#whereas he definitely has quite the soft spot for Arianna

[victorluvsalice]

Merry Christmas Squid!

@gaydragonwizards You said you wanted any story I wrote to feature Beckett, and then later added that it could also involve your OC Arianna (in her Malkavian VTMB Fledgling form, obviously) and that you'd prefer it to be chill. So here's something with Beckett and Arianna hanging around the Rodriguez house, having a spontaneous muse about their adopted sire/childe relationship. :) Hope you like!

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“You know, I never really considered myself ‘father’ material before I met you.”

Arianna blinked, looking up from her book. “That – came out of nowhere,” she commented, raising an eyebrow at Beckett as he hovered near her chair.

“I suppose it did,” Beckett allowed with a chuckle. “My apologies – unfortunately for you, it appears I am feeling sentimental this evening.” He glanced left and right. “Perhaps because Melody isn’t around to spray paint me out of my mood.”

Arianna snorted. “They don’t tolerate mushiness well, no,” she agreed, setting her book down and turning to face him properly. “But neither do you, most of the time. What brought this bout on?”

“I’m honestly not sure,” Beckett admitted, leaning on the back of the chair. “Perhaps the phase of the moon is tugging at my humors, imbalancing them in favor of the phlegmatic. Perhaps the blood I feasted on earlier tonight had a maudlin taste to it.” He smiled. “Or perhaps I just looked at you and thought, ‘why would she ever want me as a father figure?’ Which then led to ‘well, since when have I ever wanted to be a father figure?’ Which led to my comment in your general direction, and that to here.”

“I see.” Arianna smiled back at him. “Well, if you want an answer to that first question, it’s pretty simple, honestly – you were one of only a handful of Kindred who was consistently nice to me. I mean, you were also deeply sarcastic, yes, but...you also seemed to enjoy talking to me. Asking me questions and actually listening to my responses. I felt like almost nobody listened to me when I first got dragged into this life. And I really appreciated that you actually came with me to sort out what happened to your friend Scott, instead of just leaving it all on my head.” She grimaced. “I would not have enjoyed taking on that Lasombra hiding out beneath the library alone.”

“Frankly, I wouldn’t have enjoyed it either,” Beckett said, grimacing. “Lasombras are not to be trifled with – my occasional traveling companion Lucita is an absolute terror when she’s enraged. I wish she’d been with us when we were fighting that would-be cult leader. She would have made short work of him. And probably lectured us for getting in over our heads in the bargain.” He shook his head. “And while my friends would happily bend your ear for hours telling you all the ways I’ve nearly gotten myself killed, I didn’t want you to get killed by whatever we found. While I’ve always been impressed by your ingenuity and ability to get things done, I was well aware you were still only a fledgling. And one without a sire to help smooth the transition, thanks to Sebastian and his beheading-happy ways.”

Arianna chuckled faintly. “I know...though given how I was Embraced, I doubt he would have been much of a sire,” she added with a scowl. “I just consider myself really lucky that Bertram Tung was willing to share what he knew about the clans and the sects. And that Annabella was waiting for me when I was finally allowed back Downtown. And that I stumbled across Alice and Victor pretty early in my unlife. I’m not sure I would have gotten as far as I did without Alice watching my back at a few key moments. And don’t even ask how I could have gotten the sarcophagus back from the Giovanni without the Hawkes and that one friendly mage giving me a hand there.”

“Oh, I’m sure it’s not as bad as all that – you would have figured out something,” Beckett said, smirking. “After all – your neck was literally on the line at that moment.”

“Don’t remind me,” Arianna muttered, rubbing her neck. “And I don’t think any plan I had to execute on my own would have gone nearly as well. The point is, I did a lot better with help than on my own, and you being willing to help me out – multiple times – really endeared you to me.” She smirked back at him. “Granted, I don’t know if your sense of humor helped or hurt.”

“I’ll have you know that I’m the funniest Kindred within miles,” Beckett replied with a grin. “But if I must be serious, I was happy to help you – and not just because I too was eager to get a look at that sarcophagus and figure out what was inside. I simply – liked you. I knew how it felt to be thrown so suddenly into this world without the slightest idea what had happened – thank you so much, Gangrel Embrace traditions,” he muttered. “And I knew how it felt to have someone find you and take you under their wing. Not to mention, the way you looked so horrified about facing Sebastian all on your own after the museum...I couldn’t help but feel at least vaguely protective of you. Enough to help vouch for you. And then our paths kept crossing, and as I got to know you more, I got to like you more. Until...” He waved a hand to encompass the room. “Here we are.”

“Here we are,” Arianna agreed, tone warm. “And I like where we’ve ended up.”

Beckett smiled and nodded. “I do as well.”