Chapter Text
The whole estate is consumed by smoke, thick and grey and sticky, billowing from the dormant house with purpose, as if it was choking in the confined space. The sound of sirens splits through the neighbourhood and concerned civilians stand near the blazing heat, infatuated by its terrible glory.
Some people sit on the green and watch the flames, some heads turn to watch the flashing lights approach, looking so odd against the black sky.
Liam feels overwhelmed as he steps out of his car, he felt overwhelmed earlier in bed when he got the phone call. Another fire. Just to add to the list of confusion and irritation.
He had been losing sleep, racking over the evidence in his head. He had watched that video nearly a million times, past the point of obsession.
Blurry, shaky footage of the first house as it was burning. And that voice cutting through the horror of it, praising his work. That voice whispers to Liam as he tries to sleep at night, it taunts him. Though tonight its taunting was cut short as the phone rang, piercing the silence of his lonely room and jolting him into consciousness. Another fire.
The street is filled with people and cars and noise. Officers with bright flashlights, beaming the light along the dark green and into the watchful eyes of the neighbours, asking questions and seeing if anyone is hurt.
Liam trods along the wet grass and picks out teenagers to talk to, they all look at him with an unconcentrated frown as he asks if they saw anyone suspicious.
No, the answer is no. Everyone had been inside because of the rain.
Liam stands for a moment and watches the flames be extinguished by the forceful water. The flames are rather intoxicating, he has been to enough arson scenes to know that.
The way people stare, hypnotized at the fire. Not even the children cry
He stays for hours, asking questions until he can’t speak and rooting through the extinguished rubble until his arms begin to cry out. He ignores his whining muscles as the voice torments him.
He pucks off his latex glove and runs a hand through his hair. It is all ash, grey and dusty and destroyed. His eyes threaten to close. He decides it's time to go home, he gives up for the night, says goodnight and jumps in his car.
-
The night is all black, he drives along the deserted rural road with his lights on full, illuminating the darkness before him. He listens to the beatles play softly on the radio.
“I want you- I want you so bad.” Liam can’t find the wherewithal to sing along.
He remembers when he wanted to be a singer. His fist clenches a little tighter around the wheel as the pit in his stomach swells with nostalgia.
And mixed with that burning nostalgia is the house, the houses, burned, ruined.
Like his little hopes, his tiny dreams. He misses when life used to be within his head, a future he hardly had to consider.
Now it's before him, factual, burning and unsolvable.
The light stretches along the gravely road as the song picks up, the guitar sings erotically.
“Jesus!” Liam gasps, his heart stopping as the never ending, empty road is disturbed by a man walking along it.
Pale, he looks into the headlights with something that strays from fear.
Liam slams on the breaks, his tires screech and grind against the road. The man stills, squinting as he stares through the windshield.
Liam stares at the man for a moment before stepping out of the car and onto the gravel. He assumes he is some kind of mental patient; stranded and walking along the rural roads in nothing but his boxers. And those eyes, frightening in their distance.
“Are ye lost?” Liam calls, walking towards him, slow as to not startle. His boots grind against the gravel.
“Not really.” The man answers, frowning. His pale skin shines under the headlights.
“Do ye know yer name?”
“Damon.”
Liam’s heart stops. He hears the voice again. So, perfectly, familiar. “Have ye- have ye been round that burnin’ house?” Liam asks, cautiously eyeing up the dirt on Damon’s face, the muck in his hair. Soot.
The air seems to shift, almost immediately as they both realize what they’re dealing with.
“Fire?”
“Ye surely saw it,” Liam says, squinting now.
Damon smiles, it curls onto his face like a cat stretching on a windowsill. “I thought I smelled smoke.” He murmurs, lying terribly as his smile grows wider and his eyes shift elsewhere.
“I’m gonna need ye to turn around and put yer hands on yer head, Damon.” Liam says, trembling now and feeling awfully delicate with the man who seems so cold in the dark, as cold as the icy cadence of his voice on the tape.
“I don’t see why I should,” Damon says, slowly turning and raising his hands to his head. Liam pulls his handcuffs off his belt. “I promise you that I've been a good boy officer.” His voice is raw, happy but strung out as if he has been screaming and he can only talk but very quietly. Not like his volume matters, the only noise between them is the soft rustling of the grass and Liam’s heavy breathing.
Liam hums as he clips the handcuffs around Damon’s wrists. Damon complies, not moving an inch away from Liam as he is detained.
“Heard nothin’ about that fire, no?”
“The house was already on fire.” Damon whispers and something about it sends a shiver down Liam’s spine. What a beautiful liar he is.
He lets go of him, letting him turn around to face Liam again. And what a beautiful face: pink lips parted, eyes shimmering. He looks like a kitten. “Gosh, these are tight.” He says, laughing.
Liam looks at his collarbone, exposed with his shoulders pulled back.
“C’mon.” Liam mumbles, gently taking Damon’s arm and leading him over to the car.
“Do you usually work alone this late?” Damon whispers, pressing against Liam’s side.
“Ye usually wander around in the nip this late?” Liam asks gently, red faced. He opens the back door.
“Let's get in the back.” Damon mumbles, letting Liam help him into the back seat. He looks up at him, big eyed. “It's warmer in here, you can ask me anything you want.” Liam begins to feel very strange, feeling as though he is dreaming. “Anything.” Damon says.
And suddenly Liam is in the back seat with Damon, slamming the door behind him. The overhead lights fade, leaving them in the dark.
“No ring.” Damon mutters. Liam nods, staring still. “Do you not get lonely?” He whispers, his voice sounds erotic, though cold still, like the steel of a knife.
It's so quiet in the car, so dark, so cold. Damon leans in closer, his breath being the only thing Liam can hear. The flames flash starkly before Liam’s eyes, it's like nothing he has ever felt before. He is back there, in front of the house, staring. He is on the edge of his bed, staring at the video over and again. Watching as Damon zooms in on the house and beneath the rainbow static of the television is the fire, dancing brilliantly with candor and confidence.
In the silence of his bedroom that is like the silence of the car, except now he can hear Damon’s breathing.
“Its kind of exciting, don’t you think?” Liam snaps back to reality. “Mhm” He hums, looking at Damon now and the shadows on his face. He is so close to him now. Liam reaches for the handcuff keys.