Who: Eli and Athelstan. What: She tells him about her mother. When: After the incident with her mother. Where: Logan's house. Rating: PG -13. Trigger Warnings: Mention of NPC character death. Status: Complete!
Athelstan had been sound asleep when his phone rang. He fumbled groggily for it, squinting to see the time. “H’llo?”
“Athelstan?” Eli’s voice was as feminine and cute as ever, but it had a healthy dose of sadness to her. She bit her lower lip as they spoke, wringing her hands.
Athelstan was more awake immediately when he heard her voice. “Miss Eli? What ... what time is it? Is everything all right?”
“Can you come to Logan’s? I have to tell you things.” She was sniffling a little, and she couldn’t help but curl her knees closer to her torso.
“Logan’s?” He echoed, brow furrowing. “Is ... where is that? I’m afraid I don’t know. Is he not there?” Something was obviously horribly wrong, but what?
“I’m living with him for a while.” She sighed. “I can have him come fetch you.”
“If you like. Eli, please, are you all right?” Athelstan was trying to hold the phone to his ear and dress at the same time.
“I’m all right,” she murmured. “I will be better when you arrive, though.” She poked her head in the hall and jotted down Athelstan’s address so that Logan could go get him.
“I’ll come there as soon as he arrives.” Athelstan hung up, going to tuck his rosary into his pocket before the man arrived.
The ride was short, and they didn’t speak. Eli’s papa looked rattled and silent, and Athelstan didn’t want to talk; he’d rather hear it all from Eli. When they arrived, the only thing Eli’s papa said was to go to the windowless room at the left. He went to the door and knocked.
She opened the door quickly, smiling up at him brightly. She’d been sitting, reading in the dimly lit room, but when she saw him, she felt truly happy.
But when she thought of how to speak to him, she got sad all over again.
“Eli. What on earth’s happened?” He came into the room, closing the door and taking up her hands before he could think. “Are you all right? You frightened me.”
Wrapping her arms around him, she pulled him down so she could kiss the corner of his mouth. “I have to tell you things, and it will be hard, but I have ... I have a crush on you and I like you very much, so I owe you the truth.”
Athelstan froze immediately, turning beet red at her closeness. She was beautiful and wonderful, but he didn’t quite know how to handle this. “I ... really? Why on earth - no.” He stopped himself. “I’m ... extremely flattered.” He couldn’t tell her how to think or feel, only how he felt. “A bit out of my depth, but flattered.”
“My mother is dead. By my hand.” She closed her eyes, just leaping into it, not allowing herself time to worry or think about his reaction. “I was dreaming of feeding, and I cannot keep food down any longer, and I haven’t for about a week, and she came into where I was sleeping.” Her words were a rushed tangle.
Athelstan stared at her in something approaching horror, but mostly for how terrified she must be. He remembered her fangs. “My God in Heaven.” He pulled her closer before he could think. “How frightened you must have been.”
He wasn’t scared of her. He was scared for her. It was enough to drive her to tears. She tried not to, not wanting to leave blood on his shirt, but he was so sweet. She just nodded, nuzzling into his chest, enjoying a moment of near-normalcy.
He could feel her shaking. “You would not have done something like that maliciously,” he explained. “I mean ... this is just mad. Hard to believe it’s real. But you would never do this to cause pain. Does that make sense?”
Eli shook her head. “I didn’t want to, I wish I hadn’t, I want to take it back. I just want to be normal.” Her accent grew thicker when she was upset. She’d only ever wanted to be normal, but no, she was always the strange new girl, and it made her stand out. Now she was a vampire? Even thinking the word was odd.
He couldn’t imagine there was much he could say, so Athelstan just pulled her closer, stroking her hair. It wasn’t as scary as it had been, if only because he understood that people in pain often needed tactile comfort. They couldn’t do anything until she was calm.
Looking up at him with blood streaked down her cheeks, Eli tiptoed up to kiss the corner of his mouth. “Thank you.”
He froze up when she did that, but did his best to remain calm. “I ...” Athelstan tried to be calm if only because he wondered what might happen if he blushed. “You’re welcome, Eli.”
She stroked his cheek, eyes welling with new tears. “So, that is why I am living here.” She wiped her cheeks and moved to sit down on the futon.
“With your Logan? How has he been responding? He was very quiet on the way over.” The man just seemed to be that type, so Athelstan hadn’t pried.
“Oh, he’s ... scared, I think, if only because I do not think he knows how his girlfriend will take it. I have told him that if she does not like it, I’ll simply leave.” Eli smiled, twisting the hem of her skirt.
