make me stay.

twentyone

"i can hear your thoughts, mars." mercer speaks from the other side of the white fabric, before grabbing the corner and pulling it down. "now, can we please go back to sleep?" he asks, causing me to frown. 

"i'm sorry?" i exclaim, shocked that his question even made it as far as his lips. "you can continue dreaming in your own room,"

he mumbles something that definitely isn't english as he rolls his eyes before holding out his hand for me to take. "take it," he tells me, seemingly annoyed with me already. 

i obey to his demand, unsurely placing my hand in his. 

this is me thinking, and you hearing it. mind-link, which i told you about yesterday. 

his voice suddenly sounds in my head as i watched his closed lips and unamused eyes watch me react. 

when you learn how to open your mind up, you won't need to be in contact with the people who are trying to mind-link, he says, his tone clearly saying he has done this millions of times. 

can you hear me, too, then? i ask, amazed by the magic i expect this to be. 

no, i am in control of the entire northern kingdom, i can watch through your eyes and can control your movement by using a specific tone, but no, i can't read your thoughts, mercer replies, sarcasm dripping off his voice. 

pulling my hand back, i shoot him a stern look before thinking; shut up. 

for a split second i watch his eyes widen, and i know he heard what i said. 

impressive, he says. 

very, i reply. it's honestly not hard. 

it shouldn't be. you should soon adapt most of my abilities as well. 

i raise my eyebrows as i listen to his sleepy voice in my head. it's almost calming not having to speak out loud. was that why the castle was always so quiet? 

can i block people out? i ask, remembering back to last night. i had felt pure anxiety knowing my thoughts were no longer my own. 

"if i teach you," mercer speaks up, mumbling, as he rolls back onto his side, placing a pillow over his face. "if you're not tired, then at least be quiet." 

"my bed or yours?" i ask, starting to jump up and down while sitting to make the mattress move. 

the pillow falls down revealing mercer's tired features as he gives me a stare that could kill. i smile sweetly, enjoying how much he suddenly resembles his past self. my boyfriend. 

we had invented the game; 'mine or yours?' many years ago back home. i couldn't remember when and what had made us come up with it, but my best guess would be one time when i had taken a bite out of a sandwich he had been eating. he had asked me if it was mine or his sandwich. it was his sandwich because he had made it, but it was my food he had made it out of and we had continued for so long that the rightful owner of the sandwich never had been found. the game could go on for hours over the tiniest issues imaginable, but it were memories like that games that i held dearest when thinking back to our time together. 

"my castle or yours?" he says back, not even needing time to think about it. 

i sit in silence for a moment, already out of replies. crap. a smile spreads on mercer's face as he offers me one i could have used; "my personal space or yours?"