starry eyes ✮ slashers.

chapter 004.

four. let's play pretend.

          He finds himself back at her home, freed from the mask, his suit, free from the evil in his mind. He is Tom, Harry lies dormant.

His hand pauses before he can knock, is this really a good idea? He wonders if she'll even let him in, after-all they'd shared one conversation and one life threatening experience. But he felt as though he knows her.

The door opens before he has the chance and he's met with a small older woman who gasps and clutches her chest. He smiles apologetically and tucks his hand into his jacket pocket.

"Sorry ma'am, is Lyra in?" The woman narrows her eyes at him and gives him a once over before crossing her arms.

"That depends, what business do you have with my daughter?" She speaks accusingly and he can't help but think it's because it's him, Tom, rather than just any random man.

"I'm a friend." Despite her hostility, she smiles curtly, unfortunately this only irritates her further.

"Lyra doesn't have any friends, go home, Hanniger." His suspicions are confirmed and his smile falls until the door is opened further and Lyra peeks out.

"Relax, muma. Tom is a friend." She hides her slight surprise to see him well. After-all she isn't that surprised, she had expected her next encounter would be with the miner however. "Come on in Tom, don't be put off by her attitude." She smiles warmly, ushering her mother away from the door, the woman glaring intently at her daughter.

"Do not do anything stupid." She says pointedly and Lyra rolls her eyes with a small smile.

"Just go shopping already. Be back by dark. Stay safe." Lyra speaks as if she's the parent, closing the door in her mothers face, hearing a scoff on the other end. All anxiety about her mother leaving the house alone has vanished, having the killer himself stood behind her she feels strangely at ease.

"She doesn't seem to like me very much." He comments awkwardly with an amused smile and Lyra faces him with a shrug,

"She's one of the old people that aren't a fan of you. But she'll get over it. She hopefully trusts i wouldn't let you in if i thought you were dangerous so she'll come around." She brushes past the dangerous comment, knowing very well he is in fact dangerous. But not to her, she hoped that extended to her only remaining family. Her loving mother.

"I see. We can only hope." He smiles and she takes a seat at the kitchen counter. Tom follows and sits opposite her, he takes in the homely decor, internalising his excitement to be in her presence. It was strange to him, how he felt such affinity for her, so deeply within him. He couldn't quite place the source of it but he find peace within it.

"So what brings you here?" Lyra fills the silence, wondering if Tom had discovered his other half yet. If he'd realised the blood on his hands.

"You got my chocolates." She frowns in confusion, following his gesturing hand to the heart shaped box on her kitchen side. She smiles,

"I did, thank you, they're lovely." Their last interaction was a week ago, she wondered if he remembered it differently? If his mind had filtered away the parts of Harry that he'd expressed. She wondered if Tom truly was with her that day.

"I hope it didn't weird you out or anything." He lets out a breathy chuckle at the thought of how it might've seemed, "You're great, I just wanted to make you smile." And so she does. She grins at him,

"That's so sweet of you, thank you Tom." Her heart melts ever so slightly at his words. How was he such a soft soul with such danger hidden beneath?

"I guess i'm just not very favoured by the town as you know, and it feels like the cops aren't taking me seriously. They all think i'm some awful guy, but i'm not." He grows agitated as he speaks and Lyra frowns. Were the police onto him? Surely not, she'd never have suspected him if he hadn't confessed his care for her.

"I know you're not, Tom." Her tone is soft and gentle, it soothes his growing rage and jabs his other personality back down as it started to rise. "Would you like a chocolate?" She slides the half eaten box between them and pulls the bow to the side to open it. He smiles warmly at how she'd preserved the box and the bow. He'd have ripped into it and finished the chocolate in minutes had the gift been for him.

She was so delicate in manner, it awakened an urge of protection within him.

"Thank you." He speaks, a strawberry white chocolate swirl exploding with flavour in his mouth, it's pretty nice actually. "I was attacked in the mines earlier, by Harry Warden, i know it's him it has to be. He locked me in a cage and killed a few of my men right in front of me. The bastard's toying with me i'm sure of it." He shakes his head and stuffs another chocolate past his lips. Lyra finishes hers and ponders what she can possibly respond.

Keeping secrets has always been a struggle of hers.

"I believe you, i'm sorry the police don't but ever since Kurt's become the Sheriff he's been the biggest jackass in the world. I know it's hard but try not to take it personally, you can stay here if you'd like? If you think he's after you." He snorts at the dig at her old friend with an agreeable nod. The old generation of police weren't the greatest but at least they took him seriously. Having been the ones to supposedly kill Harry Warden after all.

Lyra's kind offer hangs in the air as Tom wants with all of his might to accept it, but his urge to keep her safe shadows his thoughts. If Harry comes for him and finds her, what will happen then?

"I appreciate that, but he's after me. I can't risk him killing you. I'm leaving town asap, anyway." His last sentence falls uncomfortably as Lyra imagines how boring her life would resume being. No Harry, no Tom, no murder, just a 9-5 and an angry mother.

As selfish as it seemed, Harry had only killed the older, racist aggressive men of the town in this run. She thought it was almost a morally acceptable murderous spree.

She'd grown to like Tom, or the Harry that lived in him. She wasn't sure if it was because she felt special or because she was safe? But him leaving was an unexpected wound.

"If you don't mind me asking, why did you return?" Lyra inquire, realising after all that's happened she hadn't even caught the reasoning.

"My father passed away and i figure i can't really run the mines the way he did, so i came back to sell them." She frowns, selling the mines? That's all the town had run off for the last few decades. Without the mines, Harmony would become just another unfunded abandoned spot on the map.

She doubted anyone else around had the funding to keep the mines running, so who was buying it?

"I'm sorry for your loss. Who's buying the mine?" Tom nods solemnly at her comment although his fathers death hadn't quite affected him the way it should. He's been dealing with his own struggles.

"Some old boys from a few towns over. They own green-dale mines as well, they're trying to expand but they signed to keep them running." Lyra hums at his explanation, maybe the town would survive but only maybe.

"When are you leaving?" Her tone is suddenly less elevated which he catches with a pang in his chest. They'd hardly been around each other and yet a bond had formed.

"So keen to see me go, huh?" He jokes and she rolls her eyes with an amused smile. They both knew it was quite the opposite. "I'll leave in a couple weeks, I just have to finalise the contract, brief the crew and say my goodbyes, I guess."

He doesn't sound all that happy to leave, she notices. Where will he go, she wonders? Perhaps wherever he left to for the years he'd been gone.

"Will you say goodbye to me?" She asks, selfishly needing the confirmation. She doesn't quite know what it is she wants from him.

"I wish i didn't have to." They meet eyes and their regretful smiles reflect. She wonders if it'll be Tom or Harry she sees last.