Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Your eye practically pops out of the peephole at the newcomer.

You open the door a little too fast.

"H-hello. The heat doesn't b-bother me. I'm just looking for a quiet place to rest...
Might I find some p-peace in your home?"

With the heat and everything, it's a little odd he's wearing a winter coat. But given his sickly pale blue skin, maybe all his winter clothing is protective.

You further inspect his eyes. They're vertical shaped. His short, messy black hair frames everything. His eyes especially give you red flags but you'll still bite.

"Who are you?" you ask.

His eyes visibly twitch upon your voice.

"It doesn't m-matter anymore. Are you wondering if I'm a Visitor?"

Oh I know you are buddy, you answer internally. Not sure why I'm still talking to you.

"I'm n-not. But I do have a request."

Anything.

You blink twice as your face warms. That can for sure be blamed on the heat though.

"I'll ask you later. I'm not sure I can tr-trust you with it yet."

You quirk a brow, shifting on your feet to lean on the doorway.

"The heat doesn't bother you?"
you've been wondering that.

"I'm always c-cold."

Yeah you can see it in his scrunched posture. His arms are crossed, preventing you from observing his nails.

"Others b-b-burn in the sun. I wrap myself in layers and still feel on the verge of fr-freezing."

You idly look around him, making sure nobody is trying to sneak up after.

"I'm afraid to take any layers off."

You refocus on him. Noticing his eyebrows almost look drawn on.

"What if it just gets worse? And there's no d-death to ease the suffering?"

"Damn, that's a bit off from clothing," you murmur, not even sure you make sense.
"Come in."

Because why not? You step back to the side.

"Th-thank you," he almost seems surprised by your choice.
"Ceiling is a b-bit low. But it's fine."

He turned his head as you so happened to. Resulting in unneeded closeness. Your noses nearly touched, hadn't you flinched back, with your fingertips touching your rifle.

You need to relax.

He was just walking past you- not going to bite your face off.

His unusual pupils lingered on the rifle as you brought your hand back at your side.

You kept eye contact, until he turns left to enter the living room.

Fuck was that? You criticize. People are definitely dying tonight.

Assuming you're letting humans in.

You've gotten into a rhythm of watching the news in bed. It blares in the brightly lit room. Honestly it's too bright to look out the windows during the day. The sun reflects everything.

You need more channels or something, because you can't shake last night off. That neutral look, with his attentive eyes.

You haven't worn proper pajamas in days.

Ever since the world went to shit, it's been easier not changing from your day clothes.

You leave the room, and close it behind you.

He's the only one in the living room. Delirious, and flustered, you let two other people in last night, but you're not concerned about them.

"If only there was a little w-warmth..." his voice got louder as you approached.

Shit.
You forgot your gun in your bedroom.

Well... "Green suits you." you gesture lightly at his sweater.

"S-s-suits me?" he's stunned once more, yet his expression is anything but.

There's so much more I could say.

"You're keeping the jacket on?" you interrupt.

The jacket guy is released from his stupor,
"Y-Yes, there's one thought that frightens me."

You idly shift your weight between your feet.

"What happens if I t-t-take it off? I can't get warm, even in the h-heat.
If I remove the jacket, will I d-die from the c-cold?"

He's scrunched, sitting on the couch holding his head in a satisfying way. From an photographer perspective.

"Or worse. Remain alive and feel even c-c-colder?"

How complicated. You hesitantly do something different. You sit next to him- an arm's length away, but still closer to anyone before.

A small snort escapes you at the passing thought.

"So you don't shower?"

Coat guy remains scrunched. His shoulders sag slightly.
"I'm n-not going to answer that question. S-Sorry."

He doesn't say anything.

You don't say anything.

What if you showered together? Goodness gracious- you wish you could leave the house.

You abruptly stand.

"It's too hot in here for me."

"Really?" he lifts his head without a stutter. It's a little jarring.

His arms are quickly crossed.
Unfortunately reminding you how- not once- you noticed his nails.

"I need to check you," you blurt, "your hands."

"N-Nails? Sure, I’ll show you." He shows you without issue.

Goodness gracious, you can't look away. Why does the blood look fresh??

"Hmm. I t-tore them all off."

Why?? You wanted to ask, but it's caught in your throat.

"Still, you can t-take a look...
Do you think my n-n-nails fit what they say about the Visitors?"

You rush to a specific part of the living room drawer.

"Mm, you can't really ch-check my hands when they're like th-this-" His eyes widen, do you have guns in every room?
"Forgive me... P-please don't shoot. There's s-s-something I'd like to tell you... But.. But..."

You freeze, the only thing moving is your head over your shoulder. It's odd hearing something so obviously not human, sound... afraid.

Instead of a gun, your hand rose to reveal a roll of bandages.

Bandages? His mind grows blank.

"You know, I'm t-tired of living like this," he watched you approach closely. His vertical pupils haven't changed.
"But you chose not to k-kill me."

You push the empty lounge chair closer to him, and sit down with scissors and the roll. You open your left palm to him. Incredibly squeamish with the nail-less beds of his hands.

"M-M-Meanwhile, somewhere else, someone else was k-killed in their own home," he kept going as he slowly left his hand on yours. His head tilts up. "Ever think about why that is?"

It could your mind playing tricks, but his hand is heavier than it's supposed to be. He's cold. It contrasts nicely against your warm, slightly sweaty palms. You focus entirely on wrapping. You've never had to bandage a hand before, or anything really, which explains why the roll of bandages look so new.

Once you're done with his first hand. His fingertips slowly push up your sleeve, then stay, right on your veins. The warmest part of you he can reach.

He can feel your heart beat spike when you looked at him, but said nothing.

Without a word, just heavy eye contact, he swapped his hands. He held his bandaged one across his side, while his untouched one rests back in your palm.

You repeat the process. Time feels slower this go around.

What was that about? You- what is going on. Eventually you'll name it, right?

"You feel nice," you whispered exactly what he was thinking.

"I mean, because it's severely hot outside and everything." Though there are no windows in the living room. "You're,"

The coat guy unfurls his hand from his side and felt both your hands. Even through the bandages, he felt your heart stutter like he would've had he pointed it out.

He's so cool, almost like an ice cube, your fingers intertwine with his vertically.

No, you'll play dumb. "You're the most unique person I've met." He'll just deny being a Visitor anyway, you reason.

Is all of him cold?

Holy- you need to get up, question others. You're spending too much time with him.

You stand, letting your hands lax, but then coat guy stands with you. Looking down at you slightly, he's focused on your hands together.

You're not about to shuffle all around the house, holding hands. At least not yet.
The image is funny.

"I..." Or, just check him. You know, to officially rule him as a Visitor. No other reason. "Need to check your eyes."

You'll get tired of standing. You awkwardly shift back on your chair across from him. He doesn't even look back to see if he lands back on the couch, but he does. Your hands are still lax, his aren't.

The cooling sensation is too nice to decline right away.

"Now... Eyes are a window to hell, not to the s-soul."
Coat guy mumbles, like he's not all there.
"My soul b-burned out long ago. Maybe that's why I'm so c-c-cold."

You lean, your hands tensing, almost bringing him closer with you.

