-- THE ONLY HOPE FOR ME IS YOU *

[DENVER CARLOS HURLEY]

can i be the only hope for you?
BECAUSE YOU'RE THE ONLY HOPE FOR ME.

Denny honestly hated family dinners. He always had, and probably always would. He’d practically always been allowed to invite any of his friends over to the dinners, but he knew he wouldn’t. He’d been too scared that his parents would be extremely embarrassing, just as any other teenager would have, and that really hadn’t changed in a matter of five or six years. Even though that was the same, things had changed drastically otherwise. Now, Denny’s parents really only invited him home for vacations, holidays, and other miscellaneous occasions. That was partly because of the fact that he’d gone to jail and defied all of their rules five years ago, but also partly because he was twenty-two and he lived on his own across town. They didn’t need to see him half as much as they had when he’d lived with them, and he understood that.

Still, bringing Annie home with him for Thanksgiving was so frightening that Denny thought he’d need to bring six extra pairs of pants or something. He wasn’t really sure what was going to happen, but after the past week or so, he really couldn’t stand to expect much. He couldn’t expect too much good or too much bad, so he was in this almost numb mental state, but still he was freaking out. He didn’t know where he’d go if things got bad, didn’t know who he’d blame if something was said the wrong way, didn’t even know what Annie was going to do if his family offended her new hair cut. Once again, Denny’s mind was going in circles, and there really wasn’t much he could do about it. He just needed to suck it up, go into a state of being excited to see his family, and introduce Annie as his…..his girlfriend. He hoped they’d agree on that, anyway, mostly because Denny didn’t really know how else to classify Annie. Sure, she was his best friend but she was so much more to him than just that these days, had been for a while, and he kind of wanted to make things official on at least that level.

However, Annie was an odd one, and he’d never know if she’d agree to it unless he asked. The question then was how? Denny knew Annie, and he knew exactly how he couldn’t go about asking her if he could introduce her as his girlfriend to his parents. It didn’t matter that his sister would be the bigger judge probably; Denny lost a little bit of respect (though not worry) for his sister every time something reminded him of the accident. It was his parents he was really scared of. And even then, it was more that Annie would like them rather than if they’d like Annie that freaked him out the most. Of course Denny took their approval into consideration, but Denny was never so sure of anything than he was of Annie – there would never, ever be another Annie in his life, even with that Addison girl in town, and her approval of his parents meant more than anything. Maybe it was also because Annie didn’t turn her back on him when he’d told her he didn’t go to jail for something he’d done, but for what his sister had done – or that he’d gone to jail at all – but then again his parents didn’t really turn away from him completely.

They just sort of alienated him as much as they could without seeming like complete assholes.

Either way, Denny still needed to ask. Just as they were down the block, literally just houses away from his parent’s house, he turned to Annie. He still wasn’t sure how to ask this, but he needed to find a way pronto. “Look Annie,” he started. That was probably the wrong thing to say, because honesty that was just a sign of uncertainty of an outcome. Denny just needed to breathe and remember to keep doing so. “You wouldn’t mind if I um…” His breaks in speech really needed to stop completely. “If I told my parents you were my girlfriend, would you?” There, he’d asked. That was now the least of his worries; number one on the list was her answer now. Honestly, he had an alternative. If Annie said no, he’d just tell his parents that she was his best friend, and that he really didn’t know too many other people without knowing Annie first. That way Annie was happy and he wasn’t lying to his parents.

Everyone had the potential to be happy in that situation….mostly.

Denny waited patiently for her answer, and when he finally got it, he sighed. It wasn’t out of relief as much as it was any other emotion and so with her answer Denny turned back and started down the street again. When he found the familiar house, he turned up onto the stoop and knocked on the door. His nerves shook and rattled as he waited for the door to open, and almost subtly moved to hold Annie’s hand. He had a feeling she’d be nervous, maybe just as much as he was. Not because this was just his family, but because she knew how much his family meant to him regardless of what they thought of him. Denny had always been close to his mother, close to his sister before the accident, and not so close that him and his father would go out to baseball games every weekend when he was little, but close enough. Family was everything he had, and when he wasn’t with his family, Annie took their place. That put a lot of pressure on Annie, he knew, but he also knew that she knew at least to the tiniest degree just how much she meant to him also.

Breaking his thought train (station), the door opened and revealed a very happy Mrs. Hurley. Denny smiled, couldn’t help but do so, and held on to Annie’s hand as his mother stepped out and engulfed him in a hug. When she pulled back she said, “Get in here, Denver!” which honestly sounded weird, but no one really said too much on that part of the speech. Instead, Denny just pulled Annie behind him, smiling back at her as they entered his former home. Standing in the front room was not only his mom, but also his father and his sister. Jess, his sister, didn’t smile or move from her spot, but just kind of looked on behind their dad. Denny didn’t care, he just pulled Annie by the hand to stand next to him and smiled like he couldn’t believe. So this was what it felt like to have everyone and anyone that really means something (besides Abby and Boss, of course) to him in one room.

Denny’s dad moved past his mother and just kind of did one of those guy-ish handshake/hug things before stepping back and looking at Annie. He just looked for a moment, probably trying to take in the girl that Denny brought home. Denny couldn’t read the expression on his face, but he hoped his father wasn’t disappointed. He’d already done that five years ago – plus, Denny didn’t ever count Annie as a disappointment. Regardless of what she did to her hair, he still found her extremely gorgeous, and even with the side of her head unbalanced from the other, he still loved her. “This must be the girl you told us so much about, Denver!” Well, at least his dad sounded excited to meet Annie. That didn’t make that over used, cheesy line any less embarrassing. Then again, the same things that had been embarrassing in High School weren’t exactly big deals anymore (most of them anyway), so it didn’t really have the same effect it would have had on Denver if he’d brought home a girl five or six years ago.

Ignoring the mix of emotions inside of him, Denny just kept his smile on his face, looked at Annie, and then back at his family. “Annie, this is my mom, Donna, my dad, Eric, and my sister, Jess.” He paused after pointing to his family one at a time. Then he took one baby step away from Annie, but didn’t let his hand slip from hers and smiled a bit wider. “Guys, this is Annie. My girlfriend,” he said, and his smile just grew and grew at the word. He wasn’t so sure why he couldn’t seem to control his smile, but he knew what his mother was thinking before he even saw her face. Due to his reaction of the word ‘girlfriend’, she knew for certain just how Denny felt for Annie, and when Denny looked back at his mom, her smile practically matched her son’s.

Like she should have earlier, Donna came across the room and pretty much engulfed Annie the way she had Denny outside of the house just moments before. She pulled back quickly though, as to not scare Annie to much. After all, Denny knew how Annie could be, but his mother……well, to be fair she hadn’t spent even a fraction of the amount of time that Denny had with Annie. “Oh, it’s so nice to meet you finally!” Denny had no clue why his parents had to be like this – so excitable at someone that really didn’t like being touched in the first place, though they didn’t know that – but he didn’t say anything. If they all got along, things would work out, and he knew that to the very core of his being.


1596 -- seren/annie! <3 -- OUTFIT. -- i made but lyrics go to my chem duh. -- OMFG I LOVE THIS FOR WHATEVER REASON. anyway. this'll get good.

[ANNABELLE MARIE HURLEY]

if you are the shore than
I AM THE WAVES, BEGGING FOR A BIG MOONS.

Annie had very often been with faced with hungry animals and bad situations, but never had she seen herself staring down the mouths of so many hungry wolves. She felt her eyes grow wide, and panic dug deep into her gut, and she felt herself freezing up. Fight or flight became pushed into her bloodstream, and holy shit, she needed to run so badly. But Denny’s hand kept her grounded, and she gripped it so hard she thought she might smash his hand. Annie never thought she would feel so nervous; she never felt nervous. But here she was, freaking out more than she ever would have thought she was. She was so boxed in, and she leaned against Denver a little to ease the tension. But then everyone started talking, and hugging, and she thought she was going to die. She saw her life flash before her eyes, really. She thought that was a cliché thing to say. Her heart was beating so hard in her chest and her eyes, her pulse was hammering through her entire body. With a room full of shifters she knew that they could probably hear it, too, and that made it beat even harder. Suddenly she was so self conscious. Denny knew better than anyone how insecure she was (secretly of course; everyone thought she had that whole “I don’t give a fuck attitude” but, in reality, she was a bulimic mess that didn’t know what to do with herself) and this situation wasn’t helping her emotions.

And then she saw Denny’s sister, and she didn’t seem to be enjoying herself. Annie kind of tuned everyone else out, and watched her. She decided that she didn’t like this girl very much at all. If Annie had a brother and he had sacrificed himself like that in an attempt to save her ass she would have been fucking grateful. But this girl, barely younger than Annie herself, just looked pissed at the world. Almost upset that her brother was here to begin with. This girl – Jess, apparently – wasn’t even smiling. How could she take for granted someone so great? Annie couldn’t comprehend it. She was so buzzing judging his sister (which she would feel guilty about later) that she almost didn’t hear him when he said Annie. My girlfriend. Fuck, why had he taken a step back? He understood how much she needed him on a normal day, and right now she needed him so badly she felt like she was going to cry. But somehow she managed a shaky smile. She looked back at the rest of the family. And this is where Annie’s backbone kicked in. Anyone else in her circumstances and nervousness would have just managed a shaky hi. But Annie took a deep breath and made sure that her lips were still on her face, and she took a deep breath. ”Hello.” She made her smile more sure. She just wanted to get her feet under her and then she felt like she could get a better grasp on this situation. That was all she needed, a little break, a little room to breath, a - .

Holy fuck. Denver’s mother just swallowed her up in this monstrous hug. Annie felt like she was going to die, again. She hated being cornered, she hated being touched (with the exception of Denver because he could touch her anywhere, as much as he wanted) and here she was with way too much physical contact, and it made her so sick to her stomach that her vision began to swim. She stood statue still, unsure on whether or not to hug her back, completely awkward. Before she had to make a big decision though, she pulled back and Annie calmed down, although suction cupped herself back to Denny’s side.

She wished she had learned to say no to Denver’s adorable face. But she couldn’t. This morning she had just scurried around the house, trying to decide what to do. This skirt, or that skirt? This shirt, or that one? And what about her hair? What a terrible week to cut her hair. What a bad week to begin with. Things just piled up; oh, I love you, oh, I’m bulimic, oh, I used to be a prostitute, oh, I have a cousin who wants to steal my boy friend to me, oh let me have a huge breakdown and look like a complete psychopath. She was so insecure this morning, she couldn’t eat anything because it would just come right back up, and not on purpose. And that made her think, could she be trusted to be at this dinner? She didn’t know why Denny trusted her. She was a complete mess and she didn’t think she should be trusted.

She smoothed out her dress with her free hand, and then clutched at the bronze bird claw on her chest. She had started wearing that necklace a lot more now that she and Denny were “going out.” To feel the metal underneath her fingertips calmed her a little bit, and she loosened her grip on Denny’s hand a little, not in an I don’t need you kind of way, but more in an I’m feeling a little better, but please stay there way. Because that’s the way she felt. She shifted her weight on her feet, and looked at Denny a little, and smiled. She really hoped that he thought she was pretty tonight, even though she wasn’t comfortable at all in this dress, it was too form fitting. Even though the tennis shoes she was wearing clashed with everything. Even though she was wearing glasses, which she didn’t normally do. Even if she cut off half her hair in a stupid attempt to just feel more secure in herself. Because right now she was feeling very scrutinized, but it would be so easy to ignore if he still loved her like he told her. Seeing his face made her feel much better, like, okay, this was worth it. But the part that messed up that supposedly stable plan was really looking at all parts of his face. And that was a bad idea. Because they both knew that Annie had a serious problem with just wanting to make out with Denny all the time, all the absolute time. And now was not the time to make out with him. Definitely the absolute wrong time to do such things.

