[ He's just delaying the inevitable. Letting her emerge the victor in these little spats doesn't bother him, though.
Once upon a time, he read a study that described how male puppies will allow female puppies to win a disproportionate amount of play fights in an effort to endear themselves to the other members of the pack. He's not entirely sure he likes how well that applies to this current situation, but he's not thinking about it. ]
You offered me coffee at the airport and I said no.
[ If she were the type to try and take advantage of him, he'd be far less accommodating of her. In fact, he'd probably simply pull away from her, piece by slow little piece, until he was no longer in danger of being taken advantage of. He's done it before with other friends. ]
[ kate's expression colors in confusion for a moment as she attempts to recall that time at the airport — it was early morning, she was dead on her feet and eyeing the starbucks by the terminal like it might have well been her last lifeline and asked him if he wanted what she was having out of reflex. they're together so frequently these days that it's just second nature now to always consider him in such decisions.
she rolls her eyes as the memory resurfaces. ]
That doesn't count and you know it. Especially when you follow it up with "thank you."
[ trust benedict to be polite even in his refusals.
she leans forward another couple of inches, her angle practically precarious by now but she hardly seems to notice, let alone care. the hold she's got on his wrist shifts slightly, thumbs coming to rub along the pulse point there. ]
You should quit now before I ask for two pretty things.
[ Watching the confusion drift across her face has him smirking a little to himself; Kate is very clearly not a morning person, at least not while also factoring in transatlantic travel, and he's secure enough to admit that the sleepy way she allowed him to herd her through the airport was very cute. Almost as cute as the little frown that creases between her eyebrows as she tries to pull up the memory while he waits patiently for her to catch up.
His smirk widens when she rolls her eyes at him. ]
It certainly counts. I said no.
[ Mostly because he knew he could get real espresso on the plane and he wasn't about to brave the line for Starbucks. Though he was, apparently, just fine with waiting with their things while she stood in line.
It's different.
He watches her tip herself even closer, bracing his stance to accept her weight as the seat she's ostensibly sitting on is only making contact with the smallest sliver of her thighs, and tries not to focus too much on the feel of her slipping her hands around his wrists so that her thumbs can rub at the thin skin there. ]
I never agreed to the first pretty thing. [ Which he probably will buy her anyway, because she's put the idea in his head and she's doing him a great big favor by being here. Shh. ]
[ there are still many, many things about being a warriorborn that kate doesn't fully understand or even know about. much of what she does know had been information offered up to her by benedict himself, kate ignoring her usual incessant curiosity in favor of being sensitive to a topic a good friend clearly finds complicated. that's why she likes little moments like these, where she gets to watch and observe unabashedly without worry of making him feel like he's being put under a microscope. right now she's fascinated by the subtle changes in his eyes, the way those cat-like slits grow steadily wider and wider. ]
You didn't have to. It was already a given.
[ she aches to know the cause for the change, but she knows better than to ask just yet. she isn't even sure he's aware he's doing it. ]
[ He isn't really aware he's doing it, no. He can control the constriction of his pupils up to a point, but he doesn't think about it very much in any given moment, and unless he's emerging from a dark room into bright sunlight, the movement is so subtle that he doesn't notice it at all.
Kate's scrutiny is met with a mild little smile, Benedict happy to play along while also slightly bemused by the turn things have taken. ]
I'm not sure I care for this smugness on you, Kit-Kate. It's most unbecoming.
[ That's a lie. There's very little that doesn't look good on Kate, and smug is a very fetching look. There's a reason he hasn't moved out of her way, even as she presses in closer and closer. ]
[ being kate bishop is half-parts pure guts and half-parts faking it till you make it. if she believes she's a badass, then she's a badass. if she believes she looks good like this — rumpled and cozy and ready for sleep, no make up on — then she looks good like this.
it helps, of course, that he continues to smile at her. the kind that reaches those eyes of his, pupils nearly blown out by now. this close, it's all too easy to keep playing that role, to close the final few inches of distance between them and press a light kiss to his cheek. she's done it plenty of times before, sweet and innocent. but this time it lingers, this time it hits him square at the corner of his mouth. ]
You should get ready for bed, dear. We wouldn't want you sleeping in. It'd be most unbecoming.
[ If Benedict were prone to introspection and overthinking, which he thankfully is not, he'd probably consider the fact that the reason he likes the way Kate looks right now has less to do with socially accepted markers of attractiveness — which Kate reaches, obviously — and more to do with the quiet intimacy of seeing her like this: her makeup wiped away, her hair twisted up in a messy knot, her clothes soft and comfortable as she gets herself ready for bed. This is Kate without an audience, Kate at home, Kate comfortable and relaxed as she gives him a hard time.
