Work Text:
Kieran
Today is our anniversary, apparently.
That's what Mason decided anyway.
He had been really excited to celebrate our anniversary back in senior year of highschool and was crushed when I pointed out that our relationship started as such a mess that there was no obvious anniversary day. What would you pick?
The day that he asked me to be his boyfriend- before we broke up later? The day we got back together, you know, the anniversary of the day I killed my brother? The day we had our first date even though we'd been together for months before that? The first time we kissed even though I still hated him and we argued and hurt each other for weeks afterward?
It was quite the problem. I left it up to him since he cared more. He eventually chose to go with Halloween, the day that I finally admitted my feelings for him and he finally knew he'd won me over, even though it was barely the midway point in the uphill battle towards our domestic bliss. I agreed to it, after accidentally causing him a minor meltdown when I pointed out that technically we hadn't kissed until after midnight that day, making it November 1st.
In the end though I'd had to give in, the irony of it was too good.
Vampire and werewolf have their couple's anniversary on Halloween.
Now he said he was coming tonight, Friday, after classes to spend the weekend at the apartment that Marcella and I shared. Cella said she would spend Saturday night at her parents but she wasn't going to leave until the morning which was fine with me. It wasn't going to be a big thing, I didn't know why Mason couldn't just wait until Saturday morning to come anyway. He was just so sentimental about stuff like this and didn't want to miss the actual day.
I was sitting at the table with Marcella while she ate a late dinner, it'd been hours since Mason told me he was on his way so I was expecting him any minute. I put my phone down to turn my attention to Cella. She was eating a bowl of ramen, I was intrigued and disgusted by the texture of it but it smelled too gross to try.
"K. I hate it when you watch me eat." She had paused with her fork of wobbly, dripping noodles mid air.
"Honestly I hate it too, I just can't look away. It's like a car crash. They look like underwater ocean worms. Or wet doll hair. Or like-"
"Please leave." She interrupted coldly. I snickered and stood up.
"Mason should be here any minute. I'm gonna go walk him up."
"Watch out for Lulu."
"That's why I'm walking him up. Lulu's got nothing on me."
"Oh yeah? One wrong move and Lulu's got your nose."
I sat on the stoop until I saw him pull up. He hopped out cheerfully, slinging his duffle bag over one shoulder as he jogged up to me.
"What's up bro?" He was reaching out to hug me but I shoved his arms away.
"Bro? Who the fuck is bro? I'm not cool with being bro, try again."
"I'm sorry! It just slipped out! It's a habit." He whined expecting me to move on.
"Gross. Try. Again." I crossed my arms so it was clear that there would be no hug.
He gave me a wide smile and set his bag down. I immediately prickled with suspicion, he tugged at my wrist until my hand came untucked and then he clasped it theatrically in both of his.
"Kieran, I have struggled in vain and I can bear it no longer." His expression changed to one of sorrowful desperation and he spoke with exaggerated passion, "These past months have been a torment. I came here with the single object of seeing you, I had to see you. I have faught against my better judgment, my family's expectations, the inferiority of your birth by rank and circumstance, all of these things I'm willing to put aside and ask you to end my agony, I love you, most ardently. Please, permit me to greet you with a kiss." At the end he closed his eyes and bowed his head to signify that he awaited my response.
He was sickeningly cringe. I narrowed my eyes trying to remember where I'd heard this before. Then it came to me, a movie Marcella had insisted I watch with her.
"Who showed you Pride and Prejudice!?" I was reeling with confusion. He lifted his head with a massive shit eating grin.
"You forgot, I was in theater all of highschool. One of my pre reqs was film lit." I certainly did forget, it was one of his personality quirks that tended to blindside me. Or anyone that knew him really. What kind of fuckboy jock can quote Pride and Prejudice?
"But why did you memorize lines from it?" I insisted.
"My love, why did you recognize it?" He had me there, I was out of comebacks.
"Alright fine, you've earned a kiss hello on our anniversary, even though you picked the rudest proposal of the movie to quote." He laughed triumphantly.
Mason followed me inside but stopped abruptly on the stair,
"What is going on with the bad vibes in here?"
"That would be Lulu, the demon dog. If you listen you'll hear her labored breathing as she tries to peel her apartment door off."
"Is she a dangerous dog?"
"Apparently it bit the shit out of the weed guy that came by. There's still blood on the carpet, you can probably smell that." Mason scowled.
"I hate that you guys live here. Why did you pick this place again?"
"Are you aware how expensive things are?"
"Doesn't your dad have money?"
"Maybe I don't always want to use his money."
"Wow." He shook his head but he knew arguing wouldn't change my mind.
"What's up, Cella." Mason greeted her with a clap on the shoulder, barely pausing in his targeted pursuit of the bowl of leftover trick-or-treat candy.
"Oh, no 'bro' for her?"
"Mason!" She gasped, "Did you call Kieran bro?"
"He did. Walks up to me with a 'what's up bro' on our anniversary." Marcella shook her head.
"I just know you spend too much time with football guys. You're going feral over there."
"Well, he is a dog, Marcella. Sadly there's nothing we can do but send him to the pound."
"Ok, that's enough." Mason was sounding defensive, I'd reached his limit and if I kept it up I'd hurt his feelings, which I didn't actually want to do for real.
I walked over to the couch that was all of eight feet from the tiny table in our studio apartment and sat down.
"Come, sit with me you mangy stray." I said it gently, without sarcasm so as not to further provoke him. He rolled his eyes and crossed his arms but came to sit anyway. As he did, he set down the duffle bag and unzipped it, then pulled out a bottle of wine and handed it to me.
"Happy anniversary."
"Oh, how sophisticated of you." I smiled and ruffled his hair.
"Open it."
"What? Now?" I was surprised.
"Yeah, I want to know if you'll like the flavor of this one." I looked away, that was a big ask. He knew I didn't like the taste of any food that I'd ever tried. Marcella gave me a curious look as I stepped to the table to open the bottle.
"Mason, it's not sealed?" Then I smelled it, a familiar, delicious smell. The smell that I believed to be unequalled on earth.
"Mason!" I gasped in shock as I held the bottle toward the light and peered in.
"What is it?" Cella hated suspense, but I was at a loss for words.
"Why would you do this? How did you do this?"
Mason was very pleased and very smug. Cella looked back and forth between us and seemed to put the pieces together. She stood up and looked into the bottle with me, wrinkling her nose. Mason cleared his throat,
"As you know, the werewolves have an on-site personal nurse."
"She agreed to this!?"
"I may have had to bribe her. But yes."
"Mason. This is very odd. This is such an odd thing to do. I don't know if I can drink your blood this way." Marcella at last burst into laughter disrupting my shock. I started laughing with her, and then we all were.