ripyourthroatoutwithmyteeth:

iamthefirechild:

ripyourthroatoutwithmyteeth:

Derek was  a little startled at the sudden hug and rush of emotion, though he caught her and tentatively patted her back soothingly, still a tad bit stunned at the force of her gratitude but glad he could help and make someone feel so thankful.

Summer stood there, blinking, hands still full of dripping plate. That hadn’t been the plan — there hadn’t /been/ a plan. Some part of her mind, exiled behind walls of forgotten things, had made that list, taking over her hands. It was clearly an organized, disciplined part — but meeting even more people, this soon, had not been part of the plan, such as it was.

After a moment, she finished washing the plates and put them in the dish drainer. When she came back to the table, she tore the top sheet off the pad and wrote on the next page, ‘tell about the girls.’

Derek didn’t miss her pause and look of confusion. He just let her go back to the dishes and then when she sat down and wrote, he chuckled. “Say please,” he teased with a small grin, wanting her to look a little happier.

After giving him a brief look indicating she saw right through his ploy, she clasped her hands together. Once again the most transparently innocent, pleading, sweet expression came over her face. She even batted her eyelashes.

ripyourthroatoutwithmyteeth:

iamthefirechild:

ripyourthroatoutwithmyteeth:

Derek was  a little startled at the sudden hug and rush of emotion, though he caught her and tentatively patted her back soothingly, still a tad bit stunned at the force of her gratitude but glad he could help and make someone feel so thankful.

She poked her head back in, hands full of dripping plate, and made an expression of listening.

Derek turned to grin at her. “You’re going to meet some of the girls tomorrow. They’ll help with all this,” he said, holding the pad up and then going back to it and pulling his phone out.

Summer stood there, blinking, hands still full of dripping plate. That hadn’t been the plan — there hadn’t /been/ a plan. Some part of her mind, exiled behind walls of forgotten things, had made that list, taking over her hands. It was clearly an organized, disciplined part — but meeting even more people, this soon, had not been part of the plan, such as it was.

After a moment, she finished washing the plates and put them in the dish drainer. When she came back to the table, she tore the top sheet off the pad and wrote on the next page, ‘tell about the girls.’

ripyourthroatoutwithmyteeth:

iamthefirechild:

ripyourthroatoutwithmyteeth:

Derek was  a little startled at the sudden hug and rush of emotion, though he caught her and tentatively patted her back soothingly, still a tad bit stunned at the force of her gratitude but glad he could help and make someone feel so thankful.

Summer whipped around, blinking at Derek, then glanced back down to the plate. Sauce still clung to it. Dishwasher. That was the word for what she’d been looking for. But if he lived here alone, maybe he didn’t have one. She took the plate back to the sink and washed it more thoroughly, then set it to dry on the rack.

She came back to the table, slumping in her chair, and poked at the pad again, riffling the sheets. With a faintly irritated air, Isaac finally took the pad away from her, lifting an eyebrow as he looked it over.

“I think she wants to go shopping, Derek.”

Derek just shrugged as Summer turned back to the sink. 

When she came back to the table and poked at the pad some more, Isaac and Derek looked at each other, Derek’s brows raising. 

Isaac finally took the pad and Derek let a small grin pull at his lips at his comment. “Well then, we can do that tomorrow. What all does she need?”

Isaac slid the pad across the table to him, just out of Summer’s reach. She flailed at him, then huffed and folded her arms at them, radiating not-entirely-sincere displeasure. Then, since it was clear she wasn’t going to get to ‘say’ anything, she picked up their plates and marched off to wash them too.

When she turned back, Isaac was leaning over Derek’s shoulder, both of them peering at the list. “We’re going to need Lydia for this. Maybe Kira too.”

ripyourthroatoutwithmyteeth:

iamthefirechild:

ripyourthroatoutwithmyteeth:

Derek was  a little startled at the sudden hug and rush of emotion, though he caught her and tentatively patted her back soothingly, still a tad bit stunned at the force of her gratitude but glad he could help and make someone feel so thankful.

She gave him an enthusiastic series of nods and went back to eating, absently doodling on the pad as she shoveled food into her mouth with the other hand. She wasn’t really thinking about what she was thinking, other than ‘this is the best thing I’ve had in weeks’, and she blinked when her fork met empty plate.

Then she frowned at the doodles on the pad. Which turned out to be a list — of things she didn’t have, and ought to (something unhappy crinkled down her spine at that word). Clothes topped the list, and she squirmed in her seat. A wisp of memory suggested, ‘expensive’. And ‘selfish’.

Abandoning the pad, she carried her plate over to the sink, automatically rinsing it off and glancing around, before she realised she didn’t know what she was looking for. She huffed in frustration. Bits of disconnected memory came and went, usually when she least expected it, and it made her /nuts/.

Derek was smiling as he ate, making small talk with Isaac as Summer doodled or wrote or whatever it was she was scribbling on the pad. 

He noticed her frown but didn’t want to interrupt her. When she got up, Derek looked over at the pad and noticed a list, though he didn’t take in the words, just took note that there was a column of them. When he heard her huff, he looked up again and saw her holding a wet plate. 

He called out lightly. “Towel to dry it is hanging on the handle of the oven. If you want to let it air dry you can set it in the rack on the other side,” he offered, unsure what happened. 

Summer whipped around, blinking at Derek, then glanced back down to the plate. Sauce still clung to it. Dishwasher. That was the word for what she’d been looking for. But if he lived here alone, maybe he didn’t have one. She took the plate back to the sink and washed it more thoroughly, then set it to dry on the rack.

