Alex was sitting on the chair, a towel over her lap at Steph’s request. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to see Alex naked, because well, she did, but not in these circumstances. Undressing Alex had been done mostly without looking directly at her.

Steph didn’t look up while she was taping the opening of the bag around Alex’s leg just above the knee, making sure no water would get into the bag. Once she was done Steph put the tape on the table beside the sink and got up, then turned around to get the water running. Still avoiding looking at Alex directly, she helped Alex get up and into the tub.

“Let me know when you’re done,” Steph said and sat down on the chair after pulling the shower curtain closed.

“Thanks, Steph. Will do.”

Steph listened to the sound of the water as she grabbed the bag that held the painkillers and saw there were a few packets of clean gauze, as well as some tape to apply the gauze. Then she found a little note, when she looked at it she recognized Charlotte’s handwriting.

    Painkillers: maximum of four a day, they’re strong ones! Do not exceed! Try not to take on an empty stomach, drink plenty of water with them. 

   Gauze: apply a clean one twice a day on day one and two. After that, once a day for two days. 

   Steph: Alex needs to be woken up and checked on every four hours! Sorry sweetie, but it’s the doctor’s orders.

   x Charlotte

Steph smiled and put the note back into the bag, leaving out one packet of clean gauze along with the tape.

When Alex shut off the water and let Steph know she was done, Steph got up and handed Alex a clean towel. Steph waited patiently for Alex to finish drying herself off and she got ready to help Alex out of the tub again.

“Feeling a bit better?”

“Yeah, I really needed that. Although I’m even more sleepy now,” Alex answered with a tired chuckle. ”Don’t think I’ll last very long.”

Steph smiled, as she felt the exact same way. “No worries, we’ll both get some sleep after this.” Steph picked at her cuticles as she waited, looking around the bathroom. It was much nicer than the one at her place, not to mention a lot more spacious.

Steph suppressed a yawn just when Alex pushed the shower curtain aside, the towel wrapped around her body. “Ready.”

“Alrighty.” Steph braced herself and helped Alex out of the tub, then helped her sit down on the chair. She carefully peeled the tape off Alex’s leg and the bag, taking it off and exposing the cast to the humid air. “That’s one. Now take one of these,” she said as she got up again and handed Alex one of the painkillers and a cup of water. “I’ll put a clean gauze on your head wound and then help you get dressed for bed, okay?”

“Yes ma’am!” Alex sounded sleepy, which was pretty adorable.

Steph smiled while putting the gauze over the wound and used two pieces of tape, one on each side. She grabbed another towel and gently rubbed Alex’s hair with both her hands covered by the towel. Starting with the back and slowly working her way to the front where Alex’s hair was the longest. As she stood in front of Alex, one leg on each side of Alex’s upper legs, Steph could see Alex looking at her from peripheral vision. Despite being aware of this, she tried her best to stay focused on the task of drying Alex’s hair. Steph bit her lip as she felt her cheeks getting warm once again, she honestly lost count at this point of the times Alex had achieved to make her blush today alone.

Steph’s attempt failed miserably when she felt Alex’s hand on her hip, fingers coming into contact with her skin under the hem of the shirt she wore. She let out a shuddery breath and closed her eyes for a second or two, trying to get her brain to focus.

“Am I distracting you?” Alex asked.

“Yeah—No! I mean—” Steph’s hands stopped moving and she let out a deep sigh. “Maybe a little…”

“Sorry, I can just—”

As Alex removed her hand, Steph shook her head. “No! No, you don’t have to! I just—” She let out another sigh of frustration at herself. This wasn’t going very well, she wasn’t able to form full sentences without stumbling over her words.

“Breathe, Steph.” Alex gently rubbed Steph’s hip and side, which was actually quite comforting. “It’s okay.”

Steph nodded and finished drying Alex’s hair as much as possible, leaving it only slightly damp. “Which drawer has your clean underwear and sleepwear?” she asked as she hung up the towel that she had used to dry Alex’s hair.

