Saying Enoch was uncomfortable the moment he stepped through the door was like saying that a bat preferred the dark. Olive fussed far too much more than she needed to and Enoch was still struggling to get used to that. It probably should have been nice, having someone care that much, but he was so unaccustomed to anyone who wasn't his mother doing that that he didn't know what to do with it. He was letting Olive in slowly and widening his very independent circle enough to include her, at least a little at a time.

"Okay fine. Get it over wiv and suit yaself. It's a bloomin' bruise. It's fine." The sooner Olive satisfied herself there was nothing to fuss over, the sooner he could leave. Not that going home now was a much better alternative. Enoch had long since switched off his phone to avoid any unwanted contact since he had left.

"You don't know that." Olive patted the couch next her again and after a moment Enoch took a few steps through the doorway and, somewhat awkwardly, sat on the edge of the couch. He'd really only been in the dining room and the kitchen here for any length of time at certain insistence.

Olive had sucked in her bottom lip and was chewing it like she had something to be uncomfortable about. Why she should, Enoch had no idea until she pointed to his chest.

"Your...coat."

Enoch rolled his eyes and reached up to unfasten the buttons of the thick winter coat he almost always wore. "You're seriously gonna be bothered wiv this?" He grumbled but the moment his left arm came out of the sleeve his shoulder stung again and he couldn't help grimacing.

Olive clearly noticed.

"I definitely am now. What on earth did you do to it?"

"I just... 'it a branch, I told ya." Enoch rolled his shoulder and reached up to touch the jumper he was wearing. It did feel slightly damp, and not from the snow. He'd run straight into the dead branch of a tree as he'd weaved around it to beat Olive there. It had snapped, and scratched sharp enough to feel through a coat and the jumper he was wearing beneath it but at the time he'd ignored it purely so he could win the challenge that Olive had started. He didn't quite know what had possessed him to join in but, dare he say, he kind of enjoyed it.

"Enoch."

"What?"

He looked down at himself, trying to figure out exactly what Olive was staring at on his jumper until,

"You're wearing it!" and it sunk it. She was staring at the woollen, military green jumper that Enoch hadn't even intentionally realised was the one she'd bought him when he got dressed.

"Oh, yeah okay..." He flicked his eyes back up to her face and stared at her. Olive was smiling so brightly that he thought she had momentarily forgotten why he was there in the first place. "Olive?"

"Right, sorry..."

Enoch rolled his eyes and reached up to pull at the collar of the jumper and try and stretch it past his shoulder. It half worked and exposed enough of his skin to be able to see the patch reddened by blood and the beginning of a scratch that started close to his collarbone.

" 'Appy? I fink I'll survive. I ain't got the plague or nofin'."

Olive's eyes widened and Enoch could practically hear her mind leaping from conclusion to conclusion. Honestly, it looked a little worse than he'd expected too but it was still little more than a scratch that had drawn blood.

"It's hurting you and you're bleeding, Enoch, you should at least stop that much." Then Olive was on her feet and starting to walk out of the room and Enoch straightened up to attention and let his hand fall and his collar slip back.

"What are ya doin'. Olive..."

"I'll be right back!"

He swore under his breath and reached up a hand to run over his face. Girls. Why he needed to suffer through this was beyond him. After a few moments, hearing the hinge of a door squeaking elsewhere in the house, Enoch got to his feet and wandered around the living room. There were pictures on the coffee table and on the mantelpiece, every inch the typical family home that his house did not have half as many of. He picked up on in a mahogany frame of an extended family, from the look of Olive in it, it couldn't have been taken long ago at all. She didn't look much younger. There was a little curly haired blonde clinging onto Olive's hand, the little girl in the picture Olive had sent him on Christmas who she'd said was her cousin. He replaced the frame and turned around hearing footsteps coming back down the hardwood corridor.

Olive was standing in the doorway with a damp cloth and a little bottle in one hand and a second cloth in the other and Enoch sighed.

"Oh really?"

"You of all people should know the important of washing something out and disinfecting, spending all that time with dead bodies."

"It's a scratch from a branch, not a stab wound from a rusty sword."

"I saw your face, I know it hurts when you move it and at the very least, it can be cleaned up and not get blood all over your clothes." Olive was a hairs breadth away from stomping her foot at him she was being so insistent and Enoch reluctantly listened and grumbled as he sat back down on the edge of the couch, facing inwards towards Olive.

