Daithi was worried, rushing about his room to get dressed fast. Séan was in the living room with Brian, Tyler and Evan, alone. They'd showed up asking if they wanted to join them for dinner, since it was Séan's last night in LA. He was heading home at 10 the next morning.
He hurried out to the living room once he was dressed, seeing Séan standing tense by the door while Brian, Evan and Tyler sprawled out on the couch.
"Ready?" Tyler asked, a faint smirk on his lips. Daithi knew he was having a blast making Séan uncomfortable and he just rolled his eyes at the other.
"Ready. Where we going?" He asked as the three stood. "We're meeting Brock, Jon, Chrissy, Scotty, Marcel and Kris at the Chinese buffet we took you to two weeks ago," Brian said and Daithi nodded easily.
"Come on Séan, we'll take your car yeah?" Daithi said, knowing the buffet was a couple miles away. "I'll drive."
"I'll come with you," Tyler said easily, Daithi shooting him a look. Tyler ignored it, smiling fakely at Séan. "It'll be nice to get to know Daithi's human friend better."
Daithi sighed silently, rubbing his forehead as he nodded. "Okay fine, but come on," he said and Séan shot him a look. "No arguing Séan, there's no point. Tyler's a stubborn bitch," he said, giving the other a grin.
Tyler winked at him and Daithi laughed lightly. "Guess I'm driving me and Brian. See you guys there," Evan said cheerfully, giving Séan a bright smile as they walked past him. Daithi saw Séan take a step back as Brian's shoulder brushed his, Daithi gritting his teeth in irritation.
It had been a long 3 days. Séan was doing better, he was polite to Daithi's friends and Daithi hadn't heard him say "monster" once. Not even a cut off word. But the fear remained, as did the avoidance.
Which he understood, Séan wouldn't be able to switch off lifelong fears that quick, but it still put Daithi on edge. Séan was quick to react if he felt as if he was in danger, and he carried a silver infused iron knife around for a reason. Most non humans were fatally allergic to silver or iron, though sirens were allergic to gold.
Daithi hadn't told Séan what any of his friends were, though Jon and Brian had been very forth coming with the information. Brock had even done some magical pranks on Séan, eyes fading from brown to black at the defensively disgusted look Séan had thrown Brian when he'd said he was a kitsune.
It took a lot to anger Brock, and a stranger insulting Brian was top on the list. Séan had made an offhand sexual remark under his breath about Brian changing form to do whatever he wanted to Brock and Séan had found himself in the presence of the shadow spirit possessing Brock.
Séan hadn't seen Brock since then, until now. And as Séan followed Tyler's instructions to the restaurant, Daithi prepared for a disaster.
The three walked in, finding all their friends already sitting there. They all brightened at the sight of them, Brock cheerily waving them over. They all sat down, Séan sitting a bit close to Daithi as he eyed Brock nervously.
"I'm sorry about the other day, I rarely let my temper get the best of me. But I'm not a fan of people insulting my partners race," Brock said calmly to Séan, the Irishman nodding quickly.
"I understand, I'm very sorry too. I can't always control my mouth, but I've really been trying. I don't want to offend any of you, you're Daithi's friends and that must mean you're good people. Daithi has yet to be wrong with that weird sixth sense of his," he said quietly, Daithi tensing at the mention of his magic.
Séan didn't know it was magic thankfully, just thought he was weirdly intuitive. Which, as Mark had explained, was sort of the truth, just enhanced. Mark was going to teach him how to lucid dream soon, and in doing that could have visions of the future. He couldn't wait.
Tyler pressed his knee against Daithi's, having felt him tensing. Daithi put pressure back, his shoulders relaxing as he let his barriers fall a bit to feel Tyler's aura. It always helped him destress, that sense of comfort making him feel as if everything would be fine.
"Thank you Séan," Jon said quietly and Séan nodded awkwardly, keeping his eyes down. "Let's go get plates, I'll stay here until someone returns to hold our table. What do you three want to drink?" Brock asked, Daithi, Tyler and Séan telling him as they stood up with the rest. Brian stayed back with Brock, watching everyone walk away.
They soon returned with loaded plates, Daithi and Tyler being the first to return. Brock and Brian left the two alone and Tyler glanced at Daithi out of the corner of his eye.