His pupils are solid black, with no color. Elongated, yet steady on you. You couldn't see your reflection like you sometimes could with others.

Your pupils dilated slightly to make up for the light. That's it.

"Narrow p-pupils? Probably because the c-c-cold has tightened my skin."
Is it a lie? You'll never know.
"Shame the sun still b-burns me like everyone else. At least my flesh was w-warm as it charred."

He saw you look at his mouth, but he's not sure why. Are you going to check him again?

"Everyone speaks so cryptically," is all you murmur. "Show me your teeth."

"Mm... t-teeth?" Does he need to sound like that? So... what's the word? "Sure... T-take a look."

He had to unfortunately remove his hands from yours to show you.

Perfect white.

He's a Visitor. But you already knew that.

He brushes his hands on his legs.

"I bite my lips until they b-bleed sometimes..." he looks away for once. Like he's sharing a normal story. "Just to feel the warmth of my own b-b-blood."

You took his hand before he could curl it around himself. I'm definitely washing my hands after this, you internally wince at the germs, but keep it anyway.

"A reminder that I'm s-still alive..." he finishes his thought.

It's getting late. The light under the door is gone. Goodness, how much time did you spend with him?

"If you're so cold, why don't you join me?"

"Join y-you?"

"-In my room."

It's the apocalypse- you can shoot your shot. Assuming it lands.

"I have blankets. Maybe something could help." Your heart races. He slides his cold fingertips up your wrist to feel it.

"Okay," he's almost too quick with it. Like, going to maul you in your sleep, too quick with it. Oh well. He lets your hand go for once, crossing his arms as he stood. Ready to follow.

You push the chair back into place before opening the living room door. He follows with his arms crossed.

It's too dark to check the office, your second favorite room. First being your bedroom.

Especially now that you have company.

You check the blinds while coat guy waits like a vampire waiting to be verbally invited into your room.

There’s a deathly silence outside.
There’s no one there.
Even the drunks have decided not to go out.
Are they afraid of something?

Probably the same something you're about to let in your room.

"Ready?" you ask like it's a big event. You open the door.

It's cozy, in realtor terms.

He pretends to be more interested in the box TV.

"Oh, did you want blankets, or did you..." why is this so damn embarrassing? Knowing what you know about him. "Did you want to, y'know, lay parallel to me, at an appropriate distance?" I'm a loser, is what your mind defaults to. What kind of person says that? Goodness, maybe I'm the Visitor.

"I'm probably warmer." What am I even going on about?
"Yes." The coat guy answered so crisply.

"Yes?" you echo, your shock evident.

"Y-you ha-have more of a ch-chance of b-being warmer. I a-a-accept."

You blink.

He clambers on the bed, further from the door, closer to the TV, with his arms wrapped around his midsection.

You slowly close the bedroom door. Genuinely surprised by your charisma.

"I haven't slept with blankets since it's so hot, but I'll get you some," you give a little nod.

I have a Visitor in my bed. You clumsily close the bedroom door as you leave it.

"And he's fine??" you ruminate with yourself.

There's a knock at the door.

Your shoulders sag with a groan. You'll put a sign up.

You know the living room is empty so you waltz in there, searching for marker and something to write on.

"With fine shyt, do not disturb!" you whisper aloud your scribbles. "Exclamation mark. Done." Who cares if no one understands it but you?

You dig for tape.

You dismissed the stranger at first glance. In your defense, they looked like a Visitor. The perfect teeth is a giveaway.

Now... coat guy's perfect teeth... a total different story.

You rub your hands together with a cheesy expression; before locking in with a handful of blankets, and a small cough to clear your throat. "All the blankets from the living room. There's some more in the office, but I don't want to wake anyone."

You carefully walk around to coat guy. Who's laying there like you're going to bury him in a coffin of blankets.

"Okay." His hands don't leave his midsection.

You fan out each blanket, specifically on him. Ten whole blankets. Many of them were random gifts before the apocalypse. Each different holiday themes. The last one, ironically being winter themed.

"Slightly better?" you ask.

He shrugs now, but he's tucked in. Embedded even.

You're fine in your jeans and long sleeved shirt. No blanket can hold you down. It's too warm for that.

"Shit, the lamp is on your side." you won't ask him to leave his cocoon.

You spring up and turn it off, feeling the TV stand to know your direction in the small room. You feel relief the moment your palms touch the empty spot where you'll be.

The room is drowned in cyan light. The white sheets, and lamp cover almost look radioactive.

You shift on your back; staring at the peeling ceiling you should've gotten fixed before the world went wrong.

"I've never shared a bed with someone before," you whisper, the deepness of the night making you feel looser. Plus just having something to listen.

"It's nice so far," you yawn. But you're still awake.
"Any ideas on what to do for your temperature?"

Coat guy is quiet for a bit, taking in the scenery.

"Hmm... I d-don't believe I can change this.
A hot bath only b-burns me. I don't feel any warmer."
How unfortunate.

"You know... I thought of a m-m-metaphor."

You shift on your side, showing your full attention.

"Picture deep space. Vast and fr-frozen. Galaxies are born. Stars c-collapse. ...And I just observe."

"I sort of get that," you murmur, not wanting to interrupt entirely.

Coat guy lingers, noticing your eyes closed to picture it.

"I'll never feel the heat of the s-s-sun. Or the w-warmth of an embrace.
It seems neither s-space nor society need me."

Your eyes pop open. Lazily adjusting to focus on him.

"I think... I... need you," you offer. "In the sense that I like your presence! Nothing else. Unless, no- that's crazy. Unless? No, I'll shut up- go on?"

But that's all he had to say.

His expression never changes. You're not sure it can.
His eyes paint your face.
Actively seeking your meaning.

Okay, he's not speaking, so... "You said something about a warmth of an embrace?"

You're shooting everything without a gun!

Coat guy opens his mouth, then closes it. He looks at his midsection. Even buried under blankets, he's still got his arms around himself.

"Another t-time."

"Right, cool. Another time."
You echo.

You shift to face the other side.

HOLY- another time??
You need to chill out.

Hey, you put up that do not disturb sign.

Nobody else should knock tonight.

Chapter Text

The weight of the day slides off your face.
Your eyes wearily open.
Oh, it's just the weight is coat guy's hand. His bandaged finger tips specifically. They're tracing your jawline. You didn't even hear the blankets shift.

You scooch closer, laying on your side.

It's so quiet tonight. Did I fall asleep? The radioactive cyan isn't easing the dream likeness. With him looking at you, it almost feels cooler out.

Darkness emanates behind the bedroom curtains.

But he softens it with just his eyes.

You stretch, but it only provides temporary relief.

Coat guy's hand lingers on you. A finger pad pushes your cheek in, and you almost don't feel it. He's beyond gentle, like a ghost haunting you.
Didn't you say something a few hours ago, about washing your hands after touching him? Now you're letting him touch your face.
Why aren't you upset?

Coat guy's blankets look tousled.
Did he get up while you were out?
You don't want to get up.
Not yet.

Does he even sleep?

His eyes brightly fixate on you.

His mouth opens, emotionless as usual, "Something has been on my m-mind. For a long time. It might be why I feel so... c-c-cold."
Another story? You perk up.
"I loathe to bring it up, but it might just consume me if I don't..."

