#more preharrisco than anything else

[funeral-clown]

 @heckyeahharrisco for harriscofest 2017

@aquaexplicit i diddly done did it yo

prompt: vampires

Cisco took a deep, calming breath as the van pulled up to the old, seemingly abandoned Victorian-style house. The late autumn leaves blew in the fading dusk light, doing nothing to detract from it’s overall unsettling aura. That uneasiness that pervaded the air surrounding the seemingly dilapidated dwelling was why he was here.

He clicked on his dictaphone and began speaking.

“As I pulled into the driveway of the creepy-ass house, I asked myself. Why is it always Victorians? Do ghosts just like them better? Why can’t they ever haunt, like, a luxury condo? I will ask one if this place turns out as haunted as the locals say.”

With that he got out and began unpacking his ghost hunting equipment. If he made enough to hire an assistant, his job would be way easier, but as it was Cisco Ramon was a man alone. A tragic hero, if you will, standing between the paranormal and humanity itself, seeking out the dark figures that spread unrest. Solitary, he roamed the country, in constant pursuit of-

A sudden wail cut off what he was sure was one of his best internal monologues yet. Startled, he almost dropped his EMF meter.

“Hey!” he snapped at the house, “I built this stuff myself, and if I break it because you feel like being an asshole, I will go ghostbusters on you!”

The wailing ceased and silence reigned heavily, a sense of amused anticipation filling the air.

“Alright then,” Cisco muttered, clicking on his camcorder and walking up the messy porch. He lifted his hand to knock on the door, only for it to creak open ominously. Rolling his eyes, he stepped inside. The door slammed shut behind him, and he tried not to jump.

“Hello?“ he called out, then immediately cursed himself for being a horror movie cliche. He was a professional, dammit. “My name is Francisco Ramon. If there is a presence in this house, please make yourself known.”

A high pitched giggle filled the air, sending shivers down his spine. 

“The entity is playful, possibly a child,” he muttered. 

“Hey!” came a voice from above him, “I’m 23! Or, well. I was.”

He looked up to see an apparition floating above his head, arms crossed over her chest and a put out expression on her face.

“Sorry,” he offered, shooting her a placating grin.

Her face changed to one of shock.

“You...You can see me?“

“Yeah, dude.”

She stared at him for a moment, face contorting into a plethora of emotions. More than anything, he saw longing.

“It’s been so long,” she whispered, floating down closer to him, hands stretching out towards his face. “You can see me!”

Cisco just nodded. This wasn’t unusual when meeting specters for the first time.

A sudden clattering came from upstairs, making him jump. The ghost paused, seemingly shaken out of her trance-like fascination. 

A sound like footsteps thudded their way across the ceiling.

“Who’s that?“ Cisco asked, eyes trained upwards to follow the sound.

The ghost seemed almost sheepish, laughing nervously.

“That would be my dad.”

“Your what?”

The footsteps stopped at the head of the stairs. A tall figure loomed in the shadows, two twin glints of light glaring through the darkness at him. For a second everything was frozen still. No one moved. No one breathed. Then, in a blink, Cisco found himself glaring up into the face of a snarling man with- shit, were those fangs-trying his hardest to grasp what had just happened.

“How the hell did you get into my house?” the mother fucking vampire, apparently, growled.

“Th-the door opened itself!”

“Impossible. I locked it myself this morning.” His fangs glistened as he spoke, face to close for Cisco’s comfort.

“L-look, man, if you have some home renovations needed take it up with your door. All I’m saying is I just walked in here, no problem!”

His eyes were locked on the man’s teeth, fear coiled low in his gut as he stammered his way through an explanation.

The vampire sighed, hands dropping from where they were bunching Cisco’s shirt in his fists.

“Jesse,” he muttered tiredly. The exhausted frustration made him seem almost human.

“Who’s Jesse?“ he asked.

“Me,” came a voice in his ear. The ghost girl.

“Oh, so your name isn’t Casper, then?“ She snorted and rolled her eyes, making him grin.

“Wait.” Ice formed on his spine as the cold voice snapped out, and honestly, Cisco, you forgot about the motherfucking vampire?

He turned back to the man, trying to cover his nervousness.

