#ethan landry x gnc!reader

[lttllovely]

MOONLIGHT ON THE RIVER | Ethan Landry x Freeman!Reader

Word Count: 2.6k

Summary: You are Amber Freeman’s sibling and a fellow survivor of the 2022 Woodsboro Massacre. Coming to New York, you isolated yourself from everyone, only talking to your close friends. You were shunned and made out to be a serial killer by most in New York, them thinking that you were cut from the same cloth as your sister. But not Ethan. Never Ethan.

Genre: Fluff with some angst. Ethan has a heart, surprisingly. A cold one, at the end of Scream VI, but yeah.

Notes: It's referenced once that the reader is wearing a dress with their Angel costume, but no other gendered terms/clothing are referenced in this. Might write a sequel(s) to this if I feel like it/if demand is high enough. So, if you want this to be continued, let me know. You can even throw me some other ideas/requests for this series/other one-shots and I might write them :)

COMING TO THIS PARTY HAD BEEN A BAD IDEA. The booze was flowing. The apartment was stuffed with so many people that no matter where you turned you were met with a face or pressed against someone else. The rooms were rank with the scents of alcohol and sweat. Everything just screamed “Uncomfortable,” and “Get out,” yet you glumly remained.

Really, you wouldn’t have even gone if it wasn’t for your friends worrying about you. They saw how you only talked to them, never went out to parties, and had generally cocooned yourself from the rest of society. They knew it was because of what happened back in Woodsboro. You had lost so much. Your friends, your sister, everything. But, they wanted you to be happy. To get out there. So, when they begged you to come to this party with them, you said yes.

And at first, the party was fine. Fun, even. You had mostly stuck with Tara, who had progressively gotten very, very drunk. You weren’t one for drinking, however, staying stone-cold sober. You were too paranoid about everything and everyone to let yourself lose focus for a second. And besides, your friends needed someone to bring them back home and nurse them to health.

Hanging with Tara was fun. Freeing, really. You two talked about whatever was on your mind, chatting about the silliest things. You guys complained about sleazeball professors that set deadlines way too early and avidly discussed new A24 releases (including a pointed comment from you about how much Tara looked like one of the leads in A24’s X, which she shook her head at). You made fun of Tara for her obvious crush on Chad; she poked fun at your relationship with Ethan. You told her that there was nothing going on between you two, but she held a knowing smirk that you couldn’t rub off of her face no matter how hard you tried.

But, drinking nothing but water wasn’t great for your bladder. So, you had to leave her to use the restroom. After hearing a brief comment about how she’d “see you soon,” you left. When you returned, however, Tara was gone. It was strange. Tara wouldn’t just leave you like that. Then again, she was shitfaced and might be talking with a literal wall right now.

And she indeed was talking to a wall- well, more like a pole. She was talking to some six-foot mass of curls in a plain white tee—no costume in sight, sadly. His back was turned to you, so you couldn't tell who it was, but Tara seemed to be enjoying the conversation, so you left them be. Besides, you weren’t good at talking with new people. You never were. Plus, you didn’t want to scare off Tara’s new friend.

So, you went to refill your water bottle in the kitchen. Upon doing so, you were eyed by some drunk girls who started giggling. While you couldn’t hear everything they said, the words “murderer,” and “Ghostface,” were enough to shake you. Your head pounded. Everything awful about the party that you had been able to ignore with Tara nearby suddenly was in your face, impossible to avoid. It was all suffocating. You scuttled out of the kitchen, weaving your way through party-goers with several apologies leaving your lips. The girls’ awful, loud cackles followed you, even outside of the party.

This led you to where you are now, sitting on a bench, alone on the balcony. Your feet tap incessantly as you run through a breathing exercise, trying to center yourself. You are nothing like Amber. They don’t know any better. You are fine. Everything is fine. You can breathe.

Suddenly, you hear the door behind you close shut. You sharply turn your head to see Ethan and let out a sigh of relief.

“Hi,” He says. He motions to the bench. “Is it okay if I join you?”

You nod, scooting over. “Yeah, that’s fine,” You reply, your gaze already growing soft and fond. You pat the spot, flashing him a small smile. He returns it with a smile of his own, sitting down next to you.

“What are you doing out here?” You ask, your surprise at seeing him being pretty apparent.

He shrugs, taking a deep breath in. “I needed some air. You?”

You nod. “Yeah, same,”

You two fall into silence. Only the muffled sounds of blaring music and drunken shouts accompany you. But, the silence is comfortable. Neither of you mind it.

Then, Ethan speaks up. “Uh- so, how’s the party been… for you?”

