I blink my eyes open just as Sam’s body lands on the kitchen floor beside me. He groans softly, his dark eyebrows drawing inward as the impact settles in. I try to remember how to move as he rolls onto his back with his hands massaging his forehead, but my muscle function is pretty much fucked at this point. 

My brain’s busy sending these strange vibrations down my spine while I quickly process what I’ve seen. Everything I now know. It all feels familiar somehow. Like it was pulled into my consciousness as a vivid reminder of something I’d long forgotten. 

My chest clenches when Sam looks at me. The kitchen is dark now, and I can’t even make out the pupils in his eyes. “How did you do that?” His hoarse voice is accompanied by the deepest glare I’ve ever seen.

“I d-didn’t d-do anything.” I stammer before I can fully grasp what he’s asked.

“Bullshit.” Sam basically growls as he pushes himself off the floor. His footsteps seem to pound against my body when he stomps away.

“Wait!” I stand too quickly in my panic and topple right back down.

He’s there in seconds, with his hands braced beneath my armpits to lift me up. 

“I didn’t mean to...I didn’t know that was going to happen-”

“I need air.” His whispered words cut me off. “Get some sleep.” He releases me, and he’s gone before I can understand what he means.

I move slowly towards the back bedroom, and glance outside the window in time to see his thick black tail disappearing into the bushes. A faint orange glow tickles the horizon as the last traces of sun sink behind darkened waves.

“I didn’t mean to…” My voice catches on what feels like an ice cube in my throat, so I force my eyes closed and fall into bed. Is he still out there?

~

There’s so much blood on my hands that I can’t see anything else. I wipe them into what remains of my coat, but it’s filled with snow and road sludge. My fingers burn with the chill of winter wetness coating my skin, the moisture mixing with the stains I’ll never be fully rid of. 

“Will…?” 

There’s a pressure building throughout my body while I scramble around the wreckage. I feel like I’m burning as the smoke and stench of gasoline sting my nose. My eyes. My brain.  

“Hey! Are you okay?!” 

The pressure scrapes at my insides, like the shards of ice and glass leftover from the crash have been shoved down my throat. Like they’ve finally found their way home, and this’ll be the last pill I’ve got to swallow.

“Wake up!”

I can’t take it anymore, and my chest explodes like it’s on fire when everything escapes me.

“WILL!”

My vision jolts to black for an instant, and suddenly the blood is gone and I’m blinking up at a young, blond-haired man. His head falls to my chest while my heart knocks violently against him. I gasp for air as my fingers travel across his scalp, and grip the soft strands like somehow they’ll help me. Like they’ll make everything else disappear as the sounds of shattering windows and sparking metal ring in my ears. 

After just a few breaths, a faint lavender scent creeps into my nose and I remember who this is on top of me right now. Sam...right. He used my shampoo. Three more deep inhales and his silence is all I hear. The breeze brushes past the screen and into my sweaty face as I watch his fingers tracing tiny circles on my palm. The sensation is slightly tickling me, yet it’s rather calming at the same time. And strange. He’s such a weirdo. I can’t help but giggle about it, and when he sneaks a peek up at my face, his blush is so vibrant that I laugh until he hides himself again. So cute. I hold my breath to try and shut myself up while he goes back to resting his head and making me his pillow. When’d he get in here? His thick lashes send goosebumps across the skin on my chest as he blinks instead of explaining himself. What’s he doing in my bed?

Sam merely squeezes my hand when I whisper his name, then emits a soft sigh as his final response. So I close my eyes and welcome the comforting chill of his body so close to mine. Is he going to stay?

~

Gentle warmth seeping into my cheek wakes me. I have to blink a few times before I can manage to see through the faint sunlight sweeping across the room. I bring my attention to the slight pressure on my chest, and end up pausing my breath so I don’t startle him with a dramatic gasp of some sort. Sam.

He’s sleeping soundlessly, with his face relaxed against my skin as his arms encircle my waist. I stifle a giggle when I become aware of his hairy leg resting over mine underneath the top sheet. Seems he’s quite the cuddler. I grip my pillowcase with my free hand when I discover my other one nestled in his hair. I don’t usually like touching people when I sleep. 

I try to breathe evenly when I notice his brows twitching in his slumber. Each movement he makes alerts me more and more, until I know I’ve either got to get up and out of here or calm the fuck down. I don't want to go. So I urge stillness into my limbs as his lashes flutter teasingly across some sensitive places on my ribs. They’re so lively, it’s like maybe he’ll open his eyes any second and catch me staring shamelessly. Is this…another one?

I turn away and stare out the window as tree branches sway in rhythm with the wind cooling my flushing face. Calm. Down. Already. I close my eyes when the leaves shift enough for more sunlight to pour into the room. It’s far past dawn now, and either he’s stayed here with me the entire night or I really need to call my dealer out on these questionable doses. Or maybe it’s just a dream. The heat is gentle as it coats my skin while Sam’s body simultaneously cools me. I hope so. I like this one.