#c: teddy | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

closingwaters · 1 year ago

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TIMING: Today, Afternoon

PARTIES: @eldritchaccident @closingwaters

SUMMARY: On the way to try to get some treats to the Wormmates, Teagan runs into Teddy and they set out to finish the bridges together. It's a gooey mess.

WARNINGS: None

It was ominous, walking around town and seeing the petrified faces of people frozen in time. Their last moments forever etched onto their visage for all to see. It made Teagan bristle, the eerie energy causing a sharp, cold shiver down her spine. Perhaps venturing out to get a pumpkin treat wasn’t the best idea, but being cooped up in the cabin with not even the ability to see Wynne or Arden was beginning to drive the nix mad. The video calls helped, if only a little, to quash the discomfort that came with the creeping loneliness.

“Okay…” Teagan sighed, eyes widening and her mind growing alert at the sound of something skittering about in the darkness of the alley by the building she was trying to get to. Another shiver crawled beneath her skin, and she quickly made her way into the shop to make her mission quick. She was happy to find that there wasn’t much of anyone around, making quick work of buying everything that looked tasty. Which was to say, Teagan bought one of almost everything.

She figured if she could get to Wynne and Arden’s apartment, they’d be happy to have a new snack, so she left the business quickly and got her driver to get as close to the goo as he could. Teagan was disappointed to find out that he couldn’t get very close at all. She was left blocks away from her destination, and now that skittering sound was behind her.

Looking around, nothing seemed out of place. Just more buildings and a few passerby, but there was one who caught her attention. They looked like they were on a mission, heading straight toward…a fire escape? Teagan made her way to them and tapped their shoulder, giving them a quizzical look. “Excuse me, what are you doing? Are you trying to get into Worm Row?”

The conversation online with Emilio had been light, jokey, jovial. A bit more “I plan to prove you wrong” than the actual “I’m fucking terrified that anything would happen to you, Wynne, or Arden” that it was. Teddy abandoned all research almost immediately. The ritual was not a fixed point. It would happen whenever it would happen and Teddy would die and it would be fine because the world didn’t need people like them. It needed people like Emilio who could actually help save people. It needed the kindness of people like Wynne. It needed the hardheaded curiosity of people like Arden.

The car (finally retrieved after weeks of avoiding the place where they were duped and subsequently had a brand new part of themself chopped off) was puttering along with the weight of the beams and boards. Comically sticking out the front right and back left window of the little yellow volkswagen beetle, they added yet another challenge to the road. Avoiding the large puddles of goo, avoiding the people who had been petrified by… touching it? It was hard to say what they were doing, only that their frozen faces made for an incredibly eerie sight.

Ted had to stop a few blocks away, and had already made a few trips up and down with the lumber after finding a fire escape that wasn’t coated in the viscous substance.They weren’t expecting to find anyone else here, and certainly weren’t expecting anyone so… calm? The blonde was a little shorter than them, looked a little spooked, but more confused than anything.

“Ah– yeah” There voice was still pretty raw and ragged. They hadn’t actually spoken to anyone out loud since the incident with the stranger. Void below, they knew they weren’t talking to Levi. Too scared to make the disappointment greater, or to somehow make a bigger mess. Getting in their own head about it. The tail was the same. Why tell anyone when it was their mistake? Their fault. Most thirty-five year olds know not to get into cars with strangers. Not Teddy.

“Few of my friends are trapped in an apartment.” They continued, eyes flicking between the bright spot of yellow just a few yards behind the woman. “I’m building a way to get them out.”

Teagan’s curiosity was piqued, a wave of sympathy also washing over her features once she registered how tired the stranger looked. Perhaps she could help them conquer their mission while subsequently doing the same for her own. The more hands they had, the better. At least, that’s what Teagan thought.

“I…” She trailed off, the skittering distracting her once again. What in Fates was that? Couldn’t be a hunter, could it? No, that wasn’t it. Rolling her shoulders, Teagan refocused, blinking the paranoia away. “Well, I-Sorry. Bit distracted, I guess.” She took a deep breath, shifting the bags of treats around from one arm to the next. “I also have some friends stuck in an apartment. My girlfriend and her roommates.” Raising the treats, she presented what she wanted to deliver. “Wanted to try and get to them so they could have some treats to pass the time.”

Skitter…patter, patter…screech!

There was that noise again, only it was accompanied by others far more eerie. Teagan tried her best to keep her composure, moving on from the sounds quickly. “I’m Teagan, by the way. My people are in that apartment over there.” She pointed, "The one with the bricks missing at the top.”