You're intrigued by the lack of stutter.

His hand drifts up to cup your forehead. You emit a pleasant little sound. He's like an ice pack. A rarity.

"I think I'm ready."
What's this hype about some secret? You wonder in the safety of your mind.
"It usually ends b-badly, but maybe n-not this time."

You're only getting more curious.

His hand withdraws, and you find yourself missing the sensation.

"Under these c-clothes is, I believe, the reason for my c-c-cold and loneliness both." He shakily pushed out of his blankets. His hands tense around the edge of his jacket and everything concealing his stomach.

I mean, if he wants to take his shirt off, by all means.

"Look."
He doesn't have to tell you twice.

You sit up, prepared for anything, like a scar or something alike.

But his stomach is anything but.

A crater- a black hole- it takes up his whole stomach space.

Not human, your common sense screams, get the gun under my bed.

You squint, but it's perceived as judgement rather than curiosity. You open your mouth to ask, but he cut you off, shoving his clothing back over his midsection.

"Th-This is the same as before..." Coat guy murmurs, trying to catch his flying thoughts that threaten to escape the room. "Why did I think this time would be d-different?"
His arms cross with an aching coldness no fire could fix.

You want to stop him, but you're even more curious about his cryptic rambling.

"D-don't be rash. I didn't do this out of m-malice. That was n-n-never my goal." He walks along the edge. Careful not to disturb your bed further. His hand rests on the door handle.
He's spinning repeated stories.

The bed crowds the door, you don't need to get up.

You jump up on your knees on the bed.

Gather him into an impromptu hug!

"Don't go."
You hardly recognize yourself in that tone.

The coat guy tenses, his hands automatically going around you, maybe out of muscle memory to hold his stomach.

On the bed, your head rests over his shoulder.
He smells cold, if that's even a thing.
Imagine walking out into a snowing forest- okay maybe it's pine you're smelling.

His bandaged hands splay across your shoulder blades. Your heart beat ascends, he can feel it directly.

"Mm," he lowered his face into your shoulder.

You don't realize you're tensing until you drop it. He's a walking air conditioner you want to crawl deeply inside of.

In a normal way.
Not a Visitor way.
Oh shoot, he's a Visitor-
This can't work out.

How fast can your heart go? You've got to mellow out eventually. This is so sad. It's just a hug.
You should get hugs more often, but who wants to hug you?

You'll sink into him, like his stomach makes you gravitate closer.

Your mouth moves before your mind does- you press a soft kiss against his cheek, fleeting, almost careless. But he goes still, like you’ve struck the hole in his stomach. When he breathes again, it’s shakier, and you know he felt it too.

"I thought you'd... shoot me." Coat guy whispers, unintentionally sounding like a pretty song.

"No."

"I'm not like you."
It feels isolating knowing how much warmth you have. He can't bare the the thought of the hug ending too soon.
"But you let me in your," he cleared his throat before saying the last word, "Room." his knuckles grew white. You don't have layers on, you can feel him lighten up so he doesn't dig in you.

How badly he wants to sink into you this time.

Maybe it's the lighting, but you're suddenly hard to read... Should he let go?
He refuses to make you uncomfortable.
You warm his skin though.

"I put a sign." He can hear you so closely. "Nobody should knock tonight, if you... want to stay in my bed with me." You might be sleepy. You're just so relaxing to be around, he's not sure if he can unfurl his hands from your back.

You turn your head so you don't yawn into his shoulder. Little did you know, he wants to share a breath with you.

Coat guy broke from his thoughts, he shyly resumed position, a bit more swiftly since your lack of rejection. He had to manually remove each finger of his from your back. He puts the blankets on himself; he won't trouble you-

"I got it," you shake off your lingering wants to help tuck him in his spot...

His spot.

If someone were to warn you that the sun would blast the earth, and you'd be tucking in an inhuman creature that's likely crawled from the dirt, into your bed... Let's just say you don't need to be 'saved.'

You're exactly where you want to be.

You flop back on your spot. The brief air time is nice.

Not really good with conversing. Think, what was he saying before? You ring your brain out for conversation.

Oh screw it.

"I think I wanna kiss you," you've run out of worries to give. The apocalypse being right outside, is grounding.

Your hands so happen to be crossed over your stomach too.

You make the mistake of glancing at him. You snort a bit behind your hand. He looks cozy in those ten blankets.

His hair rustles against his pillow as he turned his head to you. He looks between the TV, the blinds, then back.

"Okay." Anything to beat the impending winter falling upon him.

"Okay?" you give a confused half-smile. "Is that a go-ahead?" you remain in your spot.

"Yes. I'm s-s-sorry," he cleared his throat, his hair fanned out on the pillow as he stares up. "I don't know how."

His elongated pupils dart to you.

"Please." If it's anything like the hug, he'll surely enjoy it. "I'm re-ready... I'm so cold, mh-"

You're glued to his side, nonparallel to him.

Sparks. So many sparks, and he's not touching an outlet. It's so... warm. What has crawled into his chest?

You hear the blankets rustling desperately- he freed his hand to hold your face.
You're so warm.
You're so soft.

He's swimming. He's swimming like it's a beautiful first day of summer on the beach. When the sun wasn't deadly, and just smiled down at him.

Your hand held his face back.

Oh how it's smiling on him.

"Mm, oh- ow. Ow?" He gently pulled away, you let your hand fall.

It's actually hot in here. How are you wearing a long sleeved shirt?

To your surprise, coat guy...removes his coat, it drops on the floor. You hear the swooping motion of him kicking off the rest of the blankets. More of the white, cyan bathed, bed is visible.

In his blue-green sweater, you're effortlessly brought close to his chest. More of that pine tree smell. His arms wrap under yours, so yours go over his. The scarf he kept around his neck smells the most like him. Shit, I'm in deep.

His eyelids flutter shut.

Sweater guy leans his face a tad closer. Just letting you do whatever you want with his face since you're such a pro.

"Can I kiss your face more?" you feel like such a cornball asking.

Sweater guy nods quickly, as if being reborn. "Please."

Finally, your dreams are coming true.

Chapter Text

Someone knocks.
It's distant but firm.

Coat guy feels up your back. He's gotten out of ice cube territory. Now just air conditioning. You almost forget you're wearing a shirt still.

Damn the front door- you know you put a sign!

You give a feverish kiss, it tastes like an apology or a promise you don’t want to make.
No idea you had that in you!
Right against his dried bloody lips.

You don't taste iron.

Sweater guy's whimper catches in your throat.

His pupils glitter cyan in a squint, as if he knows you'll leave. His arms fight between going lax or not to let you slip away.

Your mind drifts while your head tucks back into his forest scent.
What if it's ForRest with the Kombucha I ordered? It'd be a pleasant surprise. Wouldn't they cancel deliveries nationwide because of... you know? Everything.

A brisk chill flashes down his spine at the thought of you leaving.

"I'll be right back," you promise, being so bold to caress the side of his face.

You gave him a kiss on his jawline, then fully left. How it burned in it's wake.

His body tingles long after the door closes.

