#luke crain x male oc

[chancelloramidala]

Catastrophize ► Luke Crain

Chapter two.

( TW: drug abuse, death, suicide)

Theo was very, very, very, very, very drunk. The amount of vodka her body has currently consumed should be concerning, but no one seemed to care. There were bigger issues at hand. Like their sister dead in the other room.

But despite her cold exterior, and lack of sobriety, Theo couldn't help but find Vincent and Luke the most interesting thing there. Their hushed tones as they spoke and gentle touches on one another. It was so domestic for someone like Theo to see with her own two eyes. She tipped her glass back, allowing the cold liquid to fill her mouth and numb her dulled feelings.

She didn't expect Luke to bring anyone to this sort of thing, nonetheless a fucking date it seemed. But she'd be lying if she didn't find Vincent's presence soothing, contrasting the stormy energy inside of the funeral home. Theo couldn't help but watch Vincent comfort Luke, holding his hand, rubbing his back, and later hugging him so tight she swore Luke would burst.

She wanted to know more about Vincent and his intentions with her delicate brother.

Maybe they were just fuck buddies. Maybe Vincent was Luke's dealer. Or maybe, Vincent was actually Luke's friend. Theo couldn't tell, she was too drunk to use her PhD to read the situation.

Then an unfamiliar ringtone started to play. Everyone looked at one another, trying to figure out the source of the incessant noise before Vincent muttered "oh shit" under his breath and fished his phone out of his jacket pocket.

He looked around the room, giving everyone who was staring at him a meek grin. "Sorry, it's my daughter. I'll be quick." The last part of his sentence was obviously directed towards Luke as he turned his head to look at him and pat his shoulder before he left the room to answer the call.

"Who the hell is that guy, Luke?" Steve blurted out once Vincent was out of earshot.

"A friend," Luke said shortly, still looking down at his shaking hands.

Steve scoffed as Theo shot back the rest of her drink into the back of her throat and rolled her eyes. "And you thought that bringing him here was a good way to introduce him to the family? What, is he another addict or something? Come on man, this is a family event.”

Luke’s face turned to look at his older brother with hurt shinning in his red-brimmed eyes. “Shut the fuck up, Steve,” Shirley snapped at him as a wave of protectiveness came over her as she went to Luke’s (and Vincent’s) defense. “At least Vincent found Luke and got him all the way over here and didn’t just give up on him thirty minutes into the search.”

“Oh so Vincent is a savior, huh? Well that just explains it all--”

“He is family, Steve.” Luke’s voice was still shaky and small, but there was passion laced in each word. “You don’t know shit about Vince, so I recommend that you stop making assumptions about him.”

Everyone was shocked, mainly Theo who was fucking proud that her baby brother stood up to this chauvinist asshole that was her eldest brother.

Steve’s face hardened for a moment as he stared at Luke. He couldn’t believe that his brother cared so much more about this man, someone no one else knew besides himself. He was about to open his mouth to say something else before the man in question waltzed into the room with his phone pressed against his ear.

“Hey, Luke,” Vincent said as he walked over to him. “Julia wants to speak with you before she goes to bed, and she’s very insistent for a nine year old.” his tone was playful, but his face said “you really don’t have to take the call if you don’t want to.”

“Oh,” Luke sniffed and wiped his nose with the back of his hand. He was surprised that Julia cared so much about him and his well being, but he was equally honored. “U-Uh, okay.” he held out his hand to take the phone from Vincent, who smiled lightly at him and gave his phone to him.

Luke took the phone and put it against his ear as he started to walk out and into the hall with a small smile on his face. “Julia, hi, your dad tells me...”

Vincent then sat down on the couch Luke just left and pressed his lips into a thin line, clearly reading the room. His face turned apologetic as he bit into his inner cheek and searched for the proper words to say in this type of situation. “I’m sorry for coming here unannounced, I know I’m the last person that needs to be here, but I just want all of you to know that I’m here for Luke.”

Theo glanced at Steve and Shirley, who remained silent as they looked at him and then decided to take matters into her own drunk hands. “Why the fuck do you care so much about Luke anyways?”

“Theo-” Shirley started but Vincent put his hand up to stop her.

“It’s okay,” he sent Shirley a lopsided smile before directing his attention to Theo, who swore she could see at least three of him. “Well, you should know that when I met Luke he was high and running around the streets of LA, just bumping into people before collapsing in the middle of the sidewalk. Around the time that I met Luke, I recently lost my own sister, Frida to a cocaine overdose and years before, my mother to alcoholism because I neglected to give her the proper help and support system she needed. So when I saw Luke, I also saw Frida.”

“So you pitied him?” Steve interrupted.

“Don’t you pity him?” Vincent countered, giving the eldest Crain sibling a pointed, sharp glare. “I didn’t only pity him, but I empathized with him. Addiction isn’t some fucking joke or some moral failing, it’s a disease of the brain. I wasn’t so lucky enough with my sister because I looked down on her and the disease she was suffering with and I lacked the proper education about addiction. I didn’t want anyone else to suffer the way I did when Frida overdosed and my mother drank herself to death, so yeah, no shit I helped Luke.”