“Second and third drawer, just grab a sleep shirt.”

“Gotcha, will be right back,” Steph replied and headed out the bathroom. When she pulled the second drawer open she was met with neat piles of undies, socks, a few sports bras and three regular bras. “Wait, do you sleep with a sports bra or nah?”

“No? Pretty sure you’re not supposed to?” Alex replied.

Steph shrugged nonchalantly, “I’ve known some people who did, so I don’t judge. But okay, just undies and a shirt then. Preference for specific undies?”

“There’s not much difference really, so any will do.”

“Got it!” Steph answered and grabbed a black pair from the top of the pile, then closed the drawer to open the third one. All the shirts were neatly folded, but stacked sideways. “Huh… Interesting. That’s actually pretty smart…” she muttered to herself. “Are all of these sleep shirts, or…?”

“No, just the ones on the very left.” Sure enough, on the very left of the drawer there was a small stacked pile that was placed vertically instead of horizontally. Without really thinking about it too much Steph took out one and closed the drawer again to make her way back to the bathroom.

The shirt wasn’t too hard to put on, the undies were a little trickier however. Once they were past Alex’s knees, where the towel ended, Steph got up and faced the door. Without looking at Alex she helped her up onto her feet and took the towel from Alex.

“All done,” Alex said and Steph hung up the towel, then handed Alex the crutches. “Thanks again, Steph.”

“Again, Alex. Anything,” Steph replied, turned to face Alex and kissed her on the forehead before handing Alex her glasses. “I’ll put away the chair.”

Alex responded with a nod and leaned on one of the crutches, putting the other aside to brush her teeth.

Steph checked her phone and saw Charlotte had sent her a message saying she put Steph’s stuff outside the door of the apartment. Before replying Steph went to check and was delighted to see a bag with her stuff resting against the doorframe. Her toothbrush was on top, which Steph was quite grateful for, as it meant she could brush her teeth before they’d turn in to get some desperately needed sleep. She only took out the toothbrush and a pair of clean undies; the rest could wait until the next day.

Alex had finished brushing her teeth when Steph returned to the bathroom, sticking her tongue out at Steph as she made her way out. Steph responded in kind, causing Alex to chuckle.

“Where are you going?” Alex asked when Steph was heading towards the couch, “Don’t tell me you’re planning on sleeping there.”

“Uh,” Steph stammered, looking from Alex to the couch and back at Alex again. “I kinda was…?”

Alex rolled her eyes with an exasperated sigh, shaking her head at Steph. “Nope, you’re not.”

“Oh, you have an air mattress or something?” Steph asked, unaware there was one.

“No, Steph. You can sleep in the bed with me.”

Gears were turning in her head, albeit with great difficulty due to the fact of how exhausted she was.

“Come here,” Alex offered and Steph walked over to Alex, who was sitting on the bed with the covers thrown back. “Get in bed.”

“But—”

“Nope. No ‘but’s,” Alex interrupted, expression serious. “You need decent sleep, Steph. Which you’re not going to get from sleeping on the couch.”

“Alex, it’s okay. I’ve slept on there before, when I first got to Haven Springs and—”

“Steph,” Alex interrupted once more, letting out a sigh. “Please, just—just sleep in the bed.” Steph didn’t respond as she saw the way Alex turned her face away and her cheeks were slightly rosy. “I… I also kinda don’t wanna sleep alone…”

It was like she was stabbed in the chest, the way Alex’s voice sounded as she said that, it hurt. There was genuine fear and desperation, which made it impossible for Steph to say no. She made a promise to Alex after all, which she intended to keep.

“Fuck… I’m so sorry Alex,” Steph said quietly as she sat down beside Alex and wrapped her arms around her. “Of course, I’ll be right beside you. I didn’t mean to—”

“I know, Steph. It’s okay, I’m not mad. I just…” Alex fell silent and Steph nodded with understanding.