He can’t hear your steps.
He pulls his coat of shame on. Staring at the bundle of blankets he was too eager to drop, as he went around the bed.

The hall feels colder.

"But even the loneliest soul needs a... special kind of attention."
The seductive woman is too pretty to be human.
"Let me in, and I can give you that. ...Make you feel something."

Her voice is warm the way frost looks soft. Pretty until you touch it.

Your hand tightens on the door.

In another life- the one where you never let coat guy in- maybe you’d open.

"You should leave," you say, stiff as the unoiled hinge.

She tilts her head, one brow cutting low. "I never expected you to answer any differently.
Do you think facing the end all alone will make things easier?"

It lands like a slap.

"Is my sign not clear?" you turn the door in, "Does 'With fine shyt, do not disturb' mean nothing? I even left the porch light on."

She chuckles, airless, brittle. “Well… he doesn’t think so.”
Her eyes flick past your shoulder before she fades into the dark.

The lock clicks shut under your palm.
Back to the warmth. Back to the ache.

“OH MY- hi... greetings fine shyt.”

He’s standing just around the corner, eyes wide, like he’s been waiting the whole time.

“Wh-what does that m-mean?” He crosses his arms, tilting his head like a teacher saying, I’ll wait.

Chapter Text

"Fine… shyt... Like sifted into a refined t-texture?" he murmurs, holding himself.
"O-or you mean… fragile waste?"

You witness the spinning, loading icons in his eyes.

"A-a-a contradiction? S-something foul, but desirable? …Is that what you th-think of me?" he softens at the end.

"No. You’re HOT. Like… attractive." He's too... there's no words for it. Kisses might not be enough.
You need to crawl inside his skin.

Coat guy stops shivering for a blissful moment.
His hand reaches his cheek.
He can feel the warmth through his bandages.
"This h-husk... knows h-how... to react, to y-you. Hm," he coughs into his fist.
What kind of a shiver just touched him?

He sits with it like he misheard you. “Attracted. T-to me. You mean- physically? As in… that way?” He mentally fumbles through synonyms: desirable, appealing, magnetic- like he’s testing each word in his mind and none fit him.

How can you reflect my desire, when there's people who are more warm, whole, and human?

Coat guy almost trembles at the idea.
Not prideful, not smug- just stunned like, you don’t just tolerate me… you want me. How is this real… but it feels true when you kiss me. Whatever 'real' is supposed to feel.

He avoids your eyes, yet he steps closer into your orbit.

"I’m a c-candle… and you’re c-calling the wax beautiful, even as it m-melts," he processes in his own way.

“You- you melt me.”
He looks startled by his own words, as if they came from someone else’s mouth, but he doesn’t take them back.

The honest humanity you saw in his non-human eyes stings you like a jellyfish.

The seductive woman didn't have different pupils.
What if you just sent a human to an early grave?

The judgy part of you jests that someone probably already let her in by now.

You glance at coat guy, who's simply absorbing your presence.

You'd kiss him, but you fear you'd take longer to fetch the lady if you did.

You stand like an NPC. You have no idea how to react. Was it a confession? Was he just processing aloud? It clearly means something, but what.

He looks at you without expectation.

"I..." you freeze for once. "I feel bad- so... I'm gonna go get her... back," you gesture with a thumb. You turn, feeling the ribbon thread between you tighten.

You unlock more than the door, and push the it open. Stepping out onto the porch. The air hangs heavy, pressing around you, and you don’t venture far.

A pool of cyan light spills from the doorway into the warm night.

Coat guy's hands twitch. He shifts, hesitant, as if the air between you might combust. Goosebumps rise where warmth had been. More... feelings.

You spot seductive woman's retreating form.
Arms half-wrapped around herself, is she copying me? Coat guy squints.

He stands at the edge of the porch, focused on you or anything interested in you.
You make it so easy to want you.
Coat guy stands in the doorway like he's sent you off to war.

"You can come in," your arms on your waist, as you kicked a pebble closer, "If you really have no where else to go."

Coat guy squints.
Is there a breeze outside, or is he imagining it?

Seductive woman bounds forward, brushing past the air coat guy's hovering in, joining you up the old porch steps.

She notices the slight curl of coat guy's shoulders, the way he hesitates, his eyes, and files him away as a Visitor. A potential threat.

"I’ve never been good with people," you frown. You let her enter first. He stiffens, just slightly, the chill crawling back up his spine.

He steps aside, begrudgingly.
Listening to the click of the lock like it’s a verdict.

"I get it. Not many people know how to listen without jumping in with a, "Well, I've had it worse!""
Seductive woman lightly smiled on one side, trying to lighten the tension.

You debrief by the front door, "I heard this pale guy is going around asking people if they're alone. The news, my neighbor, and I swear I even saw him once when I got up early to use the bathroom one night."
My gun is still in my room...

"I'm gonna check you in the morning," you're still skeptical.

"You could check me tonight." Seductive woman doesn't miss a beat.
She doesn't walk off into a room after either.

You can feel the weight of her stare.

Don’t look at her like that, coat guy mumbles in his head, looking as disengaged as possible.

Coat guy's teeth chatter with frantic breaths. You've never heard that before. Wasn't he warm a second ago?

You can only flash him a glance before seductive woman touches your shoulder, she's a tad taller than you.

Your face warms.

"Connecting with other people is hard. You're not the only one who struggles with that." She chimes in, physically interrupting you from looking at coat guy. She doesn't pay him any mind. She blatantly gazed at your chest for a split second.

"I could help you... if you want, baby. You could practice on me."

To coat guy's disbelief- you're just quiet- like you're waiting for the punchline of a joke.

"Maybe we could try... connecting... together?" she adds, both her hands rolling off your shoulders like water droplets.

Your brows knit together. Of course the world had to end for anything like this to happen to me, you don't know where to look.

Seductive woman lives to her title as she leans close to your hear. "Let's escape from all the horrors of this world together- just you and me."

Coat guy coughs into his fist. He might cough up a ice cube.

You glance past seductive woman. He looks away. He's not even sure why he's still standing here. Maybe he'll just slip into the abyss known as the living room. Ostracized. Alone- coat guy narrows his eyes.

Her fingertips guided you back on her before dropping away.
"I'm sure we can distract ourselves with something... better... than paranoia and endless self-pity."

Goodness gracious- cool air must've left the house when the door open! It's gotten warm in here.

"Let me get you comfortable," you simply resort to being polite. 

You hesitantly take her hand to guide her. It's loose compared to how she clings to your arm. It's embarrassing. Still not sure where to look, so you focus on the ground.

You're letting her in instead of me?
Coat guy's chest seizes like you plunged your hands in his cavern and ripped out whatever organs he had left, or at all.
Which room are you heading? Living room? Your bedroom-

You turn into the living room.

Oh.

That’s all.

Imagine if he just clung to you like that.

It'd mean he feels.
Feels enough to be...

Wrapped up in you.

There's that familiar ache. But it's a different tune. The feeling of your lips against his jawline. It's a part of him he doesn't particularly remember being praised about.

Coat guy slumps against the cyan soaked wallpaper. Like he's been dragged from the sea. But no, he's just a few feet from the living room door.

A few feet from you.

