arescere ✿ xavier thorpe

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37 - inky drawn fears

the air around them seemed to chill, which it shouldn't because of the burning heat radiating from the two. xavier pulls from peter, peter who sat on the desk with the painter between his legs. their lips once furiously meshed together. a shadow appeared in the doorway. before the knob turned. xavier’s hand gripped to peter's knee. only for wednesday to appear behind it. peter lets out a sigh of relief. his head dropping into xavier's shoulder.

"you two having fun?" she questions almost lightly looking between the bruised lipped boy. following the markings down xavier’s neck.

"i need your help." she speaks to xavier, who lets go of peter and pushed himself away from the table peter sat on. a smile lifts to his features, and for a moment it seems like he had completely forget that peter was even there anymore. his attention directed back to wednesday addams.

"don't gloat."

"what, do you want some drawing lessons." he laughs, picking put his pot of red paint once more.  only for her to hand him a paper once folded. one peter couldn't see from the angle he sat on the desk.

"your line works a little shaky."

"maybe that's her style you prick." peter comments from his table as he picked up his art once more. it needed something. like something was missing but he couldn't quite place his finger on it.

"i saw that in a vison. do you recognize it?" she questions him, he nods softly. darting back over to peter. ripping the piece from his fingers. who shouts and complains with no avail as xavier holds the piece up. side by side with the drawing wednesday made. the gates identical. but he had focused more on the house. he hummed as her face twisted.

"strange right? i've got one too." he comments pointing over to the wall where he holds his drawings. and peter jumps off the tale. wondering what the two are blabbering about. and he see it. three copies of a gate from different angles. but the same gate.

"when did you draw this?" she asks the two boys. peter checks his watch, face growing surprised.

"around an hour ago." xavier’s face changes too, they had been making out for an hour and didn't get further then hands under shirts. well minus when peter was playing with the hem of xavier’s trousers.

"a couple days ago, i started having those dreams again. like before."

"was the monster in them?"

"no but i could feel it in the shadows." and peter's whole body holts at the words. in the shadows. in the shadows. in the shadows. it repeated in his head. over and over again as he darted to the drawings on the way. his face growing pale and his skin growing cold. he could feel it in the shadows. it was the monster. lurking around him. waiting to strike. but why would it be following him?

"you know where this is?" he hears wednesday ask xavier, but everything around him seems unreal. trance like. like he's floating out of his own mind. all the possibilities weighing into his brain. why was it following him? what did it want? what did it mean? what will it do? why does it want him? what connection did they have? he knew he was no hyde. because he had been attacked by the hyde. so why was the creature lurking in his shadows.

"it's the old gates manions. i pass it when i go running. why?" thing snaps it's fingers. drawing the attention of peter back as well as alerting the others to. he points to a tarp covering a piece before tugging. revealing the art underneath. wednesday rushes over. followed by peter. and then a concerned xavier. there once covered by the tarp was another painting of peter belfiore. this one was unlike the rest. he stood facing forward. a shadow lurking around him. he seemed to be fading, like he was being replaced by the thing in the darkness. xavier lifts his hand, animating his work. his eyes, red. spilled over his eyes and onto his cheeks. his fingers stretched like claws. his limbs started to crook and crack. he looked monstrous. he was hyde.

"listen." xavier starts. but peter legs it. grabbing his bag off the floor and running from the art studio. he wasn't mad. nor was he pissed off at xavier for the piece. it gave him a sense of resemblance he needed to click everything into place. why the hyde lurked in his shadows specifically. descendant of hyde. somewhere in his family line. the belfiore blood had been tainted by hyde blood. and now it was coming for him. peter never made it far, falling to his knees. clutching at his stomach as he tried not to either throw up or start sobbing. wednesday wasn't far behind him. she stood there for a moment. thinking almost. debating whether to go over to him. she didn't care, or that's at least what she wanted people to believe. she actually cared so deeply for the boy whose knees were buried into the ground. gagging on air. she was worried. what if it was the monster? what if that's why he's been on edge a lot more recently?

"peter?" wednesday finally called, the boy looking over his shoulder. his face was flamed red. his eyes burning. lips still bruised. he looked awful. he looked sick.

"want to go on a adventure?" she questioned softly, her face slipping upwards into a creepyish grin. he nods, softly. lifting from the ground with a grunt. dirt staining his brown trousers. his white shirt still ruffled and unbuttoned at the top. so he followed her. walking side by side silently. he had an idea of where she was leading him. she would be going to check out the gates house. she was inquisitive like that. something he actually liked about her. she didn't just let things happen. she always knew there was something behind everything. because if there's one thing peter belfiore knew about wednesday. it was that he could never hide anything from her. so it's only a matter of time till she realises what the lurking shadow around him belongs to.