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unusualbill · 2 years

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Nothing For Us - Chapter 4

"So is this it?" Roman asked, basking in the heater's warmth as he sat in the passenger’s seat.

"What do you mean?" Peter asked.

Roman opened his eyes and gazed out at the road ahead, it seemed to stretch on forever. Nothing in the distance except for the mountains and the occasional stray billboard about eternal damnation.

"Like is this all it is? Just driving, eating sometimes, pointing out horses and shit?"

Peter pondered for a moment, no longer paying attention to the road.

"Sometimes there's cows," he said wisely.

Roman huffed, his eyes defocusing as he stared out the window. The towns they passed through seemed to get smaller and smaller. He watched as they passed the same scenery over and over, the same shaped houses, the same neatly trimmed lawns, the same businesses catering to the local soccer moms. Always the same, but changing just enough to drive Roman mad.

"This is boring as shit, man."

Peter pulled up to a stop light, turning to Roman. He searched the upir’s face, wondering what it was that made him so huffy. Was he always like this, or just around Peter? There was something about the Godfrey boy’s pout that got under Peter’s skin. He didn’t mind Roman under his skin, but the current resident wasn’t too keen on his territory being invaded.

"You robbed a bank today and you're bored? Fuck, what does it take to excite you?" Peter teased in an attempt to relieve some pressure.

Roman opened his mouth to speak, but Peter cut him off.

"Don't answer that," Peter said with a laugh.

Roman didn’t laugh.

They drove in near silence, punctuated only by the occasional sigh from Roman, and the soft click of the car’s blinkers.

"Comic books," Roman said simply, as though he had not been festering in silence for the last ten minutes.

"What?"

Roman's eyes floated to the clouds above, watching as they seemed to follow the car. He was reminded of night drives with his father, driving too fast to even notice that there were clouds. He wished Peter would drive that fast.

"You asked what it takes to excite me," He explained "I like comic books."

"Huh," said Peter expecting the answer to involve something more scandalous or relating to Roman's wanton lifestyle. "What, like the hulk and shit?"

"Batman," Roman said, picking at the bandaids on his fingertips. "And The X-Men."

Peter stopped at a crossroad, trying to remember which direction they were supposed to turn. He chewed his lip for a moment, brushing a lock of hair from his eyes. He would need to stop and retie his hair soon.

"Batman, huh? That plant chick is kinda hot."

Roman cocked a brow "Poison Ivy?"

“Yeah, her,” Peter grinned “Redheads man…”

“Which version?” Roman said coolly, trying hard not to seem like a nerd.

“Huh?”

“Which version of her? Like which comic?” Roman attempted to keep the conversation casual but his knowledge of niche lore was threatening to slip out.

Peter took his hand off the steering wheel to run it through his hair.

“I’ll be honest, I’ve only seen the movie.”

Roman pulled a face.

“Which movie was it? There is a wrong answer.”

“I don’t know man, I was stoned when I saw it.”

Roman sat silently for a moment, watching as the clouds above threatened to gray.

“The one with Schwarzenegger in it,” Peter said.

As Roman turned towards him, Peter decided the upir’s expression would not be out of place in Children of the Corn.

“Stop the car,” Roman said flatly, pawing at the door handle. “Stop the car, I’m walking home.”

“Really, over Batman?” Peter said, rolling his eyes and pulling into a rest stop on the side of the road.

He decided it was better to play along than for Roman to have an outburst in his front seat.

Roman exited the car, gesturing for Peter to pop the trunk. Peter complied, shaking his head as he reached under the driver’s seat. Roman grabbed his luggage, slinging it over his shoulder as he began to walk along the edge of the road.

Peter watched him for a minute, hoping he would get it all out of his system. Roman’s angry stomps reminded Peter of a ram, though he knew somewhere inside Roman was a gentle lamb.

“Pennsylvania’s that way, you know!” He shouted, his thumb pointing North. “Unless you’re hellbent on Kentucky.”

“I knew that,” Roman hissed, turning and passing the wolf in the other direction. By the time he passed the car he had already cooled off, unsure of why he was so heated to begin with. His stomach ached again.

“Are you really that pissed over a superhero movie?” Peter questioned as Roman brushed a lock of bottle-blond hair away from his eyes. He remained silent.

“Get back in the car, Roman.”

Roman paused for a moment, looking at the ground beneath him. Cigarette butts, pieces of broken glass, and hypodermic needles were strewn about the dead grass. He stepped on a piece of a discarded beer bottle, just to feel the crunch.

“It’s the principle of the thing,” He said, still looking at the ground. He turned his head slightly to read the logo on a dented bottle cap, it was some beer brand he had never heard of.

Peter cocked a brow. Roman opened his mouth to continue but Peter stopped him.

“Look, if you get back in the car we can rent some other batman flicks,” Roman’s face softened “We’ll spend the weekend in some little town and have like a nerd marathon or something.”

Roman set his luggage down, looking at Peter for a moment. He hated this. He hated that Peter was being so kind to him. He hated the raw empty gnawing in the pit of his stomach.

“You know, the movies don’t really showcase the nuance of-”

“Oh my god, we can read the comics too, just get in the fucking car before it rains.” Peter playfully punched Roman’s shoulder.

Roman threw his luggage back into the trunk, slamming it shut before clambering into the front seat. Peter started the car and turned the heater back on as storm clouds gathered above them.

“You know, there’s also some X-Men films…”

“Don’t push it.”

Rain began to fall as Roman reclined his seat. He watched as raindrops raced down the windshield, melding into one big streak. He picked at the frayed edge of one of his bandages.

