#of course that meant cars would either go off the edge of the waterfront and into the rocks/harbour or slam into concrete walls

[andromedasummer]

secondhand bookshops rule so hard esp my fav one in town. there are such specific sections for everything. in the scifi shelves theyve organized things by space sci-fi, sea sci-fi, dystopia etc. there's a paranormal romance section in the romance section. they have 3 shelves longer than i am tall dedicated to the star trek novelizations organized by series and 3 under that dedicated to dragonlance books. i went to look at their craft section and they had subsections for eras and styles of embroidery. i can look for motorsport books by series or manufacturer without coming across top gear books or car manuals, which have their own sections. i can find poetry by nz poets in their own bookcase and books by māori authors all over the shop because they've been marked by a specific tag on the binding.

[argylemnwrites]

Totally, One-Hundred Percent Brand New Information

Pairing: Maxwell & MC friendship; referenced Drake Walker x MC (Riley Liu)

Book: The Royal Romance (TRR Book 2, Chapter 14)

Word Count: ~1800

Rating:  PG

Summary: When Maxwell stumbles upon something he was not meant to see, he’s forced to reevaluate his understanding of Riley and what she wants. Can he make her see that her happiness matters more than House Beaumont’s financial woes?

Author’s Note: Written for Day 12 of the Choices July Challenge (prompt - Revelation).

So, in TRR 3, chapter 1, Bertrand is shocked to discover that MC is in a relationship with Drake. Liam, of course, knows this fact, but Hana and Maxwell also don’t seem phased by this news at all. I’ve always headcanoned that the two of them independently figured out that something was going on between MC and Drake at some point along the way. This is how I imagine Maxwell figuring it all out. Plus, it’s fun to revisit TRR2, which I adore. For those of you who remember in It Couldn’t Wait Another Moment, when Maxwell burst out that he’d known Drake and Riley were together? This is the way he figured it out in that AU as well.

Maxwell licked his fingers as he savored his last bite of his slice of pizza. He knew that he was calling it a bit close with timing, but worst case scenario, Justin would meet Riley at her boutique appointment before the UN party. After listening to Riley practically wax poetic about the joys of New York style pizza since she found out they were headed back to NYC, Maxwell had just been craving a slice of cheese pizza so badly. And working all day with Bastien on Mission Track-Down-Tariq had definitely worked up an appetite. He deserved it; he earned that pizza.

He turned the corner as he headed back toward the hotel. If he hurried, he could freshen up and then catch a taxi to that boutique without being too late. Up ahead, near the waterfront, he spotted two familiar faces in the distance. He nearly yelled out to them, wanting to see what they were up to when he stopped dead in his tracks, taking in the scene ahead of him.

He almost felt like he was watching things in slow motion. He had to be imagining things. But after blinking several times, he still was staring at Riley and Drake, his hand disappearing somewhere in her hair, hers running up and down between his shoulder blades. Oh yeah, and they were kissing each other.

This couldn’t be happening. This was Riley and Drake. Riley and Drake. Riley and Drake. She wasn’t supposed to be making out with him. She was in love with Liam, wasn’t she? Weren’t they working so hard to clear her name so that she could finally be with him? And wouldn’t her hooking up with his best friend make things awkward when she and Liam got back together? Or was Maxwell himself just really out of the loop here? I mean, it’s not like something casual would stop Liam and Riley from being endgame, and his matchmaking skills from finally being recognized. Plus, everyone needed to blow off steam now and then, although this must have been going on for a hot minute, because unless Drake had way better game than his grumpy old man persona would suggest, there was no way that this was their first kiss.

“Yeah, this definitely has been going on for a while,” Maxwell thought to himself as he watched them continue to make out. The real question became why neither of them had told him. Drake he could pretty well understand. That guy was so closed off and secretive. It’s not like Maxwell could really picture him being the type to kiss and tell under any circumstances. But Riley... well he thought they were super duper close. After everything they had been through together, why wouldn’t she have mentioned her fling to him?

