SHOW ME YOUR TEETH

Ohhhhh this guy…this guy…was he like this with everybody? Gabby really hoped that he was, because having someone who had it out just for her in a new place wasn’t exactly something she was looking forward to. “Y’know, I’m not actually sure,” she mused, sarcasm covering every word as it came out of her mouth. “All I know is that it kinda had the same coloring as all those clothes you’re wearing, and it was pretty ugly…y’know, I’m thinking you might be able to give it a run for its money in that department…”

Was she going a little far? Possibly. Did he deserve it for starting the antagonism for no reason? …Yes. In her pre-food, pre-blood, pre-caffeinated mind, yes. He did.

      It wasn’t everyone, not nearly ---but it was the timing of it all. He’d just had his heart broken all over again, a wound made fresh after a year of failed attempts at healing, and he was hardly in a good place. He was, however, in a place to butt heads. So that’s exactly what he’d do. “Sounds like that bug’s probably got a nasty bite. Think I’d give it a run for it’s money there, too?” He could tell she was a vampire, and knew well enough she’d be able to smell the wolf on him. The threat of a bite wasn’t one he’d follow through with, but it was one she’d be foolish to ignore. In truth, he really just wanted to see what kind of guts the girl had. 

@vomolupo

“I swear to god, i’m going to kill him.” Callie mumbled to herself as she walked through the front door of  l’atelier de la magie, Her eyes scanned the restaurant as she looked for the familiar dark headed man. After her conversation with Kendall, she only grew more angry with Daniel. Laying her green eyes on him, she assumed he was on his lunch break. Marching herself over to his secluded table, she slammed her hand down on the cool surface. “What the hell is wrong with you?”  

      He’d chosen a secluded table because he’d wanted to be left alone, but apparently, that meant nothing to Callie. Fair enough, honestly, but it wouldn’t make him any less upset about being bothered. Work caused him enough stress as it was ---he did not need this right now. With his mouth still full of a bite of sandwich, he looked up at her, one brow raised. He swallowed, cleared his throat, then held the sandwich out to her. “Sorry. Want a bite?”

Liam was driving a tad bit too fast that day. Okay – like really super fast. Nothing new. Who really cared about speed limits, certainly not him. It was safe to say he wasn’t really paying attention to the pedestrians but just as he took another sharp turn, he almost rode over someone who was crossing the road. He slammed on the brakes, barely missing the person and spoke after he slid down the window on his side. “You okay or what?”

      Daniel understood a healthy appreciation for a fast car ---hell, he shared that same appreciation himself. But he knew well enough NOT to indulge in it in the middle of town, especially one where there were so many pedestrians. A combination of the driver’s braking nd his own deft avoidance of the car let him get away unscathed, thankfully. When the window rolled down and he saw Liam’s face, of all people, he let out a scoff. “Are you drunk, or just stupid?” He shook his head, but the lack of a scowl showed that his comments were good-natured.

Luna nodded as Danny elaborated, trying to read between the lines on how much of a deadbeat his dad was. Being one wasn’t usually cause alone to make someone think of murder, so she wondered about the other offenses he’d probably committed to make Danny finally snap. She could, of course, be giving Danny too much of a benefit of a doubt, but she had a gut feeling on this one. Getting so lost in this news, the next time someone ran in front of them out of a dark corner, she barely blinked, giving them an apologetic smile as they stayed in character and moved about their business.

“I’m sure she was,” Luna told him, quiet enough so no one else would hear. In truth, she could’ve been more miserable. Luna didn’t know. But if his dad had been more than just a deadbeat, then maybe it was something his mom never wanted to admit to feeling when he was gone, even to a son who would’ve known better than anyone else what it was like to be around him. “Were you happier? Once he was finally gone?” She was quiet a moment, then, “What was the final straw? What made you say enough was enough?”

      Oddly enough, it started to feel entirely normal that they might have this sort of conversation in a halloween maze, of all places. It was almost dreamlike, with the remnants of the liquor he’d drank before leaving his place still making his head a little fuzzy. He knew it wasn’t the sort of thing he’d normally reveal to Luna, or be willing to elaborate on beyond the most basic of details, but it felt... okay. Which was saying a lot, for Daniel. 

      “I left, too. My mom couldn’t look at me anymore, which, I guess... is fair.” He had dwelled on that night for so long, his mind called back to it when he slept, when he fell into his regrets. He knew he’d never want to take back his father’s death, but leaving and never coming back was something he couldn’t forgive himself for, even if he knew his mother would have. “I had to choose,” he answered after a long pause, eyes continuing to search the shadows around them. “Him or her. It was easy.”

Kendall: Please?

Kendall: I'm trusting you not to hurt me again. It's all I can do.

Kendall: I wouldn't be opposed to you spending the night.

Kendall: No sex. But it might help us both sleep to have someone there.

Daniel: Thank you.

Kendall: It's not just what happened in Rome. When I was...there, they made me feel like I was worthless. And I know that I'm not. But every time I look at you I know that I'd rather let you hurt me than be without you. That's what terrifies me.

Kendall: Trusting has never been easy for me, you know that.

Daniel: I’m not going to give you another reason not to trust me, Ken.

Daniel: At least I’m going to try.

Kendall: I just wonder if things would be different. If we'd still feel the way we do right now. If you would have gotten to Olivia sooner.

