Moonlit Silhouettes

Triggers

Nick stared at the ceiling fan slowly revolving above him, the steady "whoom" of the blades creating a monotonous background noise.

He was never going to be able to fall asleep.

He could feel everything in the room, sense each little movement, every shadow and gentle draft. There were so many damn smells too, lingering scents that had embedded themselves everywhere in the room. The fabric softener from the sheets, cleaning spray used to wipe off the furniture in the room, the faint hint of the hot smell a vacuum cleaner leaves behind, even the traces of paint left from the walls.

It was overwhelming.

He let out a quiet groan and rolled over, burying his face into the pillow in an attempt to smother out some of the intrusive senses. Instead, he nearly choked from inhaling the powerful scent of fabric softener, shampoo and feathers the pillow was stuffed with.

He sat up quickly, gagging and scrubbing at his stinging nose as his eyes began to water. "Damn it!." He muttered angrily, snorting several times to try and clear his nasal passages of the smells.

His newly hyper sensitive ears heard footsteps in the hall, and he paused, concentrating on the approaching person. He could tell from the footsteps that it was Tala, and as she paused outside his door the faint sound of her heart beat echoed in the sudden silence, resonating with his own.

She slipped into the room a moment later, her eyebrows raising in surprise when she saw his watery eyes and red nose. "What...?"

He sniffed and rubbed at his nose and eyes one final time before saying sulkily. "Accidentally inhaled into the pillow."

She snickered as she walked over to the bed.

"Don't laugh! Ugh the only thing I can smell is stupid fabric softener and feathers!"

She sat on the edge of the bed and brushed several tears that had leaked from his irritated eyes off his cheeks. "Sorry, I know it's overwhelming and intense."

He sighed. "Is it always like this?"

She shrugged. "It's worse because of the full moon, and because you're new to all this. It'll fade a bit tomorrow, and when you become used to it you learn how to ignore most of it unless you're trying to focus on something in particular."

He rubbed his forehead and sniffed again, sinuses starting to clear somewhat. "Well I'm afraid I'm not going to be able to fall asleep tonight...everything's just too distracting."

Her fingertips lightly brushed over the sygil on his shoulder. "Does it hurt at all?" She asked, slightly concerned when her skin slid over the indentations from her fangs.

He shook his head, suddenly very aware of her presence now that his senses were free from the fabric softener. "No." He said quietly.

Her eyes flickered up to meet his, shining clear and bright in the darkness, like twin silver moons.

He could see them so much more clearly now, and he found he was incapable of looking away from their mesmerizing depths, they held ocean spray from a powerful wave, a never ending field of stars with swirling galaxies and glowing constellations. "Wow..." He murmured.

She smiled, her pronounced canines looking powerful and enticing. "Not so bad yourself." She replied quietly, noticing for the first time how his hazel eyes looked like a glade deep within a sunny forest.

He gently reached his hand up and brushed her hair away from her face, letting his fingertips gently brush against her skin. His fingers tingled where he made contact with her, but this time it was warm and pleasant and...safe feeling. Unlike the dangerous buzz they'd experienced before.