave you that much, but he needed time to think about what to do now that you were being hunted all over town.

You had to obscure your face when you were out and about, avoid his café at all costs, try to not stand out in your normal clothes in case a local fan who didn't attend the shows and didn't know the rules saw you. You had only a few close calls, thanks to not being the most popular horror host it wasn't like you were actively hiding in trenchcoats and behind newspapers, but there were still some people who went to their phones to double check when they saw you waiting in line or walking around getting groceries, and you had to play it super cool and put on your best poker face if they actually had the nerve to ask; you didn't know if it was actually working, the photo had been taken at such an awkward angle so that Simon could get the both of you in frame without you seeing, but so far you hadn't have the photo shoved in your face yet so that had to mean something.

You gave Max as much space as he needed, keeping to texting only just to make sure he was okay, you wouldn't call or go to his shows in case he was still deciding on what to do, but you couldn't leave him entirely alone either. After a year of him leaving you lovesick messages as Fearless to wake up to, of spending night after night cuddling with you on your couch watching all sorts of horror things that he wanted to share either you, of sneaking dinner dates where the usual audience would never go and recognize you, you didn't know how to handle all the silence. It was back to the way your life was before, by all accounts you should be used to it again, but you just couldn't get used to no good mornings from him on your phone, to staying up late working behind the scenes or going to his shows, especially during his favourite time of the year.

You still went to the streams, and you had to hide the chat when the comments got downright nasty over more gossip about your relationship, Robbie wasn't fast enough to ban all of them and keep track of the show at the same time.

With the first week of October over and seven movies now sporting titles on his set, you knew you couldn't spend the rest of the month like this. You donned your best disguise in the form of a costume and made your way to the show, but as soon as you got there you saw that the place was packed, a line going out the door while people were actually being vetted inside to make sure they wouldn't cause any trouble. No one used to care before, only the most dedicated took the time to come to the shows, and they all got to go inside as soon as they arrived because the crew knew they'd still follow the rules, but as you sat in your car you saw so many turned away when they wouldn't hand in their phone until the stream was over.

They probably wanted to be the next to get a photo of you with him and become some kind of famous from it, you couldn't hide from them here, you couldn't see him with them around. You waited until even more cars pulled up before leaving, and you sent him a text apologizing, you never wanted to cause all this; he didn't answer, he was getting ready, he wouldn't be able to respond until a couple hours later, but you still felt that silence all the way home and through the stream from the safety of your couch.

The second week of October went pretty much the same, with you watching the streams at home and never missing a single one. He never got around to texting you, but your phone did let you know he was at least reading them, so you wouldn't give up hope that things were over because of all this, he'd have said something by now when you kept texting, wouldn't he? It made you so anxious that you couldn't finish the stream, and the viewer count went down by one before he could finish announcing the movie of the night.

You tried to see him again on a weekday, people were always less likely to go out when they had work or school the next day, but even though the crowd was normal, you found yourself frozen in your seat when you got ready to turn off the engine. It almost felt like fear, like if you went in then he'd have Robbie break the news to you even though everyone had done as much damage control as they could, this gossip couldn't last forever. Still, you didn't want to risk it, and you locked eyes with Mariana as you drove past to head back home again. 

You spent that night curled up in bed, your sleep schedule should be thrilled to not be up til 2AM the past two weeks, but your insomnia was being caused by grief, not by horror movie overload. You had no idea what to do to fix this until it slowed down on its own, and you checked the subreddit to see if it was still being monitored. It was, the picture was nowhere to be seen, but that didn't stop everyone from talking about it, how they stopped in but hadn't seen you, how he'd been enjoying the movies from his chair on the other side of the screen instead of with the audience. You didn't like the sound of that at all, that he didn't feel comfortable enough to be near everyone to join them, and you made up your mind to not be a coward and check up on him probably that weekend, the crowd be damned.

You touched base with Simon when you got home from work on Friday, another thing that was a long time coming seeing as he'd been avoiding you for all this. You weren't angry or upset with him anymore, you'd gotten your punches in, and when you saw him heading towards you from down the hallway, also on his way home, you just motioned for him to come inside. he let out such a loud gulp that it was almost comical, but you knew he was just nervous, and when the door was shut you took off your coat and suggested he do the same.

‘I've been keeping an eye on the streams,’ you told him as you emptied your pockets and stepped out of your shoes, you had plenty of hours before the show and since you didn't know where he lived yet you couldn't exactly meet up with him until then. ‘People keep trying to guess who I am, where I work, if they've seen us out together recently, which they haven't, we- we haven't spoken since the 1st.’

‘I'm so sorry, if you'd told me I never would've-’

‘I know, I'm not mad anymore,’ you interrupted, you didn't call him over to lecture, ‘and I need to see him again, but… I'm scared, I'm terrified that he won't want to see me anymore because of this, and I can't keep waiting around here for him to text me back.’

‘Whoa, so you two really are a thing, aren't you? He seriously won you over with all that talk?’ he asked in disbelief, he'd been there to see all Your reactions that first night, and you loved him in the eye and sadly nodded. ‘I can't believe it, so I got you two together in a way, didn't I? Shit, that means I also might've broken you up- I won't quit until this is fixed, okay? I fucked up, like majorly fucked up, I was so excited to show off that I was friends with the one he was sitting next to that I didn't even think about anything other than the likes, and I'll keep trying to make that up to you no matter what.’

