Do you believe in the monsters under your bed?

[Alva Ren]

None of them were exactly innocent; they had all done things that they weren't proud of. Some of them did worse things than others but as a whole, they weren't quite angels. So for Rae to say those things about Susumu and to judge him even before he met him, when Rae--

When Rae had killed God knew how many innocent people and shifters during the full moon...

It was a little hypocritical. Alva didn't claim to be pure as the driven snow either, and neither was Susumu, but Rae didn't have to go there. He had no reason to worry. Even if Alva kept the curse from him, even if he was seeing someone without Rae present, he wasn't planning on doing anything. He had it handled just fine by himself. The curse, not so much, but everything else was all right. He was getting help for the curse; he talked himself down from those silly schoolboy feelings. A little crush was nothing on how he felt about Rae.

Feeling utterly frustrated--it was like yelling at a brick wall--he turned away from Rae. Ouch. Don't fucking come back, he said, as if this was the final straw that broke the camel's back, not being taken to the library. As if he had the right to carelessly threaten Alva like that. Because that was what it was--a threat. And nobody who claimed to love another person would say that, even at the height of anger. Even as a joke. Even if they were as frustrated as Rae or Alva was in the moment.

Alva was silent for a long moment, staring at a crack in the sidewalk. His hands gripped the armrest of his wheelchair so tightly that his fingers hurt. The words hurt more, though. It really cut him to the core to hear that from Rae. He doesn't really mean that... He's just being stupid. Alva breathed in through his nose but the fresh air felt stale in his lungs.

"Fine."

Stiffly, he eased his chair down the street with shaking hands. They had never fought like this before. Things had never gotten this bad, to the point where someone threatened to break up. Alva didn't know what to do with that. But he knew that he no longer wanted to be here with Rae, not when he was like this.

[Shimizu Susumu]

Where was he? Susumu's gut churned with guilt. Had Alva succumbed to the curse in the time it took to leave his home and arrive at the library? He kept looking up from the alcove where he had chosen to meet Alva, a handful of books stacked in front of him on the pock-marked wooden table. His fingertips ran over the scars and he took in a small breath before exhaling. In his pocket, he had another vial of what he hoped would be a working antidote. This one was more potent, almost dangerously so. The vial was fairly small, about the length of his pinky finger and just about as thick.

Then his phone buzzed and he immediately snatched it up from the table to check it.

Not Alva. Still, he amused himself with banter--looking up every few minutes to check for Alva--until things grew more serious. This was somebody who knew Alva. Susumu checked; not once did he name the person he'd cursed. Alva. Was this the boyfriend, checking up on him? He didn't seem nearly as angry and hot-headed. No, it was somebody else. Who is it? The cousin? Susumu swallowed, feeling the guilt more acutely. The exchange only served to remind him there were many people in Alva's life who cared for him and loved him. People who would miss him if Susumu couldn't find the cure to the curse.

So when he heard Alva's voice speaking to the reference clerk, he stood and peered past the wall of the alcove. Relief washed over him when he saw that it really was Alva, alive and whole, albeit a little pale.

"Alva," he said, a warm smile lighting up his face. "I was starting to worry that you were standing me up."

[Alva Ren]

Alva had sat outside the library for a long time, staring up at the doors leading into it and weighing his options. Should he go in? Or should he turn back? This choice was going to have implications on his relationship with Rae, aside from that stupid ultimatum that Rae tried to impose on him earlier.

Was it all about the jelaousy? Or was there something else? Rae had literally lost his damn mind and usually that didn't happen unless something else was bothering him. The stalking was pretty elaborate for a guy who was the type to go up to somebody and punch them in the face before asking questions. Alva thought that he knew Rae pretty well by now, after five years together, but that didn't mean he knew everything about Rae. He knew a lot--but it was impossible to know everything.