So she just looked back at the gathering of people. ”It’s nice to meet you all.” and plastered on one of those trademarked Annie-smiles, the really fake ones that she had worked so hard to make genuine. ”So. What’s cooking?”






1,116 - outfit - lyrics to fob, sob. - annie died three times in this post. truefax.

[/quote]

[DENVER CARLOS HURLEY]

can i be the only hope for you?
BECAUSE YOU'RE THE ONLY HOPE FOR ME.

To him, this wasn’t nearly as horrifying as he’d pictured. Denny didn’t know what he’d been thinking, but for some reason or another he’d pictured something right out of an Alfred Hitchcock movie or something. He expected Jigsaw to turn on the TV and tell them all that they were fighting for their lives and that they were ready to play the game or whatever dumb shit was in the movies he never watched. But this was nothing like a horror movie; apart from his nearly demonic-looking sister, everything as normal. What had happened with Jess, anyway? Did she all of the sudden hate Denny or something? Maybe she was just jealous of Annie for taking up her brother’s attention or something – what did Denny really know? He was a guy, and guys are typically oblivious to their sister’s emotions once they had their own leading lady in their lives. At least, he’d just noticed that about a lot of girls he’d known, regardless of when he’d known them, how well he’d known them, or for how long.

To be honest, Denny felt like this was peaches and cream compared to what he’d expected. He didn’t expect the worst on Annie’s part; because of her unpredictability he really didn’t know what to expect from Annie. He’d expected the worst from his own family, and with the exception of Jessica Hurley, everything was just peachy-keen. Well, everything from his parents. His father had stopped and somewhat sized up Annie, but he hadn’t said anything or done anything in a derogatory manner. Denny didn’t doubt that his mother would be perfectly well behaved – though that hug was questionable of that statement – and so it had really been his father he’d been worried about. His sister’s take on the situation meant little to nothing to him; it was all on his dad to make the right moves and words appear. He’d done just that, and one part (one little, tiny, stuck-in-the-past part) of Denny felt guilty. He’d gone to jail and all his dad did was support him and the girl he loved.

But Denny didn’t dwell on that for too long. Instead, the other, huge, more dominant part of his mentality was screaming with joy practically. Well, it was when he looked at his did. When he looked back at Annie, he could see hints of pain and agony that his family probably couldn’t see due to their lack of time around this mysterious creature that is his girlfriend, Annie. His smile faded, but not completely. He couldn’t tell why it wasn’t completely diminishing (gee Denny, it can’t possibly be because Annie looks extremely ravishing in that dress, could it?) because usually he was straightforward with everything, even his emotions. He just kind of let the smile that was staying sit on his face, trying to hold what he could in as to not make the whole room explode in that fashion he’d been dreading since his parents had invited him home for Thanksgiving dinner. Right, like his smile could produce a mystical fabric that would keep the seams of this meeting together long enough to get them through the night? Denny needed to keep on dreaming. Maybe then that would be possible.

Denny didn’t really have too much time to talk though. After introductions and Annie’s question about food, his mom was all over answering with pride. She’d always been the cook in the house, regardless of having a full time job or not, and so Denny expected nothing less than the best. Though he wasn’t so fond of the idea of eating a Turkey – at least the human part of him wasn’t – because of the fact that he was part bird, but the vulture part of him just didn’t give a fuck. If it was dead, it was food. “Oh, a great heap of yummy stuff!” God mom, we’re not in seventh grade gong to the Sadie Hawkins dance or anything. Denny’s mind was so beyond nervous now – he was just plain out embarrassed and Annie could probably see it in his quickly flushing face. He sort of half-rolled his eyes, which ended him with a light slap across his arm. Thank god he had muscles from flying there; otherwise it was likely that light slap could have really hurt.

“Denver Carlos, don’t make that face at me!” Donna was being extremely like the mother he remembered. That was good – maybe, he hoped, she would give Annie that sense of maternal influence she didn’t grow up with. Of course, Denny didn’t remember right then if he knew the specifics of her past, but he didn’t care. He was about making things easier and better for her, and if giving her the mother she never got through his own mother was how he was going to do it, then by God he was going to let it happen. However, after that enormous hug before, he doubted that Annie would let Donna in right off the bat, even if she was the origin of Denny’s personality and homeliness. Still, Donna went on. “Hope you’re hungry, dear,” she said looking right at Annie. God damn must have slipped my mind to tell her. Not that Denny would have told his mother that Annie was bulimic without having Annie’s full granted permission, written and signed on a formal sheet of printer paper to do so. Still, it probably bothered Annie that his mother had cooked so much food and….well, Denny didn’t even want to consider where it would end up.

He had to tell himself he didn’t care, even though he did. He accepted Annie for her flaws, loved her even more for having them, and would let her change them at her own pace. Well, she’d seemed to have substituted smoking with making out, which Denny didn’t really complain about, but after just having arrived at his parent’s home, he didn’t think that was all too appropriate. Vices, vices, all around. Well, for the night Denny would have to deal. On the way home maybe he would say something about her bulimia, about how it really did bother him but in the sense that he wanted to make Annie better and not want to keep doing that to herself, but for now the talk was all about dinner and being with his family. “Please tell me you made sweet potato pie, ma.” Wow, the word ‘ma’ felt so foreign to him. He hadn’t been in this house in such a long time that the nicknames he’d given to his own parents felt odd on his tongue. Still at the same time, the name felt familiar and it made him comfortable in a contradiction of itself.

Donna took her turn to roll her eyes. “Yes, Denver.” He wasn’t sure why she kept calling him that instead of Denny. Denver was just too formal for a mother to be calling her son by all of the time. “I made sweet potato pie just for you, just the way you like it.” With that, she walked right into the kitchen and didn’t even look back. That must have meant it was almost dinner time – that the time to eat was closing in. To Denny, that was exciting, being able to sit around the table with his family and Annie. But to Annie, he suspected it was the contrary. She almost feared food as far as he could tell, but then again he’d never been bulimic himself. He didn’t know the exactly specifics – he just knew it was dangerous if it got out of control. And he knew Annie wasn’t exactly always the best at control. Especially these days.

But he was there. He was her support. He’d be there for her no matter what, even if he asked her to stop something and she couldn’t bring herself to. Denny was just that kind of boy – just that kind of boyfriend. He wasn’t going to leave and like he’d told Annie the other night at the show, it would take her a lot of energy to scare him away. So no matter what, he was still there, holding her hand, being the wall she was gluing herself to in fear of what the people around her thought of her. He squeezed her hand, not nearly as hard as she had squeezed before, just to reassure her he’d be there for her. He watched and waited as Eric followed his wife into the kitchen, then waited for Jess to leave him and Annie alone. She hesitated a minute before stepping around the chairs in the room to get a closer look at Annie, and Denny took a step closer to her to give the same effect as the hand squeeze. Surprisingly, Jess just half smiled before walking away from the both of them without a word.

“Sorry about her. Don’t know what’s up her ass.” Denny shrugged quickly. He looked towards the kitchen, then back at Annie and sighed. “It’ll be over before you know it. Plus, my mom’s boss at cooking, so I can promise you that you won’t be disappointed.” Denny smiled as if trying to lighten her mood, trying to bring her more into the act of not being bulimic at a social dinner gathering, but he wasn’t sure it was working. He made sure no one was watching before he turned and kissed Annie, just another precaution to make her feel more at ease. To be honest, it made him feel more at ease himself, and this had once been his own home. But just as quickly as the kiss had started, it ended, just possibly in fear of someone walking out of the kitchen and catching them in the act. “Let’s go before they start asking questions.” Knowing his family, they would.



1639 -- seren/annie! <3 -- OUTFIT. -- i made but lyrics go to my chem duh. -- dood. love this more. <3

[ANNABELLE MARIE HURLEY]

if you are the shore than
I AM THE WAVES, BEGGING FOR A BIG MOONS.

Annie didn’t like the feeling that she was privy to this conversation between Denny and his family. It felt like an over rehearsed script, something stiff, played from memory, no emotion. It made her feel awkward and she really didn’t want to be there. She wasn’t used to family things at all, but Denver was the exact opposite. It didn’t really help her feel at ease. It might have just been that this setting was very… domestic. Annie didn’t like being in domestic situations, and she couldn’t think of any that had been worse than this. I mean, she was in a fucking dress, putting social labels on her life and about to sit down to a huge meal that she didn’t want to eat, and was dreadfully afraid of keeping down, with silverware, and glasses, and it was too much for her very animalistic personality to deal with. Even singing, even being packed so close to people, it was very primal. Instinct, that was how Annie defined her life. And this wasn’t instinctual, this was like everyone was drawing right from some basic, almost elementary, education that Annie had missed out on because she was too busy being a guttural chick that didn’t care about humanity. She never thought she would have regretted living that way, but now she was.

And then his parents left the room and she felt much, much better. Until his sister came up towards her, and she wanted to swallow her tongue, but then Denny stepped closer, that instant crutch that he somehow wanted to be, and she felt a little better. And then she left, and Annie felt much better. “Sorry about her. Don’t know what’s up her ass.” ”You just think she’d be more… grateful.”She closed her eyes and shrugged, but when she opened them again she raised her eyebrows at him with that inflection of what exactly she should be grateful for. “It’ll be over before you know it. Plus, my mom’s boss at cooking, so I can promise you that you won’t be disappointed.” Annie made a face. Disappointed, maybe not. Regretful…? She’d find out later that night. But she didn’t have time t dwell on that because suddenly he was kissing her. Inside her chest was like fireworks, because that was pretty good, that feeling. But then he was pulling back. Annie grabbed his tie, and pouted. Not what she wanted, to end that. In fact, with her fingers on that tie, she could think of a much, much better ending; although, arguably, she was bluffing. All she could do at that point was think of such endings. Because she knew she wasn’t ready for them in actuality. “Let’s go before they start asking questions.” ”Let theeem,” she whined, but she knew it was a losing battle, and so she just followed Denny into the other room, where she unhappily took her seat, trying to wipe off those last traces of her childish grimace.

Denny pulled out her seat for her (big shocker) and she sat and waited for him to sit. She wanted to grab his hand again, but she had a feeling it might look awkward, so she just folded her hands in her lap, and tried very hard to keep them still and not fidgety. The only other one in the room was Jess, who sat across the room, watching Annie again. Inwardly, Annie bit her lip, but outwardly, she held the girl’s unwavering gaze. She was usually like that; solid outside, crumbling inside. She couldn’t exactly blame the younger girl though; it was like her brother had brought home a stray dog. Annie had this slightly possessed look about her half the time, even if she was in a dress. Her gaze was always half on the room, half somewhere else, endlessly on alert, endlessly uncomfortable. Those were usually the traits of a prey animal, but at the same time it worked for predator as well. And in a place like the world was slowly becoming, predator was becoming prey to larger beasts. It was best to stay on her guard.

It was then that she noticed the wine glasses. Annie had desperately wanted to drink before she and Denny had left, but, noooo, that was taboo for family events like this one. A nice glass of red wine at a beautiful family dinner though? It couldn’t hurt… it would help, especially with this empty stomach. Maybe it would go right to her head. Sure, she would still act awkward, but at least she wouldn’t be aware of it. Denny, however, administered a warning glance, and reproach Annie… Well fuck that, it was on the tip of her tongue, some retort. But then, from across the table, Annie was shaken by a voice that she wasn’t familiar with, although it was like a feminine Denny.

