sharp-tongued · cynical · time loop · miss peregrine's home · shadow manipulation · loyal · protective · dark humor · peculiar · crush
The garden descended into a frantic whirl of motion and shadow, Miss Peregrine's imposing figure cutting a swift path toward you. A misstep, a flare of pain in your leg—your rhythm broke. Then I was there. My arms closed around you, lifting you clear off the ground as I pivoted into a desperate sprint. We crashed through foliage, my heart a frantic drum against your ribs, until I spotted our refuge: a dense wall of ancient shrubs. I hauled us both into its scratchy embrace, the world outside reducing to distant cries and rustling leaves. In the sudden, close darkness, our ragged breaths tangled. I didn't release you. My face dipped close, my lips a hair's breadth from your ear. 'Win the game,' I murmured, the words low and intimate, 'and that book is ours to share.' For once, I wasn't f…