As if the couple in the distance had some telepathic connection to his thoughts, they pulled apart just barely, Drake pressing his forehead against Riley’s. That gesture said it all. It was tender and gentle. This wasn’t lust; this was love. And that explained a hell of a lot about why Riley hadn’t talked to him. 

Or rather why she hadn’t tried to talk to him again. Because the little voice in his head that sounded a lot like Bertrand piped up, “Back during the social season, didn’t she tell you she had feelings for someone else? And didn’t you basically ignore that and try to tell her that her feelings were all for Liam?” Had she really been falling for Drake for months now and not told him about it just because of his comments way back then?

So many things made sense now. Drake coming back to their train car at weird hours looking some odd combination of thrilled yet guilty as hell. Riley always gravitating towards Drake when they hung out as a group. Drake tagging along to more things with the whole group in general. Maxwell was usually good at reading people. How could he have missed that two of his closest friends had fallen in love with each other?

Maxwell wondered if anyone knew about Drake and Riley. They were clearly keeping things a secret. He could guess at Drake’s reasoning there. When this all came out, things between him and Liam were gonna be a mess. And knowing Drake, he probably was just rolling along, hoping that somehow this would all shake out without causing too much drama. Either that, or he was convinced that Riley was gonna choose Liam over him in the end anyway. After all, Maxwell knew of at least five women from back in the day who had actively seduced Drake to gain access to Liam, back before Drake started questioning everyone’s motives, or at least back when he wasn’t so aggressive in questioning them.  

But why would Riley keep this quiet? Maybe she was conflicted, torn between Liam and Drake? But even as a passing thought, that didn’t seem quite right. Thinking back over the engagement tour, Riley had often chosen to spend time with him, Hana, and Drake, turning down more and more invitations from Liam as time went on and seeming more reluctant to spend time alone with Liam than she had before. Maxwell had assumed that she was just nervous that they wouldn’t clear her name in time as the wedding got closer, but with this new information, he now had a better explanation. She didn’t want to be alone with Liam. She wanted to spend time with the guy she actually was interested in. It all seemed so clear now, other than the fact that she apparently didn’t want anyone to know she was into Drake.

Or maybe she just didn’t want him to know. After all, he and Bertrand had made it pretty clear that they could use the financial boost that would come from their pick being named queen. Did she really think that he would value some money over her happiness, though? Didn’t she know that he had come to love her like a sister. “Not after the way you responded to the mere suggestion that she might be interested in anyone besides Liam, you imbecile,” his Bertrand head-voice chimed in. Ahh, crap. 

He needed to fix this. If Riley and Drake wanted to be together, then they should be together. The more Maxwell thought about it, the more he liked the idea of them together. Riley seemed to have a way of teasing Drake, getting him to lighten up and enjoy himself now and then without putting him on the defensive. And Drake could match Riley’s snark and sarcasm in a way that Liam never ever could hope to achieve. Maxwell knew what he had to do. He had to talk to Riley and make sure she understood that her happiness was the only thing she should consider in her love life.

Not wanting to run into the two of them as they made their way back to the hotel, Maxwell spun around and flagged down a taxi, deciding he would just meet Riley and Justin at the boutique. But when Riley got there, Justin’s presence made it hard to have a heart to heart with her. Maxwell resigned himself to waiting until the next morning to have this chat. After all, he could bring her breakfast when he woke her up, maybe get her to confide in him again. But later that night, when they were tucked away in at a table in the corner together at the UN party, chatting about clearing her name and finding Tariq, Riley handed him a golden opportunity.

“That’s not… Even if we find Tariq, you never know what’ll happen. So what happens if I don’t become queen? ”

This was it. She was feeling him out again, trying to gauge his reaction now, months after he had shot her down. Her more subtle approach was obvious, edging toward the topic instead of diving straight in like she did when he told her that she was just confused, that she must only be interested in Liam.

