#emmawriteswayhaven

[alwaysanotherooc]

oh, your heart and how it beats (M!Detective/Adam Part 3 of 3)

Rating: Explicit, Mature Audiences only Warnings: Rating is for angst, moderate descriptions of torture, blood, pain, and trauma (but as happy an ending as was reasonable) Fandom: The Wayhaven Chronicles Characters: William Kingston (Detective), Adam du Mortain, Nate Sewell, Felix Hauville, Mason, ‘Murphy’ Pairings: Pre-Will Kingston/Adam du Mortain Description: Despite all their efforts to protect Detective Kingston, Unit Bravo couldn’t have planned for every scenario and Murphy has now finally gotten his hands on his prey. Every minute Adam has to go without hearing the steady beat of Will’s heart drives him further and further into what feels like insanity. Author’s Note: Ok so the timing of this fic is near the end of Book 1, where my Detective Will knows about the supernatural and the Unit is, despite all efforts to the contrary, really starting to care about him.

Part One Part Two Part Three

Adam POV

Will had settled down on the bed, limbs carefully arranged in the most comfortable position, and I was trying to figure out how I got to where I was.

Sitting in one of the armchairs from the living room that Nate had stuffed between the bed and the wall, my legs outstretched on the bed, a book laying forgotten on my lap, Will stretched out diagonally across the bed so his body was close to me, moonlight filtering in through the window and painting him navy blue and silver, his breathing slow and even.

And his fingers, calloused from years of boxing and weights and work, loosely tangled with my own.

His hand was warm in mine, solid, real. I could feel his pulse on my skin, hear it clearly in my ears, and see the flutter of it in his elegant neck even in the dark of his bedroom, but I still couldn’t hardly believe that he was really with me.

Alive, safe, solid, real.

Murphy had never made such a glaring mistake like leaving a victim alive and alone, not to mention a victim with the importance Will surely held now that he was the only human left on the planet with the blood mutation Murphy had been targeting. Murphy had always been careful, exceedingly so.

The only explanation I could think of was that Murphy simply hadn’t been ready to take Will yet, but had captured him prematurely. I was certain that Murphy knew by now that we were watching over Will, and if he hadn’t known before he would by now. So it did make sense for Murphy to have leaped at the first opportunity to take Will.

My fingers tightened on Will’s hand, my eyes tracing over his sleep softened features, letting the sound of his slow, even breathing fill my ears.

Despite what Will’s reassurances, I knew that this was my fault for allowing him to go to the bakery alone. If someone had been with him they might have been able to take Murphy on, or maybe get Will out of there, or just...something.

But as it was I’d failed to protect him, and I couldn’t focus on anything else around me, not the book, not the stir of the sleepy town outside his bedroom window, not the low murmur of the unit talking outside, not anything at all but the way Will looked while sleeping. The way the soft grace of his posture stayed even now, the way his skin looked in the weak moonlight from the window, the way he would, every so often, rouse enough from his sleep to ease himself closer to me.

All of it was proof he was really here.

I had no real idea of how long it had been since he’d fallen asleep, time sort of slipped by me, but certainly hours had passed now.

I was still watching him when his face creased, a small sound caught in his chest. His heartbeat beat a hair faster, and I tried to keep myself from going completely rigid next to him. Human sleep was weird, maybe his dream was exciting and his pulse would even out in a few minutes.

No.

As the minutes passed, his pulse only crept higher and higher, his breathing grew erratic and labored, the acrid scent of fear punching through the pine and peppermint.

He tossed his head on his pillow, a long, pained whine escaping him.

I reached out to him to do God knew what, whispered, “Will?”

His eyes flew open.

For a moment, we both froze solid, staring at one another as whatever nightmare that had plagued Will was swept away by wakefulness.

Then, those honey hazel eyes sharpened to focus on my face and panic bloomed in their depths. The scent of fear only intensified and suddenly Will was wrenching away from me, scrambling off of the bed to crowd himself against the wall on the other side, a choked cry coming from his lips, his heart pounding louder and louder in my ears.

“Wait, Will, it’s me!” I said quickly, remembering that all his eyes could see would be a dark shape hovering over him after a traumatic couple of weeks. I held up my hands and stood, slowly, leaning forward into the moonlight so it could fall across my face like I had in the abandoned factory.

Will, sheets still tangled around his ankles, did not say anything.

I watched him closely for any sign of what to do next. Softly, I said, “It’s Adam.”

“Adam.” His voice was weak, and his heart still raced but the panic and fear had started to lessen slightly. “Adam.”

I nodded, slowly. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. You were having a nightmare.”

