Who: Liam & Brynn Where: Brynn’s House When: Late night, Saturday, January 20th Status: Complete
When they’d walked to Ashon’s house from Brynn’s, Liam had felt bad about the trek, because making his date walk a couple of blocks in the cold didn’t seem very chivalrous. Now, as they walked back, he saw the wisdom in it. He wasn’t really fit to drive, not yet, and if he had to call for a ride, then at least Brynn would be home and he could leave his car at her place. He wasn’t really ready for the night to end, but at the same time he was, mostly because he was hoping to kiss her goodbye. The dance had been fun, the party had been great, but he kept thinking of that moment alone when he would finally make a move. Liam knew he should have by now, he’d had opportunities, and he refused to let the night end without trying. It made him feel giddy, though a good part of that was probably the alcohol and just the feeling of being with Brynn. By the time they got back to her house they both seemed to have the giggles, but that was okay because it meant she was having fun.
Brynn had had a lot of fun at the dance. It felt like a sort of public acknowledgment about her relationship with Liam. Assuming they were actually in a relationship. Was he her boyfriend now? Brynn wasn't entirely sure, although she was pretty confident that he liked her, and she knew for sure she liked him. He looked really cute all dressed up and she was glad they had walked to Ashton's house. Brynn wasn't drunk by any means, but she'd had a couple of drinks, so she definitely felt light on her feet and overly giggly.
Her parents were at the country club tonight, so the house was empty when Brynn let them both inside. Flipping on the light, Brynn began to unbutton her coat. She didn't want Liam to try and drive home until he felt totally sober, and that meant he got to stay for a little bit, which was awesome. Hanging up her coat, she turned back to Liam with a smile. "Do you want some hot chocolate? I can make coffee too, if you need some. Mom buys the flavored coffees too, which are pretty good."
“Hmmm, hard call,” Liam smiled as he took off his jacket and hung it next to Brynn’s. “Hot chocolate sounds good, but so does coffee. Maybe we can mix them? Except if I have coffee, I’ll probably be up all night. So maybe hot chocolate.” He laughed at himself, realizing she probably didn’t need that much information. He could have just said hot chocolate. “So where did you say your parents are tonight?” he asked, giving the house a little look around. Being there alone was a little bit exciting, just like when she’d come over on the snow day.
"So... hot chocolate?" Brynn giggled and led Liam back to the kitchen. Her mom used the Keurig machine all the time so it wouldn't take long to make them some hot chocolate. They had whipped cream too, which sounded really good at the moment. "There's this casino night event at the country club, so they went to that. I don't know when it's over, but I think we have some time." In the kitchen Brynn turned on the Keurig to let it heat up. "Don't worry though, I don't think they would be mad that you're here if they get home before you leave." As long as they weren't naked in her room anyway, which Brynn didn't think was actually going to happen.
“Hot chocolate,” Liam nodded and followed Brynn back to the kitchen. It always amazed him how big the Overlook houses were. He never felt like his own was small until he had theirs to compare his to. “Okay, good. I wouldn’t want to get you in trouble,” he smiled. “I think my parents’ only rule is no hanging out in the bedroom with the door closed.” Which they’d done, but it was to perform a spell, not so they could fool around while they were alone in the house. It felt a little bit like a missed opportunity, but Liam realized that was putting the cart before the horse. He had to kiss her first.
"Isn't that almost the rule?" Brynn laughed. "They usually leave me alone, but if I have a boy over, I can practically hear my dad pacing in the hall to make sure my bedroom door stays open. It's so annoying. Like, do they think I'm going to have sex with a guy while they're here?" She shook her head and grabbed two mugs from the cabinet. Setting them down on the island counter top, Brynn smiled at Liam. "I had so much fun tonight. Homecoming wasn't nearly as fun. I like your friends too. They're really nice."
“Yeah, that would be awkward,” Liam snickered. “I know some guys get off on the thrill of potentially getting caught, but nope.” There was nothing quite as terrifying as a girlfriend’s father. Even the nice ones made Liam nervous. “Thanks,” he smiled. “I know they’ve been wanting to meet you. Maybe we can all eat lunch together sometime.” He knew they had their separate circles, but maybe they could work at rotating between them or something. Now that they’d been to the dance together, it shouldn’t be quite so weird for him to join her at lunch or vice versa.