That… hurt.
The moment he showed himself to you, you changed your mind. You wanted more.
But he'll be enough for you.

You murmur on the other side. Talking to her.

Suddenly, you speed out the living room, heading left into your room.

Coat guy's on the floor in a photograph-worthy pose again.

The door's left open.
Coat guy raises his head from his hands and peeks in, catching how the seductive woman took residence in the same chair you bandaged his hands on.

She gave a slight wave with no visible expression.
That doesn't stop coat guy from imagining the smugness.

You fling your bedroom door open carrying a single blanket from coat guy's pile.

The door itself can't close alone.

Coat guy witnessed you spreading the blanket over her.

She knows coat guy is watching.

She catches your hand before you leave. Typical cliché.

Is she going to bite me, ironically is your first thought.

"Think about my offer?" Seductive woman references one more time for the night, almost pleading.

It touched something in you. Being needed.

What a strange phenomenon.

You blink twice.

"Yeah, uh, good...good night," you slip away, a couple inches short of dignity.

You let the door click shut behind you. You drop the handle.

Coat guy's millionth cough startles you in the quiet, despite it being muffled.

"Hey..." you approach. Coat guy mentally prepares to be kicked out of your house and life, forever doomed to walk the streets until the heat or something alike kills him.

"Hm?"

"Are you cold?" you ask before anything.

He tilts his head ever so slightly at your question. He holds his knees to his chest. "Y-y-yes,"

"Want to go back to bed?"
How domestic, if only past-you knew this is where you'd be.

Coat guy leans his face away, hiding in his scarf and knees.

"Why, I w-w-wouldn't w-want to bother you a-and 'fine… shyt,'" he murmurs, brows managing to pin down in thought.

You stifle a small sound at the way he says the term so alienlike.

"She's fine, but she's not fine shyt," It's hard to make those terms sound sincere. "You are."

Coat guy gives you another look, "Y-you're... m-making up words n-now," he quietly accuses. He looks at his knees. "I admit you m-melt me, then I am capped back on the d-discount sh-shelf. Wh-where I'm drowned out by the r-repeated scents that are b-b-better than mine. Who am I to think s-s-so far?" he held himself.

"Woah," your eyes widen. You sit in the silence. Letting his words air out. The world feels bigger on the floor.
"I can definitely see how it looks. She was... incredibly forward. I'm not even used to that."

Coat guy perks up. But you're direct with me. His eyes trace your side profile, since he's too scared to touch now. To blow your candle too quickly seems like a crime.

You should melt too.
Just not with anyone else.

Coat guy keeps to himself.

"Hey, have you ever tried chocolate milk before?" you ask after a while.

Chapter Text

"Yeah you can drink it cold, or hot, it's pretty neat." You sip from your mug. "Why does it feel like I've known you forever?" you murmur, yet it's voiced by the porcelain.

You're waiting for a stain on his sweater.

But nothing shows.

He's just sipping away while taking in your kitchen.

"I wish there was windows in here."

Coat guy contently listens. The mug is warm, but not quite like you. He watches the brown liquid swish with each tremble of his hands.

You stretch your legs out under the table, accidentally kicking something, "That you? Oh." It's just the paint.

Coat guy peeks under the table. He looks up at you, the slightest tilt of his head.

"I was gonna paint this room," you brighten, "You know, fun fact about this place. I bought it from my brother!" you raise the mug sarcastically. "I don't remember who picked out the wallpaper, but I hate it. I had plans to renovate. I mean I still could, but what's the point? I could die tomorrow."

"Is h-he...?"

"I haven't called."
You answer shortly.

You gulp your last gulp and push yourself free to wash out your mug.
"Nobody invested in a dishwasher..."
you grumble.
"Or anything."

Your shoulders slump,

Even in the mundane, you're so...
No, he must keep listening.
He won't blow it.

You're not used to incredibly forward, he won't cross that.

But at what point does he break in the process?

"It's late. I should really go to bed."

Knock.
Knock.

"For the love of-" Coat guy follows your storm like a fan. You rapidly approach the door. "If you're not with ForRest, go away. Oh the irony burns." you seethe, popping into the peephole.

"Hi, For Rest delivery here."

"Besides, what's the point of studying if no one's gonna hire me anyway?
...Alright, I've got an order here to deliver to you. Ready to take it?" This delivery guy is the only confirmed human you've spoken to since everything happened.

Your mood mellowed as time went on.

That was nice.

"Here you go, two EnerJekas.
Have a good night." he gave a little nod.

He heads out like a friend who doesn't have a car, just going back where he came, until he's a distant figure. Makes you wonder if any neighbors ordered anything.

Wait he said EnerJeka, not Kombucha. Damn it. You don't remember what you ordered. It's too late for this.

Unless... you eye the can.

No, you really should sleep...

Considering you went out twice, and nothing bad happened, must be a good sign.

You walk the other can into the fridge. Passing by coat guy who had moved on from listening to you talk to the delivery guy. He's fiddling with the water spout, trying to wash the mug he used.

You don't notice until after you pop the soda can open. You take a measly sip before trotting up to coat guy. "Your bandages," you try not to blow air at him. "If they get wet they'll mold." you clear your throat.

Coat guy looks between you and his mug. "Oh." He had no idea.

You warn him like he's not already clouded with bacteria. Maybe Visitor specific bacteria... that you surely inhaled while in bed with him.

That's fun to think about.

Thankfully you have extra bandages all over the house, so you don't have to wake seductive lady.
You sit him down, and redo his bandages.
Every now and then sipping from your EnerJeka until it's out.

Your once weary eyes are brighter. But you know energy drinks are more than their pretty labels.

Future you can deal with it.

"You d-didn't have to," Coat guy offers. With his newly bandaged fingertips, he plucks the empty can. Turning it over to read the contents with a squint.

"You expressed exhaustion."

Damn he reads quickly, you shrug. "I'm woke. Wait."

You sit up like you're caught with bad posture.

"Do you hear that?" You touch his arm, gently pulling him with you. Of course he's along for the ride. The action itself is grounding.

You creep into the hall. Coat guy breathes over your shoulder, trying to see what you see.

Through the window closest to your bedroom door, you see your neighbor and his daughter.
They’re playing happily, trying to forget about the ongoing horror...
If only for a moment.

You let the blinds relax.

"I wanna go outside." Your eyes flash with overwhelming hype for the outdoors.

It's been what, three nights since the apocalypse?

Coat guy stumbles along with you to check the other window to the right.

The bodies of the teenagers from yesterday are lying on the ground.
Someone killed them.
It appears to be recent. The blood still hasn’t dried.

Your brows lower, coat guy turns his head, looking right at you with something you're too tired to see.

"That's probably nothing," you shrug it off. "It's fake."

You slowly approach the final window near the front door.

You peel back the curtain,

A man as pale as death itself is standing on the footpath.
There are strange folds in his skin.
It’s like his skin is the wrong size for his body.
You can’t see his eyes from here, but you can feel his gaze boring into you.
You stare back.

You let the curtain fall back. You hold coat guy's face, "If you watch for me, I'll go get the gun."

Coat guy doesn't trust how your eyes have reddened.

However, he is utterly powerless to your warmth and care. He gave a hesitant nod, and pushed the chair closest to the front door into view.