“And you won’t be alone, okay? Come on, get comfy. I’ll go and lock the door, turn off the lights and the whole shabam.”

Alex nodded and got underneath the covers with a little bit of help, took off her glasses and put them on the bedside table.

Steph walked over to the door and checked if it was locked properly, then turned off the arcade game and turned off the lights. Before getting to the bed she walked to the desk and set her phone to ‘silent’, ignoring the countless notifications. Even if she wanted to, she simply didn’t have the energy to check them right now. Her brain and body were literally in the process of shutting down already.

As she got into the bed and under the covers she reminded herself she’d have to wake up every few hours to check on Alex. She set an alarm on her phone, then placed it under her pillow. Despite trying, she was unable to keep herself awake any longer and simply passed out as soon as her head met the pillow.

It was pitch black, no matter where she looked, there was nothing that offered any light for her to see. Steph had no clue where she was, her vision was useless, her hearing only picked up on the way the sound of her heavy breathing echoed slightly. Sense of touch didn’t help much either as there was nothing to feel, no matter in which direction she moved her hands and arms or legs. All she knew was that it was cold, so cold that she started to shiver and her teeth chattered in response. 

  “H-hello?” Her voice came out shrill, like she’d been screaming and her throat couldn’t handle her speaking. “Anyone?” 

   She was met with eerie, deafening silence. Steph could feel her heart at the base of her throat, her blood rushing through her veins caused a buzzing sound in her ears and her skin formed goosebumps as a sense of dread came over her. Wherever she was, it couldn’t mean any good. 

    Run. The thought was loud and before Steph could even question why or where, she was running. Her legs made big strides, moving as fast as they could. Despite not seeing anything she ran, her eyes squeezed shut and hands balled into fists. She ran like her life depended on it, because there was a chance that it did. 

    Stop running. Before she even processed it, she had stopped running. Steph leaned over, hands on her knees as she desperately tried to catch her breath. Her lungs burned with every inhale, it hurt to breathe. 

   “Why…?” Steph looked up and in the distance there was some light, which seemed to be coming closer. She squinted at the sudden light, which got closer and closer rapidly. It was so bright that it was blinding. In reflex she held up a hand in front of her face, to block out the brightness. When her eyes had fully adjusted and she could properly see her heart dropped and an icy chill ran through her. 

   In front of her was the view of Arcadia Bay, the lighthouse barely standing and the town was filled with debris. The sky was filled with gloomy clouds, but there was a break through which the sun shone down. Steph could feel her knees buckle underneath her, threatening to give out any moment. Everything in her screamed to run, to flee, to get away. But she couldn’t get her legs to move, she was frozen in place. 

   “Stop running.” The voice wasn’t one she recognized, but it was loud and clear. 

   “Why?” Steph was so confused, she needed answers. “Why am I here? Why—”” 

   “Stop. Running.” Just when Steph was about to protest, the view changed. The change was slow, gradual. The clouds dissipated and the sun shone brighter, the leaves on the trees changed color. As for the buildings, the change there was more apparent. The lighthouse stood upright again, showing signs of construction. The debris in the town slowly faded, some buildings restoring, while others disappeared entirely and were left as empty lots. There were people everywhere, lights inside buildings as the night approached. Little by little Arcadia Bay seemed to recover from the tragedy that had taken place there. 

   The view faded, the darkness slowly returning. Steph wasn’t quite sure what to think, although the message had been quite clear. 

   This time the darkness didn’t last as long, before her eyes got the chance to adjust to it there was light again. Just like before, it came closer and closer. She watched as the view of Haven Springs unfolded in front of her. A pang of anxiety went through her as she feared it would look similar to Arcadia Bay, only to prove her wrong. It looked exactly the way she’d come to know the town, although it seemed like the season wasn’t spring. It was autumn, which again caused her heart to pound painfully in her chest. 