Teddy was far too focused on their task and distracted by the woman (and her melodious accent) to notice the skittering. There had been noises all over during these treks. But nothing had come close enough to warrant a second glance. The rescue mission was far too important. The same one, apparently, that she was on. “Teagan!” Their expression brightened. “You are in luck my new friend cause that’s right where I’m headed to.” A wry laugh escaped the demon as they visibly relaxed. For some reason, the idea of having two sets of hands and two pairs of eyes trying to engineer their way across made the whole thing a lot easier. Hell, even just having someone there to talk to while they did it would make it better.

“I’m Teddy. Trying to un-stick two of the nicest people I know and one of the grumpiest, but still the best.” A compliment added, as if the sullen slayer was going to somehow hear the joke, and choose to stay behind. Sounded like something he might do honestly. Spite worked overtime for Emilio Cortez. “Who are your friends? What apartment in there? Don’t tell me it’s Jeff. No offense if it is but that guy is the worst.” They met the man like once, and it was not pleasant.

“Well it’s a pleasure to meet you, Teddy.” A grin spread across her face and she tucked her hair behind her ear. Their energy was welcomed, a bright and warm thing. Teagan couldn’t believe her luck that they both had the same destination. “So I’m guessing those boards are to make some sort of bridge then, eh?” She chuckled, a bit hopeful. With two people working on such an endeavor, the task would surely be done that much quicker.

“My friends are definitely not Jeff. Besides, I’m a lesbian. Would not have a man to save.” She scrunched her nose playfully, placing the bags of treats on the sidewalk. The chittering was much easier to ignore then. “My girlfriend is Arden, and her roommate that I know is Wynne. Don’t know the new additions. My focus is really those two.” Teagan shrugged, turning back to Teddy with her hands on her hips. “So,” She walked up to them, eyeing the boards. “Ya gonna let me help or what?”

"That's reductive, lesbians can be friends with guys." Teddy replied with an obvious grin on their face and a laugh in their heart, as they extended a hand towards Teagan. "And yes, bridge making. Got the first bridge to that building up and secured. Almost got all the materials up and over to get to their place." The demon paused for a second, gleefully balked, and began to bounce in place. Their hands joined, excitedly dancing because they just couldn't keep them still. Just absolutely incredulous at the sheer luck that they'd run into someone trying to get to the same people.

"Yeah!! Wynne and Arden!!" They were practically jumping up and down by that point. Giddy and filled with an energy they'd been lacking the last few weeks. Teddy motioned for Teagan to follow and grab the last load of lumber from the car. "And my bud Emilio too, but man. Small world. Or town I guess. I'm hella happy to have a hand. You have no idea how many screws I lost to the goo trying to hold them, the boards, and the drill all at the same time."

Teagan snorted, shaking her head and covering her face with faux bashfulness. It quickly turned into glee that matched her new friend’s, the two of them bouncing as realization took them both. They were like kids who’d had too much candy, kindred spirits feeding into one another despite the way acid began to build and ache in Teagan’s throat at the mention of Emilio. Arden and him were friends, and it was just the way it was. She’d tolerate him if it made her happy. It’s not like she had to speak to him to help save him anyway.

Quickly following Teddy, the nix put the muscles she had been refining with Andy to use. Balance was getting easier to manage, and in a matter of two hours, the pair had created sturdy paths. There was just a small stretch left, but Teagan needed a moment before they continued.

“Need a short break. Getting hard to keep my eyes open.” She laid on the ground and attempted to slow her labored breathing from all the work. Teagan’s sleep hadn’t been the best since having Arden in her bed wasn’t an option, and it didn’t feel right to use the quilt while her partner suffered. “I won’t be long. Once I’m good, I’ll grab the treats and we’ll make our way to victory.” She offered Teddy a tired grin, looking up at them a moment before she closed her eyes to rest. It was supposed to be for just a minute or two, but before Teagan knew it, sleep overcame her, glamour falling completely.

Well that was a little unexpected. Not completely, not in a town like Wicked's Rest, but the… well she must have been a nix or a nereid right? She was so exhausted that she conked right out. In a way, Teddy felt a swell of pride that Teagan felt comfortable enough to do that in front of them. Unless it had been unintentional, the actually sleeping part. Taking a quick breather and taking a nap were two very different things. Ted had to admit, they were feeling the adrenaline begin to wane. They still hadn't recovered from the mines, or the incident with the—

Shit.

Teagan's tail!