She came back to the table, slumping in her chair, and poked at the pad again, riffling the sheets. With a faintly irritated air, Isaac finally took the pad away from her, lifting an eyebrow as he looked it over.

“I think she wants to go shopping, Derek.”

ripyourthroatoutwithmyteeth:

iamthefirechild:

ripyourthroatoutwithmyteeth:

Derek was  a little startled at the sudden hug and rush of emotion, though he caught her and tentatively patted her back soothingly, still a tad bit stunned at the force of her gratitude but glad he could help and make someone feel so thankful.

She mock-frowned at him, nose wrinkling, and snatched up her plate, holding it close to her nose the whole way to the table. Just the smells alone were heaven. Sitting down, she watched Derek, all but wriggling in her seat, to see when it was okay to eat.

As soon as she saw him take his first bite, she started in, and only some serious willpower kept her from devouring the whole plateful in less than five minutes. Halfway through, something occurred to her, and she struggled for a moment before darting after the pad. Scrawling in her haste to get back to the food, she wrote, ‘can I have a chalkboard?’

Derek began to eat and smiled when Summer began also, Isaac already a bite ahead of them. Isaac and Derek were talking absently about the last pack meeting when she darted from the table. Derek was halfway out of his seat when she came back in. He reseated himself as she got back to her own chair.

He read the pad and smiled, nodding. “Sure, I’m sure we can find you one tomorrow to use. How’s the food?” he asked, taking another bite of his own.

She gave him an enthusiastic series of nods and went back to eating, absently doodling on the pad as she shoveled food into her mouth with the other hand. She wasn’t really thinking about what she was thinking, other than ‘this is the best thing I’ve had in weeks’, and she blinked when her fork met empty plate.

Then she frowned at the doodles on the pad. Which turned out to be a list — of things she didn’t have, and ought to (something unhappy crinkled down her spine at that word). Clothes topped the list, and she squirmed in her seat. A wisp of memory suggested, ‘expensive’. And ‘selfish’.

Abandoning the pad, she carried her plate over to the sink, automatically rinsing it off and glancing around, before she realised she didn’t know what she was looking for. She huffed in frustration. Bits of disconnected memory came and went, usually when she least expected it, and it made her /nuts/.

ripyourthroatoutwithmyteeth:

iamthefirechild:

ripyourthroatoutwithmyteeth:

Derek was  a little startled at the sudden hug and rush of emotion, though he caught her and tentatively patted her back soothingly, still a tad bit stunned at the force of her gratitude but glad he could help and make someone feel so thankful.

She stared after him for a moment, eyes flicking to Derek, pad dangling limply from her hand. That simply? That easily, people took her in? A rush of relief, akin to the one she felt earlier in the day, overtook her, and she blinked hard so as not to cry. Putting the pad down, she couldn’t stop the huge grin from spreading across her face, and didn’t even try. Instead she all but bounded into the kitchen, leaning close to the chicken to sniff in a deep breath. Her mouth watered and her stomach growled again.

Derek raised an eyebrow as she just stared for a minute, but then he smiled a bit as she hopped up and dashed for the food. He was pleased to see a smile on her face. Isaac was a good one to talk to.

When she leaned over the food and sniffed, making her stomach growl, Derek laughed and Isaac chuckled. “Well go on,” Derek said, grabbing his and Isaac’s plate. “Don’t just sniff it, let’s eat.”

She mock-frowned at him, nose wrinkling, and snatched up her plate, holding it close to her nose the whole way to the table. Just the smells alone were heaven. Sitting down, she watched Derek, all but wriggling in her seat, to see when it was okay to eat.

As soon as she saw him take his first bite, she started in, and only some serious willpower kept her from devouring the whole plateful in less than five minutes. Halfway through, something occurred to her, and she struggled for a moment before darting after the pad. Scrawling in her haste to get back to the food, she wrote, ‘can I have a chalkboard?’

ripyourthroatoutwithmyteeth

Summer glanced over at Isaac, drawing encouragement from his gentle smile, and put the little box under the tree. She hoped Derek would like his gift — he deserved something for putting up with her for all this time.

ripyourthroatoutwithmyteeth:

iamthefirechild:

ripyourthroatoutwithmyteeth:

Derek was  a little startled at the sudden hug and rush of emotion, though he caught her and tentatively patted her back soothingly, still a tad bit stunned at the force of her gratitude but glad he could help and make someone feel so thankful.

She clasped her hands between her knees and looked down at them, shrugging. The werewolves’ easy acceptance confused her — they trusted so very easily. After a moment, flicking a glance up at Isaac, she started to write again, telling him all the things she’d told Derek earlier that day: how she couldn’t remember very much before a few weeks ago; how she could sense emotions; how she was alone and hungry and needed help; how someone was after her but she didn’t know why. Derek’s soft noises from the kitchen seemed cosily domestic, and at the end, she wrote, ‘I want to be safe here.’

Isaac read over the whole story — twice — and then passed the pad back to Summer. “Wow. That’s some story.” Derek stepped to the door of the kitchen then and let them know that the food was ready. Isaac stood and gently helped Summer to her feet. “You’ll be safe here. We’ll watch out for you,” he told her and smiled gently before heading toward the kitchen.

She stared after him for a moment, eyes flicking to Derek, pad dangling limply from her hand. That simply? That easily, people took her in? A rush of relief, akin to the one she felt earlier in the day, overtook her, and she blinked hard so as not to cry. Putting the pad down, she couldn’t stop the huge grin from spreading across her face, and didn’t even try. Instead she all but bounded into the kitchen, leaning close to the chicken to sniff in a deep breath. Her mouth watered and her stomach growled again.