Silence filled the air after Vincent finally clamped his mouth shut after his long-winded rant. No one dared to speak after learning this, finding that it would both be completely stupid and idiotic to do so. It was as clear as day that Vincent truly cares about Luke to the three Crain siblings in the room.

Theo then walked over to the mini bar and got Vincent a drink as a silent way for thanking him. Vincent took the whiskey and grinned at her.

.

.

.

The following night was rough for Luke. He couldn't sleep, feeling restless in his bed whilst Vincent slept peacefully in his. Luke couldn't stop thinking about Nell and how she was dead and how fucking unfair it was. He huffed and puffed in his bed, shifting from one side to the next, finding himself unable to feel comfortable.

He looked at the glowing red numbers and saw that it was 3:00 am. Luke turned on to the other side of the bed and sighed deeply. He stared at the wall ahead of him and frowned, knowing that he should at least get some rest for tomorrow.

Then he heard some shuffling in the other side of the room. Luke didn’t want to move, suspecting that it was Vincent going to the bathroom or something. But then he felt the bed dip and a presence behind him.

“Luke,” a sleepy voiced Vincent hummed. “You need to sleep, buddy.”

A beat passed between them as Luke debated whether or not to fake being asleep.

“I can’t.” Luke finally replied before slowly turning to face Vincent.

Even in the dark, Luke could make out the outline of Vincent’s face and the sudden alertness in his eyes. “I know, bud, I know.” the corner of Vincent’s lips curled into a frown. “But you should still try, hm? C’mere,” he opened his arms, inviting Luke into him with a small warm smile.

Luke timidly nodded, knowing that Vincent was right. So he carefully shuffled into Vincent’s arms and swallowed, feeling them wrap around his torso as his head was tucked into the other man’s chest. With one hand, Vincent ran his fingers through Luke’s hair, carefully smoothing out the short brown locks as he hummed a melody. Luke inhaled deeply, taking in Vincent’s fresh mint scent and slowly snaked his own arms around the other man’s waist, wanting him to be as close as humanly possible because he felt safe in Vincent’s arms.

All of the impending anxiety that filled his body ceased as he allowed himself to enjoy Vincent’s calming presence. Vincent smiled into Luke’s hair, feeling the other man relax and presses a gentle kiss to his hairline as he continued to hum, waiting for Luke to be lulled into sleep.

It took only five minutes for sleep to invite Luke.

And it took two for Vincent to follow with a dopey smile on his lips.

.

.

.

Something was up with Luke and Vincent knew it. Towards the end of Nell's service, Luke started to act jumpy and zoned out, which Vincent had earlier attributed to grief but something told him otherwise. He tried to keep an eye out for Luke, wanting to make sure that he was okay but had lost track of him when he was talking with Kevin.

This made Vincent nervous. He didn't like not knowing where Luke was. It made something inside of him worry uncontrollably and started to search for him. Luckily, Luke was just outside on a smoke break, leaning against the wall with a determined look on his face.

Vincent didn’t know what to say as he approached him, fearing that his words would have little affect on the other man. “Vince?” the man in question hums, standing beside Luke with a worried look on his face. “Do you really believe in me?”

There were a multitude of meanings behind that question. Do you really believe me about Hill House? You don’t think I’m crazy? Do you believe I’ll actually beat addiction? And maybe, just maybe (Vincent hoped) Can you love me still? Vincent, momentarily, was at a loss for words. There was no doubt in his mind that he believes Luke, about everything.

About Hill House.

About the nightmares.

About him.

“Of course, I do.” Vincent’s voice was suddenly soft, almost as if he was scared that being louder would ruin the mood. Then, with the hand that wasn’t holding the cigarette to his lips, Vincent took with his own and squeezed it, his thumb brushing against his knuckles.

Luke took the cigarette out from his mouth with a blow of smoke going past his lips before his dark eyes finally settled on Vincent’s face. He didn’t say anything, but a small smile forms on his lips that confuses the hell out of the other man. But once again, Vincent doesn’t trust his words and watches as Luke hesitantly kisses the back of his hand.

Vincent’s cheeks turn pink.

The smile on Luke’s lips only grows, but there’s something different to it.

Vincent’s too caught up in the fact that Luke initiated affection to really pick up on it.

“I’ll see you inside, okay?” Luke tells him.

“Alright,” Vincent squeezes his hand before pressing a kiss to Luke’s cheek. “Don’t stay out too long,”

Luke watches as Vincent goes through the door and stuffs his hand into his jacket pocket. He feels Shirley’s credit card against his finger tips and Theo’s car keys.

He knew what he had to do.

Sorry, he mentally says to Vincent.

.

.

.

Shirley's credit card was gone just like Theo's car. Vincent wanted to cry when he realized the culprit was Luke. What the hell is he thinking? He asked himself as the Crain siblings, who were now accompanied with Hugh, their father, made up ridiculous theories about how Luke was on his way to get high.

Vincent was filled with annoyance and anger towards them, minus Hugh because he didn’t seem to believe what his children were saying, but mainly Steve. The hostility from yesterday and his heightened emotions about how no one else believed in Luke pissed Vincent off.