‘I know, that's why I need your help,’ you told him, and he stood at attention to await his orders. ‘I can't go back on my own, I keep running away because I'm too afraid of what might happen, so- so I need you to get me back there, before the crowds start showing up and I lose my chance, can you do that for me?’

‘Hell, I'd do anything for you after all that, I've been all over his tags across every platform I can think of trying to get the picture taken down every time it shows up again, at least publicly; I got kicked from his discord the second I tried to plead my case, that place really needs better mods,’ he admitted, and you remembered exactly why he was your best friend despite the damage he'd caused. ‘Anyway, I think I got them all, but I don't get it, everyone knows who Robbie is and no one gives a shit, no offense to her, what's the big deal with him?’

You thought back to all the talks you'd had with him over it, saw the way his face would fall whenever he spoke about the way it'd gone before, and you knew you couldn't tell him that without him. ‘He's got his reasons,’ was all you could say, and when Simon saw your own serious face he knew better than to press, ‘that's why I never told you, only the crew knows who he really is, what he looks like without all the makeup, what his name is; all of it was trusted to me when I came back to see him again, but only after I proved to him that I wanted to know who he was on a personal level, it took me weeks- It wasn't like we didn't trust you, it's just that-’

‘No, I get it, I doubt he's secretly Vincent Price under there, or some high profile guy, but I can get wanting to not have a bunch of strangers just knowing who I am, yeah, that- that actually feels awful and weird to think about, I get it,’ he shivered, but as long as he did get it then you wouldn't have to explain the rest against Max's will. ‘So what's the plan here, we just drive over before 10 and wait by the door?’

‘I know where the backdoor is, he always goes in that way, I never got a key for myself but that's the way everyone else will go in too, so one of them will let us in if he really hasn't told them all that it's over,’ you thought aloud, your anxiety already starting to come back at the thought of seeing him again, which Simon quickly caught on to and quelled with a comforting hand on your shoulder. ‘Thanks, we've still got a few hours, do you think I should dress up again or just go as myself?’

He looked you over several times before settling on, ‘Both, dress up in the way you want, not me and not him,’ his smile enough to make you feel a little more confident before you sucked in a deep breath of acceptance.

‘Alright, I'm gunna grab a shower if you wanna eat anything, I don't think I'll be able to stomach a thing,’ you didn't lie because it was very much the truth, and when he left you and you faced yourself in the bathroom mirror, you saw how incredibly clammy you looked. You looked near death already, if Max saw you like this he’d probably faint from the sudden blood rush to his face, and the thought of it made you smile long enough to have the strength to wash your face. You had a quick shower that was half cleaning, half standing under the water and dreading tonight, but with Simon there with you this time there was no way you’d back out again, it was time to figure out what your future was going to hold.

It felt so heavy as you got dressed in the clothes you’d picked out together, the ones you liked but hadn’t been sure you could pull off, but the way he’d looked at you when you’d modeled them had been enough to bust out your wallet. You had hoped for months that you could do it again, only this time you’d be picking out a costume for you to wear during the show. It was still up in the air, you still wanted to be a part of everything, you still wanted to be with him even though dating the cute and weird vampire host of a midnight stream would eventually equal you feeling like you were dating the king of some gothic country or something.

That was a stretch, by now you were already starting to be old news based off the lessening amounts of posts you were doomscrolling over, but still, it felt like that. You finished getting ready, a bit of eyeliner to tie it all together since there was no time to do your nails and not have it all chipped off again by 11, and you met Simon at his door and headed out together. Your hands were positively shaking, there was still a good hour before anyone would be there even if you took the longest possible route and hit all the red lights, but he was there by your side the whole way. He drove slow, let you try and relax without bombarding you with all the questions that were surely eating him up inside, seeing as he was a fan of the show way before he’d ever signed you up for that contest.

When you reached the plaza you directed him to the back, showed him where the backdoor was hidden so no one would ever think to sneak in with how unassuming it was. It wasn't hard to guess, but there was a trick to it you’d learned, because this part of the building was actually different from the others; the door inside led next door, the section of strip dedicated to their studio sporting just a blank wall, and you noted that there were no other cars there yet as you parked in a staff spot you knew would be empty and just waited. You were glad you didn’t do your nails before you were picking like crazy in anticipation, so much so that Simon eventually took your hand and just held it, and it helped until the first car finally showed.

It was Robbie and Mariana, they always came first to start getting ready, and the latter unlocked and held open the door so that Robbie could carry in a large stack of boxes; for as strong as she was, it was too much for even her to handle, and you couldn’t help but rush out to try and catch the boxes when she hit the curb wrong and everything tilted too far to the side. ‘I got it!’ you called out as cardboard hit you square in the nose, but you were right, you’d gotten there just in time, Simon jogging over to help before you also went down, and Robbie looked ready to thank you when she noticed who was coming to your rescue.

‘I don’t think you should be here,’ she said seriously as Mariana propped open the door in order to help her girlfriend, but her voice didn’t sound like she was still mad, just sad, ‘and you’re supposed to be banned.’

