Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

July 4th, 1978

Light shows of red, white and blue sprinkled across the sky—paired with piercing booms. The sky remained lit as you poorly navigated the festival. Your feet felt like they were horrifically attempting to play hopscotch.

“Amelia!” you called out, hoping to find your friend amidst the chaos. A blur of people and voices fogged your vision and hearing. It wasn’t long before you slammed straight into what could be mistaken as a brick wall.

The wind was completely knocked out of your lungs as you fell back to the ground. Your drink went flying somewhere to the side, however you weren’t worried about the overpriced beer.

“I’m sorry,” you began, apologizing before you even attempted to get up. Your hands started to hoist your upper body up but it was a harder feat that you anticipated. A voice made you glance up.

“It’s alright.”

Your body felt like it was spinning as you felt yourself being lifted from the ground. You zoned out hard, the only thought on your mind being how much you needed to puke. You concentrated so hard on not throwing up on the man you bumped into, that you hadn’t even realized you moved locations.

You felt yourself being set down on the grass. The cool blades beneath your skin brought you back to the present. You resided by a wall of one of the public restrooms, a ways away from the rest of the crowd. Your head spun—in what felt like slow motion—over to where the man was.

“I don’t feel that good.” Your words barely made it out as a delayed laugh followed suit.

After hearing the water fountain run for a few seconds, you almost jumped at the feeling of a cool, damp washcloth on your forehead.

“Oh, thank you. Do you just keep that on you?” You giggled as you looked up at the stranger. The first thing that caught your attention was how beautiful his eyes looked in the moonlight.

He took a seat down next to you.

“I try to be prepared.” That was the first time you really processed his voice, or just him in general.

“That’s great, you’re better than I am. I’d lose my head if it wasn’t attached to my shoulders.” You kept the cloth against your forehead. “Sick festival, yeah?”

A corners of his mouth curled slightly into a smile. “Yeah, it’s something. My little brother dragged me here.”

“Oohh, did you not wanna come? You shouldn’t let him dictate what.. what you wanna do.” You spewed out complete nonsense as a hearty chuckle left the stranger.

“Oh, no, it’s fine. Plus, if you didn’t bump into me, you could’ve bumped into someone dangerous.”

“That’s right! Hah! You’re so right. You’re so nice, too.” You really felt the impressive amount of beer that you’ve consumed. “Did you buy any of those funnel cakes? They usually sell them at fairs and carnivals but they set up a stand near the front. I got one and loved it.”

“No, I didn’t see the stand. They’re that good, huh?” His eyes carefully watched your intoxicated excitement. “Yes! You should totally try one someday. Maybe at the next carnival. They have one sometime in October! You should get one then.”

“Maybe I will,” he says, glossing over your giddiness. The two of you fell silent for a moment. There was the sound of muffled talking and excitement along with distant music and fireworks booming.

Your eyes glanced back at the man, watching as he emptied his pockets for a moment. You found his button up shirt cute—little cartoon fireworks littering the front. Truly fitting for the holiday. Your eyes landed on a small box of cards before widening in interest.

“Can you do a magic trick?”

He stopped dead in his tracks, his hands freezing up. His eyes immediately met yours, to which you immediately began drunkenly apologizing.

“I-I’m sorry if I offended you,” you slurred slightly, raising your hands up in defense. “I didn’t mean anything by i-“

“Yeah. I can do a magic trick.”

A grin began slowly eating away at your face as he smiled down at you. You watched patiently as he took out the deck of cards, completely disregarding his odd reaction to your question.

“There’s one card in this deck that I turned upside down. Name a card.”

“Ten of diamonds.”

He spewed the deck out in front of you, letting you have a look at the cards displayed. The deck looked worn out, the colors fading ever-so-slightly. You could tell he had kept this set for a long time. Your eyes locked onto the singular upside down card.

Your grin only grew wider as you locked eyes with him. He flipped the card right side up. An almost juvenile smile inhabited his face as he spoke almost at a whisper. “Ten of diamonds.”

