𝗠𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗠𝗮𝘆 || 𝖡𝗋𝗂𝖺𝗇 𝖬𝖺𝗒 𝖨𝗆𝖺𝗀𝗂𝗇𝖾𝗌៚𝙑𝙤𝙡. 𝟮

♡𝗔𝗻 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁 ❥𝙋𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙏𝙝𝙧𝙚𝙚♡

You had awoken only moments prior, and since Janice was still working her graveyard shift, it was just you and Brian.

It was a little after five thirty in the morning, and despite the unusual hour of your awakening, you were quite comforted by the fact that you had managed to secure a few solid hours of sleep - something that you believed you'd only gotten because Brian had been at the apartment.

There was something about his presence that never ceased to make you feel safe.

"Did you manage to rest?" he asked with a warm smile, beckoning for you to sit down at the table.

Still a bit dazed, and admittedly startled, you shuffled slowly toward the table, brushing your hair behind your ears. "Yeah...I managed to get a bit of sleep, actually," your eyes lingered on him for a long moment, a sparkle of appreciation coming through.

If he hadn't offered to stay back with you, you didn't know what might have become of your sanity for the evening.

"Did you manage to get some rest?" you inquired, pulling out one of the chairs so that you could be seated at the table. "I get the feeling you've been up all night," you winced.

He laughed, proceeding to pull out a chair as well, so that he could sit with you. "I haven't slept, I'll be honest - but I'm quite used to it,"

A soft giggle escaped your lips as your eyes fell to the plate that sat in front of you - the meal looked notably tantalizing, but your appetite wasn't as voracious as it ought to have been, and it was no secret why.

"Secrets of a past physics student?" you queried in somewhat of a playful fashion.

He broke into a chuckle, making you look up at him again.

"You could say that," he shrugged in a playful fashion to match.

You bit your lip, your tired eyes growing a bit tearful as you redirected your focus back to the plate. "Thank you," you mumbled, loud enough for him to hear. "For all of this..."

In spite of the sudden change in energy, Brian remained thoughtful, tilting his head slightly as he continued to study you.

"Agh, you must have had enough of my emotional range," you groaned lightly, bringing a hand up to brush away the few tears that had managed to creep beneath your eyes.

"Your 'emotional range' has been the most exciting thing in my life since ten years ago," he quipped back. "I say hit me with whatever else you have - I could never be tired of it,"

It was clear that he didn't really mean that he believed you had anything near an extensive 'emotional range', but the lighthearted energy was very much something you needed.

Again, you giggled, your eyes finding their way back to his momentarily.

"Thank you for...being someone I can trust," you found yourself expressing earnestly. "You...have no idea how much it means to me - but to be able to feel safe with someone that I know is trustworthy...is priceless to me," you smiled. "Aside from Janice, you're the only person I can trust like this...I'm very grateful for it,"

He remained silent, and if you hadn't moved to take a drink from the glass of water that was set for you, you might have noticed the fleeting look of guilt on his face.

But, by the time you had finished drinking your water, his expression had reverted to its neutral state.

"Did you not have many trustworthy people in your life, in the past?" he asked quietly.