Quarantine | Falice

Day 2 | fighting

A sharp gust of wind abruptly woke him up, and it was only then that he realised he had tried curling himself up as much as possible; clearly he underestimated the cold of her living room.

He groaned as his eyes adjusted to the bright light that seemed to be blinding him through the open window.

"What the hell?"

FP focused on the shadow that moved to block the light, internally groaning when he saw Alice with a triumphant smile on her face.

"So you did need the blankets after all, huh?"

She smirked at him as he grew frustrated with her. She knew only she could have that effect on him, which is why she just loved teasing him.

"Would it have really hurt your ego that much to just ask?"

He scoffed. He should've known better than to expect an easy ride living with Alice, but at least she wasn't mad at him. He much preferred her playful snark.

"You know what Alice? If you're gonna be like this for the next two weeks I'd rather freeze to death in your yard"

"Suit yourself. Guess you won't be needing those pancakes I made"

His head snapped at the mention of food and the devious smirk on her face grew even larger.

"I'm kidding. I didn't save any for you. You don't deserve that luxury"

She chuckled as his face dropped. She hit a weak spot and she knew it. The difference was, this time he was playing along with her game for her amusement, a harsh difference to their fights driven by their pride and anger.

He was glad she had realised that pretending to be mad at him for unspoken reasons that happened years ago wasn't going to benefit anyone.

But it was far more than the Northside/ southside divide that Alice held against him. And unbeknownst to him, the playful arguing was the only thing keeping her from snapping.

They had a lot to unravel, and neither of them were sure if they wanted to go there. That meant that picking fights over trivial things was a bad habit that stopped them for the time being from delving into their past. It was easier to fight than to talk without accidentally reminiscing and bringing up painful memories.

That's what Alice was scared of. Whether she was ready to admit that to herself was another question.

"Alice?" She blinked quickly, realising she had zoned out for a while.

"Not with it today, huh?" He chuckled at the confused look on her face. She just glared at him in return.

"What's on your mind?"

"Don't pretend to be interested Forsythe" she huffed. There it was. The guard was back up. FP knew he had to tread carefully when she was trying to hide whatever vulnerability was there.

"You don't have to tell me. I just think that since you're letting me live here for now, I should at least check up on you"

She let out a short laugh. "Letting you live here? Need I remind you I was forced to?"

"And why would you care about me?" She cut him off before he even had chance to open his mouth.

"You know what, don't answer that"

She took a deep breath and pinched the top of her nose, leaning one hand on the counter while FP looked on in concern.

"I think we should just try to stay away from each other as much as possible. It's clear that we're not friends, never have been and never will be"