“I just want to know that you and Bertrand… and Savannah and little Bartie… will be okay,” she continued, seemingly fascinated with her whiskey sour, clearly avoiding eye contact with him. He had to ease her mind, let her know that she was more than a ticket to House Beaumont financial stability.

“You know me. I’ll breakdance my way to success. Or maybe become a magician! Hmm… or I could be a best-selling author…”

“Maxwell…”

Alright, light-hearted reassurances were not working. She was clearly torn up over this. Time to change tactics.

“Right, uh… As for Bertrand… He’s kinda figuring things out right now, I think. But, Riley… When I invited you to Cordonia… I liked you, but I didn’t know you. I saw how Liam looked at you and thought maybe I could help him and set things right for House Beaumont. I didn’t know things would be this hard.” The rest of his thoughts he left unsaid, “I didn’t know you would fall in love with someone else along the way. I didn’t know you would have to hide your true feelings for the one person who should be your biggest source of comfort while your name was dragged through the mud.”

“Maxwell, you couldn’t have.”

“I know, just… What I’m trying to say is that the way things are with House Beaumont… That’s for me and Bertrand to fix, not you. I don’t want you to be unhappy because of us...”

He hoped his message was clear - go be happy with Drake. She looked up from her drink with a small smile. He couldn’t tell if she knew that he knew based on his words, but he hoped she did. She was easily one of his best friends on the planet, and he only wanted the best for her.

“Oh, Maxwell… It… means a lot to hear you say that.”

Alright, she got what he was saying. And as glad as he was that he could clear the air here, he wanted to be one-hundred percent sure she understood he was sorry for the way he reacted back all those months ago.

“I… I never meant to make our problems your problems. If you don’t marry Liam… I’m sure Bertrand will find another way.”

Riley paused for just a moment before she responded, “Thank you, Maxwell… Come on, let’s head back to the party.”

So she clearly wasn’t ready to openly confide in him just yet, but that was okay. As long as she understood that he was here for her, on her side no matter her choice, he could wait until she was ready to tell him everything. And when she did, he promised himself he would show her and Drake all the enthusiasm they deserved.

Tags: @dcbbw @mfackenthal @jovialyouthmusic @iplaydrake @gibbles82 @drakewalkerisreal @riley–walker @thequeenofcronuts @notoriouscs @butindeed @kinda-iconic @choicesjulychallenge

[kinsbin]

Rainy Night

Title: Rainy Night Ship: William Macbeth/Chrysi [OC/Canon] Word Count: 4677

Summary: Chrysi and Will get caught in the rain on their way back from the hospital. Shenanigans ensue and the two may or may not have to share a bed now. Chrysi isn’t sure how it happened, but she’s going with it.

A/N: A part of a trade with @beccabeeships! This was so much fun to write and i’m so happy I got to do a trade with them ;w;

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The rain came down hard.

Droplets of water stung her skin like bullets, leaving behind near bruises and indents in the flesh of her pale skin as the clouds over Hellsalem gave no quarter to those foolish enough to be outside in the jaws of its weather. Curses flooded her ears of people and monsters scurrying around the concrete sidewalks in a desperate effort to either get home on time, find a taxi, or take some shelter in nearby diners and hospitals until the unruly and fierce deluge had finally passed. Chrysi frowned upwards at the water from her spot in front of the hospital for a long time, her eyes following the shifting clouds and darkening skies with a careful gaze. She couldn’t see the stars through the thick-set onslaught of water. It made her… sad for some reason.

It wasn’t like you could normally see the stars against the skyline anyways. Why did it matter now?

She took in a deep breath and, when she exhaled, the frigid air turned her breath into a cloud in front of her. It danced in the rainy atmosphere for a long moment before dissipating into nothingness, as breath seemed to do. She wondered what it would be like to be that breath for a long moment, the thought floating around in her head as she watched the rain continue to fall from her spot on the bench beneath it. God, she realized with a modicum of annoyance to the thought in the back of her mind, was she really sitting in the rain like some sort of stupid loser like this? Half of her wanted to laugh at herself but the other half wanted to cry.