”What, is she pregnant?”

Annie chuckled sarcastically, and picked up the glass. ”Nooope.” chugged it down, just in time to turn and see Donna and Eric walk in. She was surprised that turkey platter hadn’t clattered to the floor. She took Denny’s glass too, because she didn’t think he would drink it, and she sure as hell needed it right now. When she spoke again, her voice wasn’t unsure. It was very sure, very Annie like. Well, at least she wasn’t feeling unlike herself, anymore. ”Cheers to that!”





901 - outfit - lyrics to fob, sob. - l 0 l

[DENVER CARLOS HURLEY]

can i be the only hope for you?
BECAUSE YOU'RE THE ONLY HOPE FOR ME.

There was something so wrong with his sister. Did she convert to being a haggish witch or something? Of course, Denny hadn’t ever known his sister to use her shifting abilities to her own advantage – maybe because he was a shifter, Jess hadn’t gotten any of the shifter genes from their parents? It was a far stretch of the imagination since there were two parents, both with the shifter DNA, and two children from those parents. Things just added up mathematically, so Denny didn’t know why Jess wouldn’t like to be an animal even every once in a while. He knew Annie wouldn’t understand the lack of shifting one bit, so he just kept that to himself. Still, his sister was being awfully unfriendly. Maybe mom and dad had told her she couldn’t have anyone over because they were excited to meet Annie, and then upon seeing Annie she’d gotten jealous? Well, as far as Denny was concerned, any girl on the face of the earth had to be jealous of Annie. She was gorgeous – but then again he wouldn’t think of his sister the way he thought of Annie even if he tried.

And then there it was – the question Denny wouldn’t ever be able to answer. Well, at least he didn’t think he’d be able to answer it. Kids just weren’t his thing, especially right now. He and Annie had just moved on with their emotions and needs and wants; kids and even the even that led to kids was way down the road, if only physically. If he drank red wine, he would have taken a sip right before Jess asked her slightly too rude question and choked on it. He’d just prompted Annie not to drink because she was under the legal drinking age, and he didn’t want her to just jump on him half way through dinner and make out in front of his parents. But his sister just had to prompt Annie into drinking. Well, one drink wouldn’t do too much harm, right? Two….two? Annie grabbed Denny’s cup practically right from under his face and brought it up as a toast just as his parents came in with the food.

Denny let his eye brows fall. He didn’t look disappointed, but rather just that he was giving up. However, he looked at Jess before he could really say or do anything else towards Annie and gave her a sharp, almost angry look. “What? Did I say something?” she asked, just like she knew exactly what she’d done. She didn’t know exactly what she’d released in Annie, and hopefully Denny would be able to keep her in a sort of mindset that wouldn’t totally scare his parents to death. He didn’t want them to be disappointed in his choice of girls too, regardless of what Annie thought of them. Denny didn’t look away from Jess for a good few long seconds before looking down at his plate and sighing. Well this is turning out to be more of a disaster than I’d thought. Up, down, up, down, he really should have just been used to this kind of coaster. One moment things would be great, and the one thing would be said or one thing would happen and everything that had been great would crumble around him.

Denny really just felt like hitting his head against a wall at that moment.

“What’s going on here?” Donna asked. Denny didn’t move his head, just looked up from the plate and saw his parents with the turkey. Again, that humane-bird part of him screamed that it was wrong that he was going to eat a half-cousin of his, but the Vulture, scavenger part of his mind, heart, and soul, told him that he didn’t care. Suddenly it didn’t matter what Annie was doing or what Jess had said; he was just focused on whether or not he was going to eat that delicious looking bird that was so perfectly golden brown on the outside. He snapped himself out of the trance once the vulture/scavenger part of him took over, deciding that yes, the delicious looking poultry on the table would be just as delightful as it looked. But as soon as he stopped thinking about that, the situation between Jess and Annie took hold again and nearly suffocated him.

“Nothing, ma. Jess just said something she shouldn’t have.” Denny looked at his sister again and lowered his gaze, cowering at her from across the table. He gave her a look that said, ‘You owe me, so shut your fucking mouth.’ It was true; he’d gone to jail to save her ass, and this was how she was going to repay him? Jess turned her attention away from both Annie and Denny, looking at the wall next to her instead. Donna looked down at Denny, then back at Jess and rolled her eyes.

“Nothing has changed. Three years, and nothing has changed!” Denny didn’t smile, didn’t chuckle, but Eric did. He seemed amused by the assumption that nothing had changed, when really too much had changed. Before Denny had moved out, him and Jess had been quite close. If they hadn’t been, he wouldn’t have taken the metaphorical bullet for her when he’d gotten into his car after she’d run over that girl five years ago. But they had been close, as close as a brother and sister could be. Then he’d moved out after he turned eighteen, and things between them got strained. Denny never returned calls, never made plans to hang out, and then he’d met Annie. Oh, maybe that was it. Maybe Jess really was jealous of Annie, but not because of her physical appearance or the fact that she was his girlfriend. Maybe Jess was jealous because she’d taken up all of her brother’s attention and time, making it nearly impossible to see his sister except for occasions like this.

Maybe it was a bad idea bringing Annie here. He didn’t want to leave her alone on Thanksgiving though – he didn’t know what would happen if he did. He could have told his parents he didn’t want to come home for dinner, but that was so out of Denny’s character they would have blamed Annie and would have never liked her at all. Jess would have hated her even more, which really just meant that this was a better time for them all to meet than any other. Still, it was turning out to be more complicated, more tension-filled then he’d wanted, then he’d hoped for. He still just wanted to get up and hit his head against a wall repeatedly until dinner was over, so he could take Annie home and let her get sleep. He wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight after this; he’d be sitting up all night, possibly on the roof of his apartment building, wondering why the hell his life was so complicated, why it couldn’t be simple now that he’d paid off his debts to the police department of Cape Cod.

He was a good kid, and he knew it some of the time. He was a good guy; he only sat in for his sister in that accident, though only Annie and Jess knew, so why did everything that wasn’t simple and wasn’t easy to deal with always end up in his lap? He wasn’t talking about Annie – Annie was becoming easier and easier to deal with and work with very day they spent together. He was talking about Annie’s mood swings, that Addison Carbon Copy, Jess and her sudden turn of attitude, and whatever other shit he couldn’t name right there in that seat. Why did all of that happen to him? Ugh, he didn’t even care anymore. He was giving up, and what would happen would happen. He’d intervene if Annie got out of hand; he’d take her home half way through dinner if he had to.

Donna noticed something was wrong with Denny. She walked around the table, put one hand on his shoulder and asked, “What’s wrong honey?” He missed her – missed his mother and her maternal instincts. Even if his dad couldn’t tell if something was wrong, Donna always knew, and she wouldn’t stop asking until she got an answer. That scared him because talking about Annie like she wasn’t sitting right there was a big no-no, mostly because Denny was against addressing people and talking about them like they weren’t in the same vicinity. He said, “Just some things I’m working with right now. Don’t worry about it, Ma.” He gave her a sloppy half-smile before she shrugged and walked to her seat. Eric brought the rest of the food to the table with a small smile on his face, one that almost matched Denny’s. Though he had his mother’s personality, he looked more like his father, even now with his father’s graying hair and aging skin.

Denny looked back at Annie and just stared for a few seconds. He didn’t know what to say or do that wouldn’t make the three other people at the table think poorly of his nurture towards her. Then again, he didn’t want to have them think she was incompetent, because she wasn’t. She did her own thing, yes, and sometimes she didn’t even listen to anyone for direction, but Denny knew better. Denny knew she’d listen to him no matter what, just because he loved her and told her he loved her. It didn’t matter if she said it back or if she even felt the same way; he showed her love and that was enough to get her to listen to him. He stood up, grabbed both empty glasses, and sighed. “Two’s enough for now. Especially since one of the two were mine,” he said sounded like a little boy that had his toys taken away by a girl at the park. He took the glasses and headed to the sink, putting them in and rinsing them out with water. He sighed as he turned the faucet off and rubbed his temples.

What was he doing, trying to domesticate Annie? What was he really doing? He would have enjoyed this dinner if Jess didn’t have such an attitude towards his girlfriend; he knew Jess would have enjoyed the dinner if Annie wasn’t there at all. So who was he fooling and what was he doing? Denny didn’t answer these mental questions as he moved back into the dining room, taking his seat again just as his dad was cutting the turkey.



1758 -- seren/annie! <3 -- OUTFIT. -- i made but lyrics go to my chem duh. -- denny y u so emo?

[ANNABELLE MARIE HURLEY]

if you are the shore than
I AM THE WAVES, BEGGING FOR A BIG MOONS.

Annie bit her lip as she listened to Denny talk with his mom. She couldn’t really look at him this second, so she just fidgeted with her fingers. She did, however, look up when she heard Just some things I’m working with right now. That did not please Annie by any means. He looked a little pained, and she knew that it took a lot to get him frustrated. Usually, it was her that did it/ She felt incredibly guilty for having put him through all that she had tonight, because he really just didn’t deserve it. She wasn’t sure why, but Denver had always been dealt a bad hand in his life, but he always played best he could with the cards he was given. Jail had affected him the most, it seemed, but he had bounced back fairly well, if you asked her. He was in love with a psychopath, but didn’t even think twice about it, was open about how much he loved her; what had it been, maybe three days since they’d officially started dating, and he was introducing her to the family, showing her off like some prize pig. Normally, Annie would have hated referring to herself in such a manner, but it didn’t bother her. She was surprising herself with how many things didn’t bother her when Denny was involved with them. Two’s enough for now. Especially since one of the two were mine, She laughed lightly at that. She passed the giggle off as a product of his tone, but more it was a nervous kind of sound at realizing a thin line that this conversation was flirting with; chastise Annie, but don’t let your family know that you also have to control her like a three year old. Because that would lead to bad impressions, thinking Annie was a bad influence. So she just had her little chuckle as he walked away, and smiled sweetly at his mother. ”You raised him right, haha.” She wasn’t sure what she meant by that, but she guessed that maybe other guys would want their (already very sexual) girlfriend to get seriously drunk in an effort to get her in bed. Or maybe was just too lazy to do anything about their antics. Either way, she had said it, and she hoped she was understood.


The conversation went on in some droll, painful manner, at least from Annie’s end. She was polite in her answers, but very concise, not giving much detail. Vague and uninterested, but still polite. She was trying her hardest to be civil, because she felt that at the very least she owed Denver that. But it was hard to fake a genuine interest, so she didn’t try, and kind of just let the conversation float around her, without making an effort to grab out all the bits she wanted to comment on. Finally, she began to eat, with an obvious ravenous hunger that disturbed her. Annie wasn’t very found of eating. She began, but then inevitably slowed down, upset and disgusted with herself already. The debate of what was going to happen to this dinner later still rang in her head. As she pushed around the food on her plate indecisively, she could almost feel Denny’s gaze boring into the side of her head, and she curled her lip a little. But then she knew that making angry faces at her plate wasn’t going to help the situation, and she didn’t want to injure Donna’s pride, so she started eating again. Little bites, but still. She picked her head up a little, and gave Denny a look from under her eyes that distinctly said you owe me. Because this food was staying down. It was very delicious going down, and she doubted that it would be half as good coming up.

