Rosemary wasn't entirely sure where she was, but she knew two things for sure. She was fleeing from something - someone? she didn't have a good look at the figure - and she was quickly running out of places to go.

The unknown being grabbed her right arm - damn it, of course, that was her blind spot - and slammed her against a wall, pinning her against it. Despite how close the two of them were, Rosemary couldn't make out their identity. Maybe she was too afraid to look.

Rosemary's grasp on her body was rapidly slipping away. Unable to move even a single limb, she was absolutely petrified. Her breathing got quicker, shallower, struggling to swallow air. The only thing she could feel was the intense pounding of her heart echoing through her body. She was quite certain that this was it.

This was the point where her stupid helplessness would finally lead to her demise.

Her eyes squeezed shut, weary from how dizzy she felt. It was still a struggle to breathe. So shallow, so tight, as if her fear was clamping down on her chest. With her senses dulled, it was difficult to gauge just how long she had been paralyzed. She was far too afraid to open her eyes, terrified of what she might see in front of her. It was better to just bury her face into the pillow.

...Wait, what pillow?

Goddammit, that was another shitty nightmare, wasn't it. Her vision was still pitch dark from how tightly she was keeping her eyes shut, but she could feel the fabric of her pillow against her skin, now. It would be probably be a while until her breathing calmed down, though.

What time was it? When did she fall asleep? Everything was still kind of hazy. Rosemary fumbled for her phone, awkwardly slapping her hand around on her blanket, until she felt a thwap on something vaguely rectangular. She grasped it and glanced at her lock screen. It was about 2:38 PM. And there were some texts that she must've gotten while she was passed out. Whoops.

This was from about... half an hour ago? Adrian must have messaged her not too long after they woke up. Were they really that worried about her?

Her grip on her phone loosened, as it lazily slid out from her fingers, and made a soft thwump against her chest. The idea of slithering out of bed and over to the kitchen felt like an insurmountable task. But... it would be kind of embarrassing if she couldn't manage even that by the time they arrived. What did she still have around, anyway? Her supply of simple, accessible snacks was running pretty low, since she didn't have the energy to make much beyond opening a box of crackers.

She attempted to sit up, but a sudden coughing fit rudely interrupted her. Her mouth felt painfully dry, and the stabbing pain in her stomach got worse with every cough. Ugh. Okay, fine. Time to get water and find something edible to nibble on. Rosemary rolled out of bed, threw on a robe, and begrudgingly went to search the kitchen. She decided to ignore the handful of things that needed to go in the dishwasher - they weren't disgusting or anything, just some empty plates that had been used for cheese and crackers, and some used coffee mugs - and filled up a glass of water. It was hard to not chug it in one gulp, though. It probably would have been a good idea to get a drink sooner. Better late than never, she figured.

Her selection of snacks was more limited, however. There was still a half-empty bag of cashews, at least? It didn't sound like the most appealing thing to eat at the moment, but whatever- it wasn't as if she could be picky right now. She grabbed the bag from the pantry, refilled her water, and plopped down on the couch. It would have to do for now.

Rosemary's mind began to wander. It was hard to not feel so... incapable. She couldn't help but feel embarrassed that she struggled to do something as simple as eating, among other basic tasks. The idea of needing someone to dash in and rescue her from executive dysfunction, like the world's most pathetic damsel in distress... Rosemary winced with guilt.

It wasn't exactly helping that the feeling of being utterly paralyzed with terror was still fresh in her head. Stupid nightmares. She always seemed to get the most messed up dreams from dozing off in the middle of the day in a depressed haze, but that didn't exactly stop her from doing it anyway. That feeling of being cornered - nowhere to go, no one to help, unable to even defend herself - it made Rosemary nauseous to the core of her being. Except you can't throw up trauma, no matter how ill it made her to think about. She could only sit there, lightheaded and sick to her stomach, staring vacantly at the wall.

Her apartment door buzzer gave a harsh bzzzzzzzzzt, snapping her back to reality for a moment. Oh. Adrian's already here. ...Did she even touch the cashews yet? Figures that she'd space out for so long and couldn't even follow through on such a simple request. Rosemary wearily got up from the couch to let them in.

"Good day, Rosemary. Apologies if I kept you waiting," Adrian greeted, and leaned down to kiss her forehead.

She shook her head. "No, it's fine. If anything, I sorta zoned out for a while." Rosemary grimaced. "I, uh, kinda forgot to eat. Sorry."

They responded with a soft, consoling shoulder pat. "Let us remedy that at once, then. Shall we head to the kitchen?"

"Just as long as you're not bothered that there's some dishes in the sink that need to be taken care of. And, uh, the fact that I haven't been able to go grocery shopping, so there's not really much to eat." Rosemary shrank a bit, embarrassed.

Adrian rummaged around the kitchen a bit, opening up a few cupboards and scanning around the shelves. "I see you have some rice, at least. That may be a decent start. Filling, low effort, goes with most things, and so on."

Rosemary gave a tired shrug. "I dunno, sure."

As they reached for the bag of rice, Adrian spotted a rice cooker sitting on her countertop. "...Ah. You have one of these," they remarked. "I must confess, I have no idea how to use a rice cooker."

"Oh, it's pretty easy, actually. Unless it's too modern for you?" she teased. Rosemary knew perfectly well that Adrian was more than capable of operating modern technology - they were the type of person to have read old computer manuals cover-to-cover back in the day - but it was difficult to resist the urge to poke fun about it anyway.