There it was, the card you asked for.

“Holy shit.” Your laugh bellowed out, grabbing his forearm amidst your joy; partly due to the alcohol and your need for physical touch as well as to stabilize yourself. “You’re magical, dude.”

His smile never faded as he watched you marvel over the cards. He didn’t even care that you were basically putting half your body weight onto him.

“Oh, one more thing.”

Your eyes flickered back up to him as his other hand began to raise. Your confusion quickly disappeared as his hand brushed against your hair, pulling a quarter from out behind your ear.

You fell back into the grass as you erupted into laughter. “Fuck! That’s sick!”

He looked down at your cackling face. A white glow from the full moon lit up your features, your eyes remaining with wonder as they stared at him. He breathed in a good lungful, his mind clearing as he breathed out, a satisfied smile wreathing his lips.

“You’ve got beautiful eyes. I meant to tell you that.”

His expression flickered for a moment, though you couldn’t quite pinpoint what it changed to.

“Thank you.” You could almost see a smile on his face. Or maybe that was just you hoping. You couldn’t really tell in the darkness.

“I think it’s time you go home.” He placed an arm underneath your back and pushed you up slightly. You groaned slightly in protest. “I don’t wanna. I’m having fun.”

“I know, but you’ve had a lot to drink. Time to go rest, yeah?” He steadied your form, your drunken hands grasping at his shoulders and arms. ”I’ll take you home.” As the two of you stood, his sizable arm held you to make sure you didn’t fall or trip.

“You didn’t drive here, did you?”

His question made you think before you quickly remembered the answer. “No, no I got a ride from my friend Amelia. I’ll call her in the morning to tell her I’m not dead.” Your words awarded laughter from your new designated driver.

“You’re so bulky. Do you work out?” Your hand had rested on the wrist of the arm that remained place around your shoulder. A slightly breathy laugh escaped his lips. “You need to stop flattering me. It’ll go to my head.”

“Let it. The magic was impressive enough to allow it.” Your uncontrollable giggling kept up even as you were placed into the passenger seat of a vehicle you didn’t recognize.

“Where do you live?” he asked, his voice perking your head back up as he got into the driver’s side seat. You spewed out your address, watching him turn the key in the ignition. The cool air conditioning felt incredible on your sweat-stained skin. Your head fell back onto the headrest, eyes closing as you let the cold air consume you.

“I hope you’re not like a murderer or anything.”

He found that amusing. “No, of course not.”

“Great.” Your giggling came out delayed and breathy. “Had to make sure.”

You bathed in the silence, taking in the air and the rumbling of the vehicle. You cracked your eyes open to at least make sure you were going in the right direction. You recognized the street, which was enough for you.

Your body felt weak as the feeling of exhaustion began to consume you. Though, it wasn’t long before you felt the vehicle shift into park, the ignition shutting off not long after. Your eyelids felt so heavy.

The driver’s side door closed, signaling his exit. You let out a long exhale before hearing the passenger side door creak open.

“Come on, I’ve got you.” You felt your almost limp body fall into the arms of a stranger. Your weak hands clasped around his neck as he carried you to the door. You hadn’t even verified if this was your house or not.

“Can I see your keys?”

His voice was quiet and tender, almost lulling you into slumber by itself.

“Pocket” was all you were able to muster. You felt his hand reach into one of your front pockets; the pressure of his fingers made your stomach tingle. He wiggled the keys out of your pocket before unlocking the door.

The meowing of your beloved kitty was all the verification you needed as far as whose house it was.

The stranger carried you into your living room, turning on his heel slightly as he tried figuring out where your bedroom was. A small huff left him, his feet carrying him down the nearest hallway. He picked a room and guessed correctly.

His arms gently set you down onto the bedsheets, your head immediately melting into the pillow. Your lamp had still been on when you left, allowing him a light to see your room with. You felt your shoes being carefully taken off.

“Thank you,” you muttered into the pillow.

