A-head of the game

Everyone was staring. This was nothing new. As soon as I walked into a room, everyone instantly stared at the monster. Some out of curiosity, some out of hate or disgust for me and those like me, and some just because they wanted to know how my kind actually functions. No matter the reason, everyone stares when a Dullahan walks into the room.

Taking a deep breath I tilted my head, cautiously looking around the dreary hospital. Seems like you see one hospital, you've seen them all: the fancy-looking lobbies, the white walls, doctors and nurses in their scrubs running hither and thither.

"Mr. Barton?" a voice called. My arms moved my head to look at the doctor.

"Yes, that's me. How is he?" I asked, keeping my voice level and calm as I raised my head from my lap to meet his eyes. The doctor took another look at his chart then back at me. I had to give it to this doctor. He had a killer poker face. Hopefully that wouldn't mean bad news for my brother.

"Mr. Vandigril is stable and out of the woods. His right arm will be in a sling for a while to let the stitches heal, and his right leg is sprained but otherwise unharmed. He gave us a scare with his broken ribs but he's doing fine now. He's awake if you would like to see him. Room 307 on the left. But keep in mind that visiting hours are almost over." I couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief as he spoke. That idiot was gonna be fine.

"Thank you sir, I'll keep that in mind." I lifted my head to just under my collarbone as I stood to hurry and find my brother's room. When I did I shuffled in and shut the door behind me. As I turned to look at my beat up brother I couldn't help but shake my head in my hands. Dropping my backpack on a chair by the door I moved to his bedside.

I held my head in front of him a bit so he had no choice but to acknowledge my presence. "How many times are you gonna make me bust you out of the hospital this month before mom and dad find out? Are you going for a new record, Adrian? Which bullshit line are you gonna feed me this time? You fell down the stairs? You slipped in the shower? When are you going to admit that bitch is knocking you around like a punching bag to my face?! When are you going to leave that heartless woman and press charges?!"

I could feel the burn of tears behind my eyes as I looked at my closest friend. My brother. He looked defeated and tired, refusing to look at me with his once bright brown eyes. Instead he used his dark brown hair to hide his face from me. I sighed.

"Look, Adrian, I only want what's best for you. You're my brother, and since you've been with these nasty women you've changed, and not for the better. I'll happily help you with anything you need: a place to stay, food… Hell, I've always even come to get you so mom doesn't get wind of this, but Adrian… she needs to be stopped. I can't stand seeing you be used and hurt like this." I placed my head in his lap looking up at him. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders in a firm hug, minding his sling and the bandages around his ribs as best I could.

As we slowly got him ready to leave the hospital, I couldn't help but reminisce and try to think of where Adrian picked up this awful habit of clinging to toxic women. Adrian and I grew up together. My mom had been more than happy to sign the paperwork taking custody of Adrian and adopt him when we found out his mom liked to beat Adrian around. And, like some rotten sitcom, maybe it's the reason his life has been one equally rotten woman after the next. With no confidence in himself he's a magnet for them. He finds them, they make him feel comfortable as he opens up, he thinks he's in love, and then they start the cycle of the mental and physical abuse as if continuing the bullshit my parents never let his mother finish. But I've had enough of it. I can't stand to see him so broken up over those horrible women who didn't give a damn about him.

"I'll take you home, Adrian, and that's where you and I are gonna stay 'till you're better. And if I see that snotty little bitch I swear I'll show her why dullahan were feared in the eighteen hundreds!" I patted his head with my free hand and picked up my own in the other, "I'll be right back after I check you out and get the paperwork ok?"

Adrian didn't reply other than a light nod of his head but I decided to take what I could get instead of continuing to push him and opened the door to find the reception desk. The woman at the desk was a scrawny little thing, all bones with a pinched-up face, like she was perpetually smelling garbage and her big brown eyes almost made her look like she came from a Tim Burton movie.

"Excuse me miss, I'd like to check my brother, Adrian Vandiril out? He's in 307. And could I have any treatment recommendations he may have printed out?" I asked. I had to hold my arms at an awkward angle to peer over the desk.

The pinched-faced woman paid me no mind for a moment before she turned, as if to ask for whatever information she still needed to start the process, but froze when she found my head wasn't on my shoulders like it would be for humans. I bit back a sigh of frustration, expecting to go through the motions of explaining Dullahan anatomy to someone who had never seen one before, when she lit up like a Christmas tree.

"Goodness!!! I don't mean to be rude but I've read about Dullahan before and to see one of your kind for the first time in person is shocking! Would you mind if I took a picture...!! Oh goodness, listen to me tittering like a little schoolgirl! I'm so sorry, you must hear this all the time, must think me so rude for staring and gabbing away. L-let me just pull up his file… you said Vandigril, Adrian? Yes here he is, room 307, tripped off a balcony, oh dear. His file says he's stable enough to be checked out but I still need his doctor to fully clear him. I can page Doctor Williams if you'd like?" she asked politely, putting away the phone she had presumably taken out for a picture of me.

I blinked, totally shocked. It'd been a while since someone was actually polite about my nature, and apologized for the staring. I couldn't help but smile. For a woman who looked so frail and snooty, she seemed to be sweet as candy.

"That would be wonderful, miss…" I looked at her nametag quickly "Margret. And, actually, I'm used to the staring. I was more surprised at how polite you were about it and that you've actually read and know about my kind. There are so few of us that most people have forgotten about us." That seemed to shock her.

"But there are so many legends about your people! Your swordsmanship is known to rival that of some Centaur clans! The legend of the battle of Crom Dubh when Christianity came to Ireland, for goodness sakes! How could anyone forget Dullahan?!" she asked.

I stared at her, again shocked by her reaction. I had never met anyone outside my family who had ever done so much research into my race. "All of that is true, but there are just so few of us... we're starting to fade into legend for most people. But how about this? I don't normally do this but you've been so nice and helpful, if you'd like, you can have that picture you wanted before." I chuckled out. The look on her face -- she started gaping like a fish. By this point she had stopped typing altogether.

"Is something wrong?"

Margret and I both turned to see the doctor who had told me about Adrian earlier who I could now assume was the Doctor Williams she had mentioned she would page for me. I shifted my head to one arm to hold up the other hand in a surrender-like gesture.

