Chapter Text
Jim heard the door creak open at midnight.
He was still up, sitting cross-legged on the floor, arranging delicate white lilies in a glass vase. The scent of fresh petals filled the room, masking the faint coppery trace that clung to Thomas’s clothes.
“Late night?” Jim asked softly, not looking up.
Thomas didn’t answer right away. He stepped closer, boots silent on the wooden floor. Jim only looked up when he felt fingers brush his hair — cold, careful, lingering just a bit too long.
“You always stay up waiting for me,” Thomas murmured, voice low. “Why?”
Jim laughed nervously. “I… like the company. And you’re my roommate, aren’t you? Someone’s got to make sure you don’t overwork yourself.”
Thomas crouched behind him, breath near his ear. “You really don’t know me, Jim.”
Jim’s fingers trembled slightly as he adjusted the stems. “I know enough. You’re quiet, you come home late, you’re… intense.”
Thomas let out a slow exhale, the kind that brushed warm against Jim’s neck. “Intense,” he repeated. “That’s one word for it.” His hand slid down, ghosting over Jim’s wrist, pressing just enough to feel the pulse there.
For a moment, Jim’s heart pounded too loud in his own ears. He swallowed. “You’re scaring me, Thomas.”
Thomas smiled — Jim could hear it in his voice. “Good.”