prompts { 2022 } fictober

[iluvroadrunner6]

Going to do one fic a day in an attempt to buff my word count for this year. Is this dumb when I already have prompts that I'm working through? Maybe but I'm in for the challenge.



PROMPTS:
1. “I chose you.”
2. “Nobody warned you about me?”
3. “That was not my intention.”
4. “How would that even work?”
5. “No, anything but that.”
6. “Adaptable, I like that.”
7. “Check that again, are you sure?”
8. “Do you remember?”
9. “Sounds like a you problem.”
10. “It’s my name on the line.”
11. “Think! For once!”
12. “You’re making my head hurt.”
13. “I don’t want you to do that.”
14. “Yes. No. I don’t know.”
15. “What are you doing?”
16. “You’re looking, but you don’t see.”
17. “Are you serious?”
18. “I don’t think this is your problem.”
19. “Do we have a deal?”
20. “There’s only us.”
21. “I never said that.”
22. “Who said this is a good idea?”
23. “Not on my watch!”
24. “Is this safe?”
25. “You know I’d do anything.”
26. “I’m doing it, shut up.”
27. “That’s not why we’re doing this.”
28. “We all have our reasons.”
29. “You love this, don’t you?”
30. “I know what this looks like.”
31. “I’m not alone and neither are you.”

Request plurk
Completed: 31/31
Word Count: 63,823

Comments

10/22 ~ who said this is a good idea? ~ from dusk til dawn/wynonna earp ~ 2,837

[bulletless]

An incessant banging sounds at Seth’s door. Steady but quickly increasing in tempo as he groans, trying to wrestle himself awake. He tries to ignore it, burrow in closer to the warmth of Wynonna next to him who is also rousing, but eventually the banging becomes too much and he just shouts at the person on the other side.

“What?!”

The door opens, and Seth swears, before reaching to pull up the blankets so that he and Wynonna are properly covered. Kate walks through the door frame, notices their state of undress and her eyes go wide before she stumbles back and closes the door.

“Why would you say come in when you’re still naked?!”

“I didn’t say come in! I said what! What is decidedly not come in, Fuller.”

There’s a grumble on the other side of the door before Kate pushes her discomfort to the side and focuses on the matter at hand. “Nicole found a body on the edge of the Triangle.”

“That’s unfortunate.” Seth rolls his eyes. “I know you might be new to this whole scenario, but not every corpse needs you banging on my door like a bat out of hell.”

“A culebra killed it.”

Seth stills, before kicking over the side of the bed and getting dressed. Wynonna whines in response, rolling into the space he leaves behind.

“Why is the warm going away?”

He ignores her, for now, and is yanking his shirt over his head as he opens the door to look Kate in the eye. “Are you sure?”

“Their fangs are distinctive, not like the vamps that usually hang out here.”

“Did they use their venom?”

“Don’t know, but I told Nicole to chop off the head just in case.”

“Fuck.”

“Do you think—” Kate’s voice trails off before she looks up at Seth. “Do you think it’s Santanico and Richie?”

“I don’t know yet. Could just be some random schmuck who made it this far north. We’re not going to know until we find them. And I will find them.”

If it’s not his brother, then killing them is just good business. There’s not enough people in Purgatory to turn this place into a feeding frenzy. If it is his brother…well, he doesn’t know what he’s going to do. He glances back to Wynonna, who has tuned into the conversation.

“Get dressed. We’re going hunting.”

She grabs her phone and looks at the time. “It is before noon. There better be doughnuts and coffee.”

“Deal,” Seth sighs. “I gotta make a call. See you at the car in twenty.” If they’re hunting culebras, after all, they can’t afford to be burning daylight.

* * * * *

Wynonna slides into the driver’s seat as Seth finishes up on the phone with Freddie, who likely has been tracking his brother’s last knowns. As the call finishes, he leans back with a heavy sigh, running a hand over his face.