Ultimately, Alva decided to go in. He had to get the antidote, at least. He'd come all the way out here, he'd argued with his boyfriend in the most embarrassing, public way possible. It seemed a shame to go through all that and not even get himself cured (or partly cured). Besides... maybe if he did this and proved to Rae that nothing happened, then Rae would stop acting crazy and go back to the way he was.

He took the wheelchair ramp up to the door and pushed the button outside. The doors swung open for him and he rolled inside, past the check-out desk and towards the reference desk. Alva had just started to ask the clerk if he had seen Susumu when Susumu stood up and spoke. "Oh! Hi, there you are!" Alva smiled too, though his was more subdued than usual. He couldn't stop thinking about Rae. Where was Rae? Where did he go? Did he storm off to make trouble? To drink? Hopefully he wouldn't drink too much and get into some kind of trouble...

He can do whatever he wants, he's the one who wanted to break up! Alva shook those thoughts away and made his way over to Susumu. "Sorry, the bus was late today." And a crazy boyfriend held him up. "I guess it's because of all the fog outside."

[Shimizu Susumu]

"The fog..."

He was aware of the fog but it seemed Alva wasn't suspicious of it. There was an ugliness to it that didn't come from mere clouds. There was magic in the clouds, a nasty magic that would put even Susumu's best curses to shame. He glanced toward one of the enormous library windows with its storm shutters. Outside, he could see that it was somewhat windy out, but not enough to warrant closing the shutters.

"It's been pretty nasty out lately," he said, rather than speak of the strangeness of it. Alva had enough to deal with. There were other questions now preying on his mind, though. The boyfriend, the friend of the boyfriend. How many people knew that he'd cursed Alva? It was an accident and he hadn't intended for word to get around but if people knew it was him cursing the hunters, it would put him a bad position. After a moment, Susumu slid into the seat and moved aside so that Alva could move his chair to join him at the table.

"Alva... how many people have you told about the curse?"

[Alva Ren]

"It has..." Alva cast his own worried glance outside, at the thick fog that was rolling by. It happened overnight, it seemed; the fog just appeared. He didn't know what caused it to linger, but fog itself surely wasn't anything to be concerned about. Alva had a weird feeling about it, but he'd been feeling so off lately that he imagined it was just the curse getting to him.

Seeing Susumu making room for him, Alva slid into the space beside the table and eased back in his chair. He studied Susumu covertly; his heart did kick up a little in his chest, but then it was weighed heavily down by what happened with Rae. Would he be okay? Out of the heat of the argument, Alva was worried. Maybe he would call Rae up later and convince him to stop being silly about this. He knew that Rae probably didn't mean half the things he said and having cooled down somewhat, he could almost look past that terribly hurtful comment about not coming back.

"Ah... I told my cousin. That's it. I haven't been blabbing it around town! I'm--I'm not that kind of person! Not even my parents know!"

[Shimizu Susumu]

As Alva spoke, Shimizu withdrew the small vial. His cousin? That person he talked with over texts mentioned something about being a friend of the boyfriend. Since he didn't want to recheck what his text messages said in front of Alva, he wondered whether to bring it up or not. Alva didn't seem like the type to stir up trouble on purpose but it seemed he had inadvertently stirred it by speaking to his cousin, who told somebody, who might have told others.

"Just be careful who you tell. Hunters are swarming this place."

Not the library specifically, but Hazleton itself. He probably didn't have to tell Alva, though. He seemed do to deeply despise the hunters, which set them on the same side in that battle. Gently, he smiled as he reached out and slid the vial carefully into Alva's hand.

"I think this time, you might want to apply it topically. I tried to make it more like a lotion this time." Since the curse have been spilled on Alva, it stood to reason that the antidote might want to follow the source of the curse.

[Alva Ren]

"I--" Alva faltered. "I'm sorry. My cousin... and his boyfriend... they both have big mouths. But I swear, I only told my cousin and no one else. And from now on, I'm not telling anybody anything!" Because nobody could be trusted, least of all Ryland, and definitely never Aldon! Even if they were all concerned, there were definitely better ways to go about making sure Alva was all right.