For you, I'd watch paint dry.

He doesn't look away, but your steps are telling.

He's fills with relief the moment you return.

"When d-did you see him?" he switches spots with you.

You hold the rifle and angle it at the certain creep. You had a bad dream that night, or was it morning? You went to splash water on your face. Left refreshed, and level headed, until he was right at the window. The curtain hid his face.

It was before you had people staying with you.

You were too stunned to do what you're doing now. You have a witness.

"Unlock the window..." you whisper, "It's those- yep those things. Okay, ready?" you focus.

Fire!

You pale.

You narrowly missed where it's heart should be. First of all, good on you, your skills are on fire.

Second-
oh shit he's approaching.

"Close it? Close it- close it!" you set the gun down with an embarrassing yelp.

Coat guy helps lock it just in time.

Your heart.

The pale one's chest filled in where you shot. He's uncanny the closer he gets to the window.

You fell back from your seat.

Coat guy drags you under the arms with care a few feet away, since you're frozen this time.

You flip off the skinwalker in the process,
"You're lucky I'm held back!" you breathlessly taunt.

Crouched to fit in the window, his cross eyed gaze tracks you.
His smile stretched wide.

Coat guy gently lets you go to speed over to the window. He checks it's fastened, and tugs the blinds and curtain before his hands could shake. He couldn't look at the figure.

"Woah- why am I not held back?" your words slur.

He rushes to you.

"That's right! I'm being held back right now- next time I'll aim for your head!" you've surely woken the whole house.

Your point is made.

Coat guy gives up on dragging you, and lifts you into his arms. It's not graceful, but he manages. He's never had someone to carry.

You open the door since his hands are occupied. He gets on his knees to make sure he doesn't throw you, carefully sliding you onto the bed.

You were unprepared for the sudden dip, so your arms latch around his neck. Drawing him closer.

With nothing but his knees keeping him from melding into you.

It takes a moment to process his hands are also holding him up. They're on either side of your head.

You immediately loosen and let yourself get caught by your cyan-lit bedsheet. The way his hair cascades. The way his features are almost accentuated.

You're ethereal,
you both felt.

He mindfully got off of you, but your mind slowed it. He removed his coat, setting it back where it was before. In the process, he noticed the previously swept off blankets.

You wordlessly lay side by side.

"That was scary," you chuckle with closed eyes.
All the energy burned out of you.

Coat guy nods, his arms folded over his midsection like usual, but without chills.

"Confrontation... usually is."
He swiftly maneuvers over you to push in the bedroom door without getting up.

You quietly mull the background thoughts.

"Hey," you clasp your hand into his. "You melt me too.
It's embarrassing how much actually, since I've known you for... I don't know. I need to get back to using the calendar," you mumble a reminder. "It's like... four in the morning now? I let you in during the night. Sun could be messing up the weather."

You ramble.

Coat guy squeezes your hand, feeling the subtle heartbeat.

"You feel so nice," you bless a smile into his shoulder. "Thank you, back there. For locking up the window and everything-"

"I-I need you too."
he decides.

You yawn as you stretch onto your stomach. You keep an arm diagonal over his shoulder.
"Hah... that's so crazy- me too."

You're right where you need to be.

The sheets whisper as you shift closer to his pre-heating face. You fall asleep with your lips still smushed against his cheek.

He holds you like hot chocolate, yet you're hotter.
He looks at you for a solid minute. Eyes sparkling in the cyan light.

Right before trying to drift off in time to join your dream.

Looks like no one else is coming tonight.

Chapter Text

Blinding light peeks through the blinds, even through the black-out curtains.

Day 4 of the apocalypse.

Despite the impending heaviness of the evening, you feel whole.

You wake up facing away from coat guy, but nestled between his side and arm, that curled around you until it went numb.

Knock, knock, knock, knock, it's fast in tempo.

You wearily sit up.

Who the hell did I let in the house again? You touch your forehead, coat guy doesn't stir. He shifts a bit, laying on his side now. No longer facing the door. The bed didn't lighten up, so he's not alarmed.

"I'm coming in!" A dirty voice barges into your safe haven. "I heard shout'n last night. What the hell?"

It's the proclaimed wife of a FEMA agent.

You blink like a frog.
You think it's just her, the seductive woman, and coat guy in your house for now.

"I saw the pale guy," you report. "By the front door window."

"Yeah? And who's he? Did ya check him?" she talks loud to wake him.

"Yes, and no, no Visitors. Unless you're one." But you doubt that. "I let one other person in, she's in the living room."
You stretch.

"Uh, huh- listen, my nose is sharp as hell. I can sniff out shady folks and Visitors like nobody's business."
When will you stop talking? You resist groaning.
"One word to my hubby, and the boys in yellow will be here come morning for an unscheduled sweep."

You stiffly smile, showing your imperfect teeth, while nodding. "You said that... twice now. I understand."

"Better. But what the hell was the shout'n for? Some prankster think'n they funny? Don't lie, I heard a gun." She jabs a finger in your direction, not yet leaving the doorway.

"I shot it- the pale guy, but he healed instantly like some- sci-fi shit," you wake up more, grumbling in your hands at the memory. "He got away."

The Border Patrol Agent skeptically scoffs. "I'm questioning him next." She promptly closes the door.

You hear her knock and enter the next, presumably into the living room.

Good luck, seductive woman.

When everything went wrong- before you let coat guy in- you rejected a handful of guys who asked to be in your home. You didn't trust them. The last person who showed up late that night, was the one and only Karen of Border Patrol. Every other sentence was about her husband working at FEMA.

It was a long conversation through the peephole, until you let her in.

Annoying as she is, her assertiveness was just what you needed to sleep through the night. You've only checked her eyes. You haven't completely stamped her off as a human, no matter how convincing her story is.

I gotta stay on my toes- keep my eyes peeled, you ruminate with a literal Visitor in your bed.

"Hey..." you whisper, gently nudging coat guy's shoulder. You lay back down.

Coat guy shakes the bed as he moves back over, "Mm?" he pretends to wake.

"Were you... impressed with my shooting skills?" your face warms, you can't stop looking at his hair.

You want to touch.

"Can I..." your hand slowly reaches down to finger comb the hair that covered his eyes away. You reveal him staring at you like you're a rainbow after it rained.

It tickles something warm in you.

"How are you so..." you murmur. You kiss his cheek, then his nose.

You see color across his face.

He closes his eyes.
Words don't come out.

With bated breath, he waits for a kiss.

None arrives.

His brows lower like you've shot him instead.

Audacity, pops into his mind. Confusion. Alarm. Did I do something wrong?

Coat guy's hands are back over his stomach, awaiting judgement.

Curiosity got the best of you.

Your nose touches his, your eyes slowly close, you kiss him slowly this time.

And when your hand snaked into his hair... he broke the kiss with a whine.
His resting-frown strains.
With the new glint in his eyes, he can't bare to look at you.
It's too intimate.

"I'm- I'm sorry. I-I've made it weird." Something hammers in his chest. Something that hasn't moved in a long time. It's startling to feel it so apparent.

One hand covers his stomach, while the other rests where his heart should be.

