OUT OF MY WAY --

[DENVER CARLOS HURLEY]

so now you know exactly what it
FEELS LIKE TO BE AN OBSTACLE IN MY WAY

Denny could not believe Christmas was just a week away. He’d spent so much time with Annie in the past month that time had just seemed to pass. It didn’t really exist in his world. With Annie around, it all just blurred together – days became just time spent in the sun or watching the sun and nights became bedroom scenes Denny had never even let himself play out before. Even if only a few of them had really been anything he’d be ashamed of if he’d ever encountered a mind reader. Still, the fact remained that it felt like only two days ago they’d been sitting in his parents’ dinning room, totally awkward and with a hint of fear. Fear of Annie’s horrible bulimia that Denny hated so much – fear that his parents would somehow just know that she was bulimic and instantly hack on Denny’s choice of girlfriend. Well, it wasn’t really a choice; he didn’t choose to fall in love with Annie. He’d chosen to be her best friend, sure, but to have his feelings grow the way they did into so much more than just being her friend was something no one was able to really control.

And to be honest, all of that just cycled in Denny’s mind. First there was Thanksgiving and the awkward dinner, and then there was the time spent in bed, and then there were the shows and that redheaded witch that messed with Annie’s head enough to have her run off (in her shifter form) and get herself knocked into a tree by a moose. Then there was more bed time, and hardly any time between then and now. Well, that morning that he’d freaked out and tried to get Annie back to sleep because the pain she was feeling was too much had been the morning Denny remembered he needed to come down and get her present. Thankfully, he’d found some distraction for her – or maybe Abby had just known that Denny needed to go out alone for a few hours and she’d just called. Yeah, Denny found it odd that she’d just known, but he hadn’t asked questions. The opportunity had risen for him to head into town, pick up the ring, and go back home to wrap it all before Annie would ever realize what he was up to. And even a few hours was way more than he needed, but all of that time just gave him space enough to not freak out about having Annie see the present prematurely.

The thought of that just set Denny on edge. If Annie saw that he had a present for her, he was sort of scared that she wouldn’t have a present for him back. It wasn’t that he expected anything from her for Christmas – just being with her was enough of a surprise for him. It was more that he didn’t want her to think he expected anything. Because if that happened, it wouldn’t matter how many times he tried to tell her that he didn’t even want anything except for her to be right there on Christmas, no matter where they were. She’d freak out and the whole surprise would be ruined – and all of that was just the reason he thanked whatever higher power was watching over him that Abby had called to preoccupy Annie’s time and mind. The thought that she wasn’t at home alone after the other night with the moose set him at ease, gave way for his attention to be on the ring and only the ring. The ring that actually wouldn’t change anything because it wasn’t an engagement ring, no matter what anyone else thought. It was just a promise ring, and that was what he was going to explain to Annie in great detail when he goes to give her the ring.

All of that led to the fact that he was standing in the cold (probably snow, but Denny couldn’t even see anything other than what he was looking at) outside of the jewelers, trying to decipher his own mind. To go in and spend every cent you have on a ring that she may not even accept, or to go straight home and call Abby? Denver knew if his mother were here, she’d take him by the wrist – not the hand – and drag him into the store, tell him to grow a pair and buy the damn ring already. She’d seen the way he’d looked at Annie when he’d introduced her to his family – she’d be the first person to push him in there and make him do it, if anything. But still, Denny’s feet were nearly glued to the sidewalk outside. Yesterday he’d been confident in his choice of gifts, but today he was second guessing himself and making half-decisions. Well, that was just a part of what happened when you left your other half with her best girl friend. It’s now or never, Denny.

With that, he sighed and pushed one foot in front of the other. He felt some of the light, white fluffy stuff fall from his shoulders, but ignored it as he walked through the door, automatically tenser than he had been standing outside. An older man behind one of the see-through counters saw Denny instantly and smiled. “Hello, how can I help you?” he called from across the room. Denny sighed, but he still felt every muscle in his body being tightened. The shifter nodded, heading slowly in the direction of the man that had beckoned him. He sighed once again, this time because he realized how warm it was in the store compared to the cold outside, and looked down at the jewelry in the cases in front of him.