It was sliced not too differently from Teddy's own. The demon removed their cherry red glasses, dropping the illusion that they were human too. Blue skin, bright teal eyes, sharpened canines. Their more aquatic features were unfortunately hidden beneath their shirt and shoes, but the webbing between their fingers was enough to show the kinship. Part of them wanted to wake the sleeping fae and ask her all about it, what she remembered, how did she get away? But it was clear she was exhausted, they were too. But goddamn how many similarities did they share with this lady? Using all the patience at their disposal, Teddy waited. Sitting beside her protectively as the minutes passed.

The nap was dreamless, thankfully, and when Teagan finally woke up, she jolted up. She immediately glamoured herself, goosebumps raised at the way she stupidly fell asleep. For all she knew, Teddy was human, and she very well could have put herself in danger. “Teddy?” She looked all around herself, eyes landing on something else. No, it was someone else.

A toothy grin began to spread across the nix’s face, realizing that many of Teddy’s more human features reflected in their new ones. They were beautiful, absolutely magnificent, and Teagan couldn’t help but pounce forward to tackle them into a hug. “I’ve never seen someone quite like you! Dear me, you are gorgeous!” She kissed their cheek, nuzzling into them while she let her glamour fall again as if she’d known them for years.

“What are ya? Can’t be fae. Don’t sense you.” Scanning Teddy, her smile grew further, heterochromic eyes gleaming. Maybe they weren’t a nereid or nix, but the webbed hands and texture of their skin was enough to scream that they were a child of water. “Oh this is a cause for celebration, isn’t it?! We can-we can save our people and then-and then—” Teagan was far too giddy to finish her thoughts for a few beats, squealing with excitement before gasping with an idea. “We can get the treats and come back up to gather our strength with some food and conversation! Yes! Magnificent! What say you, darling?”

A joyous laughter echoed through the alleyway, muffled only by the leagues of goo that lurked around the corners. Teddy hadn’t expected quite that reaction either but it was welcome. Few people expressed their bliss so vividly, and Teagan was technicolor. “There ain’t anyone else like me in the whole ‘verse.” The demon returned her affection by wrapping long gangly arms around her, rustling her hair like she was a kid sister or something before bonking against her forehead slightly.

“Don’t meet too many nixies or nereids on land. You can absolutely smack me for this but I genuinely can’t remember which axolotls are from. That’s what you– Fresh or salt I mean. They’re like salamanders right? So probably freshwater but–” Teddy was jabbering, making a bit of a fool of themself. But when weren’t they? Couldn’t help that they were just overflowing with excitement. Only magnified by the exuberance on display. “Ah I mean, you’re the expert, clearly just look at you!” She was beautiful. It took a hell of a lot of restraint to not want to run off and go find somewhere to swim together.

Ah, but… Well that brought back an unfortunate realization. Teddy’s expression soured, combined with the second question and the unavoidable response if they wanted to give her the truth. Which they did. She deserved that. But not even Arden knew about Ted’s probability of untimely demise. It felt too heavy a thing to place on an already full plate. “The answer is a long story, and might be ending soon anyway. But don’t you worry about that. We have lovely people to save and treats to deliver.” There was a pause, and Teddy’s attention flicked away again. Maybe it was an excuse to change the subject, or maybe it was curiosity peaking once they saw the blunt cut on Teagan’s tail from a different angle.

“That wasn’t an accident, was it?” It was the first of their statements that sounded sure. Sounded like they knew something else, the context without knowing her or what happened to her. “I thought I was the only one– I–” Teddy offered something of a sympathetic smile. “We can talk about it later though, you’re right. We should save our people first.”

Teagan snorted, shaking her head and connected her forehead to Teddy’s. “Oh, you’re so lovely that I’m gonna let that slide.” When she pulled away, she offered another smile, “I protect freshwater bodies, so we’re clear. And yes, like salamanders, indeed.” Rolling her lips over her teeth, Teagan licked her lips and continued to smile, watching the way Teddy met her with the same level of noise. It truly was as she thought; water, salt or not, was all connected. Her new friend didn’t need to be fae to be kin. But her smile quickly faltered at the mention of her tail, and Teagan looked down to avoid Teddy’s gaze.

“Aye.” She sighed shakily, “Not an…not an accident.” The image of the hunter crashed through her mind, and Teagan wrung her fingers together to deal with the overwhelming anxiety that began to eat at her body. When Teddy continued, cementing themself further as her kin, Teagan let out a choked sob, trying her best to hold back the tears. And they were right. They could talk about it later. With people to save, conversation mattered very little. “Right. Let’s, um…let’s grab the bag of treats and then finish up. Been seeing people eye the bag anyway.” She smiled wanly, cupping Teddy’s face briefly before turning and heading back to the road. Luckily, the bag was still untouched despite how much time it had been left alone.