   “Stop running.” The voice was less commanding this time, almost soothing and comforting. Steph watched as the empty streets became less empty, people milling about. The lights came on when the evening started to roll in, giving the scene a sense of coziness. Steph could nearly smell the scent of fallen leaves and wooden fires burning like it did at home when they’d light the fireplace. 

   A weird sensation came over her when she saw herself walk out of the record store, but the expression seemed… Happy? Then Alex walked out as well, locking the door before walking over to her and kissing her. A warm feeling filled her chest and stomach and her lips formed a loving smile. 

   The scene changed and the colorful fallen leaves faded, the trees completely naked as they were lacking leaves. The sky was gray, completely overcast. Then snow started to fall and slowly cover the ground and the buildings. Lights in the windows and along the streets cast the heart of the town in a golden glow, the scent changing to one of chocolate and cinnamon. Again, Steph saw herself exit the record store, Alex following close behind. Both of them wore beanies and scarves, as well as bright smiles despite the apparent cold. It didn’t take long until they broke out into a snowball fight, genuinely making her giggle. This only intensified when she watched herself fall over into the snow and Alex sat on top of her and pinned her down. Apparently she surrendered as she held up her hands, which also got pinned down by Alex’s hands. When she saw Alex lean down until their faces were millimeters apart she felt her cheeks grow incredibly warm, along with her chest. Her heart was buzzing in her chest like a hummingbird’s wings, spreading tingles throughout her entire body. When Alex’s lips pressed against hers, Steph could nearly feel it. She touched her lips with her fingers, a shuddery breath slipping out from in between them. 

   The view started to fade again, but not entirely. The light dimmed slightly before the scene became clearer, revealing a different location. Steph didn’t recognize it, but she did recognize Alex and herself. From the clothing they wore she guessed it was spring; the sky was a pretty light blue color, only a few fluffy white clouds here and there. When Steph saw the expressions on their faces, her smile disappeared and chills went through her. 

   “Stop running.” 

   Steph saw herself hold Alex, with Alex clinging to her as tears ran down her face. Both of them wore a pained expression, which started to make sense once Steph realized that they were at the cemetery. It felt like she was being punched in the chest, the air being knocked out of her. Steph felt incredibly heavy and everything in her screamed to get out of there. 

  Suddenly it clicked.

   “No.” She was determined, gritted her teeth and shook her head. “No more running.” It was like a literal weight lifted off her shoulders, making it possible to move again, but Steph stayed where she was. “I’m not going anywhere.” 

Steph woke up with a start, when she opened her eyes she panicked as she was disoriented. She looked around the dark space, confused. The sound of Alex’s voice put her at ease, which made her realize where she was. Everything came back to her and she remembered what had happened that led her to where she was.

“Alex,” she whispered softly while gently jostling Alex’s arm in an attempt to wake her. Alex responded by murmuring something incomprehensible and turning away from her. Steph let out a sigh before trying again. “Alex, I’m sorry but I have to check on you.”

“Wha—? Huh?” Steph felt her heart melt a little bit at the sound of Alex’s sleepy voice, it was absolutely adorable.

“What’s your date of birth?”

“July tenth, ninety-seven, why?” Alex answered, eyes only slitted as she wasn’t fully awake just yet.

“What’s my cat’s name?”

“You mean Valkyrie?”

“Good,” Steph said, feeling relieved, “how many fingers am I holding up?” she asked as she held up two fingers.

“Two. …Wait, why are you holding up your middle- and ring finger?” Steph smirked as she put her hand down again. “Don’t answer that, I get it now. Can I go back to sleep?”

With a smile on her lips Steph nodded, “Yeah, go back to sleep, Alex.” Steph brushed some of Alex’s hair out of her face and softly caressed it, combing her fingers through it repeatedly. “Sleep well, Alex.”

It didn’t take very long before Alex’s breathing evened out again, chest slowly rising and falling with every breath. Steph was unable to keep herself from drifting off to sleep, too. Her body pressed against Alex’s back and her hand still in Alex’s hair, feeling like this was the best place to be.