He’s a little awkward with starting the conversation, his eyes not quite meeting yours until after he speaks. You giggle lightly, your eyes crinkling up in a way that makes Ethan’s heart skip a beat. He’s happy to see you with a smile on your face again. He’s even happier to know that it is because of him.

“Well, it’s been… fine,” You reply. He nods, staying quiet. He seems like he wants to hear more, so you continue. “I mean, I got to hang with Tara for most of it. And, it was really nice spending time with her, just us two. It’s been a while since I’ve gotten to be one-on-one with her. Everything feels like a group activity nowadays- which I’m definitely not against. I love it actually. But, it was nice.”

Ethan nods, a smile on his face. “That’s good! That’s really good,”

You shake your head, chuckling. “Yeah, it is.” You agree, “What about you? Has the party scene been treating you well?”

Ethan hesitates, tilting his head. “Uh- it hasn’t been bad,”

Your smile drops. “Oh,” You say, full of concern.

Ethan shakes his head. “Hey, nothing that bad happened. It’s just- Chad tried to get me to flirt with a girl,”

You nod. “Ohhhh, okay. Well, how’d it go?” You ask. While you’d normally cheer him on or hype him up, considering that there isn’t a great ending to this story, you are a lot more restrained with your response than normal.

“Well, she wasn’t interested. She just kind of- shook her head and laughed,”

You still, grimacing. “Shit, I’m sorry,” You apologize.

Ethan shakes his head again. “It’s okay. I don’t think she meant to be mean. Besides, I don’t think anyone’s going to find me very attractive in this,” He says, motioning to his cardboard armor.

You balk at the comment. “Hey! I think your suit is very cool,” You retort, fully meaning it. His suit is cool. It seems handmade yet is super creative and made well. It’s a labor of love.

“You mean it?” Ethan asks softly. He seems surprised, which only hurts you more. What kind of pricks were shitting on his passion projects? This was cool stuff! God, people suck sometimes (a lot of the time, actually, but you were trying to be more positive).

You nod excitedly. “Yeah, I mean, this is cool as hell! You made it yourself, right?” You ask. He nods, confirming your thoughts. “Well, how long did you spend on it?”

“I- uh, I stayed up last night making it,”

You nod, beaming at him. “That’s cool! And honestly, it’s well made too.”

Ethan was practically glowing from your compliments, his smile growing wider.

“Look, if anyone is shitting on your costume, they’re just jealous.” You admit. You turn towards the door where you get a hazy view inside the party. You pat Ethan on the shoulder, getting him to turn the same way. “I mean, look at everyone at this party.” You say, pointing at everyone. “No one put effort into their costumes, not even me. Most people just wore whatever they could find in their closet and are trying to get laid, while you, sir, are an artist.” You say the last line with a chuckle, but with meaning too.

Ethan giggles. “An artist? Now you’re just inflating my ego,” He quips back.

You shrug. “Would that be so bad?” You joke, laughing more. “But I’m being serious. What you’re wearing is cool. No one’s going to care about Jessica’s vampire costume ten years down the line, hell, not even ten days from now. Or mine. But yours is cool. It’ll be something sick to show your kids,”

“Hey, I think your costume is cool!” He refutes. You balk in return, laughing.

“Eth, now you’re just trying to inflate my ego.” You retort. “This is an Angel costume. This dress is from my closet and I had to get the halo and wings from Anika. I didn’t exactly come up with anything groundbreaking here,”

“Well, I think you look beautiful,”

The words leave you speechless. You turn to Ethan, searching his face for any traces of malice, humor, or anything disingenuous. But, there aren’t any. He looks at you with wonder and a gentle fondness that makes your heart ache. His gaze is incredibly gentle, like he thinks that if he looks at you too hard you’ll shatter, yet he can’t tear his gaze from you.

Yours doesn’t leave his either, taking his features in. You haven’t gotten much one-on-one time with Ethan before, always being split apart by a Meeks-Martin or a Carpenter. So, you never get to look at him this close. But, god, he’s beautiful. You’ve always been aware of that, but more so now than ever.

The scenery around you two isn’t anything special, consisting of a few very real (dying) plants strewn around and a few rows of string lights overhead. But, the string lights give Ethan this incandescent glow. Even though you’re the one wearing an Angel costume, he looks like the real deal. A halo forms around his head, and god, okay, maybe Tara has a point. A really good point, actually.

Then, a stray frat guy slams against the door, his alcohol spilling against the door and him with it. Yikes. You both grimace, feeling sorry for him. With bated breath, you two are silent as the guy rushes off. Only after he leaves do you both start awkwardly chuckling.