He shrugged, wincing at the movement of his shoulders, the dull echo of his nightmare in his eyes. “Yeah, I just...I thought you were Murphy.”

My chest tightened, and it was a little harder to breathe through the pain of that admission. The chorus of ‘your fault your fault’ echoing in my head grew louder for a few moments. “You don’t have anything to apologize for.”

Will nodded tightly, and moved to get back on the bed, but with the tangled sheets around his ankles, his no doubt extensive exhaustion, and the loss of the adrenaline from waking up in the throes of a nightmare, he tripped on his sheets and tipped backward.

He knocked his shoulder against the wall behind him in an effort to keep his balance and he yelled out in pain.

I was moving before I was aware of what I was doing, rounding the bed in a flash and pulling Will gently away from the wall and into my arms.

I forced myself to stop, fighting a blush at my actions, stammering, “I, I, I’m sorry, I just…”

But Will only shook his head at me, a curiously desperate look in those endless eyes. His hands curled around my biceps, his thumbs slipping under the sleeves of my t-shirt before he moved closer to me, his eyes searching mine as he asked, “Can I? Can I just…?”

I held my breath for a few minutes, waiting for whatever it was that he wanted from me.

Finally, he managed, voice so quiet I almost missed it, “Can you hold me?”

I couldn’t trust myself to speak, so I only nodded at him, watching the relief in his eyes. I pulled him closer to me, reached down to sweep him up into my arms, murmuring a soft apology at his flinch from jostling his shoulders.

I took him back to the armchair, settled the both of us into it, my legs stretched back out on the bed, Will curled up in my lap and tucked closely to my chest, my cheek against his forehead.

I hoped he couldn’t hear the way my heart was beating.

We stayed like that, silent, unmoving, as Will’s scent and pulse returned to normal.

His fingers started tracing light, shapeless patterns on my arm. “I had a nightmare.”

I hummed quietly to let him know I was listening but didn’t interrupt him.

“I don’t really remember much after leaving the station,” Will began, “but I know I woke up in that room in the factory, right where you found me, head pounding, shoulders aching, and just barely able to keep the feeling in my fingertips.”

His fingers twitched as he speaks, and I traced the crisp white bandages on both of his wrists with my eyes.

He swallowed. “I knew Murphy had me. I wasn’t awake for long when he came in. He told me I’d be there for a while because he didn’t have everything quite ready for me yet. That I should close my eyes because the next part got a little grotesque.”

I stopped the rumble of anger in my chest, made myself remain silent.

Will continued on, voice tight as a bowstring, “I didn’t know what he was gonna do, but he came in with a bucket and poured it on me. At first, I thought it was water, what a cliche y’know? But then I caught the smell…” He shuddered and tucked his head closer to me. “ He said the blood was to disguise my scent so you couldn’t track me, because he needed more time to get everything in place for his final experiment.”

I moved my hand from Will’s back to his hip, my thumb rubbing circles there. A small amount of the tension in his body bled out of him.

“Murphy would, um,” Will’s voice started trembling, “Murphy would leave the room for awhile, and then, when I wasn’t expecting it, he’d come back in and all I’d see was a figure in the doorway and he’d call out and it’d be a perfect mimicry of your voice and I’d think it was really you until he lunged at me from out of the shadows and it’d be...him…”

I held him closer, rocking back and forth ever so slightly as Will struggled to contain his breathing, the salt of tears staining the air around me. I was unable to force any sound out of the confines of my throat. 

I would rip Murphy apart from the intestines outward.

Will took a deep breath, steadying himself a little. “A few times after he poured the, um, blood all over me,” he swallowed hard, “Murphy would come in close and...lick it off of me. Like some B list horror movie villain.”

He was shaking again.

I closed my eyes, moved my arm out from under his knees so I could cup his cheek, leaned away from him to look him in the eye.

Tears had tracked down his face again, his eyes looking far older than they should.

“I’m sorry.” I croaked, “I wasn’t quick enough. I should never have let you go alone. I should have been prepared for this. I should have gotten you back sooner. I should have kept you safe.”

Will shook his head, carefully to avoid dislodging my fingers, and he reached up, grimacing at the movement, to press his hand to my cheek.

My breath stuttered out of me like he’d hit me with a haymaker.

Will’s thumb dragged across my cheekbone as he shushed, “I would have preferred to not have been there, that’s true. But you got me back. Safe and sound.”

A pained noise fell from my lips.

Will chuckled wetly, “Ok, yes, a little worse for wear. But you got to me in time.”

His hand slipped down to my chest, my own hands pulled him closer, closer.

He curled in tight against me, head on my shoulder, whispered against my neck, “Thank you, Adam.”