"Are you okay?" you worry, backing off.

Coat guy swallows a breath, "Yes. I'm sorry." He closes his eyes, trying to imagine the vast universe.

After about ten minutes, his breathing levels out.
You don't leave his side.

"Can you hand me the TV remote? We can check the News," it's part of your routine anyway.

Coat guy opens an eye before turning to the dresser. The remote is in your hand in seconds.

"Thank you." You're less than a hair from him, but keeping to yourself.

You switch the TV on.

"Good afternoon. Here's the news.
FEMA has taken new measures to address the ongoing Visitor invasion.
As of now they have organized quarantine zones to detain potentially dangerous suspects..." It turns into background noise.

You can't stop monitoring coat guy.

You lower the volume.

You fidget with your hands.
"That was... a really nice sound," you talk about it.

Coat guy covers his face with both hands. Soon enough, they roll off when he crosses his arms.

"I've never, sounded like that," he whispers, touching how warm his face had become.
He tightens his crossed arms.

You lay sideways, palm holding your head up. You pat his shoulder once. "That was a really nice sound," you persist.

When's his whimper audio coming out?
...I'm never saying that out loud.
What the fuck.

He probably wouldn't know that's a thing.

Okay maybe I'm making it weird now.

You wordlessly rest on your back, parallel to him, while holding your hand out.

He takes it.

You both stare at the ceiling.

The channel on the TV changes.
It's quiet between you for another second.

"Maybe we're both weird."
You deadpan, turning your head slightly to check for acceptance.

He chews on the thought.
Releases a heavy sigh.

Then the tiniest quirk of his lips,
"Plausible."

Chapter Text

The sun rays shift over time until it's safe to look outside.

You raid your office for a few extra blankets to wrap blanket guy in.
He's as snug as a bug in a cocoon of blankets.
What a caterpillar, that guy is.

You've had your fill of fine shyt tonight.

You should probably remove the sign from the front door to let more people in. You make a pit-stop and use the bathroom. You check yourself. Your eyes are a bit red, but it's probably from the energy drink hours ago.
Shouldn't it have worn off while you slept?

Water would probably fix that.

Time to remove the sign.

It's kind of fun letting people in. You don't have to actively search for people to meet you.
They come to you.

You haven't had anyone inherently creepy appear at your doorstep.
You finish up in the bathroom. You dry your hands on your pants.

You see a group of armed soldiers through the window.
Apparently, it’s a small squad that was sent here from the city to provide security for FEMA employees.
You hear some fragments of information about a pale man with a bare torso.
Maybe they want to track down that creepy Visitor.

Images of holding the gun at it surface...
until you let the curtain fall.

Even before your brother sold the house to you, he taught you gun safety and all that. He advised getting a dog a few times, but you just never had time to plan for one.

You declare gun safety despite only putting the gun away now.
It was in the same position you left it in early this morning, or night, whatever- on day 3.

The sky is a shade of a grapefruit.

You unlock the door, and stand on edge of the porch, to gauge what's going on. The temperature outside is warm like hugs ought to be.
You go back inside before FEMA sees you.

Tuning into the radio sounds like too much work. You catch the thought, only to let it go. It might give you answers, but you do you.

You yawn.
The weather is singing you to sleep.

Your heavy steps trudge right past the sun-bleached sign taped to your door.
It completely slips from your mind to remove it.

Bed, you yearn, locking up the front door.

You're back in your room within milliseconds.

Everything is blurry.
You are about to fade out. You can barely keep your eyes open.
You lock your bedroom door this time.

Everything is just so cozy
Your expectations, worries, everything- melts away the moment your back plummets into your mattress.

You curl towards Blanket burrito guy. He's facing the ceiling. Lower eyelids raise slightly. Almost like a cat, if you really look at his pupils. You're waiting for them to expand when you lock eyes.
It doesn't happen, but how funny would that be to see?

"Night..." you're immediately out. "Night."

Chapter Text

What is on your face? You wearily blink. It's cyan in here.

Oh, hunger pangs. You need food.

Blanket guy's bandaged hand is behind your head. He broke from his cocoon to hold you like you're a Victorian person surviving the plague. It's sweet, but when you look up, you bump noses.

He's already awake.

"I'm hungry," you whisper, tilting your head so you don't breathe in his face.

The back of his hand warms against your cheek, "For what?" his gaze is entirely on you.

It couldn't be more on you.

Is it cold in here?

You give a theatrical smirk to avoid any innuendos.

"Don't tell nobody," you glance around the bedroom for good measure,
"I got cans of soup hidden around the house."
You go as far to wink.

"I go do that." Hunger wins this round.

You slip from bed, and his arms without another word. Well- slip is a stretch. You more so rolled until you were upright. The door swiftly shuts on blanket guy.

With a grimace, you suck in a breath.

Your neighbor’s house, which he’d just painted white, has burned to a crisp and is now blacker than black.
It seems like the fire went out only a short while ago.
Could someone have set it on fire on purpose?
What happened to neighbor’s family?
Is anyone still alive?
Worried thoughts swirl in your head.

Next window.

The pale, creepy man is standing on the street, smiling.
He’s holding someone’s decapitated head in a helmet.
It’s the head of a soldier, his face frozen in a terrified grimace.
You’re not sure what scared him more: the pale Visitor or his impending death.

You linger from the sheer horridness. Your breath clogs in your throat, like you're about to cry, but you're not sad.

Backing up from the blinds, you check the final window with shaky hands. The curtain is peeled back.

The entire squad of soldiers that was just here yesterday is dead.
Looks like there was a massacre here.
Bodies are scattered across the whole street, and one of them is missing its head.
Did that pale, creepy stranger kill them all?

You're gonna vomit.

No, you'll hold it in. You're all good.

By the bodies, you see him. Trudging slowly with his oddly long legs. He slowly turned his head, and you get flashbacks of shooting him the other night.

He doesn't charge at the window this time. And he's dropped the severed head.

In fact, it looks like he's walking to your porch-

Five consecutive knocks.

Your gun is- shit where did you put it?

"So you're still holed up here I see..." he bellows, holding his hand like he's a day to day salesman. Like he didn't just kill an entire team.

You peep in the hole.

It's quiet for a second, you're pressed up against the door. For a second his eyes flit, like he read the sign on the door. Oh damn it- the sign. But he doesn't comment on it.

"What did you think of that guy? The one in the suit?"

You squint, why does he want to know?
"I don't know how to feel about him."
Honesty.

Not too sure they came around your house yet.

"Why feel at all?
Everything's been decided for us.
A blessing, wouldn't you say?"

Why is everyone lowkey flirting with you? Or are you confusing condescending with flirtation... That'd be embarrassing.

"Or do you want to fix it all by yourself?"

You pull back from the door. It jostles a tad from the lack of your persistence.
Okay, that's got to be flirting.

You step back again, fluttering your lashes.
Woah, what the hell? Am I into this?

"I'm doing what I can?" More like, doing what I want.

"And what exactly can you do?" He counters immediately.
"Can you ward off death? Stop the floods, the fires, the decay?" He breathes? "The only thing you can stop is a heartbeat."

Your eyes widen, he's literally flirting right now.