Brynn nodded and set one of the mugs into the Keurig to get some hot chocolate going. "That would be cool." She felt like maybe she had a better chance of being welcomed with Liam's friends than vice versa. Not that she thought her friends would be bitches outright or anything, but they would definitely be more judgey. At the same time, she sort of wanted to keep Liam for herself for a while. It felt like if he got to know her friends better, he may not like her anymore... which probably said a lot about her friends. Or her. Pushing the button on the Keurig, Brynn turned back to Liam. "You know what would be cute? Getting a picture of you with your wolf mask. Do you have it? You'd look like you were going to a masquerade or something?"
Liam had had the opposite concern when it came to friends; he’d been worried she might think they were a little too weird or nerdy or just different than what she was used to. He’d never cared about a person’s social status, but he was aware that she was in a circle that usually did. But then, she liked him and he wasn’t exactly mister popular. It felt like a really good sign that she liked them and he hoped that they felt the same about her. That would be all around great. “I’ve always thought a masquerade would be fun,” he grinned. “I actually have my mask in my trunk. I can go grab it real quick.” He hadn’t planned on mentioning it, because the compulsion to bring it with him was a little bit odd, but since she asked it was probably okay.
"Yeah, do that. The hot chocolate will be done by the time you come back in," Brynn said, motioning to the Keurig. Maybe it was odd to want to put them on for a picture, but wearing her own had always made her feel good in a way that was a bit indescribable. And now that she could hear Liam through her mask, it was even better. Plus, his wolf mask was kind of sexy, at least when he was wearing it. "I'll run upstairs and get mine too," she said, setting the first mug of hot chocolate to the side and quickly starting the second.
“Okay, I’ll be right back,” Liam said and quickly hurried back to the foyer to slip his shoes back on and run out to the car. It was so rare that they were actually together when they wore their masks; most of the time they were just sitting around at home. Liam even preferred talking to her through the mask to using his phone. The only real downside was the way it skewed his vision. He loved being able to see through her eyes, but it made it difficult to move on his own. A picture would be quick though, and then maybe they could just sit on the couch and talk. He realized how lost in his own thoughts he was when he was already back in this kitchen, his mask in his hand. “Got it,” he smiled, then pulled his mask on, still able to see normally so long as she wasn’t wearing hers.
While he was gone Brynn hurried upstairs to take hers from her bedroom. She carried it down to the kitchen and had just set it on the counter when Liam reappeared. Leaving her mask alone for a moment, Brynn smiled and reached for her phone. "Okay, I would say smile but obviously I won't be able to see it if you do." She laughed and then brought her phone out to take a photo. "It looks so good. Do you want to take one together? It may be weird trying to take it in my hands looking through your eyes, but I can try." She didn't have a lot of photos of him on her phone, so it might be nice to change that, even if he was wearing his wolf mask.
Liam laughed and grinned anyways, even if she wouldn’t be able to see it behind the mask. He loved that she was as into them as he was. It made him feel a little less crazy. Sometimes he had a hard time telling when he was over the top about something, but if Brynn felt the same way then it seemed a bit more normal. “Let’s try anyways. I can try to help direct you or something. At least we can say we tried if they come out bad,” he said, moving closer to her so they could get a selfie. As soon as she put her mask on it would be a little harder to move, but he’d gotten used to it. Sometimes it was easier if he closed his eyes.
"Okay." Brynn laughed a bit and put on her mask. She got it settled and then reached for her phone, finding it so odd to see her own hand through Liam's eyes pick it up. Then she scooted in closer to Liam and got her phone set up to try and take a selfie. "I feel so uncoordinated," she said with a laugh. But her dress had bits of pink and gold, so she felt like it matched her mask pretty well. Had she done that on purpose? Maybe, but it was a strange thing to think about. Holding the phone up, her arm moved here and there a bit. "It feels like I'm completely disconnected from my body." Brynn shoved her mask up long enough to get her arm at the right angle, then she slid it back down over her face. Just as she was about to snap the first picture, the light in her kitchen died, leaving them in darkness. All the power was off, from what she could tell. Lowering her phone, Brynn frowned. "That's so weird. Is the entire neighborhood out?" Liam wouldn't know, obviously, but the weather hadn't been bad tonight or anything.
When the lights had been on, everything felt normal, just the usual weird he felt when he was seeing out Brynn’s eyes instead of his own. She lifted her mask and his sight returned while she adjusted her arm, then she pulled her mask back on and something changed. The lights went out and the mask tightened on his face. Liam gasped, started to reach for his mask, then dropped his hand, the desire gone as his vision went red. He was looking out of Brynn’s eyes, back at himself and staring at her, the deer. It would be so easy to just reach out and grab her, to pin her to the ground and rip into her flesh. He licked his lips, suddenly salivating at the thought of her blood filling his mouth, and made an attempt to lunge at her.