"No trouble. Margret here has been nothing short of wonderful. She was just about to page you for me but we got caught up talking. I'd like to check out Adrian Vandigril but need your full clearance in order to do so."

The old doctor nodded his head, his cold blue eyes turning to Margaret as he gave her clearance to let Adrian be checked out and moved along. I chuckled, turning back to Margaret. I smiled. "So let's take care of Adrian then, though my offer is still open if you'd like."

She blushed a deep crimson but nodded with a sheepish smile as she hurried to get Adrian checked out and the treatment papers I wanted printed out. When all was done I let her hold my head as my body posed behind her holding her cellphone to take a quick picture. Stuttering out a mile a minute how thankful she was she gave my head back to me and I gave her back her phone. I went to borrow a wheelchair for the way out and pay for a crutch for Adrian to get around and lay off his ankle. When I finally got back to his room I was happy to see he hadn't tried to fly the coop behind my back. Not like he could get far with his leg, but if he was in a mood it wouldn't stop him from trying.

"Sorry I took so long, the lady at reception was apparently a fan of Dullahan and, between chatting briefly with her and needing to get the doc to clear me to take you home, it took longer than I thought. But come on, let's get you in some street clothes and head home. How does Thai take out sound?" I grabbed the bag I had put by the door earlier and went to the side of his bed. I put my head in his lap again and the bag beside it. I opened the bag and pulled out a shirt, tossing it on the nightstand.

Reaching towards Adrian, I started to pull the thin hospital shirt and pants off him, carefully working around his sling. Once the slightly bloodied, paper thin shirt was off, I then grabbed the black button down shirt from the nightstand and slipped it on over his good arm. Once that was done, I hooked it over his wrapped up shoulder, folding the sleeve to be on the inside of the shirt so it wouldn't catch on anything as we moved and jostled his shoulder anymore than it had to be.

Buttoning up the shirt was a little difficult but I managed to leave a gap for his hand to poke out of and left the top 3 buttons undone. With how banged up he was I didn't need him feeling claustrophobic in his clothes even if it didn't happen often. But when his clothes felt tight he'd start getting jittery and want the offending garment off as soon as possible. Shirt all fixed up, I sent my body to go get the crutch so he could stand to help me with his pants. Standing them up on the wall next to him I turned my head to the window then sent my body over to draw the curtains. We may be on the third floor, but it's still polite to draw them closed when someone is getting dressed, especially since Adrian is big on his privacy. Going back to Adrian's side I picked up my head and put it in the chair across from the bed.

"Changing your pants won't be fun like this but I made sure to bring your favorite sweatpants so you'll be comfy once it's over. And I got a wheelchair so you can rest on the way out. I bought the crutch to help you back at the house." Once I was sure my head wouldn't roll off the chair I turned back to Adrian and offered a hand, while the other brought up the crutch. "You ready? It'll prob'ly hurt like hell." Aiden sighed, looking at me with those sad puppy dog brown eyes.

"Can you at least turn your head the other way? Kind of awkward to change with your head so damn low." With a chuckle I turned my body back to my head and carefully turned it so all I could see was the back of the chair.

"And you say I'm the prissy one. Nothing I don't have myself and nothing I haven't seen before, ya know." I felt him grab my hand and my body was quick to move and support him until he had a crutch under him. After he was steady he led my hands with his good arm in the right direction to get the thin scrubs off him.

"I know but it's still weird, man. On that chair you'd be practically eye level with my dick and, Dullahan or not, you're still my brother and that is not a place I want my brother's face being aimed at even if you were straight."

I had to laugh. It sounded so stupid, but I could understand the sentiment. I could hear him grabbing his sweatpants out of the bag, and putting them in my hands. With Adrian dressed, I picked up my head in one hand and went to bring the wheelchair over and help him in with the other. He then angled the crutch on one foot so it would rest back against him before reaching for my head knowing I couldn't push the chair properly with one hand, so with my head in his lap and my body behind him we were finally ready to head home.

Waving to Margaret on our way out the doors, I was glad it was a nice day for early fall. The leaves were starting to change and the air smelt crisp on the light, cool breeze. My '00 dodge grand caravan was starting to rust and the engine was knocking a bit when the pistons didn't want to fire right. The passenger mirror was cracked and the AC was busted, but until I had enough to replace it next year it worked for now as it waited for us in the parking lot like an old friend. Placing my head on the roof of the car I helped Aiden into the passenger seat then picked up my head and got in the driver's seat.

"It still amazes me how they let you drive man," he laughed tiredly, "I'm glad you got it, but it's still creepy to watch you drive." I laughed with him. It was good he was joking, it was how he dealt with his pain mostly. And for a human I would imagine it very disorienting to see a headless creature drive. It wasn't hard. Most of the year I would do it one handed if the weather was good and use the free arm to hold my head and act like a neck to angle my head as needed. But in the winter when I wanted to be more careful, Adrian and I built a little detachable contraption that would slide under the head rest and buckle to it, then buckle my head to a sort of rotary with some mirrors to help with blind spots. Then to look around I just have to flick a little switch we remotely attach to the steering wheel that will slowly turn the platform my head sits on left or right for me to check without having to take my hands from the wheel. It was creepy as hell to look at, even if I found it funny, but it worked and I'd used it to pass my driver's test when I was 17. As far as I knew, not many Dullahan got their driver's license because humans made so many rules on it that catered to what they – and those with a normal neck – can do, which made it hard on us. But to make sure that no matter where I lived in life I could be independent, my mother pushed me to try. She wasn't a Dullahan herself; I'm the only living Dullahan in the family. As far as we knew I was the only one in our family for a long time, but my parents were very supportive and tried to make me feel normal wherever they could. Did the same for Adrian once he joined the family. There was never really a dull moment with him.

"You're just jealous you can't do this!" I teased, starting to treat my right arm like a neck. I angled my head all over the car laughing the whole time. And my joke worked, Adrian started laughing too. Wheezing and crying he was laughing as hard as his ribs and shoulder would allow and cussing me out for making him laugh so hard. When we finally stopped laughing at each other I started the car and held my head just above my shoulders to look around. Once I was sure I was clear to go, I backed us out of the parking spot and headed home.