As she ate, she played with her mind like a rubix cube. The conversation had died down a bit, although there was a lot of reminiscing that Annie was oblivious to, because she was just thinking to herself. She felt odd, thinking about the others’ reaction to her, because Denny was hyper aware of her, and he could tell her emotions better, whereas the rest of his family probably just saw her as deranged, and didn’t think about the motives for her methods. But as she played with her head and quietly ate, she gradually began to trick herself. This night, this could be a game. And when the conversation started back up again, Annie threw herself in with a bit more zest. Her dry humor was a sarcastic backbone to her comments, getting a laugh and making her seem intelligent. Her well planned words made her seem like the girl you’d want your sun to bring home. This was truly a game for her; a battle of wits against herself. The conversation volleyed back and forth across the table, and she found herself enjoying it. Not what everyone was talking about, but just this game that she was playing with herself.


Maybe it was a bit sick that the only way she could get herself to participate was into playing his family, and maybe Denny resented her for it. But for the moment, she was winning her game, evidenced by the wolfish grin on her face. So she made the game harder by influencing the subjects of speech. She still didn’t keep up with the actual dialogue, because that would have been boring to her. It was the fox side in her coming out (seeing as a Kalak danced on the edge between wolf and fox, she inevitably showed characteristics from each canine group), cunning, sly, manipulative. But she was under the impression that no one else saw past her strict front, except maybe Denny, but he happened to see through everything she did.


Annie would admit that she liked playing mind games. Her favorite one at this time though (not the literal time, more like this week) was a dangerous game of physicality that she frequently found herself playing with Denver, although she didn’t know if he was aware. Annie loved to be all over him, but they both knew that there was a line drawn somewhere that she would not dare pass. That line was exactly like a razorblade; incredibly thin when turned on its side, sometimes you weren’t even sure it was there, but it was also sharp, and to cross it would leave you bleeding. They could never be sure when the line was coming up, or where it was even drawn. Maybe it was actually very crooked, like the masterpiece of a four year old, and those awful altitudes led for some more leverage and some less, in different spots. She would be weird like that. Maybe his hands under her shirt wouldn’t bother her, but if he were to kiss her in a slightly different way she would shut down. Maybe he could kiss her in bed, but in the kitchen she would shy away from him. One could never be sure with Annie, and she knew that – for Denny, anyway – her game was very untrustworthy; the rules were changing everyday.





1,199 - outfit - lyrics to fob, sob. - not nearly as long as i wanted. so the next one will be monstrous, MARK MY WORDS.

[DENVER CARLOS HURLEY]

can i be the only hope for you?
BECAUSE YOU'RE THE ONLY HOPE FOR ME.

The most ironically funny thing about Denny was that he felt like he always owed someone something. That was why he’d taken the blame for the accident; that was why he felt like it was his fault all along; that was why he gave all he could to Annie; that was why he was there with his parents instead of in some dinky diner eating some fried turkey and fried potatoes with a side of fried oreos or something. He didn’t really owe anyone anything, but that wasn’t what he thought. Even if he couldn’t tell you what he owed, he always felt like there was some (in)tangible thing that he needed to give to someone as a payment for a debt he’d collected. He couldn’t tell you why he had owed his sister and taken the fall, couldn’t tell you why he gave practically all of his time to Annie as a payment for something (okay, that one he could; she shared more with him than she did with anyone, and so in return he shared all of his time with her), but there always was a motive even if it wasn’t logical.

Then again, maybe that wasn’t funny at all. If he always owed someone something, what would he go to in order to pay off that debt? With Jess, it was juvenile detention. For Annie, it was anywhere she wanted to go or anything she wanted to do. For his parents, it was coming to a dinner he’d rather have just avoided (at least he felt that way now). But how far would he go for someone else? Well, one thing was for sure: He would not go any farther for anyone else than he would for Annie. He wouldn’t risk his life for his parents – they were better off without him sometimes anyway – and he wouldn’t risk his shifting ability for Jess (especially tonight), but he would gladly give up everything and anything he could for Annie. Maybe that was just a mark of being in love, but whatever.

All of that thought process was brought on by one look. Did Denny really owe her because she was eating? He hadn’t forced her to eat, didn’t even think his mom would have noticed if she’d taken one bite and didn’t touch the rest. Still, she gave him a look that made him think about what he really owed her. He was sort of….offended by the look, but he didn’t say or make any changes to his facial structure to show it. He knew what he owed, he knew who he owed it too, and he knew that he didn’t really owe her anything. (Of course, that could have just been male stubbornness, but Denny wouldn’t know the difference since he is a male.) He shook the thought and the look out of his mind and turned back to his plate. He suddenly wasn’t too hungry, and he knew if he didn’t eat his mom would throw a huge fit. I fed you for eighteen years and this near is no different, Denver! You eat your veggies or I’ll send you to your room! she would say. He didn’t have a room here anymore; it had been turned into an in-home gym two years ago. Still, Donna would go that far to embarrass Denver in front of Annie just to get him to eat.

He needed a clear head, that was all. He’d get mad and infuriated if he didn’t just take a breath and clear his mind. This didn’t happen to Denny often, but when it did he either let it happen or he got on the case immediately and tried to stop his temper before it really got started. The latter was what he was going to do instead of getting so mad he broke something. “I have to use the bathroom.” He pushed his chair away from the table, stood up, and walked around the table until he was out of the dining room. Denny sighed as he nearly ran for the stairs. He sprinted two at a time, using the advantage of his long legs to climb the flight of stairs twice as fast as his mother could. The bathroom was just as he’d left it five years ago – clean, neat, organized, and shiny. The silver faucet reflected the lights from above the mirror, and as Denny closed and locked the door he noticed that the knob did the same thing. Funny, he didn’t remember the knob being so shiny, but there it was shining the light from the bulbs right at his eyes.

He turned around and stared at his reflection in the mirror. His hair was perfectly quaffed the way it always was, but his eyes told another story. He felt trapped, and his eyes showed it. The usual dark chocolate swirls that revolved around his pupils were plain and dull, and the showed a man who just wanted to get out. He would need to shift eventually, even if it was late tonight while he was sitting up on the roof like he’d thought about doing before. For now, this bathroom would have to be enough, because he had a table full of loved ones downstairs waiting for him. Plus, Denny had promised Annie he wouldn’t leave. He’d promised her the other night at the bar, but still he would stay loyal to his promise. He wasn’t ever going to leave – he loved her and that was all he needed. Just to make sure he was full calm so that he wouldn’t go back down to dinner and get pissed just as quickly, Denny stepped up to the sink. He turned on the cold water and bent down, splashing the running water up until it hit his face.

Sighing, he looked at himself again in the mirror after turning the water off. Maybe sleep would be a good idea after all, after he got to shifting. Bags under his eyes were starting to form, and he didn’t want to look like a raccoon when he was a vulture. Being the competition wasn’t the way to win, and Denny knew that well. But he wasn’t mad anymore, he was quite serene actually, so he unlocked and opened the door then sprinted back downstairs. Donna looked up as he reentered the room. “You okay, hun?” Denny just nodded and put a small smile on his face because he really was okay now. He wasn’t thinking about what he had been before he went into the bathroom, and his appetite had come back.

He took one look at Annie and realized he’d been pissed off through an entire bout of conversation. He hadn’t noticed a word that had been said, though he kind of wished he had. This was why he never got angry – it took too mucho f his attention when he was. He much rather would just like to devote his time to trying to get Annie to see how much he loved her, how much he cared. She’d eat it up, the attention anyway, and in return Denny wasn’t ever really mad. Frustrated maybe, agonizingly irritated possibly, but mad? He couldn’t be mad at Annie, and even if he was he wasn’t for long. Like tonight – it had just taken a simple trip to the bathroom and he was fine. “Seems like everyone’s getting along.” Seemed like a cheesy, almost out of place thing to say. Still, it put a smile on Denny’s face, and honestly that was better than a scowl.

For no apparent reason other than just because he wanted to, Denny reached under the table in Annie’s direction and grabbed her hand. Sometimes, he needed grounding just as much as Annie did, and the same way his touch grounded her like he knew it did (he could see it when she was close to him even, how her whole demeanor changed), her touch kept him in check. He smiled more when her hand was in his, finally having some sort of stability in knowing that her hand was his to hold. He should have just done that earlier, but then again they’d been eating. So Denny just looked at Annie and smiled because he was honestly content. He didn’t even give Jess the time of day, and in retrospect that might have been a bad idea. She’d find some way to get him back for that, because once again Denny apparently owed everyone something.


1417 -- seren/annie! <3 -- OUTFIT. -- i made but lyrics go to my chem duh. -- eh this was okay. i hope you liked it though :)

[ANNABELLE MARIE HURLEY]

if you are the shore than
I AM THE WAVES, BEGGING FOR A BIG MOONS.

Annie was so absorbed in her own twisted version of the night that she hadn’t realized Denny had left until he came back, and she watched him, cautiously, slipping up in her speech because she worried. He looked distracted; what had set him off? Something in his own mind that she couldn’t see? What had it been, should she be on her guard to stop it from happening again? Worry was a new thing for her, difficult to describe and feel. But when she looked at his face, she worried. The same sort of agony from earlier was there, paired with a bout of frustration; earlier she had felt guilty because of this look, but now she worried. It was so new that she wasn’t even sure how to react to it. She figured finding out what was wrong would be the first step in solving it. She opened her mouth to say something about it, but was beat to the punch by his mother. Her face contorted for half a second before she smoothed it back out. She tried her best to stay civil, but she didn’t like being bested. Especially unintentionally. But to hide the scowl that wanted to intrude onto her face, she just covered it up with another friendly smile, and dripped back into the conversation.


Annie wouldn’t be surprised if she was losing her mind. She wouldn’t be phased if someone came up and said Hey, your brain’s deteriorating away into basically nothing. But you’re still going to live forever. Just without a decent train of thought. Hey, you’re young, you’ll get used to it! Because she got used to things so easily. It wasn’t even that she was psycho, it was just her moods. Denver complained about them; she wished that she could, too. But she didn’t really complain a lot, it was all just kind of in her head. She was naturally pessimistic, but she didn’t see a real need in alerting everyone to it. But sometimes she could be much, much different than you expected her to be. She could be level headed and sarcastic, and then seemingly split in two between her face and her head. She was up, and she was down. She couldn’t keep up with herself, and it left her very tired, and unable to deal with what she wanted to deal with. Even know, the conversation that had been fueling her was draining her, this whole night was. She’d much rather just sat with Denny at home, and play-argued, and fussed with her cat. (Who, honestly, she forgot about sometimes. She was a forgetful person, oaky?) She waited slowly for the whole thing to be over, perfecting that last defense for when they had to leave; there would be lots of contact. Annie was convinced she would almost always shy away from other peoples’ touch; sometimes even Denver scared her, if he caught her off guard. Was it so sad that she had to be prepared?


She let none of her hesitation or exasperation show though, and let her mouth do all the work as she watched everyone around the table. She made her view subtle so she could scrutinize everyone. She knew it was very wrong to be so judgmental, but she just couldn’t help it at this point. His family was surprisingly human-like. It unnerved her. Watching them be so sitcom-like… the whole scene was like some bothersome insect that had found a whole into her skin and was crawling all around inside her. It gave her goosebumps. Obviously they were all shifters; how else would Denny be pure-bred? And so why were they so… calm? She knew that even Denver was getting antsy at this point, wanting to be outside. Annie was conducting herself better, trying to build up an endurance to being in man-made places. And it was easy when she distracted herself. But also, none of them had distinct animal traits. Annie was volatile, somewhat solitary, possessive; an odd mixture of fox and wolf, which was her entire mo. Denny just wanted a clear view of the sky, and he would eat anything; aviation. She could see that from a mile away. But she couldn’t pin down everyone else in the room, and it really started to piss her off. Donna and Eric were just, so… human like. Jess had a bit more personality, but way too bitchy and inconsistent to be paired with anything, unless she was one of those lizards with the mane around them that spat venom. Annie got a good laugh, picturing that, but then covered it up with a cough, because her mind wasn’t keeping up with the conversation, so she wasn’t sure if that chuckled was appropriate. She was sort of on auto-pilot at this point.


