You didn't tell EJ when you arrived at the station, and instead walked home alone, lugging the bag of textbooks with you. You had physically recovered from...whatever you had experienced on the phone, but it had left you feeling mentally and emotionally drained. You were ready to curl up and fall asleep on the forest floor, but the thought of your nice warm bed (and seeing EJ) was spurring you on.

Alois hadn't noticed the tear tracks on your face, so you had made an excuse to leave and hop back to the train station by yourself. It had helped that one of the newer scientists needed help with an experiment, and he was going to assist her, giving you the perfect opportunity to leave without making either of you feel guilty for abandoning the other.

When you arrived home, you discovered that the front door was (thankfully) locked, so you went in through the back. You poked your head around the doorframe, watching EJ stir you assumed was a casserole on the hob. His mask was off, and he was stood about a foot away from the worktop to prevent contaminating the food with any of the tar that oozed from his eye sockets.

In that moment, as you leant your shoulder against the doorframe, you felt...odd. It was the first time you had ever come home to someone who wasn't your parents or Socks, so you assumed that the sight of EJ in the kitchen would feel foreign, but it didn't; instead, it felt like comfort. Like the warmth of a hot chocolate drunk on a frosty winter night, it was the type of comfort that reminded you of 'home'—wherever it was.

(You were going to have to seriously reevaluate this feeling later on when you were alone. It definitely needed to be looked at with some logical thinking.)

'Hey,' you whispered, 'I'm back.'

EJ jumped, nearly flicking gravy everywhere. He turned to look at you, and stammered, '(Y/N)! I wasn't sure when you were coming back, so I started making casserole. Well, I think this is casserole anyway, I'm not really—'

He was cut off by the sudden pair of arms thrown around him. Resting your head on his shoulder, you gripped onto his hoodie in a similar way to how he had latched onto you not too long ago when he thought you were dead. It was a similar kind of desperation to feel him underneath your fingertips; to feel him breathe in and out, and to feel his pulse. More importantly, though, it reassured you that you weren't alone anymore. You had someone willing to help make dinner when he knew you'd had a bad day after crying on the phone to him—hell, he had even been willing to listen to you sob and helped you calm down

Maybe the trauma you both shared had brought you closer together.

'Did you miss me?' EJ asked in a lightly teasing tone, his arms finding their place around you.

You nodded into his shoulder, humming a noise of affirmation. Closing your eyes, you took a deep breath, feeling your muscles properly relax for the first time that day.

For a demon, he was surprisingly warm. It was as though you were hugging a large, human-sized hot water bottle that had just reached the optimum temperature for snoozing.

You didn't see, but EJ's eyebrow raised when he saw your eyes flutter shut, and he could feel blood rushing to his face. 'Hey, no falling asleep on me. I know you're tired, but it'll be better to sleep after you eat something.'

You groaned, shaking your head childishly, causing EJ to chuckle.

'Wanna sleep,' you mumbled, shifting your head to the side so your nose wasn't blocked by the fabric of EJ's hoodie. 'Tired.'

'Hungry?'

'Hungry too. Tired and hungry.'

'Then go sit down. I won't be long, alright?'

Reluctantly, you detached yourself and lumbered up the stairs, sluggishly changing into your pyjamas before going back down the stairs and collapsing on the sofa with a soft sigh, eyes shutting once more.

You heard footsteps approaching, and when they stopped, a finger prodded you in the forehead. You opened your eyes and stared at EJ in disapproval. He was wearing his mask again.

'I told you not to fall asleep,' he chastised.

'I know,' you said, barely holding back a yawn, 'but I'm really tired after earlier.'

'Can you manage staying awake for just a little while longer?'

'Maybe. If you let me use you as a pillow.' You gave him a cheeky, lopsided grin. 'You're so warm, like a hot water bottle.'

'You'll just fall asleep and then you won't be able to eat.'

'I'll stay awake.' Giving him the puppy eyes, you begged, 'Please?'

He knew that he should have said, 'No' and promised that you could use him as a pillow after tea, but how could he disappoint you when you were giving him the puppy eyes of all things?

'Fine. Come here.' He sat down on the sofa, tucking his legs to one side for you to rest your head on. He watched as you snuggled up to him, wrapping one arm around his right leg.

His heart was beating thunderously in his ears, and, hesitating slightly, he set one hand down on your waist, thumb stroking the bit of skin exposed from your pyjama top shifting when you laid down.

It was like he was in heaven. Never in a million years did he expect you to willingly ask to cuddle before even entering a relationship with him, and now that you were there—using him as a pillow, hugging his leg like it was a toy—he was somewhat unsure of what to do. Yes, he was revelling in the physical contact and how close you were to him, but what now? What happens next? What is he meant to do to keep you there?

You glanced up at him, the thumb on your right hand picking at the dry skin on the side of your middle finger. He had pulled one of the textbooks out of nowhere and was scanning through the table of contents with curiosity.

'Hey, you found the books. Sorry for not giving you them properly.'

'Hm? Don't apologise, you've had a hard day.' He gently patted your side. 'Thank you for getting them. I appreciate it.'

'No problem. I feel bad for not being able to figure out how to reverse everything. Bringing you things is the bare minimum.'

'No, it's not the minimum. The things you do for me mean the whole world, you know that? After all you've done for me, I should be the one bringing you things.'

You chuckled at his words, asking, 'We're not going to agree on this, are we?'

'I don't think we are,' EJ said, grinning under his mask. 'Lemme get up.'

Pouting, you let go of his leg and let him get up, watching as he went into the kitchen and returned with a plate of casserole and veg. You sat up, realising that you were really fucking hungry.

The food was gone in minutes, and as you got up to put the plate away, you said, 'You should become a chef. That was the best thing ever.'

'Really?'

'Yeah! I think you found your secret calling.' You smiled teasingly. 'Being a medical professional is pretty damn cool, but you gotta put your cooking talent to use. It would be a shame to see it be wasted.'

Later that night, as you laid in bed, staring at your phone, you frowned as you scrolled through various websites that had appeared upon searching, 'How to know if you're in love.'

The first website that had come up was—lo and behold— WikiHow of all things. It had pictures, and explanations, so there was really no harm in reading through it...right?

Annoyingly, the article allowed you to create a mental checklist for your feelings.

'Can you go a few hours without thinking about your loved one?' If worrying counts, then 'no'. Although, I do find myself wondering what he's up to or how he is...

'Does your loved one make you want to be a better person?' ...yeah.

'Do you feel like the best version of yourself when you're with your loved one?' I suppose so? I always feel more chilled when I'm with him.

'Do you enjoy helping your loved one?' I guess? I don't want to be a burden.

'Do you enjoy doing "the little things" with your loved one?' I like doing things and spending time with him in general. Does that count?

Fuck. I'm in a bit of trouble here, aren't I?

well hello again !!! i figured that, by chapter sixteen, dear little (y/n) should at least have figured out what emotions are, right? i based the whole checklist on myself and how i would answer those questions if i ever found myself in love with someone, so my inexperienced arse is gonna try and make it not sound too unrealistic. i myself have no idea how feelings work so this is gonna be a challenge lol

- gravity