[Barry doesn't usually go to the bar this often. Certainly not several days in a row. It was supposed to just be one beer after a long day in the lab, something to take the edge off before returning to his empty bed in his empty apartment. But it somehow turned into him returning to the bar every night after work, utterly transfixed, all so he can keep watching the woman sitting at the bar. No matter how hard he tries, he just can't get her out of his head. At work, at home, in bed, whenever he closes his eyes, there she is.
There's something about the unseen, the unknown, that is completely irresistible to Barry - as a physicist that's kind of par for the course, but this is something entirely new to him. Even though she's been there every night this week, he's never seen her face. Not once. Not only because her hood is always pulled up, but because whenever he tries to study her, whenever he looks at her for just a little too long, he starts feeling... strange. Waves of goosebumps, chills up and down his spine. He doesn't understand why.
Maybe he's just lonely. After this many years alone, anyone would be. He's never been like this though, where just the thought of a person gives him chills, no matter how lonely he is. But there's no other logical explanation for it.
He's also heard the strange rumors from the other patrons, watched a few charming and not-so-charming men approach her, only to watch them give up and leave when they were met with silence. Maybe she just wants to be left alone. And well, those rumors certainly can't be true. They can't.
Barry is in his usual spot tonight, gaze going between the woman and his beer, when all of a sudden her head is turned towards him. The man stiffens in his seat, watching her intently. He can see her eyes now, just barely, staring at him. Something about the way she's looking at him is making him tremble, cold sweat prickling at his forehead, his neck, hair standing on end. Then she beckons him closer. Barry swallows. Why is he so nervous? She's just a mysterious woman who likes her privacy... Nothing to be scared of... right? It takes him a beat or three, but he finally picks up his drink and walks over to her, his heart racing.]
You, uh... [How does one conversation again?] You lookin' for some company?
[Barry nervously approaches with his drink in hand, no doubt feeling the eyes of the other bar patrons following along with his every step, before he's finally in front of her. The atmosphere within the tavern suddenly goes tense and and heavy, even the old jukebox in the corner falling silent when the woman tips her head up and smiles from beneath her hood at this single man chosen over all of the rest.]
What can I say? [Her tone holds a surprising amount of strength behind it, but it remains soft enough that no one else but Barry would be able to hear her words.] I was starting to feel a little lonely.
[She finally reaches up to push her red hood back, giving the man his first real glimpse of the woman who's been haunting his every waking thought. Her fingers slip through thick hair, shaking out the loose waves that had been tucked up inside of her hood, her hands just lightly skimming over the tops of her pointed ears. Light freckles are splattered like constellations across her dark skin, her mouth pulled to the right in a curling, playful grin. Overall, the stranger is beautiful, sharp-featured and taller than most men in the room, but not nearly half as intimidating as the heavy cloak she wore would made one think.
But if Barry stared into her eyes long enough, they'd feel off, like he was looking straight into swirling inky pools instead of the unusual, but pretty golden eyes watching him right now.]
Care to buy a gal a drink?
[The rest of the tavern patrons seem absorbed in their own conversations again, the jukebox piping out a slow, static-filled song in the corner, the bartender right back to cleaning glasses. It's just the two of them.]
[Barry doesn't read much poetry. He doesn't like the floral language, doesn't put any stock into the wildly inaccurate descriptions of the world, written in such a way to manipulate him emotionally. He may be a romantic, but he's still a scientist. The world doesn't stop moving because his eyes land on someone beautiful. The globe doesn't stop spinning on its axis, the universe doesn't hold its breath in anticipation. It's absurd.
But... for some reason, when the woman speaks, when her hood falls back to reveal her face, the noise around them fades, the silence deafening. Artificial. Imagined. It has to be. He can barely hear his own breathing over the silence in a manner almost... poetic. It doesn't make any sense, but very few things about Barry's week has.
She's even more beautiful than he'd imagined. Almost too beautiful to be real. Her eyes... something about her eyes is so captivating, he feels like he's being pulled into them... like if he gazed into them long enough, he'd lose himself forever...]