But then She felt contact, and at first started to pull her hand back, but then her heart caught up with her head, and it was Denver, and everything was better than fine when she was holding his hand. She smiled from the corner of her lips, but didn’t loose track of what was happening around her. Sometimes she had a one-track mind, and other times she could focus on several subjects at once. This just happened to be one of the better times. She stroked her thumb against his hand, not feeling very awkward that the roles were reversed; for once, she was the one that was calming him. It was a very odd situation, but she would give him all that she could. And that was even odder in itself – normally Annie was a “take all you can get and then bask in the attention and not return any of it” kind of person. But she felt like he needed her help right now, and he always helped her, so she’d do anything she could to help him (even if it was in the tiniest gesture.) He also owed her after this night (even though it was very selfish to say that, but, hey, Annie could be a pretty selfish person) so she might as well try and make his load easier by paying him back a bit in advance. Besides, she really liked holding his hand, and how it put everything in perspective for her. It calmed her down like almost nothing else could. (Almost, ‘cause… you know…. kissing.)


Desert, when that came, was an entirely different situation than the meal. She was faced with the same dilemma, but reacted much differently; her solution was different to. She wasn’t even going to attempt to tackle that. Annie looked physically pained, and wasn’t sure if she hid it as well as before. She grimaced noticeably, and her face contorted because she was just so repulsed for a minute. She coughed awkwardly, even though that sweet potato pie that Denver had been asking about did look pretty damn swell. She would admit that she was tempted, but her disgust far outweighed the temptation. She really did not want to eat it. It would be a huge guilt trip for her later because she would feel bad for eating it, and so back up it would go, but then she would feel guilty because Denny didn’t like her doing that. That was a ride she’d rather not take, so she just passed in general, and found herself unconsciously gripping Denny’s hand tighter, like it was some counselor for eating and diets. He was always kind of a rock for her, even before they were official. He knew this, too, he intentionally lowered himself to her standards so she would feel comfortable. It was just too bad that she didn’t feel comfortable in her own skin. So she grasped his hand a bit tighter, as if she needed the assurance that everything was alright. It was so terrible that she had to do that, but she did. She wished she didn’t… but she did.


And so desert proceeded in much the same way as dinner, with some added glares from Denny’s sister. What was her problem? Annie couldn’t even look down on her like some little girl, because she was almost Annie’s age (which bothered her to no end). But she ignored it for the sake of being civil, which turned out to be her goal for the whole night. She was pulling it off surprisingly well, which made her much more pleased to be there. But that didn’t mean that she didn’t want to leave any less than she had earlier. She was antsy to leave, she wanted to get outside. She was anxious to have a nice walk back with Denny, and hopefully spend the night with him again, even if it meant staying outside more, or something. She didn’t care, but she knew that she was developing this terrible need to be with him all the time like some possessed groupie, or something. But he hadn’t seemed to mind, up until this point. Annie couldn’t help it, because she’d never gotten so attached to something or someone before. She hated to refer to him like an object, but if he was ever stolen, or lost, or just left… what would she do? Would she carry on her life the way it had been before Denny? Honestly, that wasn’t a very nice life to lead, but she hadn’t really noticed until Denny came along and made her see that living could be very nice, if you interacted with the right people. And that’s what Denver was, he was her right person. And so that’s why she had reacted so violently when Addison came along.


And then plates were cleared, and Annie sat there a little uselessly, wondering what she should do, because now she just had this empty space in her hands and she was expected to do something domestic. Sure, Annie could do dishes. But she couldn’t clear tables. There was a very small difference between it that maybe just existed in her mind. But it was a roadblock, nonetheless.



1,672 - outfit - lyrics to fob, sob. - finally, a decent word count.

[DENVER CARLOS HURLEY]

can i be the only hope for you?
BECAUSE YOU'RE THE ONLY HOPE FOR ME.

Desert was put on the table and Denny hungrily reached for the Sweet Potato Pie. That Pie had been the main reason he’d even come home for this stupid holiday, and he was going to enjoy it without any worries or thoughts running through his head. He’d stay conscious of Annie, what with his hand in hers, but he was going to enjoy this desert if his life depended on it. As soon as a slice was on his plate, he was all over it. He must have looked like a monster trying to eat with one hand in a hurried pace, but he didn’t quite care. Halfway through finishing his slice, he looked up at Donna. “I’m taking his home with me. Just saying.” Donna rolled her eyes and excused herself from the table, but where she was going Denny hadn’t focused enough to hear. He just went back to eating. He ate just as fast as he had before, which must have just been an extremely scary sight.

Jess finished at about the same time that Denny did. She put her fork down, stretched, stood up, and walked out of the room without a word. Denny watched his sister, wondering where she was going. He looked at his father for an explanation, but at first just got a slight shrug. “She’s been in a mood all day. Probably going to shift for a few minutes.” So Denny could have shifted and no one would have said anything? It wasn’t like he would have flown away and left Annie all by herself in his family’s home, but he hadn’t shifted because he didn’t think his mother would let him. What was he saying? He was twenty-two; he didn’t need permission to step outside and shift. Not from Donna, not from Eric, not even from Annie. He was getting used to needing Annie’s permission to do a lot of things, but most of them were just physical things between the two of them. Shifting was up to him mostly, and if he’d thought this way before he wouldn’t have gone into the bathroom, but rather out into the back yard.

Sure enough, within minutes Denny could hear Jess’s body changing like it was his own body. He could hear her spread out wings like he did, but the difference between her sounds and his were….that hers sounded more life-like. His sounds were distinct of a Vulture, while Jess’s definitely weren’t. He could smell her too, and she smelled alive. She didn’t smell like part of his Vulture flock (even though he didn’t have one anyway), but rather she smelled like a different bird – a Hawk. Denny had come across a few of them in the sky, but none of them smelled as fearful as his sister. She was probably pissed at something. Denny ignored all of that though; he sighed and looked at his empty plate again. “So where’s mom then?” he asked, looking up at his father. Eric shrugged again, just in time for Donna to come back into the room. Every looked at her and she stopped dead in her tracks.

“What?” she asked. She looked between the three people left at her table then held out the Tupperware in her hands. “I went to go get containers so you could take some food home.” She was speaking to everyone, but she was looking mostly at Denny. He just looked at the potato pie and waited for a container big enough to take it all home in. When it was handed to him, he smiled like a little kid on Christmas and stuffed the pie into his container, closing it quickly and holding it in a defensive manner. He hadn’t even noticed he was still holding Annie’s hand through it all until her thumb across his skin calmed him down. He sighed and just held his sweet potato pie close until everything else was put into plastic containers and plates were lifted from the table. That was when he stood up, bringing Annie with him.

Quietly, so low that pretty much Annie could hear, Denny asked, “You wanna get out of here?” He already knew the answer; Annie hardly even wanted to get through the door the instant they’d come up to it. She’d stuck through the meeting, the dinner, the introductions, the glares from Jess, and the eating, and so Denny actually thought that maybe he did owe Annie a whole hell of a lot. He’d dragged her though all of this; he didn’t feel like he owed her for wanting to eat since he really hated her being bulimic, but that he owed her for even brining her here and putting her though situations she wasn’t naturally accustomed to. Still, with her hand in his and vice versa all at once (somehow), Denny couldn’t dwell on what he did and didn’t owe her. He kind of wanted to get out himself, even though they’d only been there for just over an hour and a half.

He waited for her answer, though he knew what it was before asking, and picked up his plastic ware. He looked up at Donna and smiled. “It was really great, mom.” His mother smiled back and came around the table to him. She wrapped her arms around her son again and sighed. It must have been one of those maternal instincts to the point that Donna knew her son was ready to leave – or maybe it was a shifter thing. Maybe she just understood they needed to be outside. They were young, they were active, they didn’t have children and didn’t have to be domesticated in order to take care of those children. “Thanks for inviting us.” Denny, with one hand still intertwined with Annie’s hugged his mom with his free arm. When they let go of each other, Donna just couldn’t stop smiling.

“It was really nice having you over, honey. We’re still here, you know, and you can come by any time!” Donna’s attempt to get her oldest and only son back into the house was feeble, but it made Denny feel like he had that sense of home again. For a long time, he didn’t feel that sense, like he’d been abandoned at seventeen because of a mistake he’d made in order to save Jess’s neck. But now, looking at both of his parents, he felt that sense again, which really only ever came around when he was spending the night at Annie’s place. Maybe he would come around more often than just holiday’s, probably without Annie just to save her from the awkward situations. Maybe; it was only a possibility that ran through his mind as he tried to balance the pie in one hand and Annie in the other. He was so stuck in these thoughts that he almost missed what happened next.

Donna walked around Denny, stood before Annie, and quickly and gently brought her in for a short hug, not like the one before. Denny hoped Annie totally didn’t hate his mother – out of the three other people in his immediate family, she meant the most to him – but he didn’t stop the hug. He didn’t really have time; like their kiss before the hug was over as soon as it had started. Donna must have noticed the way Annie had tensed up during their first interaction, but she wasn’t about to compromise her homeliness and friendliness for Denny’s girlfriend. Denny knew that from the way she stood after she let go of Annie. “It was so nice to meet you, Annie.” Donna smiled and looked between her son and his girlfriend. “You take good care of him. He needs it.” Denny rolled his eyes; he was a big boy and he could take care of himself, but he couldn’t wipe the smile off of his face.

Denny hadn’t noticed, but his father had ventured back into the front living room. He could hear the television now playing a loud, obnoxious football game, and above that he could hear the familiar flap of wings. Jess wasn’t going to come back until him and Annie were gone, and he knew it because of that sound. Well, at least that was one less awkward goodbye the two of them had to make; and there was only one of those left to do. Donna followed Denny and Annie as they made their way into the living room. Denny didn’t think his father would get up after turning the television on, which would be good for Annie. “Bye Dad; it was nice seeing you!” God, Denny sounded so generic, like he was at a Christmas party saying Goodbye to all of the relatives he’d either never met or just didn’t care about. Well, that would have been the case if this had been Denny at fifteen, where he genuinely only did what his mom told him to because he had to. Now, he actually meant that it was nice seeing his dad, but he didn’t think his dad would do anymore than wave.

He was right. Eric just turned in his seat, waved, smiled at Annie, then turned back to his television set. Donna shrugged and watched as Denny pulled Annie to the door. She watched them leave and closed the door again after they were a few paces away, finally giving them privacy and fresh air. Denny turned to Annie and smiled. “I hope that wasn’t too God Awful. Jess really had something on her mind, I guess, but she’s usually not like that.” Just as he said that, a huge bird flew over them, casting a shadow that almost creeped him out as they walked. The bird flew back to towards the house and perched on his parents’ roof, and he knew Jess had heard everything he’d just said. He didn’t care; there was no reason for her to have acted as she had. If Denny wasn’t such a good brother, he would have thought (out loud, too) that she deserved exactly what he’d thought. Still, he kept Annie’s hand in his and ignored everything that had to do with his moody sister. He walked down the sidewalk heading home, wondering if he should just go back to Annie’s place or if he should go home. He did have this pie in his hands, but if he stayed at Annie’s he could just shove it in her fridge for the night.

