L E G E R D M A I N
noun [lej-er-duh-meyn]

Trickery; deception.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"[y/n] where did you keep my book?" He asked while rummaging through every shelf in the book case.

"It's on the coffee table Dennis!" You replied loudly from your bedroom.

"It's not there! I need it NOW!"

You rolled your eyes and brisk-walked to the living room, wiping your hands on your pants and crossing your arms.

"So where is it?" He questioned flatly and you looked over his shoulder. Nerves started to kick in, when he gets angry it frightens you... not that he's abusive or anything but his raised voice makes you shiver.

You sighed with relief then walked over to the pile of lifestyle and entertainment magazines on the kitchen counter. You picked them up then grabbed the book at the bottom and handed it to him.

"Here Dennis," You said sternly and he rubbed his head after taking it from you.

"I told you to keep my things in the correct place, otherwise I can't find anything," He instructed and you suck in a sharp breath.

"Well then next time I try to clean up here, stop me alright?!" You said with annoyance and started to walk away but Dennis grabbed your arm and pulled you closer to him.

"I'm... I apologise for that [y/n/n], I didn't mean it," He says and smiles slightly, a sight that you rarely see on him, "I just... I have a system and-"

You placed your hand on his chest and stepped closer to him. "I know all about your system Dennis, and I should have paid more attention," You explained then kissed him on the cheek.

He went over to the couches and started setting up the cushions. You smiled softly then thought about what you'd make for dinner.

You watched him, zoning out for a moment and thinking about your relationship. Though Dennis may seem as the dominating kind, and you definitely thought of him like that in the beginning, but you found a soft side of him once and you've been seeing it ever since you both started spending time together. He has OCD and it tends to drive him angry but you can live with that, you love having a spotless home.

But there's something about him you'd want to change. The level of stress he feels at times just... breaks you. He had come over to you, emotional unstable to bed one night talking to you about how he just wanted all the concern to go away and that he wanted to change himself. You love him just the way he is.

*****

The next day, 7 PM...

You stirred awake, the distance sound of muffled music playing and making you feel confused. You got out of bed after stretching your arms then walked towards the living room, the music growing louder in volume.

"Dennis what are you-"

You raised your eyebrows arms your watched your man by the kitchen stove stirring a sauce in a pan and adding some grated cheese, while humming the music.

"What's going on here?" You asked and he turned around, smiling brightly.

"Darling you're awake, I hope I didn't cause that," He said and took your arm, pulling you towards him, "I found a bunch of songs on your phone and I had to play them. They make me very happy!"

You ran a hand through your hair and raised an eyebrow, "Are you feeling okay Dennis?"

"Of course I am sweetheart, I've never felt better," He winked at you and you immediately knew something was up. Dennis does NOT wink. He may call you sweetheart and listen to music bit he doesn't do winking in any situation.

You reached your hand out to touch his forehead to see if he was sick but he tilted his head away with puzzlement. "Come on [y/n/n], dinner is almost done," He informed and you bit your lip.

"Dennis is this... change because of what happened a few days ago?" You asked and he stared back at you like you were an animal that wasn't supposed to talk English, "Uh about you wanting to de-stress?"

"Oh y-yes that," He smiles nervously, "It definitely is. You're so bright, am I lucky to have you!" He touched your nose with his index finger and smiled widely.

He's definitely drunk, You thought and shook your head.

"After dinner let's go out on a proper date alright?" He suggested after placing two plates on the dining table, "I never got to treat you properly."

"You don't have to Dennis, I love just being with you," You replied and he smiled.

"I should treat you more like a queen than a roommate [y/n]."

*****

2 and a half hours later...

"Okay what about the guy next to her?" You asked and laughed, while he frowned and shook his head.

"Not worth it, he's got that old worn out jacket on and you can tell that he's here for the thrills," He answered, "I wouldn't trust him if I were you."

You rested your chin on your palm and stared at him in awe. You loved the way he was acting, there was a sudden brightness to him that you had never seen.

"Drink up sweetheart, I've been wanting to try this new drink they've got here. It's supposed to be eye-opening!" He said with excitement and you drank your shot.

"What did I do to deserve you Dennis?" You asked and kissed his cheek, "You make me so... happy."

He looked to the table then kissed your free hand, "Now you better pick someone else so you have a chance at beating me!"

"I've already got someone in mind, those two girls in the back by the window," You moved your head closer to his and discreetly pointed in the direction of the people you were looking at, "They've been watching the bartender for twenty minutes."