“Freddie said he lost track of my brother a few months ago, after Santanico took out one of the big name culebras who kept her imprisoned. Doesn’t know where he is.”

“Do you really think it’s Richie? After all this time?”

“I don’t know.” Seth drums a finger against the steering wheel. “I really thought that he was just going his own way, but maybe he just had to wait until Santanico got what she wanted.”

Wynonna nods, before resting a hand on his arm. “Well, we’ll figure it out. Tell me what I need to know about hunting culebras.”

“Sunlight, decapitation or a stake through the heart are the basics.”

“Which is why we needed to go now, not wait until later. Catch them unawares with a little sunlight and problem solved.”

“Exactly.” He glances over at Wynonna. “If Santanico is here with him, it’s not going to be your average fight. The older they get, the more powerful they are.”

“If it is Richie, maybe it doesn’t have to be a fight.”

“If it is Richie, I don’t know how it can’t be.” Seth grips the steering wheel tightly. As much as Wynonna’s more even keel has been better for the peace of Purgatory, he’s not sure it’s going to be the thing to solve this situation. “But it would have taken a hell of a lot for him to get up here on his own. So let’s just … save that line of thinking until we find out for sure it’s him.”

Wynonna nods, though the look on her face says she’s not sold. “Alright. Let’s go find some snakepires.”

* * * * *

Fortunately for them, there’s a few motels and hotels in Purgatory, which makes it easy to go knocking on some doors, asking if they had any strange visitors. Most of the locals know that when Wynonna’s asking, it’s usually better not to dance around it, and before long they’ve got a candidate that fits their qualifications. Checked in the middle of the night a few nights back, don’t come out for breakfast or anything else during the day, only seem to make his rounds at night. Getting the room number is easy, and Seth, as confidently as he can, strides his way down to the door and kicks it open, sending sunlight blazing into the entrance. Whoever’s inhabiting the room leaps off the bed and ducks for cover in the shade, which also lends credence to Seth’s opinion he’s in the right place.

“Up and at ‘em motherfucker.” Seth brings up his shotgun to bear, aiming toward the huddled mass in the corner while Wynonna comes in to flank him, Peacemaker at the ready. “You picked the wrong town to snack in.”

“Wait. Seth, wait.”

It is a voice Seth knows, but it’s not the one he’s expecting. He lowers his shotgun, just slightly. “Scott?”

Scott Fuller looks up from the ball he’s in, showing his face, enough to confirm that it is in fact him. Seth hesitates, not sure what to do with that information, but he will glance back to Wynonna with a nod.

“Shut the door.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah. But if he makes the wrong move—”

“I got it,” Wynonna nods, closing the door behind her and allowing Scott to relax somewhat, straightening up to his full height. “And this is—”

“Kate’s brother, Scott. Scott Wynonna Earp.” Scott’s eyes widen, and he steps back to plant his back against the wall. Seth snorts in response. “Looks like your reputation proceeds you, Wynonna.”

“I make quite the splash,” she smirks. “Nice to meet you, Scott. Your sister’s a good kid.”

“Thanks, I think? Not like I can take credit for her.”

Seth snorts. “What are you doing here, Scott?”

“Sleeping.” The smart ass attitude remains. “But if you mean what am I doing in Purgatory, I’m here to see Kate. I know she wants nothing to do with me, but I thought, maybe after some time she might have come around.”

Seth doesn’t think Scott is wrong about that. As far as offenses go, not wanting to die isn’t one that ranks high on the Crimes Against Siblings chart. And spending time with Doc before he got changed back into a human did something for her vampire prejudice. But —

“If you thought you could win her over by dropping bodies on the edge of town, that’s not really how you should have gone about it.”

Scott’s eyes widen, and he shakes his head. “Bodies? What bodies? I haven’t dropped any bodies.”

“Be honest with me, Scott.”

“I am. I haven’t killed anyone.”

“Then how have you been feeding?”