“Of course.“

Your interest peaked as you heard the sound of slight scribbling and paper shuffling. However, your eyes screamed in protest of being opened. The cap of a pen popped back onto its righteous place before being stuck back where it belonged.

“Sleep tight.”

The stranger exited your room before closing your bedroom door. His footsteps could be heard fading away as he left your house.

You were gonna just wait until morning but you couldn’t bear the curiosity. You forced your eyes open slightly, noticing a sticky note very out of place on your desk. Reaching over, you took it into your hands and read it with squinted eyes.

‘Sleep well.’ -Albert

A phone number resided beneath the message.

‘

He couldn’t stop thinking about those six simple words that you had said to him. They ate him alive as he lay in his bed, arms tucked behind his head.

“Can you do a magic trick?”

He was unsure why it changed his course of action so much. Sure, he found you to be a pretty girl, and even thought your company to be remotely pleasant. But at the end of the day, the only thing that remained at the forefront of his mind was how he was going to kill you.

Why did your question change that so suddenly? You were white-girl wasted, it was too easy of an opportunity to pass up—yet he threw it away. Threw it away over a magic trick. It lurked in the back of his mind like a thorn in his side. The look of pure wonder on your face as you watched him. Pure admiration—something he’s never gotten before. It felt good. Too good. He wanted someone to look at him like that again. He remembered the weight of you in his arms, and the feeling of your arms around his neck. He shuttered the feeling away quickly before rolling over to his side—eyes closing.

He couldn’t even begin to tell anyone why he left the sticky note. He told himself it’s so he could strangle you sometime later, but it’s unlikely he even believed that.

Chapter Text

July 5th, 1978

Your fingers hesitated for a moment as you held the receiver to your ear, the digits hovering over the numbers. You would be lying if you said you weren’t nervous. The sticky note felt so intimidating.

Taking a deep breath in an attempt to tell yourself everything was fine, you dialed the numbers from the note and let the phone ring. It’s nearly lunchtime, surely he would pick up.

The thumps of your heart paired with the ringing nearly drove you to insanity; thoughts of hanging up and that this is a stupid idea ran through your head. But, before you could act, someone picked up. Though, it wasn’t the voice you remembered from last night.

“Hello?”

A different man spoke, which almost brought you a sense of disappointment. Was he home? Was this even the right number?

“I.. um.. is,” your eyes darted down to the sticky note for a split second. “Albert. Is he home?”

You knew his name. You had read over the writing what felt like thousands of times. You just wanted to make sure it didn’t magically change.

“Oh?” A surprised reaction emitted from the phone. “Really? Uh, I can check. I only just got out of bed.” An awkward smile inhabited your face as you heard him laugh, as if he could see you. You heard his distant voice yelling across the house.

“He’s coming, I hear him shuffling around.” The man remained on the other end for a moment longer until the phone was exchanged owners.

“Hello?”

There it was. Your chest tightened. This is a stupid idea.

“I, uh, hi. It’s the girl from last night.” You followed up with your name and paused, waiting for a second before continuing. “I just wanted to call to tell you that I appreciate your help and.. I’m glad you weren’t an axe murderer,” you say before releasing a small, nervous laugh.

“Oh, what a surprise. How are you feeling?”

His voice on the other end both took a weight off of your shoulders and made your heart beat a little faster.

“I’m fine, just a small headache. I hope I didn’t say anything too weird or inconvenience you TOO much.” Your voice kept its awkward undertones as you made an attempt to converse.

“No, no, you’re fine. I promise.” His own small laugh withered some of your worry away. “You were just peachy.”

“I hope that’s not sarcasm,” you say before letting out a genuine chuckle. “I do remember liking your magic a lot.”

“Ahh, the magic, yes. I know more tricks than just those two, you know.”

You leaned against the wall, repositioning the receiver as a stupid smile claimed your face. “Yeah? I’ve never met anyone who could do magic. It’s really cool. Oh, before I forget, can I have your address?” You quickly began to stammer in defense right after you finished speaking. “I-It’s not for anything weird or anything, I just wanted to stop by to show my gratitude.”

