Night Lights and Dark Places

Chapter Ten - Strangers

"It's tiny, but you'll be happy to know that I tidied before I left for class this morning." She said as they ascended the stairs. It was funny, he hadn't realized until that moment that he had never gone up those steps, despite seeing them everyday. It was also funny because he had never climbed so many steps before and was having difficulty keeping his balance. Tolly bound up them without issue.

Her neighbors all had decorated their doors for the holidays, with cheerful little welcome mats and autumnal wreaths, but Tolly's door was blank and the space around it was barren. That surprised him, seeing as she decorated herself so garishly. She fiddled with her keys and unlocked her door, stepped inside and turned on the lights. The moment the door opened, he was welcomed by her scent amplified to an absurd degree, and it invited him in before she herself did, though he did not enter. He stood dazed and overwhelmed long enough for her to snap at him to close the door.

She disappeared further into the apartment as he lingered near the entryway, absorbing the unfamiliar surroundings, the familiar smell. Her living room was well furnished, almost crowded, a humorous contrast to her Spartan doorstep. When she returned, her hair was tied into a ponytail and she'd discarded her coat, sweater, and boots.

"You want you can leave your shoes near mine," She said, gesturing languidly. To his left was a squat little shoe rack, upon which multiple pairs of tiny shoes sat neatly. It felt wrong to defile something so cute and tidy with his giant, beaten boots, but it was probably incredibly impolite to continue wearing them in her home. So he sat on the floor, clumsily tugging at the knotted laces as she puttered around the living room. She glanced over at him and chuckled. "Big shoes. Are they custom?"

"No, I found them."

"Lucky you."

"Maybe." He popped off his right boot, suddenly embarrassed by both the size of the thing and the fact that he was wearing really obnoxious orange socks. James frowned. "I don't like being so large. It's inconvenient."

Tolly snorted. "Speakin' of which, I don't have anywhere to put you and I dunno if you'll fit on the couch."

"I'll manage. I've slept on the ground all my life," He tucked his boots away and moved further into the apartment, finding that the room was smaller than it looked from the walled-off entryway. The couch in question was large and looked very worn. Much of her furniture for that matter was well-used, from the couch to the scuffed coffee table before it, the battered recliner in the corner, the threadbare rug beneath all of them. Did she have visitors often? He pressed a hand down on one of the couch cushions. "You'd really have me sleep here? Do you not use this during the day?"

"During the day? I mean, on the weekends, I..." Tolly stopped short, her relatively neutral expression switching swiftly into confusion. "Hold up, do you sleep during the day? Why?"

"I don't know? That's how it's always been," He said casually, shrugging. "I could sleep somewhere out of your way, if you've got the space."

"So you're awake all night and sleep all day for just no reason."

"Yes?" James scowled. "Is this a problem?"

"It's not a problem," Tolly said coolly, walking over from the bookcase against the opposite wall to stand at the other end of the couch. Perched on the arm, she folded her hands and studied his face. "A giant man with fangs and claws who came from the woods and sleeps during the day like a bat. I'd really love to know what's going on with you."

She shot him a pointed glare, one eyebrow raised. Was she intentionally weeding out all his biggest secrets and insecurities? Nervously, he swallowed, rubbing his forearm. "That's how I am. That's all."