‘Yeah, hi, Simon, longtime fan,’ he ignored her in order to go to shake her hand instead, and her eyebrow raised up so high that he instantly withdrew.

‘I just wanna see him, I swear, he hasn’t been answering my texts,’ you explained as everyone helped bring everything inside, you missed this place so much, the smell of all the decorations instantly making you feel nostalgic for childhood wonder that he’d brought out of you again.

‘There’s a reason for that,’ Robbie muttered, but Mariana, who was usually so quiet and the smallest of the four of you, still seemed to have her girlfriend on a leash when she gently hit her arm and got her to stop.

‘I keep seeing you in the parking lot, you stopped coming around,’ she frowned sadly, like she’d also missed your presence, or what this place had been like before the photo was taken, because something felt off you slowly noticed when you all started unboxing things, even Simon.

‘I haven’t had the courage to-’ you started to say, but then you heard it, footsteps, and your head lifted just in time to see Max come around the corner. He was in the process of taking off his jacket, his black beanie pulled down over his ears and his nose so red, he loved the fall but he was terrible with the cold, it was another thing you loved about him. He took one look at you, his eyes widening and his mouth slightly parting in surprise, before he noticed that a new face was there, and he quickly hid his face and ducked into his dressing room to hide.

‘Wait,’ you called after him, Robbie holding out her arm to stop you, she was somehow taller than Max so you didn’t doubt that if she wanted she could carry you right back out to your car, but one touch from Mariana was enough to get her to lower it again.

‘Do it quick, before the others get in,’ she conceded, and you nodded and turned to Simon for a bit of encouragement when you noticed that his eyes were also wide, his cheeks flushed.

‘What?’ you asked, and he tried to shake it off but couldn’t.

‘Fearless is hot,’ he just gaped, and you left him there with a sigh before hurrying for the dressing room. The door wasn't locked, whether it was because he trusted Simon wouldn’t break in or because he wanted you to follow, you didn’t know, but he was already sitting in his chair and staring at his reflection when you walked in.

‘It’s been a while,’ was all he could say when nothing came out for the longest time, and when your own reply wouldn’t form, you just nodded.

‘Yeah.’

‘You’ve been texting me a lot,’ he continued as he went for his makeup, his fangs in a little box next to his brushes so they’d stay safe and he wouldn’t forget them at home.

‘I-I didn’t know what to say if I called,’ you admitted, and he hesitated a moment before opening up his makeup. ‘Listen, I didn’t know he’d do that, we’ve spent all month trying to fix it-’

‘I know, Robbie’s been working hard the past couple weeks,’ he just said as he covered his face in white, practiced hands applying it all evenly after many years of doing this nightly.

‘Right, Simon’s been messaging people all over your community, getting things under control, so…’

‘Did you come here to break up with me, or to just get him unbanned so you can stop coming in?’ he interrupted so calmly that he didn’t even blink when he said it, a red pencil coming out to draw on his scar.

‘What?’ you asked, and his eyes flicked over to your reflection for a second before getting back to it. ‘No, no of course not, I- Why would you ask me that?’

‘You haven’t been coming around, or calling, I just figured that… it was like last time,’ he explained once his scar was done, and he picked up his black makeup before you slapped it out of his hand and back onto the table.

‘Max, I wasn't coming around because you weren’t answering me, I thought that you wanted to break up with me for everything I caused!’ you nearly broke down, and all it took was one glance to your sad eyes before he was spinning in his chair to face you.

‘I was terrified of it happening again, alright?’ he moaned as he tried to do damage control, you couldn’t keep it together when you were now really thinking of him wanting to leave you. ‘Not after the way she left when they thought they found her, how they started harassing her because she wasn't like me- I didn’t want to talk to you and find out that you wanted out, that they were doing the same to you, I love horror and scary things but I couldn’t bear the thought of being brave enough to beg you to stay if my own fans were hurting you, I-’ He stopped and you both looked at each other a moment, and you saw that he was tearing up when a single line was smudged down his cheek.

‘You- you didn’t wanna dump me? Even though I caused so much trouble for you?’ you needed to confirm, and he stood up to his full height and towered over you, his hands ever gentle on your arms.

‘It wasn't your fault, we both decided to keep it secret, and that included not telling him the rules,’ he told you sternly even though his face was so dramatically painted already, ‘it was never your fault, I was never angry, I was just… It scared me, to have myself out there again, it’s why I’ve kept it all separate all these years, but it scared me even more to think about you getting harassed out there, just for loving me.’

You threw yourself into his arms, and he let out a shuddering breath of relief before holding you so tightly back. ‘I’m dating a celebrity, it wouldn’t be real if I wasn't getting talked about online alongside you,’ you said into his shirt, and you knew you’d have to have him fix your hair when he pressed his cheek hard against your head. ‘I missed coming here and getting to spend the night with you, after all those hours spent working on the poll, too, it’s just not the same watching from my couch.’

‘Yeah, sitting up there without you was probably the loneliest thing I’ve ever had to do,’ his muffled voice came from above, ‘the past two weeks sucked.’

