InsaneJournal

Who: Sam Merlotte and Tyler Lockwood
What: Random run in while Sam's at work.
When: Recently
Where: Fangtasia
Rating/Warnings: None really
Status: Complete when posted



Tyler had heard of Fangtasia a few times, both on the Network and off of it, but he had never visited the bar himself. He wasn’t exactly sure how he felt about the name of the place either. Despite the fact that Tyler knew that vampires existed in truth - he was half a vampire himself - it still seemed like the type of name one of those awful vampire goth clubs would name themselves. One of the ones that had a bunch of weirdos in lace and black eyeliner drinking cranberry juice out of chalices and pretending it was blood.

Still, some of the other faculty members at the University had invited him out for drinks, and Tyler had never been the type to turn down a party. He was pleased, and a little surprised, that he bar didn’t quite live up to his expectations. He made his way up to the bar so that he could order himself a drink, and waited for a bartender to approach him.

***

Sam was filling in on the bar while one of his employees took a break, taking a few minutes to talk to some of their regulars and joke around while he made their drinks and kept an eye on what was going on. He didn’t know what was going on with him but he’d noticed that his eyesight and other senses were getting better now that he’d started Dreaming more. So far still no shifts but something told him that was only a matter of time now. He’d just have to make sure to lock his apartment so that he couldn’t get out.

He saw a man walk up to the bar and excused himself after a moment to go take the order when he realized that none of his employees were going to. He smiled when he realized that he recognized him. “When I said we’d grab a beer sometime Tyler this wasn’t what I meant.” He joked.

***

Tyler blinked when a man who knew his name approached him, but it only took him a moment to place him as the guy who Tyler had helped move once, and the awkward moment they’d had at the threshold of his apartment when Tyler realized he couldn’t actually enter without an invitation.

Now that he thought about it, Sam had mentioned working at Fangtasia then too . “Well, it took me long enough to finally follow up,” Tyler said. “How’s the bar been going?”

***

“Been going pretty good. Got a promotion to manager when Eric had to go back to Louisiana so you lucked out catching me behind the bar tonight. Normally I’m stuck in the office. How’ve you been doing?” Sam asked as he reached for a glass.

***

“Congrats, that’s awesome,” Tyler said, grinning, and noticing Sam grab the glass, he mentioned that he’d have a rye and coke. “I’ve been pretty good. I’m coaching football at the university these days. Just got back from a work trip, actually. It’s been good.”

***

Rye and coke wasn’t one that Sam heard often from the younger crowd that frequented the bar so he made sure to use the good stuff, making sure to let the woman working with him know that he’d be handling this tab himself. “Work trip huh? Anywhere fun?” He asked, setting the glass down in front of him and resting his hands on the bar. He had a few minutes to talk right now.

***

“Texas,” Tyler answered. “So, nowhere too exciting, but I had fun. Hard not to when you’re spending three weeks just talking football with a bunch of other football fans.” Well, football coaches, but it wasn’t a job you got into if you weren’t a fan of football. He’d even managed a few games of touch, which had been fun if not incredibly tricky to figure out how to play without revealing what he was.

***

“Hell living out here - not exciting is going to be one of my requirements for vacation spots. Because you need a break from it.” Sam joked. “So you spent three weeks talking work? Where have I heard about people doing that before?” Other than everytime he got together with his friends from the military.

***

“Man, you’re telling me,” Tyler said. Tyler had gotten used to the craziness of the Orange County, but that didn’t mean he enjoyed it. “And you’re going to have to tell me. It’s my first time ever doing it.” Had it been any other job, it probably would have driven him nuts, but Tyler could talk sports any day of the week. “How’ve you been since I saw you last? Settling in with the OC’s special brand of messed up?”

***
Sam grinned at him. “Answer to that is the military. Or bartending. Sometimes it’s the same thing almost - saving people from their own stupid selves.” He said with a shrug. “Pretty good. Dreams are making life...hell in some ways. Senses are about forty kinds of fucked up but I’m learning. Adjusting.” Not getting lost in the smells during his shifts anymore.