"You been doing okay? You don't look as if you've been sleeping," he asked quietly and Daithi shrugged, keeping his eyes on his plate. "I just feel as if I brought around a person who hates you all, and it bothers me. I feel bad," he said quietly and Tyler scoffed.
"You asked him to stay home, he came by himself. And none of us are bothered, we're used to the prejudices. You're one of the very few humans we know who didn't hate us at the first meeting, and now you're one of our best friends. Don't blame yourself, its okay," he reassured him and Daithi shrugged.
Before anything else was said, Séan, Evan and Jon returned and sat down, Chrissy and Scotty walking up a minute later. Marcel and Kris walked back with Brian and Brock, the two vampires holding wine glasses next to their plates.
Daithi knew they could eat normal foods, it just didn't give them any vitamins. He'd seen them drink what they called "crimson wine" before and never asked, though he knew what was in it.
Séan averted his eyes to focus on Brian, tilting his head. "Daithi says you're from Ireland too? What parts?" He asked, his voice awkwardly polite. "Dublin area, moved here when I was 13 with my parents," Brian replied, Séan smirking faintly.
"Yes Séan, he's a Dublin person," Daithi stage whispered teasingly and Brian stuck his tongue out at them. "Says you two, we all know Northerners are the crazy ones," he teased right back and Séan laughed, looking more relaxed than he had since he'd gotten there.
"We are crazy, that's for sure. Like Daithi's crazy for leaving me to cook for myself, who knows what could happen," Séan mock sobbed, Daithi rolling his eyes. "You cook better than I do dumbass," he said amused and Séan shrugged.
"Anything can happen," he said and Daithi shook his head, feeling everyone's amused looks. "You're just lazy and don't like to cook," he pointed out and Séan shrugged again. "I love cooking, I hate the clean up after," he said and Brock laughed.
"I feel that, Brian uses nearly every dish making a simple meal, then leaves me to clean it," he said amused and Brian frowned at him. "I help!" He insisted and Brock deadpanned him.
"You put everything in the sink and call it a day, love, that's not helping," he said and Brian made a face at him. Evan and Jon laughed, Chrissy and Scotty rolling their eyes.
"We don't have that problem," Scotty said cheerfully and Brian frowned at him. "That's because Chrissy magics your dishes to do it themselves, Brock won't do that," he complained and Brock flushed.
"My magic doesn't work like that Brian," he said with an eyeroll and Chrissy grinned. "You can always make it rain, I bet that'll make the dishes get washed," she teased and Brock rolled his eyes.
"Until Brian walks in and gets hit by lightning, and I'm not dealing with an electruted cat again," he said and Brian grimaced. "No thank you, that fucking sucked," he griped and Brock patted his hand sympathetically.
"I told you not to come outside while I watered the plants, that was on you," he said and Brian stuck his tongue out at him. Brock grinned, leaning over to kiss his cheek and making the Irishman flush fondly.
Daithi noticed Séan watching everything with curious eyes, his body more relaxed than before. Daithi internally cheered, hoping that this show of normalcy would prove to Séan that his friends were great people.
Dinner passed with easy banter and conversations, Séan talking to everyone a bit more comfortably as the time passed. Tyler's knee never left Daithi's though, warming the Irishman at the warm pressure.
Daithi's phone rang and he looked down, seeing his mom's number flashing across the screen. "I'll be right back," he told his friends, Tyler looking up curiously. Daithi just gave him a smile and walked out of the restaurant, moving to stand in the parking lot.
"Hi Mam," he said cheerfully and she replied, "Hi David, how's Séan and your friends?"
"Doing good, Séan's getting along with them great. How's Dad?" He asked and she updated him on his dads condition. He wasn't dying, just in chronic pain half the time. He had his good days but mostly had bad days where he often couldn't leave bed.
Daithi sighed, missing his parents and siblings. He had a brother and sister, though he hadn't seen them in a while. They had a sibling group chat they messaged in once in a blue moon, but they hadn't texted since Daithi had come to LA.
A body hit his, tackling him to the ground. He hit the dirt hard, his breath whooshing out as his phone tumbled out of his hand. A loud bang sounded a second later, making Daithi jump.
"Are you okay?" Tyler demanded, getting off him and helping him stand, brushing the dirt off him as he looked around warily. "What the fuck was that for?" He demanded instead of answering and Tyler just shifted, showing a large hole in the wall right where he'd been standing.
