After Dark

[valerie_vause]

Things unravelled in the oddest of ways. Everything that had happened since she’d gotten to UNLV had been quite unusual. With so many different things happening Valerie had pulled away, secluded herself and thrown her focus into school and patrolling. Not that it really helped, because Brian was there in her thoughts, just under the surface. Reminding her of the dangers that being with him could lead to. The fact that there was a Watcher where she spent her daylight hours unnerved the blonde and she had to wonder if the woman would be against her seeing anyone. The Council liked their girls to concentrate on the supernatural entities. Then something happened, a change began to take place as she came to the conclusion that since Rhiannon also patrolled, taking a night off wasn’t a crime.

Valerie had felt the anxiety shift to something else, not anger, but a restless energy that she turned into purpose. Her entire life since she’d been called had revolved solely around her duty. Time for a change. Time for her to get a life of her own. Gathering up a few things, gum, wallet, keys, the blonde hesitated and turned to open the mini fridge freezer. Fingers caught the thin metal case she’d kept under the ice cube tray and slid it into her back pocket. All in all it was a bit bigger than a pencil case, half an inch thick, with a little clip to keep it locked.

She strode out of her room and through the dorm before it occurred to her that she hadn’t changed. It doesn’t matter. The voice in the back of her mind said, and Valerie nodded and continued onward into the night. Jeans spattered with paint, torn in places, and streaked with blood from accidents happening in patrol. After a few washes the dried crimson had turned orange, and most people chalked it up as some sort of paint or that she’d wiped pasta sauce down them. Blonde hair was hidden by the hoody, underneath it a clean t-shirt sported the same kind of artistic abuse as her jeans.

Legs might have been short but they carried her at a fast pace, and within half an hour she’d managed to walk straight to Brian’s apartment building. Valerie tilted her head back to take a good look at it, street lights casting it in a pale glow that seemed to emphasize how old it was. Small chips and cracks could be seen, the faintest hints of moss clung in sparse patches further up, and she splayed a palm against the bricks to feel the rough texture. Old, but oddly beautiful. Both hands lifted then to push the hood down as the blonde took in a slow breath and checked her watch. Nine at night wasn’t that late to show up unannounced, was it? Only then did she realise he might not even be in. Why hadn’t she called? Oh, right, fear.

Shaking herself out of it, Valerie gathered herself as best she could and knocked three times on Brian’s door. If he didn’t answer at least she’d followed through on her impulse, and that was better than nothing.

Comments

[brian_campo]

Brian was sitting on the beige shag carpet that stretched across his living room floor. He scooted up to the arm of the couch to give his back a break while he dug through a sheaf of paper dotted with sixteenth notes, sharp signs and time signatures. In places, his eraser had dug holes in the pages.

A record played on a corner table and a ceiling fan turned lazily overhead. It was a feeble attempt to keep his electric bill down. At least it stirred up the air.

“My night was made, with some drinks and shade, out in the vacant place, far from the human race...” As he sang along, Brian kept his voice low so his neighbors didn’t have to suffer and drank rum and coke out of a plastic cup.

Knock, knock, knock…

He looked at the door. “Hang on,” he called. Probably the building supervisor coming to check out the leak under the kitchen sink. He tossed the papers on the coffee table and grabbed an old tee shirt from the armchair. Once upon a time it had been black, but it looked more like charcoal gray these days. He sniffed it. It smelled more like fabric softener than him, so he figured it was clean enough. He tugged it over his head.

“Locks,” he said through the door. “Lots of locks.” When he finished turning the knobs, he opened up and immediately regretted the sweatpants he was wearing, and the very real possibility that they had a hole in the crotch.

[valerie_vause]

“I spent a few years in England, for…” Why even consider a lie, he knew so much already that she felt like he wouldn’t freak out. “Training, when I was called, that’s what they call it. A chosen one is called into duty to blah blah, anyway they were very stiff upper lippy and didn’t like swearing so I substituted a lot and they sort of stuck.”