He was asleep again in moments, much too quickly for me to respond, still struck dumb by him. His kindness, his gentleness, his softness and innate goodness.

His sleep was calm, his heartbeat steady, his breathing even.

He smelled of nothing but pine and peppermint and the hazy edge of slumber.

I closed my eyes, letting my hands trace the warm weight of his form, the feel of his body next to mine forever burned in my mind.

Quiet as could be, too quiet for anyone but myself to hear, I whispered, “Always. Anything you need.”

[alwaysanotherooc]

oh, your heart and how it beats (M!Detective/Adam Part 2 of 3)

Rating: Explicit, Mature Audiences only Warnings: Rating is for angst, moderate descriptions of torture, blood, pain, and trauma (but as happy an ending as was reasonable) Fandom: The Wayhaven Chronicles Characters: William Kingston (Detective), Adam du Mortain, Nate Sewell, Felix Hauville, Mason, ‘Murphy’ Pairings: Pre-Will Kingston/Adam du Mortain Description: Despite all their efforts to protect Detective Kingston, Unit Bravo couldn’t have planned for every scenario and Murphy has now finally gotten his hands on his prey. Every minute Adam has to go without hearing the steady beat of Will’s heart drives him further and further into what feels like insanity. Author’s Note: Ok so the timing of this fic is near the end of Book 1, where my Detective Will knows about the supernatural and the Unit is, despite all efforts to the contrary, really starting to care about him.

Part One Part Two Part Three

Adam POV

As we entered the bathroom and I nudged the door closed with my heel, I heard Felix talking quietly on the phone, and in my head, I calculated the distance from Wayhaven to New York after Agent Kingston’s meeting with HQ tomorrow morning.

Will’s bathroom, like the rest of his apartment, was kept utterly pristine, and I caught a glimpse in the mirror of how out of place we looked there against the white walls.

Suddenly, I wasn’t sure how to proceed.

Will noticed the uncertainty on my face and smiled, a little more real, a little more like himself. “You can put me down now, Adam.”

I nodded, and gently, slowly, set him down, though I kept my hands on his waist until he nodded at me.

He reached for the buttons on his shirt and I turned away, fascinating myself with the wood grain on the door, ignoring the soft noises behind me, focusing instead on the now steady thrum of his heartbeat.

A few moments later, I heard the rasping drag of the shower curtain closing, and Will said, “You can turn around now.”

I turned around with a small grunt of acknowledgment as the shower came to life.

I took one look at the putrid-smelling pile of ruined, blood-soaked clothes and picked them up, opening the bathroom door.

Nate, who was standing in the doorway to Will’s bedroom, looked over at me, his eyes finding the pile of clothes in my hands. I held the clothes out towards him and he nodded at me, taking them from me. He disappeared around the corner, and a moment later I heard the front door open and shut again.

Will heard it too because his heartbeat spiked and he called out, “Adam!”

I shut the bathroom door quickly, darting over to the shower, my hand covering my eyes just as Will ripped it back, his heartbeat pounded in my ears, fear swelled through the scent of his blood again.

“I’m here,” I promised, eyes still covered, “It’s ok, Nate just left for a second.”

I heard the shower hooks squeak against the rod, Will’s breathing easing a little, but not enough.

“I just...” Will’s voice was so soft I could hardly hear it above the rush of water, voice low and distraught and I couldn’t help but move forward half a step in response to it as he managed to continue, “I can’t believe that I’m really here yet. I can’t accept it yet, it seems like you’re too good to be true, and it’s so stupid but every time I take my eyes off of you I’m afraid you’ll disappear.”

“I won’t.” I couldn’t keep the dark severity out of my voice. “I swear, I won’t leave you.”

He didn’t say anything for a few seconds, until, “This is gonna sound really weird and I’m sorry but I just...can I keep the curtain open? I just...I can’t stand...”

He made a frustrated noise. “I can’t explain it in a way that doesn’t sound awful.”

I lifted a hand. “Will, I understand.” I felt back behind me and sat on the cold stone counter of the bathroom countertop. “I promise not to look. I don’t need my eyes to protect you if-”

I cut myself off, scowling to myself at the words that had been about to exit my mouth.

Silence reigned, except for the sounds of the water and Will moving around, of Felix and Mason talking softly outside, Will’s heartbeat returning to normal, the stench of all that foreign blood washing away.

In its absence I noticed that Will’s soap smelled like pine trees, clean and fresh and crisp. I’d only ever smelled it when I was...close to him before, but now it surrounded me, familiar, comforting.

Something was missing from it, though, but I couldn’t put my finger on it.

“Ah!” Will yelped in pain, hissing softly.

