Title: Surviving
Pairings/Characters: Dwight/Ethan if you squint, Dwight Houston, OC, Mentions Ethan Brightman, Mentions Alan Houston
Warnings: Slight angst?
Summary: Dwight just wanted to feel like someone understood him.
Author Note: I like my little OC so I thought I'd write this to explore a little more about him.
Disclaimer: The only thing I own is Alex. HUZZAH! I OWN SOMETHING! The lovely CP Coulter owns everything else.

The dense forest went on for miles. Dwight sat on a log, going through his bag and picking at the salad he'd packed before he left. It had long since gone dark but his mother wouldn't ask questions when he finally got around to coming home. She never did. Not since Alan. He swallowed the lump in his throat, picking at the salad a moment more before putting it back in his bag, losing his appetite.

It was getting late. He knew he should've started turning back a long time ago, but he just couldn't bring himself to move from the spot. He didn't want to be back at home. It held too much nostalgia, too many memories he'd never get back.

The forest was silent and cold. Wisps of smoke blew from his mouth with every breath he took and he rested back on the log, looking up at the stars through the trees. It was peaceful, calming and soothing. He could forget about all the bad stuff for a while.

The sound of a twig snapping shocked Dwight out of his reverie. He jumped up from the log, grabbing a nearby branch and holding it up defensively, "W-Who's there?"

A figure stepped out from the shadows, holding his hands up in surrender. He wore faded jeans and a black jacket, a gun held in one of his hands and Dwight fought back the fear coiling in the pit of his stomach. He'd never seen a gun in person before.

"Calm down kid, you might hurt someone with that thing." The stranger smiled softly.

"And you won't hurt anyone with that?" Dwight raised his eyebrows, "What are you doing?"

The man looked at Dwight, noticing the spray bottle attached to his belt and the small bag of salt next to it. He saw the medallion around Dwight's neck and slowly disarmed his gun, putting it away, "There's a werewolf about. I'm trying to stop it."

Dwight lowered the branch a little, "A-A werewolf?"

The man chuckled, pointing to the sky, "It's a full moon and we're in the middle of a forest. What did you expect?"

Dwight looked at the man carefully. He'd never met a real hunter before. He thought he was the only one. It always felt like he was the only one, "Are you…a hunter?"

He grinned proudly, crossing his arms over his chest, "Yes actually. I am."

Dwight's lips twitched as he tried to stifle his own smile, "So am I. What's your name?" He lowered the branch completely now, though he refused to drop it. He didn't know if he could trust the stranger yet. Yes, he'd been told not to talk to strangers but this was the closest thing he'd had to feeling comfortable with someone since Alan had gone.

"You don't say. My name is Alex." He took a step towards Dwight, kneeling to Dwight's height, "What's your name kid? What are you doing out here at this time of the night? You're what, ten?"

Dwight glared at Alex, "My name's Dwight and I'm fourteen! I can be out as late as I want. Nobody notices."

Alex looked at Dwight a little sadly, "You want a lift home?"

"You don't have to." Dwight backed away, sitting back down on the log, "I'm no one's responsibility."

Alex raised his eyebrows at Dwight's words, walking over to him and resting a reassuring hand on his shoulder, "Because I'm a nice guy and I don't want you to get pneumonia or something. Besides, there's a werewolf out here. It isn't safe."

Dwight looked up at Alex, unsure of himself. He still didn't really know who this guy was but he couldn't help but feel safe. Besides, this was the most anyone had spoken to him in months, "Why are you being so nice to me?"

"You say that like I need a reason." Alex smiled sadly, looking into Dwight's eyes and seeing the hurt and confusion in them. He sighed, "Come on kid, grab your stuff. I'll take you home."

Dwight nodded slowly, grabbing his bag and tossing it onto his shoulder. He said nothing as Alex put a comforting arm around his shoulders, guiding him towards the car.

The ride was taken in silence and Dwight simply looked out the window at the scenery as it passed by, speaking only to give Alex directions. When Alex finally parked the car outside Dwight's house he took a small card out of his pocket and rifled through the car for a pen. He wrote down a number and handed the card to Dwight, "You need me, for any reason…just call, okay?"

Dwight stared at the card, reading the messy scribble of numbers over and over again. "No one's been this nice to me in a long time." He whispered, not looking away from the card.

"Well, things change." Alex smiled, patting Dwight's back, "Come on, get out of here. I have to deal with that werewolf."

Dwight smiled, "Be careful, okay?" He quickly got out of the car, not wanting to take up anymore of Alex's time. He climbed up the steps to his front door, walking inside and locking it as he went. He made his way into the house, seeing his mother asleep on the couch. He walked over and woke her, whispering quietly, "Go to bed Mum. It's late."

She nodded slowly, wiping at her eyes tiredly before finally whispering, "You weren't gone too long, right?"

Dwight looked away guiltily, "Of course not."

x X x

It had been two years since Dwight had met Alex. He'd moved around a bit but always kept in touch. He called from time to time when he felt alone, when he cried, when he needed a little bit of hope. Alex never asked about his problems. He just let Dwight talk and for the first time since Alan died, he felt like he had someone who cared in his life, someone who understood him.

