time skips because I'm unoriginal

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June 7

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After all of the bad habits they'd experienced with each other, there were definitely still some that caused them exasperation.

For example, the way Jack would often leave dirty dishes in the sink. Or perhaps when Katherine would move Jack's art supplies so it wouldn't stay in a clutter in the living room, leaving Jack to wonder where she had put his supplies.

Nonetheless, there were times when they got on each other's nerves, but one thing they learned was that they couldn't expect each other to change their habits that easily. Within the five months they had lived together, they came up with a routine. Living with each other wasn't exactly a fun aspect of their lives most of the time, but they grew accustomed to it.

It wasn't easy, but it was no longer difficult.

Katherine was proud to see how far Jack had come from the first two weeks she knew him. Although he made a mess with his art supplies, he always made sure to get them out of the way, leaving them in a messy pile in the corner of the living room.

Jack was happy to see that Katherine no longer did things out of her own accord. She became thoughtful, keeping Jack in mind whenever she did something that would help herself even in the smallest of ways.

But that didn't mean there weren't times when they got on each other's nerves.

Two stubborn people living together was not a good combination. Arguments would happen at least twice a day, which made it almost tense afterwards, but Katherine and Jack had a strange relationship where they would always manage to reinvent the atmosphere into what they wanted it to be instead.

It was getting easier.

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June 18

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At some point in the middle of the night, Katherine awoke to the familiar silence of the house. Katherine almost never woke up at these times of night, which was why she was perplexed with herself.

She sat up, letting her eyes adjust to the darkness of the room. She checked her clock at the side of her bed, reading that it was half past three. Heaving a sigh, she pushed the covers off of her and planted her feet on the floor, quietly exiting the room.

The house was slightly eerie when it was dark and quiet, but it was also peaceful. Katherine did her best to be quiet as she descended the staircase, but apparently the only time the stairs decided to creak wad when they needed to be quiet.

What Katherine didn't expect to find when she entered the living room, however, was Jack asleep in the couch, a thin blanket laying over him and the muted tv casting a soft light onto his body. She let out a soft chuckle, approaching the couch and taking the remote to turn off the tv. Instantly, the room became darker than it once was, with the only light source being the moonlight pouring through the window.

"Idiot," Katherine murmured at Jack's sleeping figure, grinning softly as she made her way into the kitchen. She took a cup, filling it with water before leaning against the counter, pressing the rim to her lips as her eyes landed an the silhouette of Jack's figure on the couch. She let out a soft sigh as she pulled the empty cup away from her lips, setting it in the sink.

Katherine approached the couch, pressing a hand onto Jack's shoulder and shaking it. "Jack, wake up," she said, shaking his shoulder once again.

Jack unconsciously pushed Katherine's hand away, turning onto his other side so that his back was now facing Katherine.

"You're impossible," Katherine murmured, peeling the blanket off of his body. "Get up and get in your bed. This is unhealthy."

She heard a groan leave Jack's lips, and his hand came up to rub his eyes. Katherine repeated her previous statement, shaking his shoulder again. He turned onto his back, peering at Katherine through the dark. "What?"

"Come on," Katherine heaved another sigh, crossing her arms at her chest. "You need to stop falling asleep on the couch. It's not good for you."

"Yeah, well I didn't plan on sleepin' here," Jack murmured, his voice thick from just waking up. He sat up slowly, running a hand through his hair.

Katherine turned away, leaving up the stairs. Jack's heavy steps followed behind her. She paid no mind to his presence behind her until she turned to return to her room, but stopped when she felt Jack's hand take her wrist. She turned around, facing his energy-drained face with a perplexed look.

"What is it, Jack?"

"Come sleep with me," he said, causing Katherine to tense up.

"What?"

Jack didn't say anything else, just let go of Katherine's wrist and instead took her hand, basically dragging her into his bedroom.

Jack instantly got in the bed, but it took a few moments of hesitation from Katherine. Jack looked at her through one eye, pushing the covers aside. "Quit makin' it that big of a deal. Come on."

Katherine hesitated for another moment, before sitting on the bed, positioning herself on one side of Jack before pulling the covers over herself. She felt one of Jack's arms wrap around her waist, pulling her closer to him.

Katherine's breath caught in her throat. She didn't know if Jack's actions were just his drowsy mind taking over or his legitimate actions, but this was definitely a new step for them.

Jack's hand was resting on the small of her back. It took her several minutes to lose the tension in her muscles, but by the time she did, Jack was already back to sleep.

The room was quiet, all except for Jack's occasional exhale. Katherine relaxed her limbs, finally letting her eyes travel over to Jack's face.

For once, Katherine finally let herself focus on the present rather than the future. Looking at Jack, with his arm wrapped around her, it didn't matter what would happen the next morning when they woke up, instead Katherine focused on the fact that she was here. With Jack.

The words left Katherine's lips without control, and she wasn't even aware that she said them until she felt her face grow red.

"I love you."