For a split second Brynn had no idea what Liam was doing, but she moved instinctively away from him, fear striking directly into her chest and spreading throughout her entire body. She saw herself from his point of view but now it wasn't as much fun as before. It was terrifying. He was a predator and all she knew to do was to run, or else. As most deer would do at the first time of a potential threat, Brynn darted away, knocking her hip into the side of the island. Pain soared through her but she ran, breathing heavily as she ran for the stairs. It was dark and all she could do was find her way blindly, her hands out to keep from running into anything else. She only saw through Liam's eyes, but she had lived here her whole life. She would be able to make it. She had to.
When Liam’s attempt to grab her failed, he stumbled forward, cursing in pain as he hit something heavy and hard. He couldn’t tell what, as his vision stayed with Brynn, but the momentary flash of pain brought him back to himself, if only for a second. This was wrong. The thought was gone almost as soon as it registered and then he was chasing after her, running into things in the process. She had the advantage here, it was her home turf, but he could see where she was. The sound of her feet on the stairs gave him a direction to head and he moved much more carefully this time, feeling his way through the darkness. His heart beat rapidly, the thrill of the hunt taking over as he found the stairs and began to ascend them swiftly in an attempt to catch up. She was so close he could almost smell her.
As Brynn ran to the stairs she had the very vague thought that she could take the mask off and see. But when her hands reached up, she found the mask wouldn't budge. It seemed adhered to her skin and Brynn could only grit her teeth in fear and frustration before she ran into the banister of the stairs. Stairs. She couldn't see them directly in front of her, but she felt them with her hands and used that as guidance, clawing her way up. He was coming for her. She supposed that was the benefit of seeing through his eyes, she knew how close he was getting. Her room down the hall and to the left. Last door on the right. She could get there. Lock the door. Try to hide. Although hiding seemed pointless. He would see. With her heart tripping in her chest Brynn reached out to the wall, feeling her way down the hall as fast as she could. She didn't know if she would get to her room before he caught her. So she grabbed the first doorknob she felt, knowing it was the guest bathroom. Brynn thrust the door open and stumbled inside. Her chest was tight with fear, but also adrenaline. It was a strange, thrilling combination but it still had her turning to slam the door shut.
Liam knew he was close as he rushed up the stairs, every footfall ringing in his ears as he attempted to close the gap between them. He would tear her apart when he caught her, shred that pretty dress of hers and ravage her with claws and teeth. Without sight to guide him, he wasn’t as agile as he normally was, otherwise he’d have caught her already. He knew he had to be nearing the top of the stairs because she’d just cleared them--one, two--that was the lead she had on him, only two seconds. He swung around when he reached the top, his steps tracing hers, his hands reaching out, waiting for that moment when he caught hold of her. When he saw her reach for the door, he rushed forward, slamming into the door with his shoulder, catching it right before it shut. Liam fell to the floor, growling as he pushed up onto his hands and knees, yet the pain rocked reality into him once more. “Run,” he snarled, then the wolf took over again.
Brynn shrieked as she fell back from the door, realizing the bathroom was the worst place for her to have gone. There was nowhere to go, nowhere to hide. When he fell, she saw her chance, heard his demand though she didn't know if he was warning her or taunting her. Her mom didn't have much in the bathroom for Brynn to grab and throw at him. He was on his knees and Brynn suddenly kicked out her foot, aiming for his crotch but she didn't have proper balance or aim and ended up kicking him hard in the thigh instead. She screamed and hit him hard against the side of the head all the while scrambling over him to get out of the room and into the hall. Brynn stumbled and fell, the carpet burning up her arms. But she kept moving, breathless and determined to get away.
Liam couldn’t tell she was cornered, but he could tell what she intended to do from the way she faced him. If the kick had connected, it would have bought her better time to escape, but the kick to his thigh was more a nuisance than anything else. A bruise to lick later. The blow to the head was far more successful and he fell back as she climbed over him, his arms instinctively coming up to protect his head. As he felt her clear him, he rolled over and reached out, grabbing her by the ankle and pulling hard. At this point he didn’t even need to see. She was in his grasp and he had no plans of letting her go. “Gotcha,” he laughed darkly, doing his best to pin her to the floor.
With her heart stuck in her throat, Brynn flipped over onto her back to fight his attempts to pin her down. And then there was a moment of pure clarity that she might actually die. Because she didn't feel like herself - she felt like prey that had been hunted. And Liam wasn't himself either. He was going to kill her and she didn't even know if he understood that. It was the masks. The hunter and the prey. The masks. "Liam," Brynn gasped, yanking her hand out of his grasp to reach up and grab the top of the mask to try and take it off. It seemed stuck on him the way her own was stuck and Brynn yelled with the effort to get both hands around the mask to tear it off his face. She didn't care if she hurt him. A little bit of pain was worth saving the both of them.