We were quiet for a while, comfortable silence with the radio on some rock station Adrian liked. The sun was starting to set over the trees as we left the city behind us. I knew Adrian had a lot on his mind, and even more he wanted to say, but I also knew he would tell me when he found the words, so I didn't push. Last time I tried we ended up in a big fight where I nearly lost my head- literally. He had gone for a gut shot and my head had been tucked under my left arm. I shifted to avoid his punch as best I could but didn't quite clear it and he hit my side enough to throw me off balance. And before I could steady myself he came in and hit my right shoulder which sent me spinning and made me lose my grip on my head to send it flying across the room and almost out the window. My body kept on the defense after that until he realized my head was missing. It had hit the corner of the windowsill and rolled behind some of the boxes Adrian had been packing to move to his then girlfriend Cathy's place. Despite being in a simple spot it had taken almost half an hour to find my head after the fight. Adrian had clearly been upset by what he'd done, but he didn't apologize until three weeks later when he showed up on my doorstep drunk and cut up from Cathy having an episode and had then dumped him on the street once she was done with him. Almost half the night Adrian sobbed like a baby, nursing a bottle of cheap Jim Beam.

It drove me crazy to see him like that so frequently. Hopefully this time, I can make sure it doesn't happen again.

"Thanks…I'm… I'm sorry I got you mixed up in this… again." I jumped a little when Adrian spoke, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"That's what brothers are for. I hope it never happens again, but I'll always be there for you if it does. You've helped me through my fair share of tough times too, ya know, so don't kick yourself about it."

He scoffed. "Helping you knock out a couple racist assholes in school and at the bar and picking my sorry ass up from the rubble of my near constant string of failed relationships are two totally different things, Caellum, and you know it." With a sigh I looked at him out of the corner of my eye as we turned onto our street.

"Adrian come on, I've had some nasty break ups too, everyone does so-"

He cut me off, face red. "Yeah everyone does, but not every man gets knocked around by every woman he seems to meet! Not every man has to explain to his father why he doesn't come around as much as he used to because he's cut up and bruised by every woman he tries to love." I pulled in the driveway and turned off the car. I shoved my head against his chest and reached my body over the console and held my brother as tight as I could without hurting him. Like I knew Mom would do if she were here.

I held my brother as tightly as I did back when I found him battered and bleeding from his birth mother's abuse. As a kid all I could do was hug him and sneak him back to my house and tell my mom. They took pictures, pressed charges and fought hard and long for custody over Adrian so we would never be apart and he would never be hurt again. Now, smooshing my face into his chest I tried to find the best words to help him heal and remember he wasn't that defenseless child anymore.

"Adrian, I will never let that woman near you again. Your battle with that- that MONSTER is over. I've let you down enough by letting you get hurt by those other devil women, so I will always be there to help you pick up the pieces no matter what. I'll never let you be alone again. You're my brother and you're a Barton, whether you take our name or not. My parents will do for you what they have always done since we were kids. Love you like their own and do whatever they can to get you through whatever hardship you're facing. They miss you. Come home with me for Thanksgiving and in the meantime we'll fix you up and press charges on Patricia or whatever the hell this one's name is. And if people start giving you shit for it you know I have your back and I'll knock them around myself!!" we were both crying by this point.

My mother always said I was more emotional than most boys she's ever met, and I sometimes acted more like Adrian's second mother than his brother but I never cared much. She always told me growing up that other boys would make fun of me for it – and they did and some still do – but that it made me a stronger man than them for accepting such emotions, in her eyes. I felt Adrian nod against my shoulder, his tears soaking my shirt. I squeezed him tight one last time before I picked up my head and smiled slightly at him. "So, how does that Thai food sound? And watch Tucker and Dale Vs Evil?" Adrian laughed, wiping his eyes. The temptation of his favorite food and movie seemed to work, even knowing it was just a bribe to cheer him up.

"That sounds awesome, man. Just what I need if you toss in a few beers but… but I don't know if… if I'm ready to face Mom and Dad just yet…"

I nodded my head slowly in my hand. I knew it was a long shot but Mom always said baby steps were still good progress when someone was hurting .

A hot shower, two comedic horror movies, some soda for Adrian and a shared bowl to really get him relaxed, and a lot of Thai food later had Adrian acting like himself again. He had left to take a leak when his phone went off. Not looking, head on the couch my body was on the floor leaning against said couch I moved my body to grab the phone from Adrian's side of the beat up sofa. Phone in hand, I answered it.

"Adrian's answering machine, I'll take a message." I chortled into the mic.

"Where's Adrian?"

My eye twitched and my smile turned into a mean sneer. "Like hell I'd tell you. Go find a new chew toy cus if I see you near him again I'm reporting your trashy ass for domestic violence." I could hear the sarcasm in her voice as she laughed.

"You've got nothing on me, and I have a right to know where he is. So just try to stop me you headless bastard and you may just lose it for real. So tell him to pack his bags, 'cause I'm on my way."

Now it was my turn to laugh.

"Good luck, bitch. In this state, I have the right to protect my property. I see you come within a hundred feet of this place and, short of killing you, I'd be within my rights to shoot you. And let me tell you, I'd be very glad to do both for the things you've done to my brother." With that I hung up before the woman could retort. I thought briefly about hiding the call from Adrian, but lying had never been my forte so it was likely best to get it over with when he came back from the bathroom.

"Adrian, your ex called. She said she was on her way here but I'm not gonna let you go with her." Adrian looked sick to his stomach again as he leaned against the wall, his crutch clicking loudly against the laminate wood floor. Scooping up my head in one arm I rushed to his side. "Adrian calm down, I have a plan. But it starts with you reporting her abuse."

Adrian shook his head, looking ready to lose his dinner.

"I know how you feel about it but it has to be done. I've never led you astray yet. You have to trust me on this. Adrian, we have proof! Everything is still fresh on you, you can explain what happened and what she's been putting you through – don't give me that look, it has to be done and then you can have a clean slate. This way you know she can never come back to hurt you." I put my head in his hands. "You have to trust me, Adrian. I won't let her anywhere near you. Come on, my bedroom door has a lock, you can hide in there."