“Hey, what was in those little vials?” He asked with a yawn.

“Huh?” Peter was busy concentrating as the road grew slick beneath them.

“In the first aid kit,” Roman clarified, “There were needles and little vials. What’s in ‘em? Good shit?” He secretly hoped the wolf was holding out on him as his Altoids tin was in the trunk.

“Nothing fun, if that’s what you’re asking.”

Roman ran his fingers across the window, doodling in the condensation. He drew a heart but quickly erased it, drawing a frowny face next to it instead.

“Boo,” He said, not unlike a teenage girl.

Peter adjusted the windshield wipers as the rain fell harder. He glanced at the highway signs, deciding which small town to flee to for the night. They all looked the same so it really didn’t matter. He chose the closest one and hoped there would be a motel.

“Rabies shots,” he said, merging right and heading towards an exit sign. “Among other things.”

Roman raised a brow. “Huh?”

“It’s not like I can just walk into a vet’s office and ask them to stick me.” Peter gestured to himself, “And they don’t give them to you at the doctor unless you’re already bit.”

“Sheeit, I never thought about that,” Roman cracked his window, taking a match from his pocket and lighting a cigarette. “So, do you like have to have it every year like a-”

“Like a dog?” Peter finished

“I was gonna say like a flu shot,” Roman took a drag, blowing smoke out the window.

He wondered what he had done to make Peter so curt with him. Maybe he knew what Roman had done, maybe he was waiting for the right time to ditch him on the side of the road. Maybe he had asked Roman to tag along as a joke and hadn’t expected him to actually come with.

“Are you like mad at me or something?”

Peter stared at the road before him, trying to see past heavy raindrops. The lights blurred together as the sky darkened. The road turned from thick pavement to thicker mud as any signs of life disappeared. There were only two signs in the distance, a Motel 6 and a McDonald’s

“Nah, just concentrating. I can’t see shit in this weather.”

Roman started to bring up Peter’s shortness with him earlier but decided against it. He didn’t need to start a fight, he was sure Peter was already disappointed in him.

“You hungry?” Peter asked, “Because I’m fucking starving.”

“Nah,” Roman lied, the gnawing pit in his stomach growing larger despite that morning’s feeding. “I’m good.”

Peter shrugged and turned into the McDonald’s parking lot anyway.

“You can get a milkshake or something.”

Roman opened his mouth to protest, but Peter was already in the drive-thru ordering one for both of them.

As they waited for their order, Roman contemplated telling Peter the truth. He tugged at his jacket, feeling a chill from Peter’s open window. The sun had now vanished completely from the sky, replaced by quick rain and heavy nightfall.

Peter brought the bag of warm food into the car, passing it to Roman to hold. The scent of salt and grease filled the car as Roman held the bag to his chest. Peter placed the shakes in the cupholders, licking spilled whipped cream off his arm. Roman looked away, unsure of what he was feeling.

“I have to tell you something,” Roman said, staring straight ahead as Peter put the car in park. “But I don’t think you’ll like it.”

He placed his shaking hands between his knees, taking a deep breath.

Peter took a sip of his shake, staring at the way Roman’s face seemed to glow under the car’s overhead lights. The worry in Roman’s eyes was hidden by his long eyelashes.

“I have something to tell you too,” Peter started, turning off the engine.

He reached a hand out, guiding Roman’s face towards his own. Roman let out a shaky breath at the wolf’s calloused touch. Peter’s thumb grazed Roman’s cheek, just barely catching the corner of his mouth. Roman’s eyes nearly shut.

The overhead light faded, turning off and leaving the pair in near darkness, save for the lights inside the restaurant. Peter could barely make out the upir’s silhouette. His gaze lingered as he pulled Roman’s face closer, unsure of his next move, all he knew is he wanted a full view of those Godfrey green eyes.

“Roman, I-” He stared into Roman’s eyes, almost forgetting what he was trying to say.

Roman nodded, encouraging Peter to continue.

Peter opened his mouth once more, but his voice was no longer gentle, it was quivering, almost fearful.

“What the fuck is that?” He breathed, his eyes wide as he looked past Roman and into the darkness.

A figure stood not far from them, its head tilted as it stared at the pair.

“What the fuck is what?” Roman slowly turned, feeling uneasy as he noticed a pair of glowing red eyes staring through him.

Whatever it was, he made eye contact with it.

#bri babbles #nothing for us #roman godfrey #peter rumancek #romancek #hemlock grove #hemlock grove fanfiction #hello hello. goodbye again

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salsa-di-pomodoro · 5 months

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Has anyone ever thought of the possibility of people in hisui getting a magazine from AFTER ingo and akari go home with either or both of them on it. Like they've already left and lo and behold in the tail end of the entire mess a magazine appears with one of them on the cover looking fresh stunning and most importantly happy. If it were Ingo i feel like he'd be all dressed up goth on the cover of like Vogue or something lmao (i don't think he wouldn't get famous if he wasn't already after coming home. Theyd want the publicity+cool extint Pokémon on the cover). If it were akari shed probably be like posing all badass like the badass teenager she is, scars in full view (she's a survivor!!!!!!). Inside is a little tidibit of their life after coming home. It would be both funny as hell to see them react to how they are in their element and like connect the dots for their strange behaviors AND bring closure to the people they left in hisui. They may never know this but the people in the past do

If anyone uses this idea tag me i may or may not read it but i want to know if you liked it enough to do something with it. I'll probably just keep daydreaming to myself about it lol

Edit: btw there's a whole section talking about everyone's battle prowess and the battle subway for the funnies. Just so you know