Chapter Text
Drift sat on the floor of the living room, sorting through the books on the bookshelf before the front door burst open — she looked back to find Shelby waving a newspaper wildly in the air.
“DRIFT! DRIFT! DRIFT!” Shelby bounded over to Drift, almost running her over in her excitement.
Drift laughed, just barely avoiding being knocked down as Shelby leaned over her holding the open newspaper in front of her. “LOOK!” Shelby grinned ear to ear as she waved the newspaper in front of Drift's face.
“Hold it still! I can’t read it while you wave it around!” Drift laughed, focusing on the paper in front of her as Shelby held it still.
Infamous Orchid killer in custody! — The serial killer known for the orchids left on the crime scenes of victims finally in custody due to the help of Detective Drift.
The Orchid killer, or better known as Julia Hillary was detained the evening of November 20th with evidence provided by Detective Drift on the cold case. Her official trial date is still up in the air but with the case against her she is looking at a life sentence at minimum.
Drift gasped as she read her own name on the front of the paper, in complete awe at her own achievement.
Shelby yanked Drift to her feet and spun her around, “This is a MASSIVE deal! We gotta celebrate!” Their spinning slowed down to a halt and Shelby smiled warmly at Drift, “how do you want to celebrate?”
Drift only had to think for a moment before knowing where she wanted to go — her favourite spot in the city. “I know, go tell Scott to get ready!” Drift ran off without another explanation to change into more appropriate clothes to go out in.
“He's probably already ready!” Shelby yelled back as Drift ran down the hall to her room — it was true that Scott had practically developed a sixth sense when it came to going into the city and looking nice. Always a step ahead somehow.
Drift quickly got ready, not wanting to waste any time as the plans brewed in her head. When she came out of her room the first thing she noticed was Scott already standing at the front door, completely ready just as Shelby had predicted. Shelby blew past Drift to her room to get ready as soon as it was free and Drift made her way over to Scott.
“Did Shelby even tell you we were going out?” Drift raised an eyebrow as she regarded Scott — she's gotten a much more casual tone with him now that she's been living with him for the past bit now — living with him without the constant threat they had faced in Oakhurst that is.
Scott hummed in response before properly answering her, a casual click to his tongue as he spoke, “maybe, maybe not,” — proper answer was a stretch. That was as vague as it gets.
Drift didn't pry further — already aware about Scott's game of stubbornness. It was a losing game for her — she wasn't sure what Scott could possibly get out of being difficult but that didn't stop him.
And he looked smug about it too.
Drift stared at the expression plastered on the vampire's face for a few more moments before a snicker escaped from her. She stuck her hand in his face and shoved it away playfully, “wipe that look off your face! You literally have zero reason to be smug right now.”
Scott chuckled at Drift's reaction while fixing his already perfect hair — by the time any evidence of the scuffle was gone Shelby emerged from Drift’s room wearing a light blue dress — it wasn't as intricate as the red and black one, but it was a beautiful light blue that made her eyes shine ever brighter, and the sleeves were sleeker with less ruffles.
She was beautiful.
“Drift! How do I look? Scott got this one for me,” Shelby smiled, walking over to Drift, looking every part ethereal.
Drift slowly turned to look at Scott, realizing the reason for his smugness. The aforementioned smugness had returned — solidifying Drift's assumption. She was suddenly extremely grateful that she was a vampire; otherwise she knew her face would be very red.
Scott seemed to register this fact, and looked immensely proud of himself.
“Drift?? How do I look?” Shelby reiterated, leaning back into Drift's view.
Drift felt her face grow hot — but she was probably just imagining that. “Uhm, uhhhh, .. you look.. amazing.” She scrambled for words before answering, somehow every word she thought of wasn't good enough to describe how Shelby looked, so amazing would have to do.
Shelby's face lit up and they linked arms with Drift, tilting their head while she regarded her — her eyes softening.
I'm not surviving today, Was Drift's first and immediate thought upon seeing Shelby's look.
“Shall we be off?” Scott cut in — saving Drift from becoming a puddle.
“Yes! Let's go!” Drift chimed — her arm still linked with Shelby’s, she led the way out the front door and down the road.
It was a chilly afternoon — which didn't bother the three vampires in the slightest. The sun shone through the clouds, which were only slightly blocking the light — which unfortunately did bother the vampires.