‘Is that a vampire pun, my dear Doctor?’ you asked with a slight smile, and you could feel the change in the air as he pulled back and wiggled his eyebrows at you.

‘It could very well me, my lovely leech,’ he flirted as Fearless, his makeup half applied and smudged, his fangs and wig still on the table; he was a mess, but he was still your mess, and you smudged his makeup more by grabbing him by the cheeks and pulling him down into a kiss. ‘Now- ha, now I gotta start over,’ he flushed deeply just from that, and you led him back to his chair and lightly pushed him into it.

He fell easily with a bounce, and you grabbed the makeup wipes and waggled your eyebrows at him as you held the first one up. ‘I can help take it all off,’ you teased, and he shut his eyes tight so you could get to work, his entire body stiff. You admired him a moment before giving him a softer kiss, and he melted into it until he was relaxed enough to let you clean him up. When you were done he went right back to applying it all over again, only this time he had you sitting next you like you always should’ve been, and he kept stealing so many glances that he nearly messed up again. ‘Eyes on the mirror, Mr. Vampire,’ you directed, and he grabbed his fangs and popped them into place for the night.

‘That’s Doctor Vampire,’ he reminded you in The Voice, ‘I didn’t get thrown from medical school to be called mister.’

‘Oh, is that your lore?’ you chuckled as he put on his wig next, and he fiddled with stray hairs before Fearless was sitting there in Max’s place once more.

‘I have many lives to share, you’ll have to ask about them sometime, I have lived for over 300 years, you know,’ he said mysteriously as he stood and went for his cape, and you couldn’t love anyone more than you loved the monster standing before you.

‘I want to hear about every single year,’ you told him so fondly that he baulked again, he was also so weak against the soft way you’d speak to him instead of laughing at all this, and he picked at his own black nail polish a moment as a blush tried to peek past all the makeup.

‘We’ll make a date of it, then,’ he smiled nervously, and you stood up with a smile of your own to adjust his pendant.

‘It’s a date,’ you agreed, and you were in the middle of going to kiss him again when a knock came to the door.

‘We just wanted to make sure everything was okay in here,’ Robbie announced as she opened it, and you saw the entire crew plus Simon duck out of view to quickly pretend like they hadn’t all been listening with their ears to the door.

‘It’s fangtastically perfect in here,’ Fearless boasted to her, but softened again when she looked between you two with a caring gaze, she really was his best friend and just wanted the best for him.

‘Good.’

She left again, but before the door could close Simon forced his way inside, several pairs of hands trying to stop him before he yanked himself free and shut the door. ‘Uh, hey, Simon,’ he introduced himself a second time, and Fearless looked him over in silence, ‘yeah, I’m the one that nearly fucked up this whole thing, sorry about that; I’ve just known them practically my whole life, I was freaking out seeing you guys sit together, do your whole thing, I just thought it was a bit, I never would’ve guessed-’

‘Hey, it’s fine, I get it,’ Fearless told him as he held out his hand, and Simon looked just as starstruck as he did the night you all met, ‘I take it they’ve gone over why we had to be so secretive?’

‘A little, I didn’t wanna push,’ Simon admitted with an awkward rub to his neck, and Fearless gave you a look before you both wordlessly came to the decision that it was time.

‘It was for my privacy, but these past few weeks I’ve come to see that I was taking it even more seriously than before because of them,’ Fearless explain, your hand taken in his and he slotted you against him. ‘I’ve always kept these parts of my life private, only my friends here know my name, what I do outside of this, who I am outside of this, because I’ve always had trouble keeping both parts of me in harmony; my coworkers at my day job don’t know, because in the past I’ve had them try and use me to promote our work, or their own things. I’ve lost partners who meet me out there and don’t get all this, and are… embarrassed of me, what I do. I’ve kept them separate since the first couple years of doing this, until I met you.’

He said that part to you, and you looked up at him with your eyes full of wonder at this creature of the night trusting you so entirely. ‘It was never that we didn’t want you to know, it’s just never been like Robbie, who takes care of all the business sides of things, she’s never cared and people never pried the way people do with him,’ you continued for him, Simon listening intently. ‘We were going to tell you that night, at least that we were dating, because we were tired of hiding it, but-’

‘But then I went and posted it all online for everyone to see, yeah,’ Simon finished in regret, but neither of you chastised him again, he’d been working his ass off for the two of you. ‘Thanks for telling me, I take it I still don’t get to know the man behind the mask- uh, makeup, yet though?’ he confirmed, and you exchanged another look before Fearless bit his button lip with his fangs.

‘Max,’ he introduced himself, ‘you already saw my face, not much else I can hide from you, apart from where I work.’

‘You could always tell him where you live, let me hear it too,’ you tried to tease again, but there was a hint of longing for that information, and the room went silent when Fearless didn’t laugh. 

‘I’d rather show you, tonight, if you want,’ he said instead, and you felt your heart pound so hard that Simon picked up on the vibes you both were starting to put out and started to back towards the door.

‘I’m very happy for you, but it’s like quarter to 11,’ he reminded you, and you quickly broke apart before those fangs found your neck again after such a big development made all the blood rush to your face.