The lack of audience leaves him equally comfortable and relaxed, which is probably why he doesn't think to shift his head far enough to miss her lips landing mostly-on his when she leans in to kiss his cheek.
Blinking at her in surprise when she pulls back, he wastes a second or two searching her face — why did she do that? — before visibly rallying and flexing his wrists in her grip. ]
[ why did she do that? she's not sure, not even now after the fact. she supposes she was curious — to see how he'd take it, to see if he'd let it slide — but she can't say for sure yet if that curiosity has been sated at all. the way he watches her, she can tell he's confused. but benny's always been too polite to properly rebuff someone anyway. ]
Said no man, ever.
[ haha they have fun here.
but she does finally give him back his space, sliding off the vanity stool to slip back into the bathroom to brush her teeth and finally finish getting ready for bed.
when she finishes, she pads back over to the bed, looking it over. ]
[ It should come as a surprise to nobody that Benedict has never been to any sort of gentleman's club where the ladies in attendance lose their clothes for tips, so he's unable to come up with a suitably snappy response to her little quip quickly enough for it to be anything but awkward, so he just quirks his eyebrow at her and lets it slide.
She knows. It's fine.
Idly flexing his wrists again when she finally lets him go and slips off into the bathroom, he wastes another few seconds going over that not-quite-kiss — was it an accident? did she do it on purpose? — before putting it out of his mind and focusing on getting undressed.
Even having grown up with a fleet of staff who comes in and tidies up after him, Benedict is the type of person to carefully hang his dirty clothes so they don't wrinkle, which is why when Kate emerges from the bathroom, Benedict is still getting dressed in his pajamas, having just shrugged into his shirt but not yet having tackled its buttons.
Glancing over his shoulder at her, he considers the bed before shrugging. ]
Right. [ If she's not going to press the issue, neither will he. The chaise is comfortable enough for a nap, but that doesn't mean he wants to spend the whole night on it. ]
[ if anyone were to take that chaise, it would be the one of them that isn't over 6 feet. that's just being practical. but seeing as how there's no way in hell benedict would ever allow that (unless he somehow took the floor in turn), it's just safe to assume they'll be sharing the bed. like totally platonic friends do.
it's fine. it's king size, she's tiny, there'll be plenty of room. they both deserve the comfort of the bed after a long day like they've had, and kate is sure their friendship can survive something so banal.
what's not banal, though, is walking in on benedict's bare chest, flanked by the softest looking pajama top imaginable. it's almost infuriating how good-looking he is, but probably not as infuriating as the apparent fact he doesn't even realize.
she purses her lips together after realizing she'd been staring, and demurely looks away back towards the bed. ]
Cool, left works for me.
[ a-hem. but that requires her to walk over to the other side where benedict currently is. and if she happens to brush against him in the process? mind your business. ]
[ It would sound egotistical in the extreme to say that Benedict is used to being stared at like that by pretty girls, but it's not exactly uncommon. Most of the time he attributes it to being warriorborn, though, not to anything else. Kate doesn't seem to care about his genetics, thankfully, which leaves no real explanation for the way her eyes catch on him as he's getting dressed, at least, no explanation he can readily come up with.
Doing up the buttons from them hem up, he frowns a little bit at her, but doesn't say anything even when she looks away. It's probably nothing. ]
There should be a cord for your phone in the bedside drawer. Everything was updated relatively recently to include all the newest modcons, but if you need something else just let me know. I'll talk to Mrs Goodman about sourcing it for you.
[ Fighting down the urge to shiver when she brushes past him takes real effort, but the moment passes so quickly he tries to just put it out of his mind instead of commenting on it. It seems safer, in the long run.
Nipping into the bathroom to take care of his nightly ablutions, he tries very hard not to think about the fact that, in just a few minutes, he's going to be sharing a bed with the girl he's tricking his family into thinking he's dating. It's a weird situation for anybody to be in. What's weirder, though, is how it doesn't really feel that weird at all.
Running his tongue over his teeth to make sure he didn't miss any spots while brushing, he shrugs at himself in the mirror. No point obsessing over it.