It's quiet, except the bugs chirping loud enough to hear from inside.

"Liiiiiisten.
You alone?"

What are you doing? Your hand rose to the door lock.

What am I doing?

You have time to click the front door shut behind you.

Your hand covers your mouth. He literally has to crouch for you to see him through the peephole. That's kinda funny. Wait, lock in.

Wait why are you out here again?

His Visitor-ass-smile closes poorly.

"Everything's been decided huh?" You scoff, channeling your anger from being scared. "Was me stepping out decided? Was that little show you had, haunting outside my window, decided? The decapitated head. Was that decided too? Where's that huh?"

He's stopped crouching.

Oh shit.

Whatever you did, it's over.

"Still scrambling to survive in this new world, are we?" But he doesn't lay a hand on you. "Why?
Dogs rule the world now. And only dogs survive here."

"Bark bark?" You mentally facepalm. Where did that even come from? He said dog, and so then- yeah.

His lips twitch. He remains cross eyed. It's actually easier to look at him that way.

"You understand what I mean, yes? Things will never go back to the way they were."

Face to face, goodness he is tall. Taller than that guy you didn't let in because you didn't buy his story.

You're busy staring at all the intricacies of the pale visitor's body.

"Life changed.
You're falling out of rhythm."

Cryptic, smug, not-bald, Slenderman wanna-be.

You open your mouth to add your two cents.

"Next time we meet, things will be...interesting."

"You're going?" you blurt.
You lag for a second.
"I mean, go! Yeah you can't be here- I can't kiss you. That'd be..." Can you imagine kissing him?

"You probably came from the ground- got diseases- you decapitated a guy, and allegedly predicted when I was going to wake up to show me. No that doesn't show dedication. It's creepy. Bad. Don't do that no more."

The pale visitor witnesses you.

A nervous chuckle bubbles out of your stomach. "Ahah, but if you wanted to kiss me, I'd totally understand why." You turn and lean dramatically on the door. You straighten up. Your gaze catches on the sign.

It cleanly rips, and takes some of the door paint with it. You ball it up and throw it somewhere on the porch.

You disguise that with an arm stretch.

"Shoo, get out of here you animal." How long are you gonna keep the bit up? "Nobody... wants you... here." Dumb voice cracks.

Even without eye contact, he's peeking at your soul.

"I'm seriously never letting you in my house." You deadpan truthfully. There is zero way you trust you'd see the light in the morning if he were in the house.

"I didn't see you kill those FEMA guys, but I know it was you."
You're getting off track.

You shake your head at the sudden realization; "You're letting me talk a lot," you defensively hold your hands up.
"If you want me, just say that." you give a free grin that lasts .05 seconds.

You sputter like walking contradiction.
"I'm genuinely not all that interested in- what's a cryptic way you'd phrase it- collaborative unconsciousness? I'll let you know what I'm not into."

Pale visitor crouches down again.

Kind of forgot you're not talking to yourself.

"Assuming!" you go a higher pitch before clearing your throat. The rest of your sentence dies off.

You put yourself in this position. He gave you time to go back inside. Multiple outs.

"Hahahahaha! You don't cling to your life." His face nears until about a hand length away. His head tilts slightly at your hands tensed at your sides.
"No gun with you, yet all this courage. Perhaps I mistook you..."

Pale visitor's grin stretches wide, breaching more into uncanny valley than he already is. His pupils are invisible under his eyelids.

His smile drops.
"You're a fool. Not a coward."
He deadpans with a normal, more human deadpan.

He doesn't stand to his height. He's crouched still.

Waiting.

You don't know where to look after that backhanded compliment.

Well, now that you're close, which eye has he been looking at you with? You squint and consequently step closer.

Pale visitor makes a 'tch' sound, withdrawing. "You don't want to be kissed." He's sassy with it.

"Come on." You hiss when he took a step down your porch. "You can kiss me."

Pale visitor took his time trudging back up the steps.

"Quickly? Do you know how incriminating it'd look if someone saw us?" you think about tapping your foot impatiently.

He's cheesing at the image.
"What did you want again?" he ponders, taking longer while holding his chin up at the sky.

Goodness gracious.

"Kiss me." you look around for people in yellow. A bit hard to tell since the world is clouded in cyan blues. You shake yourself out of it, there's no way he has you begging.

"I'm not begging."

"Then don't." Pale visitor snapped closer. He waits. Counting on you pulling away so the kiss doesn't happen.

But you don't.

You want to untangle the aftermath.

It's micro, but you see him flinch once your hand contacts his bare shoulder. He's unsure. Part of him wondering if he's getting set up to have a gun to his face, like you promised last time. If so, you're really going all out, thinking you could kill him like this. Does he buy it? This was never meant to happen. This wasn't decided.

It's not a joke when he felt softness against the lips he uses to taunt and tease the predetermined dead.

It's certainly past being a joke once your tongue slipped in against his just for the griminess of it.

He's not joking when his scrawny arm grasped out to the small of your back. He has to hold himself up with the doorframe to prevent the door from caving in while he's crouching.

You can't stop. Why can't you stop? Why are you on the fire? Did the sun come out?

Your hands drop at your sides, with your back against the front door. Pitifully breathing like you've run a marathon, as if that's a shred of what he could give you.

He lingers on your tongue.

Goodness gracious, what did I just do?

There's a pit of hunger in your stomach.
You slept most of the day away.
You worry if you leave to feed yourself, you'll come back to an empty porch.

You can't bring yourself to look away from him.

He's smiling indulgently, where he has a few teeth showing, but not all.

Unbeknownst to you, there's a small sound behind the door. You can't hear it over your heart hammering in your chest.

Pale visitor slowly angled his head up from you, at the peephole. He bites his tongue at whoever's watching. He was going to point it out, until the door clicked itself.

The end of your gun is shoved through the crack.

Coat guy's behind the trigger. Shaking.

"Woah, woah," you stammer.

Coat guy cleared his throat beforehand. He nudges the gun a direction.
"L-Let go of her."

Pale visitor's tongue returned to his mouth, he laughs. "You have no qualms kissing Visitors, do you?" A rhetorical dig at you.

You stood in front of pale visitor. He's still lingering on your tongue.

"Let's put that down, he hasn't hurt me," You defensively hold your hands up.

"Yet!" Coat guy stresses, crossed between being strict or not. "Don't. Not her." He hasn't turned the safety off.

"Let go! Of her!" His voice strained so he would only be pronounced, not loud, while stepping closer.

The weight on your hip was pale visitor's hand. You forgot it was there. It feels, demeaning, having it slide down your hip. Nothing inappropriate, he just wanted to defy coat guy, since everyone knows he can.

You never moved.

Coat guy takes a shaky inhale, like his summer breeze is over. He tilts the gun down.
"Is this what you w-want? I'm j-just interrupting."

You didn't move.

Coat guy reads the room. The silence is drowned out by all the bugs somehow living.

You're not coming inside.

Coat guy's face changes color considerably as he realizes the role he took upon himself. "I-I-I'm sorry. I didn't m-mean to."
But he's not willing to give it up.

"I asked to be kissed." you explain.

"You were kissed?" Coat guy's shoulders sag like he'd just been rewritten out of the story.