#but also it got done for Lav’s birthday and honestly? counting that as a win and if anyone asks it was in purpose /j

[agentplutonium]

I got silly goofy again with more NeXus characters. Anyway: Cher & Sherlock character study that got away from me and ended up being just over 2500 words

(the fic can also be found on ao3)

The clock ticked on the wall. There was the occasional shout of laughter from outside the apartment. Cher sat at the table, shoulders rigid, fingers tapping the wood beneath them impatiently. The wood was smooth under their arm, the back of the chair digging into their shoulder blades. They wanted to keep moving. They wanted out of here. They wanted to keep everyone safe.

Cher was dropped off at Alonzo’s and his partner’s place to be babysat, despite what Uriah told them. He said it was for their safety but they felt Uriah didn’t trust them, or that he thought they couldn’t take care of themselves. It was humiliating. Not to mention this was probably putting the lovers out of their way just to be there with them. They did not want to do that to them. Cher was not worth the amount of effort the two vampires were putting into them.

Suddenly, a mug was placed before them, snapping Cher out of their thoughts. Owl, what Cher has taken to calling Alonzo’s partner, took the seat across from them, a matching mug in their hands. They were silent, not looking at Cher. Their fingers stopped tapping. They couldn’t help but analyze the situation, Owl’s body language, the way they kept their eyes on the mug in their hands, the mug that was left suspended between the two of them. But Owl just fucking sat there.

The silence lasted for a few more moments

“It’s just hot chocolate, I’m not trying to kill you,” Owl said, those piercing eyes finally glancing at them. “Thought you might like something to do than just sitting here.”

“Where’s that boyfriend of yours,” Cher asked.

Owl opened their mouth, presumably to quip back, but stopped themselves. “Sleeping. He’s running himself ragged over this case.”

“And you’re okay with that?”

Cher knew that the case Alonzo was running after was connected to them and the magical world. It was dangerous to have him this close. Cher knew that. Uriah knew it. And they were sure Owl knew it too.

“I do what I can,” Owl said with a shrug. They took a sip out of their mug before continuing. “I keep him safe. That’s all I need. But, I came in here to check on you. Not Alonzo.”

“I don’t need to be checked on-”

“I’d beg to differ,” Owl cut them off, leaning forward and resting their elbows on the table. “You’re in a bad situation, in a stranger's house, being watched like you are some flight risk. You sat at this kitchen table the whole time because you couldn’t bring yourself to sit in the living room,” they started counting on their fingers as they continued, to prove their point, “You haven’t asked for food, or water, or even for the damn bathroom. And you’re doing this to yourself because you feel like if you get too comfortable it would put us in danger. That it would undermine the struggle and pain you put yourself and your pack through just to keep them safe. You’re ready to fight, to run, if the moment calls for it.”

The air was still between them. Cher was stunned silent, and Owl was still looking at them. How those eyes of theirs were natural would be beyond them. There was the smallest smirk on Owl’s face. A self-assured, cocky smile, as if they knew they were right before they even spoke.

“Am I close?” Owl asked, voice dipping quieter.

Cher didn’t say anything, but they did drag the steaming mug toward them.

“That’s what I thought,” Owl said, smiling.

“You’re not getting anything out of me,” Cher warned.

“Never said I wanted to,” Owl said. “However, I took the risk of assuming you wouldn’t mind some company.”

“I like being alone.”

Owl scoffed into their drink, “Sure, Cheri.”

“What is that for,” Cher demanded.

“Nothing, nothing,” Owl said, holding their hands up, “pardon me if I think that a wolf likes being alone is a little absurd.”

“It’s not uncommon.”

“I guess not. But seeing you interact with Zachary, coupled with the fact that I know you have a pack, tells me otherwise. You are a protector, Cheri, whether you like it or not.”

Cher huffed, rolling their eyes. “Say what you want. This was needed.”

“Of course it was. Someone came after you, and you didn’t want the pack getting hurt. You haven’t stopped since Washington, and I’m assuming you’re not all too pleased about how long you’ve spent here.”

“What do you know,” Cher said, annoyed.

“More than you give me credit for,” Owl shrugged, but still there was an edge to their tone and Cher could tell that Owl didn’t like their experience undermined. “When will you start accepting that we can hold our own around here?”

“What?”