Not expecting anything to be placed in his hand, Alva started and closed his fingers tightly around it so as not to drop it. "Ah! This is it!" He studied the small vial and its contents, which did look more like a thick cream than anything one might conceivably want to drink. It made sense to apply it to where the curse was inflicted on him... and maybe also on the mark.

Slowly, Alva drew up his sleeve. "The mark... it's gotten darker," he said in a low voice, as he showed it to Susumu. "But the antidote should make it go away, right?" He almost held his breath, waiting for an affirmative answer, hoping that he could be cured. Because... because a lifetime of this was a fate almost too cruel to contemplate.

[Shimizu Susumu]

Susumu wished it was a simple yes or no answer. Specifically, he wished he could simply say yes and pat Alva on the shoulder to let him know everything would be all right. But as he stared down at the darkening mark on Alva's arm, he couldn't bring himself to lie. Oh, he wanted to but... He rather liked Alva. He liked him a lot--too much to lie straight to his face.

Knowing he shouldn't do it but doing it all the same, he lifted a hand to lightly brush his fingertips over the mark. It was almost like a tattoo, a little red around the edges, as if Alva's body was fighting the curse to the best of its ability. It felt smooth to the touch and normal, if slightly warm. Slowly, he removed his hand and set it on the table as he let out a sigh.

"I hope so," he lamented. His gaze rose up to meet Alva's, searching his gaze for any distrust or fear. "I'll do all I can to make up for what happened. There are always ways to reverse curses."

But most of them were unpleasant and required sacrifices--something he didn't want to share with Alva unless absolutely necessary.

[Alva Ren]

Alva hoped, too, for a simple yes but by the length of Susumu's silence, things weren't looking good for him. The longer the silence stretched, the less likely it seemed that he was going to be given a miracle cure for the curse.

He lowered his gaze to the cursed mark on his arm, letting Susumu's fingertips brush over it. It throbbed as it always did, a constant reminder of its presence--its stain upon him. Alva swallowed hard and nodded, not trusting himself to speak in that moment. He didn't want to complain; he wasn't a whiner. All his life, things had been difficult for him and he soldiered on. This was just another bump in the road, that was all.

And Susumu promised to help. Alva believed in him, because he could have easily vanished and left Alva to die. He clenched his fingers tighter around the vial as he looked back up at Susumu. "Thank you. For telling me the truth." Some might have tried to sugar-coat it, but Susumu didn't take the easy way out.

"Should I apply some of this now?" He held up the small vial and peered at its contents. "Does it go on the mark?"

[Shimizu Susumu]

"Oh, yes."

The sooner Alva tried the mixture, the better. Plus, if he tried now, at least Susumu could continue to observe him and make sure nothing happened. There were few things he had on his person that might help but he didn't live far from the library and if he saw anything strange happening--something bad strange--then he could address it much more rapidly than if they had parted ways.

Plus, he liked spending time with Alva, although he regretted admitting it to a friend of the boyfriend over text. His ears felt slightly warm at the shame. Speaking to a complete stranger about a childish crush seemed like a good way to express the emotions without actually harming anybody. Now he knew the word would end up getting back to Alva. As much as Alva seemed to trust the people around him, it was clear they weren't to be trusted with secrets. It would be best for Alva to hear it from him--his mouth, not secondhand from somebody else.

It just didn't seem like an appropriate time right now. Ignoring the queer little skip in the beat of his heart, he cleared his throat and threaded his fingers together, setting his hands on the table as he regarded the vial and Alva. Then the mark. It really did appear to be growing darker and more dangerous. The process was usually much faster on an intended target, which brought some hope that there was a way to slow it down further and perhaps even stop it before it actually killed Alva.