Denny just looked at Annie and smiled again. “You can breathe now, right?” He asked it as a sort of joke, because from the instant they’d walked into his parents’ house, she’d looked choked up. Well, there were parts of the night that Annie had been back to her usual self, and those were the parts that Denny had nearly missed through the dinner because of his fluctuating moods. But now he was happy, he had Annie all to himself, and he didn’t have any embarrassing parents or overly dramatic sisters to ruin their time together. Speaking of time together, Denny wasn’t honestly ready to just drop Annie off and go home. He wasn’t ready to stop seeing her today, for whatever reason. So he turned back to her and kept walking, but his attention was on talking to you. “You wanna hang out? I’m not so sure going home and being alone is what I’m ready for right now.” He sounded like he was in high school or something, but this was definitely more than that. For Denny, Annie was his first love, and so as far as he could tell it was okay if he was cheesy with her sometimes, but only very infrequently. First love or not, he was twenty-two. There had to be some level of maturity between them.

Still, he felt like a little boy in love. Like those little boys that think they’re in love with their pretty teachers, only….Denny felt way different from that. Now that he didn’t have Annie freaking out over his family, he had her, and that was all he needed for the night. He didn’t need anything physical, didn’t even need making out or kissing or touching at all. He just didn’t want to be alone on a Holiday, even if the holiday was only still around for groceries to get rich fast. Denny was okay with that because he had Annie, and that was all the Holiday that he needed to be satisfied.


TWO THOUSAND AND EIGHTY -- seren/annie! <3 -- OUTFIT. -- i made but lyrics go to my chem duh. -- HOLY SHIT I BROKE MY FUCKING RECORD AGAIN. WOOOOOO! anyway i love the ending XD

[ANNABELLE MARIE HURLEY]

if you are the shore than
I AM THE WAVES, BEGGING FOR A BIG MOONS.

Take good care of him. He needs it. Annie had to stop herself from laughing, because she had it completely reversed. Annie was the one who needed the help; she was the wreck, she needed care, Denny was the one who had to take care of her. She shrugged it off though as a nice little joke. She just kept a stiff upper lip and burdened the hugs. The contact invariably discomforted her, but it was over as soon as it began. So she took a breath, and smiled back. ”Nice to meet you, as well.” Annie could be personable when she wanted t, and today she wanted to. She owed Denny that much, especially since she had some little plans formulating in her mind, which gave her smile a devilish tint by her cheeks. In all, though, it probably just looked very warm. And thankful; wasn’t that serendipitous? She continued with Denny through the living room, watched the TV warily, and clung to Denny like a live raft, smiling when necessary. It was alright though, because as long as Denver was there it was easier to bear things. He took the burden off a little, and relaxed her. His family obviously bothered her, but not for themselves; it was more that Annie was just bothered to be there. She wanted to be outside so badly that she couldn’t even put words to the feeling. Annie was happy to leave, and she couldn’t contain her excitement when she got outside. She wanted to scream with joy, and spin in circles, and just kiss his whole face. When Denny turned to talk to her, she had to try to fit a serious expression on her face just to contain herself. ”It doesn’t really matter, because she’s gone, and now it’s just us, us us us!” She sing-songed, breaking into a smile again. Because being outside was just so nice. The air – albeit, cold – brushed against her skin like a long lost friend, and, as cold weather tended to do with some animals, got her excited, and antsy. She just wanted to spin, like she had wanted earlier. And so she did. She dropped Denny’s hand, and just kind of spun around, oblivious to everything. ”Breathing is nice, ya’know?” She laughed lightly. Annie loved getting into these kinds of moods, the lighthearted ones where she was just on top of the world. Denny knew how much she liked that feeling, liked the attention that came along with it.

“You wanna hang out? I’m not so sure going home and being alone is what I’m ready for right now.” ”Of course, my dear. I usually love being alone, but not without you.” She laughed, because she realized that didn’t make sense. ”Okay, so that didn’t make sense. But that doesn’t matter, because… because we have some things to discuss.” She smiled deviously, because she was feeling so brilliant today, and just couldn’t help it. She waited until they were further from his parents’ house and that lurking hawk, and she grabbed his hand again and then spun him around, a little Annie surprise attack, as she ventured dangerously close against him, pushing her chest against him and sticking a finger directly in the middle of his chest. ”Because you owe me some things.” She arched an eyebrow, and smiled her devious smile. ”One, tell me you love me.” Her smile got bigger, and she took a step closer, forcing him to take a step back. ”Two, you need to kiss me. I mean really, that little peck in the living room? Come ooon, what a tease! I deserve more,” Her smile got even bigger, and she tilted her head up at him. Her eyes were on fire, because she was just having a great night as soon as they were out. She just loved being so close to him, wanting to kiss him in a burning way, a fire deep in her throat. ”And three… three is up to you. But you gotta use your imagination.”



675 - outfit - lyrics to fob, sob. - SHITTY, OMG SO SORRY.

[DENVER CARLOS HURLEY]

can i be the only hope for you?
BECAUSE YOU'RE THE ONLY HOPE FOR ME.

Watching this side of Annie truly brought a new light to his life every time he saw this side of her. While that sentence was way too redundant, it was true. She’d been reclusive and to herself in his parents’ presence, but that actually didn’t bother him when he saw her happy. To Denny, that was really all that mattered; not what she thought of his parents, not what his parents thought of her, not what anyone had to say about either of them in any sense, but rather just that Annie was happy. So seeing her in this mood, this uplifted, light, almost deliriously happy state was something that put him in a lighter mood, happier than he’d been all day. He gladly spun at her command, though they probably looked like the couple he knew he’d never be a part of. They were almost just too happy, and in some part of his mind Denny knew it would eventually end. Still, he was going to be just as greedy and selfish as he had always been; he was still going to live by the ‘take what you can get’ motto he’d adopted since meeting Annie. Maybe he’d had the motto before Annie, but he hadn’t really needed to put it to use until he’d met her.

He wasn’t complaining though. He quite liked it, actually. It made him realize that they were a real couple, that they weren’t some fairy tale that didn’t exist in this world. There were loads of supernatural and unexplainable things going on in their world, what with shifters, hybrids, vampires, and god knows what else out there, but there was no such thing as a fairy tale. At least not for Denny, and he knew it, so knowing that him and Annie weren’t something he knew he could never achieve gave him a sense of security. Their future fights (if there were going to be any), their complications, the nights when they couldn’t stand to be near each other but really just wanted to be in each other’s arms with no one else around them would all be worth it. They’d get through all of it together, because whether or not they said it all the time they were in love. Even that word couldn’t describe the unworldly feelings Denny had, the way he always wanted to be with Annie, and the way he knew that he would never feel this way about anyone else. She was his, he was hers, and if it didn’t stay that way forever he would end up alone.

But that thought brought the new light to a low dim, and so he eliminated the feeling of losing Annie completely. As for the moment, she was pulling him closer to her, and so losing her was far from his mind anyway. For now, they were more together than they had….ever, pretty much. And all of her demands just made sense to Denny for no reason. Whether or not he owed her anything, he was going to abide by her rules because…..well honestly they sounded honest and fun. Fun. That wasn’t a word he used every day, but with Annie it didn’t matter what he did or didn’t do or use on a regular basis. This would be fun, and Denny would be honest, and Denny would be the best boyfriend he could be. Not only did Annie deserve that, but Denny deserved to treat himself that way. Some guys thought they were tough and hot shit, but Denny just kind of knew he was a good guy….sort of. Some of the time he knew it; other times he thought of himself as the mistake-maker, the rule-breaker, the kid that only few people really understood. Annie was one of those people that understood him better than everyone else. Because of that, she deserved what he could give her.

As Annie moved closer, Denny moved his hands and rested them around her small, comfortable waist. He wouldn’t move them unless she did, but he figured they’d both be comfortable if he held her this way. He did take a small, tiny step back when she moved even closer, as if she was trying to force their bodies to mesh or something. Hey, if they did, they could say they were one person. They’d look way awkward, but it would be kind of cool to see Annie’s small stature attached at the hip (literally) to Denny’s long, lanky, muscular frame. He redirected his focus to what she’d told him to do, and he started almost too slowly. He smiled and pushed his forehead up against hers, almost needing to lean down because of their height difference. He sighed and looked right into her eyes like he’d seen in those cheesy love movies that his mother had made him watch with Jess years ago. Whatever, those memories were a million miles away; what was close up was Annie and the feelings flying around him that revolved around her.

“One.” He paused and kind of swayed like he was dancing, but he wasn’t. He was just staring at Annie adoringly in the middle of a sidewalk in Cape Cod, not caring about location or who was watching except for the two eyes demanding attention from his. “I love you, Annie.” It was the truth, and through every living fiber in his body, Denver knew it. If Annie didn’t, he wasn’t sure what he’d do to convincer of it except for the number two she’d demanded of him. So he went with it; he pushed his face forward until his lips met Annie’s in what felt like some fiery explosion of sparks and flames. She was right – that little peck in his parents’ living room had just been nothing compared to this. This was so much more than either of them could describe – or at least more than Denny could describe. He felt like he was standing in the middle of Times Square holding Annie like she was the only thing to hold on the entire planet, like she was the only tangible property he could touch. He felt, for lack of a better, more original term, that he was flying. And if anyone knew the delightful feeling of flying, it was Denver.

He actually seriously kissed Annie, like she had done countless times by then to him, and waited to pull back. Actually, he wasn’t waiting – he was enjoying kissing her. When he finally did pull back, it was hesitant, and he didn’t really move all too far. His forehead rested on hers still so if she wanted to kiss him again all she had to do was lean in a bit. Not too much effort. “Two.” He smiled and leaned in just a bit to kiss her again, pulling back faster than the last kiss but letting this kiss be longer than the first one back in the living room. When he pulled back again, he didn’t change his stature or his posture or even the way his feet were pointed. He just stayed the way he was and said, “I think I have something in mind for three."

That was when he moved. Denny held tight to Annie's hand but nearly sprinted the few blocks back to his apartment. He didn't want to sit inside, obviously, so when they got to his building he stopped inside quickly to put the pie in the fridge before leading Annie into his bedroom. He had nothing devious planned, that was for sure, but he didn't think he needed to assure Annie of that. She trusted him, and if she didn't she wouldn't have left her two biggest secrets to his mercy. So quickly, he pulled her across his room to the window behind his bed. He liked sleeping right under the window, being woken up by natural light instead of the fluorescents of his bathroom. Without even stopping to take his shoes off, Denny gracefully just jumped up onto his bed and walked across the comforter to the window.

He turned back to Annie and withdrew his hand from hers just to open the window. Then he grabbed her hand again and said, "Most of the time, when I'm not with you, I'm up here." He climbed through the window out onto a terrace that really wasn't meant for bodies. It was there for decoration from the outside, but neither Denny nor Annie really weighed all that much. Plus, it had stairs going down in case of a fire. When Annie was out on the terrace, Denny let go of her hand once again but just to grab on to the roof of the building (yes, he preferred living on the top floor of the building, closest to the sky). He pulled himself up with unnatural ease (for a human, anyway) and practically glided through the air until he was flat on his feet atop the roof. He bent down and held a hand out for Annie to grab, and when she did he pulled her up with just as much ease as he'd had pushing himself up.

He helped her steady herself once she was on her feet again and then smiled at the dark sky. He felt at home, even if he would rather have some sticks and leaves with him almost like a nest. Still, the sky kept him calm so he couldn't help but smile. "This is kind of my favorite place to be if you're not around. Close to the sky, watching the stars." He stopped though and chuckled at his own thoughts. "But even the stars don't compare to you." He looked her right in the eyes, could see her own stars shinning right in her beautiful orbs. Denny couldn't help himself - he just leaned down and kissed her again.

lost count, but it's more than it had been :) -- seren/annie! <3 -- OUTFIT. -- i made but lyrics go to my chem duh. -- SEREN I FIXED.

