Alastor finally found someone who appreciates his jokes.

Fawn's POV

I can't sleep...

I've been trying for what feels like hours now, but every time I shut my eyes all I can think about is how I'm going to get home.

What can I do...

Sighing, I finally rolled out of bed and stretched my body out. After Alastor came and apologized to me, I didn't know how to feel.

Mostly because it made me realize that he truly is at least trying...for whatever reason, he's trying to adapt to me being here.

If he's letting me live, he must believe me even just slightly...and I'm inconveniencing his life as much as he's inconveniencing mine.

So, no matter how disgusting he is...I should try, too. The incident in the bathroom could have been a lot worse, but he controlled himself...somewhat.

When he grabbed my arm, he obviously wasn't meaning to hurt me.

Like he said, he's not used to me yet, he's not used to this. I'm not used to him, either, and we don't see eye to eye but we don't need to.

All I need to do is figure out what I'm going to do to get my ass out of here as fast as possible.

Then, like he said...we can pretend like neither of us ever met the other.

Deciding I needed some water, I exited my room and headed downstairs. Looking over at his room, his door was shut so I can only imagine he's fast asleep.

Good, maybe I can finally focus without him breathing down my neck, and I can get a few ideas rolling around.

I made my way to the kitchen, completely avoiding the fridge as I opened a cabinet and found the glasses on my first try.

"Score..." I whispered to myself, doing a small dance with my hips before I filled the glass. Turning around, I leaned against the counter and just sipped on the water.

This—probably lead-tainted—water...

Nonetheless, I finished the glass and set it in the sink, just standing there after a second and sighing. My eyes wondered around, not really searching for anything specific as I combed my brain for ideas.

I got here through a VHS player...they do not have VHS players here...

So...what do they have that may act similarly...?

There's no television...

Then my eyes widened...but they do have radio and telephone. I know he at least has a rotary phone, but what about a radio?

He is a radio host, after all, he's gotta have one.

Setting off towards the living room, I looked around in the dark curiously. Absentmindedly, I reached for a light switch, and the cool metal felt foreign against my fingers as I switch it on.

The dim light at the center of the room came on, and immediately my eyes fell onto the radio that was situated on one of the end tables beside the couch.

Smiling excitedly, I walked over and got on my knees, observing the smooth, polished wood. This radio looks really well taken care of.

Time to take it apart.

I picked it up off the table, my eyes widening at how heavy it is before I lugged it to the floor and flipped it over. It's a good thing he has carpet in here, or else that probably would've been loud.

When the back was sealed tight with screws, I growled and huffed slightly. My fingers tapped against my legs as I searched around for something I can use to open this stupid thing.

I found absolutely nothing, not one single screwdriver or even anything remotely flat and sturdy I could use to turn the screws.

Sighing, I hung my head in mild defeat.

"What're you doing?"

My eyes snapped open wide and I looked towards the stairs. Standing at about the third step away from the floor, Alastor was wearing a tired smile as he stared at me in slight confusion.

He continued down the last three steps and walked over to me, making me put my head back down as he approached.

"Uh...I have an idea, I just...I was trying to open this..." I said sheepishly, hoping he doesn't snap and grab me by the hair again or something.

But all he did was chuckle slightly, "by staring at it?" He asked me amusedly, making me raise my eyes to meet his.

I sighed heavily, and shrugged, "I don't know, I don't live here...do you have a screwdriver that I could use?"

Another chuckle as he shook his head, "absolutely not...not that you can use, anyway..." he added, making me tilt my eyebrow at him.

He then held up a finger and disappeared around a corner, returning moments later with a small case in his hand before he knelt down next to me on the carpet.

"You need special tools to open it without hurting it..." he said softly, and I shimmied a bit closer to him as he opened up the small case.

Once it was open, I saw there were many screwdriver-type tools, but they all looked just a little weird. There were also pliers, some sort of pick, and tweezers.

Tilting my head, I looked up at him, "you need all of these just to open it?" I questioned him curiously, and he glanced down at me.

The tiny smile on his face lifted a bit more at my apparent interest, and he shook his head.

"Not just to open it...that's part of it, but once it's opened, these tools help to fix it," he explained, "that is, if it's broken...I could take this entire thing apart and put it all back together if you want to watch me do it?" he suggested and I thought about it for a second.

Maybe while he's got it open I could touch a live wire and it'll send me home.