“I’m uh-” There were no words to describe how inhumanely nervous Denny was. He’d never been in a jewelry store with the intentions of buying anything himself, let alone for the girl he loved. Thankfully, he knew exactly what he wanted to get; he picked in his jeans pocket until he pulled out the advertisement from the magazine he’d just walked by a few weeks ago. “I’m looking for this.” He pointed to the image, then looked at the old man. He nodded, giving off a soft ‘hmmmm’ in place of words.

“You want it that simple? Just a band with an inscription?” Denny nodded and replied, “It’s just a promise ring. Nothing too fancy just yet.” The man nodded and walked away for a moment, leaving Denny with his picture and a lot of dull pains all over his body. He hadn’t noticed he’d relaxed and couldn’t tell you when it had happened, but now his muscles had to adjust themselves again as he slowly stood up straight. A few all too long moments later, the man came back with a small piece of silver between his frankly large fingers. He handed the ring to Denny with a small smile on his face, and Denny took it to examine. He ran it between a few of his own fingers, realizing that miraculously it seemed to be the perfect size for Annie’s fingers. Hers were smaller than his, and from the way they’d constantly been holding each other, Denny could practically see it on Annie’s hand already. The thought gave him the hope he needed outside, but now he was inside with the ring in his hands, so everything was right.

“This is perfect.” Denny felt his excitement rise with his words. He turned the ring around and read the inscription, happy that it came out as perfectly as the size did. The man held out his hand and Denny put the ring in his palm, then waited again. Without the thought of the ring on Annie’s hand though, his mind seemed half empty, and suddenly he was starting to freak out again. The old man came back quickly with a green bag and a receipt, telling Denny just how much the ring cost. Denver paid, thanked the man, then turned and headed for the door. Finally, he didn’t have to worry about not having time to go pick up the ring or anything. All of that worry was behind him, and a small smile ran across his face as he walked out into the cold with that thought.

1388 -- iris/jason! -- i made the template but the lyrics go to a day to remember and safa at caution made the image i was too lazy. XD -- kinda spacey at times but my head still hurts :/ anyway.

[everlasting]

Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck. Screw it all, nothing mattered to Jason right now. There could be a comet, a fiery chunk of rock hurdling at Boston at hundreds of miles per hour, threatening to take out every life form on the Eastern sea board and he'd laugh. Because that would be the best Christmas gift for him right now. Just not existing.

His mood swings weren't random, at least for the most part. Christmas was a terrible time of year for him, because it symbolized everything he didn't have. A functional family. What, with Dad being murdered and Mom popping pills to curb anxiety attacks because of this, he didn't have that much to celebrate with. He'd visit his mother, of course, he was practically over at her house every week day. Weekends were usually his, because it was then that he got a gig at a bar, or instead he'd go out and drink his troubles away and pick up some girl. He had this twisted, delusional view that it was the only way that could make him happy, that it could curb his loneliness. But in the mornings after, when he was alone again, that's when it came back.

At least he could live unburdened for a night.

And every time he saw a little kid with a father, he felt like transforming into a werewolf and ripping that man to shreds in front of his child, just to make someone else feel the pain that he felt. But no, he couldn't take it out on someone human. Vampires were the ones who took his father away from him, and he hated them with the same kind of prejudice that a white man might hate a man of color down south. Still, he felt like causing pain right now, releasing some of this out to the world so they could know just exactly how he felt. And Jason swore to God, the next person to look at him...

And then he remembered Winter, which made his hands ball into fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white. Winter, the girl he met on the street, that girl who he felt some sort of connection with. There wasn't any hope, and Jason didn't want to get himself involved with someone - it only ended in pain. Right? He never attached himself to anyone, because everyone left in the end. And Winter wouldn't be an exception. Besides, why should she like someone like him? She was pure and innocent and beautiful, and he was a screw up in life who'd been with enough women to populate a small apartment building. Him who couldn't even hold a decent enough relationship with anyone, not even his parents.

Winter, with that radiance she carried and a personality so bright it could melt the snow around them...

But thinking about that just made it worse.