I pulled him off the wall, helping him stand on his crutch again as I led him over to my room in the back of the house. Adrian was still pale and shaking when we got to the room but he still managed to laugh at the little house on the nightstand. The walls were a deep forest green and the roof a russet brown. It was almost like a doll or a fairy house with it's small brown, antique-looking door with a little brass dragon knocker. It had some windows, a miniature yard, and the split down the middle of the house like all other doll houses, but a padlock on the side. If you were to unlock the padlock and open to see the inside of it, you would find it was just a hollow little house. It had a small pocket inside for my wallet, an alarm clock up in the attic, and a cushioned floor for my head to rest comfortably. My dad's a carpenter and he had made the little 'Head House' as Adrian always called it.

As a kid my body tended to move around a lot as I slept. One time as I turned over in my sleep I knocked my head right out of bed. It hit the nightstand, knocking everything off it, before hitting the floor causing a nasty concussion and rolling under my bed. After that Mom was worried of it becoming a habit so my dad made me a place to keep it safe at night. When I opened that up on Christmas that year I had completely forgotten about the incident but when I saw it I loved it. The fact that Dad had made it look like a tiny version of our own house had blown me away. As I've gotten older I've added the alarm clock and the pocket for my wallet. I didn't add the padlock until one of Adrian's exes decided it would be fun to hide my head in the night. It would be a lot harder to pick up and hide a big dollhouse lockbox than a head about the size of a basketball.

"Still gonna make fun of me for my head house man?" I chuckled as he sat on the bed.

"You know it. And I'll never let you live it down about the padlock either." I put my head down on the bed to grab some pillows I kept in the closet for the few guests that came to visit and propped him up with them.

"It was June's fault I felt the need to put it on there. No one was home but me so it took me damn near all day to find my head! Do you know what a pain in the ass it is to try and figure out where the fuck you are then from that place guide a blind and deaf body all around the house to get you out?! The bitch was lucky I didn't report her for it. You can get arrested for hiding a Dullahan's head, you know? And she would've had it coming." The look on his face told me I'd stepped on another sore spot so I changed the subject, "I'm thinking of remodeling it a little, put in an Echo or something so I can call for help if I need it and my body can't get to my head, maybe waterproof it for camping. Maybe I'll ask dad to help me wire it and make the whole thing like a real little house with some little lights and a solar panel on the roof to power them so I'm not in the dark the whole time and put some tiny posters or something inside." As he lay back on the mound of pillows I put behind him Adrian smiled.

"If you plan on going that far then I get to get that RC car and drive your head around for next Halloween! You can even put it in a little garage with your house and it'll be like your head is a tiny person on its own!" He laughed, holding his ribs as he looked down at my head. He loved to play on the fact I'm a Dullahan whenever Halloween rolled around. Since we were kids he would make these elaborate plans to scare people and to get us the most candy. A few times we would go work for some scare parks and haunted hayrides for some extra cash and laughs as we got older.

"Maybe… I was thinking of doing the whole 'Headless Horseman' thing this year for a haunted hayride."

Adrian shook his head. "Man you do headless horseman every year!"

I smirked up at him, picking up my head and doing the stereotypical pose of the horseman. "Not every year, but it works!! Last year I had mom help me make a fake neck and do a ton of makeup an shit and I went as nearly headless Nick from Harry Potter!!" We both started laughing at that. "Alright, bunker down here, and once I get that hooker to leave maybe we'll go get some gelato before bed, okay?"

He nodded, grabbing the blanket with his good arm and wrapped it around himself. As he tucked himself in, I drew the curtains on the other side of the room and went back to my closet to grab my longsword and my SW-22 Victory pistol. I owned both legally, all the papers tucked away in my safe and copies in my wallet with my concealed weapon permit. I almost never had either on me as Maine was normally a pretty safe place. If you kept to yourself, almost no one would bother you and people were usually pretty friendly. But whenever one of Adrian's exes were in the mix I made sure to have them on me if I had to defend him or myself. I had learnt how to sword fight to honor the Dullahan culture, but swords in modern times wouldn't always help so my dad made sure Adrian, my mother and I knew how to shoot and knew at least some basic self defense. We kept it low caliber, to hurt and dissuade instead of shooting to kill.

I also grabbed the harness that would hold my head to my chest so I could use both hands without losing my head. It was a nasty looking thing and I hated wearing it so I tended to only use it when I knew there would be trouble or to go out to eat since it was rude to lay your disembodied head on the table. Once my head was all strapped in, I put the gun in its holster on my left hip and bullets in my pocket. I grabbed my longsword and tied the sheath to my right hip. It helped to be ambidextrous when you were a Dullahan.

When everything was all strapped down and secure I waved to Adrian as I turned the lock on the knob before I shut the door on my way out. Making sure it had locked behind me I was satisfied he was safe for now and made my way to the front door. I grabbed my Legend of Zelda hoodie and went outside to sit on the stoop and wait for the bitch to show up.

Half an hour later she finally showed up. I moved my left hand to hover over the holster for my pistol as she stepped out.

"I see you step one foot past that car and you're gonna need a tow truck. Am I clear?" I opened the holster and flashed the pistol, so if she was smart she would know I meant it. She sneered over the door of her tiny putrid, puke green car. "I don't have to get any closer, freak. Just send Adrian out and you and I will have no problems."

I snorted and, raising an eyebrow at her, I said, "You make it sound like I'm forcing him to be here. I've got pictures of what you've done to him and because of you he has all the signs of behavior proving an abusive relationship. All he has to do is file the official report with the local police to press charges. And as long as he is on my property of his own free will there's not a thing you can do without breaking and entering, trespassing, and kidnapping. And if you try any of those three I'm within my rights to defend myself, my brother, and my property. So, unless you want a bullet in those Jimmy Choos or your tire, I would just get in your baby barf car, get the hell out of here, and forget all about Adrian."

Her sneer quickly turned into a full on glare. Legally, I had her in a corner and she knew it. I was only a stickler for the law when it came to fighting. As old school as it was, Adrian and I were told never pick a fight with a girl. And Adrian's exes almost always wanted a fight but since the law and society frowns heavily on a man hitting a woman – despite equal rights – I had to trap them legally. I had my parents help me get the money for the downpayment on the property and the loan for the rest. As an accountant I didn't make enough to pay for a whole house on my own out of the blue so I busted my ass for three years to move up and earn what I could to pay it on time each month with the other bills. So with the property in my name I gained the right to defend my property when these bitches come for him. And with the proper papers in my wallet she, like all the others, wouldn't get anywhere near him. But the look on her face said it wouldn't stop her from trying.