Liam crawled forward, attempting to straddle Brynn as she struggled beneath him. A grin spread across his face as he pinned one wrist to the ground, thinking that after the other he would go for the kill. “Fuck,” he snapped when Brynn tore her wrist out of his grasp, then switched up his strategy, wrapping his hands around her throat. He felt her hands scratching at his face, but they did not deter him, not until she got a good grip on the mask. Liam howled in pain as she pulled, it felt like she was tearing his skin off, and he released her throat to grab her wrists. He would break them if he had to, anything to stop her. The mask tore away from his skin, blood trickled down his scalp and temples, and Liam screamed before his hands abruptly released her and he blinked down at Brynn in shock. “Oh shit,” he gasped.
Feeling a pair of hands around her throat was a terrifying sensation that Brynn knew she would never want to experience again. It only made her tug harder at the mask and he released her to grab her wrists. But she wasn't giving up. If she stopped, if she gave in even an inch, he would kill her. When Liam screamed in pain she felt a sharp piercing of guilt in her gut, but she grit her teeth and yanked even harder. The mask fell away, clutched in her hands and suddenly she could see through her own eyes again. Liam was above her, sweaty with bits of blood oozing from around his temples. Brynn could see his eyes now, wide and so clearly Liam. Not a predator. Brynn panted and grabbed her own mask, yanking it off with no problem now. She heard it hit the wall beside her. The urge to cry was great but Brynn swallowed it down, even as her eyes burned with the struggle to keep the tears at bay. "The masks," she managed before shifting beneath him just enough that maybe it would prompt him to get off of her.
Liam was so horrified with what he’d almost done that it took him a second to react, but then he scrambled off Brynn, then reached to help her up. He was distantly aware that he was bleeding, but that was the least of his worries at the moment. “Are you okay? I mean, I know you’re not, but are you like-- did I--?” He swallowed hard, not all that sure what to do. He wanted to hug her, but was afraid she wouldn’t even want him to touch her now. He glanced towards the mask, the pull to put it back on striking terror in him like it never had before. The mask that he’d loved so much had made him into a monster. It had pushed him to kill her and he hadn’t even been able to question it. And yet, he still wanted to put it back on. “We have to get rid of them,” he whispered. It was a horrible feeling.
Brynn got to her feet carefully. The adrenaline and fear was fading, leaving her feeling a little weak in her knees. She had begun to shake, well aware now of what had happened and what could have happened. Leaning against the wall, Brynn wrapped her arms around herself and found her gaze drawn to both of the masks. Like Liam, she wanted to put hers back on. It was a strange, confusing feeling. It was also terrifying. Had this happened to the prior owners? Were they dead now? Or one of them? Were they supposed to play out some kind of cycle? Brynn nodded and licked her lips, finally bringing her gaze back to Liam's face. She hated the sight of blood on his face, but it couldn't be helped. It was take the mask off or die. "We can burn them in my fireplace," Brynn said hoarsely. "We have to do it now..." And yet she was afraid to touch hers, worried that once she did she would simply put it back on.
There was no way Liam was touching his mask. If he did, he might put it back on and he’d been the one trying to kill her. He knew there were probably requirements, like her wearing hers at the same time, but he couldn’t risk that happening a second time. Though he’d never been great at air magic, he gave a little swipe to the air, bringing the masks together magically. With his face pinched together in concentration, he swiped at the air again and they shuffled forward, slowly making progress towards the stairs. “You might be able to pick mine up,” he suggested. “Or both of them. But… I don’t think we should pick up our own at the same time.” There was too big a pull to put it back on. He could sense it now, it had always been there, but now that he was aware of the danger he was afraid to give into it.
Brynn didn't really want to touch them either. She rubbed her bare arms and stared at them. It took her a moment to realize she had forgotten Liam was a witch. He could have used magic to stop her, to kill her. Brynn supposed she should be thankful the wolf-side of him hadn't thought of that. Licking her lips, she walked over to the masks that were nearing the stairs. Brynn reached down and swiped them up, her fingers curling over them both. Yes, the urge to put hers on again was strong and she very nearly did. But Brynn looked over at Liam instead, her hands tightening on both masks. A part of her was still a little wary of him, that he might try to grab the mask back from her. "You could set these on fire, right? If we put them in the fireplace."