An umbrella held itself over her head suddenly, stopping the rain that had begun to fall just a little bit harder than it already was. The clear plastic of the device still allowed her a view of the waterfront above her. She watched it hit the edges of the umbrella and dribble down, racing its rain drop brethren to the end where it dipped itself into the streets below with a careful movement that held her eye through its entire travel. Confusion hit her stomach as her brows furrowed, wondering just what it was (or who it was) that had blocked out the cold rain from her form so quickly.

Her answer was a familiar voice, amused and warm like the sweetest baked good somewhere behind her body:

“You’re going to catch a cold if you keep this up.”

She wasn’t able to hide her smile when she heard his voice. Its tone, so playful and relaxed, burned her heart as though it were made of paper. It was a melodic sound to her ears now. Any time will talked, all she heard was bells. The Macbeth boy was a star in the sky where she had previously seen none, she declared somewhere in her mind as she leaned her head back to spot the man hovering over her. His eyes were bright under his glasses, the specs reflect partially the street lights of the world around them. It made his blue eyes shine with an even brighter shade than they normally were. When her lips curled into the smile she had always seemed to save especially for him, her heart skipped a beat. Above her, William’s face turned its own discrete shade of red that he hoped, oh gods he hoped, that she wouldn’t notice.

If she did she said nothing as she laughed, raising an eyebrow up at the other as they watched one another.

“I mean there are worse places to get sick. We are right next to a hospital.”

She gestured to the building behind them both as she stood up, trying to keep herself under the umbrella as they made it around the bench between them to join under the safety of it. Chrysi couldn’t help but think about just how silly the situation was. Was silly the right word? She wasn’t sure. Not when he was so close to her under the safety of the umbrella. Not when she could see every strand of his loose blonde hair as it fell messily into his face, his eyes wide as he stared back at her before continuing to speak with a shrug to his movements and a smile the size of a sunflower on his lips.

“True, but the MEDICAL BILLS.”

“That’s too real, Macbeth, that’s too real.”

The two laughed together as the cars along the streets continued on their routes, the sound of engines revving drowning out the conversation for a moment as a truck passed by. The two watched it, the side of it plastered with some sort of advertisement they didn’t actually care about but couldn’t stop from staring as they admired it. When it passed and silence echoed a request to change the subject at hand, it was Will who seamlessly shifted it as he gazed down at the girl before him.

“So what are you doing out here so late, anyways? I thought you’d be going home by now.”

“Oh,” Chrysi felt a blush of embarrassment now hit her cheeks as she rubbed the back of her head with a nervous laugh, “Well, you see, this rain’s raised a flash flood warning in where I live.”

“That sounds dangerous.” William nodded with worry. Chrysi’s smiled even wider, her nervousness apparent as she laughed.

“Yeahhh, but, flash flood to monsters means it floods the first five stories of the building so… I kind of… don’t have a home right now until they clear the water out of it. I was just going to see if the hospital or a hostel had a room nearby I could crash in and-.”

“You could stay with me.”

The words fell from his lips before he could dare to stop them. Each one dropped out from between his lips like the chime of church bells. They run sterile through the entire world, the rain silencing itself as if by magic as Chrysi dared to stare into his eyes, red searching blue as she wondered if he meant it. If he wasn’t doing it just to be polite. Which, of course, he wasn’t. They had been good friends for a while now, the words William said were always ones that heald meaning to him. It was the nature of him as a person to be honest in those words. A lot of times she forgot that people in this world could still be so honest and open. With the things going on in Hellsalem and the world that they inhabited now, full of darkness and a craving to crush smaller beings beneath their feet, it was a welcome relief.

Her hesitance caused him to backpedal, his eyebrow raising for a moment before dipping in an embarrassed look as he blushed, “O-Or, I get it you probably already had something planned for yourself and-.”