Sometimes Drift longed to sit and bask in the sun as she had done when she was human — enjoying the way the warmth spread through her living body and offered comfort. But it's been months since she'd turned, so memories like that feel like a fading dream she couldn't quite recall.
And right now she did not want to be in the sun.
Drift turned to glance at Scott with his parasol — highly considering one of her own as the sun's rays crawled beneath her skin. Drift turned forward again, detouring onto the other side of the sidewalk — practically hugging the store walls — so her and Shelby were in the shade as they walked.
“I can't wait for the first snow fall, the sun will be more hidden by winter,” Drift commented as they walked in the shade of the stores to their right.
“Oh yes! That will be nice,” Shelby smiled, looking up at the half cloudy sky. “No more burning in the sun for a while.”
“I honestly don't mind,” Scott chimed in from behind them, resulting in the two fledglings turning to look at Scott, who was still walking on the sunny side of the sidewalk, in the shade of his parasol.
“Of course you don't mind!” Drift retorted back — but as Drift responded to Scott, Shelby seemed to have another idea. Shelby bumped Drift's side lightly with their elbow to get her attention, and when Drift looked, Shelby pointed to the other side of the street.
A man on the side of the road waved down a car and it stopped on the side of the road for him while he got in — Drift immediately understood Shelby's idea.
“Yes!” Drift immediately responded before Shelby could elaborate, lighting up at their brilliance.
Shelby dragged Drift to the side of the road and waved her hand up for a taxicab — it didn't take long before a car turned to the curb and stopped in front of the two.
“What are you two doing?” Scott raised an eyebrow and joined the two, but as soon as he'd reached them Drift and Shelby hopped into the back of the car to his bewilderment.
Drift looked over at Scott, his expression filled with exasperation at the two already.
“Scott, get in!” Shelby called to him from the other side of Drift, beckoning Scott into the back of the car with them. Scott wore the most sceptical look on his face staring at the inside of the car, standing unmoving on the sidewalk — with some coercing he eventually joined them in the back seat, the three all cramped together, Scott's face still twisted into this sceptical look.
The car juddered forward suddenly, and Scott practically jumped out of his skin — upon realizing this he promptly straightened his posture and regained his composure.
But not before Drift snorted at the sight of Scott so disheveled. She sucked in a breath and quickly shut up the second Scott turned his head to glare.
I'm dead, Drift accepted her fate, but just as she was sure Scott would hurl her out the side of the car Shelby chimed in to her rescue.
“Scott! Look out the window, it's so pretty!” Shelby leaned over Drift as she turned Scott towards the window — sneaking Drift a sly smile as she did so.
Drift couldn't help herself but to smile back, mouthing My hero to Shelby as they saved her from a swift end.
In loving memory of Drift, who snorted at the wrong time, would have been a very pathetic headstone.
There wasn’t a doubt that Scott noticed the scheme they had pulled — especially judging by the small smile that tugged at the corners of his lips as he let the matter go that easily.
* * *
It wasn't long before the taxicab came to a halt in front of an array of cozy looking buildings. The man driving turned back to announce their arrival — Drift paid and thanked the man as the three vampires hurried out of the car.
This side of town wasn't as busy, but there were still a good few people around — it was Drift's favourite part of the city.
She reached out and took Shelby's hand in hers, a smile beaming on her face just from being back here after so long — she'd have come back sooner, but there was so much paperwork and work in general that came with ending the cold case she had fled from.
Drift's smile seemed to be contagious because Shelby's face beamed as she took their hand.
“This way!” Drift announced to the two other vampires, leading Shelby down the street and around a corner away from the main road.
“Where are we going?” Scott asked from behind her — following her and Shelby still.
“It’s a surprise!" Drift tilted her head back to glance at Scott while she answered happily — she looked back ahead and made another sharp turn to cross the street, dragging Shelby along.
Drift stopped in front of a cute little building — the outside was a deep wood colour with a large window on the front showing tables on the inside, the maroon awning above the shop door casting them in shade as they walked up.
Drift's smile widened as she pushed the front door open and held it that way for Shelby and Scott — Scott got this look on his face that Drift couldn’t read, maybe this place isn’t his taste, She thought to herself as she let the door close behind them.