He had enough of hearing all of this bullshit about Luke putting a needle in his arm, and when Theo said that “suicides can cluster in families”, especially, in twins, Vincent’s anxiety skyrocketed.

“You’re wrong,” he finally said as he rose from the couch outside of Shirley’s office, where the remaining Crain family stood.

“About?” Shirley rose a brow at the man who was oddly silent this whole time, causing her to become suspicious. “Is Luke not at Mass Ave? Do you know where he’s going, Vincent? You need to tell us if you know anything.”

Vincent sighed. “For the hundredth time, I don’t know where Luke is, but I know that he wouldn’t go back to his old habits.”

Steve rolled his eyes, beginning to grow irritated at the other man. “You can believe what you want, but that’s not the Luke we know.”

Vincent felt his blood boil. “Oh, sorry Steve. I forgot my place, I’m just some random guy who gave Luke the support he needed when you lot decided to neglect him, yeah?” He clenched his fists by his sides as he gave Steve the nastiest look he could muster. “You’re full of shit, all of you. How dare you think being 90 days sober is fucking easy.”

He didn’t care if he was out of line right now, everything he was saying had to be said. “All Luke wants is to be normal. He doesn’t even mention that he’s an addict expect you-- and fuck, he just wants someone to listen to him and believe in him. But apparently the only other person who did either of those things is buried six feet under.”

Steve’s jaw tightened as he glared at Vincent. “How fucking dare you say that--”

“The moment Luke went missing, right after Nell’s funeral, you immediately thought he went to get high, not that he was suicidal. That says a lot in itself, doesn’t it?”

All Steve saw was red at this point and went to knock his fist into Vincent’s face, but was stopped by Hugh and Shirley who held him back whilst Theo stood in between him and Vincent.

“You son of a bitch!” Steve spat out.

“Fuck off, Steve!” Theo snarled at him as Vincent just stood there unflinching about the events that were occurring. “Vincent’s right and you fucking know it.”

Shirley carefully looked between Vincent and her older brother. “You two need to cool off.”

Steve huffed and pushed out of his father and sister’s grasps. “Whatever,”

Vincent shook his head and pressed his lips into a thin line as he stepped back and away from this bullshit. “I don’t care if you have beef with me, but what matters right now is finding Luke. So if you want to have another go at me, fucking go for it. But what I’m going to do, is look for him.”

Then he left and no one stopped him.

Masterlist

#haunting of hill house #the haunting of hill house #luke crain x original character #luke crain x vincent navarro #luke crain x male oc #luke crain x oc #luke crain #theo crain #steve crain #shirley crain harris #shirley crain #nell crain vance #nell crain #hugh crain #olivia crain #original character: vincent navarro

[chancelloramidala]

Catastrophize ► Luke Crain

In which, Luke brings an uninvited guest to Nell’s funeral.

Or, in which Steve couldn’t find Luke after he ran away from his rehab center first.

Masterlist

Started: 11/9/20

Last Updated: 11/11/20

Introduction

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

More to come...

#thehauntingofhillhouse #the haunting of hill house #luke crain #lukecrain #nellcrain #nell crain #nell crain vance #theodora crain #theo crain #shirley crain harris #shirley crain #steve crain #hugh crain #olivia crain #luke crain x oc #luke crain x male oc #original character: vincent navarro

[chancelloramidala]

Catastrophize ► Luke Crain

Introduction.

( TW: drug abuse & death )

If someone were to ask Vincent how long he’s been driving in circles around the less than favorable side of LA, he could give a rough estimate: about two hours or so. There were a surprising amount of places an individual could acquire illegal drugs in this country, and LA was a hub for it.

After receiving a frantic call from Paige, a counselor at the rehab center Luke recently ran away from, Vincent got into his 1980 Mercury Zephyr Villager station wagon with his sleepy nine year old in the back. Luckily, once they got half a mile in, Julia fell fast asleep, her head resting against a pillow on the window as she clung onto her blue bunny named Twix. All Vincent told his daughter as to why they had to go on a long drive was to pick up his lost friend, who Julia dubbed “Mister Luke” over the many phone calls they’ve exchanged.

He knew his daughter tried her very best to stay awake, so she could finally see this mysterious Mister Luke she’s been talking to for almost two months but failed to do so because she was nine years old with a strict bedtime.

Unlike his daughter, Vincent knew he wouldn’t be able to catch a wink of sleep until he knew Luke was okay. He knew that it wasn’t rare for Luke to just leave the rehab center his older siblings had paid for, but deep down, Vincent knew that this time, Luke actually wanted to get better. For fucks sake, the other day Luke had received his 60 day chip of sobriety!

It was such a huge improvement compared to the first time the two of them met. In short, Luke was high and walking around LA without a care in the world. Vincent, who wasn’t high and on his way home back from work, took pity on the homeless-looking man his age that was bumbling into others and  manically mumbling under his breath. He knew the symptoms by heart, recalling the many times he saw his own mother, then later sister grow addicted to the poison in the needle.