"The mark and try a little where the potion touched you, as well. Let's cover as many bases as we can."

[Alva Ren]

"Well... I can use the fingers that touched the potion to apply the antidote!" Alva grinned, in a self-congratulatory kind of way, even if his brilliant stroke of genius was... mostly common sense. It was nothing to be proud of, but he wanted to get away from the somber mood that had fallen over them. The situation was serious, no doubt about that, but that didn't mean they had to sit there with that pall cast over them, contemplating Alva's eventual demise!

Uncapping the vial, he peered curiously in through the opening. Then he sniffed it cautiously, the way a wary animal might have sniffed food that someone left out for them in their back yard. "It smells good!" He didn't know why he was surprised. Maybe he equated potions with bad things, so he expected all of them to smell noxious. This one was quite pleasant!

Alva dabbed some of onto his fingers, and then gingerly applied it to the mark on his arm. It tingled, and then felt soothingly cool. Nothing happened to his fingertips but the painful throb of his arm lessened somewhat. "It doesn't hurt as much as before," he remarked, staring down at the mark to see if it was lighter. Was it? Alva couldn't tell, but maybe he was staring too hard.

[Shimizu Susumu]

"Smart," he said, a small approving smile forming. Alva was a clever one, he'd give him that. The grin on his face was also terribly, madly infectious. It filled Susumu with a curious warmth that he tried to ignore. Normally, he wouldn't but as much as he wanted to make that first move, a couple of things held his hand back. Such as the fact that he'd cursed him. Such as the fact that there was apparently a boyfriend in the equation. Susumu liked to think he wasn't so pathetic that he'd go for a man who already had a boyfriend.

"Healing magic usually does," he said, his smile growing a little larger and his eyes lighting up slightly. Susumu didn't normally work with healing magic but he'd asked another witch for help with this one. That witch was known for his green thumb and his healing magic so it was no wonder that what he helped Susumu concoct turned out to be quite aromatic.

"It might take a little time for it to fully take effect." But he leaned forward and watched the mark as keenly as Alva did. And then... he raised his eyes. That was a mistake. Leaning in close the way he was, he could see the dark curl of Alva's lashes and the way his hair fell across his face. It made Susumu want to reach out and brush the hair aside. The curve of Alva's cheek made him want to glide his fingertips over it. Inhaling sharply, he stared back down at the mark ruefully, then with some surprise. The mark did look a little lighter and a little less red.

"It seems to be working." He tried to keep the surprise from his voice. Better to appear confident to keep Alva's spirits going up.

[Alva Ren]

Ah... yes. Susumu's smile. It was. A smile.

Alva didn't dare think more than that as his glance flickered swiftly between Susumu and his own arm. It was nice. His smile. It was the kind of smile that disarmed Alva completely and it tugged a little at his heartstrings, when he remembered how sad Susumu looked some days., back when they didn't know each other and Alva was just a--A wheelchair bound creep peeking at him from behind a shelf... Well, that part could be forgiven, perhaps, since he meant no harm by his furtive actions.

He remembered thinking that there was something intriguing about Susumu even then. Alva was drawn to suffering, having experienced so much of it in his young life, and he sensed that Susumu was the same. It was true; Susumu's job--for lack of a better word--seemed to weigh heavily upon him. But when he smiled like this, he seemed so much younger and so much more carefree. It gave Alva a glimpse into what Susumu would have been like, perhaps, before he took to the task of protecting them all from hunters.

"Oh, that makes sense." Alva's head was down, and when his gaze lifted, Susumu was way too close. It was almost ridiculously like a moment out of a drama, when the leads locked eyes and everything around them went soft and still.

Alva's throat closed on him, all of a sudden. He tried to remember how to breathe but when he did--just a shallow gasp of air--Alva caught his scent. It was nice. Nice like Susumu's smile. Nice like... Susumu. Nervously, Alva lowered his gaze but it was too late to unsee his handsome face, or how his lips looked tempting up close.

