The shrill echo of dried leaves cracking beneath their feet is the only sound perceptible throughout the hauntingly still night surrounding them. In the distance, the hoot of a owl pulsates until it reaches their ears, but like every other time they'd come upon something during the night, they ignore it and continue on their way.
He can't say for sure that he's still one hundred percent on board with the plan, because the hours ago when it had seemed so full proof are long gone. Now, he's just tired, hungry, and almost positive that they're lost.
Tyrone sighs deep and long before he reaches a hand out to gently grasp her shoulder, effectively halting her movements when he brings himself to a stop as well. “Tandy, hey, look. I think we should stop for the night and try this again another time.”
Her eyes meet his for a millisecond, and it's enough time for him to decipher exactly how tired and unsure she is too. But he also doesn’t miss the tiny, but present want to continue even though she’s losing faith. Tandy looks ahead of them to the dirt road they'd been following for what must have been an hour now, “No - I think we're close… I mean, we have to be close, right?”
Her gaze flits back to his, searching them for the reassurance that he always finds himself giving her. Not this time though. Somehow, he just knows that they've hit a dead end, for now anyways.
“I don't think so. I do think we should go though. And I know you think so too,” he deadpans, shrugging nonchalantly at her because they both know he's right. Eventually, after struggling for a short moment to fully accept that their lead is no longer a lead, Tandy huffs out a resigned breath before rolling her eyes - though there's no anger there. In fact, it's almost playful.
“I seriously think you're getting to know me a bit too well,” she adds, and, yeah, that was definitely playful. She begins shrugging out of his black hoodie to hand it back over to him.
Slipping the piece of clothing from her outstretched hand, Tyrone raises an eyebrow at her, “You say that like it's a bad thing.”
The smile that had been growing on her lips slip away, eyes staring intently within the depth of his, something reflecting in hers that he cannot - or rather is just afraid of naming.
“Never,” she utters. He swallows.
Then he takes her hand. Like he's come to expect and find an addicting thrill from, their powers work in tandem together as light begins to beam from her palm, and clouds of darkness fold in waves as they grow from his. “Let's get out of here.”
They follow his darkness as he persuades it to swallow them whole.
**
When the last of his shadows dance away until it's just himself and Tandy again, her head swivels around as she takes in her surroundings. He readies himself for the onslaught of her words. “What are we doing in your room? What are we doing at your house? How am I gonna get back to the church?”
Smiling sheepishly, he brings his index finger to his lips in the universal sign to keep it down before walking pass her to close his bedroom door where it had been left slightly ajar. The time on his clock by his bedside table says it's after 12 am, and his parents should be well asleep by now, but better safe than sorry.
With his back against the door, he attempts softly, “That was kind of the point.”
“Tyrone,” she murmurs, “If you don't take me to the church, I'll walk there myself.”
He’s known her long enough now to know that she absolutely means it. But he's also known her long enough to know that she deserves better, even if she can't see that.
“If you're even a fraction as tired as I am, then you know that you won't make it 3 blocks before collapsing,” he pauses, lowering his voice until it's just a whisper, but somehow knowing that she'll hear him even with 8 feet of space separating them, “Just… stay. For the night. Please?”
Her face blanks as she weighs her options, bottom lip trapped between her teeth as she nibbles on it subconsciously. After a few seconds pass and she still hasn't made up her mind, he tries again, “You can have my bed. Surely it's better than that cot,” topping it all off with an open, hopeful smile.
When her entire body deflates in resignation, he tries - he really does - to keep the satisfied smile off his face.
“Fine. Just for the night. And I'm setting my alarm an hour before yours,” she commands.
“Yes ma’am,”
Shaking her head at him, she looks around shortly before asking somewhat tentatively, “Can I use your bathroom?”
“Yeah, yeah, sure.”
She turns and slips behind his bathroom door not a moment later, and he uses the limited time to himself to take a breath. Which is symbolic really, because he feels like he hasn't had time to take a breath since he met her almost 2 months ago.
It's been one thing after the other, one more mystery to solve after the other, more revenge - and now justice - to seek after seeing one through. Tonight had been a testament to following down that path that he’d embarked on since Tandy stole his wallet - or more accurately, stole his brother's hoodie all those years ago.
They've found themselves being threaded deeper and deeper into this mess of something that he's not even quite sure of its true nature or its origin. He's too tired now to really think any further about it, but he knows that as soon as he wakes up later in the morning, it'll consume his thoughts once again.
He welcomes the disconnection for now though, finds solace in it, even.
And he knows Tandy does too, which is another thing that's weird but wholly welcomed and thoroughly enchanting. This... thing that they share can only be described as otherworldly, but more so than that though, it's the way that she makes him feel that's truly bewildering and wondrous.
It's crazy how much their lives are interwoven and similar yet completely different at the same time. It's mind blowing how much they relate to and understand each other in a way that's almost frightening.
He knows he feels more than just friendship for her, but there's this unspoken thing where neither of them will do anything about it until they've figured everything out about who's behind what happened to them.
Tandy steps back into his room as he's ridding himself of the hoodie again and he meets her eyes in a silent question if she wants it, something he's aware that brings her security and comfort. When she nods her head and stops a few feet before him and takes it from his hold, he smiles at her in thanks, mostly for humoring him and sleeping here because they both know the only person it's really for is him. It provides him with peace of mind and lord knows she’s more than capable of taking care of herself. Tandy pulls the hoodie on with ease.
He tries not to watch as she moves past him and climbs into the bed, instead heading to his closet and pulling out a blanket for himself. When he makes out a soft, “Hey,” he turns to just in time to catch the pillow she throws at him.
After telling her thanks, he places the pillow on the floor next to the bed, throwing himself down on it in a dull thud and pulling the blanket around himself. A few seconds later, the room divulges into darkness as Tandy clicks off the light by his nightstand.
The hardwood floor beneath is body is cold and hard, and it keeps him from falling asleep immediately in his drained state. So he lies awake there for minutes, uncomfortable but content because at least Tandy is safe and tranquil in her sleep. Or at least that's what he thinks until he makes out her murmuring, “Ty?”
He clears his throat before answering her, “Yeah?”
She doesn't speak right away, and he can't see her at all - not only from the darkness, but from his location on the ground, which he just about hates right now. But he waits.
“I miss him,” her voice cracks on the last word, and he almost stands and joins her on the bed so he hug her sadness and heartache away because he knows exactly who she's referring to.
He doesn't, instead he whispers back a sincere, “I know, I’m sorry,” meaning it more than anything else. His next words are out of his mouth completely unwarranted. “I miss my brother too.”
A part of him wishes he could see her face so he'd know what passes on it at the mention of his brother, but another part is glad he can't. He thinks it'd be too much to handle right then.
“I know. I'm sorry,” and she means it, he knows, because no one ever will understand it like she does, just like no one will ever understand her like he does. Especially about this.
For this moment, the air around them surprisingly feels lighter, and the floor beneath his back doesn't bother him that much.
Whispering one last, “Goodnight Tandy,” Tyrone welcomes darkness the once more, though this time he succumbs to the kind of shadows that are not his own.