Turning off all the lights, he returns to the bedroom and does the same there, before padding over to the bed and slipping beneath the covers beside her. ]
[ after the customary goodnights are shared, it isn't long at all before kate finds herself drifting to sleep. that's how it always goes, doesn't it? after a long day, all the day's adrenaline fades the instant one's head hits the pillow. it would have been such a good, long sleep too...
were it not for kate suddenly stirring in the middle of the night. the room is still shrouded in shadows, nearly pitch black were it not for the sliver of a blue moon filtering in through the curtains. kate rolls over to her other side, crosses the non-existent distance between herself and the other body in the bed— ]
Benny. Ben. Did you hear that?
[ she's gripping his shoulder, impossibly close to him. of course, of course a house as old as this was haunted. oh my god. ]
[ Unused to sleeping next to another person after all this time living alone — not that Benedict ever slept in the same bed as anyone since he was a very small child, but his time at the Temple and his military service had included barracks-style living, which meant sleeping a stone's throw away from others — it takes Benedict a while to fall asleep, but he forces himself to stop focusing on the girl only a few feet away from him with some determined meditation, and it doesn't take that much longer for him to drift off as well.
Only to be woken not by whatever noise spooked Kate, but by Kate herself, scooting closer across the sheets and grabbing at his shoulder.
With his instincts and combat training both ingrained deep into him, one would think Benedict would react to being shaken awake with violence. Instead, all he does is rumble sleepily, letting Kate tug at his shoulder until he's flat on his back, peering at her through half-lidded eyes. ]
[ a ghost, she almost says, but fortunately stops herself before it actually slips out. how embarrassing. he's half-awake right now but she's pretty sure he'd jolt right out of it just to laugh at her.
she grits her teeth, unconsciously curling her hand into a little fist around the fabric at his shoulder. ]
—not sure... But I definitely heard something outside.
[ she's close enough he'd be able to see it (though not like he needs the help, given his nightvision), how big and imploring her eyes get. they say, without saying anything, aren't you going to go check it out? ]
[ He might not have woken up fully just to laugh at her, but he equally might have just woken up fully so he could raise his eyebrows incredulously at her, so which is worse?
The way she's yanking at his pajamas makes him reach out and clumsily pat at her, his hand landing on her bare thigh, warm from being cocooned beneath the covers. ]
'S probably just the foxes, [ he assures her, like listening to foxes do anything isn't absolutely blood-curdling.
Still, the longer he stays awake trying to comfort her, the more awake he feels, and he'd probably be able to tell how spooked she is even without his superior senses. Suppressing a sigh, not wanting to make her feel bad even though he's pretty sure she's being totally ridiculous, he shifts enough so he can roll onto his other side to face her, letting go of her leg so he can wrap both hands around hers. ]
Do you want me to go make sure? [ Gods, he's a sucker. ]
[ at his touch, she shifts closer still, as if it were some unspoken permission. she's got both hands gripping his shirt now, body tense underneath the thick covers resting over them. benedict has always run a little hotter than most; turns out sharing a blanket with him is like having your own little space heater. even still, she shivers from the touch. ]
[ What Benedict really wants to do is to roll back over and go back to sleep. If the noise wasn't enough to wake him, someone who grew up in this house and therefore is familiar with what is and isn't a noise that's supposed to happen, then it's not worth worrying over.
But Kate is clearly worried. Maybe irrationally, but that's not for him to decide.
Yawning, showing off his teeth, he shifts back and sits up with a grunt. ]
[ seeing that flash of teeth so clearly, even in the dark, has a strangely calming effect on kate. somehow she feels that much more comforted, that much safer. she still wants to get up and check out that noise for her own peace of mind, sure, but somehow it isn't quite so daunting a task.
she slips out of bed the moment he sits up, turning back around to urge him on faster, but falls silent when she notices that somewhere along the way in his sleep, a few of the buttons of his pajama top have come undone. she's quiet, taking far too long to decide if she should say something about it, before finally gesturing to her own chest. ]
[ Idly scratching his chest between the plackets of his shirt — how did those buttons come undone? — as he swings his legs off the side of the bed and stands up, bare toes curling in the plush carpet underfoot. ]
Hm? [ He's distracted, reaching for one of the drawers in the bedside table, rummaging around until he finds a small, unobtrusive flashlight that he hands out to her.
Just because he can see in the dark doesn't mean she can. ]
Oh. [ He looks down at himself before humming and shifting to do them back up. Strange, how that happened. ] There. All better.
[ kate hums in response, carefully noncommittal as she drops her eyes to the flashlight in her hand — but only after he'd gone and finished buttoning up. in this case, "better" is definitely subjective. ]
You'd tell me, right? [ she pushes some of her hair out of her face, whatever had come loose from her bun in her sleep. ] If someone once died in this house. It wasn't built over some ancestral burying ground or anything?