I barely restrained myself from darting forward, and I made sure to keep my hand over my eyes and my voice calm as I asked, “What’s wrong?”

Will paused for a second, then sighed, “I can’t lift my arms to wash my hair, and I really want this blood out as soon as possible, and hot water alone isn’t entirely doing the trick. I think some of it got matted somehow.”

There was a beat while I absorbed this information.

Then, Will asked, “I know it’s a lot and you can still say no...but could you...help me?”

I didn’t let myself speak.

‘Why are you even considering this?!’ some part of me screamed. There was a lot of different ways that this could go wrong. Will’s blood tempted all of us on a regular basis, and the acrid smell of the foreign blood was no longer going to serve as a buffering distraction between my senses and his blood.

But it wasn’t even his blood that I was worried about. Not really.

Will was still waiting for an answer.

I nodded, slowly, and he exhaled in sharp relief. As he shut the water off, I reached to the side to pull a towel from the wall and held it out towards him.

He took it from me. A few moments later, he said, “Ok, I’m covered up.”

I paused for a couple seconds, steeling myself before I removed my hand from my eyes.

I locked my eyes on Will’s face and did not let my gaze wander over his deep tawny skin as I stood and came closer to the shower. While he did look much better than he had before, less wild and terrified, more color had come back into his cheeks, it was still outweighed by the exhaustion in his eyes and the hunched set of his shoulders.

Wordlessly, he handed me his shampoo. I poured some into my palm, keeping a firm hold on the thoughts trying to race through my head, as well as on my heartbeat’s quickened pace.

There was nothing to be nervous about.

I set to work, keeping my touch as light and gentle as possible, working my way through the blood snarling his hair. The smell of peppermint mingled with the pine of his soap, and it clicked into place for me.

That’s exactly what had been missing before, the peppermint and pine the perfect complement to each other. Will’s natural scent even reflected the things he used, clean, crisp, cool without being too sharp, rounded out by the warm edges of the blood moving through his veins.

The scent of the ruined foreign blood slipped away as I kept massaging my fingers through his hair, and it was almost too much.

The feel of his soft heartbeat against my skin, the softer puffs of warm breath, the clean and fresh scent of his skin and hair, the rush of his blood under his skin, the way that woven through all of it was the unending, complete and total trust in his sunshot honey hazel eyes.

It was almost too much, all of it, but I couldn’t stop myself from lingering, stupidly, just for a moment, letting my hands glide through the suds on his scalp one more time, take a dangerously deep breath, before I stepped back and turned away from him to rinse my hands in the sink.

My own heartbeat was racing in my ears, my mind stupidly blank even as Will’s heartbeat was finally steady.

The front door opened and closed again, and Felix announced loud enough for Will to hear, “Nate’s back.”

And then, someone walked right up to the bathroom door, knocking softly.

Will pulled the shower curtain closed, and I opened the bathroom door.

Felix, standing on the other side, held out a bundle of fabric silently.

I took them from him, murmuring, “Thanks.”

Felix met my eyes for a second, studying something he saw there. Then the moment passed, and he grinned, “You two better hurry up or Nate and I are gonna eat all the lemon bars Will made this weekend.”

I rolled my eyes, closing the door.

I kept my back turned away from the shower, listening to a soft thump hitting the floor as the water turned back on.

A couple minutes later, the water shut off again and I heard the curtain open.

I focused on keeping my attention away from the soft sounds of Will moving behind me, blocking out the sensations and trying to preserve some sort of privacy.

Then he sniffed, and then I was uncomfortably aware that he was crying. My hands tightened a fraction on his clothes, but I forced myself to relax.

I cleared my throat and heard him stop moving behind me. “I have some clothes for you, but, uh, Felix got them. I don’t know…”

Will chuckled wetly, little humor in the sound. “I’m sure that it’ll be fine, Adam. Can you hand them here?”

I twisted my body, keeping my head facing away from him and blindly holding out his clothes.

As he dressed, I tried to say, “We won’t let you out of our sight again. Not until Murphy is dealt with.”

A shallow hiccup came from behind me, and Will croaked quietly, “Yeah. I know.”

It didn’t help for past mistakes. But it was true. We knew Murphy was still around and still wanted Will, and that he wasn’t going anywhere. We’d find him, take him back to the Agency, and Will would never have to deal with him again.

Suddenly Will made a loud, choked off sound of pain, and I asked sharply, “Will?”

I waited for a few seconds, before he answered, voice very small, “I can’t put my sweatshirt on.”

I swallowed. “Can I help?”

“Please.” He breathed.

I turned around.