Comfort washed over her when he moved her hand away, and she added with a slight grin, “So fraggle is my version of fu-” Valerie faltered as he got onto his knees between hers, lips parting along with her legs as he tugged her to the edge of her seat. “Uhm…” Stunned by those three little words it became evident to the blonde that she felt the same, if the sudden heat that flared through her veins was anything to go by.

Silence lingered as his hand caressed her back, Valerie’s mind conjured up various images all because of how they were in that moment and a small stuttered breath was taken in. Exhaled as hushed, flustered whimper. Should she run her fingers through his hair? Put her feet on the table? Scratch the base of his neck and shoulders? Brian’s question snapped her back to reality and she felt herself turn scarlet, “I wasn’t you were! I mean no! Nothing. I wasn’t thinking anyth-... Wait, what was the question? Oh right, I’m…”

She paused, chewed on her lower lip and attempted to control her body temperature. “Living my life, the way I want. That’s what I’m doing with you.” There, she could be coherent, sort of at least when her mind didn’t wander.

[valerie_vause]

Muscles moved under her hands, tensing and relaxing beneath Brian’s skin as he moved with her. Valerie was caught between admiring the strength it took to hold himself up and wanting to feel him crush her in an embrace against his chest. The question hit belatedly, a wicked grin blossomed to life as she gazed up at him. “Oh, I can do better.” She teased back breathlessly. Dark hair tickled her forehead as he leaned down, Valerie brought one hand up to brush it back with her fingers, let them delve into the thick softness then down to clasp the base of his neck. The blonde exhaled a moan when his tongue teased at her mouth, her own seeking Brian’s to flick against, then he was hovering above her again. All dark hair and eyes so deep she could swim in.

Valerie cocked her head when he took her hand and said only one word. Now released her leg hooked over the back of the couch. It took her a moment to focus, did he mean here as in that particular spot or here you can touch me more? Perhaps a mixture of both, she certainly wasn’t complaining as palm glided across skin, feeling taught muscles, a slight patch of whispery hairs that tempted her fingers to follow it south. She splayed her hand against his abdomen, stilling herself as her other hand moved from his neck to trace the band of ink on his arm, then over to the heart so intricately designed on his chest.

“What do they represent for you?” The question was soft as the blonde met his eyes. Then the hand on his torso flexed, fingers began to creep through the small slender trail of hair until they met the waistband of his pants. “Do they have stories to tell?” Valerie’s voice was hushed despite how loud her heart beat, and though she didn’t dare push her fingers under the material, she did slide them over it and down the side of his inner thigh.

[valerie_vause]

“You better not, or I’ll bench press you like you weighed nothing. You might even like it.” She wouldn’t, well, probably wouldn’t. Who was she kidding? Where was the fun in super strength if you couldn’t swing someone around or lift them like they were a feather? Valerie didn’t mean it in any kind of emasculating way and would have said so had the small pillow not landed on her face. An indignant, albeit muffled, cheeky sputter of, “I hope you know this means war.” Was stated as the blonde grabbed the pillow and raised it up with the intent to whack him with it, only for fingers to loosen their grip as his hand slipped into her pocket and gripped.

Valerie dissolved into a fit of giggles as the pillow bounced off her head and landed on the floor. Legs thrashed as her upper half strained to put distance between them, as if she could go anywhere once her shoulders hit the back of the couch. “Bri-” Words were difficult when you couldn’t breathe,high pitched too, her face actually ached from laughing but she didn’t want to push him in case he ended up on the other side of the room. Instead she wriggled, snake like, as if slithering up towards the arm of the couch would grant an escape.

It was torture, ridiculous, delicious, sweet horrific torture, and Valerie wasn’t sure if she could take it. Worse, he was actually telling her things she wanted to know, and instead of saying something interesting back all she had to offer was a snort of laughter before her hand clamped across her mouth.