Have This

labor of love

heyyy. this is typed weird because i had to use an image to text app because my word subscription expired :P 

CONTENT WARNING:

- mentions of blood

- a character gets drugged without their consent

- mentions of parent mistreating their child (its not a big focus)

- religion plays a big role here but there are no explicit mentions of a god (this takes place in a church and the religion is based off of christianity as well). also this takes place before a weird love ritual is performed so expect a bit of creepy and weirdness

sam is trigender and uses he/she/they pronouns, but is only referred to with she/her here.

Sam smooths out her dress, shuffles her feet nervously and shoots a glance towards the church entrance. He still had fifteen minutes until the party officially started, he was not late, but his absence made something in her stomach twist.

People were slowly filling the nave, a majority immediate and distant family, as Sam knew matt didn't have many friends. If she were him, Sam would choose anywhere but a church for a party. But she was not him, so she would attend the sermon sitting next to him in a pew the whole night if that's what he wanted. Even if it wasn't really a party.

"-he drove right out of the supermarket! My husband was just fast enough to catch him before he
made it to the parking lot," the woman - presumably one of Matthews aunts - laughed at the memory, clutching a boney hand to her chest, fingernails like talons painted a dark red. Her wispy grey hair was tied back in a bun so tight it pulled at her eyebrows, leaving her with a surprised expression. Sam reminds herself to smile and nods her head once. She wasn't really listening, but the woman didn't seem to notice.

"where is that useless boy? He's always late to these things," she huffs, but her voice was fond. Sam shrugs and smiles again. She was wondering the same thing. it wasnt unlike matt to be late, but it worried them nonetheless.

"Oh, there he is! Come here boy," she looks over Sam's shoulder and waves him closer. Sam swings around a bit quicker than intended. She stumbles forward, eyes wide. Matthew, in his white button up shirt he wore no matter the occasion, red tie that looked like it was on a bit tight, slacks and polished dress shoes, he was dressed in proper church attire.

"Matthew!" she cries gleefully. he soon after spots her, face lighting up with a beaming smile. He
starts running first- and then Sam is running too, and they crash into each other, both giggling.

 Its not long before they quiet down, calm washing over Sam like a river. She rests her chin on
his head, settling her hands on his hips.

"You're late," she mumbles with closed eyes.

"Ah-sorry," he says, sounding embarrassed, "I was having trouble with my- my hair."

She sighed, linking her fingers together at the small of his back and pulling him closer.

"It's okay, don't worry. almost thought you weren't going to show up though."

he sighs, nudging his nose into her neck apologetically. His hands go to cup her face, moving to meet her eyes. His eyes, brown like those of a baby cow, reflect the chandelier lights so it looks fireflies are dancing in his eyes. It steals the breath from her lungs, and she realizes how much better she likes his face up close. Until his brow furrows slightly, making his otherwise soft features pinch strangely. A nervous feeling rolls in her stomach. His eyes move over her features, not critically, not with adoration as she'd like them to, but with something else entirely. Like he was inspecting roadkill to see if it was too damaged to turn into taxidermy, or perhaps a dead insect he'd like to preserve and then frame. the change was so sudden she nearly startles. Bile rises in her throat at the thought, but it also sends a peculiar thrill running through
her body.