✓ Meanwhile [h.styles]

.six.

When Astraya comes back to consciousness all she knows is that she's on a bed. The room she's in is dark and the only window against the wall is covered by a thick curtain. The peaking light from the open doorway allows her to see a slumped figure against the wall. A man.

She doesn't see much but it's obvious that he's asleep because his head is down and he's got his knees pulled up to his chest. There's a small sound that has to be him snoring and she slowly slips from the blankets and tiptoes out of the bedroom.

The corridor is long and unfamiliar and when she lets out a breath she'd been holding since leaving the bed she notices that her left shoulder is free of a sling. It takes everything in her not to gasp at the pain shooting through the entirety of her arm. Instead, she just holds on to her wounded shoulder where a new elastic bandage has been put on while she was asleep and walks quietly down the hallway in search of the front door.

Harry obviously brought her here but she wouldn't trust him despite how many times he shows up. Her first memory of him is still him standing over a crumpled body with blood on his hands. It's still him threatening her to keep her mouth shut, and she doesn't think she'd ever overlook that part of him.

She moves her hand to push her hair back after making a sharp turn. It bothers her that she doesn't really remember much of last night. She only remembers everything that happened after getting home. The rainstorm, the nice man who held the elevator door for her, Harry on her fire escape, her on her fire escape, her jumping the fire escape, them sitting in his car, she being told not to look outside any of the windows. Did she listen? Does it matter? Even if she didn't listen, it's not like she memorized the whole way here.

Caught in her thoughts, she doesn't realize the long flight of stairs until her hand is on the bannister. She descends the steps quietly, thankful that there's no loose screw or floorboard that gives way under the pressure of her weight.

Astraya's eyes immediately find the front door. It's the only door big enough to fit more than one person and has a large, glass window that obscures everything outside. All she sees are blurs of black, red, and peach, but she doesn't dwell too much on it as she nears it, holding out her hand to the doorknob.

Before she even turns the knob, the door opens and somebody steps in. It takes her a moment to process how suddenly she went from feeling relieved to feeling scared. Her wrists are seized just as quickly and she screeches at the tight grip, looking up at the person whose head is already down.

Harry's green eyes are narrowed on her but that's not what makes her stop moving. It's the red splatters on his shirt and the side of his face. The moisture between her wrists and his palms that she knows is blood.

He stares down at her for a moment longer with his grip unmoving before finally parting his lips. "What are you doing?"

Astraya swallows and tries to push away. "Let me go."

"I asked you a question." He sounds hostile. She wonders if he's still feeling the high of taking another life and wants to go for another rush of adrenaline. Wonders if he's seriously considering hurting her.

"I was leaving," she admits quietly, unmoving.

Heavy footsteps come down the staircase behind her and she looks over her shoulder to see the man who removed the bullet from her shoulder when she was first here. His hair is tousled back and his eyes are heavy as he blinks down at them while standing on one of the last few steps. She realizes he was the one sleeping in the bedroom when she woke up. He still has lines on his face from the jeans he's wearing.

"This girl..." he yawns into his hand and completes the stairwell, leaning against the cemented lion's head mounted to the end of the bannister. "Like a fucking ninja. I was out for two minutes. Two minutes."

"Josh, go to sleep."

Joshua. His name was on the tip of her tongue. Astraya's head shakes slowly and her eyes meet his in a pleading way. He seems decent enough and she definitely doesn't want to be left alone with Harry.

Josh puts up a finger and points at the other man. "I'm guessing things went okay?"

Harry's grip loosens just enough and she pushes away and bolts. Astraya takes hold of the knob and isn't given enough time before what sounds like a trigger is pulled. She turns her head at him with wide eyes.

He's obviously threatening her and the small bit of pride in her chest makes her walk back to him, smaller hands coming up to lead the gun in his hand closer.

"Do it," she says, and then positions the barrel between her teeth.

Harry scowls down at her and just shoves her up against the door. Air is knocked out of her lungs when her head hits the thick glass. Behind her, the doorknob painfully digs into her skin.

His gun is slipped back into the waistband of his jeans. The blood on his face invades her senses and she fights off a whimper at the sight.

She hears Joshua laughing behind Harry's towering figure. "She's fucking savage," he comments.

It only makes Harry tighten his grip. "Get out," he seethes. "Leave us alone."

Astraya forces herself to hold her breath.

The only other person in the room that doesn't have blood on their skin leaves. Harry tilts his head when a door upstairs closes. He leans closer with a threatening grin. "We need to talk, Astraya, because this shit won't fly with me."

She nods the best she can in this uncomfortable position. Her back is pressed hard against the knob and there's no doubt her skin will bruise. "You're too close."

He licks his lips. "I know what you're doing."

Does he? She doesn't even know what she's doing. "I'm not doing anything."

He takes her forearm and brings her away from the door, backing her up against the corner instead. "I think you're forgetting who I am."

She straightens her back. "I don't care who you are."

"I don't have time for your shit. I'm tired so you're going up to my room and you're going to sleep. If you try to make a run for it again, I'll lock the door and the window."

He steps away from her and points at the staircase without meeting her eyes. She doesn't move for a few seconds, still processing his words. "I'm not sleeping with you."

"Go back to the room," he says steadily. "Now, please."

With her head down, Astraya walks around him and up the stairs. She turns the corner on the second floor and opens the familiar bedroom before stepping inside and sitting stiffly on the bed. So many thoughts begin to rush through her mind and she feels extremely invaded when she looks up to see Harry looking at her from the doorway.

"I'll set an emergency alarm if you open the front door since you obviously can't be trusted. We'll talk in the morning about..." He trails off and then meets her eyes as he continues with, "what's happening."

She opens her mouth but closes it just as quickly. He walks out of the bedroom leaving the door wide open. Seconds later a door slamming shut sounds relatively close and she settles into the mattress without pulling the blankets up to her body.

(A/n: I'm really liking Lindsey Morgan as a face claim for Astraya. Thank you for reading, and have a great day!)