My gaze traveled over his bare chest before I could stop myself, and I was relieved to see that there were no other wounds on his skin that I could see, not even the faintest shadow of a bruise.

Even though it was clear by his physique that he was extremely fit, and I knew that he was a very accomplished boxer, he didn’t exactly look the part, only barely taller than Felix, not quite as broad as Mason, which meant by default that he was quite a bit shorter than me.

He’d never seemed smaller than me before, however, his personality filling up every space he was in, drawing your eye and commanding your respect. But now, standing there, he looked smaller than I’d always thought he was.

My gaze lifted to his face, and I saw the heavy tear tracks that trailed down Will’s cheeks, fresh tears still spilling down his skin, his breathing less controlled, rougher, heavier.

I stepped closer to him and took the grey sweatshirt from his lax fingers, noting absently that it said ‘Brown University Boxing Club Est. 1764’ on the front.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, so very low in the quiet around us.

Will’s eyes darted up to mine. “Hey.”

I couldn’t look away from him, so unfairly beautiful even here, even now.

Will smiled, eyes shining. “I’ve been through worse. I used to be a boxer, remember? This doesn’t even crack my top one hundred injuries.”

His eyes searched mine before he said, voice warm, “I’m not upset with you or anyone else but Murphy. You have nothing to be sorry for.”

I opened my mouth to say God knew what, but Will’s hand clasped around mine, a flinch crossing his face with the movement. “Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine.”

As he blinked, dark lashes fanning across his cheeks, another tear fell.

I wanted to tell him, ‘I can’t stop worrying about you.’

But I didn’t.

I reached up, brushing the tear away, my fingers only barely touching his skin.

He sighed, deep, like it came from his soul, his shoulders just...easing.

I took a half step back and turned my attention to his sweatshirt.

It took a few minutes, and Will was crying more by the time I was done, no matter how gentle and slow I had gone, but he seemed more...secure, somehow. Like putting on his clothes had solidified that he was here, he was safe.

Will swayed into me, saying, “I really am not fond of kidnapping. I wouldn’t recommend it.”

I chuckled quietly, “I’ll pass along your review.”

Will hummed. “Can you help me to my bedroom? I think standing this long isn’t all that good for me.”

“Let’s bandage your wrists first.”

He glanced down at his wrists, then nodded. “Alright. At least I’m getting the feeling back in my hands.”

I picked him up again, just as careful as before, and carried him out to the living room, settling down on the couch the same way we had before, Mason falling into place immediately, an unlit cigarette hanging from his lips.

Nate looked over from where he was staring out the window. “You look much better, Will.”

Felix hummed in agreement around a bite of lemon bar.

Will smiled at them both as Mason started wrapping gauze around his wrist. “I do feel better.”

Felix’s eyes darted over Will’s body. “You’re crying, though.”

Nate frowned at Felix, but Will only sighed. “I know,” he sniffed, wiping at his cheeks with his free hand, “I think it’s the shock setting in.”

Mason switched hands, and Will gave a huge yawn.

“You should sleep,” I said.

Will leaned back against me and he frowned, “I should, but I don’t know how well I’ll sleep.”

He shifted slightly, then admitted, “If I can’t even shower alone, I don’t know if I can go to sleep alone.”

Nate stepped away from the window, opening his mouth to say something.

Instead of letting Nate finish his sentence and say what I knew he was going to say, I found myself offering, “I could watch over you.”

Suddenly, I felt the weight of three shocked gazes, Mason’s apprehensive, Nate’s a hint confused, Felix’s verging on delighted.

Will didn’t answer the idea for several long minutes until Mason had finished wrapping his wrists and was putting the first aid kit back. “I’ve already asked so much of you today.”

I shrugged easily, not finding the words I needed to tell him that it was ok.

He thought, a little longer, then nodded. “Ok, yeah. That’d be great.”

[alwaysanotherooc]

Shock To The System

Rating: M, just in case Warnings: Rating is for language and sexual tension. (It’s probably not necessary but I like being cautious.) Fandoms: The Wayhaven Chronicles Characters: Will Kingston, Adam du Mortain, Nate Sewell, Felix Hauville, Mason, Bobby Marks Pairings: Will Kingston/Adam du Mortain, exes Will Kingston/Bobby Marks Description: Adam is determined not to get close to Agent Kingston’s son. He’s determined to get through this assignment without knowing one thing about him. Nate and Felix think Adam is a dumbass. Author’s Note: So this is my first WC fic, and tbh I don’t have MUCH of a hold on the characters yet, but I’m doing my best, and I think it turned out pretty good. EDIT: 05/14/2018 to fix some mis-named instances and wrong pronouns.