It hadn’t even occurred to Liam to use magic while he’d been wearing the mask. He’d been focused on ripping her open with teeth and claws though, so it didn’t feel like it was that much better. “Yeah,” Liam nodded, knowing he could theoretically set them on fire, yet not all that sure he wanted to. Knowing that she wanted to put them in the fireplace made him want to snatch his back out of her grasp and put it back on, hopefully start the whole thing up again. Liam shuddered, swallowing back the sick feeling in his stomach. “We should move fast,” he said, hurrying down the stairs, leading the way before he could think any more about doing the opposite. “I feel like they’re still trying to control us.”
Brynn watched him go and then forced herself to follow. She felt better without the mask on her face, but she still felt the apprehension too. Her eyes were glued to his back until they were downstairs and she maintained enough distance that she felt like she could still run away if she needed to. It was probably unfair of her, but Liam was right. It felt like the masks were still trying to lure them into something. Once she was down the hall Brynn hurried to the living room where the fireplace was. Her fingers curled more tightly around the masks, almost to the point of pain, but she inhaled sharply and quickly tossed the masks into the hearth where her mom had set a new firelog the other night. "Okay," she breathed, looking back at Liam. "Can you burn them?" If he couldn't - or wouldn't - she would find the lighter her dad always used. She would do it. Maybe being hunted instead of being the hunter made it easier for her to let go.
Knowing that it was a magical pull didn’t seem to release Liam from it. He still had to fight it with every step and was glad he’d made the decision to have her grab the masks instead of him. He stared at the masks in the fireplace and still felt the pull to snatch his back up and put it on. Setting them on fire should have been easy, but he hesitated, rubbing his hands over his face and up into his hair. He felt like he was going to vomit. “I can do this,” he murmured, then looked over at Brynn. This wasn’t how this night was supposed to end. It was supposed to be a squeaky clean fairy tale, not something worse than The Brothers Grimm. His date--he wasn’t entirely sure she was his girlfriend at this point, not after trying to kill her-- wouldn’t even stand next to him. With that in mind, Liam took a deep breath and the masks went up in flame.
Clutching her hands together tightly, Brynn held her breath until the fire sparked. Tearing her gaze from his she looked into the fireplace to watch both masks start to burn. The paint and intricate designs on her own turned black as the fire scorched it. Frowning, she took a step forward, intent on reaching in to pull it out and stamp the fire out, to save it somehow. But common sense prevailed and Brynn started to feel... relief. Like the fire was destroying the mask's pull on her as well. Looking over at Liam, she wondered if he felt the same way. No, this wasn't how the night was supposed to end. Briefly Brynn wondered if they had only liked each other because of the masks. Had they kept the two drawn toward one another in order to trigger some tragic ending? She felt drained, physically and mentally, but she could rest later. The masks were still burning, but she could see the ash start to form around the edges. Not wanting to watch anymore, Brynn walked over to Liam, lifting her hands to the sides of his face. Some of the blood around his temples had dried already. Without thinking it through, she kissed him. It was probably the worst time to do it, but she wanted to. After everything that had just happened, she wanted him to know she wasn't scared of him.
As the wolf mask began to blacken and burn, Liam could almost taste the smoke on his tongue, filling his throat and burning his eyes. Grabbing the masks out of the fire would be nothing for him, he could take the flame, but as the masks continued to burn he began to breathe easier again and with that came a sense of relief. It was over, he was sure of it, especially when he was able to look towards Brynn without the slightest sense of aggression. But now what did they do? Liam hated the idea that they were only together because of the masks, but he couldn’t be sure. Brynn was out of his league and it was easier to believe that she’d been drawn to him because of magical masks than because she actually liked him. Then she walked up to him and kissed him and Liam stopped trying to figure it all out. He couldn’t imagine her kissing him now unless she really wanted to, so he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer. Not too tight, he didn’t want her to ever fear she couldn’t get away from him, but enough that she was pressed against him as he kissed her back. He’d wanted to kiss her before, but he’d never imagined it would feel this intense, like he needed to impart how much he cared about her in that one moment.
Brynn's arms came around Liam's shoulders and neck, holding him tight to her now. As much as she had loved her mask and how connected to Liam she felt when they were both wearing them, there was an undeniable sense of relief now that they were both burning in the fireplace. She told herself that instead of just putting those masks on at night to talk, they could just call each other, or text. Everything would be okay. Listening to the crackling of wood behind her, Brynn knew from the way Liam was kissing her that it hadn't just been the masks. The relief of that knowledge was as strong as the relief from the masks' destruction and Brynn couldn't help but smile softly against his lips. There was nothing funny about what had happened tonight, but she wanted him to know that she cared about him too. Hopefully now he would know.