Daithi swallowed, his eyes wide. "Th- thats a bullet," he whispered and Tyler nodded, his jaw clenched. Daithi suddenly remembered his phone and rushed over to it, picking it up and grimacing at the cracked screen but holding it to his ear.
"David?? David are you there? Are you okay?" His mom was chanting rapidly and Daithi said hurriedly, "I'm here Mam! I'm here, don't worry. I'm fine. I gotta go though, I need to do something. I'll call you before bed, okay?"
Tyler was still hovering, eyes sharp as he looked around in the darkened roads. Daithi was shaking, eyes constantly drifting to the hole in the wall. Tyler noticed this and moved in between him and the wall, Daithi looking up at him.
"Okay, okay, just be careful and call me before you go to bed. I love you," she said with a sigh and Daithi replied in kind, hanging up a moment later and dropping his phone to the dirt.
Tyler rushed forward and gathered Daithi in a hug, the Irishman freezing but then melting into it. "Holy fuck if you hadn't come when you did I'd- I'd have," he gasped, the shock hitting him fully.
Tyler tightened his hold on him a moment before pulling back, checking him over really quick. "Are you hurt?" He asked and Daithi shook his head. His back and tailbone ached a bit, but it wasn't anything too bad, especially when he thought of what could have happened.
"How- how did you know?" He asked and Tyler's face tightened. "I uh, I sometimes have premonitions of danger, it's one of my abilities," he said vaguely and Daithi just accepted it.
"Thank you, you saved my life," he whispered and Tyler nodded, looking awkward. "You're welcome. Come on, let's get inside before that shooter misses again and hits one of us," he said quietly and Daithi nodded.
He steeled his nerves and reached out, taking Tyler's gloved hand into his own. Tyler didn't pull away, just holding onto him a bit tighter as they headed inside. But once they were in sight of their friends, who seemed to have no idea of what had just happened, Tyler dropped his hand.
Daithi felt a rush of cold, but stubbornly pushed it from his head. Tyler was too closed off, he wasn't touchy feely or affectionate usually. He shouldn't feel offended or hurt, but he couldn't help the flash he did feel.
They sat down and Daithi almost jumped as Tyler's knee pressed against his again. He felt his body relax as the hurt washed away, smiling a bit more at ease.
"Hey, I heard a bang outside, is everything okay?" Brian asked, tilting his head as he looked at Daithi and Tyler. "Everything's fine, I'll tell you about it later," Tyler said calmly, feeling Daithi tense up again at the mention.
Daithi nodded in agreement, wanting to forget the whole thing. Tyler next to him helped a lot, his aura wrapping around him comfortingly. They finished dinner quickly, Marcel eyeing Daithi with a faintly red tint to his brown eyes.
Daithi just looked back, giving him a warning with his eyes. He didn't want Tyler to know about the probable cut on his back from where he'd landed. Marcel nodded once and looked away, whispering to Kris quietly.
They all left, Daithi paying for himself and Séan while everyone else split the bills. Tyler stuck close to Daithi's side, knowing they'd have to walk past where Daithi had almost gotten shot to get to their cars.
Daithi spotted his phone laying in the dirt, suddenly remembering he'd dropped it after he'd hung up with his mom. He rushed forward and picked it up, checking the screen to make sure it wasn't broken.
"Is that a fucking bullet?" Brian demanded, pointing at the hole in the wall. Daithi tensed, Tyler stepping beside him again. "It is, that was the bang. I barely managed to get Daithi out of the way before he got shot, and I'm sure he doesn't want to remember it. Can we go home?" He asked flatly, Séan whipping around to stare wide eyed at Daithi.
Brian's eyes widened, looking over at Brock as he realised something. "Not here, Brian. Let's go home," Tyler said firmly, glaring at the kitsune as Brian clenched his jaw.
Daithi was so confused, looking around at his friends who seemed tense. Séan crept closer to Daithi, eyes wide as he started at the group around him.
"Yeah, okay. Let's go home," Brian said finally, giving Tyler a look as he took Brock's hand and walked away, Marcel and Kris hurrying after them. Jon, Evan, Scotty and Chrissy also walked away, Chrissy giving Daithi a soft smile as they passed.
"Are you riding with us?" Daithi asked Tyler softly and the man hesitated a moment, gazing at him emotionlessly. "Yeah, I'll ride with you. Come on," he said finally and Daithi relaxed, having been worried he'd made Tyler upset or something.