“You heard me,” Owl said, sipping at their drink.

“What do you mean by that?” Cher asked, painfully clutching the mug, warmth seeping deeper into their bones.

“I mean,” Owl drawled, as if explaining it to a child, fingers messing with the rim of their cup in a bored manner, “Uriah would never have harboured you if he thought you were a genuine threat, no matter how much he says he doesn’t trust you. Whether that be you or whatever storm you’re dragging along with you.”

Cher didn’t answer, curling in on themselves. They still didn’t like being here, especially now that Owl was reading them like an open book. Was this just something that vampires could do? Or were Uriah and Owl special?

Owl sighed, relaxing back in their chair. “Listen, I’m not here to interrogate you,” they said. “I just want to talk.”

“We are talking,” Cher snipped.

“Normal talking,” Owl clarified. “Small talk.”

“Why do you want to talk with me?” Cher asked.

“Honestly? Cause you’re interesting,” Owl said genuinely. “You’re a puzzle that I can’t quite figure out. I want to know what makes you tick, Cheri.”

Cher’s mind flashed through the worst outcomes of this situation. Owl could use this against them, or get something about their pack out of them, putting them in danger. Cher wouldn’t be able to stop them from here if they were to put something together. But, a smaller part of Cher’s brain chastised them for it. What was Owl going to do? They were with Uriah, and he was proving himself to be trustworthy. If something was to go wrong, it wouldn’t be because of them.

Cher took a deep breath, “What do you want to know?”

Owl sat there for a moment, staring at the drink in their hands. “You miss home?”

Cher almost changed the subject. However, their silence drew Owl’s eyes again, and they couldn’t stay quiet with the curiosity that burned behind them. Maybe they understood why Alonzo fell in love with them.

“Greatly,” Cher whispered, “every damn day I’m gone.”

“What do you miss most?”

“My pack.”

Owl chuckled, “Naturally. I don’t know why I asked that. You got a big one?”

Cher shrugged. “One could say that, sure. I never really keep track. We’re already a few generations deep.”

“Damn, that must be hard to manage,” Owl commented.

“It is what it is,” Cher sighed, “most of them aren’t old enough to participate in the logistical side of things.”

“And I thought Zach was a handful,” Owl commented, taking a moment to take a sip of their drink.

“Do you consider him a child?” Cher asked.

“In some ways,” Owl said. “He isn’t terribly young in human years, but he is new to vampirism. I can have adult conversations with him and then have to scold him for something stupid five seconds later.”

Cher chuckled, “Fuck, don’t I know what that’s like.”

“You got ones like that?”

“More than I can count,” Cher groaned. “Love them all to death, but I question how any of them are still alive.”

“I get that.”

“You have anyone other than Zach and Uriah?” Cher asked.

“Lump Alonzo into that group and that’s all I got, in some ways,” Owl shrugged, “the rest of the people I know I wouldn’t consider family the way I do them.”

“You’ve built a nice life with them, huh,” Cher commented, not unkindly.

“I sure have.”

Cher could relate, but they didn’t say that out loud. Owl didn’t need to know their connection to their pack ran that deep. It was bad enough they knew as much as they did.

“Do you want to see some pictures?”

“Pictures?” Cher repeated, confused.

“Of me and Uriah from earlier in our lives,” Owl clarified, “I can let you look through the old photo albums while I update the current one.”

They would let Cher do that? Look at something that, they’d assume, was important to Owl? To them all? One part of Cher felt like they were overstepping something. But, how could they when they were invited to do so? Was it an invitation, or a test? Could they-

“I see smoke coming out of your ears, Cheri,” Owl teased with a chuckle. “I’m asking you if you would like to. This isn’t something you need to overthink. Just a simple yes or no will do.”

“I would like to,” Cher responded, surprising themself.

Owl smiled genuinely. “That’s what I thought. Come with me,” they stood from the table, grabbing their mug before making their way out of the kitchen. Cher hesitated for a moment before following suit.

Owl had placed a few coasters on a side table beside the couch before moving across the room to a fairly full bookshelf. “Feel free to sit anywhere,” they said over their shoulder, fingers running along the spines of the albums.