She took a look around the cafe she used to visit constantly before Oakhurst. It had pale pink and white pinstriped walls filled with beautiful art pieces and small bronze tables and chairs scattered around. It was quite busy for the size of the cafe — due to the time — but no amount of people could stifle the calm atmosphere that seemed to fill the cafe for Drift.
Drift looked over at Shelby as she walked through the cafe to find a table — odd, she has the same expression as Scott, Drift noted to herself, confusion now beginning to stir up in her thoughts.
She found a table pretty quickly and pulled a chair out for Shelby, “after you,” she smiled warmly to Shelby — their expression shifted to a bright smile as she sat down in the chair pulled out for her.
“Why thank you!” Shelby hummed, smoothing her dress out and looking back up at Drift with a smile that could knock even the strongest person out.
Drift felt her face get hot as that heavenly smile was aimed solely on her — she quickly looked anywhere else in her internal panic, settling her gaze on the floor as she sheepishly replayed, “oh, it's no problem.”
She looked back behind her at the counter then back at Shelby, “okay I’ll be right back!” She quickly made her way over to the counter to order something for the 3 of them — as she went over she caught a glance of Scott almost about to chime in and say something, but Drift had already reached the counter by then.
Drift glanced at the menu briefly despite already having something in mind, “I'll have 3 vanilla pudding cakes please,” she said confidently, a smile spreading across her face as she reminisced over the dessert.
It wasn't long before the desserts were finished and Drift carried them over to her table, “TAA DAAAAA!” she exclaimed happily as she placed the pudding cakes in front of Shelby and Scott.
The two vampires in front of her shared a glance before Shelby sent a soft look in her direction, responding in an equally soft voice that made Drift's unbeating heart flutter.
“Uhm, Drift.. we can't eat normal food, it won't taste good,” Shelby reminded Drift as she sat down with her pudding cake — that must have been what their exchange of looks earlier was about..
Drift averted her eyes from Shelby to look down at her dessert, the reminder hitting like a faceplant in the dirt while she stared at the amazing looking treat in front of her. “Ah,” was all Drift could manage to say of her forgetfulness.
“Hm.. ..” Drift stared at the dessert, debating with herself, “hmmmm,” she picked up her fork — she just couldn't let a dessert this good go to waste.
Plus it couldn't possibly taste that bad.
Drift sliced her fork through the cake and easily scooped it into her mouth.
Oh.
Oh.
It, in fact, can taste that bad.
The awful, ashy taste of the food hit Drift instantly — it tasted as if she'd licked the inside of a chimney and drank a cup of dirt to wash it down.
Scott silently slid Drift a napkin across the table in her moment of peril — she graciously took it and carefully spit the ashy tasting dessert into a napkin and balled it up.
“. . .” Drift sat there, staring off into the distance past Shelby and Scott as if that one bite of food had aged her 1000 years.
“Well at least you won't make that mistake again,” Scott chimed with a chuckle, tenderly patting Drift on the head like he was consoling a cat who ate a nasty house plant.
Drift slowly sunk down into her chair and let her forehead press against the table in despair, “today is the worst..” she managed to mumble through her sorrow and the table — it seemed Scott's dramatics were contagious.
Drift felt a reassuring hand gently press against her back — she shifted her head to get a peak and found Shelby smiling at her.
“Come onnnn, don't be like that, what else can we do?” Shelby asked while her thumb rubbed against Drift's back.
Drift stared at Shelby a few moments longer before straightening up and returning Shelby's smile, "There's this really nice spot not far from here,” Drift suggested.
Shelby suddenly burst up from her seat and hauled Drift up after them, hoisting her to her feet and interlocking arms with her.
“Great! Show us the way!” Shelby smiled so brightly that Drift thought she'd burn to ash on the spot. A hum from Scott interrupted Drift's whirling thoughts.
“You two go ahead, I've got some shopping to do and wouldn't want to hold you up,” Scott chimed as he stood up, looking between the two several times before picking up his parasol to leave. “Meet up at the house,” Scott called back to them as he left — maybe it was Drift's imagination, but as Scott left she could have sworn he sent a sly wink her way.
Weird, wonder what that's about, Drift thought to herself as the door closed behind Scott and she returned her attention back to Shelby.