Adam POV

I stabbed a finger in Felix’s direction, practically hissing, “Stop saying that, we won’t be telling the Detective, nobody is telling the Detective anything!”

I was sick of having this same exact argument every time the four of us were alone. This time the argument was happening in my motel room, a somewhat dusty but all too cheerfully decorated thing in the only motel in all of Wayhaven.

The very idea of telling Will - the Detective, anything about the paranormal not only went against direct orders but was an argument that had been settled against no less than five times since Agent Kingston had assigned us as a protective detail for her son. 

A discreet protective detail, as I kept having to remind the other agents, especially Felix, who could never resist a good vampire pun.

“Oh, of course,” Felix rolled his eyes, lips twisting in a mocking smile from where he was perched on the motel armchair, “Because keeping things from humans has always worked out so well, historically speaking.”

Mason, amusing himself in the corner of the room, didn’t look up while saying around the cigarette between his lips, “But that’s what he’s hoping for. See, Adam wants to get the human killed, and then all of us killed as well when we report in to Agent Kingston.”

I felt my blood pressure skyrocket. “I thought you were on my side, to not tell him!”

Mason glanced up, shrugging noncommittally.

Sitting precariously at the small, rickety breakfast table shoved into one corner of the room, Nate grinned at me, eyes twinkling. “Now that’s three votes against one. And tonight, while we’re on patrol, will be the perfect opportunity!”

“I’m not voting for anything,” Mason drawled, “And I’m certainly not voting for telling the human anything.”

Nate deflated a little. “Well, that’s still two votes for.”

Felix made a small sound.

Nate twisted in his seat, gasping dramatically. “Traitor!”

Felix laughed, “Love you too, Nate.”

I rubbed my eyes with my hands. “Nate-”

“No, no, I get it,” Nate sighed, settling his long, gangly body back into his chair. “I still don’t like it.”

“I know,” I said softly.

“And I am gonna continue to fight you on it,” Nate said matter-of-factly.

“I know,” I repeated, feeling my shoulders tense up again at the thought.

“And I am gonna lord it over you when Will finds out on his own that we’re vampires,” Nate’s mouth twitched, his eyes glimmering devilishly.

“I know,” I nearly growled through grit teeth.

I could practically hear the delight Nate, Felix, and Mason were taking in the direction the conversation had turned.

Especially when Nate continued, “Because even Mason’s admitted Will’s pretty damn smart and he has a habit of running into trouble headfirst, and you yourself have even commented that humans have a habit of finding out things that are none of their business, and Will is, after all, a Detective-”

“I know, I know, I know, for the love of - I KNOW!” I snapped at him, my shoulders up around my ears with tension.

Mason chuckled, always delighted at my irritation.

I knew all of that, I did, and though I wasn’t about to tell any of the vampiric vultures in the room, I definitely knew it was only a matter of time before somebody slipped up or Murphy revealed all of himself or Will walked right out - the Detective walked right out and stumbled into a vampire feeding ground by sheer dumb luck.

But that didn’t mean I was going to go against regulations and orders and tell him anything.

A knock on the motel room door interrupted my fuming, and I stalked over to wrench the door open, denting the knob a little in the process. “What.”

A young boy, probably still in high school, dressed in an intensely unfashionable fast food uniform stared up at me in fear, holding out a large pizza box. “Uh, gee, I’m sorry to disturb you, sir, but…”

Awkwardly, the young boy gestured with the pizza box. “Uh, your pepperoni and extra cheese.”

I turned to glare at the suddenly silent members of the room. “Which one of you ordered pizza?”

Felix hopped up, skipping over to the door, “That’d be me, fearless leader,” and he proceeded to grab the pizza and turn away from the door, asking disinterestedly over his shoulder, “Would you mind tipping him, Adam, I’m starved.”

I rolled my eyes, trying desperately not to snarl at him or the innocent pizza boy still waiting anxiously in the doorway. I reached into my back pocket.

And found nothing in my wallet’s usual place.

But of course.

I turned on Felix and Nate, both of whom were completely absorbed in the pizza. And therefore, completely ignoring me, but I could tell by the set of their shoulders that they were both aware of my gaze.

Felix had somehow gotten into the habit of honing his pickpocketing skills on me, and Nate could sometimes be convinced to join in if Felix sweet talked him enough. This was the third time this month one of the two of them had lifted something from me, and I was getting incredibly sick of it.

Very calmly, I bit out, “My wallet seems to be missing.”

I waited, angrily, aware that the pizza boy standing outside the doorway was starting to shrink inwards on himself in fear as I spat, “You two wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, now would you?”

I tried to remind myself that I did love them both, really, but goddamn they didn’t make it easy.