Y-Yes. Yes, of course. [Barry returns to his senses, finding the world still spinning and the universe having caught its breath. How absurd. He slips into the seat next to the beautiful stranger, mind reeling as he motions for the bartender to prepare another drink for the lady. Maybe there is something to the odd musings of poets after all. Barry has no other explanation for what he just experienced.]
So, uh... [He takes a slow, calming sip of his beer.] You... Have y'been in town long?
Just a few days. [Now that he's sitting with her, attempting some casual conversation, the woman turns on her stool to face him, smiling at the question. She props up an elbow and leans casually against the countertop while the bartender slides another beer her way, but her attention is focused solely on Barry.]
Business slowed down enough that I could take a few weeks off. Thought I may as well get out of town, try to get lost in someplace new. Meet the people, see the sights. Try the cuisine. That kinda thing. Feels like ages since I've been out this way. [She finally curls a hand around her beer, tapping a dark fingernail against the glass.] Doesn't seem like the city's changed much.
[Her eyes finally flick away from Barry to briefly drag across the other bar patrons. When she reaches Barry's gaze again, she huffs out a laugh and rolls her eyes.] People haven't changed much either.
[She's so... cool. Every syllable she speaks exudes power and confidence, every way she moves her body seems calculated, deliberate, calm and smooth and confident. Her eyes, her beautiful chilling eyes, they're fixed on him, almost boring into his soul. How do they do that? Everything about her is arresting, captivating, gorgeous in a way that almost freaks him out. It's just a little... off. Unnatural.]
Oh yeah? These uh, these guys around here buggin' ya?
[That's another thing: why did she choose him? There are plenty of men and women here who aren't gross or disrespectful, who are more confident and more interesting than him, who look better. This mystery woman might not be looking for a hookup at all, but even if she's just looking for conversation, why single out a fat, balding, boring middle-aged man?]
Uh, no, I-- I've been livin' here a couple years now. Got a job at th'university after teachin' out in th'suburbs for a while. Thirteen years. Don't usually come here though, to be honest, uh... [Barry's gaze finds the patrons the woman indicated earlier. He grins sheepishly, offering a little shrug.] This isn't really my scene at all.
[For all that Barry feels so utterly captivated by the woman's presence, frozen in place beneath the intensity of her gaze, the stranger's own eyes seem to have trouble falling away from him too, her interest obvious and surprisingly sincere. Whatever Barry can't quite see in himself in comparison to the other men in this tavern, she seems to have taken notice.]
Not anymore. [The corner of her mouth quirks upwards, as if she's holding back a laugh from some private joke, but she continues on quickly enough.] I'm guessin' they won't bother me as long as you're here. A woman alone just invites the attention.
[A hand slips across the bar to rest against his arm, her brows arching in interest.] Thirteen years? [She lets loose a low whistle.] That's a hella long time. You must really enjoy it. What d'ya teach? Anythin' fun? No, no, let me guess. Somethin' in the, hm, sciences? Yeah, you've got distinguished scientist written all over you. Very cute.
[The woman catches Barry's gaze the second it lands back on her, her stare just a little too intense, a touch of playfulness there in her eyes.] Oh? Then why have I seen you here every night this week, Barry?
... Yeah. Yeah, I taught high school science, uh... chemistry and physics.
[How did she know that? She couldn't have. She must've just guessed... that must be it. Barry probably looks more like a former high school science teacher than he'd honestly like to admit. At least she thinks it's cute, for whatever reason. Hearing her say that makes him blush a little. Not to mention the hand boldly settling on his arm, making goosebumps chase up his arms and down his back, all over him.
Barry doesn't get it. There's just... something about her. Something he has no words for, something he doesn't experience with other men or women he takes an interest in, who flirt back, who join him home. Something alluring, something unnerving...
It almost feels like time around them stops once again. Like a blanket of silence drapes over their surroundings, muffling everything except the sound of his racing pulse, his barely controlled breathing. How did she know that..? Barry may be bad at a lot of things, such as small talk, appearing confident, approaching women, but one thing he's always excelled at is memory. He can retain and recall information very well, almost obsessively at times. And he knows for damned sure he never got as far as introducing himself.
He never gave her a name.
Barry watches the woman carefully, very conscious of his movements. All of a sudden, he's a little frightened.]