He was walking down the streets of Boston like it was any ordinary day, but this wasn't any ordinary day. Well, it was on its way to being one until he saw a familiar face walk out of a store, a jewelry store for that matter. Jason felt a smirk creep on his face involuntarily, it was Annie's girlfriend. Annie, as in the girl who was in some band that he had ran into a few times at the bar, who always refused to get in his pants because she had a boyfriend. Jason looked at the skinny kid in front of him; Jason was easily a few inches taller than him. This guy - wasn't his name Denny? Something stupid like that - he was bony and rigid, while Jason had more of a stocky, muscular build. Somehow, he found himself hating Denny. He had friends, he had life going for him good, always a flock of followers trailing around his band.

And he had Annie.

It wasn't so much he envied Denny for having Annie, but it was what he had with Annie. The werewolf, the destroyer of everything good that lived inside of him wanted to tear it apart in front of their eyes, make them suffer like he did. Maybe then Denny would know how it felt.

Denny. Even his name sounded pathetic.

And he had a bag in his hand. Jason rolled his eyes; they were dating for a month, what was Denny going to do? Propose to her? Jason laughed out loud, getting close enough so he could talk to Denny, stare him down.

"Aren't you dating that Annie chick?" he asked, though there was an obvious tone of disbelief in there, as if he questioned how Denny could have picked up a girl like her. Jason looked at the store and the jewelry on display, smirking yet again. Jason could have fun with this, he just felt like taunting someone right now. And, lo and behold, here came Denny.

"Yeah, you're chick is totally hot," Jason said, trying to emphasize the last two words. "Buuuuuut, I'm not sure she'd go for marriage yet. And...it'd be a shame to take her away from the playing field before I got my turn with her, huh?" Oh, he was loving this. His eyes were gleaming again, and he stood over this skinny, bony kid, and Jason was just basking in his glory right now.

Oh, and the final touch. "But hey, when she says no, then maybe I'll be able to get your sloppy seconds."

900. AWW SHIT.

[DENVER CARLOS HURLEY]

so now you know exactly what it
FEELS LIKE TO BE AN OBSTACLE IN MY WAY

Denny had pulled out his phone and was about to dial for Abby when he heard someone. Well, he wouldn’t have even looked up if the person hadn’t mentioned Annie. Otherwise, he would have turned down the side walk and called Abby, telling her that he was done, that he just needed to get home and wrap the ring up before Annie could eve come near him again. That sounded a lot worse than he really meant it, but honestly it was just the brutal version of the truth. He had to keep this whole operation of buying her a present under wraps (all puns intended) from Annie for obvious reasons – which just reminded him that someone had brought up Annie. Hearing her name, whether it be from his own voice or that of someone else, it just brought his attention back to earth. Denny turned and looked for who might be talking to him, shoving his phone back into his pocket as he found a…rather bulky guy looking right at him. It was weird to him, just to have someone looking at him and not having it be Boss, Abby, Annie, or someone in the crowd during a show – even if some part of him was used to it because of the fact that some people still considered him a criminal, an attempted homicidal freak.

Before he had a chance to say anything, the guy was going on. How did he even know about him and Annie? Did this guy like…stalk her or something? Denny couldn’t honestly say he recognized the guy, but then again something about the tone of his voice was vaguely familiar. Maybe he was one of those guys that played at the bar when Drawing Blanks wasn’t and Denny was just down there to have something to do. Whatever, that didn’t mean a thing to Denver; what did was the fact that this guy was just going on about Annie and quite frankly, he didn’t like what he was saying. After the second part this guy had said, about Annie being hot, Denny gave the taller man a look that sort of just….well if looks could kill Denny would have been able to set fire to his larger frame. Denny knew Annie was ‘hot’, but that wasn’t the word he or anyone else should ever use to describe Annie. Above all else, Denny preferred gorgeous or beautiful because to him, ‘hot’ was a word used for immature people that didn’t understand what being in love was.