“I certainly hope that does not come to pass.” Athelstan smiled. “I’m terrible with carpentry and such; I’ve no idea how you’d exist if you had to stay in my flat.” Okay, that made him blush. Hopefully she wouldn’t need to react.
Eli blinked, then blushed herself, giggling and pressing her palms to her cheeks. “Oh, I - I’d just stay in the park, I think.”
It was still an extremely endearing thing, to watch her blush and smile. Athelstan looked down shyly. “Oh, I’d hope not. Clearly you have friends and people who care.”
“Well, yes, but I wouldn’t want to impose upon you.” She squeezed his hand and smiled at him.
“That doesn’t appear to be a problem, at least.” Athelstan sat back a little. “It’s a good thing.”
She curled up close to him again, nuzzling into his shoulder and closing her eyes. “I agree. If I must be in this situation, it could’ve turned out much worse.”
“Indeed.” Athelstan would spare a prayer for Eli’s mother, but at the same time, he couldn’t find it in his heart to condemn her. Not for something that had been ... instinctual. “There are some things,” he began, feeling awkward, “that I wonder.”
She closed her eyes, wincing. “Oh?”
“You were afraid of how I would react.” Athelstan chose his words carefully. “What about how you will react?” He had his rosary in his pocket. “You would not respond badly to ... religious symbols?” Another time, he might laugh at the incongruity of a vampire being sweet on a religious man.
Eli shook her head. “I was raised secular, though I am respectful of all faiths. I think that whatever supreme deity exists will be just beyond our understanding. Yours is particularly lovely, though. May I touch it?” She reached her fingers out, smiling at him.
He held back a bit. “I mean ... will it harm you?” He hated to even have to ask.
“What? I don’t think so.” She blinked, reaching out and touching it without his permission. It felt cool, but didn’t hurt.
“I’m sorry, that might have been silly, but I mean.” He blushed again, clearing his throat. “The only ... I’ve only ever heard of vampires in the Dracula story.”
“It is different in my dreams.” She smiled at him and shook her head. “We are far less beautiful and far more terrible.”
“You’ll have to educate me, then.” Athelstan said stubbornly. He wasn’t going to let this affect their friendship. “We should still go on our hike, if possible.”
“You still wish to see me?” Eli’s whole face lit up, her smile unchanged.
“If you can guarantee my safety as near as possible. And you’ve said you can.” He trusted her word. There was no reason he ought not to.
“I care about you. A lot. You’re the first person I’ve ever had a crush on, I’d never hurt you if I could help it.” Eli shook her head, then realized what she’d said, blushing.
Her blush was charming. Athelstan kissed her forehead, just ... acting. It was becoming readily apparent that at least with Eli, good things happened when he just acted.
She bit her lip and grinned. That was the first kiss she’d ever gotten. Sure, it was on the forehead, but that counted.
Somehow, he felt as though levity might help the situation. “Can you perhaps ask your ... Logan ... to stop frightening me?” Athelstan couldn’t help but chuckle. The man was scary. Well-meaning, but scary.
Eli laughed a bit. “He’s not doing it on - all right, he is doing it on purpose, but I can ask him. I doubt it will do much good, but I will try.” She reached up to run her fingers through his hair, biting her lower lip.
“I will be kind to you no matter what.” Athelstan rather liked that feeling, and closed his eyes. In the midst of something new and terrifying, it was a rather homey gesture.
She continued to stroke his hair, smiling to herself and humming a lullaby under her breath. “I think that is why I care for you. You remind me of your Saint Francis.”
“How so?” It felt odd to feel so peaceful, and yet she did it. She was a special creature, to be sure.
“He seemed the most gentle of your saints. He is the one I would follow.” She studied his face, smiling when she saw the very beginning of lines around his eyes, stubble around his jaw. He was beautiful.
“He was.” Athelstan’s eyes were still closed. “He was a young soldier, but after joining the poor in begging in St. Peter’s Square, he lost his taste for worldly life. Animals are still to this day blessed in churches on his feast day.”
“See? Like you.” Eli leaned up to kiss him lightly, a closed-mouthed chaste thing, the kind of kiss that her grandmother would’ve given.
It still made him blush, if only because he hadn’t been expecting it. Athelstan chuckled, just a short burst of mirth, then looked up at her shyly. “I won’t allow any harm to come to you,” he said again. Just for good measure.
“Nor I you,” Eli murmured. She let her forehead rest against his, eyes closed, breathing a little bit faster from the intimacy.