[ Why else would she bring his attention to it if she didn't want him to rectify the situation? It hardly makes sense, otherwise. No matter.
Satisfied that she's got the flashlight and can therefore illuminate her path, Benedict steps around her, absently reaching down to curl his hand around hers. That's what you do in the dark when you're scared, right? Hold hands? ]
Of course people died in this house, [ he says, like that's comforting at all. ] It's been in the family for centuries. No burial grounds that I know of, though.
[ said hand flexes in concern at his all-too-casual answer, but fortunately he's too busy leading them out to see the sudden grimace on her face. she sticks close, closer even when she'd been pretending to be his paramour earlier that evening, flicking the flashlight on. ]
That you know of, [ she repeats gravely, as if his words had just sealed their fate. ]
I'm fairly certain there's no burial grounds under the house.
[ Is that better?
He very kindly doesn't point out that ghosts aren't real, or that if she did hear a noise it was probably either another guest battling their own jet-lag or one of the staff moving about the corridors, or, worst case scenario, a mouse.
Still, irrational or not, your fears are your fears, and having someone step in and tell you you're being stupid doesn't help. What does, he hopes, is stepping out into the corridor and looking left and right. ]
[ Aliens, gods, and mutants are totally different. Benedict is a mutant, basically, but that doesn't mean a thing in the face of the fact that ghosts aren't real.
She's a warm little limpet pressing up along his spine, and he's still sleepy enough to not overthink why that's such a comfortable feeling, just quietly lets himself enjoy it while he scans the darkened hallway. Truthfully, the flashlight doesn't help all that much, but he does still peer carefully each direction to see what might be there. ]
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2021-10-19 10:23 pm (UTC)Once upon a time, he read a study that described how male puppies will allow female puppies to win a disproportionate amount of play fights in an effort to endear themselves to the other members of the pack. He's not entirely sure he likes how well that applies to this current situation, but he's not thinking about it. ]
You offered me coffee at the airport and I said no.
[ If she were the type to try and take advantage of him, he'd be far less accommodating of her. In fact, he'd probably simply pull away from her, piece by slow little piece, until he was no longer in danger of being taken advantage of. He's done it before with other friends. ]
no subject
Date: 2021-10-20 03:42 pm (UTC)she rolls her eyes as the memory resurfaces. ]
That doesn't count and you know it. Especially when you follow it up with "thank you."
[ trust benedict to be polite even in his refusals.
she leans forward another couple of inches, her angle practically precarious by now but she hardly seems to notice, let alone care. the hold she's got on his wrist shifts slightly, thumbs coming to rub along the pulse point there. ]
You should quit now before I ask for two pretty things.
no subject
Date: 2021-10-20 03:53 pm (UTC)His smirk widens when she rolls her eyes at him. ]
It certainly counts. I said no.
[ Mostly because he knew he could get real espresso on the plane and he wasn't about to brave the line for Starbucks. Though he was, apparently, just fine with waiting with their things while she stood in line.
It's different.
He watches her tip herself even closer, bracing his stance to accept her weight as the seat she's ostensibly sitting on is only making contact with the smallest sliver of her thighs, and tries not to focus too much on the feel of her slipping her hands around his wrists so that her thumbs can rub at the thin skin there. ]
I never agreed to the first pretty thing. [ Which he probably will buy her anyway, because she's put the idea in his head and she's doing him a great big favor by being here. Shh. ]
no subject
Date: 2021-10-20 07:08 pm (UTC)You didn't have to. It was already a given.
[ she aches to know the cause for the change, but she knows better than to ask just yet. she isn't even sure he's aware he's doing it. ]
no subject
Date: 2021-10-21 01:34 am (UTC)Kate's scrutiny is met with a mild little smile, Benedict happy to play along while also slightly bemused by the turn things have taken. ]
I'm not sure I care for this smugness on you, Kit-Kate. It's most unbecoming.
[ That's a lie. There's very little that doesn't look good on Kate, and smug is a very fetching look. There's a reason he hasn't moved out of her way, even as she presses in closer and closer. ]
no subject
Date: 2021-10-21 10:36 am (UTC)Bullshit. I make anything look good.
