03.2023 | WELCOME BACK! Hello friends old and new! I'm so excited to welcome you all back to SITW! I've made some changes to the plot and added the ability to play supernatural charcaters! So come and check it out! I can't wait to jump back into this little town with all of you!
A strange history surrounds the town, it is a place where mysterious and supernatural things have been known to happen. The reputation of the town reguarly draws in visitors and newcomers alike. While some residents avidly believe in the supernatural, others are far more skeptical. What do you believe?
Post by Ferris Felwinter on May 10, 2024 19:02:45 GMT
"I can do that too," he confirmed. Not that Ferris was sure what sort of favorite snack he had that he could bring. Maybe he would just order something. He entirely missed Darcy's childlike grin at her own inside joke.
It was rather obvious how unobserved he was sometimes. Ferris would love to blame his lapse of being more present and paying attention on his depression, but that felt like the easy way out. So maybe he had some slight denial over how much the illness affected.
He'd barely brought the glass to his lips when Darcy set upon him, climbing onto his lap and pressing herself to his chest, nestling up against him on the couch. Ferris had to pull the glass away and lift it up to ensure he kept hold of it and didn't spill any whiskey. "Easy," he cautioned in mixed surprise and amusement. Once she was practically velcroed to him, he lowered his arms, lifting the glass to his lips to take a drink and wrapping his other arm around her back. She was so warm and comfortable and strange.
Ferris didn't want to answer her question. But he didn't want to pretend he hadn't heard her. He hated that. "I want to drink and watch a movie with you," he said, not quite allowing there was anything wrong or to talk about. Because he still didn't think he could. "Is this what having a service animal is life? For sensing allergies or seizures or something?" Okay maybe he would allow that she was right a little.
Honestly, so long as he was able to be there; Darcy didn’t care what he showed up with. Hell, if it wouldn’t come off as clingy; she’d be trying to talk him into a hike, minus any bears this time. At least, if she could help it. Though, since the hellhound fires had stopped and they’d had time to hibernate; most of the bears had been quite docile and unbothered.
Ferris being oblivious to her amusement or picking up on it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, in fact; she quite preferred that once being kept to herself and not having to explain just where her mind was at to him. Especially right now. Her friend clearly was dealing with something, and she needed to get her mind out of the gutter.
The familiar feeling of being pressed to his chest brought her a sense of comfort, especially when he put an arm around her back. Of course part of her was worried he might find her more… ridiculous ways of showing her concern and desire to be near him odd or off putting, but the worst that could happen is him telling her to move. And in the long run, that wasn’t such a terrible gamble to take. Not when it ended with her getting to hug up on him.
She gave a gentle shrug against him, he wasn’t necessarily lying, but he was definitely avoiding something. And if he wasn’t willing to talk to her about it, it had to be something he thought would be an uncomfortable topic. And then she couldn’t help but laugh at his comparing her to a service animal. That was definitely a first, and she found it hilarious. “I mean, in all seriousness I can definitely tell there’s something off from your scent, I just didn’t wanna come right out and say it because I wasn’t trying to weird you out.”
Post by Ferris Felwinter on May 10, 2024 22:19:21 GMT
Sometimes, he forgot just how much she could glean from his scent. "You're not gonna weird me out," he reassured. Not like that anyway. He was pretty sure he had already seen the piece of her that was as weird as it was going to get and while he wouldn't say he was eager to see her shapeshift any time soon, he knew that wasn't just important to her, but who she was. So was the physical affection and scents and how she liked when he growled at her and the way her curls got everywhere and her penchant for whiskey. Sure, he expected there were still things he didn't know about her being a werewolf, but...he liked Darcy for Darcy. Quirks included.
He took another swallow of whiskey and sighed heavily, setting the glass back down on the coffee table. He leaned back against the arm of the couch, hanging his head back against it to stare up at the ceiling. Ferris ran his fingers through her curls gently, not really aware of what he was doing. "I'm glad you texted me. I need to be better about not being alone." He couldn't figure out what else he wanted to say just yet. It was impossible to tell her no at this point, she would only keep poking him about it. Honestly, he almost wanted her. Even with her, he put up walls that needed torn down over and over again and he wished he knew how to avoid that. How to just make relationships work like they used to. It used to be so easy.
Until it wasn't.
"Maybe after the movie," he said, this time sighing with resignation. After the movie and after a lot more drinks. Maybe. At least then he wouldn't remember talking about it if he finally did let it out. Or maybe he would take things further than he had allowed himself to take them sober. Sometimes it was hard, pretending he was fine. Pretending everything was normal and that he wasn't struggling not to drown.