Vincent ended up taking Luke to the very hospital he worked at, staying up to make sure that he was sobered up as he called his brother, Steve Crain, about his current condition. On the phone, Steve sounded tired, Vincent had probably woken him up and despite the worry in his tone after asking which hospital to go to, there was still a tinge of disdain about having to help out his little brother, again.

He understood the sentiment, which was similar as to having to pick up the mess that you had just cleaned up, but Vincent couldn’t help but get the slightest bit pissed at Steve. Yes, addicts weren’t the best people to be related to (imagine having two in the family) because of the never-ending cycle that came with addiction, but the fact that Steve, and most of the older siblings of Luke had given up on his recovery was astonishing to Vincent. He couldn’t believe that they had such little faith in Luke, save for Nell, so from then on, Vincent made a promise: to be there for Luke. Even if he might steal from him, or bug him for money, or even run off to who knows where, Vincent had to give Luke the support he couldn’t give his own sister, Frida.

He owed it to her.

From what Vincent could remember from their most recent phone calls and what Paige had told him, Luke became fast friends with someone named Joey, a fellow addict. And the only reason Luke even left the center was that Joey had run away to do god knows what. Paige had warned Luke about the consequences of leaving, but of course, with the heart of gold he had, he didn’t care. Vincent could only imagine what Luke was thinking when he left to go after Joey, to bring her back, to help her get better, but he could also imagine the guilt if Joey wouldn’t come back.

Vincent was too familiar with such guilt.

As he turned another corner, he saw someone pacing a few steps before turning around and pace again. This person looked rough. They were shivering like crazy and mumbling to themselves as they walked back and forth. Vincent stopped the car and parked it before stepping out.

It was Luke.

And he had no shoes on.

His face was scratched and bruised.

His lip was busted.

He looked terrified.

“Luke...?” Vincent’s voice was soft, almost as if he didn’t trust himself to break the man before him out of the trance he was in.

He stopped pacing, his back was turned to Vincent as turned his head slightly before wincing at the slow movement. Then, Luke carefully turned around, with his shoulder shaking as he took quick strides towards Vincent. “V...Vincent,” he said breathlessly.

Vincent met him halfway, and pulled Luke into a hug, wrapping his arms around his torso as he pulled him close to his body. Despite being beaten up only a few hours ago and having half a foot on the shorter man, Luke melted into Vincent’s touch. Luke tucked his head into Vincent’s neck and gave him a firm squeeze, like Luke was scared Vincent would evaporate into thin air.

“I-I’m so s-so-sorry,” Luke mumbled out into Vincent’s neck as he unwillingly pulled away, bringing a hand to rub the back of his neck. “I didn’t... I... I... I... I couldn’t... I couldn’t... I couldn’t help her... I couldn’t... I couldn’t help her...”

Vincent felt his heart sink into his stomach at the sight of Luke Crain in a stuttering mess, with words that were barely coherent. He made sure to keep his hand on his even if it was shaking... no, it was shivering.

“And I'm so... I'm so... I'm so cold. I didn't... My arms and legs are stiff. And... And I... I... It's... It's... It's... It's like... It's like withdrawal, but... But I... I... I didn't use. I wa... I wasn't using, but... But I... But I feel it anyway. It's... You... You believe me, right?“ Luke continued to rub at the base of his neck, everything aching and feeling as if he could just drop dead to the group with the weight in his bones. And even then, despite his own physical pains, he was more worried about Vincent and what he thought of him right now.

“I believe you,” he gently sent a reassuring squeeze to his hand and made sure that Luke was able to see the candor in his eyes. “Luke... I don’t...” Vincent sighed quietly as his dropped his gaze from dark eyes. But he had to look at him, so he knew that what he was saying was nothing but the truth. “It’s your sister, Nell.”

Luke was silent, staring at Vincent as he waited for an answer.

“She’s... dead.” 

Masterlist

#the haunting of hill house #luke crain #luke crain x male oc #luke crain x vincent navarro #original character: vincent navarro #nell crain #eleanor crain #theo crain #shirley crain #steve crain #hugh crain #olivia crain

[chancelloramidala]

Catastrophize ► Luke Crain

Chapter One.

( TW: drug abuse, death )

“Papá, why can’t I come with?” Julia frowned as she stomped around the living room with her arms crossed over her chest. She looked as serious as a nine year old could look. “It’s no fair that you get to go on an adventure so soon after Mister Luke got here.”

Vincent let out the hundredth sigh in the past hour. As much as he loved his daughter, she was being an absolute pain right now and to be frank, he had no time for pains. “Julia, hermosa, please,” he exasperated, thankful that Luke was freshening up in the bathroom so he couldn’t be able to see Julia’s temper tantrum for the night. “You’ll be able to join many other adventures, but this one is strictly for Mister Luke and I.”

Julia squinted at her father, her face twisting from anger to begrudging stillness. “That still doesn’t explain why you’re going away.”

From the tinge of sadness in her voice, Vincent’s annoyance subsided and was replaced with something fatherly. He gently patted the spot next to him on the couch, silently asking his daughter to sit with him. And when she did, Vincent stared at her for a moment and he pressed his lips into a thin line. “You know how your Tía Frida is in a better place that we cannot visit until we’re ready?”