‘Thanks, I just need to go over the script for tonight with Robbie, but feel free to claim the couch for us tonight,’ he told you hurriedly as he went back to the mirror to make sure that he still looked good, ‘oh, and SImon, thanks to you, a ton of new people have been coming to the weekend shows instead of just catching the stream, and we’ve had a really big influx of tips from everyone who felt bad about the leak, so… thank you for all the patronage,’ he revealed, Simon practically glowing in the doorway until you shoved him out of it and back into the studio.

‘He thanked me for my patronage, people never get shoutouts for tipping outside of the credits, it ruins the flow,’ he beamed proudly as you led him over to the candy tables, heads already turning when they noticed that you were back again. You got a few welcomes from complete strangers who’d noticed your absence, and you thanked them a little nervously as new faces started to whisper, hands pointed your way when they noticed you looked familiar. You felt the heat crawl up your neck, but you wouldn’t leave him for this, this just came with the territory, and you held your head high instead of hiding as you prepared your feast for the night, you were starving now that the nerves were ebbing again.

Fearless was extra energetic that night as he put his full self on display and presented the shorts and movie for the night, everyone feeling the change in him now that everything had been cleared up. Phones were still kept at the front, but he didn’t shy away from sitting with you again - without practically falling asleep on your shoulder this time - while The Exorcist played in front of you, and you didn’t realize how tense you’d been all month until you let out a breath and felt his hand find yours in the dark. You ended up catching a ride with him when the show was over, Simon giving you two big thumbs out before racing for his car before the crowd had him trapped in the back lot, and you waited patiently, albeit anxiously, for Max to clean himself up and be ready to go.

‘Uh, you wanna grab a bite to eat? I skipped dinner tonight,’ was the first thing he said as soon as you got into his car like it was the first time, and after a pitstop made up of way too much fast food bought way too late to consume, you drove for only 15 minutes until you reached the most unassuming bungalow in existence.

‘I did not know what to expect,’ you blurted out when you looked at how plain his yard was, his neighbours all decorated for Halloween without him, ‘I mean, is everything back at the studio?’

‘I, uh, I don’t usually decorate, I leave it all for the show,’ he blushed without looking at you, he was already getting embarrassed at taking this step with you, and you reached over the console to find his hand in the dark this time.

‘Hey, we’re okay, I wanna be here,’ you reminded him gently, and he took in a few calming breaths before unlocking the doors. He led you to the front door, a single fake pumpkin with a battery candle waiting on the sill, and you stared at it as he fumbled unlocking his door so hard that he dropped his keys. You didn’t laugh, and when he got it he stepped aside and allowed you to peek inside before you could go in, like he was still giving you an out even though you’d made it this far. ‘Now this is more like you,’ you gushed as you hurried in the moment you saw the first framed poster of Dracula hanging on his wall, and your eyes and mouth opened wide in awe as you took in his true love for all things horror all around you.

While the outside had been like any other house, the inside was pretty much a fancier version of the set, with movie memorabilia and merchandise and collectables spread everywhere there was space. He had a massive collection of movies organized by title, and you weren't surprised to see collector’s editions of his favourites separate and on display while normal versions sat with the others. He had figurines galore of the classic monsters, lots of dramatic candles placed alongside the decorations he didn’t put outside, and it felt so familiar and just like him as you turned to find him shying away from you.

It was too much, he must’ve been thinking, it wasn't normal to be his age and have such a big collection on top of his job, he was too much, he needed to grow up. You could read it all on his face as he took his sweet time shrugging off his coat, and you picked up the tiny Dracula off his shelf and brought it over. ‘I love it all,’ you reassured him as you got the tiny vampire to wave at him, ‘I really do, I love all of you, Max.’

He smiled in such relief that it tugged at your heart, and it took you several hours before you finally got off the couch and out of his arms to learn that his bedroom/office held all the really expensive collectables.

The rest of October flew by in the best way, starting with waking up in his bed for the first time instead of your own. You were crazy about him, you fawned as you stared at his sleeping face and wished his hair was really long enough to brush out of his eyes. Thanks to everything getting cleared up, and also learning where he lived at long last, you weren’t afraid to go back to the studio again, your hands itching to help again. Now that things were back to normal your plan had leapt back into the forefront of your mind, it might be easier to deal with the gossip if you became a normal part of the crew and took a few pages from the others’ books and learned to just not care. 

You felt invigorated the closer it got to Halloween, your desire to be a permanent part of this in any way having you practically buzz as you met Max at the back, kissed him hello, and headed inside together whenever you had time. You still had to figure out how to pitch it to him, maybe it’d be weird to not only date but to work together, maybe you should ask Mariana how she went about it as the producer’s girlfriend, but to say that out loud would make it real and you’d get too overwhelmed to say anything. So you stopped by on the nights you could, helped out if it was needed, watched the streams if you were too tired or were swamped with work. All the while Max constantly looked like he wanted to ask you a question, but each time you tried to get him to say it, he’d say something and look mad at himself for the next ten minutes without fail.

