Dead Time Darlings

Dead Time Darlings (one shot)

“Who are you?” She asked towards the man.

“Me?” The man stopped pacing and looked directly at Y/N.

“Yes you!”

“You can see me? You can hear me?” It was only now Y/N realized the accent.

“Of course I can, what kind of question is that? Now answer me! Who the hell are you?!” She raised her voice.

“I’m Arthur” he explained, giving a calming motion with his hands.

“That’s…not possible” Y/N said quietly, dropping the defensive pose and letting the lamp hang in her hand at her sides.

“It shouldn’t be” Arthur says quietly “you shouldn’t be able to hear me…or see me.”

“…but I can see you, and I can hear you…how?”

Arthur looked at her like a lightbulb had gone off in his head.

“Dead time.”

“What?”

“Look” Arthur felt his front pocket with his hand, as Y/N followed the motion with her eyes. She couldn’t help but admire the beautiful fingers that took a pocket watch out, before mentally slapping herself.
*You're having a paranormal encounter with a spirit, you don’t even know if you’re dreaming, get it together!* she thought before Arthur interrupted her thoughts.

“See?” he said, showing her the watch.

“Yeah, I know what time it is, that’s not the..wait” she finally realized what he was talking about. She stared at him, thinking, her face a mixture of surprise and fear. She started stepping backwards instinctively, however knowing he wasn’t there to hurt her.

Arthur reached out to touch her forearm, right at the time when the sound of a thunder burst through the quiet night. She jumped a bit and screamed, making Arthur scream too.

“Okay, this is not happening” she closed her eyes shut and opened them again, “I’m surely dreaming”.

“You are not dreaming” Arthur approached her a little more, but she didn’t back off this time. He reached out again, but his fingers went right through her arm. She looked down at it and right back up at him, turning pale.

“Please do not be scared..” Arthur’s voice broke a little.

“I..” she started, but never finished the sentence. Instead, she turned around and left the library, quickly walking towards her bedroom as she murmured.

“This is not happening, you’re dreaming, it’s not, it’s not real, wake up idiot…” she kept talking to herself as she reached her bed and took off the sweater she had worn over her nightgown when she’d got out of bed. She heard footsteps approaching and her heartbeat got louder into her ears as the storm got louder outside, and, seconds later, her door sprung open.

“Please just listen to me, I am not-” Arthur stormed into the room, only to turn around terrified when he gave her one look.

“My God, I am so sorry, where are my manners? I am terribly sorry I didn’t know you would be naked…” he kept murmuring, his back turned on her.

Yn furrowed her eyebrows and looked down at her quite dressed self before feeling her cheeks blush a little at his shyness.

“You…it’s alright, you can turn around” she said softly and he turned around slowly, only to squeal again “you’re still naked!”

Yn put her sweater back on and cleared her throat. “It’s fine now.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah I’m sure.”