"Ya can stop worryin' anytime now."

"The sooner you let me actually do something for you for once, the sooner you can go, Enoch." She huffed and Enoch just shook his head slightly at her and reached up to pull his collar to the side again. It wasn't going to be enough by any means and Olive didn't fail to notice that.

He watched her skin turn the slightest shade of pink and her eyes look away from him and down at her fingers where she was playing with one of the cloths. "Enoch, you might...umm..."

"Oh bloody 'ell..."

Enoch sighed and winced just a little as his jumper scraped across the scratch while he wriggled his left arm from the sleeve and hoisted up half of his jumper quickly before he could change his mind and be fed up with the whole thing.

Olive's face wasn't pink anymore, it could only be described as scarlet.

"You're easily embarrassed. Anyone ever tell ya that?" He shook his head, but couldn't help his lips twitching just the slightest bit. Enoch was not inclined to find anything or anyone "cute" but Olive was definitely that.

"I'm not." She huffed in a very poor attempt to convince him, "I just...expected a t-shirt or something..."

"It ain't that cold, I don't need three layers. Look I'm humouring ya 'ere so get it over wiv."

Olive seemed to compose herself but Enoch couldn't help the little jolt in his own chest when she scooted a little closer and lifted a hesitant hand to gently press the wet cloth to his shoulder. The damage was minor, but definitely worse than Enoch had been expecting it to be and he involuntarily let out a gasp at the unexpected cool pressure that sent a stinging pain through his shoulder. It only lasted a few seconds but it was there and he looked away to the side and bit his lip to keep from making her worry more.

"Yeah, 'cause this don't look awkward at all." Enoch muttered after a moment as his cool eyes flickered back to Olive's. She was watching his face, probably for any sign that she was hurting him but after the initial sting, or when she pressed a little firmer, which she was doing now to help stop the bleeding, his body adjusted to it and the pain lessened into a throb. Had he imagined it or had one of them moved closer again? Or had his knee always been touching her leg? "If ya Dad walked in right now-"

"He'd probably throttle you and throw you out by your ear."

Her hand was shaking slightly, he could feel her fingers trembling against his shoulder as she dragged the warm cloth along in little circles, dabbing a little like it had been bleeding a lot more than it had. It was slightly uncomfortable for both of them, weird and unfamiliar and, in his case at least, slightly painful.

"Unless ya just lookin' for an excuse ta touch me, I fink it's probably stopped."

"Right. Sorry...um, this will sting so..."

Then Olive's hand was gone and for a moment Enoch thought he missed it until a second later she'd poured antiseptic over his shoulder so suddenly he swore loudly and Olive jumped in alarm.

"I did warn you..." She cringed, a little sheepishly when Enoch glared at her.

"It's fine." He muttered through gritted teeth, "Are you done?"

"Just about. Why are you being such a grump today? You had five minutes when you were pleasant as ever but..."

"Ain't that what I always am? Grumpy? People tell me that all'a time." He followed her hand to his shoulder while she dabbed the antiseptic in and winced occasionally.

"You're more so than usual, Enoch. Something else has been bothering you for ages, I found you in the library yesterday. You don't go there very often. There. I'm done."

Olive's hand dropped from his skin and Enoch absently watched it fall back to the little space of cushion between them. He didn't move immediately, even to pull his arm back into his sleeve, despite his annoyance for the situation. "Nofin', don' worry 'bout it. Just overbearin' parents, nofin' ta care about."

"Enoch-"

"I said don't worry 'bout it. I don't wanna talk 'bout it now." Or ever. He moved his left hand over to cover her fingers and then his lips were against hers again before she could say another word about it.

Olive's other hand went to the back of his neck and it was very easy to get lost with her and forget they were very much in the living room where her parents might come home at any moment. Even though every other time he'd tried to be alone with her they were interrupted by someone or something, and there was little reason to believe they wouldn't be now.

Didn't matter yet. It hadn't happened just yet and Olive had been right about one thing. They hadn't seen much, or any, of each other outside of school in a while and during school, well, Enoch didn't even like to hold her hand around everyone, let alone try and kiss her properly.

All vague, blurry thoughts that whirled around in his head when they shouldn't have been, but never lingered long when he had her so close to him. Never had he been more aware of their close proximity, either, than right now when he felt her fingers comb through the ends of his hair at the back of his neck.