Cher looked around for a second, taking in their surroundings. There was a couch and a few armchairs that encircled a small coffee table, end tables between the pieces of furniture. Cher hesitantly perched at the edge of the couch, on the side closest to the preset coasters. If anyone looked at them they were sure they’d see the tension that was currently residing in their whole body. However, they didn’t get to think about that much, as Owl was already turning around with two albums and a small decorative box in their hands.

“This one is one of my oldest,” Owl said, holding out the more tattered album. “It’s from a couple of decades ago. It’s not the oldest, but we sure were different people back then. Younger. More naive.”

“More naive?” Cher asked, placing their mug down to take the book from Owl.

“Mhm,” Owl hummed. “You never really stop growing, even as vampires. You learn and experience things you never would have if you were human. Gives you an ongoing update on how you view life around you.”

“How old are you guys?” Cher asked.

“Aw, come on now, Cheri, it’s rude to ask people their age,” Owl teased.

Owl turned back to what they were doing, leaving Cher to slowly flip through the book open on their lap. They saw countless pictures of Owl and Uriah in different locations, smiling their widest and looking happy. The descriptions beneath each gave context as to what was going on. There were a few where one was not as happy as the other, in the wake of a prank that was less than pleasant. Seeing the two of them like this made Cher’s heart squeeze. They missed their family.

They got to a picture of Uriah, his back to the camera, at the edge of a lake. The description didn’t give much away, just revealing when the picture was taken, and Cher turned the book around to show Owl.

“What was going on here?” Cher asked, tapping the picture.

Owl glanced up from their work, smiling when they recognized what they were looking at. “There’s a whole story behind that picture,” they said. “You wanna hear?”

Cher nodded, placing the book back on their lap to pay attention.

That’s how they spent the rest of their night. Listening to Owl tell these stories, fuelled by the pictures that Cher would point out. The silence was comfortable between them in between stories as Owl worked and Cher browsed the pictures. The two of them continue to share drinks, and laughs, and Cher would even offer the occasional story about their pack.

This was comfortable, Cher realized, not sure if they were more spooked or surprised by the fact. Owl genuinely did seem to want to get to know them, despite knowing the time that they would share would be temporary. Cher wondered if Owl felt the same way, or if it was different for them.

Later in the night, when the album updating was done, Cher found themselves relaxed on the couch, enjoying the conversation that they were having with Owl. It had been hours since Uriah dropped them off, but they were okay with that. They liked being with Owl. They were nice and seemed to sense when they were getting skittish about a topic, changing the subject soon after. Cher felt like if they met under different circumstances they would have been fast friends.

There was a noise behind them and Cher tensed immediately, spinning around. Uriah stood behind them, as if he was there the whole time. Cher let out a breath, scowling at the man. “Do you not knock?” they scolded.

“This house is just as much mine as it is theirs,” Uriah said.

“You knew who you left with me, Ry,” Owl commented, the slightest edge to their voice. Cher didn’t expect the vampire to stick up for them. “It is good manners to knock.”

Uriah didn’t answer them, turning back to Cher. “Let’s go,” they said, “we need to get back.”

Cher almost talked back, but stopped themselves, biting their tongue harshly. They got up without a word, brushing past her on their way to the door.

“I will see you later,” Uriah said to Owl.

“Uriah,” Owl stopped him. Their voice dipped quieter as they continued, but Cher could still hear them. “They’re a good person, Uriah. I promise you.”

“I know that,” Uriah said.

“I’m just saying. I know how skittish you’ve been around them. Treating them like a loaded gun.”

“Would you disagree?”

“Yes.”

Cher paused, caught off guard by the sincerity behind the vampire’s voice. Did they mean that?

Uriah was also quiet for a few moments, and Cher believed there was some kind of silent conversation going on between them. “You mean that?”

“Every word,” Owl promised. “Just… just get to know them. You’ll see. You know they won't hurt us already, but they aren’t as dangerous as you make them out to be.”

“I’ll see what happens.”

There was a soft sigh from Owl, and then they said, “Thank you. Have a safe trip, Uriah.”

“I will.”

Uriah was beside them a few moments later, and he seemed to be a bit more relaxed. Uriah opened the door, stepping aside and motioning for them to go through. “After you, mon cheri.”

Cher ducked their head as they passed by, face heating up at Uriah’s eyes boring into them.

“Did you enjoy yourself?” Uriah asked when they were alone.

“Something like that,” Cher replied, not looking at him.