#watchxoc

[rwprincess]

ELECTRIC LOVE ~ CHAPTER 18 (WATCH WAVERLY FEM!OC)

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Word Count: 1.2K

Synopsis: On the run from danger, Jules relies on Watch to overcome her fears. 

CW: mild anxiety (fear of heights); fluff; Ann being a jerk

All five of them rushed through the woods, panicking and nearly out of breath. Bare branches and rough, scraggly leaves whipped by, nipping at their arms and faces. The homunculi from Shadowmire were in hot pursuit. Ann had advised them to take particular items from the garden, despite Moorpark's disapproval. She reasoned that she couldn't take them herself without raising suspicions and asked the others to 'break in' to assist her search while she waited outside. However, she neglected to tell them that the area would be guarded by these overbearing, ghastly creatures who were now tracking them closely. And, if she were caught amongst these thieves, she too would be as good as dead.

"I think---there's an old bridge--up ahead." Ann panted out, leading the group. She more or less knew the route to take, but she also put herself first in line to give her the most distance between herself and the homunculi, lest they be caught. They burst out of the foliage to indeed find the archaic structure. "There! Just up ahead!"

They approached the rickety bridge, the stone pillars seemed well-intact but the wooden slats forming the actual bridge were questionable. "This looks like it's at least a hundred years old," Sally said.

"I would estimate maybe two..." Watch piped up.

"Well, come on, we haven't got much time!" Ann impressed upon them. As they reached the precipice of the bridge and assessed its footing, Jules froze.

"I…I can't." Jules said as they stepped forward. "I'm afraid of heights. Like, petrified. I can't make it across."

"Hey," Sally said softly, reassuring her, "you can do it."

"Yeah, we're all crossing together!" Adam enthused, optimistically. They tried to coax her, but she stilled at the edge once again and began shaking. 

"Oh my God," Ann intoned with frustration, "we don't have time for this!"

"It's not like we can leave her!" Sally yelled in response. She looked back over to Jules and noticed that Watch was standing in front of her, speaking calmly and in a low volume.

"We're right here with you. I'm right here. Just…take my hand, okay? I'll lead you from one side to the other." He offered his hand and she took it, numbly. Somewhere, in the recesses of her brain, she realized how truly monumental this was for him, to offer his touch in order to be helpful…and she became aware of the humming sensation that holding his hand gave her. "Go ahead, guys,” he nodded to the rest of the group and turned his focus back to Jules. “Alright, we're going to just walk over slowly and you're going to just look at me, okay? We're not looking down. I'm just gonna guide you. That's it, one foot in front of the other." 

As they traipsed along the bridge, Adam and Sally looked back at the sight. Watch had never been so outwardly patient and understanding before. The two of them exchanged a look of realization, their shared best friend was far beyond an average crush; this was something much different. Still, they pressed on and saved this silent conversation to be spoken about on another day.

“That’s it. Don’t forget to breathe, either. Just gently, slowly, deep in and deep out. You are doing great.” Watch susurrated along, praising each step they made across the bridge, a beacon of constant reassurance and praise. Jules misstepped and shrieked as her ankle rolled unwittingly, absolutely certain she would fall to her doom. But Watch shot out another hand, bracing her arm and drawing back her perspective, “Hey, hey, it’s all right,” he soothed as if talking to a trapped and rabid animal. Her eyes snapped back up to his face, finding a compassionate gaze framed by thick black plastic and lenses. “Just a few more steps.” He tugged her along until they made it to the other side, feet hitting solid ground joyously, reuniting with their friends.

“Finally,” Ann groaned, “let’s get going. The bridge wasn’t going to kill us but the homunculi might.” She set off at a rushed pace and the others were quick to follow. It wasn’t until they passed a thicket of trees that Watch realized he still held Jules’ hand in his. Initially, it made sense to lead her to follow Ann, to propel her onward, out of her frightened state, after conquering the bridge. Now, however, it was less logical. Yet, he did not want to let go. She, too, realized shortly after and dropped her hand from his, filled with gratitude for his contact and commitment, but not wanting to push it further than it needed to be, for his sake. She didn’t want to burden him with that, but he felt the lack immediately, a phantom tingling as though her hand was still entrenched in his.

They soon found that they were no longer being hunted and could navigate their way home comfortably, at an ambling pace. Without the threat of present danger, Sally took to her usual bickering with Ann, blaming her yet again for their situation, but Jules and Watch lingered in the back of the line together. “Thank you, for everything back there.” Jules said softly, still embarrassed at requiring that much help to pass over a bridge, withering or not.

“Like Sally said, it’s not like we were going to leave you,” Watch hummed in response. He acted nonchalant, as if it were the obvious thing to do.

“Yeah, but no one else dragged me across.” She said, huffing a bit. She felt ridiculous that it was even necessary. Looking back on it, it should have been a journey as simple for her as it was for the rest of them.

“I didn’t drag you, I … assisted you. There’s a big difference.”

“Uh huh. Always with the semantics and word specificity.”

“Always.” Watch agreed, a smile playing at his lips as he looked forward, disregarding her concern. 

“I’m just sorry it was needed.” She cast her eyes down, still trudging along and he took note of her defeated posture, “But I’m incredibly grateful that you did all that, don’t get me wrong!” She rushed out. Watch took a step in front of her, forcing her to halt her stride. He placed a hand on either of her upper arms, feeling the scruff of the loose flannel there. Always ever-present. He liked the consistency. She looked up, and the look in her eyes signified to him that he should indeed tell her what he was going to.

“Listen, it was not a bother, or anything like that. I did not mind and I would do it a million times over just to get you across. I would never leave you behind. Okay?” He was asking for her agreement, her acknowledgement of what he had said, but all she could think was ‘How could I ever be just okay after he said that and looked at me like that?’ 