[ being kate bishop is half-parts pure guts and half-parts faking it till you make it. if she believes she's a badass, then she's a badass. if she believes she looks good like this — rumpled and cozy and ready for sleep, no make up on — then she looks good like this.
it helps, of course, that he continues to smile at her. the kind that reaches those eyes of his, pupils nearly blown out by now. this close, it's all too easy to keep playing that role, to close the final few inches of distance between them and press a light kiss to his cheek. she's done it plenty of times before, sweet and innocent. but this time it lingers, this time it hits him square at the corner of his mouth. ]
You should get ready for bed, dear. We wouldn't want you sleeping in. It'd be most unbecoming.
no subject
Date: 2021-10-21 05:13 pm (UTC)The lack of audience leaves him equally comfortable and relaxed, which is probably why he doesn't think to shift his head far enough to miss her lips landing mostly-on his when she leans in to kiss his cheek.
Blinking at her in surprise when she pulls back, he wastes a second or two searching her face — why did she do that? — before visibly rallying and flexing his wrists in her grip. ]
You'll have to get off me then, sweetheart.
no subject
Date: 2021-10-21 05:24 pm (UTC)Said no man, ever.
[ haha they have fun here.
but she does finally give him back his space, sliding off the vanity stool to slip back into the bathroom to brush her teeth and finally finish getting ready for bed.
when she finishes, she pads back over to the bed, looking it over. ]
Do you have a preference for a side?
[ because obviously they're sharing. ]
no subject
Date: 2021-10-21 05:37 pm (UTC)She knows. It's fine.
Idly flexing his wrists again when she finally lets him go and slips off into the bathroom, he wastes another few seconds going over that not-quite-kiss — was it an accident? did she do it on purpose? — before putting it out of his mind and focusing on getting undressed.
Even having grown up with a fleet of staff who comes in and tidies up after him, Benedict is the type of person to carefully hang his dirty clothes so they don't wrinkle, which is why when Kate emerges from the bathroom, Benedict is still getting dressed in his pajamas, having just shrugged into his shirt but not yet having tackled its buttons.
Glancing over his shoulder at her, he considers the bed before shrugging. ]
Right. [ If she's not going to press the issue, neither will he. The chaise is comfortable enough for a nap, but that doesn't mean he wants to spend the whole night on it. ]
no subject
Date: 2021-10-21 06:51 pm (UTC)it's fine. it's king size, she's tiny, there'll be plenty of room. they both deserve the comfort of the bed after a long day like they've had, and kate is sure their friendship can survive something so banal.
what's not banal, though, is walking in on benedict's bare chest, flanked by the softest looking pajama top imaginable. it's almost infuriating how good-looking he is, but probably not as infuriating as the apparent fact he doesn't even realize.
she purses her lips together after realizing she'd been staring, and demurely looks away back towards the bed. ]
Cool, left works for me.
[ a-hem. but that requires her to walk over to the other side where benedict currently is. and if she happens to brush against him in the process? mind your business. ]
no subject
Date: 2021-10-21 07:05 pm (UTC)Doing up the buttons from them hem up, he frowns a little bit at her, but doesn't say anything even when she looks away. It's probably nothing. ]
There should be a cord for your phone in the bedside drawer. Everything was updated relatively recently to include all the newest modcons, but if you need something else just let me know. I'll talk to Mrs Goodman about sourcing it for you.
[ Fighting down the urge to shiver when she brushes past him takes real effort, but the moment passes so quickly he tries to just put it out of his mind instead of commenting on it. It seems safer, in the long run.
Nipping into the bathroom to take care of his nightly ablutions, he tries very hard not to think about the fact that, in just a few minutes, he's going to be sharing a bed with the girl he's tricking his family into thinking he's dating. It's a weird situation for anybody to be in. What's weirder, though, is how it doesn't really feel that weird at all.
Running his tongue over his teeth to make sure he didn't miss any spots while brushing, he shrugs at himself in the mirror. No point obsessing over it.
Turning off all the lights, he returns to the bedroom and does the same there, before padding over to the bed and slipping beneath the covers beside her. ]
no subject
Date: 2021-10-21 08:21 pm (UTC)were it not for kate suddenly stirring in the middle of the night. the room is still shrouded in shadows, nearly pitch black were it not for the sliver of a blue moon filtering in through the curtains. kate rolls over to her other side, crosses the non-existent distance between herself and the other body in the bed— ]
Benny. Ben. Did you hear that?
[ she's gripping his shoulder, impossibly close to him. of course, of course a house as old as this was haunted. oh my god. ]
no subject
Date: 2021-10-21 08:35 pm (UTC)Only to be woken not by whatever noise spooked Kate, but by Kate herself, scooting closer across the sheets and grabbing at his shoulder.