[Before Barry can react, the woman is so much closer to him than she'd been the second before, a warm palm curling delicately under his chin. Just as the blanket of silence descends upon the other tavern patrons, time seems to skip with how fast she's suddenly there, her grinning mouth just an inch or so away from the man's own. It feels like they're out of sync with the rest of the world completely in this moment, trapped in their own little bubble, deaf to everything else. Just the two of them.
She tips his chin up just slightly, to where she can capture Barry's gaze in her own.]
Didn't I hear someone call you that earlier in the week? [Unlikely. But it seems like an easy enough angle to spin. Maybe he'd just forgotten.] Cute name for a cute man. What can I say? It stuck with me.
[Her fingertips, cold and smooth, dance upwards across his cheeks, caressing over flushed skin.]
You stuck with me. I've known hundreds of men, but none of 'em are half as special as you.
[Everything happens so fast, Barry doesn't react before a full second has passed, maybe more. It's little more than a jolt, a sharp gasp, an attempt to jerk away from her touch--
-- but her eyes. They're right there, locked with his own, widening and staring from behind his glasses. He can't look away. His mind, his body, ever instinct is screaming for him to look away, to tear his gaze from her devouring one, but he can't. She has him frozen in place, staring into the ever-deepening pool of her eyes pulling him in, breath coming in short bursts from his parted lips, her breathing mingling with his.]
You... Wh-What... [He feels dizzy. Heavy. Her words and teasing fingers make him shudder - not with delight or desire anymore, but something more like dawning horror.]
What's... so special about m-me? [What are you going to do to me?]
[The woman grins at his question, revealing teeth that look just a touch too elongated, far too sharp for her to be entirely human.
The palm curled beneath his chin falls, delicate fingertips tracing downwards from the man's jaw, down his throat, pressing into the point of his neck where his pulse is beating rapidly beneath her touch. Her gaze never once leaves his, eyes unblinking, dark enough to drown in.]
You're too good to be trapped in this little town, Barry. Wasting all of your talent on folks who can't see how great you are.
[She tips forward as if to kiss him, but stops right before their lips meet, her warm breath falling against his mouth while she whispers only for him.] They could never appreciate you like I do.
[There's no way she's human. He doesn't know what she is, but she can't be human.
Barry has no idea what he's gotten himself into, what kind of nightmare he's gotten entangled in, how this even happened. Has she planned this? Did she manipulate him from the beginning? Plant the seed of intrigue only to lure him in and ensnare him? How else would she know his name, what he does, why would she choose him, is she even a she, even a person, what is she going to do to him--]
I... I-I don't... [He's almost struggling a little to breathe. The woman gets so close to him, sharing his breath, nearly stealing it away. Is this how he dies? Why can't he move? He only trembles under her touch, lost in her bottomless gaze.]
What do you mean? How... How d-do you appreciate me..? [A cold chill runs through him.] I don't understand. P-Please...
[For a moment, the stranger pulls back like the spell around them's suddenly broken, her dark eyes rolling up as a huff of warm breath falls from her perfect mouth. Through this whole conversation she's looked nothing but poised, every movement deliberate and controlled, the smile against her mouth curled just so to properly ensnare her victim.
But now? She just looks annoyed.]
Gods, you don't ever stop asking questions, do you? Any other dude would be friggin' putty in my hands by now, but here you are, thinkin' way too hard about every little damn thing. Can you shut that big brain of yours up for like, five freakin' minutes? C'mon, do me a solid here.
[She just wants to eat you???? This that so much to ask?]
[The woman pulls back, and Barry stares wide-eyed and bewildered as the sultry, dangerous woman who seemed to be stealing his soul away with her eyes moments before starts chastising him. Not even, she's sassing him.
She doesn't even sound like the same person anymore.
Of all things, even as scared as he'd been, genuinely terrified by how eerie and uncanny the woman before him had been, Barry goes bright red with shame.]
I don't... I didn't mean... [Why?? is he trying to apologize??? He stammers, insecure and embarrassed, squirming a little in his seat with her hand still over his racing pulse. Has he completely misinterpreted the situation? Maybe this is just some weird new way of flirting he hasn't heard of before? Did he accidentally get high somehow?]