Her heart was pounding and she wasn’t sure she would be steady on her feet if he were to release her. But she mumbled a simple, “Okay,” in response anyway.

[rwprincess]

ELECTRIC LOVE ~ CHAPTER FOURTEEN (SPOOKSVILLE WATCH X FEM!OC)

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Word Count: 1.1K

Synopsis: Platonic!Adam rehashing/advice about the Blood Drive Dance; Awkwardness/tension arises between Watch and Jules because of the events at the dance.

CW: Mild angst

*~~~~*

“Thank you for meeting me. I can’t really talk to Sally about this, since she doesn’t remember...and I don’t think I’m close enough to Ann to really--”

“It’s okay. I don’t mind. Really.” Adam was seated across from Jules at The Holy Mackerel. It had been just two days since the ill-fated vampire dance and Sally and Watch still had no idea what transpired there. It was almost like a secret between them now, as it felt impossible to explain to the others.

“I’m swearing you to secrecy and I know you’ll uphold it because I trust you, Adam,” she implored him. He crossed his heart in a promising fashion.

“You can tell me. It’ll be locked in a vault.” He tapped his temple, indicating his great secret-holder. She sighed, not sure where to begin or what to say, but she knew she had to get it off her chest.

“I...Okay, so I know you know that I was dancing with Watch, right?”

“You mean when he was trying to bite you?”

“Yes. I mean, I guess so. I didn’t know he was going to try to turn me into a vampire or that he was one or---” Adam just looked at her blankly, “Right, there’s a point to this somewhere. I guess, it’s just that...I didn’t think we’d dance together. I thought we were all going as friends and then he asked me and I didn’t know what to say.”

“Looks to me like you said ‘yes,’” Adam said with a sly, teasing smile.

“Well, yeah. And that’s because I wanted to. Even though he seemed off, I thought it was just in theme. Or maybe I just hoped that it was and wanted to believe it, but. Okay, what I’m getting at is, I like Watch. A lot.” She exhaled deeply, fidgeting in her seat uncomfortably.

“Yeah. I know.” He took in her wide-eyed expression and laughed, “I’m sorry, but it’s kind of obvious. I mean, I don’t think he knows--”

“Good,” she sighed in relief. “I mean, I don’t know if it is or not. I...don’t know what to think, that’s kind of why I asked you here. I don’t expect advice or a solution or anything, but I just need to talk to somebody about it. Is that okay?”

“Yeah, of course!” He agreed, urging her to continue.

“So, it’s like...I thought that, maybe, he felt the same way. He asked me to dance, but then it was just because he was in a vampire trance and wanted to drink my blood? To make me one of them? I don’t know if any of it was real, or if it was just part of the ploy. Obviously, vampire-Watch knew he was my weakness.” She shot a glare at Adam when he snorted, trying to stifle a laugh. “So it’s as though his subconscious knows, right?”

“I don’t really know how the whole vampire thing works, how much of the original person is actually there.”

“Right,” she nodded, agreeing, “Maybe I should just admit the whole thing sucks. I get asked to dance by a boy I like, who is implying he likes me too...and now he doesn’t remember any of it.”

“I didn’t think of that,” Adam grimaced, “I’m sorry. You’re right, that does suck.”

“And there’s nothing I can do, right? I mean, we agreed that we weren’t going to bring it up. And...what do I even do if he denies it? If it was just the vampire-plot speaking and he doesn’t---” she didn’t want to finish the thought out loud. Adam shrugged; it wasn’t really his place to say.

“I don’t have a lot of reassurance to give, Jules. Just...don’t give up. It sounds like it hurts but, I don’t know, don’t count yourself out just yet.”

*~~~~*

Most of the time, Jules just sat on the basement sofa in the lab and read through the various books Watch had, or brought her own, while he worked on whatever project was this week’s fancy. They’d just enjoy each other’s company, knowing the other was there to make one-off comments to or whatever. It had always felt like a complacent, comfortable place to be before. Now, it felt tense. Awkward. She’d skim through a page and then have the realization that she had no idea what she just read, her mind wandering to other places and playing the interaction at the Blood Drive dance on a near-endless loop.

Alternatively, she’d sneak a glance at Watch and then get caught up watching him work: his steadfast gaze under his trademark glasses, the way he pushed his sleeves up further and his arms flexed underneath his assortment of wristwatches, his tongue quickly darting out before he’d bite his lip in concentration…all the little details that made the back of her neck prickle before she felt exceptionally warm all over. She’d quickly shift her gaze away, straighten her posture, and hope she went unnoticed. However, she had been noticed. Not necessarily in her less-than-covert looks at Watch, but he had definitely taken note of the recent change in her demeanor. He didn’t quite know why, but he had noticed that there was a difference. She seemed more rigid around him and her answers were almost like his usual ones: short and to-the-point. Her presence had also been scarce lately. Today was almost a rarity, whereas it used to be commonplace to have just the two of them, sharing a silence that was once comfortable, but now stifled the room with its weight. For once, he didn’t jump to a ‘Spooksville’ conclusion; it didn’t really cross his mind that she were possessed or that it was an imposter in her place, or that some fear demon kept her up at night and she was just tired. No, he started to suspect that she was just over hanging out with him. She’d been here awhile now, she probably realised she could have friends beyond the trio he had offered. And, even in this town, he was still considered ‘weird.’ Maybe she figured out she should put some distance between herself and them…him. The thought weighed heavily in his chest and he swallowed the hard lump in his throat when she abruptly stood up and said that she should be going. Even though he didn’t want her to, even though he wanted to talk about what had suddenly changed, he didn’t know how. So, he simply said goodbye.

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