***

Tyler opened his mouth to say that eventually, you got used to it, but then closed it again. That would only open up too many questions, and the fewer people that knew about what Tyler was, the better. “You’re supernatural in your dreams?” he asked instead.

***

Sam leaned against the bar as he looked the younger man in the eye and lowered his voice just a little. “I’m something called a shifter in them. The ability to do it hasn’t crossed over to here yet but the heightened senses have. When it does I’ll apparently be able to turn into any animal I’ve seen a picture of. No people though - too hard a shift or something.”

***

“A shifter,” Tyler said, frowning to himself. His dreams had werewolves, witches, and vampires, and variations thereof, but he didn’t think he’d ever heard of shifters before. “That sounds like one hell of a power,” he said. “Does it hurt? When you shift, I mean.” Tyler could turn into a wolf on command, but to do so meant that he had to break every bone in his body. Now that he wasn’t trying to break the sire bond with Klaus, it wasn’t something he wanted to do too often.

***

“The first time did. Mainly it’s the senses that are the worst part. You ever smelled the equivalent of a room full of stale sweat?” Sam said, raising a brow as he looked at the younger man.

***

Tyler’s lip twiched, because yeah, he knew exactly what that smelled like. For one, he was a college football coach. The job came with interesting smells even for someone who didn’t have a supernatural sense of smell.

“I can imagine. I wonder if it’d help if you wore some cologne.” At the very least, that helped Tyler deal with the rest of the smells. It was a little easier to block them out when his own scent was pleasant.

***

“Gets a little overwhelming for me. Or at least all the ones I’ve tried so far have.” Sam said quietly. It was distracting and maddening not being able to smell anything other than that. And made it hard for him to keep an eye on his patrons to make sure nothing against policy got in the bar. Marijuana might be legalized but he didn’t want it in Fangtasia.

***

“Yeah, I guess that makes sense,” Tyler said. He’d gotten pretty used to just tuning out the smell of his cologne so that he barely noticed it in his day to day life, but he could understand if other people couldn’t do the same thing.

“I’m sure you’ll get used to it sooner or later though. You might even find yourself missing it if it was ever to go.”

***

Sam grinned at him. “Smell I won’t cry over. The hearing vision and strength though? That I’ll actually miss if something happens to make it go away. That couch? Pretty sure I’d be able to get it upstairs by myself now.”

***

Tyler grinned. “Yeah? So, I guess I won’t expect to get a call from you any time soon asking for help moving, huh?” Not that Tyler minded. Moving was mind-numbingly boring, but with his own supernatural strength it wasn’t as if it was especially difficult.

***

“I wouldn’t go that far. Just because I could move it all by myself doesn’t mean I’d want to.” Sam said laughing just a little bit. “I’ll even double it if I ever move again. I’ll order two pizzas and grab a couple cases of beer.”

***

“Two pizzas and a couple cases of beer for an afternoon of grueling labour?” Tyler asked, raising his eyebrows and smiling a little. “Well, who could turn that down. Count me in.” He actually meant it too. Sam wasn’t a bad guy and Tyler wouldn’t mind having more pizza and beer with him, even if it did mean moving a couch or two.

***

“Yeah well. That’s only if I find myself moving again. And I’m still not hating my place. Or the neighbors. I do still owe you for helping me move in though. Only one pizza though - we’re not applying the offer backward.” Sam joked. He heard someone calling for a refill from the other end of the bar. “Duty calls unfortunately. Let me know if you want a refill.”

***

Tyler laughed. “I guess I’ll accept my one pizza,” Tyler said with a wink. It was probably high time for him to return to the table with his coworkers anyway, so he wasn’t too bummed out when Sam had to get back to work. “Give me a call sometime and we’ll get together.”