"You won't shoot a woman. I can easily claim–"

"You can't claim a damn thing. For that damn reason, women like you who would try to lie and say I shot first, I have security cameras with sound. I've given fair warning. You set one foot on this property and I can shoot to incapacitate. As long as I don't kill you, in the state of Maine I can shoot you on my own property in self-defense and you can't claim assault or battery. You can't claim a damn thing. Give it up and go home bitch. You're not the first woman I've shaken off my little brother but if I have my way you WILL be the last. So shove off and pray I can't convince him to file a restraining order on you like I did the others. I don't care who you are. You hurt my little brother and that just doesn't fly with me."

Her face was so red and pinched she looked like a toddler who didn't get her way and was about to throw a tantrum. Thankfully, she didn't seem willing to call my bluff since only one camera on the property actually had sound. With an enraged shriek she got in her car and slammed the door so hard her window shook. She tore out so fast she likely left some rubber behind on the pavement. I laughed heartily as I watched her leave, giving a wave to her rearview mirrors. After she was out of sight, I went back in the house, unstrapped my weapons from my waist, my head from the harness, and went back to my room.

I knocked three times. "She's gone, Adrian. Wanna let me in?" When I heard nothing I got worried and knocked again. "Adrian?! Adrian, are you ok?!" I heard a noise on the other side of the door. "Adrian?!" I called, readying my shoulders to ram into the door and break it in while bracing my head like a football to my chest.

"What? Caellum? What's going on?!"

My shoulders hit the door in relief, almost dropping my head.

"Everything's fine, I got worried when you didn't answer me. She's gone, you can come out now." With a few curses I could hear Adrian working his way out of bed and to the door.

"I fell asleep, of course I didn't answer you… are you sure she's gone?" he asked, unlocking the door to let me in.

"If she isn't, I have some cameras around the house. After June hid my head, I got some cheap hunting cameras and had dad help me set them up, so if anyone else tries anything I know who and when. So for now, do you want that gelato, or should we get your room back in order?" I asked with a smile. Adrian shot me a sleepy smile.

"How about you bribe Topher to bring some pizza over, then we can get to work? Gelato is more your thing and I'm definitely hungry after that bowl." I couldn't help but laugh. Chris "Topher" Whorff was my best friend, besides Adrian of course. Our mothers had gone to college together and stayed friends after, so Topher, Adrian and I grew up together. The Whorff family had even helped Adrian get situated and ended up his foster family while my parents filed the paperwork to adopt.

"Shouldn't be hard, he and I were gonna spar tomorrow before work anyways," I told him.

Adrian gave me a look of confusion. "Don't you usually have a first shift or whatever?"

I shook my head carefully. "Second, but John asked if we could switch tomorrow 'cause his niece is having a birthday party. So for tomorrow, at least, I'll be closing."

Adrian nodded as he passed me his crutch to head back to the couch. "Got it. How has the mutter mouth been anyways? Last I heard, his mom was considering sending him to boot camp 'cause she found condoms in his laundry basket or something."

I laughed, almost dropping my head as I flopped into the beanbag chair next to the old couch. The Whorff family was werewolf through and through, and Topher had earned himself the secondary nickname "Mutter Mouth" as a joke to his heritage and that he could talk your ears off. Motor mouth worked better, but mutter mouth had been funnier so it stuck.

"That was last month but close, his dad talked her out of it. He did get a two hour lecture on safe and premarital sex from her though, then she made coach bench him for the next two games. And it was his dresser." The Whorff matriarch was not a force to be trifled with. The petite blonde werewolf had a knack for making you suffer if you crossed her and was very strict on rules. Topher all but lived in fear of the woman, as he was always breaking her rules or causing mischief. He loved her dearly and respected her as the pack alpha female, but he hated how many rules she made and found many of them overbearing.

"Ouch, that sucks, but the guy needs to be more careful about that. I mean, that kind of thing is hard enough for humans, but in a house of wolves who can literally smell that stuff? Why does he even try?"

I shrugged, pulling my phone out to call the wolf in question. Head balanced carefully in one hand I quickly pulled up his contact number and called him, turning on speakerphone. It was just easier to call this way instead of trying to keep my arms perfectly still in a balancing act during the call. After a few rings Topher's voice comes through,

"Hey, Sleepy Hollow!!! What's up, man?" I rolled my eyes at his antics.

"Not too bad, dog breath. Hey Adrian's back and we were wondering if you wanted to come over with some pizza? Help us get his room back in order and hang out?"

"Sure! Am I right in thinking I'm bringing the pizza in question?"

I laughed. "You would be right, my man."

Topher chuckled in response. "Got it. Anything else I should bring? Any specific pizza?"

I thought for a moment, and looked at Adrian.

"I could go for a supreme with banana peppers," Adrian replied.

"You catch that, Topher?" he hummed,

"Yup, supreme with banana peppers. What'd ya want, Cal?"

"I'm thinking spinach and alfredo with pineapple sounds good right about now."

Adrian gave me a look of disgust as the werewolf laughed.

"Only you dude. You come up with weird combos."

I glared at the phone. "Spinach and alfredo is totally normal and pineapple is like bacon: it makes everything better."

"In what universe?!" Adrian asked, continuing to look nauseated by my topping choices.

"In ANY Universe!" I quickly defended myself and my precious pizza.

I snickered and Topher sighed on his end of the line.

"Either way, I got it. Oh, and before I forget! Paperwork finally came in, my mom is over the moon, man. My parents qualified for being a host family for exchange students. As if being pack leaders and foster parents isn't enough, right?"

I smiled. "Not for your mother. I swear her life goal is to get an award for most kids or something!" The Whorff family was constantly growing to say the least, between adoptions, pack additions, fostering, and now exchange student housing. Topher was the second eldest of his blood siblings. His older sister, Amelia, was a terror when she babysat us but she decided to use her iron fisted alpha reign to become a lawyer and a damn good one. Then the third eldest, Haley, is working in linguistics and plans on being a multilingual sign language translator. Then there were the twins, Davis and Mavis, still in school. One on the way and the many foster kids who came and went among the pack. It never ended and now exchange students? Jamie Whorff always seemed to be finding ways to add to her pack.