He makes a face, showing that he doesn’t enjoy saying it. “I go to that demon bar on the outskirts of town.”

Wynonna raises an eyebrow. “The Glory Hole?”

Scott grimaces, then nods, the little of that pastor’s kid still showing through. “They have willing feeders there. And they walk away alive and unturned. I swear.”

“We know the owner,” Seth points out. “We will follow up to confirm your story.”

“Fine. But when you do, could you put in a good word for me with Kate?”

Seth swallows before nodding. “Yeah. I can try.” He then lowers the shotgun fully, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Do you know of any other culebras in town? Ones that might not have been so judicious with their appetites?”

Scott shakes his head. “Not that I’ve seen—at least, not anyone I’d know on sight.”

“Alright. You got a number Kate can call you on?” Scott nods and scribbles it down on a piece of motel note paper before handing it over to Seth. “Great. Then we’ll be in touch.”

As Seth and Wynonna head out to the car, she rests her hand on his arm. “Hey, you okay?”

“Better than expected, but no. Not really. I have no idea how Kate is going to take this.” Seth pauses, turning to face her. “But I think he’s telling the truth. I don’t think Scott’s responsible for the body Nicole is working on.”

“Alright. Then let’s confirm that with Emon, and we’ll go from there. We got this.”

Seth nods as he watches her climb into the passenger’s seat and shakes his head. It had been so nice when he hadn’t been responsible for all the fuck-ups around town. Would have been even nicer if it had lasted a little longer.

* * * * *

Seth calls Kate from the hood of the car at the Glory Hole while Wynonna pokes around. It’s clear that Kate had not been expecting her brother to be their surprise visit today, but it at least seems safer than Richie and Santanico popping into town. Not long after he hangs up, he gets a text from Wynonna inside the bar.

Mercedes confirmed that Scott was here around time of death. He couldn’t have made it across town and back to drop off the body. Says he left around five AM.

“Well, at least there’s that,” he mutters into the darkness, running a hand over his face. Unfortunately, with Scott off the suspect list, it puts them back at square one. He drums his fingers against the hood, waiting for Wynonna to emerge when bright headlights cut through the darkness of the parking lot. Wheeling around the front, the car pulls to a stop and out steps a silhouetted figure.

Seth knows in his gut that it’s Richie the second he sees it. You don’t stare at the back of someone’s head on job after job for years and not be able to recognize them in the dark. Eventually, he steps into the headlights in a way that allows Seth to see him, a sly smile crossing his face.

“Hello, Seth.”

“Richard.”

There are a lot of things he could say to his brother. He could talk about how, in some kind of weird messed up way, he missed him. He could ask him what he’s doing here. Instead, his hand falls to his hip, and he’s drawing without thinking, raising his gun and shooting his brother square in the forehead.

Richie drops to the ground and another shadow moves from the opposite side of the car, long black hair blowing in the breeze as Santanico’s annoyed face comes into view through the lights.

“You know that shot isn’t actually going to kill him, right?”

“I’m aware,” Seth replies, sliding his gun back into his pocket. “But it makes me feel better. Santantico.”

“Kisa.”

“What?”

“I go by Kisa now.”

“Good for you,” he retorts dismissively as Wynonna comes running out of the bar, Peacemaker drawn and at the ready.

“What the hell, Gecko?”

“Sorry. No one was maimed in a way they won’t recover from.” He turns and gestures to the woman next to him. “Wynonna Earp, I’d like you to meet Kisa, aka Santanico Pandemonium.” He then gestures down. “And this useless lump here would be my brother, Richard.”

“Oooh.” Wynonna nods, but doesn’t lower her gun. She directs her attention to Kisa. “This isn’t going to be a problem, is it?”

Kisa shakes her head. “Squabble between brothers. Not my business.”

“Then why are you here, Kisa? It’s been what? Two fucking years?”