They got into Séan's rental, the man driving them back to the apartment silently. Daithi was in the passenger seat, Tyler sitting behind him. He felt a hand creep along his side closest to the door and reached down to grasp it, needing that comfort.
He was still shaken, and he knew Tyler was the only one he'd probably accept comfort from at this moment. It was probably a hero cling, but right now he didn't care.
They reached the apartment and headed inside, Tyler walking the two to the door of Daithi's apartment. Séan gave him a faint smile before disappearing inside, leaving the two alone.
Daithi looked up at Tyler, still slightly amazed that he had a friend who was actually taller than him. Tyler eyed him, face unreadable even as his cheeks flushed.
Daithi chewed on his tongue a moment before giving in to his temptation. He leaned up and kissed Tyler's cheek, stepping back flushed as he said, "Thank you for today, and everything else. I'll see you tomorrow."
He rushed inside, not wanting to hear the rejection. There was no way Tyler would have accepted that, not from him. He cursed himself mentally, leaning against the door with his hands on his head.
He fucked everything up, but this last month of knowing Tyler had been the best month of his life. He felt someone in front of him and lifted his head, smiling faintly at Séan.
"You okay? After everything?" He asked worriedly and Daithi nodded, sighing. "Yeah, Tyler got me out of the way before I got hurt, it just scared me a bit. But I'm fine," he said and Séan studied him a moment.
"There's something else, isn't there?" He asked shrewdly and Daithi sighed. "I kissed Tyler's cheek," he mumbled and Séan's eyes widened.
"You did what?" He hissed and Daithi groaned. "I kissed Tyler's cheek and now he's going to hate me and fuck I messed everything up," he griped, running his hands through his hair agitated.
"I don't know, I've seen how he looks at you. From what the others have mentioned these last couple days, they're surprised he's so close to you. Just see what happens, yeah?" Séan said awkwardly and Daithi knew it was because Tyler was non human.
"Yeah, okay, I guess," he said and Séan patted his arm. "Come on, it's my last night here, want to make some popcorn and watch a movie?" He asked and Daithi nodded, needing some normalcy.
He'd figure everything out later, for now, he just wanted to hang out with his best friend. He followed Séan into the kitchen, stubbornly pushing the kiss from his mind.
~~~~~~~~~
Tyler stood staring at Daithi'a door, a gloved hand moving to his cheek. "Tyler," he heard behind him and he turned, seeing Brock and Brian standing there.
The kitsune gave him a look and Tyler sighed, following them to their apartment. "He's your assignment?" Brock hissed as soon as the door closed and Tyler crossed his arms.
"He's supposed to be, but I- I can't. Not to him. I've already gotten in trouble from my dad, but, it's Daithi," he said quietly and Brock looked at him sadly.
"If you keep messing with things, your dad will kill you. What's he going to do once he finds out about today? You actively saved Daithi's life," Brian asked and Tyler rubbed his hand over his face.
"I don't know. I don't know. But, I care for him. And I- I think he might feel the same?" He whispered, his fingers going to his cheek again.
"He kissed you?" Brian gasped and Tyler nodded, looking down. He never minded being open with these two, they'd been his longest friends and the first to accept what he was.
"We'll figure this out then. We won't leave him alone, I'll talk to Evan, Jon, Marcel, Kris, Anthony, Smiity and John, we'll make sure he's got someone with him at all times. Fate is just going to keep after him, and we're not letting him die," Brock said firmly, waving a hand and a gust of wind carried a notebook to him.
Tyler nodded, biting his lip. "I- I'll have to keep my distance then. I don't want something to take over," he said quietly, a pain growing in his chest at the idea.
"No, he'll suspect something. Especially after he kissed you. Just act normal, okay?" Brock insisted and Tyler stuck his hands into his pockets. "Yeah, okay. I'm headed to bed, I'll see you two tomorrow," he said and Brian pulled him into a hug.
"It'll be fine man, we care about him too," he promised and Tyler nodded, saying his goodbyes and heading up to his apartment.
He closed the door and just slumped against the door, staring at the darkness of his living room. Daithi had to be safe, and he was going to make sure of it.
Drama lol did that help with the hints of what Tyler is? I hope so lol I hope yall enjoyed this! See you next time <3 kisses!!
~Banana