I-It would help if I knew wh-where this was goin'..? [He swallows, nervous.] I don't really... I-- I mean, I'm not great at readin' between th'lines and all... Y'were bein' kinda obtuse.
[You're being obtuse! Let the hot monster woman just eat you and be grateful for it!
The woman's mouth twists in mild irritation at how even now he's still asking what she means, even when, to her, it all seems too obvious. But after she sucks in a breath and counts to three, some of that calm falls back into her posture, confidence returning while she slips closer, tipping her head in the direction of the door.]
Then let me make it simple for you. [Both of her palms fall onto his cheeks, trapping Barry gently between her hands, the woman's voice lowering to a barely-there whisper. The spell that falls around them isn't quite as potent as before, but there's no looking away from her dark eyes, which aim to draw the man in and never let him go.]
[He's assuming she doesn't mean his apartment. Or her place. Wherever - or whatever - home is, Barry has the distinct feeling home isn't what he thinks it is.
She looks impatient. Annoyed. Terrifying. Her eyes are bottomless pits pulling him in, tugging at his gut and his heart and pulling them right into her gaze, trapping him. She looks like she doesn't want to answer any more questions.
Kinda puts Barry in an awkward situation.]
O-Okay. [Fear and desperation and something else compels Barry to agree, to nod carefully with his head between her hands. He holds his hands up as subtly as he can. Anything to signal his compliance.] Okay, I-- I'll try an' take y'home... H-How do I do that? I'll help ya, I-I just need t'know how...
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ii, gorgeous spooky monster wife pls ;; <3
There's something about the unseen, the unknown, that is completely irresistible to Barry - as a physicist that's kind of par for the course, but this is something entirely new to him. Even though she's been there every night this week, he's never seen her face. Not once. Not only because her hood is always pulled up, but because whenever he tries to study her, whenever he looks at her for just a little too long, he starts feeling... strange. Waves of goosebumps, chills up and down his spine. He doesn't understand why.
Maybe he's just lonely. After this many years alone, anyone would be. He's never been like this though, where just the thought of a person gives him chills, no matter how lonely he is. But there's no other logical explanation for it.
He's also heard the strange rumors from the other patrons, watched a few charming and not-so-charming men approach her, only to watch them give up and leave when they were met with silence. Maybe she just wants to be left alone. And well, those rumors certainly can't be true. They can't.
Barry is in his usual spot tonight, gaze going between the woman and his beer, when all of a sudden her head is turned towards him. The man stiffens in his seat, watching her intently. He can see her eyes now, just barely, staring at him. Something about the way she's looking at him is making him tremble, cold sweat prickling at his forehead, his neck, hair standing on end. Then she beckons him closer. Barry swallows. Why is he so nervous? She's just a mysterious woman who likes her privacy... Nothing to be scared of... right? It takes him a beat or three, but he finally picks up his drink and walks over to her, his heart racing.]
You, uh... [How does one conversation again?] You lookin' for some company?
no subject
What can I say? [Her tone holds a surprising amount of strength behind it, but it remains soft enough that no one else but Barry would be able to hear her words.] I was starting to feel a little lonely.
[She finally reaches up to push her red hood back, giving the man his first real glimpse of the woman who's been haunting his every waking thought. Her fingers slip through thick hair, shaking out the loose waves that had been tucked up inside of her hood, her hands just lightly skimming over the tops of her pointed ears. Light freckles are splattered like constellations across her dark skin, her mouth pulled to the right in a curling, playful grin. Overall, the stranger is beautiful, sharp-featured and taller than most men in the room, but not nearly half as intimidating as the heavy cloak she wore would made one think.
But if Barry stared into her eyes long enough, they'd feel off, like he was looking straight into swirling inky pools instead of the unusual, but pretty golden eyes watching him right now.]
Care to buy a gal a drink?
[The rest of the tavern patrons seem absorbed in their own conversations again, the jukebox piping out a slow, static-filled song in the corner, the bartender right back to cleaning glasses. It's just the two of them.]
no subject
But... for some reason, when the woman speaks, when her hood falls back to reveal her face, the noise around them fades, the silence deafening. Artificial. Imagined. It has to be. He can barely hear his own breathing over the silence in a manner almost... poetic. It doesn't make any sense, but very few things about Barry's week has.