Though his words were reassuring, she couldn’t help but laugh a little as she shook her head. “Right, because me talking about how often I’m picking up changes to your scent is such a ’normal’ and not at all odd topic.” She teased with a grin, gently burying her face in his chest and exhaling softly as she relaxed against him. It truly wasn’t fair how much better she felt when she was pressed against him.
While his fingers in her curls hadn’t been expected, it was definitely welcomed. After all; what female didn’t enjoy having her hair played with? Especially by their favorite person in the world? Hell, if she was a cat she would be purring in delight. Why was she like this?
“Oh, me too. And to think I almost didn’t go out tonight.” She teased lightly, but then tipped her face to look up at his. “You do know I’m literally just a phone call away, I’ve got you.” She said a touch more softly, her tone less playful and a touch more serious. Because she wasn’t even remotely kidding when it came to that. There were a few people that knew they could give her a call and she’d drop it all to be there. Ferris was at the top of that list. Hell, sometimes she wanted to just show up because she felt like he needed someone, but again… she wasn’t trying to come off as clingy or more crazy than he likely already chalked her up to being.
“Okay, just know I’m not gonna drop it. You need to let these things out Ferris, it’s not doing you any favors keeping it shut in.” Darcy pushed herself up slightly, giving a quick peck to his cheeks before she shifted so her back was pressed against his chest and she could see the tv.
last edited May 10, 2024 23:20:50 GMT by Darcy Vance
Post by Ferris Felwinter on May 31, 2024 2:10:23 GMT
Were he in a better mood, he might have enjoyed continuing her joke about how in fact her smelling him was normal these days. But as it was, Ferris only shrugged. What was normal, anyway? Certainly not either of them.
Ferris was content to let that that be the end of the awkward conversation about his poor social skills. But there she went again, making it hard to look away from her warm, dark eyes and to not feel like he should be doing a better job. All for her words to reassure him and distress him in the same breath. He knew she was just a text or call away. And he'd not managed to do it. But her tone wasn't accusatory, just...a gentle reminding nudge. He let out a breath, feeling some of that wall crumble. "Thanks," he said softly, meeting her eyes with a smile. It didn't quite reach his eyes, but he tried.
In that moment, he knew, unequivocally, that Darcy would drop anything and everything to talk to him. To be there for him. She didn't need to say it in any grand sort of way, he didn't need to be able to smell her scent, they didn't have to be in a committed relationship, he just knew. It was a strange feeling. One the man had never felt before, despite everything he had been through. It felt...peaceful. "Thanks," he said again, a bit more heavily.
Her slightly more therapist routine rubbed him the wrong way, but he only nodded. She was right. Even if he didn't like that she was right. Even if she didn't know what it was eating him up inside, she could see it just as clearly as if he had told her. But for the moment, he let himself get lost in the movie and the whiskey and the warmth of her body against his and the smell of her shampoo. He talked about some of the song. Different things he liked each actor in. That he had never actually been to a live musical. Unimportant shit, letting the evening wash over him and trying to unwind with his best friend.
There was something so comforting about being pressed against him on her couch just watching a movie. She didn’t need him to say more, and she didn’t feel like she needed to say more after his thanks. He certainly didn’t need to thank her for that either. Hell, even if she hadn’t imprinted on him; she would still want to be there for him. Darcy simply settled more comfortably against him, pulling his arm around her so she could travel along his forearm while they watched the movie, trying not to make it too obvious she was also looking at the bruises on his wrist, or at least what she could see of it.
He carried on easy conversation, she liked listening to him talk about other movies the actors were in that he enjoyed, Ferris was much more of a movie buff than she had realized. His admitting he had never seen a live musical made her ask if school musicals counted, because she had embarrassingly participated in a high school theater production of Grease. A friend had insisted she be in one musical with her, and that was the one she begged Darcy to join. It took some convincing; but she gave in and ended up playing the part of Rizzo.
“She tried to get me involved in the rendition of ‘School House Rock’ at the theater in town, but I would have missed some performances due to the lunar cycles.” Why this made her chuckle, she couldn’t quite explain. Just that when she thought back to her younger years and her ‘excuses’ for her missing some parties and such during college, it was a wonder no one made the connection she was a werewolf.