"Ach, so rude." Adrian dryly responded. "I have a stovetop method for cooking rice that has been quite reliable for me for decades, thank you. I merely never invested in a rice cooker."

"Iris bought me one a few years ago as a gift. She insisted that a household without a rice cooker was like a bed with no blankets, and honestly... yeah, I dunno how I could go without it now." She plucked up a measuring cup and stood by Adrian's side. "I can handle this part. I don't want to feel like you're doing all the hard work, anyway."

Adrian simply replied with a nod, and scooted aside to give her space. She scooped out a cup of rice - maybe two cups so there'd be leftovers? - and gave the small grains a quick rinse. Too tired to do it more thoroughly, even if she could hear Iris in the back of her head insisting that you have to do it until the water runs clear. She poured in an appropriate amount of water, closed the lid, and unceremoniously pressed the big "START COOKING" button, making the machine chime a cheery little tune.

Rosemary let out a tired sigh, looking down blankly. "...I feel so dumb for having you come over just to help me cook a simple meal, all 'cause I'm too incompetent to." Her shoulders slumped. "I'm sorry."

"Do not apologize," Adrian reflexively said. "There is nothing wrong with needing help."

"I mean, I know, it's just..." Rosemary replied, as she pulled up a chair from the dining table. She buried her face into her hands, leaning against the table. "I hate feeling so weak and helpless. Maybe I'm tired of always needing someone to swoop in and save me."

Adrian took a moment to seat themselves across from her, scooting their chair in politely. "Suffering in silence and solitude is a situation that should be avoided when possible, however," they stated. "Isolating yourself, digging yourself into a deeper pit... I have fallen into this trap more times than I care to admit, and I would like to stop you from doing the same."

"...But often, you didn't have a choice, did you?" Rosemary asked. "From what you've told me, you had to survive by yourself, without anyone's help. You had to be strong, and learn to cope on your own. And I think about that a lot, and I just..." Her voice trailed off, hesitating to admit where her mind always goes on this line of thought. But Rosemary was a terrible liar, and maybe it would be best if she was honest about this.

"If... If I had to survive alone, and I had no one to help me, I... would probably end up dead pretty quick, huh."

A heavy silence hung in the air. Adrian may not have been showing it - their facial expressions were stoic as ever - but internally, they were processing a myriad of emotions at the moment. After a pause that seemed to last an eternity, Adrian took a breath, and held out a hand on the table.

"Perhaps I am trying to ensure that you do not have to go through what I did, Rosemary," they said firmly. "Perhaps it fills me with horror thinking about how many years I spent in isolation, forced to endure hardships with seemingly no end. You have a support network that I did not, and that is a good thing."

"B-but what if something happens? What if I end up by myself somehow? I'm not as strong as you--"

"Do not glorify the experiences I went through, Rosemary."

Adrian's voice and gaze were filled with an emotion that Rosemary couldn't quite read. She was caught a bit off guard by the intensity of their response. Maybe more than a bit. She curled up in her seat, unsure of how to respond, except with whispers of "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry" repeated under her breath. There was a truth to their words that she couldn't deny, and she felt terrible about making light of their history.

Adrian closed their eyes and sighed, rubbing their forehead as they leaned back. "...I must apologize for being a bit too forceful just now," they quietly said. "But it is a sensitive nerve for me, and I still stand by the sentiment. I do not want you to glorify my past, and I do not think it is good to catastrophize."

Rosemary silently nodded in response, still curled up in her chair, face buried in her hands. She kind of hated how much she froze up just from someone talking forcefully for two seconds. Not to mention, Adrian was really self conscious about coming off as scary or threatening, right? Shit shit shit. They must feel awful right now. Rosemary lifted her head, and slid a hand across the table, wiggling her fingers as an invitation to hold hands.

Adrian placed their palm on hers, and squeezed gently. "And perhaps... I care immensely about you, and want to keep you safe and happy." they softly stated.

"Do I really deserve that?" Rosemary wondered out loud.

"Do you trust me?" Adrian asked.

"Of course."

"Then trust me when I say that you do," they replied, squeezing her hand tighter. "Now, I believe there is something we need to return to. What else do you want with your meal?"

Rosemary blinked with surprise, having completely forgotten about the whole "you gotta eat something" thing. "Uhhh," she stuttered, attempting to think of an idea on the spot. "...I dunno, I think I have eggs in the fridge, maybe? Would it be dumb to have fried eggs over rice for dinner?"

Adrian shook their head. "It is protein and carbohydrates, that seems like a solid and filling meal."

"Then that sounds fine to me," she said, gesturing her other hand in a vague motion of agreement. "We can start that when the rice cooker's done." Rosemary idly stroked Adrian's hand, lost in thought. It felt silly to have them come over to help with food, when all they ended up making together was... fried eggs and rice, literally one of the simplest meals in existence. But at the same time, maybe this is what she really needed. A comforting presence to snap her out of a bad cycle.

"Hey," Rosemary whispered. "I love you."

Adrian's normally stoic face melted into a warm smile. Their fingers interlocked with hers, holding tighter. "I do not wish to lecture you further, but please... do not feel guilty for needing assistance."

She nodded affirmatively. "I'll try. It'll be hard, but... I'll try."