Finally, they both looked up. 

Nate smiled blandly, Felix blinked all too innocently at me and said, “Oh no, did you leave your wallet at the police station again?”

“You know,” Nate chimed in, “I think that’s where it is. I distinctly remember it being on Detective Kingston’s desk right before we all left.”

The kid in the doorway stopped me from invoking divine vengeance by stuttering out, “Oh, no, sirs, you don’t have to worry about it. You gave me a tip when you ordered online.”

Felix’s eyes widened slightly, and he beamed brightly, “Oh, that’s right! Well, thank you, sonny, have a nice evening!”

The kid stood there for a second, staring somewhat awestruck at Felix until he blinked and flushed bright crimson from his forehead to his neck and practically bolted back towards his car.

I let the door fall shut with a loud thunk.

Felix and Nate, who had turned back away from me, did not look up from their pizza. 

Mason had gone back to playing with his lighter, though his eyes darted back and forth between myself and the two busybodies sitting in the room.

I took a deep breath, steadying myself. “Felix-”

“It’s such a shame,” Felix said loudly, covering my words with his own, “that my memory and Adam’s isn’t as good as Nate’s.”

Mason snorted from the corner but didn’t comment.

Nate nodded sagely. “That’s very kind of you, Farah.”

Then Nate turned towards me, smiling cheerfully. “Will you be going back to the police station to collect your wallet before we head out to patrol?”

I thought about answering him.

I also thought, very briefly, about throwing him into a wall. 

Or through one, maybe. 

It wasn’t like it’d hurt him.

Permanently.

Then I turned on my heel and stalked out the door, ignoring the victorious giggling happening behind me.

The one good thing about having to go back to the station at six o’clock at night was that surely Will - Detective Kingston would be home by now, as would almost everyone else who worked at the minuscule station. There was no chance I would run into anyone while getting my wallet.

—-A Short While Later—-

Just as I’d hoped, Douglas was nowhere to be found at the front desk when I walked back into the precinct. As I made my way towards the Detective’s office, I thought about avoiding everyone until eight and doing another search of the warehouse. I knew it was unlikely that we had missed anything, but I’d rather waste time searching the warehouse again than sit around with the unit and listen to Nate and Felix tease me while Mason smoked.

As I neared the closed office door, I finally registered the voices coming through from the office.

The Detective’s voice, low and uncharacteristically angry, as he hissed, “Look, you made your point with the article, all I’m asking is for you to just cool it.”

I paused outside the door, breathing in deep without quite meaning to, and I felt my whole body tense at the acidic mix of anger, panic, and disgust weaving through Will’s blood.

The other person in the room laughed tightly, the mocking sound of their voice raising my guard as they purred, “What would you suggest, keeping secrets from the public?”

“I would suggest,” Will snapped, “that you don’t cause undue panic in a small town, I don’t want to have to deal with the riot that will most definitely happen if you keep publishing stories like this!”

There was the sound of heavy paper hitting a surface and I remembered the hometown paper that Nate had carefully flung at my face earlier that morning, the headline blaring ‘Police Baffled By Murders! Can They Protect Us If They Don’t Know What’s Happening?’. 

If I had to guess, I’d say that the other person in the room was the author of said article, what was their name…

The other voice scoffed. “Only because you can’t seem to do your job, Detective.”

“What are you even here for, Bobby.” Will’s voice was tight with anger.

Bobby Marks, that was the author’s name.

Bobby’s voice was much deeper than before when he replied, “I’m here for you, angel.”

There was a pause, the sound of shuffling feet and a soft thud, followed by a sharp inhaling gasp. 

Will’s scent deepened with confusion and fear, his heart beating much faster.

Before I knew it, I had yanked open the door, sudden righteous fury pushing me forward.

Will and Bobby’s head’s both snapped towards me in shock. Will’s back was pressed up flush against the wall, hunched inwards on himself and decidedly away from Bobby, who was standing completely within Will’s space, leaning in so close Bobby’s face was within three inches of Will’s, Bobby’s hands planted on the wall on either side of Will’s waist.

I felt my face draw together into a positively predatorial expression. “Bobby Marks. Correct?”

Bobby, eyes wide and pulse racing, terror searing through his scent, nodded dumbly.

I looked him up and down, slowly, and when I met his eyes I said, my voice frigid with distaste, “Detective Kingston and I have police business to discuss. You need to leave the premises immediately.”

Bobby pushed away from the wall, stepping back, and I watched as relief flooded Will’s expression, his soft brown eyes sweeping up to meet mine.

I looked away, watching Bobby adjust his clothes before giving me a smarmy smile. “And who are you, to kick out a member of the press?”