Denny’s blood started boiling. With every single word this guy was bringing up, Denny got angrier and angrier. “It’s not your business what I just bought, pal.” The last word, that little ‘pal’ had so much emphasis that Denny was sure this guy could practically taste it. Through the cold, Denny could feel himself get warmer and warmer. It hadn’t happened since the night at the club with that redhead, but he could feel little parts of his skin open (even if they actually weren’t opening physically), and he could feel that monster slip comfortably into his system. It stayed static for a while, just an ever present being inside of his mind, waiting for the chance to strike. But Denny, no matter how high his temperature got or how much of his decency he lost, was not going to let the monster get in the way of this. Well, as long as he could fight it, he wouldn’t. “And it sure as hell isn’t your business if I did ask her to marry me.” He wasn’t, but this guy didn’t need to know that. “Who said you even get a turn, huh?” Denny could feel the veins in his arms start to just pop to the surface just below his skin. His body started to tense up the way it had before he’d gone into the store, only at a more rapid pace and with more energy and reason.

Still, through all of that, he sort of felt like that Prince Charming he never wanted to feel like particularly. He was standing up for the woman he loved, even if the guy he was standing up to was taller and wider than he was. He felt almost chivalrous because of the things this guy was saying, but at the same time the monster’s presence in his mind knocked him off of that podium. The monster made him feel dirty, frankly, and it broke him down to a level on which he’d be able to fight, but not necessarily feel good about it. “So no, it wouldn’t be a shame.” Denny took a step closer to this guy, but he was still far enough away so he wasn’t face-to-face (or as close as he could get in that department). And then the third blow came, and Denny felt it hit him hard. He’d been freaking out over just that for days now, and this guy either knew it or suspected it. It was douche bags like this guy that set Denny on edge, guys that would just taunt him because of his size or whatever all because he had Annie. Well, he wasn’t going to give Annie up, and so all of the guys like this one would just have to back down or end up with a part of Denny permanently across his face.

The monster pushed its way past part of Denny’s control, gaining access to a single part of his mind. His ‘fight or flight’ instinct would normally be flight – an instinct natural of birds – but with the monster there, taking control of that part of him, it rewired his mind and so his feet moved forward and his fists clenched. His face lowered into a glower, and Denny felt like he was ten feet taller than he really was. He felt like he was hanging over this guy, not the other way around. “First of all, Annie is no one’s sloppy seconds,” he said, gritting his teeth all the while. It took everything he had to not just drop the ring and hit this guy, knocking him to the ground with his fist. Denver shoved the bag wit the ring into one of his pockets, just to keep it from being hit in the impact of what was going to happen. He’d seen Annie get this pissed off just the other night, and apparently now it was his turn. “Second of all, she won’t have to say no.” Again, Denny owed this guy no explanations, and he was going to give none.

“And third of all, maybe this’ll teach you to mind your own god damned business!” With that, Denny rose one hand, one bony, long, leathery-flesh covered hand. It came right up to his eye level, then quickly the monster moved from his mind down through his neck into his shoulder, then through his arm down to his fist with such a force that Denny couldn’t stop his actions even if he wanted to. His hand moved fast at a speed he didn’t know he was capable of, rushing through the cold air until it collided with the hot skin of the douche standing right in front of him. Shit that hurt! his mind screamed, but the rest of his body, including the monster, was laughing. A small smirk made its way across the vicious, now very vulture-like stare on his face as the monster swam up his arm to his mind again. His fist started pounding in agony, but he ignored it. His fingers would heal; his pride would take a few more blows on this guy’s part to do to the same. “Even if she did, you’d never be a thought even the slightest thought in her mind.” Denny knew what Annie would be like without him – he didn’t like the fact that he knew, but he did – and this guy would by no means be a replacement.

“So fuck off and mind your own business.”


1334 -- iris/jason! -- i made the template but the lyrics go to a day to remember and safa at caution made the image i was too lazy. XD -- i don't think denny has ever been that angry. XD

[everlasting]

Jason could practically see steam coming out of Denny's ears with every word he spoke, something that Jason took pride in. He had an ability to agitate people, to push them over the edge and back. And this Denny guy was no exception. “It’s not your business what I just bought, pal. And it sure as hell isn’t your business if I did ask her to marry me.” Jason just grinned even wider now, his obvious pleasure at his discomfort apparent. "Is it now?" was all that Jason said in response. One of his eyebrows raised deviously. "Well, just between you and me, it might be a bit early for that. Might freak her out."

“Who said you even get a turn, huh?” Denny was turning red in the face now, practically about to explode. This only made Jason grin more, this was obviously a sensitive subject. And that meant he needed to continue at that subject, poking at it and making him more and more irritated.