This time Steph woke from a dreamless sleep, met with bright morning light as the sun peeked through the slats in front of the windows. When she looked beside her, she saw Alex was still fast asleep. Her body ached and her head was complaining with a simmering headache, but overall she felt like she was lucky that other than that she felt relatively good.

There was a serenity in the quiet, which would normally drive Steph nuts. She almost always had music playing to drown out the silence, but somehow it was comforting right now. As quietly as she could she got out of bed and made her way to the bathroom.

Once her bladder was empty, Steph checked the cabinet by the sink for a painkiller. It took a little bit, but finally she found a little plastic bottle labeled ‘ibuprofen’. “Perfect.” She popped off the lid and put one tablet on her tongue, grabbed the cup beside the sink and filled it with water. In one go she downed the water and with that, the painkiller. She took a look in the mirror and let out a sigh as she saw the darkened skin beneath her eyes, which had been inevitable; she’d been absolutely bone-tired. Making sure to wake up Alex every four hours definitely contributed to it, but she was determined to keep it up.

Steph grabbed her toothbrush and started brushing her teeth, avoiding her reflection in the mirror. Instead she pushed the harmonica doors to the side and stuffed their dirty clothes from the hamper into the washing machine. She briefly stepped out of the bathroom to grab the dirty clothes from Alex’s bag, which were stuffed into the machine as well. Once it was filled up, Steph added the powder and a little bit of the special powder for stains and turned on the washing machine. Not long after that she finished brushing her teeth and laid her toothbrush on the edge of the sink.

Without bothering to pull a hairbrush through her hair, Steph made her way back to the bed. She found Alex squirming with a pained expression on her face, brows furrowed and droplets of sweat on her forehead. Instantly alarmed Steph knelt down beside the bed and tried to jostle Alex awake, receiving a slap to the face. She was surprised at how much force was behind it, which meant that whatever night terror Alex was going through, it was an intense one. With a deep breath Steph steadied herself as she took her hands off of Alex’s body, figuring this required a different approach.

After clearing her throat, Steph started speaking in a very gentle, hushed voice. “Alex, you’re safe. It’s Steph, I’m here with you, we’re at home. I won’t let anything happen to you, you’re safe now. Please wake up, it’s morning.” The crease between Alex’s brows became less clear, but didn’t go away entirely. “I’m just going to wipe off the sweat from your forehead, Alex. Not going to hurt you,” Steph whispered and grabbed the hem of the shirt she was wearing. She lifted it up and carefully dabbed the sweat off Alex’s forehead. Alex’s hands didn’t lash out at her, instead they grabbed onto the sheets with a force that made her knuckles go white.

With another deep breath, Steph let go of the shirt and carefully rested her hand on top of Alex’s hair. In her best attempt for it to be soothing, Steph started to move her hand and gently rake her fingers through Alex’s hair. “Alex, it’s time to wake up. I’ll get you some breakfast if you want.” Alex stirred and squeezed her eyes shut even more, before her eyelids started to flutter. “That’s right, time to wake up.”

“Steph?” Alex asked in a low, raspy voice.

Her brows unfurrowed and the corners of her lips curled up into a smile when Alex’s eyes opened a little and looked at her with slight confusion. “The one and only,” she answered with a breathy chuckle.

“Yup, definitely Steph,” Alex replied with a chuckle of her own. With a bit of effort she lifted herself up to sit, wincing in pain as she did.

“Your ribs?”

Alex nodded, “Yeah, I can’t wait for this pain to be over and gone.”

At that Steph got onto her feet again, “Give me one second,” she said and made her way to the bathroom. She grabbed the bag containing the packets of gauze, tape and painkillers before returning to the bed. “Here, I’ll go grab you a glass of water.”

Steph got back with a glass of water and handed it to Alex, and while Alex took a sip she pressed one of the painkillers out of its blister. She handed it to Alex and waited patiently for Alex to swallow it and empty the glass. She sat down on the edge of the bed, turning to face Alex.