Post by Ferris Felwinter on May 31, 2024 21:35:34 GMT
There was something so comforting about being pressed against her on her couch just watching a movie. He let her take his arm, lulled into her stern affection and not paying all that much attention to her inspection of him. It had been long enough that it didn't hurt actively, and the right wasn't nearly so bad as the left that with the sleeves, he didn't actively think about it. All he thought about was how much he wanted to do more than just hold her. Yet he didn't.
"No," he said simply. "Private catholic schools weren't exactly running classics," he pointed out. Or modern musicals either. They did some plays, some heavily religious themed shows he didn't dare count. Even the Book of Mormon and Jesus Christ Superstar weren't exactly appropriate material. "Actually, I'm wrong. Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Was dragged into a production once by my mother. I remember hating it and have never seen it again. Less a judgement of the music and more my parents, considering its Llyod Webber, I believe." From what he understood, it was a good musical in its own right, and he wasn't surprised considering the music writer. It almost made him want to give it a try again.
"Rizzo, eh? I can see it," he said with a grin. Imagining Darcy pretending to be a teenager fending off her own love for a boy. "You're both stubborn and independent, so I can see it," he said with a nod, his tone easy and serious. It wasn't an insult, but maybe it was meant to poke fun at her a bit.
"School House Rock as...the team manager? Sexy principal?" He guessed casting, though honestly, he didn't recall very many woman in that one. Some mothers and teachers and the chorus, he supposed. He snorted though as she mentioned lunar cycle. He could see woman playing off absence as another cycle. Some of the time. He doubted it was quite so predictable as the lunar cycle. But he had no idea how a man handled that. "Do you have to transform for the entire night?" It had been a while since he asked a direct question about being a werewolf and he did so now effortlessly.
She listened attentively as he spoke of his private catholic school and she wanted to wince. That definitely would limit the musicals they might have offered. But his recollection of being involved in one, and she tried to stifle a gentle laugh. “Oh, what role?” She asked with genuine curiosity and amusement. She knew he could sing, and the thought of him in a musical definitely entertained her.
His comment on her being cast as Rizzo made her give an exaggerated groan as she pulled his arm up to cover her face, shaking her head. “Apparently, they loved my ‘wild curls’ for Rizzo.” She admitted with a shrug and then sighed a little. “Not gonna lie; it was a lot of fun. But I think a lot of that was just because we were a groups of teens playing teens. It wasn’t complicated. But I totally sprained my ankle during the performance.” Now she laughed at herself as she shook her head a little. She gently elbowed him at his teasing. “Oh please, you can’t even act like you don’t appreciate those traits in me.” The stubbornness she could understand people finding a touch annoying, but it was the independence that got her in trouble. It led to conflict with the elders in the pack. But it was just part of her role she had to deal with.
“I wouldn’t know, I didn’t bother trying out. And after high school I moved for college, so I didn’t really want to get distracted with theater, it didn’t fit with my environmental science studies.” Darcy sighed, arching her back slightly as she yawned and stretched her legs. His next question surprised her, mostly because it wasn’t a question he’d asked her yet. “Oh, yeah. It’s a bit annoying, but it’s not like we’re out of control or anything. It’s still me, but I just don’t get a say in when I can change back. Usually right before dawn, though I’m usually asleep by that time.” Was it bad that she wanted him to be able to witness the beauty of the pack all enjoying the full moon? Of course, that wasn’t really something she could just invite him to see. Not without making the pack aware. And it would be best if he wasn’t there for the first part, the collective snapping of so many bones and cries could still make the most stoic werewolf lose the contents of their stomach.
“Sometimes, it’s hard to avoid the town. In the excitement, scents can be very overwhelming. But that’s why I chart and map out where the pack is encouraged to be during full moons. To help limit the impact on the wildlife, and to ensure we aren’t around popular camping sites.” Not all Alphas did this. But she did. It helped that she worked as a forest ranger and she was very well acquainted with the maps and local wildlife habits. A lot of hard work went into her work with the maps, even other forest rangers didn’t understand why she volunteered to check the trail cams and restock the outposts and such. But Darcy just liked to be prepared and enjoyed the time spent out in the forest. “Ya know, if you ever felt up for it… you could stay in one of the fire watch towers… you’d be amazed at the fun a werewolf pack gets into during the full moon.”
Post by Ferris Felwinter on May 31, 2024 22:43:04 GMT
Ferris tried to cover up the smirk with a frown and a stoic expression, raising his eyebrows at her. "Have you seen that one? Because I don't think you understand the question you're asking and to who." He knew that she knew he could sing and there was such a thing as leading roles. Maybe he'd rather play guitar, but his mother had forced him through choirs in church for years and while she had no desire for her son to become an actor of any kind, Ferris suspected she had hoped this would at least get him excited about singing. It hadn't. "Let's just say I wasn't the narrator."