So I nodded, scooting so close to him I was nearly on top of him. He lifted his arm up, and without a second thought I got under it so that I could see better what he was doing.

What I wasn't expecting was the feeling of his hands under my arms as he lifted me effortlessly off the floor and into his lap.

Well, not really his lap, but I was situated between his legs and his chest was nearly pressed against my back.

Heat crawled up my face at his close proximity and the position we were in, and he slid his arms around either side of me, taking the tools up into his hands.

"This makes it a little bit easier...and you can see better," he said quietly by my ear, and I just nodded.

Then, finally, he started working on the back of the radio. One by one the screws came out, and then he used the flat edge to pop the back covering off, setting it aside.

Inside it was full of wires and metal parts and screws and coils. My lips parted slightly as I stared at it in confusion.

Since when are radios this complicated?

My hands laid in my lap as I sat quietly and watched him take this radio apart, piece by piece. The entire time he was speaking quietly next to my ear, explaining what he was doing and telling me what each part does.

His voice was soothing...so soothing that I found my eyes falling shut, having to blink to keep them open, only for them to feel heavy again just a moment later.

Without even realizing it, I had relaxed against him, his voice being the perfect background noise for my brain to shut off to. I was telling myself to stay awake, that I needed to test this theory, but he was making it so difficult with the way he was speaking to me.

Soon I was barely even paying attention anymore, my eyes so heavy that I was falling asleep just briefly, fading in and out of consciousness.

"Alastor..." I mumbled, not exactly sure why I was saying his name. Maybe I was protesting against this new development, but my tone hardly showed it.

I felt one of his arms shift under me, now supporting my body as he continued to work, still speaking to me with his lullaby voice.

Before I could do anything to stop it, I finally slipped away, relaxing completely into him and embracing the sleep that so desperately wanted to take me.

Alastor's POV

Her body relaxed against me and I let out a quiet sigh. My arm was now wrapped around her to keep her from sliding over, and her head had settled on my chest.

I'm glad that worked, I wasn't sure if she would actually fall asleep or not.

When I came down here and saw her messing with my radio, I knew immediately she had no idea what she was doing. Honestly, I was more nervous that she was about to severely damage it.

I'm not exactly sure what her idea is, but something tells me it probably wouldn't have worked, and would've ended up doing more damage than good.

Plus, she was lethargic as it was, obviously having not slept at all since I'd been to her room hours prior.

So, I decided to try and lull her to sleep. My mother used to do this for me, I had a lot of trouble sleeping as a child...but she would hold me like this and whisper stories by my ear until I eventually fell asleep against her chest.

I guess it works on adults, too.

Her body was small enough that it fit against me perfectly, and if I'm being honest, I didn't really think past this part...

Now Im just sort of stuck here.

I debated trying to pick her up and move her to her bed, but I'm afraid if I do that she'll wake up. So, slowly I settled back against the side of the couch, carefully supporting her body as I did.

She stirred slightly, and I froze, but then my eyes widened when she murmured something before lifting one of her arms and placing it over my chest. Her hand rested at my shoulder, and she turned and pressed her face into my neck, seemingly just trying to get a bit closer to me.

My heart was in my throat and also outside of my body at the same time. I could feel my pulse in my fingertips as I immediately went through every stage of grief in five seconds.

The intention of just getting her to sleep has ended with this completely uncomfortable position that I hadn't intended on in the slightest, and I'm quickly regretting my decision.

Or at least that's what I'm telling myself.

The way my heart was pumping you'd probably think I was going into cardiac arrest, but despite my dilemma, she stayed sound asleep.

And I don't want her to wake up.

Slowly and gradually my pulse became calm once again. Her gentle breaths against my skin reminded me that she was a real living, breathing thing that I'm holding.

I haven't hurt her or killed her, I didn't force her to do this...she laid against me all on her own and fell asleep.

For some reason that makes me feel good...happy, almost.

I don't know why, it's silly to think this way. These trivial feelings that I always refused to let distract me...

Turning my eyes down to the woman against my chest, I let my body relax just a bit more.

I felt amused suddenly...feeling her weight against me, feeling how small she was...knowing I could snap her like a twig at any given moment, I could squeeze the life out of those pretty eyes if I ever so chose to do so.

It's ironic, in a way, that something so fragile found something as violent as me.

My thumb brushed against the skin on her arm and my eyes felt heavy.

I guess even violence needs a peaceful break every once in a while...