She's even more beautiful than he'd imagined. Almost too beautiful to be real. Her eyes... something about her eyes is so captivating, he feels like he's being pulled into them... like if he gazed into them long enough, he'd lose himself forever...]
Y-Yes. Yes, of course. [Barry returns to his senses, finding the world still spinning and the universe having caught its breath. How absurd. He slips into the seat next to the beautiful stranger, mind reeling as he motions for the bartender to prepare another drink for the lady. Maybe there is something to the odd musings of poets after all. Barry has no other explanation for what he just experienced.]
So, uh... [He takes a slow, calming sip of his beer.] You... Have y'been in town long?
no subject
Business slowed down enough that I could take a few weeks off. Thought I may as well get out of town, try to get lost in someplace new. Meet the people, see the sights. Try the cuisine. That kinda thing. Feels like ages since I've been out this way. [She finally curls a hand around her beer, tapping a dark fingernail against the glass.] Doesn't seem like the city's changed much.
[Her eyes finally flick away from Barry to briefly drag across the other bar patrons. When she reaches Barry's gaze again, she huffs out a laugh and rolls her eyes.] People haven't changed much either.
But your face is new to me. Been in town long?
no subject
Oh yeah? These uh, these guys around here buggin' ya?
[That's another thing: why did she choose him? There are plenty of men and women here who aren't gross or disrespectful, who are more confident and more interesting than him, who look better. This mystery woman might not be looking for a hookup at all, but even if she's just looking for conversation, why single out a fat, balding, boring middle-aged man?]
Uh, no, I-- I've been livin' here a couple years now. Got a job at th'university after teachin' out in th'suburbs for a while. Thirteen years. Don't usually come here though, to be honest, uh... [Barry's gaze finds the patrons the woman indicated earlier. He grins sheepishly, offering a little shrug.] This isn't really my scene at all.
no subject
Not anymore. [The corner of her mouth quirks upwards, as if she's holding back a laugh from some private joke, but she continues on quickly enough.] I'm guessin' they won't bother me as long as you're here. A woman alone just invites the attention.
[A hand slips across the bar to rest against his arm, her brows arching in interest.] Thirteen years? [She lets loose a low whistle.] That's a hella long time. You must really enjoy it. What d'ya teach? Anythin' fun? No, no, let me guess. Somethin' in the, hm, sciences? Yeah, you've got distinguished scientist written all over you. Very cute.
[The woman catches Barry's gaze the second it lands back on her, her stare just a little too intense, a touch of playfulness there in her eyes.] Oh? Then why have I seen you here every night this week, Barry?
[Had he even mentioned his name?]
no subject
[How did she know that? She couldn't have. She must've just guessed... that must be it. Barry probably looks more like a former high school science teacher than he'd honestly like to admit. At least she thinks it's cute, for whatever reason. Hearing her say that makes him blush a little. Not to mention the hand boldly settling on his arm, making goosebumps chase up his arms and down his back, all over him.
Barry doesn't get it. There's just... something about her. Something he has no words for, something he doesn't experience with other men or women he takes an interest in, who flirt back, who join him home. Something alluring, something unnerving...
It almost feels like time around them stops once again. Like a blanket of silence drapes over their surroundings, muffling everything except the sound of his racing pulse, his barely controlled breathing. How did she know that..? Barry may be bad at a lot of things, such as small talk, appearing confident, approaching women, but one thing he's always excelled at is memory. He can retain and recall information very well, almost obsessively at times. And he knows for damned sure he never got as far as introducing himself.
He never gave her a name.
Barry watches the woman carefully, very conscious of his movements. All of a sudden, he's a little frightened.]
How did you know my name..?
no subject
She tips his chin up just slightly, to where she can capture Barry's gaze in her own.]
Didn't I hear someone call you that earlier in the week? [Unlikely. But it seems like an easy enough angle to spin. Maybe he'd just forgotten.] Cute name for a cute man. What can I say? It stuck with me.
[Her fingertips, cold and smooth, dance upwards across his cheeks, caressing over flushed skin.]