Your heart dropped as you realized how that sounded too.

“Wait- hold on, fuck. N-not like that, dammit.” You could only laugh as a wave of bashfulness washed over you. “I’m all over the place today.” You received a laugh from the other end, which only made the pinkish tint on your cheeks grow more. His voice rang through your head as he recited his address, to which you scribbled it down.

“I was just gonna drop off some dessert or something. What do you like? Brownies? Cookies? A pie?”

“Surprise me.”

“Oh, don’t make me pick. What if I bring something you don’t like?” A sudden layer of worry washed over you as dozens of dessert options flew through your brain.

“I’ll eat anything you make.“

You’re not sure why that made you smile so much. You landed on brownies. Can’t go wrong with brownies, yeah?

“I’ve decided. When’s, um.. a good time to drop them off?” Your finger unknowingly curled around the phone cord as you spoke.

“Anytime. I go back to work next Monday,” a little laugh came from the receiver. “Aren’t they just generous with holiday days off?

“Oh, absolutely. Well, would you want my arrival to be a surprise too?”

The lack of a response for a moment worried you; anxious thoughts of maybe crossing a line ran through you.

“Sure.” You let out a sigh of relief as quietly as you could. “Why not? Gives me something to look forward to.” That stupid smile began to form back onto your face. “Okay, sounds great. I’ll be over—“ you paused. “At some point.” He chuckled as you finished your sentence.

“I won’t keep you too long, now. Thank you again for last night.” You stood straight up as you got ready to get the brownies prepared.

“Not a problem at all. I’ll see you soon.” He followed up his words with your name, to which your lips curled.

“Alright. Bye now.”

You put the phone up after hearing his goodbyes, a long sigh leaving your lips. Along with your breath, your anxiety left your body too.

Your fingers picked the phone back up before dialing another number.

“Hey.”

“Holy shit, I was worried about you! You just disappeared last night!” Amelia’s voice boomed out of the receiver. You knew she’d have a reaction like this.

“Yeah, I know, that’s my bad. I couldn’t find you and I just ended up running into a guy who gave me a ride home.” You braced yourself for questioning.

“A guy? Like a stranger? You’re accepting rides from strangers? Was he cute? Did you sleep with him?” Her questions began to pile up before you cut her off abruptly.

“Yes, a stranger. He wasn’t like an axe murderer for anything. If he was, I wouldn’t be talking to you,” you laughed. “No, I didn’t sleep with him. We just talked for a little bit and then he took me home.”

“Alright, if you say so. You got lucky, you know. It’s hard to find guys with good intentions nowadays.” You rolled your eyes as she laughed.

“Well, was he cute? Surely such a kind man would have the face to match it.” Amelia’s almost juvenile tone made you laugh.

The night had its drunken haze to it, but you could remember his face fondly. A strong structure paired with gorgeous eyes. You recalled his hair cascading down to his shoulders. His incredibly broad shoulders. That was when you remembered his sheer linebacker build.

“Yeah, he was cute. A little older, sure, but aged like fine wine.” You felt like a middle school girl again.

“Oooh really? You’ve always liked them older anyway,” Amelia giggled away. “A little age gap never hurt anyone, right?”

“Right.” Your back leaned against the wall again as your conversation with Amelia went on.

‘

The brand new Tupperware sat buckled in your passenger seat as your car made its way down the residential street. Your heart was nearly beating out of your chest as you inched closer to the address you were given.

That feeling of anxiety that came creeping back up your throat.

You pulled into the driveway carefully, putting the vehicle in park. The house felt so intimidating as you stepped out of your car with the dessert. The sound of a dog barking didn’t exactly help.

Walking up to the door, you sheepishly knocked. To your surprise, another man answered the door. Instead of the face you expected, you were met with combed back black hair and a hefty ‘stache—as well as an equally surprised face.