It was the 30th, tomorrow was the big night, you couldn’t miss either, and you pulled up to find that everyone was earlier than usual, movement already happening behind the glass. You gave a knock and was let in before the decorating continued, it was picking up for these final two nights with candle batteries getting replaced and fake webs getting thicker over the walls. You trailed your hand through the streamers and fishing wire strung up in the hallway before reaching the studio, Dani testing out the lights to find the one that seemed to be flickering, because Rachel was walking around with a lightbulb and a ladder.

‘Hey, he’s freaking out over tonight, you might wanna grab him some candy,’ Nyx let you know as she stood there not helping, just watching, and you frowned and went to go to him when a hand stopped you. ‘He’s fine, but we heard that a local goth site wants to do a quick article on all this tonight so it can go up tomorrow, get more people in here for the Halloween finale.’

‘I don’t think I’ve seen you guys allow any journalists in here before,’ you thought aloud, your eyes still trained on the door, and she took a sip of the soda she was holding as Dani instructed Rachel to head up because he for sure found the right one this time, he swore.

‘Not typically, we set dates to meet up before the show, but they wanna help sponsor us in the new year, donate some candy and decorations, get a slot in the ad read, stuff like that, so they wanna see all this live; been a while since we had one of those, you guys really brought more attention to us,’ she said flatly, but she wasn't bored or uninterested, it was just the way she talked.

‘Wow,’ you just said as you thought about needing to be on your best behaviour because otherwise you’d end up on a whole new site if you weren't careful this time, and she glanced at you and gave you a small pat on the arm.

‘It’ll be fine, go grab him something purple, it’ll calm his nerves,’ she instructed as the ladder gave a tip, and she walked calmly over to steady it so that Rachel could fix the bulb after the lights temporarily blinded her to double check that she was in the right place. You headed back out to find something purple, your own nerves building as you filled your basket with way too many sweets, and when you returned you found the place with a line again, the new crowd was back again for this. It made you nervous but you wouldn’t be able to get anyone’s attention to unlock the back for you now, and you awkwardly cut the line and headed right past Mariana and Robbie, we were letting in the usuals and taking the phones of the new people.

‘Hey, how come they get to cut? You didn’t even look!’ someone yelled from outside, and you hunched up and tried to disappear into the fog with your bag of sweets. The place was so packed that they’d brought out a bunch of new chairs, your couch sporting a small RESERVED sign, and you went to sit down when a very dressed up goth snuck in and sat down first.

‘Sorry, this one’s taken,’ she announced as she got out her phone, her bag covered in patches that held the title of a website, she was the journalist.

‘It’s usually mine,’ you said before you could stop yourself, and she looked up through very full lashes to glance you over just once.

‘I’m here on business, sit somewhere else for the night,’ she told you before going back to her phone and snapping a few photos, and you pursed your lips and thought about grabbing your chair from the set when Robbie pulled you aside.

‘He’s going to be interviewing her in a segment tonight, we made another space for you guys,’ she hissed under her breath, more strangers coming in and eyeing Fearless’ grand chair that he usually sat in, a few of them going to take pictures in it before remembering they didn’t have their phones. ‘He’s nervous about tonight, we’ve never done it like this before, support him this weekend, okay?’

‘You don’t have to tell me twice,’ you blinked at her before heading for the secondary reserved seat next to his, everyone already swarming when they saw you remove the card in order to sit down.

‘You a VIP or something?’ one of them asked, and you just shrugged and kept your eyes on the front.

‘Nah, that’s Fearless’ partner, Lord Dullahan,’ another told him, and you flinched and couldn’t help but look up, ‘that’s you, right? The winner from last year who nearly gave the guy a boner on stream?’

‘We were acting,’ you said through your teeth, but that confirmation that it was you had more people surrounding you, wanting to know how it all went, what it was like, they’d been trying to win for years but had yet to. ‘I guess I’m just lucky,’ you shrugged again, Fearless’ candy held over your lap while your foot bounced and made it all jostle.

Eventually they gave up and found some seats when the lights started to dim, it was almost time, and you saw Fearless finally leave his dressing room in order to meet with his guest. She stood up to shake his hand as he and Robbie likely explained how tonight was going to go, her head bobbing as she nodded and took it all in, if you were in your usual seat you could hear, and you chewed your lip and tried not to hold the candy too tight so it wouldn’t melt under your body heat. When the fog machine came on they split up, Robbie heading for the booth and Fearless heading for the hallway, but he took a second to gaze over the crowd until he found you, and you blew him a kiss behind everyone’s backs.

He smiled wide and disappeared from view, the lights dimming over the set and the fireplace coming to life, it was beginning, and you placed his candy on his seat to wait for him as his voice drifted over the speakers. ‘Good evening, Boils and Ghouls, my Fiendish Freaks who dare dredge these long, cold nights with the Creatures of the Dark for any glimmer of light. Once again, it is I, your horrid host of the evening, Dr. Fearless, and I thank you all for joining me,’ he recited mysteriously as always as he came out of his coffin, his eyes going to you again before he forced himself to look at the camera. ‘Tonight, I have a treat for you all before the tricks, a new soul to introduce to my collection, someone who wandered into my castle and never left, even when I tried to free them.’

You could see the guest stand and get ready to come on stage, and he looked at her before going over to the matching chair across from his and placing his hands over the top.