Liam found himself smiling too and his heart pounded in his chest now from excitement rather than adrenaline. Things might’ve gotten out of hand, but this felt right and that mattered even more now that the masks had been destroyed. They might have brought them together, but their feelings appeared to be genuine. “Are you okay?” he asked softly, letting up on the kissing just a little. He didn’t want to stop, could happily kiss her all night, but also recognized she might be in pain. He hadn’t been himself when he’d been chasing her through the house, but he remembered every moment of it and he hadn’t exactly been gentle with her. If he could wipe those memories from their minds, he would have in an instant.
Brynn nodded. Her hip hurt where she had run into the side of the kitchen island, and her elbows were a little sore from where she had fallen trying to climb over Liam in the upstairs bathroom. Brynn didn't even want to think about how it felt with his hands around her throat. But she knew it hadn't really been him. He hadn't hurt her so bad that she wouldn't be able to recover from it. "I'm okay. Are you? I kicked you and..." She brought a hand up to his temple, where he had been bleeding. Tearing the mask off of his face had no doubt been painful. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know what else to do."
Having the mask pulled off felt akin to having his skin torn off, but Liam decided not to tell Brynn that. It didn’t hurt as much now and it was a pain he’d willingly endure again if it meant she was safe. “Don’t be sorry,” he said, rubbing his hands over her sides. “I’m glad you did it. If you hadn’t, I would’ve killed you.” Liam rested his forehead on hers for a second, then kissed her again, slower this time, preferring that over thinking about what he might have done to her. What she’d done to him felt like nothing by comparison. It might have hurt, but he hadn’t been afraid. He’d been sure throughout it all that he would prevail. “You know that wasn’t me, right? I would’ve never…”
The kissing was nice. It helped distract her from what had happened tonight. Because this was Liam. The masks might have brought them together, but that wasn't all they were. Liam was sweet and interesting and she knew he would have never become that dangerous and aggressive with her had he not been wearing the wolf mask. "I know it wasn't you," Brynn said, lowering her hands to grip his sides. "It didn't really feel like me either. All I could think about was getting away. Even my thoughts didn't really feel like mine. Does that make sense? It's like I became a real deer. It was a strange feeling. I guess those masks really were cursed."
“Yeah,” Liam sighed. “I know the thoughts weren’t mine. They were dark and…” He stopped, not really wanting to tell her how he’d wanted to rip her apart. “I feel like I should’ve seen it, but… I didn’t know anything could take control like that.” He had a lot of questions about how it all worked that he knew he’d never have answers to. There was no one to ask and he wasn’t exactly jumping at the bit to tell anyone what had happened. He felt like he should have known better, but it had felt so harmless that he’d been unable to help himself. Maybe that was part of it, too. It was hard to say how far the curse reached or how long it had been building to this point. “We beat it, though. You did,” he said with a little smile.
"They're masks," Brynn pointed out. "I wouldn't have thought they could do that too...but I guess we should've known better, right? We could see through each other's eyes and that's pretty wild." Her cheeks flushed at his praise and Brynn quickly shook her head, her fingers tightening a bit in his shirt. "That was... survival instinct. It was really the only thing left for me to do, you know? But... I wonder if the owner of the shop knows about those things. That place has always felt kind of weird, but in a like, a fascinating way, right? Do you think he knew what he was selling us?"
“It was good instincts then,” Liam said. “My perspective was so messed up I didn’t even remember I had a mask on.” He’d had moments where his brain tried to break through when she’d hurt him, but those times hadn’t been enough to properly fight it. “I can’t imagine he knew,” he frowned. “I mean, if he did, he’d basically be setting people up to kill each other. He was kind of creepy, but… shit. I’d go tell him what happened, but we’d look crazy.” And they didn’t exactly have the masks to prove anything. Even if they did, there was no way he’d risk putting it back on.
Brynn didn't know if those instincts had been her, or the deer. She didn't know enough about those animals to really know either way. But all that mattered was she had managed to stop whatever was about to happen. Frowning, Brynn nodded. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Maybe he didn't know what he had. He hadn't been selling them as a set or anything, and I think they were meant to be one." Looking over her shoulder, she saw tiny flames still emitting from what remained of the masks. She never knew she would feel such relief, and sorrow, all at once. "It sucks the night went this way. I guess we'll have to call each other every night before bed instead." Her lips quirked softly. "If that's okay with you."