“Wasn’t expecting any visitors. You got the wrong house?” He questioned, leaning on the doorframe. His eyes glanced down at the brownies in your hands. “I could go for a bite of those, though.” His laugh made you ease up a little.

You knew Albert lived with at least one other man, and figured this was him.

“Yeah, I’m actually here to drop these off for Albert. He uh, did me a massive favor last night.”

His face lit up for a split second, to which you could almost see the lightbulb spring atop his head.

“Ohhh, you were the girl on the phone this morning! Come in, come in, just let me clean up a tiny bit.” He opened the door wider to let you through. You glanced around the house as the man swept some things off of the coffee table.

“He had to run some errands out and about but I’m sure he won’t be long.” You heard something falling followed by a ‘fuck’. “Make yourself at home. I’m Max, by the way.”

“Max,” you tried out this new fellow’s name. “I didn’t know he had a roommate.” You placed the brownies on the kitchen counter before making your way back to the living room, sitting sheepishly on the couch.

“Oh, no, he’s my brother. I’m just staying with him for a little while so I can get my bearings.” Max came back into the living room and sat in an adjacent chair.

“You said you guys met last night?” He questioned.

“Yeah, I was.. horrifically wasted at the fourth of July festival and bumped into him,” you laughed, a little embarrassed at the memory. “He led me to a quieter area and we talked for a little bit before he took me home.”

Max almost looked puzzled. “I asked him to come out there for fun but I never thought he’d actually.. what’s the word, socialize? He had never been a fan of big gatherings.” Max let out a chuckle as he assumably began to recall memories in his head.

“I’m glad he came out of it with some companionship!” Max clasped his hands together. “Do you want to see baby pictures? I’ve got an album.”

It didn’t take long to realize Max was a very ecstatic, jumpy person. Maybe it was natural, maybe it had something to do with the tiny particles of coke that remained on the glass table. Maybe both.

Before you could say anything, the two of you were interrupted with barking and a vehicle door shutting.

“Oh, speak of the devil.” Max’s words got out just before the front door opened and a large figure emerged from the July heat.

The sounds of the door closing and the rustling of plastic bags ceased after a few seconds, his face turning to look at you and Max. You could only awkwardly smile and give a tiny wave. This was your first time seeing him in person without being heavily intoxicated.

“Your friend here dropped by and has graciously offered some dessert.” Max’s head turned back to you. “I can have some of that too, right?”

You couldn’t help but laugh at Max’s “nature”, assuming the coke still had a hold on him.

“Yes, of course.” Your eyes glanced back up at Albert’s, a slightly surprised expression resting on his face. His expression lightened up as your name danced off of his tongue.

“I didn’t think you’d be here.” He placed the bags down in the kitchen before making his way back to the living room.

“Yeah, I got a little ahead of myself,” you said shyly, your hand rubbing the back of your neck. “I made brownies. They’re on the counter.”

He glanced back at the kitchen before turning back to you. “You’re just in time for dinner. I bought ingredients for chicken alfredo.”

“Dinner? I couldn’t, I already leeched off of you too much as is.” You placed your hands up. But, he persisted.

“I insist.” He smiled, gesturing for you to join him in the kitchen.

“Oh, alright. I guess it couldn’t hurt,” you reply as a dumb grin ate away at your face. You took a seat at the table and watched as he got everything laid out on the counter.

“These brownies look phenomenal.” His compliment made you feel shy.

“Thank you, it’s really nothing. I was a little scared to go too out of bounds.” Your hand once again made its way to the back of your neck.

“Can I get you a beverage?” He opened the fridge before taking a glance back at you, awaiting a response.

“Oh, just whatever is fine,” you waved your hand slightly. “I’m not picky.”

He slid a soda across the table, the can residing perfectly in front of you. Your smile never faded once. As you flick open the tab, you began to speak.

“So how did you get into magic?” You watched his forearms open the packagings as you took a sip of the soda. His muscular form was undoubtedly attractive. People his age tend to let go, but his build showed his effort put in to keep his form sturdy.