Julia nodded diligently as her brown eyes glanced at a photograph on the fireplace mantle.

“Mister Luke’s sister, Nell, is also in that better place. But before Mister Luke can let her go there, he has to say goodbye to her one last time.”

Death was a topic Vincent knew he had to slowly teach Julia so she wouldn’t be so shell shocked in the future. With the death of his sister when she was five, and the incarceration of her mother, Vincent had to explain the difference between leaving forever (in this case, death) and leaving temporarily (in this case, prison) so Julia won’t confuse the two anymore.

“Oh,” Julia hummed for a moment and tapped her finger on her chin. “Do you think Tía Frida and Mister Luke’s sister, Nell are friends in the better place? Like taking care of each other, and making sure they’re eating all their icky vegetables?”

Vincent had to bite back a laugh. “I’m sure your Tía Frida is being force fed by Nell as we speak, hermosa.”

Julia grinned. “I’m going to make Mister Luke a card with Tía Frida and his sister Miss Nell on it!” and just like that, the nine year old hooped onto her feet and sprung out of the room in search for glitter and colorful paper.

Little did either of them know that Luke was stalking in the hallway, dressed in some of Vincent’s clothes since he didn’t have his own, and was wiping away the tears from his cheeks with the back of his hand as a small smile fell on his cheeks.

.

.

.

Throughout the whole flight to Massachusetts, Luke held the picture Julia had made him with such care it almost made Vincent’s heart burst. He made sure that the drawing wouldn’t get crumpled, tucking it carefully into the sleeve of the seat in front of him during turbulence and not caring if he got glitter everywhere. With that being said, those around him who weren’t Vincent, were quite annoyed with the expansion of glitter getting on their things and on the floor, especially the flight attendants who were quietly bickering towards the back of the plane about the mess they’d have to clean up.

Also, during the flight, Luke was gripping onto Vincent’s hand because he absolutely hated flying. Vincent wasn’t complaining though, liking that he had an excuse to touch Luke without it being too obvious.

When they landed, Vincent was miraculously able to rent a car at the airport, which he drove to their hotel because he insisted they at least settle in a bit before heading to the previewing with the rest of the Crain family. Luke kept to himself most of the time, lost in his head as he tried to process that his sister was dead, and apparently by suicide in the house their mother died in. He was thankful that Vincent gave him his space and took care of the essentials like booking the room, getting him clothes, and making sure he was eating and drinking something even if he didn’t want to.

Vincent wished he could do more for Luke, take away the pain of losing a love one, nonetheless a twin. It was a familiar mourning that Vincent knew all too well, one that haunted him every single day. It was a deep, rotting, and sinking feeling that he didn't want Luke to even know about.

It neared the time to head to the funeral home for the private viewing and Vincent was surprised to find Luke ready to go, already putting on a pair of black converse by the door. It made the other man smile to himself, glad to see that Luke was able to get himself together, even in the smallest way.

“Ready to go, buddy?” Vincent asked as he slipped on his own shoes and jacket.

Luke shrugged. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

Vincent nodded, sending him a reassuring smile and patted Luke’s shoulder on his way out the door.

.

.

.

“What the fuck do you mean you couldn’t find him Steve?” Shirley glared at Steve as venom spilled from her lips.

Steve, ever-so exasperated with being yelled at on today of all days, sighed and rubbed his temples. “It means I couldn’t find him, Shirley,”

“Bullshit,” Shirley spat out as she walked up to her older brother, weighing her options on if she should punch him or not. “You gave up on him, and who the fuck knows if he knows that Nellie is- what the shit, Steve? He’s your brother!”

“You don’t think I know that?” Steve felt his lips curl into both a frown and a scowl as he began to grow annoyed at Shirley and himself.

“Fucking unbelievable,” she shook her head and then turn around to get another drink. “Out of all the times you could’ve half-assed something...” she continued to mumble hateful nonsense under her breath as Kevin poured her a drink and stayed out of this Crain family drama.

Then the doorbell rang.

Everyone was confused.

Kevin went for the door, seeing that he was the only person who was functioning normally at the moment.

“Luke, hey man,” Kevin greeted Luke at the door, making sure to say his name loudly to gather his wife and siblings-in-law’s attention. “I can take your coat,”

Luke nodded at Kevin, vaguely remembering that yes, Kevin was Shirley’s husband and fumbled to remove his jacket. But then he felt cold again. “I think- I think, I’ll keep my jacket.” he was nervous to face his family right now,

“That’s alright,” Kevin smiled lightly as his eyes darted to the man that stood behind him, getting soaked by the sudden storm that rained down. “Oh, is this a friend of yours?”

Vincent took his hand out of pocket and waved at Kevin, noticing the judgmental stares he was receiving from Luke’s siblings as they went to greet him and hug him. “I’m Vincent,”

“Kevin,” he nodded, somewhat glad that there was another outsider here.

Luke and Vincent entered the funeral home, Vincent handing his jacket to Kevin while Luke slowly approached the viewing room, his hands shoved into his pockets.