“He knew they were a pair though,” Liam said, and wished he could remember exactly what the man had said when he’d bought the mask. He couldn’t believe the man had known what he had though. What kind of a person sold something that would likely result in murder? The shop had been kind of quirky, had all kinds of cool stuff inside, but Liam thought he might stay away from it for a while. “I could be into that,” he said, smiling back at her. “We could even Facetime.” Because the real downside to the masks had been that he couldn’t see her face. It seemed weird now that he’d wanted to wear the mask over using his phone, but the pull had been so strong that he hadn’t even thought about it before.
Brynn wondered if anything else in that shop was cursed, but she didn't want to think about it too much. It might be a long time before she went back to that place. Would it be easy enough to forget about the masks? Maybe. But tonight had been terrifying. Brynn was going to be wary of everything she bought from now on, no matter how silly. "Facetime would be good," Brynn said, relieved that he seemed to be okay despite everything. She reached out to touch the side of his face gingerly. "Will you let me help you clean up your face?" If her parents came home at that moment they would see blood and that would definitely freak them out. It wasn't the kind of first impression Brynn wanted her parents had of Liam. Though she supposed it was better than them coming home to her dead body.
Liam knew he was bleeding, but he had no idea how bad the wound was. It had absolutely killed when she’d done it, but it had dwindled down to a dull throb and he’d forgotten about it in light of everything else. “Yeah,” he said with a little smile. He could probably do it himself, in the bathroom, but since she’d offered, why not? “How bad is it?” he asked as he followed her over to the sink. If one of them was going to be bleeding, he was glad it was him, though he was a touch worried that she might end up with bruises on her neck. He didn’t think he’d strangled her for too long before she’d reached for the mask, but still… those would be hard to explain away.
"I don't know," Brynn admitted. "Once we clean up the blood I'll be able to see it better." She let him go and opened one of the drawers to find a clean washcloth. Brynn got it damp and began to wipe at the blood at Liam's temple. "Tell me if I hurt you though. There's uh... what is it called? Antibiotic cream? Antiseptic? I can never remember. But we have some." Her hands had stopped shaking, so that was good. Her throat was a little sore, but she didn't think it was too bad. It didn't occur to her to be worried about bruises. "If it hurts my mom has pain medication too."
“It’s not too bad. If you can just clean up the blood, I have some stuff at home that’ll heal it pretty fast,” Liam said as she began to wash the blood away. He knew what he had at home would be better than an antibiotic cream. Or antiseptic. He didn’t know the difference either. Even though the masks had turned out to be evil or cursed, magic had been in his life for too long to stop trusting it all around. The cream he had at home was something his mom made, one of the first things he’d learned to make himself, and he knew for sure there were no side effects to worry about. “I’m a lot more worried about your neck,” he said, his eyes darting down to her skin, then back up.
"Oh, right. I forgot about the magic thing." Brynn felt her cheeks flush, but she smiled as she moved the washcloth to the other side of his face to get the rest of the blood. She paused briefly and lifted her free hand to her throat. It was difficult not to worry, now that he had drawn attention to it, like bruises were suddenly blossoming all over her skin. "Are there... I mean, can you see any marks?" Had he choked her that hard? Brynn couldn't remember much beyond the fear. Maybe the adrenaline from that had sort of blinded her to how violent it had gotten.
“It’s okay. I know it’s not normal,” Liam said with a little smile. Most people’s automatic reaction wouldn’t be to run home and use a healing salve, so he got it. If she wasn’t totally scared off magic, maybe he’d give her some just to have on hand. The smile was gone as he looked at her neck, daring the bruises to appear. He wasn’t sure how well a salve would work on something like that, but there were things she could drink. “I can’t yet. I… I don’t really know how long I… I know I stopped when you went for the mask, but it all kind of blurs together.”
"It's only a little sore," Brynn explained, rubbing her throat once more before deciding not to worry about it until she had to worry about it. Maybe she could be in bed before her parents got home, then she could check her neck in the morning. If she had marks she could just wear one of her infinity scarves. That wouldn't be weird, since it was winter and all. With most of the blood wiped away, Brynn turned to rinse out the washcloth. She would throw it into the laundry basket downstairs after Liam left. "It definitely feels blurry. That was the most bizarre experience ever." For a second Brynn nearly asked if Liam's magic might have done something to curse the masks, but she didn't know how it worked and she didn't want to make him feel bad or question his magic. So she kept her mouth shut on that. "Are you sure you feel okay though? No headache or anything?"