“I fell in love with it as a boy. I eventually began teaching myself simple tricks, like the two I showed you.” His reference to the previous night made you laugh. “Those were simple? I wasn’t even sure how you did them.”

“Oh, yeah, he’s always loved magic. He’s fascinated me for years with it.” Max took a seat at the table next to you, coming back from god knows where. “No idea how he does it.”

“It’s magic,” you dramatically brought your hands up, to which you received a laugh from Max.

“I like you, you’re funny.” Max pointed a finger at you. “We gotta keep her around.”

‘

His eyes kept glancing back up at you, watching as you ate. His eye twitched ever so slightly as his fingers grasped at the fork that only poked at the pasta.

He watched as you conversed with Max, laughing at his corny jokes and listening to his conspiracy theories.

You were so sweet. He could almost get a toothache from just being around you. So, incredibly sweet. Your kindness, your wittiness that matched his brother’s, your humor. He took note of it all.

Why couldn’t he dislike you? Why couldn’t he just go through with his plans? Was he becoming too soft? No, no of course not. The weather was picking up outside. You hadn’t noticed yet. He’ll invite you to stay. He’ll do it tonight.

‘

“Oh, god, I didn’t know it was gonna storm.” Your fingers moved the curtains away from the window, watching as the rain poured from the skies above.

“You can crash here.” Max offered. Albert let out a small chuckle.

“You beat me to it, Max.”

“Are you sure? I’d hate to intrude.” You turned away from the window, closing the curtain back to where it was.

“No, no, it’s no bother at all. You can take my room, I’ll sleep on the couch.” Albert offered, placing all of the dishes into the sink. “No ifs ands or buts, you’re our guest, and you deserve to be comfortable.”

You laughed. “I guess there’s no arguing, huh?” A chuckle came from the man in the kitchen. “Let me tidy it up and it’ll be yours for the night.”

“The bathroom is down the hall to the left, if you need it.” Max mentions before stuffing a brownie into his mouth. “These are really good.” His muffled words were paired with a thumbs up. You let out a laugh as he struggled to swallow the entire thing.

“You could’ve chewed it first. Just a thought.”

“No, no, only cowards chew first,” he choked the chocolate down. “I needed the entire thing in its glory.”

“You’re a walking choking hazard,” you joked, arms crossing as he coughed.

Albert re-enters the living room before gesturing down the hallway. “Whenever you’re ready to hit the hay.”

“It’s a little late now, anyway. I think i’ll get some sleep.” You smiled at him as you got up, making your way towards the hallway.

“Thank you for letting me sleep here, goodnight guys.” You kept on as you heard the goodnight biddings from the two men. You creaked the door open more before shutting it behind you.

The room smelled of freshly washed bedsheets and cologne. Almost mirroring the way you kept your room, he had every light turned off except for a small lamp. You hated to ruin the made bed, but you slipped under the bedsheets and let the warmth consume you. The smell of him lingered, to which it slowly seemed to lull you into sleep.

‘

He stood above your sleeping figure, your mouth agape slightly as you basked in slumber. With eyes that went over every feature you possessed, his fingers trembled around their grip on the belt.

He’s twice your size, this should be a walk in the park. Your airway would be too blocked to call for help. His previous desires to watch the life drain from your eyes began to slip away as if they were a distant memory.

You had no idea. Not the slightest clue.

You made him vulnerable.

He silently walked over to the bedside, staring down at your still figure. Your smooth skin that resided in his bed, your head that sunk into the pillow, each tiny breath that you took.

He longed for bloodshed—for gasps of air as you hopelessly tried to grasp life.

But he couldn’t do it.

He brushed away a few strands of your hair from your face as you slept peacefully. There was something so touching about seeing you in his bed, his designated space. He hated it. He hated how tender the feeling was. How it seemed to drown out each violent thought he possessed.

He couldn’t do it.