"You're not wrong bro. They got everything situated and even got the kid's info already. He's coming in from Jamaica of all places!" Topher exclaimed with a small bark of laughter.

I raised an eyebrow as I looked at the phone. "Jamaica? Damn. You can fill us in on everything when you get here." I huffed, both of us giving a quick 'later' and hanging up. I then smiled at Adrian and kicked back a bit.

"Think he's gonna bring the gang?" Adrian asked, trying to replace my beer with his soda. I grabbed the beer out of his hands and rolled my eyes.

"Not tonight. Besides, you hate crowds when you're fresh out of the hospital."

He sighed, resigning to his soda as he shifted restlessly. "Yeah, but usually Topher brings others anyways and it's been a while since I've seen them." He shrugged, shoulders moving slightly before falling back into place painfully.

I took a final swig of my beer and stood to clear the leftover containers of Thai from lunch and put away his pain pills. "He's gotten better about always carrying a crowd on his tail and I told him we would be settling you in so I doubt he would bring more than one or two passengers. Especially if he's the one in charge of food," I joked, looking back over my shoulder as the containers hit the cans. Adrian nodded with a small smile.

"Think the exchange student will shit themselves when they realize they're essentially being adopted by a werewolf pack?" he asked, his grin turning mischievous as he looked up at me.

Grabbing a soda for myself as I came back to the couch I barked a laugh. "I think after the last foster kid who did that they'll tell whoever's in charge to let the kid know beforehand! That kid probably had to go to therapy when she walked in on Mavis shifting back with a rabbit in her mouth hoping it would be added to their welcome dinner."

Mavis was a damn good hunter, one of the better ones in her year. But hunting has become a rarity among humans, even more so among kids. So when a child who had no contact with werewolves or hunters before walks in on a wolf turning human with a bloody rabbit in their mouth, it was almost to be expected that she would at least faint. She had lasted a whole week with the Whorffs before her fear of wolves just led her to continuously beg for a new family. The Whorffs took it in stride, giving her up, and had to go through the screening process again to prove they were fit to take children. She had just not been a good match and wasn't prepared for the culture shock of bunking with werewolves.

With a heavy sigh, Adrian continued his fruitless effort to get comfortable and sipped his soda. It would be a long road for my little brother, that much had been clear since the day we found everything out, but hopefully he could learn sooner rather than later that he wasn't alone. I was grateful and counted us both lucky he didn't decide to pull away from everyone after his mother signed over custody without a fight.

Trying to shift away from heavy thoughts I turned my head to look towards the TV and the few movies I had left that most streaming sources lacked. "Want to watch Evil Dead? Or should we put on something trashy for Topher to walk in on?" I snickered, skillfully twisting my head under my arm to look at him.

"Just put on whatever dude. You know Topher's probably gonna talk through the whole thing anyways. Especially if it's anything good." I laughed and went back to looking through the movies before finally choosing a B movie. I couldn't deal with a heavy mood at the moment and I doubted Adrian wanted to get caught up in everything right now either. I left Adrian to chill and watch the crappy horror flick while I went to his room. It was a bit dusty and stale from lack of use over the last few months but nothing a cheap box fan, some Lysol, and some air fresheners couldn't fix. I doubted any of it would bother Adrian too much but it felt wrong to always keep things a little too much how he left it.

I checked his drawers, mattress and bed frame nooks and crannies making sure everything was safe for him and would hopefully promote a healing and safe-feeling environment that his therapist had said he would need when he was last able to convince Adrian to go and see him. Maybe he could convince Adrian to go again. Hopefully. I gave my head a shake like most people shook presents on Christmas; I couldn't let those thoughts get the best of me. He's gonna be fine and I'll be behind him the whole way.

Taking a deep breath, I finished my search quickly and headed back to the livingroom to check on Adrian who was still perched uncomfortably on the couch. Smirking, I took a pillow and tossed it like a frisbee over the couch where it perfectly collided with Adrian's face. He jumped and shrieked as I had somehow timed it perfectly with a jump scare and the perfection of it all nearly made me drop my head as I held my stomach with laughter.

"Fuck, man!! Seriously?!" Adrian snapped, throwing the pillow back at me as I slowly lowered to the floor laughing and wheezing. "Seriously bro, it hurts to just sit on my ass and you go to try and give me a heart attack fresh out of the hospital?!"

I slowly got a hold of myself and stood back on my feet to look at him. "I-I'm sorry, Adrian, I couldn't resist! It was too perfect and I had to make sure you're not crying. Baby sobs. So sad."

"There are much better ways and why would I be crying?! It's a horror movie, not a Hallmark movie!"

"You've outed yourself and I will never let you live this down," I replied, grinning my most evil of grins. Adrian watches Hallmark movies. Oh, yes, I'll find plenty of uses for this bit of information.

"Fuck!" He seemed truly distraught as he glared at me over the top of the couch.

"Oh no, I think I'm feeling guilty. Nope, just gas." I teased, glad to see his attitude snapping back into place.

"You are ruining this whole scene. It will never be normal again. Revenge will come for you, I am certain." Adrian gestured to the TV still playing in the background.

"Ah, yes, but I'll be waiting for it then now won't I? And I'm pretty good with a sword if you remember!" I taunted back as the front door slammed open, making us both jump, and Topher strolled through the door, pizza in one hand and a rusty lockpick in the other. "Wassup, fuckers?"

"When did you learn to pick a lock?" I asked, aghast at how easily he got past my heavy duty door locks.

"Prison," Topher replied, trying to hide a laugh as a cough as everyone in the room knew he had never even once been to prison.

"Ah, how was the soap?" Adrian asked, eager to turn the tides of teasing on to someone else.

"The best, of course. Nice and slick." This was said with zero hesitation, as is Topher's way. Clearly it had been too long since Adrian had conversed with Topher, thinking a simple butt sex joke would cause him to falter. "I brought some back; did you want to borrow it?"