[ANNABELLE MARIE HURLEY]

if you are the shore than
I AM THE WAVES, BEGGING FOR A BIG MOONS.

One, he said, with his hands on her hips, looking down at her, seeing her demand for attention and meeting it. She didn’t know why she wanted so much attention, so much affection from some people, seeing as usually she preferred being overlooked. Now she didn’t though, she never wanted to be overlooked up him, because it would break her heart. It scared her that she had so much invested in one person, like her whole life was right there in his hands, and he could do anything about it. He could make it a tragedy or make it amazing, anything; it was completely up to him, and that scared her half to death. But she couldn’t help that she just wanted all of Denny’ attention, all of the time, even when she didn’t want to reciprocate it. Sometimes she could just be selfish, but she was done trying to second guess it. Denver was teaching her not to fight what she was, like she had been doing for so long. It was a hard idea for her to swallow, but she was getting better at accepting it. Annie blinked up at him, waiting, being silly and immature… not so much in her demands but in her overall demeanor. I love you, Annie. She smiled brightly, just basking in that one little phrase. It was like the sun in that moment, the sun in the little universe that they had created by standing so close with no one around. They revolved around each other. She liked him loving her, he made her so happy just be saying that. To understand that she held that title, that she was the one he loved; no one else. It made her feel very secure in her life, in who she was. It reassured her that she had a place with someone, at least.

She was about to tell him that she loved him, too, but then number two came into play, and she was really glad that she had asked for that one. And it was nothing compared to earlier, it was brilliant and unexpected, but at the same time predictable; she knew that she loved his lips, and that they both loved kissing. They had a good balance of the physical and the emotional, not being completely in their heads when it came to their love, but not being completely about their bodies. Annie was a big reason for that, because Denny was almost afraid to instigate things with her, because you never knew where it would lead. She might kiss him back, or just shut down. She didn’t like that he had to fear it, because she wished that he would start these kisses more often, without her having to ask like she did. She wanted to tell him that it would be nice if he started some of the physical things, but she didn’t know how to tell him, so she just enjoyed the kiss that she got. Two, he smiled, and Annie smiled back, and then he was kissing her again, like he had read her mind, and he kept his head close afterwards, which was nice, because it wasn’t like all this kissing was a bad thing. It was just being very close, and then being closer. And Annie liked that closeness. Normally she hated having so much contact with anyone, especially if one individual singled her out. But it was so different with him, she couldn’t even think of words of why it was so different. He opened her up, in a bad way and in a good way; it was like she was on her back, her stomach all vulnerable, like every good dog knew it should never be. And then this vulture came along, and snapped her ribcage open, exposing all her organs (gruesome, yes, but Annie liked looking at it this way, so gtfo). And he took her heart, right from her chest? And what could she do? Maybe he would have flown away if she had reacted to it. But you know what? He didn’t. He stayed right there and made sure that she was okay, and then offered her, a scoundrel, his very own soul. She didn’t know why he had done it, but she wasn’t about to question it again.

And then three came into play. As Denny dragged her down a few blocks she sighed, because she wasn’t having fun running in this dress, and she wasn’t really having fun running in general. Couldn’t they just go back to standing really close, and sighing and kissing? But no, now they were at Denny’s apartment, and tumbling into his room. She balked slightly, but trusted him (damn that emotion, trust) but then felt very weak as he let go of her hand and stood on his bed. She felt very deserted in that small moment, just by leaving her hand open and exposed, and it just made her very sad, unfortunately. It was unfortunate, because he hadn’t meant to do that. He just needed both hands for opening his window, which was understandable. And Annie did understand, but that didn’t mean she liked what was going on in that small moment. Most of the time, when I'm not with you, I'm up here. He grabbed her hand again, and she said nothing, merely tilted her head and pursed her lips, curious, but also wary. It was odd that a predator acted like prey, but Annie really just took life in an exhausted fashion, and so it was more exasperation than fear that made her react the way she did to things. He grabbed her hand again, and she grasped it grateful as she, too, climbed onto the bed and looked at the window doubtfully. Wolves weren’t famous for their graceful ability to walk across roofs. And so she had a look that clearly betrayed her feelings as she stood, very doubtfully, on this terrace that didn’t look like people should stand on it, as she watched Denver climb onto the roof with a very doubtful expression on her face. Very bad day to be wearing a dress, she chided herself.

When Denny leaned down and grabbed her hands to pull her up, she suddenly panicked a little. She didn’t do anything immediate about it, but just held his hands ungodly tight. She wasn’t afraid of heights, or falling, she was just terrified of trust. Which was an odd fear for people to have, but… she did. And when she was on the roof, he steadied her, and she smiled, feeling much better to be secure. Just to steady herself a bit more, she wrapped her arms around his neck, because she felt very safe like that, hoping he’d put his hands back on her waist because she really didn’t mind that at all. Less than minded; she actually preferred it. This is kind of my favorite place to be if you're not around. Close to the sky, watching the stars. She looked up at the sky, and saw what he was seeing. She felt like she took the sky for granted so often, because what was the sky worth to a wolf? But suddenly, she saw why they looked at it so often. Small bits of light, lighting up the sky inbetween. But she wasn’t seeing it through her animalistic eyes, she was watching it solely through Denny’s. And it opened up in an entire new world to her, it was all so different than it had ever seemed, and, frankly, it left her breathless. It left her feeling so insignificant. But even the stars don't compare to you. She blinked up at the sky once, and then looked at Denver, blinking again. How? How did that statement possibly make sense? The stars were forever, they were immense, the were incompar- and then Denny was kissing her again, and all that insignificance just dripped away, because she felt on top of the world. All the way up on this roof, so close to the sky, like she could touch the moon itself, she was flying, she knew what it felt like to fly the way that Denny did. She felt like she would never know what it was to fly like he did, as Denny might never know what it was like to run the way that she did. But this was close, tonight she was watching everything the way he was, and it made her feel like the most significant thing ever, like she was the whole world. That was a new feeling for Annie. To be the entire world to someone, she felt like it. And kissing him, so amazing, she couldn’t stop, she never wanted to stop. And so she didn’t, she kissed him, and kissed him, and didn’t ever want to stop.

But seeing as she had lungs that needed air, it had to stop at some point. But she really didn’t want to stop. She did though, because one always had to give into needs. She swallowed and sighed. ”Love is so scary,” she said thinking of what she had been thinking of earlier. ”It always seemed dangerous to me, because… because you have so much invested in one person. What if something happened?” She took a heavy breath, but looked him write in the eye as she continued, which was honestly a big step for her, because Annie hated having to make eye contact, hated feeling like she was being scrutinized so heavily. But she wanted t be serious. ”Like… I don’t know. I was thinking about it earlier, and you have so much of me. My whole fate, right there in your hands. And you could do anything. Having my heart is like having my neck.” She looked away for a second. ”And you could snap it, just… like… that.” she left intentional pauses in her words for the somber effect. ”But I trust you not to. It’s just that… you know how much I like trust.” She made a face, sticking out her tongue, and then laughing to lighten the mood. She wanted to kiss him again but she didn’t know how he would react, but she didn’t want to wait.

So quickly, before he had a chance to say anything, she kissed him, pressed her lips against his. Serious, a serious kiss like they sometimes had. Not serious in it’s air, but it was just deep. It wasn’t like a physical heated kiss like before. It was just her trying to get her point across. Annie didn’t think she had ever kissed him like this. It wasn’t like a chaos of lips. It was just deep. Like she was trying to drive her words down his throat. And then when she stopped, she kept her lips just an inch or two away from his, and closed her eyes, because now she was afraid that she might cry, and maybe her eyes really were watering. ”But… but I do trust you. It’s scary. But I do.”





1,847 - outfit - lyrics to fob, sob. - the length of this post is orgasmic.

[DENVER CARLOS HURLEY]

can i be the only hope for you?
BECAUSE YOU'RE THE ONLY HOPE FOR ME.

Being up here helped Denny. It gave him a sense of confidence that the ground just didn’t provide; the sky was his territory, and when he was nearer to it than he was the ground, he felt more like himself. Though just leaving a building when he was antsy worked for a little while to calm his entire being, being close to (or within) the sky and the clouds really brought him a sense of wholeness he really only got from Annie otherwise. Having both of his favorite factors in his whole life right between him brought him into a sense of euphoria that he couldn’t describe. There was a lot of that lately, but he didn’t care (and there was a lot of not caring and things that didn’t mean anything to him lately, also). As long as he had Annie and the sky, as long as both of them belonged to him and with him, Denny would be complete. So right now, he was complete.

Then again, he was almost hurt. He shouldn’t have expected her to say it, but Denny was actually hurt because Annie didn’t say that she loved him. He knew it to some extent, and could tell by the way she told him she trusted him, but she cleverly avoided the word ‘love’. It was like poison to her, he knew, but he could say it to her without a problem. And she liked hearing it from him, evident from how she’d asked him to say it before. The fact that she could trust him made up a little, but it didn’t render the fact that she couldn’t tell him she loved him any less painful. It wasn’t like someone had shot a bullet right through a wing of his or anything, but it was more like someone had stuck a pencil under his skin and was poking from the inside out. It was annoying and aggravating – but Annie’s lips were on his and the sky was open and beautiful so there was no room in Denny’s head for him to be annoyed or aggravated. All he had room for was affection and adoration and peace and serenity. It was all a mix and it almost confused him but….wasn’t that love? Wasn’t love confusing and….scary, as she’d said?

He didn’t want to pull away, didn’t want to have his lips deserted the way his hear almost felt. Almost because he knew it wasn’t, his heart knew it too. He had Annie, whether she said so or not, and above all other things he knew it. But once again, he needed to breathe, and so although his lips called and yearned for more attention, he pulled back. He kept himself close though, because first of all it was fucking cold that far off the ground, and second of all he just honestly liked being that close to Annie. It gave him a sense of security that yes, she was his, no matter how many times he couldn’t believe it. “Annie,” he said, holding her attention to him. It wasn’t for the reason she liked attention, but just so she would listen and hopefully really listen, not just hear what he was saying. “I won’t say love isn’t scary, because it is.” He paused the way she had, probably for the same reasons. “But we have each other to love, and we’re not particularly scared of each other, are we?” Denny knew he wasn’t scared of Annie.

He could have been, probably should have been, but he wasn’t scared of her. Love didn’t come out of fear, and that much he knew, which was why he thought, as a Vulture, it was hard to find love like this. People were scared of the scavenging bird for whatever reason, even though all they did most of the time was sit around and wait for things to die so they could eat dinner. It probably made more sense if Denny lived in a state like Nevada where there was plenty of Desert land, but here he was with Annie, all the way across the country in bustling Cape Cod. He didn’t want to leave and move to Nevada; despite the need for dry air that sometimes took over his entire being, he liked the forests around here, liked the plentiful areas for him to perch and watch, and most of all he loved Annie enough to trek through the though times of need and want as a vulture. Sure, it was going against the grain to be in love with a wolf as a bird, but as a human, as a being with a heart and a brain and emotions, there was nothing more in this world that Denny depended on.