“Luke, hey,” Shirley hugged her brother, almost forgetting that he was as tall as a tree and built like one. “Are you okay? Do you need anything?” she pulled back from him, mentally noting how he kept his hands to himself and kept biting his inner cheek.

“I’m okay,” Luke mumbled out and looked at his eldest sister. His eyes fluttered to Steve, who looked anxious. He quickly averted his gaze and started to carefully tread over to the open casket as he caught a glance of Nell’s body.

His heart beating loudly against his chest and all the air in his lungs suddenly disappearing as his mouth went dry. “I can’t-- I can’t-- I can’t...” he turned around and speed out of the viewing room, Vincent instantly following after him.

“Who the hell is his friend?” Shirley asked Theo and Steve. “You don’t think he’s also an...” her words faded off as assumptions quickly flooded into her mind.

“I don’t know,” Steve replied in a hushed tone. “I can’t really... tell.”

The three of them, along with Kevin, carefully walked away from the viewing room to see an interesting sight. It was Luke, sitting on one of the couches, a sniffling and stuttering mess besides Vincent, who’s hand was attached to Luke’s, listening and nodding along to his every word.

“Hey, Luke,” Steve slowly approached his younger brother, crouching in front of him and Vincent, but mainly focusing his attention on Luke. “You okay?”

“Yeah, Yeah, I, um... I... I thought... I thought I could do it.” Luke shook as he spoke, his mind whirling with a thousand thoughts that were going by too fast and messily for him to comprehend.

Steve said, sympathetic as to why his brother was shakily breathing and stuttering.“I know,” 

“Take your time, buddy.” Vincent told him, gently squeezing his much larger hand.

“She’s right there,” Luke turned his head to Vincent, every chaotic noise in his head and bones finding peace when he thought about the other man.

“We can wait,” Vincent said softly, his eyes glazing over the Crain siblings who were staring at him with a mixture of emotions. Then he returned his attention to Luke, who was still breathing shakily and removed his hand from his to give him a warm side hug. Of course, Luke returned the hug, his hands wrapping around Vincent’s body as he felt his breathing slowly go back to normal.

“Can... can... you... can you...” can you go with me? Luke tried to say as they pulled back, completely forgetting that they were under the watchful eyes of Shirley, Theo, and Steve (oh and Kevin).

Vincent didn’t even hesitate. “Of course,”

Vincent waited for Luke’s cue, not wanting to force him when to go see Nell and slipped his hand back into Luke’s. Kevin asked if Vincent and Luke wanted an ice tea, and Vincent answered for both of them, knowing that Kevin just wanted out of this awkward shit.

“Okay, okay,” Luke said to himself and started to get to his feet, leading Vincent to follow.

They stood in the back, Vincent’s hand being squeezed by Luke’s grasp. “And if you’re not ready, we can just go back. No one will blame you for it.”

Luke remained silent, but took the first step down the aisle and Vincent stood by him, hands still intertwined like two pieces of a puzzle.

This was the second time Vincent had seen Nell, and despite that, he knew Nell didn’t look like she was sleeping. Luke went slack beside Vincent, staring at his dead twin and the bottled up sadness Vincent hadn’t felt in four years. He sniffed and for a second, Vincent swore he saw Frida instead of Nell and jumped back, his chest tightening as his breathing quickened.

He bumped into someone and when he turned around, he saw that it was Shirley, her stern eyes laid heavily on him. “Sorry, sorry,”

“It’s okay,” Shirley told him, resting a hand on his arm as she stared at his face. “We’re all going through some shit tonight.”

“I just...” Vincent carefully walked away from Nell’s casket with Shirley following beside him, and ran a hand over his face. “I haven’t been to a funeral since... since my sister...”

“Oh,” Shirley subsided her annoyance with Vincent and felt sympathetic towards him. “I’m sorry,”

Vincent shook his head as he walked over to the mini bar, grabbing a glass and whichever bottle he could get his hands on. “I should be the one that’s sorry, it’s your sister in this room, not mine.” he said as he poured himself a drink.

“Why are you here anyway?” Shirley suddenly asked while Vincent took a short sip of whiskey. “No offense, but this is sort of a... private family matter.”

“None taken,” Vincent was glad with the straightforwardness from Shirley because he was starting to wonder when someone would ask. “I’m here for Luke though, he needs all the support he needs right now.”

“Were you the one that found him?” She continued to batter him with questions.

“Took me two hours, nearly three.” he chuckled quietly at the memory of driving all throughout LA, ignoring every single speed limit to find Luke.

Shirley looked thankful, her stone cold facade towards Vincent completely melting away and softened. “Was he, you know...”

Vincent quickly shook his head and took another sip of his glass.“No, but then again I’m not that kind of doctor.”

“Doctor?” she raised a brow.

“I’m an ophthalmologist.”

“Oh, that’s... cool---”

“It's just not fucking fair.” Luke loudly muttered as he stomped away from Nell’s casket and into the other room. “Fuck!”

Vincent then nodded his head at Shirley, as if it was a silent “got to go” and then left her near the mini bar to go after Luke, who was crying into his hands in the corner of the room. Vincent instantly sat next to him, rubbing his back as silence filled the air between them and did his best to comfort him.

