Muffled talking filters through my hazy mind. The words sound so far away, but so comforting.

I barely feel the fingers playing with my hair. The person twirls the short strands of brunette locks before simply combing through it.

Slowly, my senses return to me. I feel the fabric of the couch below me, the roughness causing me slight discomfort. I could tell my head is in someone's lap.

My smell is a bit slower. There's always so many in Vik's apartment. The strongest is always the sweaty, heady scent that accompanies Vik's job. The perfume Vik wears tries its' best to cover it, vanilla and artificial raspberries. This had quickly become my favorite scent.

It's a comfort. To me, this scent means I'm safe. One whiff and my muscles relax and my ever racing mind calms.

There's other scents today. Tobi. Ethan. The stalker's scent is still there.

My eyes peel open and I'm staring up into Vik's eyes. They're red, well, the whites of his eyes are red now, not just the iris.

That forces me to wake up. Vik is crying. I try to sit up, but Vik pushes me back down.

"Shh, Joshy. Don't hurt yourself. You know you're dizzy when you first get up."

"W-what's wr-ong?"

"Not right now, darling."

Respecting that, I glance around the room. Tobi and Ethan are watching, but that's not unusual. The stalker is still here, watching as well. I feel my muscles tense at his presence.

"Josh. No. He's fine."

His threads his fingers through my hair again, pulling at the pieces gently.

"This is Simon. He's an angel. More specifically, a guardian angel."

My muscles tense again, but I make no move to go after him. A guardian angel. Wait.

"H-he kno-ws?"

Vik simply nods.

"He knows."

Oh God.