‘A creature so haunting, a presence so strong that it never truly left us, the claw marks left upon my heart still bleeding to this day, and so, I call to it willingly, beg it to come forth and join me for tonight,’ he kept going, but just as she was about to take her cue, he reached out and locked eyes with you. ‘Lord Dullahan, the one who stole my heart, this seat is only for you.’

Your heart skipped a beat as everyone in the audience turned to look at you, the crew doing so in shock, they hadn’t expected this, and he motioned for you to come again before you felt yourself drawn to him. You left his candy behind as you walked around the crowd, everyone whispering about your surprise cameo return as he beckoned you silently over and over, the real guest silent and just as confused when you passed her. You reached for his hand and he took it before dipping you down, and he admired your neck as he trailed a painted nail over the place where he’d bitten you, both in pretend and for real.

‘Only you belong up here with me for all eternity, I knew it the moment my fangs pierced your skin and I was able to drink such nectar of the gods one year ago,’ he told you as he held you in that dip, your knees shaking not just from the effort.

‘What are you doing?’ you hissed as quietly as you could, and he glanced down at your lips before licking his own.

‘You belong to me, my dear Dullahan, just as I have belonged to you these long nights, no one else could claim this old monster’s heart the way you can,’ he didn’t answer you, and you heard Robbie exit the booth in order to try and get him to answer her, his eyes going to her before falling back to you. ‘Because of that, I think this castle is too empty on my own, my coffin too large without another body pressed against my own, night after night. Ah, to imagine being trapped in the dark with our hearts beating as one, to think of you out there without me, you need not search for refuge from the dark any longer, my Lord, I grant you entrance to my home forevermore.’

‘Fearless…’ you gasped when he let you stand, and he dropped down to one knee in a bow, both hands still holding yours.

‘Stay by my side, keep the fire going while I hide from the sun’s warm embrace, protect this place alongside me so that the other creatures of the dark may keep coming,’ he begged of you, and you looked to the camera and to Robbie before settling back to him. ‘Be mine,’ he asked of you, and you glanced at the empty chair only for him to nod, he’d been thinking the exact same thing as you all this time, only bigger, grander, he wanted you to co-host with him, not just be a part of his crew.

‘No one else is allowed to have you, Master,’ you told him as you gripped his hands with your own and hunched down to look him in the eye, Dani fast as always and nailing the thunder cue, and Fearless genuinely smiled as he stood in order to help you sit.

‘I expect these nights will be a lot less lonely,’ he flirted openly as he took you by the waist, the usuals very used to this display as the new crowd ate it all up like they couldn’t believe what they were seeing, ‘I cannot wait to wake to you every night, I have plenty of room.’ your eyes widened, was he asking you to move in with him with this? ‘But first, we need to help you find your head, my servant shall-’

He didn’t get a chance to finish, your hands grabbing him by the jaw as you brought him down to your level, and you heard the guest’s camera go over as you finally bit him back; his jaw went slack as his eyes widened, his hands gripping your arms so tight, and you felt him swallow under your mouth before you pulled away. ‘You are mine, my dear Doctor,’ you told him just loud enough for him to hear, and it knocked him on his ass so hard that he finally broke character.

‘Holy shit,’ he gasped out loud in his normal voice, everyone stunned for a moment at the sound of his lack of accent, and he tried to straighten himself out but he couldn’t, not this time. ‘Uh, I- shit, I-’ he floundered for the first time, his neck red where you’d bit him, and he actually looked at the audience before taking a step away from you. ‘I have an announcement, for the future of this show, and I want you all to hear it, from me,’ he told everyone, the murmurs already starting and the guest sitting down when it was clear she wasn't about to be called over just yet. ‘I wanted to say something about the way my community has been acting, and how it nearly scared me from making this show after so many years.

‘Yes, I’m in a relationship with this wonderful person next to me, I love them so much that it scared me to see the way some of you were reacting towards just one leaked photo. I never wanted that for them, but I was also too afraid to be the one to say it.’ He took out his fangs so he could talk easier, and you asked him again what he was doing as Robbie walked up just out of frame. ‘The kind of behaviour is unacceptable, I know I’ve let Robbie handle all of it, she’s really incredible at that kinda stuff, but not anymore. I want to be able to be with them out there, not just in here, and I’m not going to be afraid to do it no matter where we go.’

He then took off his wig, and he held it so hard you had to take it from him before he wrecked it, your hands moving on their own because your voice wouldn’t come out.

‘This is who I am, I’m a real person at the end of the night, so are they, so are my friends. If you guys really like what we’re doing here, then please respect us as people, not just as Dr. Fearless and the nameless people who work for him, otherwise this can’t continue,’ he asked of all the people in front of him, and it was like a light was going on in a lot of their heads based on their expressions, although some of them looked very unimpressed and actually got up to leave. ‘Tha-that’s all I have to say, after a quick break we’ll get back to it, so in the meantime please help yourselves to the provided snacks, and we’ll be back in 20.’

‘Fearless,’ you called softly for him as he hurried back to the safety of his room when more people left, you could hear them talking about how the show was going downhill for months now, and you glared at them before rushing after him. ‘Max, you didn’t have to do that for me.’

