#can i file a complaint against immo for a chatzy i helped write?

[letsbenditlikebennett]

Eclipse || Ariana & Sammy (Ace)

TIMING: Late Tonight PARTIES: @inspirationdivine & @letsbenditlikebennett SUMMARY: Finally after weeks of Ariana going out to their spot every night, Sammy (Ace) turns up and they settle on a new timeline for their wolfy plans.  CONTENT: Abuse mentions

The fairy ring had fricking finally dissolved, meaning Sammy had finally been released from the mental clutches of a dozen tiny pixies. Now he was just beholden to one, better, bigger fae, so of course the first thing he did was sneak out. Lydia was still angry at him, rightfully so, and when she spoke her tongue lashed at them like a hot poker. He had to make it up to her, prove he was worth her time and attention, because he’d let her down so much. He just…. also had to let Ariana know he was okay. So he’d scrabbled on his knees through the tunnel, and had practically run all the way through the woods until he was back where they were supposed to meet. He ran all the way up to Ariana and threw his arms around her, almost barrelling her right over. “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry. I’m okay.” 

The fact Blanche hadn’t seen ghost Ace had been a good sign. It didn’t completely dissipate her worries, but Ariana felt better knowing he was likely still alive. As much didn’t stop her from showing up at their spot every night yet again. The dark circles around her eyes seemed to keep growing the more she denied herself sleep, but she couldn’t live with the thought of Ace showing up and her not being there. She’d been sitting on the ground drumming her fingers against her knees when she heard someone approaching. His familiar earthy scent became present and for the first time in weeks, she felt herself truly relax. He nearly knocked her over when he swooped her into a hug. She squeezed him tightly and refused to let go. She was upset, but she knew Lydia was the one who deserved her anger. She patted his back and assured, “It’s okay, I’m just glad you’re alive.” She held onto him a few moments longer before she finally stepped away and looked him over for any sign of injury. “So what happened,” she asked, not sure she really wanted to know the answer. 

“Don’t say that,” Sammy murmured, although Lydia’s rage had made it clear his survival wasn’t foregone, not after they’d betrayed her like that. “Don’t say that,” he repeated again, her arms shaking like jelly as she stepped back, and she looked him over sharply. He didn’t know how to look back at her, with shame or fear. Every time they met he felt more and more aged, but between the last time they met and now, he felt it especially so. His dark undereyes matched hers, his cheeks hollowed. There were bad calluses on his fingers, and god, a week of dancing in a fairy ring had left him a little worse for wear too. “You know I can’t answer that.” He replied shakily, looking down at his shoes. “But it’s… it’s been bad. She’s been different. It’s understandable, god, I get it. I want to help her, but I- I keep making it worse. I’m making it worse right now.” He looked back up at her with a wry smile. “But I had to see you, right?”

Somehow, Ace always had a way of tugging at all of her heartstrings. Hell, he looked worse than she did right now and Ariana was not looking her best. He looked paler, more tired. Thinner, even. More than anything, she wanted to scoop him up and run away with him right now. Somewhere far the hell away from White Crest where Lydia could never find him again, but she knew he wouldn’t come. Somehow, that stung even more. She reached out to him and gently placed a hand on his shoulder. “I won’t say it again, but I did mean it,” she said in a hoarse whisper that gave away the fact she was holding back tears, “You’re important to me, Ace.” Maybe she was making it worse, but she just couldn’t let this or him go. For a moment there, she’d forgotten he literally couldn’t tell her anything and frowned. “Right, I… I forget that sometimes.” She continued to scan him and try to take note of any injuries. It looked like he’d been through hell. “I’m sorry it was bad,” she croaked as she did her best to be strong for him and blink back the tears. “But it’ll be better soon, I promise.” She looked down briefly before looking back up at him earnestly. “Did you still want-- You don’t have to-- I can figure something else out.” 

“Yeah, yeah, it’ll be better soon.” Because his main problem? More than not having been there for the five minutes the vampire was, more than having let her catch with his nerves before all this had happened, Sammy’s biggest failure was being human. And after he’d get to spend more and more time with Ariana, as his big wolf mentor. Which meant less time with Lydia. Sammy’s stomach turned and he pushed that though deep as a rock inside him. “Yes. Yes! I still want time with you! I still want to be chomped on, changed, all that.” He swallowed. He’d just have to be less nervous about it all. “What- what about you? How was your August? What have you been up to?”

It felt like the better they both spoke of couldn’t come quickly enough. Ariana longed for nights that wouldn’t be spent worrying about him. The exhaustion of waiting out here for him most nights had been catching up to her. “It will,” she said softly, not sure if she was trying to convince him or herself. While she was determined to save him, she still couldn’t shake the feeling that she was in way over her head. “Alright, we can plan to do that next month then. When should I-- You know I’ve never heard it called chomping before, but hey, it kind of works,” she said with a nervous laugh. It was hard to ignore the fluttering in her stomach as they updated their place. She needed this to work. Ace needed this to work. Though she supposed she should enjoy this time she had with him instead of worrying about what may or may not happen. There was a brief pause before she answered, “It’s been…. An August, but hey, I moved into a new place closer to campus. One of my best pals is my neighbor and carpentry school has been pretty dope so far.” She focused on the happier parts of August hoping it would brighten the mood, but she still couldn’t fight the overwhelming sorrow that seemed to be growing. “I brought snacks-- I know you mentioned the mime food before,” she blurted out and pulled some things out of her backpack. 

