You sat on the end of the lounge, curled up engrossed in a book. Jeremiah had been in his study for the past six hours almost, surely working away trying to distract himself. Your wrist didn't hurt anymore, but the memory still stung. He'd never lashed out like that, not even when his mother had died. You'd been with him through everything.
The beeping of the control panel outside alerted you to his presence as the door unlocked. A glass of whiskey in his hand, he hesitated for a moment as he looked at you before walking to the kitchen. "So," you piped up after a moment of silence. "are we going to talk about that or...?"
You were met with a heavy silence, his frustration evident. "Miah." you pressed. "Bottling it up won't help." He sighed, placing the glass of whiskey on the counter and walking over to you.
He sat down on the lounge beside you, allowing you to take his hands in yours. "Talk to me, Jeremiah. Please." you pleaded, e/c eyes gazing into his emerald ones. "I'm... scared Jerome will come back. If he does... he could use you against me. I... I don't want you getting hurt because of me." he confessed, avoiding your gaze.
"Miah..." you trailed off, moving your hands to cup his face. "I don't want you to be scared of me..." Jeremiah said, leaning into your touch. You smiled, kissing him on the cheek. A slight blush painted his cheeks as you pulled away.
"I could never be afraid of you." you reassured him, brushing a few loose strands of hair out of his face. "I'm sorry about before." Jeremiah said, blushing as you leaned in and pecked him on the cheek. "It's ok, I'm sorry for snooping through your things." you replied, getting up and heading to the bathroom.
You had only just turned the shower on when Jeremiah frantically called you back out. "What's wrong?" you asked, towel hanging over your shoulder as you looked at what he was reading. It was a newspaper article, the headline informing the public of Jerome having escaped Arkham, along with several other inmates.
"What the fuck..." you mumbled, skimming over the words before looking back to Jeremiah. He looked terrified to say the least. "Y-You need to stay h-here. With me." He stumbled over his words, his eyes frantic, clearly trying to process the news. "Miah, calm-" he cut you off, standing up and grabbing you by the shoulders.
"He'll kill me if he finds me. Who knows what he'd do to you if he managed to get his hands on you. It's not safe. Do you understand?" you nodded slowly, satisfying him enough to release his grip on you. You took his hand, leading him down the hall into the bathroom.
"You sir," you started, turning off the shower and turning on the tap to the bath instead. "need a nice warm bath to calm your nerves." Seeing how tense he still looked, you placed a hand on his cheek. "It'll be ok, we're safe here." you said, watching as he leaned into your touch.
Slowly, he began to undress. You hadn't noticed until now just how fit he actually was. He wasn't jacked, but he definitely had some muscle on him, his arms and chest hardened from exercising in his free time. You snapped yourself out of your trance before he noticed you staring, undressing as well and hoping into the tub after him. The warmth of the water enveloped your bodies, splashing against your skin gently.
You shuffled around until finding a comfortable enough position laying against his chest. His hand shyly snaked up your arm to your shoulder before finding its way to your hair. He played with it absentmindedly, soothing you as you leaned back against him. The water lapped against your bare skin, lulling you into a momentary state of rest.
Jeremiah rested his chin on your shoulder, stroking your hair as he sighed in content. "I love you..." he mumbled against your skin, leaving a light kiss against your neck. You hesitated, smiling before turning to meet his lips. "I love you too, Miah." you said affectionately, a light blush creeping across your cheeks.
You sat in silence after that, simply enjoying each other's silent company. A blissful moment of peace and quiet, able to forget for a small moment about the world outside and the chaos it bled. For a moment, no one else existed.