“How do you feel?” Steph asked as she took the glass from Alex and rolled it between her hands.

Alex shrugged, letting out a deep breath as she took her glasses off the bedside table. As she inspected it she started to pout. Steph swore her heart turned into liquid goo right then and there. The way Alex’s bottom lip curled outwards and the way her brows knit together was just too damn cute. The fluttering sensation burst inside her chest, making her feel warm and gave her the urge to fling herself at Alex. But considering the injuries and her anxiety, she didn’t. Instead she rolled the glass between her hands a little faster.

“Still tired, but a lot less, so that’s something?” Steph nodded, understanding what Alex meant. “And in pain, but that was to be expected.” She looked at Steph as she put her glasses on and put a hand on one of Steph’s. “How about you?”

Steph’s hands stilled and she thought about it, how was she feeling? “Achy, also still a bit tired, but all things considered? Not terrible.” Finally she decided to put the glass on the nightstand, so as to not push her luck. Cleaning up glass shards was not something she wanted to deal with today.

“Hey, what’s on your mind?” Alex asked, putting a hand on top of Steph’s. “Did I keep you awake?”

Steph could hear the worry in Alex’s voice and shook her head in response before answering. “No, you didn’t. Just had … weird dreams.” Steph bit her lip as she considered telling Alex about it or not. This was something she had to deal with herself, but she didn’t want to keep things from Alex. She’d always kept things to herself and that had never really worked out for her in the end. Stop running. 

Steph put her injured hand on top of Alex’s and rubbed her thumb over the back of Alex’s hand as she tried to make up her mind. “I’m not entirely sure yet on how to say this, but I will eventually. Hope you can just give me some time to think and formulate things in my mind…” When Steph glanced up for a very brief moment she saw Alex smiling at her encouragingly. “But one thing became very clear to me, and it’s a good thing,” she reassured.

“Hey,” Alex said while squeezing Steph’s hand, earning her attention. “Whatever it is, Steph, I’ll wait until you’re ready to tell me. Don’t stress about it too much?”

Steph let out a snort and shrugged, “I’ll try.”

“I know. And I believe in you,” Alex replied and tugged on Steph’s hand. She brought the injured hand to her lips and pressed gentle kisses on Steph’s knuckles, then kissed the base of the cast around the last two fingers. “Mind helping me up?”

“Not at all,” Steph answered, got off the bed and retrieved Alex’s crutches. While holding both crutches in one, she held out her other arm for Alex to hold on to as she got up from the bed.

She helped Alex get to the bathroom, which was when Alex said she’d be okay from there on out. While Alex was in there, Steph made her way over to the kitchenette to get them both some breakfast. She certainly wasn’t the best cook, but knew enough to cover a little more than just the basics. Instead of going with just cereal Steph decided to make them scrambled eggs. It took her a bit to find everything she needed, but succeeded in the end.

While the eggs were simmering on the hot plate, Steph walked over to the desk and grabbed her phone. She stuffed it in the pocket of her sweatpants and searched through the bag from yesterday to find Alex’s phone. The screen had a crack in it and Steph had no idea if it even worked anymore, despite that she plugged the charger into it before walking back to the kitchen.

After properly scrambling the eggs she walked over to the record player, grabbed a random record and put it on. Steph hummed along as the music started to play while walking back to check on the scrambled eggs. They were as good as done and so she turned off the hotplate, but left the eggs in the pan for a bit to stay warm and put a lid on top.

   “I’ve never seen a light like this
   This is how you love
   I’ve never known a light like yours
   This his how I love”

Steph stood still as the lyrics hit her, it was almost eerie how accurate they felt. She smiled giddily as she made her way to the bag containing her stuff. She took out a clean sports bra, a shirt, her own pair of sweatpants and one of three beanies Charlotte had stuffed in there. With a quick glance to the bathroom door Steph considered that if she was quick, she could get changed before Alex was done.