‘I did it for me,’ he stuttered as he sat in front of the mirror, his hands shaking so hard that he couldn’t control them. ‘Fuck, I showed my face, they’ll find me, they’ll-’

‘Your face has always been out there, they were just seeing your real hair for the first time,’ you tried to calm him, his eyes so watery from the sheer nerves of it all, ‘if they really love you like I do- well, like Simon does, then they’ll listen to you, because you’re the one saying it, okay?’

‘I don’t know how to deal with it out there, what’ll I do if I cause trouble at work because of this?’ he was panicking, and you hushed him and held him from the side without touching his face, even though you really wanted to kiss his cheek.

‘I’m sure they’ll love going to your café, you do make great sandwiches,’ you hummed, and he sniffed and held you back.

‘Best goth-themed coffee in town,’ he attempted, and you nodded and kissed his shoulder.

‘And no matter what, I’ll always be by your side through it all, kinda hard to break up with you now after biting you like that in public,’ you reminded him with a sly grin, and he gulped again and tried to hide his neck from you.

‘I- I wouldn’t mind if- if you tried it again, later,’ he suggested even though his voice was wavering, ‘I have some spare costumes, if you-’‘You really are a fiend, aren’t you?’ you smirked hard enough to make him flush, and you risked a kiss before standing. ‘I dunno if I can go on camera tonight, it’s too sudden, but tomorrow, I think I can manage, if you can get through the rest of tonight without me?’ you offered, and he nodded with new energy before taking back his wig and placing it on his head.

Despite the rough start, the rest of the show went off without a hitch, even if it ran a little longer than usual. Robbie gave him a thorough talking to for that, but since they were both adults they were able to work it through, after the sternest talking to a grown man had probably ever gotten about his showbusiness partner concerning their vampire show. All the usuals ended up staying, a lot of the new crowd making sure to apologize for bringing him to that after years of dedicated watching, although the comments on the stream were a lot less polite; a lot of them accused you of hijacking the show or dating him for his celebrity status, but seeing as he was still niche enough to be invisible outside of the wig and fangs, you didn’t take it to heart.

You ended up going home with him that night, where you had a long talk out of costume about you actually moving in, and while you wanted nothing more than to say yes, you knew that you’d need to sort things out, pack up, find places for your own stuff alongside his vast collection without either being shoved aside. You also had to break the news to Simon, which you were dreading the most, because that meant that he’d be visiting you there in the future, and you already knew that the second he started talking about horror with Max, that would be the end of you.

Still, you were excited for this new start, and after a couple hours of shopping before the show, you found yourself being dressed for the camera again, although this time it was right beside him. You’d workshopped your character late into the night, a play on the Headless Horseman seeing as that was what he’d named you, so you’d built up a couple different costumes around that, including sketches of what your makeup could look like depending on the night. You settled on a pumpkin-y look for one, a fiery look for another, and a ghostly one as well, Mariana lending her secret makeup talents to you in your hour of need so that Max could get dressed on his own.

You were sweating so much she had to keep patting you down, you were officially unveiling Lord Dullahan on Halloween night, so you were going for the fiery pumpkin look to start it off, a brass horse brooch on your chest since you couldn’t exactly ride in on one without it looking silly, and because Fearless wouldn’t like it in silver. You kept bouncing your knee, you were sure you were sweating through your costume, and everything Robbie kept telling you kept going through one ear and out the other until you were sure you were going to pass out.

‘I think I’m gunna be sick,’ you moaned as Dullahan stared back at you in the reflection, but having Fearless then squeeze in next to you while Mariana fixed your own wild wig did manage to get your heart rate down again.

‘You’ll be wonderful, my murderous Myotis,’ he whispered before kissing your hand, his fangs pressing into your skin, and you took a deep breath and stared yourself down; if he could do it, and he believed in you at that, then you really could do this.

‘It was easy the first time, I just said whatever came to mind,’ you confessed as Mariana finished up and headed out in order to help, and Fearless looked you over in very clear adoration as he hummed in approval.

‘Yes, and you must channel into that again, my Lord, you must tell me all the things that your heart desires, while also remembering what the films are about, there will be time to rest with the dead when it is over,’ he purred as he circled you, his face hidden by his cape, and you used your long and heavy cloak to do the same back to him.

‘If I can keep my head, will you reattach it if I lose it tonight, Doctor?’ you asked, and instead of throwing back another quip, Fearless grinned widely and gave a little jump for joy.

‘That’s it! Just keep doing it like that, and I’ll try to stay in character,’ he encouraged you, and a knock on the wall told you that it was time to come out, it was getting close to 11. You both gave each other one last lookover before heading out, the crowd already catching their glimpses of you and pointing your way in excitement but also worry if you could pull this off on a more permanent scale; you jumped a few times to shake it all out, your wig sliding before he fixed it, and he snuck off behind the set to climb into his coffin and await his cues. The lights dimmed, the fog rolled in, and you let out one final breath before his voice echoed all around you. Your mouth moved along with his words as you recited his lines with him, and when he stepped out he looked even more alive than usual, despite the makeup.

‘Just keep doing it like that,’ you whispered to yourself as you rolled your neck, Fearless sitting down in his chair before the sound of hooves drifted in.