“And that is why I don’t drink,” You comment, causing Ethan to hiccup with laughter. “Have you drunk at all?”

Ethan hums, shaking his hand back and forth. “Some. Not a lot though. I don’t have a great tolerance.”

You nod, humming. “Fair.”

“How come you don’t drink?” Ethan asks before another hiccup. “Not judging. That’s fine that you don’t. I’m just curious,” He tenses up, fearful that he said the wrong thing.

You chuckle. “You’re fine. I didn’t think you were.” You confirm. He sighs in relief, leaving you awkwardly chuckling. He’s cute. “I mean- I used to. Back in Woodsboro. Not a lot, but I did. But, after… uhm,” You draw out the last word, giving him a pointed look.

“Ohhh,” He murmurs, nodding. Knowing that he understands what you mean, you continue.

“Yeah, that’s why. I’m just… anxious about it happening again. I know that it probably won’t happen all the way out in New York and it’s probably just my own anxiety messing with me at this point, but I just…” You pause for a moment. “I don’t know, I just never want to feel as powerless as I did that night. If it ever happened again, I want to be present. Defend myself and my friends, y’know,” You look to Ethan and he understands, nodding. But, there’s also this strange haze in his eyes. It’s only there for a moment, passing almost as quickly as you see it, but you swiftly forget it. It’s probably the alcohol affecting him.

“No, that- that makes sense,” He responds, swallowing thickly. His gaze leaves yours for a moment, flicking toward the vast jungles of New York. Then it returns to you. “Is that uhm, night, also why you’re out here?”

You pause, sucking a breath in. It makes sense that he saw through your fake excuse for coming out here. Hell, he probably saw you leave the party suddenly and followed you (because he cares, a distant voice in your head says). So, you nod. “Yeah,” You glumly admit. “I- uh, right before I came out here, when I wasn’t with Tara anymore, these girls were… saying things about me.”

Ethan hums, looking at you with wide doe eyes. “I couldn’t hear much of what they said, but words like “Ghostface,” and “murderer,” weren’t exactly markers of anything positive,” You continue. You chuckle darkly, but Ethan can tell that you’re still hurt by those words. They’re fresh wounds.

“I’m sorry,” He apologizes.

You shake your head. “Don’t apologize. It’s not like it’s your fault,” You joke dryly, but you’re a lot less lively than earlier. You’re more dead, stewing in your anxiety again. You play with your hands, rubbing circles into them repetitively.

“Look, those girls don’t know what they’re talking about.” He pipes up. His conviction is so strong that you tear your gaze from your hands, returning it to him. “They’re just going off of Reddit theories. They don’t know you,” He leans in slightly, his voice falling to a near whisper yet remaining powerful. “They don’t deserve to,”

You’re taken off-guard by the possessiveness in his voice, by how sure of himself he is now. This isn’t how Ethan normally is. But, his words are sweet, and assure you that you aren’t anything like Amber. For once, the stupid voices in your head trying to convince you that maybe those Reddit theorists have a point quiet. It’s just you and Ethan, and everything is peaceful. You can breathe, finally.

You smile at him. It’s a genuine, soft smile, speaking volumes for how grateful you are for him. Not just for him being here tonight, but for everything. For being so sweet. So kind.

Then, the moment is suddenly interrupted by Anika storming onto the balcony. Shoving the door open, she grimaces at intruding on the romantic scene but continues. “Sorry to break you guys up, but Tara’s in trouble,”

While at first annoyed by the intrusion, you perk to attention at the mention of Tara. “What? Shit, what happened to Tara?” You ask, worried. You know Anika wouldn’t get you guys if it wasn’t something serious.

“It’s Frankie,” Anika explains, your heart dropping. Shit, you shouldn’t have left her alone at this party. If you had known she was talking to Frankie, there was no way you would have left her alone with him. That guy was a serial creep and freak. You quickly thank Anika before exiting the balcony, pushing through the drunken crowd. Ethan tails you, with Anika following behind.

“He’s taking her up the stairs!” Anika yells. Once you three reach the stairs, that’s when you get a front-row view of the night going from 0 to 100 in terms of batshit craziness. One second, Chad is talking to a handsy Frankie dragging Tara up the stairs, the next, Chad is fighting him, then Sam is tasing Frankie in the balls.

You gape at the sight, seeing Frankie finally get the beating he deserves. Looking at Ethan, you awkwardly chuckle while he grimaces, almost feeling bad for the guy. Almost. Grabbing Ethan by the hand, you drag him away from the scene of the crime. And, if he’s struck silent for damn near the rest of the night because of you holding his hand and not the preceding events, that is only for him to know.