SLEEPSONG (BoyxBoy)✔️

Chapter 162

Jak was down the hall, a silent observer watching from afar.

Chi was leaning against the wall, rubbing his neck, also staring at us, but I noticed that there were holes in the plaster and I wondered if that had been the crashing I'd been hearing.

Nobody else was around.

Jak twitched and turned when a pale face popped into view before snapping back, and I stared since he and I seemed to be the only ones who noticed Kip's appearance.

He'd made himself scarce lately, not that I could really blame him. This house was chaotic and frightening on the best of days.

"I am sorry," Chi said, drawing everyone's attention; I glanced up after a second, but when I saw that it was me he was focused on I realized the apology was being directed to me only. "I did not intend to remain within your soul for as long as I did. Your... temperature situation was, in fact, a direct result of prolonged spiritual contact and for that... I deeply, deeply apologize."

I remembered the dream I'd seen, the words that had been spoken to me. I looked at him with a tired smile, half-lidded and sleepy. "I forgive you."

He blinked, ears twitching rapidly, then his eyes resumed their calm pleasantness.

"Thank you," he sighed. "I am rusty with my interpersonal skills. I have had no need to bother asking for anything as I do not have direct contact with people unless it is to help them fall asleep and take away the fears and nightmares that plague them. If I want to know something, I take the initiative on my own as that is how I usually do things. I meant no offense or harm."

"I believe you," I said in a raspy voice, much to everyone's surprise. "I remember what you said when you did it. It was like a dream, but you don't feel like a bad guy. You're just curious... and that's okay, I guess. Leo is right, though... next time, if you wanna know something, just ask."

"Noted," Chi said. "I am feeling... quite... foolish. If I may, I am going to retire for the night."

"Go ahead," Tiffany murmured, giving him a look. "We can introduce ourselves a bit later. Right now, I just wanna make sure Aerin's okay."

Chi nodded and turned, phasing through the wall; Horst's jaw dropped and everyone stared.

"Can't vampires do that?" the kid nervously asked. "What is he?"

"Faeries are bizarre creatures," Richard muttered, focusing on kneading the small of my back. "I don't think anyone here can answer the questions you have. I'm still fuckin' scratching my head at him being around."

"Yeah, he's weird, but I think its in a good way," Kyle said thoughtfully. "He doesn't give me a bad vibe. When you were attacking him he didn't fight back or resist. He let you do it and he smelled guilty, like he'd made a mistake and felt bad about it."

"I noticed. Its why the wall has a hole and not his face," Dick sneered, casting a glance at said hole before flinching. "Fuck... that's coming out of my own pockets." 

"Ahhh, right!" Tiffany laughed. "One of your punishments for trying to burn Aerin's photos was paying for any repairs that you may or may not inflict on the house for the next two years."

The bald man let out a pretty string of curses that made Horst's eyes go wide. Woody let out a breathy little chuckle, rolling his eyes as he focused on pinching and grinding my belly with his knuckles.

I was significantly warmer and feeling far more lucid than before by that point so I took it upon myself to shift my body, drawing my legs out of Horst's hands.

"I think I'm okay now," I said, carefully stretching before rubbing my cast. "Tiff?"

"Hm?"

"How's Sebastian doing?"