Olive leaned back after a moment but Enoch hardly moved or even tilted his head with half lidded eyes when she did and just let out a huff of disappointment.

"Enoch..."

"What? They ain't 'ere."

And that was the end of that. Suddenly determined to finally finish what he'd started, he leaned forward after her, and let her come the rest of the way to meet him. Then Olive's lips parted and his mind might as well have gone completely blank for all Enoch was thinking about. He could feel her suddenly right up against him and his hand halfway up her back, couldn't quite think or remember when exactly he'd moved his arm around her.

Then it had to stop. Not least because he did actually need oxygen. Olive was breathing as heavily as he was, he could feel it more than see it, and he felt his ears burn hot as he stared at her as if she was suddenly completely different. "...Well that's new."

Olive laughed kind of breathlessly and her hand slid off his neck. Much to Enoch's slight disappointment he let her go and then there was a barely there, uneasy space between them again. He hadn't particularly wanted to stop, whenever Olive was around, at least when they were alone, he could forget the rest of the rubbish for a while. She was a distraction from himself, but in the best way.

"I...really should go."

"Yeah...you probably should. Mum might not mind as much as Dad but she'll still mind that we're here alone without her knowing at all."

"Right..." He suddenly felt colder now they weren't practically chest to chest and very much aware that he was essentially shirtless. Almost immediately he started to pull his arm back into the sleeve. "Dunno what they fink yeh'd be doin'. Actually..." He rolled his eyes and looked at the arm of the couch behind her rather than at her. "I know exactly. Even I know ya better than that."

He could read it in her eyes without Olive having to say it, he'd known it anyway since the first time he'd been here. It wasn't Olive that her father didn't trust. Enoch never knew whether to scorn at it, or be slightly insulted. He usually settled on scorning.

"You do."

Enoch looked up where he'd been reaching around to grab his coat, wincing a little as he dragged his shoulder along the back of the couch. "I do what?"

"You might not talk much, or ask me much, Enoch, but I think you know me better than most people all the same."

He just nodded and pushed himself up to stand again. Olive got to her feet with him and Enoch's sharp eyes immediately noticed the way she licked her lips slightly. It almost made him do the same. He liked her eyes too. A soft almond shape and iris as green as ever.

"Likewise." He muttered without really noticing what he was saying at all. He wanted to kiss her again more than he cared to say and had to quite force himself not to, even with her smiling at him like that.

It was the same look she'd had in the park, staring at him like he was the most interesting sight in the world which she'd said had been because she thought he was having fun. Enoch wasn't quite sure he believed that entirely but he didn't care that much right now.

"You dragged me in 'ere an' now you're pushin' me out?" He smirked a little as Olive opened her mouth to object before closing it again and smiling.

"Like you said, I'm sick of being interrupted and the longer you stay, the more chance there is of that. Thank you for humouring me, is your shoulder alright?"

"Was fine befor-" The coat slid off his arm and onto the floor as his hands flew up in surprise and any thought he had to kiss her again was unnecessary. It was quick, and barely more than a peck but enough to catch him right off guard and leave him blinking rapidly. " 'Cause girls aren't confusin' enough or anyfin'..."

"Sorry."

"Do ya actually want me ta go are ya gonna do that again?" Enoch scoffed and bent down to grab his coat off the floor. Olive pushed him gently towards the doorway.

"You shush, Mr. "I-Can't-Make-Up-My-Mind", I don't know why I did that, sorry."

"Not somefin' I'd be apologisin' for but...whateva floats ya boat." Enoch shook his head and stopped to put his coat back on as he opened the door. It was a good deal colder now, but perhaps that was just a contrast to how extremely warm he'd been a few minutes ago.

"Enoch, wait."

"Mixed signals, much?"

"No...." Olive was smiling but her entire face was bright pink and had been for several minutes now. "I just wanted to tell you something."

Enoch glanced over his shoulder and back again, raising both eyebrows and trying not to wet his lips again. He still couldn't help thinking about it. "Hmm?"

"I just...I..." She drew in a deep breath and looked suddenly nervous.

"You..."

"Had fun today." Olive blurted out in an unconvincing rush. That wasn't at all what she had been starting to say, Enoch knew that much. "And good...good luck, with your parents."

"Uh huh..."