“All right…” Teagan picked up the bag, eyes still misty and red from her sorrow threatening to rush out. She hoped her smile was enough to show that she was trying to move past it. “The treats are—” Skitter, skitter! There was that sound again. “Did you hear that?” The nix’s head whipped around, finding nothing moving about. Nothing. Nothing that could cause that sound. She shuddered, wanting to leave. The goo was making her uncomfortable, probably getting to her, she thought. “Forget it. I-um…yeah! Treats. Let’s g—” Screeeeech!

“What fuck is…!” A gooey creature latched onto the fae, causing her to stumble back. She caught her footing enough to not fall into the goo, much to her relief. “Twll dy din!” Speaking in her native tongue, Teagan attempted to get the claws off of her, but the creature persisted, forcing her to scramble about and drop the treats. Its legs dug into her body, finding painful purchase in her flesh. She winced and tugged, frantic to get the thing off of her as she noticed it’s goo hardening on her skin. “Teddy! I—” With one more attack to her face, Teagan fell backwards, landing herself in a pool of goo and sending the creature somewhere else. Fear overcame her, and she stood quickly only to realize that her entire body, even her face had been covered. She was lucky that the hand that once carried the treats had remained untouched, and she quickly reached out for Teddy.

“Teddy, it’s hardening. I can’t move my legs.” Her voice remained oddly calm, but her body betrayed her. It trembled, continuing to tug, to fight for survival. After all, that’s what Teagan did. She survived. But maybe, she wondered, maybe that was the ending she was always meant to have. Maybe she doomed Arden from the beginning because monsters didn’t get happy endings. It was awful, really. She wanted to live, and for the first time, she was beginning to process and try to heal. Reach that life her and Arden dreamed of. It was a cruel fate, but it was a battle she was quickly losing while her outstretched arm became rigid. “Teddy. Listen to-to me. Give this ring on-on my hand to Arden. Please. Tell—” Her lips were getting harder to move, her breath quick and frantic. “Tell her I love…” She trailed off, no longer able to speak. Frozen and damned, with only a dangling, clawed hand remaining free.

In an instant the moment shifted. Going from one of mirth and shared exuberant experience to a nightmare of panic and ichor. Teddy didn’t have time to react properly, their seated position and strain on their already tired muscles made them slow. “TEAGAN–” Too slow to do anything about the insectoid creature that leapt from the shadows and onto their new friend’s face. Shock wiped the smile from their face as they tumbled forward trying to grasp for Teagan as she was pulled backwards and then– then…

Before the demon could blink, the goo was… encasing her. Changing her. Siphoning life from each spot where it touched. “No no– C’mon NO. NO PLEASE. FUCK.” Their voice was raw, ragged. Screams loud enough that the apartment next door would probably have heard. Enough that Emilio definitely would have. Enough that the dumbass slayer would try and come to their ‘rescue’ if they didn’t get up on the roof to show that they were alive. “We’re gonna–” They choked on tears and panic. “–gonna get you out of there.” They’d been able to save Ted from the crystals, maybe this was the same maybe it was–

Teddy’s breath hitched in their chest, hyperventilating while somehow not getting any air at all. Their head whipped around to find the bug, still skittering around nearby. It seemed smug, almost. Or maybe that was just how their brain interpreted it. Carful to not touch the vile thing, they grabbed the closest blunt object, a spare board they hadn’t needed to bring up the fire escape and swung it with every ounce of supernatural strength left in their body. It crunched and squished into a fine paste, but Teddy kept slamming the board down anyway. Fury rising up where it normally lay dormant.

The alley was too quiet after that. All that was left of Teagan was the hand, clawed and pinkish white. Teddy grabbed for it, carefully. They slipped the ring off, and looked at her frozen face with shaky eyes. “We’ll figure this out. You’ll tell her. You can do that, you have to be able to do that and– it’s gonna be okay. I’m gonna get them out of there, I’m gonna keep them safe– I’m sorry.” They couldn’t take their eyes off the statue. Couldn’t bear to. It was only the thought of losing anyone else to this mess that finally pulled the demon from this awful impromptu vigil.

They were going to fix this. They had to.

#wickedswriting #writings #waving words #teddy and teagan #c: teddy #building bridges #potw

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