“Almost three.” Makes sense that she would count the days since she slaughtered her way to freedom, but Seth still doesn’t actually care. “And we’re here because Richie wants your help.”

“And you don’t?”

“Honestly, I just wanted to see whether you’d actually kill him.” Kisa tips her head to the side. “Seeing him get shot in the face was kind of satisfying for me, too.”

Seth’s eyebrows go up. “He’s got you that pissed off, and he’s still living?”

Kisa’s eyes burn, irritated, and he knows whatever Richie’s done, he’s really stepped in it now. At least he did it somewhat intelligently. His brother’s body twitches into life, and he passes her the gun. “You want to throw in one for posterity?” A gentle testing of how far this wedge between her and Richie goes.

She grits her teeth in response. “I can’t.”

“Huh.” Richie pushes up into a sitting position and Seth shoots him again. “Yeah, that definitely has me feeling better. And seems like we could use a drink. Care to join us?”

“I would love to.” Kisa steps over Richie and heads to the car. As she passes Wynonna, she glances down at Peacemaker. “Is it true what they say about that gun? That it can kill anything?”

“Haven’t met something yet that can’t.”

“Good. We might need it.”

Seth and Wynonna share a glance and Wynonna let out a low whistle. “Wow. She’s definitely—”

“Yeah. She’s something.”

“You sure this is a good idea?”

Seth glances back at her before shaking his head. “Who said this is a good idea?” But right now, it’s the only one he’s got that keeps all of them alive.

* * * * *

“So let me get this straight,” Seth says, as he pours them another round of tequila from behind the bar. “You take out Malvado. Richie stabs you in the back to take over the empire, and now you can’t kill him?”

“Apparently, he figured out that I wouldn’t be too happy about that. Found a bruja that would offer him protection against the culebra that sired him.” She squeezes some of a blood bag into the tequila and knocks back the shot.

“That is … so gross,” Wynonna frowns before taking her own shot. “So is he like … forcing you to do his bidding or something?”

“No,” she admits. “I went my own way for a while, but … we have a problem that’s bigger than my and Richard’s unfinished business. Which is why we’re here, looking for your help, Seth.”

“Why my help?”

“Have you ever known Richard to do anything without your approval?”

“I would have told him not to bite the hand that fed him.”

“Hence why it’s become clear that Richard makes poor decisions when left to his own devices.” Kisa leans forward. “Whatever’s coming, it’s bigger than all of us. This could be the end of the world, Seth.”

Seth glances to Wynonna, who has poured a fresh round of shots. “What are we talking?” she asks. “The big daddy culebra? Monsters? Demons?”

“A little of all the above.”

The doors of Shorty’s burst open in a rush of speed, letting in a peek of the slowly rising sun, and as the door slams, Richie was on the other side of it, parts of his suit smoking from the sun.

“Nice of you to join us, Richie.”

“You know, you really didn’t have to do it again. You made your point the first time.”

“Yeah, but the second was just fun.” He pours another shot and places it in front of the nearest stool. “Sit. Your partner-in-necessity was just telling us what you’re up against.”

Richie nods, taking the shot with a wince before looking up at his brother. “Are you in?”

“I haven’t decided yet.”

“Seth—”

“No, you don’t get to Seth me. It’s one thing with you stabbing me in the back. You turned on her, which means you’re making colossally stupid moves. I don’t know if I want that kind of stupidity on my team.”

Richie looks annoyed, but what else is new. “It doesn’t matter about teams or crews, Seth. This is about the end of the world. Either you’re in or you’re dead. What’s it going to be?”

Seth glances to Wynonna, and she shrugs in return. “Love a good end of the world party. Especially when I get to crash it.”

“Fine. For now, we’re in. So what exactly are we dealing with?”

Richie seems to wave an eyebrow at Wynonna, as though to ask why she has any kind of say in this, but he accepts his brother’s answer and sighs.

“They’re called Xibalbans. And we think they’re coming for the Ghost River Triangle.”