You stuck with me. I've known hundreds of men, but none of 'em are half as special as you.
no subject
-- but her eyes. They're right there, locked with his own, widening and staring from behind his glasses. He can't look away. His mind, his body, ever instinct is screaming for him to look away, to tear his gaze from her devouring one, but he can't. She has him frozen in place, staring into the ever-deepening pool of her eyes pulling him in, breath coming in short bursts from his parted lips, her breathing mingling with his.]
You... Wh-What... [He feels dizzy. Heavy. Her words and teasing fingers make him shudder - not with delight or desire anymore, but something more like dawning horror.]
What's... so special about m-me? [What are you going to do to me?]
no subject
The palm curled beneath his chin falls, delicate fingertips tracing downwards from the man's jaw, down his throat, pressing into the point of his neck where his pulse is beating rapidly beneath her touch. Her gaze never once leaves his, eyes unblinking, dark enough to drown in.]
You're too good to be trapped in this little town, Barry. Wasting all of your talent on folks who can't see how great you are.
[She tips forward as if to kiss him, but stops right before their lips meet, her warm breath falling against his mouth while she whispers only for him.] They could never appreciate you like I do.
no subject
Barry has no idea what he's gotten himself into, what kind of nightmare he's gotten entangled in, how this even happened. Has she planned this? Did she manipulate him from the beginning? Plant the seed of intrigue only to lure him in and ensnare him? How else would she know his name, what he does, why would she choose him, is she even a she, even a person, what is she going to do to him--]
I... I-I don't... [He's almost struggling a little to breathe. The woman gets so close to him, sharing his breath, nearly stealing it away. Is this how he dies? Why can't he move? He only trembles under her touch, lost in her bottomless gaze.]
What do you mean? How... How d-do you appreciate me..? [A cold chill runs through him.] I don't understand. P-Please...
no subject
But now? She just looks annoyed.]
Gods, you don't ever stop asking questions, do you? Any other dude would be friggin' putty in my hands by now, but here you are, thinkin' way too hard about every little damn thing. Can you shut that big brain of yours up for like, five freakin' minutes? C'mon, do me a solid here.
[She just wants to eat you???? This that so much to ask?]
no subject
She doesn't even sound like the same person anymore.
Of all things, even as scared as he'd been, genuinely terrified by how eerie and uncanny the woman before him had been, Barry goes bright red with shame.]
I don't... I didn't mean... [Why?? is he trying to apologize??? He stammers, insecure and embarrassed, squirming a little in his seat with her hand still over his racing pulse. Has he completely misinterpreted the situation? Maybe this is just some weird new way of flirting he hasn't heard of before? Did he accidentally get high somehow?]
I-It would help if I knew wh-where this was goin'..? [He swallows, nervous.] I don't really... I-- I mean, I'm not great at readin' between th'lines and all... Y'were bein' kinda obtuse.
no subject
The woman's mouth twists in mild irritation at how even now he's still asking what she means, even when, to her, it all seems too obvious. But after she sucks in a breath and counts to three, some of that calm falls back into her posture, confidence returning while she slips closer, tipping her head in the direction of the door.]
Then let me make it simple for you. [Both of her palms fall onto his cheeks, trapping Barry gently between her hands, the woman's voice lowering to a barely-there whisper. The spell that falls around them isn't quite as potent as before, but there's no looking away from her dark eyes, which aim to draw the man in and never let him go.]
I want you to take me home.
no subject
[He's assuming she doesn't mean his apartment. Or her place. Wherever - or whatever - home is, Barry has the distinct feeling home isn't what he thinks it is.
She looks impatient. Annoyed. Terrifying. Her eyes are bottomless pits pulling him in, tugging at his gut and his heart and pulling them right into her gaze, trapping him. She looks like she doesn't want to answer any more questions.
Kinda puts Barry in an awkward situation.]
O-Okay. [Fear and desperation and something else compels Barry to agree, to nod carefully with his head between her hands. He holds his hands up as subtly as he can. Anything to signal his compliance.] Okay, I-- I'll try an' take y'home... H-How do I do that? I'll help ya, I-I just need t'know how...