“You.” the creature paused. He seemed torn, desperate. “You can see her.”

“Yeeeeaaaahhh?“ 

“You can see my daughter.”

“Comes with being a psychic, bro.”

The vampire grimaced in distaste at the moniker before refocusing his eyes on Cisco. He seemed zoned, almost, all of his energy directed on observation, watching him. Cisco felt like a bug under a microscope, or a deer that looks up and suddenly thinks ‘hey, was that tiger always there?’, locked in his gaze. Why did a vampire need glasses, anyway.

“Prove it,” the creature whispered. “Tell me what she looks like.”

Cisco almost tells him to fuck off, but his face is broken. What should be a command almost sounds like pleading. He can’t see her, Cisco realizes. 

“Ok,” he mutters, strangely trying to be comforting. “Ok. She’s got, uh, brown hair. Kinda on the small side.” Jesse flips him off, grinning. He grins back. “A better sense of humor than her dad, apparently. She’s got your eyes, so, uh, congrats on that I guess. And she was 24 when she. You know, kicked it.” He winces internally.

“23,” they both correct in unison, almost absently. They’re both staring at him now, almost hungrily. Which. Probably not a great expression to be getting from a member of the undead.

“Jesse,” the vampire whispers.

“Dad,” she whispers back.

“Jesse, can you hear me? I’m so sorry, sweetie. I’m so-” his voice cracks, and he’s gasping, words trying to form sentences and failing. He glares at Cisco. “Tell her,” he growls. “Tell her.”

“She can hear you,” he tries his best to sound soothing. “Trust me.”

Jesse has tears running down her cheeks.

“Tell him I forgive him. Please, you have to tell him, I’ve been trying, but he can’t-Dad, please, it’s ok, it’s fine, I know, please-” The house begins to shake with her emotional turmoil. She began to glow as her sobs turned to wails. Panicking, Cisco grabbed his hand. This worked sometimes with humans, maybe-

The vampire (shit, he really had to learn this guy’s name) gasped. Cisco let out an internal sigh of relief. It didn’t always work, and he had to concentrate. But-

“Jess?“ His voice was a quiet broken thing.

“Daddy.” Her sobs were subsiding. They simply stared at each other. This family seemed big on staring.

“It was my fault.”

“No.”

“Yes! I’m your father, and I never should have let this happen.”

Jesse snorted, wiping her eyes roughly with her sleeves. “You didn’t let anything happen, dad. I was murdered. There was nothing you could do.”

Well, Cisco thought, that explains why her presence was so strong. Violent deaths usually were.

“I shou- I should have been there. I should have been able to stop it, I should have been strong enough!”

“Dad,” she scoffed, “I love you, but come on. There was nothing you could do. And it’s ok! It’s ok, I promise. Because now, we can be together. Forever. Just like you wanted in the first place. A family.”

“Not like this,” he muttered. “I never wanted it to happen like this.”

Silence grew between them, heavy with regret.

“Ooooookay,” Cisco broke through the tension. “Not that I am not, you know, super happy for you guys, but uh. Can I go now?“

The vampire looked at him, seemingly having forgotten the man despite his limpet grip on his hand. Confusion turned quickly to amusement.

“Leaving so soon? We haven’t even had a bite to eat yet. I just woke up, and I have to say.” He leaned in closer to Cisco, sharp smile gracing his features. “I am famished.”

Cisco gulps. His eyes track the movement, pupils dilating. 

Jesse groans in the background.

“Oh my god, Dad. Seriously? Vampire puns?“

He straightens, grin looking less predatory and more amused.

