Clem and I sat and watched as the rain continued to increase in intensity, for at least a half hour until the front door clicked shut. Clem sprung up from her spot beside me and sprinted towards the door to the hallway. Harry's frame bet her to the door though and she came to a stop directly in front of him.

"Did you get them?" She could hardly stand still as she bounced around him.

She looked so excited but I couldn't quite figure out what it was he needed to get. Maybe it was sometime really important or necessary that she had forgotten. Whatever it was, she needed it right now.

Donuts.

From behind his back, Harry revealed a box of cinnamon donuts and you would have thought it was the Queen's crown by Clem's reaction. She squealed, snatched the box from him and threw herself back onto the couch. The box was quickly ripped open and a sugary donut was squished into her mouth. She let out a satisfied groan and continued to force donuts into her mouth.

My face must have given away my confusion because Clem looked at me, looked over to Harry and sputtered something through her mouthful of pastry.

"Monday through Friday, Clem stays with a friend in the city because her university is there. Then on Friday nights through to Monday morning, she lives here. But at the moment her friend is on some diet thing that means no sugar, dairy, wheat, carbs and so on are allowed in the house.

Obviously, young Clementine has struggled this week because I got a frantic text this morning saying, 'if you don't bring me donuts home I will remove all the shoelaces from your shoes.' That would inconvenience me greatly, so it was just easier to give the girl donuts."

Clem nodded with a slight smirk on her face, mouth still filled with donut. She knew exactly how to get what she wanted from him and it was hilarious.

What wasn't hilarious, was watching the look of pure anger cross Clem's face when Harry removed the box of donuts from her lap. If looks could kill, he would be burning in the afterlife.

"I'm making you the soup, devil child. Say thanks and stop looking at me like I shot your best friend." The box was sat on the coffee table before he turned and began making his way presumably to the kitchen.

Clem followed him, continuing the conversation about how rude it is to take someone's donuts. Silence fell around me and my eyes closed on their own, I wasn't tired but I was just exhausted. I felt my body slowly start to sink further and further into the couch and my head leant to rest on the arm. Luckily the clothes Harry had gotten me were quite thick, meaning I was warm and cosy regardless of the freezing weather outside. I would need to get myself some clothes soon, or try and go back to the house when Will wasn't going to be there to get my things.

That was an issue for another day.

A hand laid gently on my shoulder and slowly shook me awake. I couldn't have been asleep for very long, surely. I opened my eyes and met those green ones. His hair was wet and he smelled like vanilla, he now donned a hoodie and tracksuit pants. Fuzzy grey slippers sat on his feet, cute.

"Hey, it's about 6:30. Did you want some soup? I let you sleep a little bit longer but I saved you some before Clem froze the rest." He spoke hardly above a whisper, allowing me to properly wake up before digesting his words.

"Yeah, soup sounds great." My voice was hoarse from sleep and I slowly made my way off the couch and towards the glorious smell in the kitchen.

"I hope you like pumpkin, it's Clem's favourite." The warm bowl was passed to me, along with a spoon.

We both made our way to the table and sat opposite each other. He just sat there and looked at me. I bought the spoon up to my lips before tasting the creamy soup. It was good, really good actually. My eyes closed contently for a moment and I couldn't do much else other than just nod in approval.

Our eyes met again and he smiled simply, a gentle red tint crossing his cheeks. His elbow came to rest on the table and his chin was sat on top of his closed fist.

His hair appeared a touch longer and darker now that it was wet and sat against his forehead. A light stubble was forming along his jawline and upper lip, but it worked to disguise the mole he had on the side of his lip.

As my eyes worked their way around his face, an exhale followed by a chuckle brought me back to reality. He had watched me examine him. Now it was my turn to blush like a tomato. His eyebrow raised in question but instead of offering an explanation, I simply stuffed my face with the remainder of the soup.

I was a lot hungrier than I had realised. Probably due to my lack of lunch, but I blame his book collection. The desire to read outweighed any signs of hunger I noticed all day.

"Clem's gone to lay in her room and unwind for a bit. Did you want to head to bed and hangout for a bit or were you planning on staying out in the lounge for a bit longer? Normally on Friday nights we both just disappear off to our rooms quite early for some quiet. But you are more than welcome to do whatever you'd like."