"Well, let's just say I've seen what your girl's night life was before you." He said a little airily. Oh, this was going to be good. "And, well, who knows. If you pay a good price..." That part was true. Denny must not have any sense if he was dating a prostitute. He'd seen her around before on the streets, getting into random cars and such. It wasn't like she was doing it now; maybe Denny was changing her for the better.

But still, habits could come back.

Jason shrugged now, shaking his head. "Wait, nah. Who knows where that shit has been." Jason laughed, as if the two were sharing a joke. He looked over Denny carefully, wanting to splinter his pride further. "I don't know if anyone told you, but your girl is a prostitute. So technically, you got the sloppy seconds."

And now he shrugged again, as if this was a casual conversation between two friends. "Well, not seconds. Maybe more like...fifths? Tenths? Twentieths? Who knows, she might have been pretty popular in her field." Then, he gave a smirk that simmered through the skinny man. "You sure know how to pick them, Den."

And here it came. "“First of all, Annie is no one’s sloppy seconds, Second of all, she won’t have to say no.” Denny slammed the proposal ring far in his pocket, leaving his hands free for exactly what Jason wanted - a fight. And it was coming his way, probably quickly by the looks of his reddened face, his veins popping out of his neck, everything else.

“And third of all, maybe this’ll teach you to mind your own god damned business!” Before he knew it, Denny's balled up fist collided with Jason. It hurt him a bit, but the look on Denny's face suggested that it probably hurt him more. Part of the perks of being a werewolf, he had a really high metabolism. Jason didn't really ever have to work out and he could be in better shape than a gym trainer. He could eat hamburger after hamburger after hamburger and not gain a pound, all because he could burn off everything with little to no effort. He felt his lip rip open a little from the punch, and his hand moved up there cautiously. He pressed his finger to it, the metallic taste of blood starting to leak in his mouth from the punch.

And Jason grinned through this. "Split my lip, you did." He said to Denny, his eyes darkening.

He felt sorry for the ass whooping that this guy was going to get.

Jason laughed a little darkly, his eyes fixating on the skinny guy in front of him. The taste of blood in his mouth, the blood that was caused by this guy only fueled the fire inside of him. "Do you know who you're messing with?" he snarled, though there was still a laugh in the tone, almost sarcastic. "You asking for a death wish, kid?"

Maybe life with his slut girlfriend wasn't all that it was cracked up to be. Either way, Jason could easily take him out of his misery, all it took was a little more provoking. It was extremely hard to get Jason really angry, but once he was, it could be deadly. And he meant that literally - certain levels of anger could provoke a shift into his werewolf form, in which his only instinct left was killing.

But Denny wasn't even worth it.

"Even if she did, you’d never be a thought even the slightest thought in her mind." Jason laughed, a cruel one at that. "Really now? What the hell do you have that's so special? You're nothing but a skinny little prick." His eyes darkened. "I've heard shit about you, Den. I've heard that you're a homicidal freak. You must match well with your fucked up girlfriend, because she's not right in the head either, just like you."

He was ready. "But birds of a feather flock together, right? ...So, what you gonna do, kid? Bring it."

836. THIS POST. I HATE IT. BRB AS I BURN MY HANDS FOR TYPING THIS ATROCITY.

[DENVER CARLOS HURLEY]

so now you know exactly what it
FEELS LIKE TO BE AN OBSTACLE IN MY WAY

Everyone that knew, regardless of the fact that they knew Denny was with Annie, seemed to want to bring up her prostitution past. Well, that everyone was really only Seth and this guy, but the fact remained that it seemed everyone was out to reinforce the fact that Annie had once been a hooker. Like Denny even cared. Some rational part of him did care, but he cared more about Annie’s well being because of that……experience rather than the fact that she’d sold herself to people she didn’t know. So really, the fact that everyone kept bringing it up bothered him more than Annie actually having done that. He hadn’t known her then, hadn’t been in love with her then as he was now. What did this guy know? For all Denny knew, he could have been one of her clients, the way Seth had been, but in all honesty Denny didn’t care. Obviously, she’d changed herself enough to be the woman he’d fallen in love with so quickly.