“Yeah, let’s do it this month. Let’s, uh, I don’t know, when do you think is a good time?” Sammy agreed. Oh, man, she looked so tired. Which kinda felt like his fault. She’d thought he was dead. She’d thought - Sammy swallowed, and decided he would do anything in his power to ensure that she never had to worry like that again. He’d be better at hiding his feelings, better at sneaking out, better- better at tricking Lydia. Sammy’s stomach twisted like there was a rope going through it. He listened to her almost normal life with wild eyes. College still felt lifetimes ago. “That’s awesome, about your friend and the carpentry school,” he said softly, and then grinned as she pulled out snacks. “Oh! Dude, sweet, th- that’s really cool of you. The mime food is all gone. Back to normal food. Which is like, great, way better than mime food, way better than I would cook.” He grinned, sitting down on the leafy underlayer in the dark. “Do you want to talk about the bits of August that was bad or?” 

“Okay, cool, yeah-- Maybe we could go for the 23rd this time? That’s a week before the first night of the full moon again,” Ariana explained, still somewhat apprehensive about this whole thing. There was no doubt that she wanted to do this to keep him safe, she just hated waiting. Not being able to check in on him and make sure he was okay left every day feeling impossibly long and she found herself growing more and more weary. Every day left her feeling more and more like she should just let Athena get involved, but she wanted to try and enjoy the little time they had together now. “Yeah, that stuff is all going pretty well. Been making some pretty cool stuff, I’ll have to actually get some pictures to show you next time,” she said with a smile that mostly masked the fact she always worried there wouldn’t be a next time. She still felt a bit guilty that he got stuck with the mime food and pulled out a thermos that had some venison stew in it, some chips, some cookies, and some sandwiches. It was nearly a whole picnic. “Well, I had to be sure. I’m glad there’s no more mime food.” She looked down and fumbled with her hands briefly. The bad parts of the month seemed to stick with her more so than she would have liked. “Right, yeah, I guess I did kind of leave those out. That obvious, huh?” Her eyes drifted back up to meet his as she rested her palms on the ground. “Uh, well, I was pretty freaked out when you didn’t show up-- I thought you-- I figured you didn’t when my medium friend couldn’t see you, but you know. Which is totally not your fault. I was also in a bit of a fight with a good friend of mine, but we made up now. Weirdly enough, actually ended up at a funeral sort of gathering with Lydia… which is kind of a long story.” 

“Okay, but if I miss it, I will find a way to meet you before the full moon. We’re not missing it this time,” Sammy promised. He wasn’t about to give them away again. He’d do breathing exercises, distracting Lydia from himself by making the best sculptures he possibly could, the whole nine yards. He’d have to get Chloe in on it, to help him. Thinking he could just, you know, sneak out had been a big mistake, but Sammy was going to do better. There was no way in hell he was letting Ariana think he was dead again. “Yeah, I’d love you to show me what you’re making too! Hell, maybe after we can even do kind of like a mixed media thing together. It’d be cool.” Thinking about an after? Now that did weird things to him. It made his stomach flutter with excitement of having more of a life, getting to spend times in the day light with Ariana, try making new friends. (Ha, that was funny - friend making was not one of his top tier skills by any means.) Then at the same time his chest squeezed as he thought about how Lydia would take all of this. He’d be so much better for her. He’d actually be able to protect her from the vampire that made her frightened, he could be a real friend and confidante, but losing a human was so inconvenient for her… Sammy decided, once again, not to think about that anymore. Not tonight. His eyes widened as Ariana brought out a whole picnic worth of food. “Oh, Ariana, dude, you didn’t have to! This is amazing. But uh, yeah, that obvious, sorry.” He said, sombering right up as she talked. “I’m really sorry you had to do that. I, uh, I don’t think I’d turn ghosty, if I did. Not for long. But I’m also really not planning on ghostifying any time soon. I’m sorry about your friend. That shit always sucks. And I, uh, heard about the funeral.”