"Sprained your ankle?" he asked, curious to know how exactly that had happened. Tripping off the stage? He didn't think of Darcy as anything other than athletic and coordinated, but he knew her as she was now. The man grunted as she elbowed him, being dramatic despite how tame an action it was. "I am a pretty bad actor," he said with a nod. Which was certainly not true. He might not be able to 'actor' traditionally, but he was very good at controlling his external emotions, especially in a crisis.
He nudged her gently while she talked about changing during the full moon, gesturing silently to his drink. He'd had a few more of those, enough to not know exactly how many he was on. Five? Five sounded right. Which would explain why the bit about being in a musical came out when normally that was something he was embarrassed about. "Sounds annoying," he agreed. Being forced to shapeshift against her will. Even if it was something she loved to do, like jogging, being told she had to jog now wasn't likely to fly.
Her mention of keeping to the woods and avoiding town reminded him of the maps she had. She'd told him about that before, with her work for the rangers having a dual purpose. He still found it amazingly smart for her to align her work with what her pack needed and with something she seemed to enjoy so much. Her invitation earned a smile, more than it probably would have if he hadn't been drinking. "I might take you up on that. I did enjoy the last time we were in a fire watch tower..." he noted. Of course this would be different, but to be honest, he wasn't quite sure if he was serious. Not that he didn't want to see or she didn't really want him around, but he wasn't sure introducing him to her pack at that time of the month was...safe? No, that wasn't the right word.
His response made her chuckle as she gently school her head. “Ya know, I actually haven’t seen that one.” She admitted with a shrug, now turning so she could be facing him, dark eyes enjoying the sight of his face as she relaxed so closely to him. “I mean, I wouldn’t be surprised to learn you played the lead.” Darcy teased with a playful wink, she knew he could sing after all, it wasn’t a stretch to have him pegged as the leading man in any musical. Though, her opinion might also be a touch biased.
Laughter shook through her as she tried to bury her face against his chest at the mention of the sprained ankle. “Oh god, so while I might be quite lithe and graceful now; I wasn’t always that way. And I also might have pissed off another girl in the musical by spitting gum in her hair, or rather; the wig her character would be wearing.” She paused to chuckle and sighed before continuing. “She tripped me during the performance, I rolled my ankle trying to make it back stage and fell. It wasn’t pretty and I lied about it hurting because, ya know; werewolf.” Darcy gave a gentle shrug, then chuckled at his comment before following his gesture and grabbing his drink for him.
“It’s not so bad after you get used to it.” Okay, so it definitely took her years to adjust to it, but part of the process to make it easier; was choosing to turn of her own free will. And that… that hurt. Choosing to break every bone in her body wasn’t an easy thing to do. But eventually; she got to the point of near painless transitions. There would always be some pain, but nothing like the first time.
The mention of the last time they were in a fire watch tower did make her blush slightly, but she smiled. It had been a good time, though there had also been a moment… a moment that if she had recalled she might not have offered so readily. Especially not encouraging him to be up in the tower alone. But she wanted to focus on the enjoyable parts. “Yeah, me too. I definitely enjoyed the company; those trips are usually boring when I’m alone.”
Post by Ferris Felwinter on Jun 3, 2024 23:54:25 GMT
Ferris groaned in fake annoyance. "You're gonna make me break an unspoken vow and have you watch this musical with me," he complained. But he supposed he was willing to watch it again. Sure, the memory wasn't entirely great, but he had enjoyed singing lead. And from what he recalled, the music was good enough that he could forgive the religious themes. A good story was a good story, after all. Not his concern that some people thought this one was blessed by a god. "High school me was a good singer too, yeah," he confirmed, unable to boast a little bit.
As much as it was difficult to imagine Darcy as not physically competent and graceful, it was still an amusing image. Coupled with her putting chewing gum in another girl's wig. "You're disgusting," he teased with a laugh, enjoying the feel of her own laughter shaking her body against his.
He offered a quiet thank you as he finished the glass. Another sounded liked a splendid option. "Fair. I say that like I have a massive affection for people, eh?" he teased. Maybe having to avoid town wouldn't actually be that hard. "'Cept for the smell of food..." This coming from the man who hardly ate some days. But he did love food. A lot.