With his instincts and combat training both ingrained deep into him, one would think Benedict would react to being shaken awake with violence. Instead, all he does is rumble sleepily, letting Kate tug at his shoulder until he's flat on his back, peering at her through half-lidded eyes. ]
Was'sit?
no subject
Date: 2021-10-23 08:41 pm (UTC)[ a ghost, she almost says, but fortunately stops herself before it actually slips out. how embarrassing. he's half-awake right now but she's pretty sure he'd jolt right out of it just to laugh at her.
she grits her teeth, unconsciously curling her hand into a little fist around the fabric at his shoulder. ]
—not sure... But I definitely heard something outside.
[ she's close enough he'd be able to see it (though not like he needs the help, given his nightvision), how big and imploring her eyes get. they say, without saying anything, aren't you going to go check it out? ]
no subject
Date: 2021-10-24 01:30 am (UTC)The way she's yanking at his pajamas makes him reach out and clumsily pat at her, his hand landing on her bare thigh, warm from being cocooned beneath the covers. ]
'S probably just the foxes, [ he assures her, like listening to foxes do anything isn't absolutely blood-curdling.
Still, the longer he stays awake trying to comfort her, the more awake he feels, and he'd probably be able to tell how spooked she is even without his superior senses. Suppressing a sigh, not wanting to make her feel bad even though he's pretty sure she's being totally ridiculous, he shifts enough so he can roll onto his other side to face her, letting go of her leg so he can wrap both hands around hers. ]
Do you want me to go make sure? [ Gods, he's a sucker. ]
no subject
Date: 2021-10-24 04:44 am (UTC)If you want. [ yes, please. ]
I'll come with you. [ let's do it now. ]
no subject
Date: 2021-10-24 01:29 pm (UTC)But Kate is clearly worried. Maybe irrationally, but that's not for him to decide.
Yawning, showing off his teeth, he shifts back and sits up with a grunt. ]
Alright. Come on, then.
no subject
Date: 2021-10-24 01:42 pm (UTC)she slips out of bed the moment he sits up, turning back around to urge him on faster, but falls silent when she notices that somewhere along the way in his sleep, a few of the buttons of his pajama top have come undone. she's quiet, taking far too long to decide if she should say something about it, before finally gesturing to her own chest. ]
Your shirt — um.
no subject
Date: 2021-10-24 01:48 pm (UTC)Hm? [ He's distracted, reaching for one of the drawers in the bedside table, rummaging around until he finds a small, unobtrusive flashlight that he hands out to her.
Just because he can see in the dark doesn't mean she can. ]
Oh. [ He looks down at himself before humming and shifting to do them back up. Strange, how that happened. ] There. All better.
no subject
Date: 2021-10-24 02:19 pm (UTC)You'd tell me, right? [ she pushes some of her hair out of her face, whatever had come loose from her bun in her sleep. ] If someone once died in this house. It wasn't built over some ancestral burying ground or anything?
no subject
Date: 2021-10-24 08:53 pm (UTC)Satisfied that she's got the flashlight and can therefore illuminate her path, Benedict steps around her, absently reaching down to curl his hand around hers. That's what you do in the dark when you're scared, right? Hold hands? ]
Of course people died in this house, [ he says, like that's comforting at all. ] It's been in the family for centuries. No burial grounds that I know of, though.
no subject
Date: 2021-10-24 09:41 pm (UTC)That you know of, [ she repeats gravely, as if his words had just sealed their fate. ]
no subject
Date: 2021-10-24 09:53 pm (UTC)[ Is that better?
He very kindly doesn't point out that ghosts aren't real, or that if she did hear a noise it was probably either another guest battling their own jet-lag or one of the staff moving about the corridors, or, worst case scenario, a mouse.
Still, irrational or not, your fears are your fears, and having someone step in and tell you you're being stupid doesn't help. What does, he hopes, is stepping out into the corridor and looking left and right. ]
no subject
Date: 2021-10-24 10:09 pm (UTC)she presses up against his back, trying and failing to look over his shoulder. she helpfully (?) flashes the light down the hall for him. ]
Well? What do you see?
no subject
Date: 2021-10-24 10:19 pm (UTC)She's a warm little limpet pressing up along his spine, and he's still sleepy enough to not overthink why that's such a comfortable feeling, just quietly lets himself enjoy it while he scans the darkened hallway. Truthfully, the flashlight doesn't help all that much, but he does still peer carefully each direction to see what might be there. ]
Nothing.
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