Honeyed Hues Light Up In Surprise , A Gentle Warmth Spreading On Her Cheeks , Smile That Blossoms On

honeyed hues light up in surprise , a gentle warmth spreading on her cheeks , smile that blossoms on her lips filled with genuine affection . brief as it is she notes the way his lips curl as he returns the smile , filing away how well it suits him and damning the place that causes it to be a rare occurrence . . . . noa likes to think she's good at expecting the unexpected but sidney has been a complete revelation . hadn't anticipated him being as receptive as he was let alone going along with her so easily . not when everyone else had looked at her like she was out of her goddamn mind for even thinking of getting involved with something like this . but someone has to . they had after all already chosen their killer , hand picked and groomed by their gossip to be the ultimate villain . who else could it possibly be . the thought makes her blood boil . how they would rather sit in their homes , counting the beads on their rosaries , praying the dead bodies away than make an actual effort to rid their town of the evil they preach about so tirelessly . it's exhausting , but she'll be damned if she ever lets their fears rule her . smile soon fades , and she mourns it's loss with the dawning of too many grim realisations . ‘ i don't see anyone else trying . ’ sharp gaze fixes itself on the crowd behind them as she speaks , words spat with a quiet disgust , frustration evident in her tone . fists balling so tight that sharp nails dig into the soft flesh of her palms . would like nothing more than to march herself right up to them and unleash the fury that lay at the tip of her tongue . but theres no use in arguing with those that can't form their own thoughts , heard mentality pushing them along until the day they die . she would even feel sorry for them if their insecurities weren't squelched only by their constant need to inflict misery on others . fuck them . ‘ ⸻ c'mon . ’ gentle fingers wrap around his hand as he drops his cigarette and stomps it out , pulling him in the opposite direction , away from the prying eyes and death stares aimed at them . she doesn't mean to be as forward as she is but doesn't stop to think about it either , the goal is to get them walking and the only thing on her mind . she lets go as soon as they're out of sight , tension somewhat lifting from her shoulders . his next words hit like tiny little bullets , confirming what she thought all along , not that it makes it any more palatable . ‘ well , they're all cowards . ’ words are muttered with the roll of her eyes and she has to stop herself from apologising on their behalf , he does not need her pity , has made that more than clear and she plans to respect it . silent guilt washing over her nonetheless . ‘ you know you don't have to do this with me though , right ? ’ generously ; giving him an out , and selfishly ; hoping he won't take it . but it is the least she can do , realising he might only be offering himself along for the ride because he thinks she could end up on the victim list of their very own town terrorising psychopath . which isn't all that crazy or farfetched . ‘ i do however love terrible ideas . . . . and really hate wading through shit by myself so . . . ’ soft laughter flows from delicate petals , smile quirking her lips once more .

…             there was a flicker of amusement that crossed his features as he continued listening to her words, barely noticeable but it was there nonetheless. if nothing else, she was good at keeping him on his toes : didn't make him trust her yet, but it was enough to keep him listening. for the most part, sidney was just glad this didn't devolve into some desperate, overbearing plea for forgiveness to cleanse a guilty conscience. god knew the evangelists of their town were perfectly capable of such dramatics if they thought it would save them from damnation. the corners of his mouth twitched up a small smile, brief and fleeting, as he considered her little rant about mr. stevens ⸻ an image of that cookie-cutter white picket fence family man brandishing a bloody knife almost too absurd to entertain. but sidney couldn't dismiss her. stranger things had happened. ❝ jesus christ, you're really going all in on this, huh ? ❞ he finally muttered, shaking his head as the cigarette dangled loosely between his fingers. there was an edge of disbelief in his tone, and something else in there. perhaps a touch of respect. i intend to find out. it might just get her killed : but rather than telling her to quit while she was ahead, sidney couldn't deny his own curiosity. ❝ nah, no one immediate comes to mind. but i've got my suspicions. ❞ said with a careless shrug, but there was gleam in his eyes that suggested he had been thinking about this way longer than he'd care to admit. ❝ thing is, most people ' round here love to play judge, jury, and executioner. easier to blame someone else than look in the mirror. ❞ he didn't feel any sympathy for the killer, but he could see why someone would snap in a place like this. everyone got their mess and fuck-ups, but no one ever took accountability for why things were the way they were here. sid took one last drag before letting the cigarette fall to ground, crushing it underneath his shoe as he stared at the group of whispering assholes pretending they were any better than him. ❝ they wanna believe it's me ' cause it's convenient. gives ' em a neat little box to put their fears in. ❞ sometimes he wished he was the terrible monster they thought he was. but now there was someone standing beside him, willing to dig, to pull back the curtain and the mess for what it really was. that ⸻ that was worth something. he met her eyes once again, a wry smile tugging at the corners of his lips. ❝ if you're really serious about figuring shit out, ❞ he started, tone shifting as if he was conceding, as if noa was forcing his hand, albeit doing this on his own volition. ❝ then i guess we're both gonna be neck-deep in shit before long. ❞ a terrible idea that could get both of them killed, but at least she would have a better chance of survival if he was there to take the hit. he probably had less to lose, after all. ❝ could be fun, i guess. ❞