Dwight was laying in his bed, looking up at the ceilings, thoughts flying through his head. He had been attending Dalton Academy for a few months and was finally starting to settle in. The only problem he had was those twins. They were a menace and as for that one…Ethan…he looked at Dwight differently. Dwight could tell. He'd never been looked at in quite that way. Ethan always frowned, tilting his head, slightly to the side as if confused by Dwight when he was around. He wasn't sure he liked that look. He couldn't tell what Ethan was thinking. That was unnerving.

Dwight was just falling asleep when it happened. He wasn't quite sure what it was. His eyes were drooping closed but they flew open as a hand covered his mouth. He tried to scream but the sound was muffled. He licked the hand in an attempt to get them to let go and the figure groaned in disgust, quickly pulling their hand away.

"You don't get to do this to me twice! You've welcomed me into this little freak show already! I'm not doing that again!"

The figure grabbed Dwight around the waist, reluctantly covering his mouth again and dragged him down the halls, away from Dalton. He kicked and fought as much as he could in vain. The stranger was too strong. He shut his eyes tight, hoping it was all just a bad dream and he'd wake up. He didn't know how long he'd been struggling and screaming but his lungs started to burn and his muscles began to ache.

Minute after minute passed by until Dwight suddenly got the wind knocked out of him as he was dropped to the ground. He paused, trying to catch his breath for a moment before getting to his feet, holding his fists up defensively. He couldn't form words, fear coursing through his body.

The hooded figure chuckled, speaking in a familiar voice, "Dude, chill. It's only me."

Dwight tilted his head, furrowing his brow in confusion, "A-Alex?"

He pulled his hood down, grinning that same grin from when they first met, "The one and only."

Dwight glared at Alex, shoving him away aggressively, "You're an asshole! Why would you do that!"

"I wanted to talk to you."

"So you kidnap me in the middle of the night and take me to the middle of nowhere for a…a campfire!" He gestured to the small fire they were standing by, "What part of that plan is logical?"

"Who needs logic?" Alex chuckled, sitting down on a rock by the fire, "Sit down."

Dwight reluctantly sat across from Alex, staring intently at the flames. He held his hands out for the fire to warm them from the chilly night air. "What did you want to talk about?"

"You." Alex replied simply, looking Dwight right in the eyes.

Dwight stared back, unsure of himself. What would Alex want to say? What was Alex even doing here? He'd moved around so often he was amazed Alex knew where he was, "How did you know I was at Dalton?"

"I'm a hunter." Alex spoke as though he was talking to a small child, "It's kind of what we do."

Dwight nodded. Right. So he just made himself look like a compete idiot. Great. "Just tell me what you want."

"I want you to know…that I'm sticking around. You're staying here now, right?" Alex poked at the fire with a stick, avoiding Dwight's gaze.

"Yeah. I am. What do you mean, you're sticking around?" Dwight furrowed his brows in confusion.

"When I first met you…you were cold and alone and you had so much pain in your eyes." Alex looked up at Dwight, "That pain, it's still there. Sure, you hide it. You think you hide it, but I can see it and I want to be around to make sure that pain goes away."

Dwight looked down at the floor, unsure of what to say. Alex had always been so good to him. He wasn't sure how he was supposed to react to that, "You…I don't want you screwing up your life just to keep an eye on me."

Alex scoffed, "Dude, my life was screwed up long before I met you, and you know what? I get the feeling yours is pretty messed up too. I just want to look out for you. It gives me a form of purpose. Besides, what are you going to do? Kick me out of town? This town ain't big enough for the two of us?" He laughed, "You aren't getting rid of me Dwight."

Dwight smiled faintly, "I know it's not much…but you're probably the closest thing I've ever had to a father, you know? You let me call you at all hours of the night and cry. You let me talk to you about stupid things. You make me feel less alone in a world that's caused me nothing but misery."

"Aw shucks." Alex teased, grinning, "Dwight, I'm only like…ten years older than you, and looking good for it, might I add. I'm not old enough to be your Dad."

"You know what I mean." Dwight rolled his eyes, "Are we done here? I've got a class first thing in the morning."

"Ooh look at you! Privately educated, suddenly you're too good for my company."

"Don't be a dick." Dwight shook his head, chuckling.

"Aah they grow up so fast." Alex grinned, getting to his feet and covering the fire with dirt, quelling it. He walked over to Dwight, helping him to his feet and walking with him back towards Dalton. "You like this school, right?"

Dwight thought for a moment. It was mad. The section of the school he'd been put in was absolutely insane. "Yeah. Yeah, I think I fit in okay here."

"Well then, I'm happy for you." He kicked a rock as they walked, nearing the school grounds, "So I was thinking I might become a supplier. You need salt? Or medallions or anything like that?"

"You? A supplier? You really think you're reliable enough?" Dwight raised his eyebrows, trying to stifle his smirk.

"Hey! I can be reliable." Alex grabbed Dwight's arm, pulling him into a hug, "Look after yourself kid. Don't stay away so long."

Dwight took a shaky breath, wrapping his arms around Alex, "Thank you. For everything."

"Whatever dude, I'll see you soon." Alex turned Dwight and pushed him towards Dalton, "Go and be a nerd."

"Screw you." Dwight chuckled, walking through the doors.

Alex watched a moment longer, a small smile on his face. He knew. He just knew Dwight Houston was going to be something special.