his voice has that lovely scratch to it from disuse, radiating warmth that she’s eager to soak up, bask in. only a moment’s hesitation stands between her and the crook of his neck, hook of a knee over his hip to draw him close, relish in the sleepy scent of him. lips brush skin when she finally speaks.   ❛   okay.   ❜

       𝐋𝐈𝐏𝐒 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐓𝐂𝐇 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐎 𝐀 𝐓𝐎𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐘 𝐆𝐑𝐈𝐍, 𝐅𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐒 𝐏𝐎𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐎𝐔𝐓   from behind lips.   eyes narrow, hand placed on her hip where pointed nails dig into the fabric of her top.    did he mean to insult her with that statement, teach her a lesson, or show how much it a better person he is  ?   it was almost laughable to wednesday just like the way people change up on you at the drop of a hat.   she’s always been more than   𝚃𝚁𝙰𝙽𝚂𝙿𝙰𝚁𝙴𝙽𝚃   with who she is  &&  no moral coddling will change that . . she’s over a hundred years old  &&  she likes who she is  !     lips downturn in a mockery smile,   ❝  so, you wanna play the bigger person trope ?  ❞   brow arches for a moment, a unneeded breath being drawn into her chest. he was no human—something the vampire could smell from a mile away.   he stunk of something else, something not entirely appetizing.    (    lucky for him, she says in the back of her mind.   I’ve missed draining someone. . .  )    ❝  get over yourself  !  ❞   voice raises a little, tone verging on being   𝓲𝓻𝓻𝓲𝓽𝓪𝓽𝓮𝓭.    ❝  I am who i am  &&  you’ve always know that. too late to cry about it now, cain.  ❞   dark locks give a shake with movement of her head. a step toward them:   ❝  don’t stand there  &&  act like you don’t do damn near the same as me . d raining humans, no matter the species,  is still murder.   you, cain, are a murderer just like me.  ❞

               he scoffs, hand resuming bartender’s stereotypical task of rubbing the water spots out of the glasses with a rag. it’s more of a half-laugh than anything.   ❛   better friends,   ❜   leo answers quickly, hardly casting a glance past his work, singular brow raising in amusement.   ❛   what, you think hanging out with the seedy bartender at your local spot counts for top tier friendship ?   ❜   but even leo had to admit he enjoyed the regular’s company. maybe not friends, but not nothing, either. 

        𝐃𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐌𝐒 𝐒𝐎 𝐅𝐔𝐋𝐋𝐘 𝐎𝐅 𝐇𝐎𝐑𝐑𝐎𝐑’𝐒 𝐈𝐓𝐒 𝐀 𝐖𝐎𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐒  sleep at all.   pleading whispered in her ear, the distant sound of a scream, or the ghostly touch of a hand near her foot at bottom of bed.   ever since she was little environment has been plagued by things such as these—a gift her mother called it, but riley has never been so inclined to see it as such.   the whispers of ghosts in your head doesn’t make for much of a happy life when death trails behind in your   𝚂𝙷𝙰𝙳𝙾𝚆  !    (   she tries to help them in all honesty. she listens to them, gives their message to a loved one if near by. she feels them leave when request is granted . . . off into some light or sense of warmth or whatever happens after. but, at the same time, her “gift” is taxing  &&  she’s never seemed to recover completely from that.    )      ;       another nightmare has taken grip on her soul while flashes of death, a very distinct snap,  &&  then nothing overtake her.   it has brows furrowed in the dead of sleep, a light shine of sweat on her forehead  &&  a  𝓼𝓬𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓶   ripping out of her throat as she wakes ! eyes look frantically in the dark as moonlight shines through curtains &&  then hands—hands on her arms, hand against the side of her face. eyes, deep with dark circle, finds him:  ❝  cain. . . cain. . .  ❞  a deep breath to follow, head following the exhale. a hand runs through messy hair,  ❝  fuck, I’m sorry. . . i woke you up didn’t I ?   god, that always happens  !   god damn nightmares !  ❞  palms cover her face as chest exhales a deep groan.