‘ what can i say , it's why you love me , right marcus ? ’ brow arches as the brunette smirks , shaking her head at the cocky grin he wears so well . ‘ i would give you another go but i think i've fed your ego enough for one night . ’ she teases , but the ache in her leg lets her know it well and truly is enough , but her smile never falters . eyes carefully follow his hand back up to his face after he pats the hood of his car . ‘ prize ? winner calls it , so why don't you tell me . . . ’ offering only the soft shrug of her shoulders as she steps closer to him .

    “ you're just so charitable, morgs. i admire that. ” he leans against his own car, basking in such a harmless victory. “ however, i'd love to see you lose again. you put up a good fight, especially with the unprofessionals. ” marcus flaunts his lack of training, knowing damn well his record of being pulled over is near criminal. burly hands pat the hood of the vehicle, unable to wipe off a cocky grin. “ so what's the prize, miss formula champion? ”

covering up a murder together is such an underrated form of intimacy

confusion etches itself into her features , brows knitting together and mouth opening to say something , anything about his ill timed observation but she can't even seem to formulate proper sentences anymore . the chaos of her mind and the inability to fathom how the fuck this could have happened sending her into a downward spiral . wants to agree , it shouldn't be hard to forget someone who's broken her heart , completely shattered it , in fact . but the truth of the matter is , it does not change the way she feels . . . she was going to marry him . it might have been fun and games to him but it was real for her . how could she have been so blind . heart beats in her throat , bile rising at the idea of her fiance fucking other women in their bed . gaze fixes itself back on cedar , and she feels like she's losing her mind . the way he's acting almost as if trying to convince her of something even he has a hard time believing . ‘ no . . . no , don't give me that shit ⸻ say what you really want to say . ’

"well, if i were in your shoes, i’d probably feel the same way." it was certainly not the sort of comment one should utter in a situation like this, and cedar was all too aware of it. he felt an urgent need to divert his gaze for a moment, escaping the weight of his own words. "at least we can say it’s not hard to forget someone like that, right ?" as he settled into his chair, the realization that he’d once again put his foot in his mouth washed over him. though he wasn’t typically known for his eloquence, he was now navigating a particularly tricky tightrope—he had to conceal the fact that he was the one that sent those messages. in an attempt to project an air of detachment, he exaggerated his role as a mere bystander, further entangling himself in awkwardness. "i think i’d better just keep quiet and listen to you."

concentration is completely shattered the moment she feels him there . been reading the same page over and over again for the past however many minutes waiting for him to speak up . eyes finally lift , and a smile spreads on her pink lips the instant he makes himself known . ‘ fun is reading a stupid romance book on the beach . ’ explanation comes as she turns the book towards him so he can get a good look at the title . ‘ this is homework . ’ it takes all the power she possesses not the roll her eyeballs into the back of her head . ‘ alex has me reading up on slaying techniques . . ’ offence in her voice clear , brow arching at ivan as to say , like i need these . putting the book on her side table , she redirects her gaze to him as he now stands in the soft light of her room . ‘ miss me ? ’ words are gentle , teasing , smile that blossoms on her lips nothing short of sugary sweet.

closed for : @assidvous

he's sat on the window sill , peering into the dimly lit room letting her continue to read her book in peace before he announces his presence . the fall air is cool , spilling in through the open window and his view of her is heavenly --- obscured by lace curtains faded baby pink and the yellow hue of the bed side lamp skewing soft warmth across the soft features of her face . " you're up late . " the vampire muses with a sly grin , tilting his head to peer at the book title in hand . " anything fun ? "

shit eating grin makes it's usual appearance , barely holding back the amusement in his eyes as she blinks at him , wide - eyed and unsure . it's never the plan to get stitched up . ‘ i know you hate the blood , but don’t worry about that . i'm walking away without a scratch on this one . ’ voice is low , calm and confident as ever , he’s said it a hundred times before . reaching out he gently tucks a strand of her hair behind her ear . it's a sign of reassurance because it's a lie , a bold , blatant and quite frankly obvious lie . and he knows she knows this too , but smile on his lips say trust me . she definitely shouldn't .

isabella blinks at him , rather stupidly like someone should apply the cartoon sounds over every time she batted her lashes . " oh ... that's a lot . " it took her aback , it didn't sound that bad when he was talking about her not long ago but she wasn't certain if questioning him ever worked out in her favor . " if you want me too . i want to support you but you know all the blood . " she hated it , she hated the blood and the bruises , always gasped too loud when he took a hit but she still went every time . " i won't have to be stitching you up if things go wrong will i ? "