He smirked, "Interesting... Hold that thought, I'll get some more drinks." Dennis got up from the table and walked over to the bar. You looked at him with a smile on your face, you wished he could be like this all the time.

Maybe he's finally thinking about change... You thought.

*****

Someone had called you on your phone, you got distracted with it that you didn't notice your boyfriend's absence for fifteen minutes.

You got up after grabbing your purse and-

THUMP!

Someone shoved passed you rather harshly, almost making you fall. You looked back to find that Dennis was rushing to the bar's door, opening it and stepping outside. You tried to call out to him but he was in an odd hurry.

When you followed him out, you found him standing in an alley next to the bar, leaning on a wall and holding his head. "Dennis what's wrong?" You questioned as you hastened towards him. You held his arm and he glared at you.

"I'll take my things from your place when we get home, I'll leave and you'll never see me again," He said flatly, thought grief was evident in his voice.

"What?! You're leaving, why?"

"Because you wouldn't want to spend time with someone who has lost their mind."

You shook your head and looked at him with pure confusion, "What the hell are you talking about?"

He walks away, deeper into the alley and the shadows, and you follow him slowly. You can hear him sniffing, as if he were crying...

"How could you?! This is unacceptable!"

You furrowed your eyebrows, "Dennis I-"

"Unacceptable? Oh puh-lease Dennis! A good time was due and I delivered."

"Stay out of my life!"

You listened quietly, completely lost and unable to determine what was going on. You couldn't see his face, it was dark and he was faced away from you. Dennis was talking to someone hiding behind some boxes or bins.

"Firstly this isn't your life and secondly, you don't give a rat's ass about her! She's sad and lonely even though you're there-"

"I will put you to sleep B-"

"You can't do anything to me Dennis, I'm in charge and I control the light!"

"Dennis who are you talking to?!" You stormed towards him and stopped suddenly when you saw that he was staring at a wall. You started to back away slowly as he looked at you for help.

"D-Dennis you're... you're scaring me," You said slowly and he walked over to you in a hurry.

"N-No please I don't want to scare you. It's Barry's fault, I got nothing to do with it [y/n]!" He shouted, feeling fearful, "He ruined everything-"

"Who the hell is Barry?!"

"He's one of the others. He made a deal he wouldn't interfere but the good-for-nothing asshole doesn't care!"

You gulped, he seemed as if he was going to have a panic attack. He looked completely distressed and broken, you've never seen him like this at all.

"Are you sick?" You asked him flatly and all emotion from his face drained away suddenly.

"No! What the hell is that supposed to mean?! I'm just, Kevin has a condition and he's got personalities and-"

"Now who the hell is Kevin?!" You exclaimed in frustration, "Wait... personalities? Dennis, do you have DID?"

He doesn't answer immediately. All the pieces started fitting together in your mind, the stress, the jitteriness, the sudden change in personality.

"I-I'm fine [y/n] okay-"

"It doesn't seem like it Dennis, honestly. You need help! You should have told me, I could have done something to help you," You said and sighed.

"It's not that easy, the others wouldn't..."

You scoffed and started to dial the number for the taxi service. "Wh-What are you doing? I can fix this," He said firmly but you continued to work on your phone, and you put it to your ear.

"Hi I would like to book a taxi-"

"[y/n] put your phone down."

"I'm at outside O'Reilly's bar at 7th street-"

"Put it down NOW!"

You squinted your eyes at him in disgust then returned your attention to your phone but he grabbed it from your ear and a tugging war began.

"Give m-me the phone Den-nis!"

"NO YOU HAVE TO LISTEN TO ME!"

You pulled it towards you with all your strength and finally it slipped out of his fingers. He clenched his jaw then smacked it out of your grasp. You watched with horror as it crashed onto the floor, the screen probably cracked for good.

You gasped then looked up to him with shock, enraged at his attitude. "I told you to put it-"

You slapped him across his face and bit the inside of your cheek to stop the tears from streaming down your face. "I-I don't even know wh-who you are anymore Dennis," You cried then took a deep breath, "I'm going now, to meet [y/b/f] and I'll come back home to you when you get your life sorted."

You furrowed your eyebrows at him then strutted off, grabbing your phone from the ground in the process and hoping that it was still working.

Dennis watched you walk away, broken inside and clenching his fists at how little control he had over the situation. A part of him wanted to forget everything and run away but... He loves you... and he doesn't think he could ever get rid of that.