He knew that it was going to be a long night and that sleep alone was out the window, but that didn’t matter. Only Luke mattered right now.

Masterlist

#haunting of hill house #luke crain x male oc #luke crain x original character #luke crain #theo crain #steve crain #nell crain #nell crain vance #shirley crain #hugh crain #olivia crain #the haunting of hill house #original character: vincent navarro

[chancelloramidala]

Catastrophize ► Luke Crain

Chapter Three.

( TW: death, blood, drug abuse, gore, *skeptical* suicide attempt & self harm, poison, mental health )

Vincent saw Theo’s Jeep up ahead and rushed to park his shitty rental beside it. He quickly got out of the car and went towards the Jeep, pressing his face against it to see if by any chance, Luke was asleep at the wheel or in the backseat. But sadly, the Jeep was empty with no sign of Luke.

The man let out a frustrated sigh and slammed his hand against the hood of the car. Luke was here, at Hill House. The most haunted house in America where his mother and twin sister had supposedly killed themselves in. Vincent ran a hand through his unruly curls and turned his head towards the gothic mansion, vines and decay surrounding the once beautiful home.

Millions of thoughts swirled in his mind, but most importantly, Luke. He didn’t care if Luke had told him to never set foot inside of Hill House. Luke was in trouble, something told him that, and all if Luke’s in trouble, any kind of logic was out the window.

Vincent hurriedly pushed through the gates and ran towards the house. As he got closer, he noted how the lights inside were on, and how the porch lights were flickering not once, but twice. This seemed vaguely familiar to Vincent, but he couldn’t recall from what, and at the moment, he didn’t care.

He didn’t even realize he entered Hill House until he felt cold air rush around him. The hairs on his arms and back of his neck rose as a shiver ran down his spine, and carefully glanced around the foyer that reeked of gasoline.

The House looked rotted, literally. The walls were gray, yet held together by what seemed like a string and had long thin and thick vines growing from within. The ground were littered with overgrown vines as the dim glow of lights shined. Vincent didn’t like the vibes of the House, knowing that he had to find Luke and fast.

“Luke?” he called out into the still crisp air and slowly started to walk around, turning left and down the hall. “Where are you, buddy?”

Once he entered the next room, everything felt different for one main reason: Julia was sitting on the floor and playing with her dolls.

Vincent was flabbergasted, furrowing his brows together as he carefully walked towards his daughter. “Her-Hermosa?”

“Papá, you’re here!” Julia smiled brightly at her father before turning her head to someone sat behind her. “Dad, Papá is back from work.”

Work? Vincent looked down at his clothes and saw that he wore red scrubs. Then his eyes went wide for a moment. Dad? He looked at Julia and then behind her to see that it was Luke.

This Luke looked healthy, no scratches or bruises. It was odd, not that being healthy was a bad thing, but it was... odd. “Vince,” Luke smiled happily. But there was something off about how his lips were curled, like, it wasn’t right. “How was work?”

“Good, you know, the usual.” random words spilled from Vincent’s lips. A part of him didn’t even know what he was talking about while the other half was omniscient.

“Great,” Luke grinned at him before rising from his spot to meet Vincent half way to help take off his jacket. “Oh, by the way your sister is joining us for dinner tonight,”

“Frida...?” Vincent whispered the name under his breath. At the thought of his sister, his mind went fuzzy, memories he couldn’t quite remember flashing before his eyes.

There was a knock on the door.

Luke chuckled softly. “Speak of the devil herself.” As he went to go to the door, Vincent stopped him by putting his hand on his arm. “Wait, let me.”

“Alright, babe. I’ll get Julia to freshen up for dinner.” Luke then left Vincent to stare at the door with sweaty palms.

Vincent reached towards the door handle, his lips pressing into a thin line. But before he could even touch it, the door itself opened... only to reveal a pale, blue skinned and bruised Frida. Vincent instantly jumped back, shocked to see this sight only to have Frida seem unfazed and enter the home with a needle in both of her arms.

“Look at what I become, big brother.” Frida smiled devilishly to remove the needles from her arms and stab them into Vincent. “Your worst nightmare come to life.”

Vincent shrieked, his breathing quickening as his heart started to beat rapidly against his chest. His body then harshly collided against something rough as he felt the needles dig into his chest. Frida’s haunting smile, that was too wide and bright for his own liking hovered over him. Julia and Luke slowly walked over, needles attached into their arms as well as they stared at Vincent.

“Aren’t you having fun, Papá?” Julia asked him with pale blue skin as white foam started to pour from her lips. “Doesn’t matter, I don’t want you here, but I can’t help that we’re just so hungry.”

Her father collapsed to the ground, gasping in horror at the sight before him. This was terrible, no, absolutely horrific. Vincent fucking hates this. His limbs started to feel heavy, unable to move at all. Luke just stared as well, another haunting smile similar to Frida’s on his lips and knelt down beside Vincent, white foam beginning to fall from his mouth.

“You’re scared, aren’t you?” Luke whispered into his ear. “Good,”

Not only did his chest hurt, but his forearms did too. It felt like something other than the needles were dragging down his wrists in several horizontal lines, and fuck, did they hurt. Vincent couldn’t tell what was causing this pain, but it was unbearable, and all he could do was stare up at Julia, Luke, and Frida.

