sparks fly~ paul lahote

ⅹⅴ. take one

Later, that evening, Diana was reading in her living room. The book was about the Confederate Army and what exactly the years of the Civil War were like. Diana guessed that the book belonged to Jasper, and seeing his little notes written in the margins made her feel less lonely.

She sighed, longing for company. And just when the chapters started to blur together, a knock answered her wishes and interrupted her reading. She got up from the couch, wondering who could be at the door, before shrugging and deciding she didn't care. When she reached the hallway, though, she smelt it. His scent was impossible to miss.

She jogged over to the door, and found she was correct in her assumptions; Paul was standing on the porch, just outside her door. She paused, not believing he was here, in front of her. She admired his unsure posture, the way he stood at the ready.

Slowly, she opened the door, anxiety written all over her face. Paul didn't react, he didn't seem to know what was going on either. There was a moment of silence, as they drank each other up. It had been a few weeks since he had imprinted on her, solidifying the bond. A few weeks of one living without the other, which was not what the imprint bond intended. Relief flooded through both of them as they stood, unsure but excited.

"Hi," Diana whispered, frowning slightly. She was relieved that he was here, it was like she was able to breathe again, but her anxiety about their situation came tumbling back down on her.

"Hey," he replied. He was dressed as usual, in a sleeveless shirt and cutoffs. Diana glanced down at her appearance, t-shirt, jean shorts, and bare feet. Her hair was falling out of the braid it was thrown into hours before.

"Uhm," Diana cleared her throat, "-what can I do for you?"

"I..." Paul stopped, he didn't know what he was doing. "I had to see you."

Diana hadn't wanted to hear that, yet, when she did, she smiled slightly, "Well... do you want to come in?"

Paul hesitated, glancing up and around the house. When Diana realized he was looking for others, she rushed to reassure him.

"It's just me," she said.

He nodded, "Sure," glancing behind him as he walked inside.

Diana shut the door and led him through the hallway, feeling cautious as Paul studied every inch of the place, it was barren except for the basics; couch, coffee table, dining table, and chairs, etc. Diana had yet to finish her refurnishing, still buying and decorating after her fit of destruction.

Diana led him to the kitchen, "Can I get you anything?"

Paul raised a brow, and Diana chuckled, "I have some things, non-perishable, of course. For the very rare yet occasional human guest." Paul laughed and Diana's heart warmed at the sound.

"I'm good," he said.

"Well then... would you like a tour? It's not much, but, it's..."

"Home?"

She smiled and nodded, "Yeah."

She showed him through the kitchen and living room and dining room, they lingered near her bookshelves. Then she led him to the bathroom and her bedroom. Paul's gaze danced around the room, studying the after-effects of the life she lived. His eyes paused on the bed, "I thought you guys don't sleep?"

Diana would have blushed now, but instead, she laughed and looked down, fiddling with her fingers, "It's uh, not really intended for sleeping."

Paul's brows furrowed in confusion before widening in understanding, "Ah."

Diana smiled at him, "You wanna know something, though?" she asked, sidling up next to him.

Paul shook his head, with a dry chuckle, "I'm not really interested in hearing the bed's history."

Diana scoffed and swatted his arm, "Not that, I mean- now don't laugh at me," she said, staring him in the eyes so he knew she meant it.

He shook his head, slowly, "Never."

Diana's smile returned, "I like to pretend to sleep."

Paul's brows furrowed in confusion, "But how do you- you know, shut your mind off?"

Diana's smile faltered slightly, "I don't... but, I found this really excellent description of what sleeping is like and I kinda just repeat it in my mind, over and over again, like a mantra."

Paul watched as she sighed longingly at the blankets and pillows. He couldn't really imagine what not sleeping or being tired must've felt like, he was always ready for a nap... always.

But Diana? She hadn't slept a wink in ages, even though she wanted to. She wished, more than anything, that she could.

"So, you... meditate?"

Diana laughed as they exited the bedroom, "You could say that."

They made their way to the living room, and Paul studied the bookshelves some more. "Did you build this place?" he asked, after they sat down on the armchairs, positioned opposite each other.

Diana nodded, "Me and... Uhm, my friend, we wanted to settle down here."

Paul tensed, "Friend?"

Diana nodded slowly, "Yeah," she couldn't bring herself to say anything else. She knew he understood, he wasn't an idiot.

Indeed, Paul was not an idiot. He stood and began pacing around the living room, "You had a, uh," he swallowed, clenching his jaw. "-a... mate?"

"Yes," she said.

Paul frowned, he started to get angry. He was suddenly questioning everything. He hadn't exactly been the perfect example of abstinence, but he hadn't expected that his soulmate would have had a lifelong partner before him.

"He died," Diana whispered. This broke Paul from his thoughts and he stopped pacing, moving his gaze to stare at her. She nodded, "A long time ago, now."

Paul was still tense but he let out a scoff and sat down, "You could've led with that."

Diana glared at him, "That's not something I feel the need to explain every time I meet a new person."

Paul met her glare and returned it, the two sat in silence. Neither had a clue what they were doing. Neither knew what to do or say next. They were opposites. It was in their nature to hate each other, to avoid each other. And yet, here was that very same nature pushing them together. It felt wrong, but inevitable- like it was supposed to be.

Paul let out a sigh, "What are we doing, here?" he asked, he felt more inclined than ever to give in to the bond. It hurt him to be away from her. But, he could see that Diana wasn't quite on the same level of acceptance.

"I don't know," she sighed, moving her glare to the ground. She hated this. The whole getting to know each other, getting over the fact that they were basically sworn, enemies. She hated all of it, but she didn't want to hate him.

There was another, longer, moment of silence. Then Paul stood, "I think, uh, I'm gonna go." when Diana didn't say or do anything to stop him, he walked out of the house. He phased immediately and howled angrily, taking off into the woods.

Diana flinched at the sound of the door slamming, the howls she heard broke her heart. But, she was so lost. She had no idea what she was doing. She needed time. She needed a lot of time.