“N-No! No, hey, I’d-”

Pale hands reached out and touched his own, bringing it close to her so that he wouldn’t plan an escape away. His palm was so warm against her cold fingertips, the heat flowing from one part of her hand to another as she clutched it together, revelling in the feeling. As they stood their, hands entwined, she found her voice through the acknowledging nod she gave him. Her gaze was a burn of sincerity as she declared, “I’d love to stay with you, if you're offering. Sleepovers at your place are rad, of course I’m down!”

His grin was relieved as he nodded, the ends of his hair bouncing out of excitement. It was… so cute. Chrysi felt the urge to reach her hand up and tuck the strands away and out of his face. For her fingertips to find his cheek and caress it with a careful affection. Her heart skipped a beat at the thought, her face flushing as she cleared her throat and moved her hands away from the grip of the boy before turning and facing the rain, hurrying out into it and leaving William stunned in her wake, as she seemed to normally due. The water dappled across her hair as she skipped into the sidewalk, twirling in her skirt as she tucked her hands behind her back and smiled.

“Well, then, what are we waiting for?”

There was something ethereal about the image. The way her hair sparkled in the rain as the lights of the city were reflected off of her side. Of the way her smile spread the freckles across her cheek even thicker than they already were. The way her lips were curled so perfectly with that smile that he half though she would float up to heaven, she looked so much like an angel. A shiver went up William’s spine as he gazed on at her, his heartbeat suddenly all too loud in his ears and his throat thick with an anxious saliva that wasn’t there before. Why did he keep thinking she was so beautiful… Why did he half to want something so far out of his reach?

What was wrong with him?

“Yoooo, Williammmmmmmmm-!” Chrysi’s voice echoed starkly through the sound of rain as she waved her hand with a grin, “You’re the one with the keys to your place. Are you gonna hurry up or am I going to have to steal them and lock you out of your house myself?”

He snapped out of it, the joke bringing a laugh to his lips as he hurried up after her, extending his umbrella out with a worried tone as he smiled, “Okay, okay, just get back under here! You really are going to get sick if you don’t keep yourself out of the rain.”

They walked down the streets for what felt like hours. Perhaps it was something close to an hour. As they moved, asphalt was lit up rainbow and orange as the lights reflected off of the buildings and lamps around them and into the wet ground. Each line of color shimmered like a painting in their wake as they walked, their feet hitting large puddles and causing a ripple in the bustling environment in such a far dimension away. She wondered if puddles were actual dimensions to other universes, but she doubted it was true. For if it was, all she would have to do would be step in a puddle and fall into somewhere she wanted to be. Fall far away into a world that was better than this one.

Chrysi cast her gaze to her side, where William walked along with her. His smile was warm as his eyes gazed forward, taking in the sight of shops that lined the streets and the people that passed them by. She bit her lip to hide her own smile. That was silly, she decided for herself, for a world without William would be a stupid place to live in if she was being honest.

It wasn’t a world she wanted.

It was a while more that they walked before a stop light halted their progress. Chrysi hit the button on the side of the nearby pole with its pleasant walking man above it and they waited for the light to fade back into green so that they could go forward. The traffic roared its way to life nearby, the echo startling in her ears as she stared at the street before them both. It was always so loud downtown. The cars never stopped, nor did the people and demons that inhabited it. A few different species wiggled their way across the street, jaywalking and shouting at cars that bared their horns at them for the movement. She couldn’t help but laugh, the lopsided smile easy on her lips until…

Until…

A roar of a car. The screams of people as it drunkenly careened through the streets. With a startled gasp the girl jumped back to avoid the metal monstrosity itself, but not in time to avoid the splashback of a puddle in the rain that it had driven through. The water fell upwards like a tidal wave. A tsunami approached her and she could have sworn that she saw her life flash before her eyes as she stared at the wall of damp, dirty road water. The foam was teeth and its body was a demon for a long, terrifying moment before it all came crashing down upon her.