I let my expression harden like stone, taking immense pleasure in the sudden paling of Bobby’s face. Very deliberately, I said, “I am Commanding Agent du Mortain, and you need to leave the premises.” 

I took a step forward, edging myself to stand between Bobby and Will.

Bobby’s eyes darted over me, and he swallowed hard.

I glared harder, nearly snarling. “Now.”

Bobby’s eyes narrowed at me, and he argued, “You can’t order me to do anything, Agent.”

My patience, which had already been worn thin, finally broke.

“You have given me no choice but to escort you out of the building.” I snapped.

Will snorted softly in amusement behind me.

Bobby blinked. “Wait, what?”

I reached out, clasping Bobby’s shoulder a little tighter than I normally would for a human and I shoved him forward, ignoring his sharp protests.

I lead him all the way back outside like that, Will trailing behind us, Bobby spitting crass insults at the both of us that fell on my completely uncaring ears.

After pushing Bobby out of the station’s front doors, I shoved him, just a little, watching him stumble towards the parking lot. 

And then, because I couldn’t help myself, I called after him, “Thank you for your cooperation.”

Bobby turned to give me a truly poisonous look before practically throwing himself into his car.

I watched him drive away, tires protesting slightly, not thinking about why in the hell I had just done that.

Suddenly, Will started laughing.

I turned to face him, and all my breath completely left my lungs.

The setting sun was shining on him, turning deep tawny skin burnished gold, his plush mouth stretched wide in bright amusement as he laughed, and then he looked up, those velvet soft eyes punching right through me.

I realized then that his eyes weren’t brown, not really. They were a deep, deep honey hazel color, streaks of green shot through the irises alongside blue and grey flecks. The way the light hit them made them look like some sort of magical gemstone.

He didn’t seem aware of how he looked to me in the sunset, blissfully laughing, he reached out and captured one of my hands in both of his, his palms warm and callused, his fingers slipping between my own.

Will, still laughing, managed, “Ok, look, you probably shouldn’t have done that because the only reason I never have is that he’d write a story on it, which looking at where we are right now is something we really don’t need, but honestly?”

He beamed up at me, eyes shining. “That was the best thing I’ve ever seen in my entire life.”

Will seemed a lot closer to me than he had just a moment before, though he certainly hadn’t moved. His lashes were long, ink-dark against his cheeks as he blinked, his skin flushing softly as he continued to stare back at me.

I could smell the stirrings of arousal coming off of him, his pulse quickening, and I couldn't make myself look away from him, couldn't even begin to think about moving away from him when he was so warm and soft and sweet in all of my senses. 

When he spoke again, his voice was lower, a little rougher. “Thank you, Adam.”

I fought a sudden reaction at the way he said my name.

“For what?” My voice, unbidden, came out just as low as his, and rough like I’d gargled gravel.

The wind blew the front of Will’s glossy black hair, usually worn in a neatly kept undercut, into his eyes, and I was overcome with the desire to reach out with my other hand and push my fingers into that thick fringe.

Will licked his lips, and I couldn’t help but track the movement. “For having my back. Thank you.”

Like a rush of cold water over my body, I remembered what I was supposed to be doing in Wayhaven, that this human was under my protection and was supposed to be kept completely in the dark with all things paranormal, and I jerked away from Will.

I felt the unexpected absence of his body heat like a shock to the system, and I tried to pull my self back together, away from whatever that moment had been, back to being in Commander mode.

Will blinked, confused, like someone waking up from a dream.

I took another step back, finding it both easier and harder to breathe with the distance, though for very different reasons that I wouldn’t allow myself to think about. 

I cleared my throat, saying in an all-too-loud voice, “It’s my job to have your back.”

The confusion on Will’s face vanished, and he nodded, reaching up to push his hair back into place. 

I did not let myself watch the movement.

Will adjusted his blazer, setting his shoulders and body posture back into the posh professional stance I was used to. “Of course, Agent du Mortain.”

I didn’t think about the small disappointment of hearing him call me ‘Agent’ instead of ‘Adam’.

Before the situation could get any more out of hand, I narrowed my eyes at him and snapped, “Don’t be late tonight, we’ll all be at the Town Square at eight-thirty sharp.”

Will - Detective Kingston nodded seriously. “I will be on time. See you then.”

We stared at each other for a moment longer, and then, nearly at the same time, turned in opposite directions and walked away. Detective Kingston walked back into the police station, and I started walking anywhere but where I was.

I realized, suddenly, that I hadn’t grabbed my wallet.

Cursing softly, I kept walking. I wasn’t about to go back in now. I’d get my wallet tomorrow.