Kendall: You terrify me.

[ Five minutes later ]

Daniel: I hate that I do that to you.

Kendall: Overthinking as usual.

[Ten minutes later]

Kendall: Do you ever think about what we might've been if I'd never left Rome?

Daniel: All the time, lately.

Kendall: I'll definitely keep that in mind.

Kendall: What are you thinking about?

Daniel: Restaurant stuff. If there was any money in it, I’d open my own place.

Kendall: You're literally an old man trapped in a hot guy's body.

Kendall: So that means you wouldn't open nudes from me then right?

Kendall: Couldn't sleep. It's too quiet.

Daniel: I’m old enough to be senile, so... Yeah, won’t argue with you there.

Daniel: But no, I never said that. Definitely not saying THAT.

Kendall: hey sexy u up?

Kendall: send noodz

Kendall: Just kidding. But seriously are you up?

Daniel: That’s what seeing each other in person is for.

In the days leading up to their date, Kendall tried every possible way to talk herself out of it, but the moment she saw the dress, she knew she’d show up heart in hand ready to get it broken all over again. She spent the entire day trying to tell herself that this was a bad idea, but that was the point. They were starting fresh. This was supposed to be new, and open minded. So halfway through the day, she found herself letting go of her apprehension and replacing it with a hope that this time would be different. 

When she heard the door open, she was fastening her earrings in place, looking herself over in the mirror. She didn’t need much makeup normally, but she’d decided to go all in, a smoky eye making her already prominent eyes pop, while a touch of lipstick finished it all off. Her dark curls hung loose around her shoulders, neatly swept into loose waves. “Yeah I’m almost ready!” she called out, seating herself and sliding on a pair of strappy black heels that perfectly complimented the blushed taupe dress that quite literally hung on her curves. It was a drop dead gorgeous dress, and for once she had absolutely no doubt that he’d think the same. As she stepped out of the bedroom and onto the stairs, she found herself smiling when she saw him, lifting up the hem of the dress just slightly as she made her way down to meet him. “What do you think? Camera ready?” she asked with a shy smile as she landed at the bottom, the fabric pooling around her thighs and splitting on either side. 

      As Danny waited, he toed the line between patience and impatience, pacing back and forth along the length of the room at the bottom of the stairs. He checked his reflection in the window a few times, adjusting the way his jacket sat on his shoulders, tightening and loosening his belt, playing with the top button of his shirt, and running a hand through his hair. He’d only end up feeling less appropriately dressed when he inevitably saw her, looking the way she did. Almost exactly on cue, she began the descent down the stairs. His eyes caught on her, focused more on the body underneath than the dress that framed it ---which, he imagined, was the idea. “Good god,” came a mutter under his breath, shameless as his eyes raked over her. When she came to the bottom of the steps, he took a moment to gather himself before extending an arm to her. “You left camera ready in the dust,” he answered, eyes still lingering on her.

The impending holiday season was beginning to close in on Savannah, and the sight of twinkle lights lining houses and festive coffee cups reappearing felt more suffocating than normal. She’d never spent the holidays alone - always trapped into whatever grand plans her parents had made for the family and their most imperious friends. This year, given the fact that she’d all but been disowned after becoming a hybrid, Savannah wasn’t quite sure what to think of it all. She shook her head to clear it, hastening her pace as she made her way across town square. However, she couldn’t escape the way the town lit up with festive cheer as the sky darkened for the evening. “Am I the only one not really feeling the holidays this year?” she asked, speaking mostly to herself. 

      Daniel had hated the holidays most of his life. His father never failed to come home for Christmas and ruin it all one way or another, despite bringing extravagant gifts along with him. None of that much mattered, given the trouble he caused. Thanksgiving with Kendall would be an exception this year, a day he’d focus on making the best of ---more for her sake than his own, but that wasn’t an unusual approach for him, anyway. Christmas, on the other hand, would always leave a sour taste in his mouth. The town had decorated more than early enough for his tastes, and he was sick of it by now. When someone else piped up to express a similar sentiment, he released a low grunt, something between frustration and agreement. “Guess I’m not the only grinch in town, huh?”

He arched an eyebrow at the comment as he took in the man again. It wasn’t easy to tell exactly how old he was but the guy definitely looked younger than Isaac felt. “It’s rum, ginger beer and lime juice - otherwise known as a dark and stormy.” With that, he finished off what was left of his glass and waved in the eye line of the bartender. “Is that too on the nose or, as you say, committing to it? Somehow the drink came into my life at the perfect time, or the worst time, depending on how you look at it.” As the bartender swapped out glasses, he held out a hand. “Name’s Isaac. And if it’s necessary, I do know how to sit here and drink without speaking out loud.”

      Danny might have looked no older than mid-thirties, but he too felt like he matched his real age sometimes. Naturally, he wasn’t plagued by aching bones or joint troubles, but his mind weighed down on him with all that he’d seen and done. “Sounds like just the right amount of on the nose,” he answered, taking another swig of his beer. It wasn’t poetic or fancy, just a no-bullshit good old fashioned staple. He gave Isaac a sideways glance, contemplated the pros and cons of silence as quick as he could, then shrugged. “I’m Danny.” This was as close as he came to admitting that a bit of easy conversation was welcome, despite his cold approach.