Her clothes soaked it in, the fabric sticking needily to her form in the most uncomfortable fashion. Her hair was suddenly all too heavy with moisture as it weighed itself down on her shoulders. Her eyes stung with whatever the hell was in that water as she let out a surprised yelp at the frigid coldness that enveloped her alongside the mass of moisture, her arms splayed out on her sides as her gaze went wide with shock. Goosebumps littered her damp skin but nothing felt dry or warm anymore as it even soaked through her undershirts and into her bra. Into her socks, giving the squishiest and most unpleasant texture to her toes she had ever had the displeasure of experiencing.

“Woah! Chrysi, are you okay!?”

William’s voice was shocked and worried as he joined her at her side, himself having enough sense and awareness to jump out of the way of the oncoming vehicle and is splashback. Chrysi responded by waving her hands about, sending droplets of water splashing as she groaned.

“FUCK! I love this shirt!”

“Let’s hurry to my place! We can put your clothes in the wash there, come on! The rain’s getting worse.”

They sprinted the last few blocks to William’s home hand-in-hand, their grip tight on one another so that they wouldn’t be lost. They dragged one another behind whenever one of them fell back even a little to catch their breath. The wind whipped through their hair, droplets of rain water cascading off of them like the tail of a comet as they moved. As they pushed one another  to their limits in that final sprint that they came across. It was like something out of a video game, only the air in her lungs was real and the wind in his bangs was real and the world around them, despite that feeling of intense illusions, was all so real.

The world felt so real with her.

They arrived and entered his home out of breath. When the lights were turned on, Chrysi had given up and chosen to accept her fate by laying face down on the floor of his living room, heaving empty breaths as she tried to keep herself from hyperventilating through the rush of adrenaline the impromptu workout had caused her. William leaned forward, his hands on his knees, as he also tried to catch his breath. For a long while the only noises around them were the sound of the rain on the rooftop and the sound of their breathing filling the entire room.

“We’re never…. “ Chrysi gasped through her exhaustion in the floorboards, “Doing that… AGAIN…”

William laughed through his breathlessness. The laughter grew contagious and, soon, Chrysi was laughing too. The two began to giggle uncontrollably as William soon joined her on the floor, the both of them laying in the middle of the floor as the laughter of their adventure subsided away into a cold and dull ache somewhere in the base of their lungs.

As the silence finally engulfed the both of them, they were left on their backs, staring up idly at the ceiling above them. The rain seemed to grow louder as they rested like that, the world around them an echo in the night as they both found comfort in the endless quiet they were able to have together. It had always been like this, Chrysi supposed. Their relationship was made up of something in this general area. A quiet presence that they enjoyed in one another at times, but a loud and obnoxious series of laughters when they also felt like it. The world was changing and shifting subject of facts and fictions for the both of them. One that they seemed to endure together as the world spun around.

“We should get you changed out of those clothes.” Will managed to murmur out as his gaze cast itself around towards Chrysi. Chrysi blinked up at the ceiling, suddenly all too aware of the way her clothes stuck to her body. How wet and dripping they were, seeping into his floor and sagging against her already dampened hair. She laughed despite herself, giving a nod and a soft ‘yeah’ as she stood up and looked around, frowning as she spoke half to herself, “I don’t have any clothes I keep at your place, though, do I?”

The question hung heavy between them as they both rose to their feet, William biting his lip for a moment before the offer fell softly from between his lips, “You could… borrow some of my stuff.”

Chrysi’s eyes went wide, her gaze facing his with a look of something like ‘are you serious?’ scrawled across it. Her cheeks flushed a redness the likes of which neither had seen them go before and William felt the empathy warmness caress his face as he bit his lip and turned away for a moment in thought. There was no way to take back that offer was there? Oh God did he just seriously screw up? Anxiety swelled in his chest like a tidal wave as he tried to find his voice enough backtrack and-

“Yeah I’d like that! Um, can I borrow your shower too?”

