Elementary, Elias.

~ 1 ~

There was something ironic about a bogeyman cooking parsley potatoes for dinner but they were Selina Sardi's favorite and that was the only reason Elias Zwarteveen needed.

The meatballs in tomato sauce, he had prepared with her seven-year-old son in mind. There was no greater joy than watching Lowie stuff his face like there was no tomorrow.

As for himself, Elias wasn't able to digest anything but fear since the previous bogeyman of this house miraculously—and catastrophically—had turned him into this monster.

He clumsily took the pot in his furry palms, his long sharp talons curling inconveniently into his wrists. It had taken him some practice but he had learned to drain potatoes without burning himself and as far as chopping parsley went, he was faster than Edward bogging Scissorhands.

When the kitchen floor got dirty, which happened a lot at first—so many breakfast eggs had been sacrificed before he mastered flicking and breaking them—not needing the use of his feet to stand on was another perk, but the more he practiced the better he got at not dropping ingredients to the floor, and now he mainly loathed the smoky black swirls that made his body float, for the simple reason that they made it impossible for him to pass for anything other than a monster.

The swirls consisted of every fear he had ever eaten, strings and strings of nightmares that were so vital to his survival but disgusting nonetheless. The accumulation of minuscule snakes, tarantulas, and ghouls covered the entire lower half of his body—there were clowns for bog's sake—and in all of his bogeyman existence, he hadn't discovered a way to shed this unwanted cloak. It was a part of him. Both inside and out, he carried—and was in turn carried by—the stuff of nightmares.

His appearance made it unthinkable to walk among humans, to do simple things like take Lowie to school, do groceries, meet Selina's friends.

He imagined himself casually saying to one of her friends, "Oh those, I had them for lunch yesterday." He would rake his claw over his bald head next and shrug while a flight of bats escaped from under his raised arm. No, no, big nope. As long as he looked like this, he could never be the partner she truly deserved.

The main problem was that the former bogeyman had left Elias to fend for himself without any explanations whatsoever, alone with this altered body and a constant hunger, cursed to confront every inhabitant of the attic room with their worst fears so he could feed and stay alive. He wasn't even sure whether that bogeyman was still alive and in what form? Was it possible to reverse the transformation?

There was no one to ask.

It had been twenty-four miserable and lonely years but since Selina, life had become better, considerably better.

Together, they had discovered gentler ways for him to feed so he could eat more often with less guilt. As a result, he was stronger and more energetic than he'd ever been during his entire bogeyman career. Strong enough to hatch plans to track down other bogeymen. There had to be more of his kind and perhaps they weren't all as clueless as he was.

He tossed some salad with green beans around a third bowl and admired the table he'd set. Not bad for a bogeyman.

"First, wash your hands!" He heard Selina's tired voice, followed by the slam of the door and Lowie's feet clattering through the hall.

"Elias!" The gold-haired thunderbolt burst into the kitchen, ditched his backpack in a corner and lunged for him. His nightmares parted instinctively, he opened his arms and next thing he knew, Lowie clung to his chest, lanky arms and legs wrapped around him and his hot cheek pressed into the crook of his neck.

Elias exhaled. Best feeling in the world.

Correction: second best.

Selina appeared in the doorway, raising her pretty eyebrows in a perfect scold, her hazel eyes a myriad of feeling. She bit her lip, leaning into the frame, watching. An electrifying thrill coursed through his grotesque body and breathed something vulnerable and undeniably human into his monster heart like it always did when their eyes met.

"How was your day?" he asked, floating closer with Lowie still in his arms.

"I've taken on an extra shift tonight." The fatigue was audible in her voice that sounded as if she was on the brink of tears. Her mouth opened again but she hesitated, holding something back. Why? He looped a stray strand of her thick hair around her ears and then caressed her cheek with the furry knuckle of his paw.

"What is it, hazel eyes? Tell me!"

She took a deep breath and then spit it out, her eyes squinted to slits as she gauged his reaction. "I was hoping you wanted to stay with Lowie. I'm sorry. It was so unexpected. Two of my colleagues called in sick and I can use the extra money, but if you don't want to, that's totally fine, I can ring my dad ..." she stammered and fumbled and he wished she didn't. He wished she knew, but apparently he still had to tell her.

"Hey! It's okay, I'd love to."

In all fairness, he had hoped to spend the evening and night with her.

In all fairness, he hated to see her so tired.

He wished she would take some rest, but she didn't need him to tell her what to do. She needed him to take care of Lowie and so he would. There were worse ways to spend an evening. "Sit down, eat, and go take a nap! Lowie and I will be fine."

"And you mister," he peeled the boy's limbs from his body, "I really think you should listen to your mom and wash those hands, and better do it fast or she'll eat all the meatballs and there will be none for you."

As Lowie pattered to the bathroom, Selina sagged into him, "I just might, you know. I'm so hungry. Thank you for cooking."

He smiled, guiding her to the table and kissing the top of her head as he lowered her to her seat. "Dig in!"