She neatly folded the sweatpants that she had borrowed from Alex before returning it into the drawer she’d taken it from the previous night, but put the folded shirt on the bed instead. Steph quickly put on the sports bra, threw her shirt on and stepped into her dark gray sweatpants. Her phone went into her pocket and lastly she put on the red beanie, feeling much better. It offered her a sense of normalcy.

“Oh, that shirt looks familiar,” Alex said, earning Steph’s attention. “So does the beanie.” Alex made her way over to Steph until their bodies were nearly touching. “Can I kiss you?” Alex asked, “I brushed my teeth, so no morning breath.”

Steph chuckled and nodded as she gently put her hands on Alex’s hips, steadying her. Steph leaned down a little, her heart fluttering in her chest when Alex’s arms wrapped around her waist. Their lips found each other with very little effort, the kiss a soft and tender one. If there had been any thoughts in Steph’s mind, they were now gone. A peaceful calm came over her as she lost herself in the kiss, pleasant tingles spreading throughout her body in response to Alex’s touch.

When they broke apart Steph just looked into Alex’s eyes as her lips formed a loving smile, literally lost for words. I’m so glad I found you…

    “Technically,” Alex started with a smug grin, “I’m pretty sure I found you .” Alex put a finger to Steph’s chest for emphasis, earning a flustered expression from Steph in response.

“Damn, Chen,” Steph muttered, “way to ruin the moment.”

“Ruin the moment? Well, if that’s what you want… Are those eggs I smell?”

Steph blinked a few times, taken aback by the sudden change of topic. “What? Oh! Yeah, I made scrambled eggs,” she answered and led them both to the kitchen. She helped Alex sit down at the small table and set the crutches aside.

“Smells good, didn’t realize you can cook.”

“I mean, I’m no chef, but… There are some things I can make, yeah.” Steph plated the scrambled eggs, grabbed two forks and set them all down on the table. “Bon appetit!”

Alex had just taken the second painkiller that day when they heard a buzzing sound coming from the desk. Steph gestured for Alex to stay seated and got up from the couch, Alex’s phone was vibrating and the screen blinking with an incoming call. So despite everything, the phone still worked. The screen indicated it came from an unknown number.

“Not sure who it is, but it’s for you,” Steph said as she walked back with the buzzing phone in hand, handing it to Alex when she got back to the couch. While Alex took the phone, Steph sat down and put Alex’s legs on her lap again, placing a pillow in between for support.

“No idea either, but I’m about to find out,” Alex said with a shrug and tapped the screen, accepting the call.

Steph couldn’t exactly make out what was being said, but judging by Alex’s expression, it wasn’t someone Alex felt like talking to. Alex had closed her eyes, shoulders hunched and jaw rigid with tension. When her brows furrowed and lips pursed into a tight line, Steph got a bit worried.

“No, I’m recovering. Please don’t call me again.” Alex lowered the phone and pressed the screen before dropping the device into her lap.

“What’s wrong?” Steph asked, putting a hand on Alex’s knee and giving it a gentle squeeze.

“It was some reporter asking me to comment on the whole Typhon drama,” Alex bit, “I’m just not in the mood for it.” She let out a heavy sigh before shooting Steph an apologetic look. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to—”

“Hey, no.” Steph leaned to the side a bit more so she could reach Alex’s hand and hold it with her own. “You have nothing to apologize for, Alex. It sucks that they called you for some fucking headline or whatever. If you need to, I can handle calls if any more come in for you.”

Alex’s expression changed and the protectiveness Steph felt for Alex intensified in response, wanting to make sure Alex got the chance to properly recover without being bothered by news reporters.

“Thanks, I might take you up on that offer.”

Steph nodded as she gave Alex’s hand a gentle squeeze. “Sure thing.”

At a certain point Steph stopped keeping count of the amount of phone calls, texts and emails coming in from news reporters, radio and tv hosts for both of them. It was exhausting to say the least. Steph had no clue as to how people managed to figure out their phone numbers and email addresses, but with the determination these people showed it must’ve taken them quite some effort.