“Good, you really had me worried before. I know you couldn’t help it, I just… I’d really rather get this done sooner rather than later and be able to know that you’re safe,” Ariana explained. That feeling of waking up alone in the woods and realizing he never made it had gutted her. It was hard to shake the image of his lifeless body from her head and it had haunted her nightmares more than she would ever admit. She breathed deeply and reassured herself this was going to be okay. Ace was going to be fine and she’d be able to guide him through being a wolf. It was easier to smile again at the mention of them doing some mixed media pieces together. One day, it’d be a reality. She could see it now, them working together in a small but cozy workshop making wooden and clay pieces that complimented each other well. She could practically smell the sawdust and clay in the air and she couldn’t quite think of anything more peaceful. “I’d love that. Working on stuff together sounds great. It’s kind of… well, thinking about a time where we can actually do things like that together is pretty happy. I can’t wait to see some of your stuff, too.” There was a hint of wistfulness to her tone though her features brightened a bit. Especially when seeing Ace so happy about the spread she brought. Sure, he was right she didn’t have to bring them a bunch of food, but somehow taking care of him, at least in this small way made her feel a little more at ease until she could make sure he was safe permanently. “I know, I know,” she responded with a laugh, “I wanted to though. One thing you’ll learn once you’re a fellow wolf is that I like to take care of people I care about.” As they both became a bit more serious, she patted a hand on her shoulder. “Hey,” she started softly, “It’s not your fault and I’m really just glad you’re actually okay. That’s good-- Celeste never-- It’s supposed to mean you’re at peace. I don’t want you to die, but like one day very far away from now when you do, I want you to have peace. Yeah, the funeral was kind of-- I didn’t know the wolf that died, but wanted to give them a proper send off, ya know?” 

Now he had said it, Sammy couldn't stop thinking about it. He'd still do most of his stuff with Lydia, he wanted to help her, and she could have all the credit she wanted, Sammy didn't mind. He wanted to help her. He would do anything for her. But  maybe, occasionally, he could meet Ari and they could make things together. Make it cool. "Yeah- it makes me happy too. I bet your wood work is amazing. I can't wait to see it." In this forest, though, all good things had to come to an end. It is my fault, the protest died on his lips. There was no point in arguing over a little thing like that. "I… before all this, I had kind of accepted that I would die, soon. It sounds… morbid, but I was okay with that. So I think… I think I would just want to move on, you know. Join some of my family." He wrapped an arm sideways along her shoulder, gave her a squeeze. "But that's not happening, okay?" He smiled softly. "Yeah. I get it. Someone there to remember them."  He picked up one of the cookies with a smile and took a big bite out of them. "Oh my god," he moaned, "you have no idea how long it's been since I had a cookie."

As much as she cherished their nights in the forest together, Ariana couldn’t help but daydream about seeing Ace during the day. Sunlight peeking through the window in a workshop and relaxing music playing in the background. Maybe even with his company, she could stomach going back to Al’s and having the breakfast special she used to love so much. The thought of it was enough to keep her pushing forward. “You’ll be seeing a lot of it soon enough. I can’t wait to see some of your pottery… not that you’ve told me that’s what you do. You just always smell like clay, which is kinda earthy and comforting,” she explained with a small smile. It was hard not to frown when Ace mentioned he had pretty much accepted he was slowly dying prior to all of this. She supposed it was a pretty hopeless situation before she came along. “I’m glad you don’t anymore because I’m not letting that happen. Still, when you do die, a very long time from now might I add, I’d want you to be at peace. From what I understand, it’s not good to stick around as a ghost for too long,” she responded softly and leaned into him as he gave her a comforting squeeze. “You’re right,” she agreed, finally feeling content. “Exactly, there’s a certain sense of connection you feel with other wolves. I think you’ll get it once you’re one, too.” She took a cookie herself and took a bite. She laughed a bit. “Glad I could provide. I’m not much of a baker, but chocolate chip cookies were Celeste’s favorite so I got pretty good at making them.” 

“I do, do I?” Sammy replied with a smile, instinctively smelling at his hoody. He couldn’t smell it, but he believed she could. He spent all day and some nights working on the clay, it was probably clogging up his nose too. “Yeah. I’m not afraid of it either way, but I’d like dying to be a long time away.” He replied, holding her close. When she described her pack feelings, he couldn’t help but smile. “I can’t wait to be part of something like that.” He’d always  been a bit of an outsider in his own family. Not that anyone treated him bad, just that he was the one non-slayer in the family, he hadn’t done the training or the night time hunts, so it had just been different. Not that the family would love him being a wolf, but they’d be okay with it. They’d just be happy to see him again, right? Right? “These are so good. If I died right now I’d be such a happy man, Ari. I can bake a mean banana cake, you know. It’s like, my only culinary skill.” 

“You do,” Ariana responded with a soft smile painting her features. All she wanted was to share more moments like this exact one with him, but without that nagging fear present in the background. It was so close to being in her reach, that she almost wanted to bite him now. That’d be too long away from the moon though. “A very long time away,” she added, “I’ll make sure of that.” She hoped like hell she could live up to that promise. She needed to live up to that promise. She wasn’t about to lose Ace so shortly after losing Celeste and Winn. There wasn’t a chance in hell she’d just let Lydia slowly kill him the way she had been or otherwise. Soon, he’d have a pack. “It’s-- some of the wolves can be a pain in the ass sometimes, but we always have each other’s backs. I think that counts for a pretty big something.” She relished in the feeling of being close to him, hearing his heartbeat, knowing he was alive and mostly well. Seeing him so happy over the cookies she made only furthered that warmth. “I’m glad you like them, though I’d argue the longer you stay alive the more of my homemade cookies you can have. Plus, now that you’ve mentioned it, you have to make me one of those banana cakes,” she responded with a playful nudge. Being here, finally joking with him again, was the best she’d felt in weeks and she intended to take advantage of their time until the sun threatened to rise yet again. Sleep be damned, some things were worth losing sleep over.