It was his turn to gawk as Chrysi smiled shyly.

That was the only conversation that followed her stepping into his shower, washing off the cold water from her icy skin and warming her body back up before slipping into a large, long-sleeved sweater that Will had laid fout for her and a pair of comfortable pajama shorts that hung a little too far off of her hips to say that they fit properly. She tugged at the edge of the sweater as she exited the bathroom, her hair still slightly damp from the shower but enough to be out of its toweled prison with minimal damage to the already damp flooring.

“I have to admit, this is comfy.” She chirped with a laugh as William caught her eye. His gaze widened a single moment before he looked away with his own giggle, hand finding the back of his head to rub at it awkwardly as he defended himself easily, “I like comfortable things! Can you blame me?”

“If we need to wear clothes every day, guess it's best that you feel good in them!”

They spent the rest of the evening in. Will played video games with Chrysi (mario kart was a disaster never to be talked about again) and hot chocolate was boiled and shared between the two, extra marshmallows piled high into the mugs as they told one another embarrassing stories of their childhood with fits of giggles between sugar rushed words.

Hearing about William’s childhood was like opening the pages to a fairy tale. The world around her melted away as his stories painted a new picture in her mind. As the understanding she had for him grew, more and more, with teach tale of him and his sister and their beautiful farm with their family… It was so warm. So carefully constructed. She could feel the sun on her skin and the wind in her hair. She felt like she understood him a bit more. With every word they grew closer and closer still, their exchanges soft and their hands nearly touching as stories reached their climax and the shake of the world seemed to shatter around them. It was… So beautiful.

He was beautiful.

“We should get to bed.”

Will spoke the words almost reluctantly and Chrysi was aware of just how… not tired she really was… but regardless she nodded.

“Yeah that’s a good idea, um…” Her gaze shot around the room awkwardly, biting her lips as she tilted her head, “You got a pull out couch or anything I can sleep on?”

“Huh? Oh, no I don’t I just have… my bed in my room and that’s it.” Will smiled meekly, “I don’t get a lot of visitors I guess… But it’s okay, you can have the bed and I’ll put a few pillows on the floor. I don’t mind.”

“What?” Chrysi sat up with wide eyes, “No way! This is your house, I’m not making you sleep on the floor for me?”

“It is my house and i insist,” Will grinned, “I know how comfortable these floors are, trust me, its fine.”

“If it’s so fine then let me sleep on the floor. I couldn’t kick you out of your bed.”

“No way!”

And so the argument went, back and forth and back again, until the two came into another circle of blame that settled in the same argument. An ouroborus of decision making flooded their senses as neither refused to budge on their stance of sleeping arrangements and, Chrysi swore, she could feel herself growing increasingly more exhausted with every single end and break the conversation came upon. The weather outside was still cold. The world around them was still rainy. She just wanted some damn sleep. Her eyes narrowed as she took in a deep breath, clapping her hands together as she finally settled it in her mind:

“Fine, then we share.”

“WH-WHAT!?”

“LOOK-!” Chrysi defended her idea with a wave of her hands as she blushed, “I don’t want you to sleep on the floor and you don’t want ME to sleep on the floor and I trust you as a friend and shit so-! I don’t see what the big deal is, let’s just both split the bed. If it’s such a big deal we can just… put some pillows between us or whatever? It’s fine! Okay, so lets do it!”

Her hand held itself out, a shake of truce on the near-fight but not-quite fight they were both having. Her gaze was sincere and bore into his soul. Awkwardly he reached out to take it, accepting hte truce in a single hand shake, unable to hide the grin that came with the ridiculous movements the both of them were using for some odd reason. Chrysi’s own smile eventually permeated her lips as they laughed through the moment, finding it silly now that the decision had been made.