"I might actually just go lay in bed and read for a bit. I'm still sore and the thought of laying down for a while sounds heavenly." I moved the bowl and spoon to the dishwasher and grabbed a glass of water.

"Goodnight, Harry. Thank you for the soup, it was delicious." I headed back into the lounge room and collected the book I was currently reading and another one I had my eye on before tiptoeing down the hallway towards my room.


I finished my book and started the next one, one I hadn't read before and I was hooked. The twists and turns of the plot really made me feel like I was a part of it all, the characters were phenomenal and I had no idea what was going to happen next.

The tiredness began to set in at the beginning of my current chapter and I had continued to yawn throughout the remainder. I threw my hair tie in the page once I finished the chapter as a makeshift bookmark. I was beyond tired now, the stage beyond tired where now, the thought of sleep sounded impossible.

The downpour of rain outside also contributed to my inability to fall asleep. Usually rain on a tin roof would calm me down and lull me to sleep, but it was incredibly loud tonight. The drops were coming down with such a force, I wouldn't be surprised if it left dents in the metal. The loud claps of thunder soon followed and my room was illuminated intermittently with white light from the forked lightning occurring outside.

One particularly loud bang was enough to startle me so much, I sat up quickly to make sure nothing had fallen to create the sound. A breathy chuckle left my lips when I realised it was in fact just the clouds rolling together.

It was the clouds rolling together.

Another bolt of lightning lit up my room and a crash of thunder sounded just after.

Harry.

Ignoring the soreness still littering my body, I threw myself out of bed and rushed myself down the hallway as quietly and quickly as I could. The sound of sobbing was evident before I reached his bedroom door. The door was slightly cracked open, I took a deep breath in before pushing it open slightly. The hall light irradiated a crack of light through the open door, just enough for me to make out his bed pressed against the wall with his jolting figure under the top sheet.

A quiet shushing was coming from somewhere in the room. My eyes adjusted to the darkness and I was able to spot a very tired looking Clem sitting on the floor beside Harry's bed with one hand raised to trace circles on the back of his arm. She must have noticed I was there because her panicked eyes moved from me to her brother rapidly.

"It's ok, Clem. I've seen this once before. I heard the storm and thought I'd better check on him." I whispered, I didn't want him to react to my presence like the last time I witnessed an episode like this.

"Sorry, go back to sleep. I'll try and keep him quiet so you can get some rest." The sentence was barely audible as she spoke through a yawn.

She was clearly tired. She had class this morning, then drove the hour to Harry's in the rain, cared for my head wound and was probably really excited for a good night's sleep.

"Clem, you have had a big day. Go to bed and rest. I've got him, I promise." My last sentence was genuine. I could tell she would be reluctant to leave her brother in his time of struggle, but she deserved a break.

Harry's body continued to shake as cries of terror and pain forced themselves out of him. Clem's eyes glossed over as she looked at his current state, before blinking away the tears and looking directly at me.

"If he needs anything, you come and wake me up. I'm serious, he can get really bad during the attacks and I need him to know he is supported. Promise me you'll come and get me if he needs me." Her tone was stern, similar to how it was early today. I knew she cared so deeply for him, but she needed sleep as well.

"I promise."

Hesitantly, she stood from her place on the timber flooring beside his bed and gave his hand a gentle squeeze before making her way back into the hallway.

I sat on the edge of his bed lightly, being sure to not startle him. One hand resumed tracing circles on the back of his arm to sooth him.
"I don't know how to help you, Harry. Everyone wants different things when they're suffering. Do you want me to distract you or just sit here and be present? What can I do?"

"Give me some morphine." His attempt to joke around almost hid his strangled sobs, but fell short.

Personally, physical touch was something that always made me feel better, even for a short moment. Some may call it a lapse of judgement but on a whim, I leant my body forward and wrapped my arms around his body. His back was pressed to my front and I could feel the hammering of his heart against me. After the initial shock wore off, his body slowly sunk back into mine and his shoulders relaxed from their tense position.

"Breathe, Harry. Just focus on that, ok? Just focus on your breath."


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