If I was single...

But he wasn't. He was still dating Rae. Even despite their silly argument earlier, Alva didn't really believe that that was it, that Rae was serious about his ultimatum. It was a dumb fight, like all the other ones they'd ever had, and Rae said dumb things in the heat of the moment. So did Alva. It didn't mean that they were through and personally, Alva wasn't going to use it as an excuse to follow his urges--even if those urges led him to lean closer to Susumu, under the guise of catching what he had to say. He could have kissed him, though. They were close enough for Alva to do it but he resisted the urge and leaned back in his chair instead.

"It does look lighter, doesn't it?" The curse and the mark--safe subjects. Alva looked back down at the mark, which wasn't nearly as painful as before. He touched it gently and it only gave a half-hearted throb. Even the edges looked less swollen and red and infected, and the mark itself did appear a shade lighter. "You're a genius Susumu!" he laughed, feeling happier and lighter for the first time in days. There was hope! He could be cured after all! "I feel much better already! We should celebrate!" With... books...? No way! Alva reached over and laid a hand on Susumu's arm impulsively, squeezing it pleadingly. "Are you busy? Do you want to go get something to eat? My treat!"

[Shimizu Susumu]

It wasn't just his imagination.

The
curse. The curse seemed to be lifting. The mark wasn't completely gone but maybe if Alva applied the lotion potion several times daily, it would finally push the vestiges of the curse out of him. Curses could be filthy, disgusting things to work with and they tended to be tricky. Susumu had suffered his share of rebound curses in his youth, although nothing nearly as terrible or fatal as a death curse.

It made him feel better about himself and about Alva that the curse seemed to be fading. Even the knots in the back of his neck and his shoulders began to smooth out and relax and his smile was freer, looser, more happy than it had been prior. It was Alva's excitement--nobody could see him smile and not want to smile right back at him.

Celebrate?

His gaze fixed on Alva. It was almost like being in a trance, the way he never wanted to look away from him. It was almost like magic but it wasn't. It was... something else. Something that made his heart beat faster as a hand grasped his arm and a pleading gaze was sent his way. Who could say no? It would be like kicking a puppy--something Susumu was not in the habit of doing (despite contrary belief in some circles.) They were so close to one another that he could feel the heat of Alva's body and the smile seemed that much more effective. No, he couldn't say no. It didn't matter if there was a boyfriend or a mess of a curse between them.

"I'll clear my schedule for you," he joked. There was a schedule, in fact, but it had already been cleared before arriving at the library. "Where do you want to go?"

[Alva Ren]

"The whole schedule?!" Alva feigned surprise but secretly he was pleased that Susumu wasn't ditching him. Not... that it seemed likely. Alva was no dummy; he saw the way that Susumu looked at him. That was part of the reason he was afraid to look at Susumu for very long. It was probably better not to send mixed signals. Or... any signals. Alva had a boyfriend and emotional cheating was still cheating, no matter what people said.

However, going out with a friend--yes, friend--to grab a bite to eat was not cheating. His own smile refused to budge as Susumu's also brightened. They were a couple of dummies, just grinning away at one another in some tiny alcove of the library. Alva laughed and subtly retracted his hand; he noticed only then that he was still squeezing Susumu's arm. Ahem.

"Let's go to Anchors Away!" Which was sort of a date spot--ahem ahem--but how often did Alva get to go to a trendy coffee shop without a certain somebody making a crack about hipsters? It would be nice to sit around a table and sip something warm and comforting, since the fog was so thick that it blocked out the sun and plunged the entire town in frigid temperatures overnight!

"They have pumpkin spice lattes now. Do you like pumpkin-flavored things?" Alva wheeled himself out of the space and headed for the exit; his lively chatter proved that he was feeling much better than he had in the past few days. "I do but I'm glad it's seasonal. I don't think I can handle pumpkin year-round."