"Always happy to break up the boredom," Ferris confirmed. He was definitely more than a little inebriated. But it was a very fond memory of 'restocking' the fire watch tower. They had had a lot of fun across the main desk. He leaned forward, awkwardly and rather obliviously squishing his couch companion as he set the empty glass back on the coffee table. He leaned back and wrapped his arms around her and took a deep breath. "What time is it?" he asked. They had met at eight something. Plus the movie length. He should probably go home. Or sleep. Or both. "Besides time for another drink."
Darcy chuckled, her dark eyes twinkling with amusement. "You know, I might just take you up on that offer. Watching a musical with you sounds like one of my favorite ways to spend an evening." She grinned, nudging him playfully. "Maybe we can make it a regular thing. Musical Mondays or something like that." Of course she was teasing, but she missed him and wasn’t afraid to toss out silly ideas.
The memory of her less-than-graceful past made her laugh again, a sound that vibrated pleasantly against his chest as she shook her head against him. "Disgusting? Maybe. But I bet you'd have done the same if you had the chance," Darcy teased back. "Besides, I learned my lesson. Karma, and all that."
She watched him finish his drink, her smile softening. It was good to see him unwind, even if it took a bit of alcohol to get him there. "I think you have a secret affection for people," She mused. "You just hide it well. And the smell of food? Yeah, that's a hard one to resist." Especially for a werewolf.
As he leaned forward to set his glass down, Darcy felt the warmth of his body pressing against hers, a sensation that sent a comfortable shiver down her spine. Even if he was being a bit more intentional with playfully crushing her. When he wrapped his arms around her, she sighed contentedly, relaxing into the embrace. It wasn’t fair how easy this was and how much she craved closeness like this from him daily.
"It's getting late," Darcy said with a playful grin, intentionally being vague as she glanced at the clock. "But time flies when you're having fun, right?" She brushed a lock of hair out of his face, her fingers lingering on his cheek for a moment.
She tilted her head, looking at him with a playful yet caring gaze. "If you want one more, I won't stop you. You know you’re always more than welcome to stay here." In fact, Darcy preferred when he stayed, either on the couch or in bed with her. Even if all they did was sleep, she just savored him being here with her. Besides, she still needed to get him to open up about whatever was eating at him.
Post by Ferris Felwinter on Jun 5, 2024 4:18:19 GMT
Ferris rolled his eyes. Sometimes, Darcy's humor lined up with his all too well and it was pleasantly unnerving. It hit on a lot of the aspects he wanted in a partner and a friend. Sometimes it reminded him of Murphy. Other times, of Garret. Frustratingly, both of those recollections let to unpleasant endings. But the more it happened, the more they hung out, the more Darcy would remind him of Darcy. "Nix the alliteration and you have a deal," he said. "But anyway, I work early Tuesday mornings so...Tuesday nights?" He understood what she wanted and to be honest, he would do a lot better with a schedule.
"No, I don't," he said, almost before she finished saying it. Affection for people? "For specific people, maybe," he allowed as she went on. He didn't really mean to interrupt her, he was simply providing his own commentary on her commentary about him. "A little." He did work as an emergency responder, helping the public and all that. Which meant people. Lots and lots of people. "I 'spose if I didn't like people I'd need a new job, eh?" So that was definitely the alcohol talking.
He frowned as she was vague about the time. Not that it mattered, he didn't work in the morning. And where was he going to go, anyway? Not his apartment. Home wasn't very 'home' right now. Her hand moving his hair made him swallow and push down other thoughts. No, he couldn't do that. Maybe he should work tomorrow... "It does," he agreed, meeting Darcy's eyes. He wondered what she was thinking.
It wasn't until the woman suggested he could stay there that he realized how much he'd already drank. Really realized it. Enough that she would have to drive him somewhere. Enough that his liver and head would be upset with him in the morning even if he started drinking water. The man hummed thoughtfully. "One more," he confirmed, though he had a funny feeling he had said 'one more' for the last one and just couldn't' quite remember. "Did I say that last time?" He heard himself asking without a hint of shame.
"Maybe...or I could walk to the station," he suggested, oblivious to his own mistake in saying 'station' rather than 'apartment.' Darcy would be familiar enough with his schedule by now to know that on nights he was up late, he didn't work the next morning and therefore had no reason to be at the fire station.
“Spoil sport… fine, I won’t give it any silly name.” Darcy relented with a dramatic roll of her eyes, feigning a look of resignation but failing to keep the playful sparkle form her eyes. “I can swing Tuesday nights.” She said with a gentle nod, knowing there wasn’t much she wouldn’t do to ensure she would have the free time to spend with him. There truly wasn’t a line she wouldn’t cross for him. Even Rhett had never gotten that level of commitment from her.