Adrian sighed, defeated. "No, not today, Satan."

"Where do you want the pizza?" Topher asked, drawing me back to the conversation.

"My mouth," I was quite impressed with myself for not laughing and keeping a straight face as I replied, having been only half listening to what was being said. Topher barked a harsh laugh and looked elated at the challenge.

"Fifty bucks says you put your head on the table and I can totally shoot a slice in your fat mouth." Adrian and I were both laughing then as I set my head down on the coffee table beside the pizza with a smug grin.

"Just fifty bucks? I'll take that bet dude. But if you can't get it in three tries, you need to tell Mavis that you were the one who gave her underwear to the girls volleyball team for their stupid panty chain flag." Topher looked absolutely terrified then, Adrian held his nose tightly trying to stop the laughter at his friend's misfortune. But before I could stuff my own face with a likely alarming amount of pizza, Topher stopped my hand and gave me a treacherous smirk all his own.

"For a hundred bucks? And in only three tries? Bro, if you make the shot without any aid and without pulling some loophole bullshit on me, you win. But if you lose-" he taunted, clearly trying to give a dramatic pause as his smirk turned ever darker. "You lose and you totally gotta be the getaway house." I blanched in terror, feeling all color leave my face. The getaway house was essentially code from our later high school and early college days where someone, usually Topher, could use one of our friend group's house or dorm room for a night if they found either a date or for a hookup. And whoever was in charge of the getaway house had to hand over the keys whenever needed for at least the night. Topher was never one to half ass things, but damn he was clearly desperate if he was going to pull this on me. But I refused to take a challenge lying down. I clapped our hands together in an unnecessarily loud and firm handshake.

"You're on. But if you kill my pizza in your three shots, I better get reimbursed for my dinner dude." With a laugh of agreement we both set up in front of Adrian who was now to be our neutral judge should there be any technicalities. I opened my mouth wide as my head sat on the table awaiting the delicious mess that was about to ensue as Topher took the first shot. He rolled up the slice of pizza like a joint as tight as he could without making the toppings spill out and he did his best to arc the pizza spear into my mouth. Unfortunately all the bastard managed to do is spear my eye and make alfredo splatter all over my forehead and hair while the pizza itself unrolled and further spread its saucy blood all over my head as it lay defeated across my head like a bad tupe. But with clearly none of the pizza in my mouth, Topher let out a curse before I punched his side for the sauce in my eyes. Adrian was laughing and saving my head and the pizza as best he could, setting it aside on a plate on Topher's side.

"Okay, Topher, strike one dude. I think it should be obvious that his eye is NOT the right hole here." he wheezed, holding his aching ribs as he sat back on the couch to judge and spectate.

Topher stuck out his tongue and made a face petulantly as I readied my own shot. I rolled the pizza up much like Topher, aiming it like a dart as I tried to figure how to arc it towards my mouth from where my body was standing. I couldn't tell if I was at an advantage or not being that I could see the angle it would be coming from rather than seeing where it should be going. But I took my shot when I felt I had it lined up, and my aim was slightly better than Topher's but still missed my mark and ended up missing the alfredo in my eyes when the pizza decided to try and splash up my nose instead of my eye. It hurt like hell and my body flinched upon impact, but at least this time I got to taste some of the delicious mistakes rather than only wearing it. I coughed and gagged, something that was near impossible until something fucks with my nose. I coughed and cleaned up my face as I tried to keep down my lunch whilst Adrian and Topher laughed and laughed in the background.

"Yeah, laugh it up ya bastards, laugh it up. But we'll see who's laughing come summer." I taunted weakly through my coughs. One way or another every summer it seemed like girls got a kick out of finding out which in their little group was the best at deepthroating popsicles. And I never got tired of joining in, grabbing the biggest one I could find and showing off my complete lack of gag reflex by deepthroating and swallowing the whole icy treat in one go. So far the only one to be able to come close to beating me was Haley Whorff, and that got her a whole summer of teasing from Topher and Davis about her having a big mouth and it being no wonder she wanted to work in linguistics.

My threat got me nowhere however as Topher just laughed and pretended to be giving a blowjob to the air and Adrian laughed harder and wheezed as his ribs ached. I flipped them both off with my free hand once my nose was clear of alfredo sauce and the pizza discarded on a plate on the other side of my head. Once my head was placed back on the table, my body went back to stand by Topher who was preparing his next shot. His keen eyes focused on my mouth and I had to fight the growing urge to make a cringy flirty face at him to make him laugh and mess up. Once his pizza dart was ready he quickly threw it pointedly into my cheek and smeared pizza in my trimmed beard. I laughed and Adrian snickered as he moved the pizza to the plate to the left of my head alongside Topher's first attempt. I smirked as my body readied my own second attempt.

"Man, hundred bucks sounds almost lame compared to if I had made you find a way to be the getaway house. 'Cause your mother would absolutely KILL you if that ever happened." I taunted, hoping this time I could make the shot so I could enjoy my pizza with a healthy side of sportsmanly gloating. He paled and flipped me off. "Dude, my mother's damn near impossible to trick, and the fact that I'd also have to work around a whole pack and a house full of siblings, it would be a death sentence for me to even TRY." I rolled my eyes with a snort as I opened my mouth and took the shot, this time just barely bouncing off my bottom lip and my chin thusly slathering my beard in cheesy goodness while only a single piece of pineapple made it into my mouth which I proudly showed off hoping to win on a technicality. Adrian rolled his eyes and pulled on a piece of my hair.