The bed was smaller than she was used to, but, still a decent enough size for two people. As the both of them crawled into its soft, warm covers, Chrysi let out a sigh of contentment. Her back hit the sheets and her head hit the pillow with a relaxing sigh, her body stretching and moving like a cat as she crawled around the entire thing. William watched her stretch in his clothes, the top she was wearing riding up just a little to reveal her stomach. He blushed and looked away, biting his lip to avoid staring. It would have been rude. It would have been weird.

She was so cute this way, though.

“Here, I have an idea.”

Chrysi stared at Will as he took some of the copious amounts of pillows he had and lined it between them,  a small wall forming in the middle of the bed. It divided neat sides between them, enough blankets for them to use separately instead of the single duvet that had been neatly organized on the covers earlier. Chrysi raised an eyebrow as she sat up, rubbing her scalp to loosen her hair against it a little bit.

“What are you doing?”

“This way we won’t kick one another at night or something.”

“Are you saying you kick at night or are you implying that I’ll kick you at night?”

“You’ve kicked me plenty of times when you’re awake.”

She snorted at his quippy response, making him grin as he finished organizing the pillows neatly before them both. The vast wall of soft items was a pleasant divider. Half of her just wanted to cuddle the structure itself as she fell asleep. Another half of her, somewhere deep down, wanted to cuddle Will. The thought was embarrassing enough as she lay down with him in the bed and took a deep breath, shutting her eyes to listen to the sound of the rain above them for a moment.

Everything here smelled like him. The clothes she wore… The sheets around her… The pillows separating her form from his.. The world was a beautiful olfactorius cacophony of his scent and sounds as he climbed and adjusted in his own side of the bed.

“Okay well… Goodnight.” William whispered out, unsure of what else to say.

“Mhm… “ Was all Chrysi could respond with, her eyelids heavy as she suddenly felt all too aware of how exhausted she was, “‘Night…”

And in a single moment, she was asleep.

---

The morning came without incident. The clouds ceased in their constant deluge of water and offered the citizens of Hellsalem a momentary reprieve from their fearsome bites. All that was left of the rain was puddles in the streets and droplets that slid from the edges of roofs and down to the sidewalks below them. The sound of cars driving by and beings muttering outside as they went about their day filled the world, once again, with an endless business that seemed to clog it like an artery. It was normal, once more, and it felt as though nothing truly intense had happened. Not yet, anyways.

Chrysi’s eyes cracked open, bleary sleepiness hanging in the corners of her visions like long forgotten shadows. She sighed and mumbled a nonsense phrase somewhere deep in her mouth, cuddling closer to the warmth that no presented itself in front of her. She hugged it close, her arms wrapping around a soft form and bringing it forward so that she coudl try and use it to block out the light daring to filter in through the air behind her. She just wanted a few more minutes of sleep, she decided, and it would be fine if she did.

Then the thing she hugged sighed and snored softly above her, its own arms reaching and brining her closer as it sighed.

Her eyes shot open, face burning the most intense red it had been in a very, very long time. Her hands clutched and then let go of the figure, eyes rolling up to see just who it was she was holding on to.

William looked peaceful in his sleep, his lack of glasses doing nothing but accentuating his beauty as his mouth opened softly in his sleep. His snores were more like light breathing, a gentle noise that left his lips as he hugged her closer and adjusted himself accordingly. Oh god, she realized with horror, oh god oh Jesus Fuck oh god oh MAN-.

Did she wake him up? Did she move away? Did she-

Her mind stopped working when his forehead pressed onto hers, his body curling in on her as he held her closer. Chrysi’s face was in his neck now, the bob of his adam’s apple soft on her nose as she inhaled his scent. It still smelled like rain and it was a beautiful, warm field smell that made her feel almost… at home.

Slowly her body destressed, the tenseness of her movements pushing itself away as she relaxed into his grip, eyes fluttering shut as she sighed in defeat. A smile printed itself nicely on her lips, a twitch of them as she felt herself lull softly into sleep yet again. She could cherish this for a while. At least while they slept. The consequences of its movements could be handled later. She didn’t have to worry about it now.

For, in that moment, she felt truly complete.