On top of that, he really just wanted to shout at this guy that the ring he’d just bought was not an engagement ring. But for a split second, the thought that people would think they were engaged appealed to him. The thought would let people, hopefully like this guy, realize that Annie was Denny’s and Denny was Annie’s and there was no way anyone else was going to come right into the picture. Maybe the ring would speak for itself, but then again maybe it would speak louder than it was meant to – like this guy was making it out to be. The fact that he thought Annie would run was really what angered Denny there, not the fact that he was mistaking his promise ring for an engagement ring. And then another thought crossed his mind – if he gave in and told this guy that it was just a promise ring, he was sure the dude would find some way to make him sound like a pussy. So maybe it was for the better, at least now, for this guy to think that it was an engagement ring. Because then, if he saw them and Annie was there, holding Denny’s hand with the ring on her finger, Denny could just…rub it in that he was happy and that Annie hadn’t run, that she wasn’t going anywhere.

After Denny had hit the guy, he knew what he was standing up to. It wasn’t the first physical fight Denny had ever been in, especially since he’d gone to jail, but instantly he knew this guy was some sort of werewolf. The stature, the bone structure, the way his hand hurt more than this guy was complaining; all of it just added up. That didn’t scare Denny though. The monster in the back of his mind stayed there, holding a composure Denny wouldn’t have without it. If he really got into trouble, all he had to do was turn and fly, because that was the initial instinct of a bird. But because of the monster, Denny didn’t think he’d be able to – if things got heavy enough, the monster would take over and there wouldn’t be any Denny. It would be pure monster; Denny would be in the back of the mind where the monster was now, waiting and fighting to get control of his body back. Well if that happened, there was no telling how this guy would end up, but with the way things were going Denny knew he’d have to control himself very well in order for that to not happen sooner rather than later.

“I should have split your fucking head.” Denny’s eyes were pure vulture. His head was angled so far down it looked almost like he was a part of a Pokemon battle. But, in reality, he looked more like a bird ready to attack for its prey, more like a Hawk than a vulture except in the eyes. His eyes screamed of death, of waiting for prey to die and rot before he took what was his. He was just letting himself become the bird he was, the bird he denied when he wasn’t shifting. And this bird wasn’t your average little Robin hopping down the street; this was your full on vulture, the scavenger bird that most people just shy away from. “The correct question is, do I care who I’m messing with. The answer is no.” Denny wasn’t intimidated – it took a lot to intimidate him – but rather he was irritated. This guy had started with him, not the other way around. So to Denny, he’d only given the guy half of what he really deserved. With that thought, Denver felt the monster smile in his mind, felt it move back down his neck and through his arms even though he had no planned motion for them.

And, as Denny expected, his last blow was his worst. Denny didn’t care that this guy was bigger or wider or probably stronger than he was – the fact remained that his bark was worse than his bite right now. Much worse, and it ate away at the parts of Denny that were left vulnerable due to the absence of the monster. As to where the monster was what it was named on occasions with Annie involved, the same monster was acting as a shield, keeping Denny from this guy and his awful words. Because of the monster’s guard, Denny was able to take a step closer to the guy without fear or dread, but rather just a string of rage that filled his entire body. “I may be that, but she doesn’t seem to care, and apparently that makes me enough for her in places you’d lack.” And then the guy went on and bragged about how he knew about Denny, how Denny had run over the girl and how he was just as fucked in the head as Annie was. So what if he was? They loved each other, why did any complication really matter? Especially one that each of them had decided to embrace?

“You say these things like you’re the first person to tell me you’ve heard them – like I didn’t already know what people say about the two of us. Guess what, bud. I don’t care. I don’t care that I’m fucked up, I don’t care that she’s fucked up, but I do care that you’re not fucked up right now.” With that, the monster ran through Denny at a speed he’d never felt it move with. His eyes filled with it, mixing with the deadly bird into some formation Denny couldn’t put into words. The monster took over in such a rush that it didn’t have time to push Denny out of the way – it just mixed with him through his limbs and brought both of his fists to the guy’s face, one after the other. “I’d like to see you bring it, dude.”

1163 -- iris/jason! -- i made the template but the lyrics go to a day to remember and safa at caution made the image i was too lazy. XD -- my head hurts again so i hope this was as good as it sounded to me XD