"You didn't win. The wager said pizza, not pineapple, bro. Topher gets one more shot before he loses, and if you don't make your shot, I say you both fess up to the house." Adrian further smirked and pointed to the locked box we used as a sort of piggy bank for things the whole gang wanted to do and save up for. As it was we were saving up for going to a concert as a whole group, we had yet to agree on who to go see but we had all agreed we wanted to go to a concert as if we were still reckless teenagers and have a day of equally reckless fun. I groaned but agreed, fishing my wallet from my pocket and took out a hundred which I put on the table out of the splash zone before motioning to Topher that he should do the same. The werewolf rolled his eyes and let out a huge huff before digging for his wallet and putting his card on the table. When he noticed both Adrian and I looking at him he shrugged indifferently

"I don't carry cash. Takes up too much room in my wallet and is harder to keep track of, I went fully plastic after I found Mavis and Davis would take small bills from any wallet they could find unattended and pretend it was their allowance before mom caught them." Figuring that was fair, Adrian waved Topher on to take his final turn. For him this was all or nothing, and he seemed to be taking this very seriously now as he carefully rolled his final slice of pizza at an angle this time which gave him a much longer roll as if hoping that would give him more control. Hoping it at least somewhat rang true, I opened my mouth wide one more time. Holding my breath as he aimed with his eyes trained sharply on me in a way that would be terrifying if it had been anyone besides Topher aiming a delicious pizza spear at me. With two mock tosses, he finally threw the delicate spear towards my mouth only for it to hit my teeth and fall apart with only a scant few pieces of dough, sauce and pineapple falling into my mouth from the impact before the rest fell onto the table with an almost satisfying 'plop'. Seconds after the pizza fell, Topher let out a cry of defeat, hands tugging at his hair and falling to his knees in pure despair. I gave a quick cheer and grabbed my own final slice while Adrian cleaned up the pizza before it went to waste. I rolled my pizza into as compact a dart as I could and took aim, taking a deep breath in and taking the shot, eyes closed tightly in anticipation after the slice left my fingers and was airborne. I waited for what felt like an eternity before I felt the edible dart fully enter my mouth and if I'd had a gag reflex, it would have totally choked me before I clumsily bit down on the slice and swallowed most of it as I pulled the rest of it into my mouth to be chewed and eaten properly around my cheers. Topher further whined in despair and loss, while I was more than grateful to have earned a hundred bucks extra and could now enjoy eating my pizza normally. Adrian gave a small cheer from his spot on the couch with a slice of pizza in hand for himself to eat.

"Bet's a bet, wolfie. Ya better fess up the cash." I taunted, grabbing my head in one hand and the hundred I bet to flash it and Topher's card at him with a smug grin. He glared petulantly and pulled out his phone to just send me the money. With another quick cheer for joy, I then sat beside Adrian and slowly devoured the few ruined pizza slices so I could enjoy the nice ones last. Topher took a seat in the bean bag chair to the left of the couch closer to Adrian and opened his own box. The heat of the competition gone he finally got a good look over Adrian and his injuries. He sent me a worried look but knew not to mention anything. Adrian liked to tell people about these things in his own time, and if anyone rushed him it tended to just send him about five steps back in his mental healing from the added trauma.

"So either of you two gonna join the haunted hayride this year? Think if we can make a sturdy neck rig, we can do a whole bit where Caellum drives the hayride telling ghost stories and shit and at the end of the ride pretends to lose his head and scare them shitless!"

I chuckled, agreeing and very much liking the thought, excited and grateful to just relax now. Everything always felt more peaceful when Adrian was home. Even with the added pressure and responsibility to take care of him. But for now, I could just focus on planning for another epic Halloween!

"I'm down, sounds like a solid plan to me. Adrian, you game?" I asked, tilting my head towards him as I dangled another slice of pizza into my mouth. Adrian paused for a moment, looking deep in thought. I assumed he was over his recent spike of social anxiety with crowds which I also assumed was due to his last ex. She had been… something to say the least, trying to monopolize his time over the three or so months that they were together. It had been as if she was slowly closing him off from the world and recently it seemed her efforts had begun to pay off and any gatherings larger than a few friends he tended to turn down. I shifted in my spot so my legs draped across his good leg gently. "You don't have to if you don't want to, I just figured since you used to have so much fun scaring the crap out of little kids at these things that you'd want to at least try. Or if it's the crowds you want to avoid you could always just help with set up and clean up, or you can help us figure out how to make a believable moving neck rig for me!" I offered, hoping he would take the bait. He seldom ever did anything with his techy brain anymore.

He loved robotics in high school and being your typical nerd but he loved to try most anything at least once. So many years of abuse from so many women in his life has taken more than anyone should ever lose from him. He still looked unsure, fidgeting with his pizza before eating it slowly. I opened my mouth after finishing a bite to try and sweeten the deal for him when Topher completely cut me off.

"Dude, with your help we could easily make it in the running for best attraction of the season! Remember when you and that guy from Math class who did the metallurgy stuff as a hobby teamed up and you guys made the local paper for the moving dragon you guys made out of fucking SPOONS?! You won the robotics contest that year and if you hadn't had that accident that spring you could have totally gone to the regionals!"

I beamed at Topher's gushing. The playboy didn't usually remember much that wasn't about getting laid or pack related, but I was glad he remembered that. It had been one of Adrian's best moments growing up, not too long before the string of abusive lovers came along with the high school hormones. It was a time when I seldom had to worry about my little brother, and I could see from his melancholy expression that he missed the confidence and independence he had back then. Not wanting to drop the ball and lose this chance to help Adrian get back to being himself, I quickly racked my brain for something to add to make him really want to join us at the haunted hayride.

"I bet if we connect with another metallurgy study we could totally make the best haunted hayride around. And if we get noticed we could be asked to come back or help with other big events. It would be a great way to get you back into robotics like you wanted when we were in high school. Not only that, but anything we come up with could probably be used as an entry for the next competition for our age group, and if not you have us to help you make a new device. It would be like middle school again. The three of us try to be like scientists while you're doing most of the work and telling us what to do while you program the functions." I chuckled, Topher snorting into his pizza at the memory and nearly choking. Adrian gave a lighthearted chuckle before he sighed and nodded, pushing his dark brown hair out of his face.

"Alright. I don't know how much help I'll be, but if it means so much to you guys, I'll try." Topher and I let out a cheer, raising our sodas and gobbling the last of our pizzas. It felt like things were finally going to lighten up. Like things would finally just be normal, no worry and dread looming every time you turn on your TV or look at your phone, no more awkward visits to strange apartments in seedy parts of town to make sure everything's okay. It felt like now things would finally just actually be okay. And to me, that was more than enough for now. And for Adrian, I just hope the sense of normalcy stays. I peered at him over the top of my can while I picked up my head to drink and then settled it in my lap. He seemed content right now as he idly chatted with Topher about ideas they could try for the haunted hayride, but I knew he still had a long way to go before he was truly content and recovering.