His interjection made her grin. He could say what he wanted, but one didn’t go into a line of work saving people without caring at least a little bit. She teased a hand along his side as she nodded. “Oh, for sure. In a job like yours; you gotta care at least a smidge.” She insisted with a resolute nod.
Their conversations had been all over the place tonight, and it made her feel a touch guilty for not reaching out before. She had wanted to.
Fuck, she had wanted to so badly. But she was trying to give him some space too. Though more for herself than for his sake, as she knew she was in danger of finding herself at risk of being completely devastated by the feelings she had for her best friend… and he didn’t even know.
How could he? Darcy did such a bang-up job being confusing and self deprecating in an attempt to disguise her complete and total infatuation with him. Namely because while she knew he cared about her; she didn’t dare make the assumption it was anything more than just that.
Her dark eyes studied his face and she couldn’t help but wish she could capture him exactly as he was right now, especially when he hummed thoughtfully.
Yeah, she had it bad.
Darcy chuckled, reluctant to leave from being so firmly pressed into him, but also very aware of she didn’t at the very least, sit up; she’d likely spill the liquor. So, she sat up and barely knocked the bottle with her hand, shaking her head and feeling her unruly curls bounce. She poured another drink in his cup and then took a pull from the bottle as she twisted the cap back into place and shook her head for a moment. “If you did, oh well. This time we’ll make it count.” Darcy teased with a grin as she handed him his glass and eased her arms above her head to stretch, her shirt rising to tease bits of her midriff and lover back.
“Ferris… you don’t work tomorrow, why would you walk to the station?” Her brow furrowed now and she couldn’t help but be concerned, confused and, if she was honest; a touch hurt. She wouldn’t force him to crash at her place, but she would absolutely give him a ride wherever he did want to stay the night… even if it was with someone else. It would suck, but hey; he was her best friend first and foremost.“What’s going on… talk to me, come on.”
Post by Ferris Felwinter on Jun 9, 2024 2:53:20 GMT
"A smidge," he said grudgingly. Ferris was positive that word had never left his mouth before. Such a strange sounding word. It even tasted funny. "I need a new job," he said after a moment, frowning. Working two, even one part time, was difficult with his schedule. But he had to pay for school somehow. Well, individual classes. It might be cheaper to look at taking something through the local college, but he dreaded anything in person, for a number of reasons.
It was also around that time that he realized Darcy had been drinking too. As much as he knew her metabolism worked faster, he still equated the amount of alcohol she drank with intoxication and liver failure. Just because her body processed it faster, didn't mean it wasn't causing problems. He opened his mouth to say as much and then decided that was rude and he didn't really know how werewolf physiology differed from humans. They could literally change shape by breaking all their bones and be okay. Seemed rather mundane, at that point, to guess their organs had other variations. And then she allowed that maybe he had said that before and he forget entirely what he was thinking about or was going to ask.
Ferris accepted the glass, watching her stretch without shame. Fuck, Darcy was so hot. It didn't matter how uncomfortable he was, with somewhere around six drinks in him, he wanted to reach out and touch her. Instead, he simply took another drink, still all stretched out on her couch and not at all inclined to move. He had missed being close to her more than he cared to admit even to himself. "I..." he realized as she asked what he had said. But before he could correct himself, she had already asked the question. "Because I...like sleeping there...sometimes," he said evasively, taking another drink and avoiding looking at her. He could pretend to watch the tv or admire the paint on her walls or...feel really uncomfortable and guilty because she wouldn't leave him alone. Ferris sighed. "A couple weeks ago...I..." Could he really say this to her? She was his best friend. If he couldn't tell anyone else, he could tell her, right? No. Definitely not. They were sleeping together. Even with the whole 'no strings' bullshit. Ferris reached up to rub a hand over his eyes and then cover his mouth, eyes brows lowered, studying Darcy. He dropped his hand, took another drink and looked up at the ceiling. Forget about the sleeping together bit.
"You ever sleep with your neighbor and then never want to go back home?" He doubted that explicitly, but they had never really talked about each other's sexual and romantic history. Well, they had a little. Ferris had never had this problem before and while 'not going home' wasn't the answer, he couldn't explain what had happened between him and Halah. He'd felt almost...possessed. He was afraid he would do something stupid again and hoped that some distance would help. Ferris took another drink.