Cisco is starting to get emotional whiplash here.

~~~

The vampire, it tuns out, is named Harrison. Once you get past what a colossal dick he is, he’s actually not so bad.

Cisco digs his fork back in the reheated chinese take out.

“You know,” he mumbles through the noodles, “This isn’t what I thought you meant when you said ‘having a bite’.”

Harry shrugs, sipping blood out of an old chipped mug that says World’s Suckiest Dad.

“Not my fault you misconstrued my efforts at hospitality. And don’t talk with your mouth full, Ramon.”

Cisco sticks his tongue out at him, because he can. He rolls his eyes.

“Seriously though. I’m still a little confused by the whole vampire thing.”

“And here you struck me as something of an intellect. What’s there to be confused about?“

“I mean, how does it work.”

“Magic. Seriously, Ramon?“

“What? Everything I know about vampires, I learned from watching Lost Boys.”

“Lost Boys,” Harry scoffed, before tilting his head back to get the last few drops of blood.

“Yes, Harry. Lost Boys. Keifer Sutherland, teenage vampires on the boardwalk, it was a classic.”

“You’re eating worms.”

“Yes exact-” He paused, fork halfway to his mouth, when his dinner started...wriggling. He let out a small shriek and dropped the container, scooting back. Harrison, the dick, started laughing.

“Ugh, you asshole.”

“Yes, Ramon, I know what Lost Boys is. I’m dead, not completely out of touch with the world.”

“Coulda fooled me,” Jesse muttered from the corner. Cisco laughs.

Harry’s face turned wistful.

“What did she say?“

“Says you coulda fooled her.”

He snorts and rolls his eyes. “Sounds like her.”

“Yeah. Hey, if dinner is done, I really do have to-” Harrison is standing behind him, offering his hand.

“Of course. Just let me escort you to your...” he looks out the window at the beat up old van in his driveway. “Vehicle.”

“Hey, now, no hating on the van. I practically live in that thing, it’s my baby.”

Harry’s lip curls in mild distaste. “To each their own,” he says delicately.

Like he doesn’t live in the Addam’s Family’s abandoned summer home. Asshole.

“He’s already judging your life choices. You’re practically family!” Jesse sounds almost giddy. Cisco grins and tries not to let her words affect him.

“See you around, Casper.” He finds he means it. She flips him off.

“If she flipping you off.”

“Yup.”

“That’s my girl.”

They both wait outside for a second, lingering in the cool night air. The stars are twinkling above their heads.

“Cisco. Thank you.”

This is the first time Harry’s actually said his name. Cisco tries to play it cool.

“No sweat, Nosferatu.”

Harry chuckles, looking down at the grass.

“You don’t know, do you? What a gift you are. I’ve lived for years in that house, haunted by my own daughter, unable to reach out, and you just...Walk in. Cisco.”

He looks at his face, everything about him tailored to look gentle, nonthreatening. Everything but the eyes. They still burn with hunger.

“H-harry.” He tells himself he didn’t trip over the name.

“Thank you.”

His hands come up to touch Cisco’s face, thumbs stroking his cheeks with something like reverence. His lips part ever so slightly at the sensation. Harry’s eyes catch it.

“You, uh. You might wanna go have another mug of blood, there Harry. You’re still looking pretty thirsty.” 

The sharp grin returns, and hello horrausal.

“I’m a vampire, Cisco. I’m always thirsty.”

Suddenly his eyes close and he lets his forehead drop on Cisco’s shoulder.

“Ramon.” His voice sounds slightly annoyed, muffled by Cisco’s shirt.

“Harry.”

“My daughter is making faces at us through the window.”

Cisco craned his neck, and yep. Jesse waved at him before going back to sticking her tongue out and fake retching. Charming. He laughs lightly, waving back.

“Yes she is.”

“I changed my mind. I can go another decade without seeing her again.”

“Blatant lies, Wells.”

Harry groans before standing upright. Cisco convinces himself he didn’t notice him sniffing him.

“Fine. I guess you’ll just have to come back then.”

Cisco leans against the side of the van and peered up at him through the dark, the picture of nonchalance.

“Guess I will.”

He smiles then turns and walks back to the house. Cisco climbs into his van and heads down the long driveway.

“Guess I will,” he repeats quietly to himself.

When he gets home he realizes his camcorder is missing.

Assholes.

#harrisco #for harriscofest #tbh this probably exceeds the world limit a lot but i got caught up #jesse is a poltergeist who was murdered by hunter in an attempt to strike at wells #she haunts her dad but while he can sense her presence and knows she there and see her effect #harry can't actually see or speak to jesse #also jesse is a troll who likes to mes with people #harry has a deal with caitlin to get fresh blood bags #cisco is a psychic and he just really wants to get his ghosthunting business off the ground #i got way too into this #more preharrisco than anything else