Handprints

Chapter 5: Settling In

It turns out that it wasn't such a bad idea after all to move in with Doc, Sparks and Ziba. It was actually probably one of the best things they'd done for themself since they'd been out on their own.

The four had fallen into a comfortable sort of domestic routine. Dee hadn't realized until they were constantly surrounded by other people just how lonely that had been until then.

The four of them had a routine worked out within a few days of Dee officially moving i, it wasn't like they had anything to actually move in other the clothes they were wearing when they'd run from the apartment. Doc was always the first one up in the mornings, didn't matter what time Dee woke up Doc was always already up and doing something or another. Once someone else was awake, Doc would get whoever it was to help him cook breakfast for the others.

Usually it was Sparks or Dee who was up first and thus roped into helping Doc with breakfast.

Sparks, it turned out, wasn't nearly as scary as Dee had thought that first day. In fact, Sparks was actually quite sweet and funny. Dee found themself growing closer to Sparks as the two talked while making breakfast.

Ziba was usually awake before breakfast was done. She usually did the dishes and helped with the clean-up. Dee tried to help her as much as possible, not wanting to seem like they were just mooching off the others hospitality.

After Breakfast, Doc would head down to his shop and Dee would leave for their own job at one of the local stores. After a month of living with the others, Dee still didn't know what Sparks and Ziba did during the day. The two of them were always there when Dee left and were still there when they came back from work. Maybe they just worked odd hours? It was impossible to say honestly.

Dee had at first tried to figure it out, even tried to get Doc to tell them, but nothing came of it other then Doc's playful annoyance so Dee let it go. They accepted the fact that they were currently living with two people they knew very little about and forced themself to move on from it.

Dee also found themself growing closer with their new roommates. It was too be expected that the four would need to be on fairly good footing but Dee wasn't expecting it to turn out the way it did in the lightest. Very quickly, Sparks and then Ziba became the closest Dee had had to friends in a very long time.

So Dee settled in, became comfortable in the little side room with the curtain for a door.

It all would have kept moving in a smooth routine if only Dee had been able to sleep that one fateful night.

Dee had spent the entire night unable to sleep. They tossed and turned, stared out the window, up at the ceiling. Finally, they threw back the sheets and started to pace around the room, desperately trying to tire themself out so they could finally sleep.

It was because of this that they were able to hear the movement outside their room. It wasn't loud, they definitely wouldn't have heard it if they hadn't been wide awake already. It was the ever so quiet scuff of shoe across the floorboards outside the curtain.

Dee paused, waiting for the next sound to come. They waited with baited breath for any small noise, desperately hoping that they had imagined the first noise.

What if it was burglars? None of them had any weapons that Dee knew of, they'd be sitting ducks if the intruder wanted to hurt them. Dee couldn't decide if they should try to fight off the intruder or hide and hope they left without hurting anyone.

That was when they heard a thump and a familiar voice give a sharp curse. That was definitely Sparks's voice, what was Sparks doing out there? Maybe Sparks was just getting something from the kitchen, or maybe Sparks was just as restless as Dee felt?

Slightly comforted that whatever was out there Dee wouldn't be facing it on their own tonight, Dee stepped away from the wall and ever so slightly shifted the curtain to peek around it.