“Shall we?” Drift smiled at Shelby as she began to walk to the door and lead the way — somehow Shelby managed to look even more stunning as the corners of her smile curved into the cutest grin in response.
“We shall,” Shelby hummed as Drift led her out of the cafe and down the street.
The sun by now was shrouded in a thicket of clouds, completely protecting the vampires from the sun's rays — which was a huge relief for the two who freely walked down the street. The temperature had also noticeably dropped from when they originally left Drift's place.
The ease of everything settled on Drift like a blanket on a cold day — Shelby's side pressed against hers, the mindless hum escaping her companion as they walked in comfortable silence, the familiarity of the walk.
Drift let herself sink into this ease, her steps lining up with Shelby's subconsciously — this is what she wants, this peaceful life with these simple moments.
Something so mundane it could be glanced over and passed without a second thought.
Drift diverted her gaze back to Shelby yet again as she led the way around the corner — there were levels to the city since it wasn't built on a perfect plain and the area was generally very uneven.
The terracing resulted in many spots like this, where there were plazas looking over lower sections of the city — Drift continued walking, leading Shelby along as the two reached the edge of the plaza in front of a railing to look out at the view.
“Oh wow,” a small gasp of awe escaped Shelby as she stared out at the view — the day wasn't a particularly beautiful one with how cloudy it was, but the city scape made up for that in its expansive layout that coiled through the area, and faintly in the distance was the outline of the countryside, where the buildings and houses grew sparse to accommodate the greenery and fields.
Sure, it wasn't the most stunning city — not even close. But it was the city that Drift has grown to love, and sharing that with Shelby and even Scott meant a lot.
“Cool, right?” Drift smiled, leaning against the railing post to get a better look at Shelby's face.
Shelby nodded in response, her eyes following the winding road through the city below. “I’ve definitely never been to a city this big.” Shelby said as she looked around in even more awe, drinking in every detail around them. They'd been in the city for awhile now, but it seemed she was just now seeing the sheer size of it.
Drift couldn't help but smile at the awe lighting up the other’s face — it was something more beautiful than any view.
Shelby's head tilted up to the cloudy sky and another gasp escaped her, prompting Drift to also look up as a cool feeling grazed the tip of her nose — a snow flake, with more slowly floating down after it.
“Oh the first snow fall!” Drift exclaimed, staring up at the slow falling snow as it landed in her and Shelby's hair and on their shoulders — leaving a perfect scattering of snowflakes upon them.
Drift tilted her head slightly towards Shelby to steal another look, just to find Shelby already staring back at her — suddenly Shelby burst into a laugh.
“Huh?? What's so funny??” Drift questioned, taken by surprise at the sudden laughter.
Shelby grinned, gesturing at their nose, “you've got a snowflake on your nose,” she chuckled — Drift scoffed at Shelby's observation.
“It'll melt away on its own,” Drift smiled — but the way Shelby's grin didn't waver told another story.
“I don't think it will!” Shelby laughed again — as she laughed Drift noticed the collection of snowflakes accumulating on Shelby's shoulders and hair that weren't melting. It didn't take long for Drift to figure out why.
“Oh! We don't produce body heat so they won't melt!” Drift yelped out as soon as she realized, a matching grin to Shelby's sprouting over her features — she took Shelby's face in her hands and leaned in close to inspect the snowflakes gathering on their cheeks giving them a beyond ethereal look.
“What's M’s book called again? You're glittering just like you told me his characters do,” Drift remarked as she admired Shelby's snow danced cheeks and her blood red eyes that gleaned at that comment.
Shelby gasped, “REALLY?!” Her eyes sparkled as they outstretched a hand to admire the gleam of the snow flakes in the natural blue tinted light that passed through the brisk clouds above them.
Drift pulled away from Shelby and watched them as they spun while snow gleamed off her skin in a brilliant display that took Drift's breath out of her very lungs — the air in front of her face billowing with frost that danced across her vision as she exhaled.
Time seemed to freeze like the air around her face as Shelby took Drift's
hands and spun her around for a brief moment.
“Does this make up for dessert?” Shelby asked Drift warmly, her hands clasped in hers.
“A million times over.” Drift smiled back like nothing else in the world mattered more.