“Vincent,” a new calm, yet familiar voice called out.

He tried to turn his head and looked up from Julia, Luke, and Frida to see Nell’s standing behind him. She reached out for him, her hand delicately inviting him to peace within the chaos. No matter how much it hurt to lift his arm, Vincent was able to grab Nell’s hand.

.

.

.

Vincent woke up with a gasp, instinctively grabbing his chest as he sat up rigidly. He blinked for a moment, trying to regain his breathlessness and looked around the room he was in. It looked rotten, with moldy black walls and a single rectangular window and a red door on the other side.As he searched the room, a sudden pang of pain pooled to his wrists. That’s when Vincent saw it, the jagged slashes on his own wrists, and by the bloodied car keys beside him, it looked like he inflicted this on himself.

Vincent scanned his wrists, seeing that blood was gushing from one wrist, his right one, and that’s where it hurt more due to the deeper two lines. But his left wrist, was only one line and what looked to be the beginning of a second line. He worked quick and cautiously, carefully tearing his own shirt as he wrapped it around his wrists to stop the bleeding. It didn’t do much, but it was enough.

After he finished aiding himself, his dark eyes finally saw Luke’s lifeless form beside him, and the fact that he was fucking foaming at the mouth.

“Fuck-” a multitude of swears spilled past Vincent’s lips as he knelt beside Luke, and ripped the needle out of his arm. It didn’t look like heroin because it was black and there was a bottle of rat poison beside Luke.

Vincent took the needle out of Luke’s arm and gently cradled his face as he checked for both a pulse and signs that he was breathing. His wrists ached as he did so, but he had to. Both were weak, and fuck, Vincent never felt more anxiety race through his veins. Luke’s lips were turning blue, along with his finger tips and nails.

“Luke, hey buddy, Luke,” he softly patted Luke’s cheek with his finger tips, only to be met with no response. “C’mon, man,” he whispered as he gently patted his cheek again.

Even after reading everything on what to do on a drug overdose, Vincent wasn’t prepared for someone to ingest rat poison. He may be a doctor, but he was a fucking eye doctor, and with the state of Luke’s body, his eyes were the last thing to be bothered with. Vincent ignored the pain from his wrists and started to do chest compression on Luke in an effort to kick start his body, wiping the bloodied foam from his lips as he kept doing so.

He tried to breathe life back into Luke, but with each push, Vincent saw that his vision was beginning to blur. He blinked rapidly, not wanting the fatigue to get to him, but with the amount of blood loss, he couldn’t do much.

And as Vincent started to lose consciousness, he swore he saw the red door open and Steve on the other side.

.

.

.

When Steve woke in the Red Room, he was busy trying to get Luke to wake up and keep Vincent’s from bleeding out. It was strenuous task for one person to do, from doing chest compressions on one to tightening his belt one another’s wrists. He was glad when Shirley woke up, so he wouldn’t be alone in sharing the burden of trying to keep Luke and Vincent alive on his own.

Somehow, miraculously, Vincent’s eyes finally fluttered open to the relief of Shirley, who was working on Luke, while Steve was holding his wrists down in such a fierce manner, Vincent swore his forearm was going to fall off.

“Thank fuck,” Steve sighed out.

“Shit,” Vincent groaned as he glanced down at his arms before snapping his head to Luke’s direction. “Luke-”

“He won’t wake up,” Shirley heaved as he tried to sit up, only to be pushed back down by Steve.

Vincent glared at him, annoyance fester through his depleting veins as past grievences started to fill his mind. “I need to-”

Steve firmly shook his head. “Listen, I just got you to wake up, I don’t need you to pass out on us.”

“But-” Vincent frowned and started to feel the ache in his wrists again. “Fine,” then he slumped back down onto his back and flexed his fingers. “Did I see Theo over there?”

“Yeah,” Steve nodded and then lifted his hands from Vincent’s wrists. “So the bleeding stopped, but we should really get you and Luke to a hospital.”

Vincent hummed. “That would be preferable,” he then turned his head again to look at Luke, and carefully outstretched his hand to carefully grab the other man’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “But I’m awake, Luke isn’t. All three of us need to alternate between helping him. I can’t do chest compressions, but I can unblock his airways.”

“Is that really wise--?”

“Do you really want Luke to die on us?”

This was not the time, nor the place for bickering, so, wordlessly, Shirley helped Vincent sit up. She then added another piece of her own shirt around his wrists. She muttered about how it was stupid for him to try and help in his current state, but Vincent ignored it by flashing her a toothy smile. When Theo woke, Shirley and Vincent continued to help Luke whilst Theo and Steve tried to get the door open.

Masterlist

#the haunting of hill house #haunting of hill house #luke crain #luke crain x male oc #luke crain x oc #luke crain x vincent navarro #luke crain x original character #nell crain #nell crain vance #olivia crain #hugh crain #steve crain #shirley crain #shirley crain harris #theodora crain #theo crain #original character: vincent navarro #shirley harris #nell vance