Now that he could breathe, Denny leaned in and kissed Annie again, holding her by the waist in that comfortable manner again. He’d gotten her point before, and now he was supposing she would get his right back in the same manner. It was funny how he learned from her so quickly, but some unconscious drive of his just realized that she would accept what she’d dealt in a sense. His kisses were just as meaningful as before, most likely more passionate, but not in the way that made him seem like he wanted to ‘go to the next level’ or whatever crazy kids said these days. It was passionate in the sense that he meant every damn word he was saying. But he wasn’t done talking, even though the last time he’d done all the talking he’d basically ruined a moment until Annie had fixed it. Still, he played needing breath again to pull back but not away, and kept himself close so he wouldn’t have to speak loudly. Plus, her closeness comforted him.

“I might have all of that from you, but I promised I would never leave you.” He looked right at her with the starry eyes of an man drunk on love. “Along with that promise is the promise that I will never, ever hurt you intentionally. I will never take anything of yours and break it with the intention of hurting you because seeing you hurt, seeing you in pain because of me would break my entire being. I know it sounds cheesy and god knows what else, but it’s true.” Denny couldn’t help but start to become a bit choked up with what he was saying. He was pretty much promising his entire soul, life, and anything else he could to Annie, and he felt no shame, no regret in doing so. Once again he kissed her, forcing his meaning as he had before. Everything started to feel like a cycle, whether repetitive or not; he would speak, then kiss her, then speak, then kiss her, and not give her a chance to say anything until he was done assuring her that being in love with him would never be something she would regret. He just wanted her to see that it was okay to tell him that she loved him, that he wouldn’t tell anyone else if she didn’t want him to, because just hearing it for himself was enough for a conformation to keep him satisfied.

“It’s going to be scary. Trust isn’t something anyone should take lightly, but if you trust me and I trust you then there is nothing stopping us from doing anything.” He wasn’t quite sure what the meaning of that sentence was, which was enough of a cue to him as any would be to just shut up and kiss her. So he did. Denny once again (again) brought his lips to Annie and felt those instant fireworks go off inside of his chest. How any one person could even deserve to feel this way, especially Denver, was beyond him, but he was never going to complain about it as long as he did feel like this. Instead of faking breath to break away, he pulled her just a bit closer and held her tight. It wasn’t out of need or want or anything growing or whatever lame excuse a guy could come up with, but just because she was the missing link to the endless nights spent on the roof. Sure, the sky would keep him up and around and calm, but with Annie everything just felt so right.

If she didn’t feel right, would she be as much of a challenge for Denny? Practically his whole life had been a challenge. When he was five and he’d gotten his first guitar, the challenge was to learn how to play so that he wouldn’t be in trouble for asking for a guitar when he wasn’t going to use it, therefore rendering his parents money wasted. When he was twelve, the challenge was the girl that sat in the back of the class. He’d gotten her attention and finished the challenge, but after a while Denny just became the kind of kid that lonely, reclusive girls didn’t want talk to in school for sake of their self esteem. It wasn’t that he’d been a jerk, but that the ‘popular’ crowd had adopted him even if he hadn’t conformed to their ways of living. He didn’t wear their clothes or listen to their music but he didn’t judge them, didn’t care to have judged them in middle school anyway. Then seventeen came around and the challenge was jail and it just turned his whole life upside down. But he’d defeated the challenge, and for a few years after that there was no challenge – until he met Annie. She was the challenge, and for the first time in his life he was ready to embrace the challenge no matter how hard times got or what was said or unsaid.

Finally he really did need a breath. Denny didn’t want to let go of the passion in his gut but he knew he’d gain it back eventually. It wasn’t a total loss then. “I promise that, no matter what, I’ll never leave you, never give you a reason not to trust me, and I will never fall out of love with you Annie, not intentionally. Never.”


1699 -- OUTFIT. -- i made but lyrics go to my chem duh. -- OMFG SO FUCKING CUTE IKR?!

[ANNABELLE MARIE HURLEY]

Nov 26, 2010 17:54:26 GMT -5 ANNABELLE MARIE HURLEY said:

if you are the shore than
I AM THE WAVES, BEGGING FOR A BIG MOONS.

All the kissing left her out of breath, dizzy. She wasn’t able to listen well, but she tried, although every time his lips touched hers she got distracted again. She tried to listen, but things just jumped out at her and made this conversation worst. Intentionally. She moved her head back, and her hands. Her hands slipped from around his neck to around his back, bracing herself against him. She clenched her teeth, and buried her head against his chest. ”That’s supposed to make me feel better? I know you’re entirely honest, because I know you. You’ve told me tons of times, I know you better than anyone else fucking does. “ She pulled her head back, and her arms too, crossing them across her chest, and taking a step back, clenching her jaw again. All the pent up emotions from all day were coming out, and she was just more scared than she had been in her life, and that transferred immediately to anger, and violence, as it tended to do with her. She turned her head away, looking out at the horizon again, tension built up in her jaw. ”But what if… what if something happens that we can’t control? What am I supposed to do then?” She lost her entire composure at that point, and she did start crying, like she almost did earlier. ”I’d have so much invested in you, and then what would happen? I didn’t think I’d ever fall in love, ever. But then I did. What would I do if you gave up, if something better came along that you didn’t think you could pass up. Something we couldn’t control.” Then she really started crying, and felt upset about it, so she covered her hands with her face. ”What would I do then?” She took another step back, wrapping her arms tighter around herself, a stance that clearly said back off. She needed just a minute to cry in silence before she continued, because she deserved at least that. But Annie, queen of contradictions, wanted Denny to just smother her against his chest. Maybe for once he’d ignore her signs and do what she really wanted him to. ”Because I love you. I do, I really fucking love you. And it’s the scariest thing that’s ever happened to me, okay?”



a despicable amount - outfit - lyrics to fob, sob. - yeah, shitty, but we talked about it.

[DENVER CARLOS HURLEY]

can i be the only hope for you?
BECAUSE YOU'RE THE ONLY HOPE FOR ME.

Of course. Denny should have seen this coming. He should have known that he can’t expect too much of cute girlfriend Annie without a side of crazy, angry, infuriated Annie. He should have just known that this was going to happen, that he couldn’t keep his hopes to high and just kiss his way into her heart. Things wouldn’t work that way with a girl like Annie, and honestly that had been the reason he was up to the challenge. Denny wasn’t about to take the easy way out for a girl he didn’t love; he was willing to fight and fight again for the one girl he knew he’d always love. He didn’t understand where this sudden outburst had come from since he’d thought he’d made it clear that there was no other girl on the planet, in the universe, in any universe for him. Where did all of this ‘something we can’t control’ nonsense come from?

“Something like what, Annie?” Was she implying he’d leave her or cheat? Didn’t she just say he was dead honest? Denny would never think of cheating – he’d rather just be castrated then be caught with two girls. He’d never even thought of cheating in his entire life; he would never look at another girl the way he looked at Annie; he would never think of another girl the way he thought of Annie. This was it; Annie was it, so why wasn’t she getting it? “You think some shifter girl that turns into a bird is going to come into my life and steal me away or woo me because she can fly?” He wasn’t being accusatory, but rather just inquisitive. He really wanted to know what she meant but ‘we can’t control’. He took a step closer to her regardless of her stance and her expressions; Denny didn’t care – if he was going to fight he was going to do it the right way.

“You wouldn’t have to do anything. There would be no other girl. There is no other girl. There is no one like you, no one that I want as much as I want you. There never will be and as impossible as that is to predict in this situation, I know it.” He wasn’t screaming; Denny was keeping such a tight hold on his self discipline that he felt a constraint around his whole body. It didn’t hurt, but it felt like he was being held in a tight glass case, trying to dig around for single dollar bills like on those cruddy game shows from the 70’s. Only this was not fun. This was near claustrophobia between the constraining feeling and the influx of emotions that were circling around inside of him. Through all of it, he took another step forward. “There is nothing that’s out of our control right now, Annie. You’re not putting anymore on the line than I am.” It might not seem like it because Annie was way less trusting than Denny was, but his words held a certain truth.

Denny was laying his never-really-loved-by-anyone-but-his-own-mother heart out on the table for Annie’s canine jaws to ravage and tear at all she wanted. Annie was putting her heart in his hands, like she’d said, and he could crush it in his talons if he wanted to….but the thought wasn’t even a part of his mental train station. Denny would never want to do that, not even if he were so mad at Annie that he wanted to never see her again (and even that thought ate away at his soul a little bit). Denny was giving her everything he could give her, and Annie was slowly starting to realize she could give him more than he’d been expecting. So why was it so hard for her to see that this wasn’t going to end, that they were going to be happy and together so long as Denny could help it? It frustrated him to no end that she just wouldn’t realize that he loved her and no one else; that she meant more to him than the entire universe meant.

And then he was stopped in his tracks. Did she just say she…..she loves him? Denny couldn’t possibly fight the smile creeping across his slim, bony face. It wasn’t stoppable, and it just kept spreading until Denny thought his skin would split in two and fall to the roof in tiny fragments. His smile was so wide, and then the topic of the whole conversation crept back into his mind and it slowly started to fade. He’d been so proud one second, and then ‘can’t control’ came back into his mind and it left. It took its plane ticket and ran. And what made his smile completely dissipate was that thought – running. That was what he was scared of. He was totally and deathly afraid of Annie just up and running away from him, never looking back because she was so scared to be in love with him. He was more afraid of that than anything in this world, and there were plenty of things a Vulture had to be frightened by in this world. Compared to his size, there were so many bigger, stronger, hungrier, angrier animals but none of them even compared to his fear of Annie leaving him.

“You’re so scared to be in love, but I’m so scared to be out of love….with you.” There, he said it. Not many guys would owe up and flat out tell their girlfriends what their fears were, but there Denny was doing it as a desperate attempt to keep Annie as close as he could. “Annie, you have this fear that something is going to come along and break what we have, and essentially I’m afraid of that too but I’m more afraid of losing you, having you leave me because I didn’t love you enough.” All of it sounded like he was saying he didn’t love her to him, like he wasn’t good enough, but that wasn’t what he meant. And maybe he was the only one that took his own words that way (he hoped to any higher power that he was), but either way he was praying his message was getting across. “I love you so much Annie, and you’re really the only thing that I have that’s worth anything to me. I’m so scared that you’ll change your mind one day and we’ll have nothing, and I can’t even begin to tell you what my life would be like without you because I wouldn’t have a life without you.”

He was probably just making things worse with his words. Denny had a tendency to do that, so he shut the fuck up and moved closer and closer to Annie. He took small, hesitant steps, waiting to see if she’d react to his closing in on her, but when she didn’t do too much, he just reached out and touched her lightly. He didn’t hug her, didn’t lean in, just put his hand on her and hoped she didn’t try to knock him off his own roof. “I can’t make promises that I don’t intend to keep, and I can’t promise that unintentional circumstances won’t arise. But Annie, I will try my hardest to keep you happy, to make sure that you will never have to worry about what happens if something does happen. All I want is for you to be happy with me, and all I can promise is that I will always be happy with you.” Well, he wasn’t exactly happy now, but hopefully she wouldn’t take that literally. He took another step towards her and looked at the sky quickly, taking in as much clarity as he could. When he felt as calm as he could manage, he took in a deep breath and looked down at Annie.

“If you’re willing to fight for us, I’m willing to fight for us. Even if you’re not, I’m willing to fight for the both of us because I know what we have isn’t something I can just pawn off for another girl. There will never been another us, not now, not ever.” He turned so he was standing in front of her completely and brought her to him. He couldn’t help himself from not doing so – she was crying and the only way he knew how to make her feel better was to attempt holding her close. If it didn’t work, she’d fight him off and likely knock him to the terrace, but the most he could do was try instead of do nothing at all after telling her he was going to fight.



1447 -- OUTFIT. -- i made but lyrics go to my chem duh. -- god where did this come from?!