“I could maybe use some ibuprofen,” Liam said, thinking that would curb the pain until he got home. Now that the initial shock had worn off it wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t something he could just forget about either. He wondered how it looked and if it would scar, but tried not to worry about it for now. There wasn’t much he could do until he got home and he wasn’t in a hurry to leave… unless Brynn wanted him to, which he’d completely understand. “Do you still wanna hang out for a bit? Maybe watch something?”
Brynn smiled, feeling a sense of relief that he might want to stay for a bit longer. She wouldn't have blamed him if he was eager to go. Most of the day had been really great, but she was still trying to wrap her mind around what had happened. "We have ibuprofen in the bathroom. I'll go grab it for you. And yeah, I definitely want to hang out as long as you do." Brynn wasn't sure either of them would be able to really concentrate on a movie or show or something, but it would be nice to sit together and try to forget everything else. "The remote for the television is on the coffee table in the living room if you want to find something to watch. I'll get you some medicine and water." She would take him up to her bedroom to watch tv, but if her parents came home they wouldn't like finding a boy up there.
Liam doubted he’d be able to focus on a movie, but that wasn’t really the point. He just wanted to be close to her, as if that could keep her safe, ignoring the fact that he’d been the threat. The danger might have passed, but he was still unsettled and going home to sleep was the last thing he wanted to do. “Thanks,” he said with a little smile. “I’ll see what I can find. Something funny maybe.” He usually loved thrillers and horror movies, but not tonight. He’d had enough real life scares to last him a good while. As Brynn retrieved the painkillers for him, Liam sat down and tried to relax, taking a deep breath as he scrolled through the guide. The night wasn’t ruined, it was good overall, but he’d never forget what had almost happened. He’d be a lot more weary of magical objects going forward, that was for sure.
While Liam got the television on, Brynn grabbed a few Ibuprofen from the bathroom cabinet and then a glass of water. She took those few moments alone to take deep breaths. After what had happened, she and Liam had focused on burning the masks, and talking things out that Brynn hadn't really been able to think about the fact that Liam could have really killed her. It hadn't been Liam though, that much she knew. And who else had owned those masks before. Were they dead now? The thought sent another chill through her, but Brynn was determined not to think on it too long. She joined Liam in the living room and handed him the pills and water before dimming the lights just a bit. Not too much that her parents would be suspicious if they came home, but enough to be relaxing for them. The fire had gone out completely too, and she didn't smell any chemicals from the masks, so she doubted her parents would ever know what they had done. Brynn returned to the couch and settled beside Liam with a small smile. "Let's hope prom goes a bit better, right?"
Prom. Liam assumed it had to be better, so long as someone didn’t drop pig’s blood on an unhinged psychic. He might have made a joke about it, but not after the night they’d had. It felt a little too real, like something they should actually worry about. “It’s gotta be better,” he said with a little smile, that slowly started to fade. “I mean… tonight wasn’t all bad. Just… just that one part.” He knew he’d never be able to separate the good from the bad in his memories. Winter formal would always be the night he tried to kill his girlfriend. Liam swallowed, willing the thoughts away. If he let himself dwell on it for more than a second, it would finally get to him and he didn’t want to freak out in front of Brynn. “It’s a long way off, and maybe things will change, but I really hope I can make it up to you.”
Brynn smiled and reached for his hand. "No, the rest of the night was really great. I had so much fun. This doesn't change any of that." Hopefully he knew that. "You don't have to make anything up to me. It was the mask, not you. And if I'd had that mask, maybe I would have been the one acting that way. I really just want to try and forget it even happened." That was easier said than done, Brynn knew, but maybe if Liam knew she wasn't scared, and that she didn't blame him, they could both try to just get things back to normal.
Liam threaded his fingers through hers and smiled back, relief washing over him once more. He really liked Brynn and didn’t want this to taint the relationship they’d really just started. They’d definitely have problems if she thought he might try to kill her again, or even hurt her. He knew it wasn’t going to be as simple as forgetting it happened, but he was going to try. “Yeah, me too,” he said. “Might take a while, but… we’ll get there.” Time was probably what they needed; that usually caused the details to fade away. He just hoped something worse didn’t come to take its place, though it wouldn’t surprise him either.
Brynn nodded and then scooted in close to him to rest her head on his shoulder. Forgetting might be impossible, but they could at least put it behind them as well as they could. And never go back to that antique shop either. Now that the masks were gone, Brynn felt a chill go through her just imagining that place. But she wouldn't think about it for the rest of the night. All she wanted to do was spend some time with Liam so they could both put what had happened behind them. It might take longer for him, considering what that mask nearly made him do, but Brynn would do what she could to help him forgive himself for it.