It got to the point where Steph simply put both of their phones on silent mode and put them aside, screens facing down. The laptop was also put away, joining the phones on the desk and out of their view.

When Alex started to yawn Steph convinced her to take a nap, after some protesting Alex finally gave in and let Steph help her onto the bed.

“C’mon, Chen, you’ve been yawning for the last half hour,” Steph whispered as she laid down beside Alex. “It’s okay to admit defeat,” she joked, receiving a playful elbow to the stomach. “I’m joking!”

“You better be,” Alex responded before uselessly trying to hold back a yawn.

Steph couldn’t help but grin with amusement, “Oh yeah?” she taunted. “Or else?”

“No kisses.”

The grin instantly vanished from her face, eyes widening and jaw dropping. “You wouldn’t!” There was no response from Alex. “Right?” Steph bit her lip as she worried that Alex might be serious, “Alex?” As a reply stayed out Steph leaned onto her elbow and hovered half over Alex, finding her asleep already. She shook her head while rolling her eyes and laid down again, grinning to herself. “Sleep well, Alex.”

Another two days passed, they’d fallen into a routine with the focus heavily on resting and recovering. Charlotte came by to visit during those days and had brought dinner that she had cooked at home beforehand. She’d helped with some chores like getting some groceries, the laundry, cleaning and keeping Alex company while Steph went out briefly.

She had gone back to her own place to grab some more clean clothes, stopped by the record store to feed Valkyrie and clear her head a little bit. Being outside definitely helped, but she’d been antsy to get back to Alex.

The local newspaper was heavily invested in the whole story about Typhon and Jed’s involvement, which wasn’t surprising in the slightest.

Just when Steph was about to head inside The Black Lantern again, a familiar voice stopped her. When she turned around she saw Ryan, standing about two meters away from her. His hands were tucked into his back pockets and his face pointed at the ground.

“Ryan, hey…” Steph set down her bag as Ryan approached her, avoiding eye-contact. “How are you holding up?” she asked.

Ryan let out a heavy sigh and awkwardly rubbed his neck, still facing the ground. “I—I’m—” Another deep sigh. “Honestly, I’m not really sure… It’s a lot…” he said, finally looking up to face Steph.

“Yeah, it really is. I get it, I really do. You’re not alone, Ryan.” Steph tucked her thumbs into the pockets of her jeans, scruffing the toe of her boot against a small rock, sending it flying towards the lake.

“I’m sorry for—”

“Ryan, this isn’t your fault—”

“No, Steph, please let me finish.”

Steph nodded, using her arms to hug herself for comfort. She’d never had felt this awkward in Ryan’s presence and it was weird to say the least, she wasn’t quite sure how to go about it.

“I’m sorry for being so absent the last few days, that really wasn’t very cool of me… I’ve been trying to wrap my head around all of … this, ” he said, waving his arms around indicating he was referring to what happened a few days ago. “But it’s just a lot and I’m kind of struggling, realizing that the person I looked up to… Well, you know.” Steph nodded, she did know. “And it kind of makes me wonder what I’m supposed to do.”

As Ryan didn’t continue Steph searched his face, which didn’t tell her very much besides the obvious guilt. “Wait, what do you mean?” she asked.

“I mean…” Ryan seemed to consider his words, running a hand through his hair only for it to fall back into place the exact same way it had been before. “Whether I’m supposed to leave or—”

“Leave?!” Steph took a step forward, stopping herself to not scare him off. “Ryan—Dude, what?” She shook her head, slashing her arms in the air to emphasize her disagreement. “Why the fuck would you leave?” Steph forced herself to take a deep breath in order to calm down a bit. “Sorry, didn’t mean to raise my voice… But seriously, why would you leave?” It was a genuinely serious question, because Steph couldn’t imagine Ryan not being in Haven Springs.

“Because I’m not sure if people will look at me the same way anymore, if I’m even allowed to call this my home anymore…”