This. . . okay, I nearly didn't upload this. I don't think it's very good. I'm just chucking it out there because it's been sitting there for about five months, staring me in the face and saying "HEY. Upload me (when you get a FanFiction account, that is)."

So I'm uploading it.

How to Dream

"Go away, Zane, I'm working."

"What are you working on?"

"Something. Go away."

"What if I'm quiet? Can I stay then?"

Jay paused. "If you're quiet," he said finally. "But you can't talk. At all. This is extremely important," he growled.

"Okay, I won't," Zane promised. He sat down next to Jay on the floor, carefully avoiding the parts scattered on the floor. Jay gritted his teeth around the screwdriver in his mouth and plucked a screw off the floor. He slid it into its slot, took the screwdriver out from between his jaws and began to twist the screw into place. Zane watched in silence.

Snow fell past the Destiny's Bounty in big, white, soft flakes. It was dark in the bedroom, and Zane could see only by the light of the lamp which Jay had directed at his invention.

The Nindroid watched Jay screw in fascination. Jay's hands were strong. They twisted the screwdriver with force and precision. Zane like to watch the muscles and bones work in his friend's thin hands.

Zane looked at what Jay was building. It was small and red. It had a little black screen, and four buttons on the top, with a big one in the middle.

It looked like a digital alarm clock.

Zane almost asked Jay what he was making, then stopped himself. No talking, he remembered. He could figure it out on his own.

The silence was long and heavy.

Zane peered and peered at the invention, but nothing occurred to him. It was just a red alarm clock.

That can't be all it is, Zane thought. Why would Jay build a red alarm clock?

Good question.

Jay dropped the screwdriver. "Almost done," he said quietly. Zane looked at the invention again, but said nothing.

Jay picked up a stack of papers. Zane couldn't see what was written on them, but could guess that they were blueprints. Jay compared the blueprints with the invention slowly.

Zane worked up the nerve to ask a question. "Jay, what are you working on?"

Jay didn't answer.

"Um, Jay, can I ask what you're making?"

"No."

Zane pursed his lips at the harsh statement.

He looked out the window. "It's snowing," he said softly.

"Good to know," Jay said.

Zane watched the snow fall past the glass silently.

There was another space of quiet.

"Don't you like snow?" Zane asked.

"I do. I told you to be quiet."

Zane bit his lip and hugged his knees. "Sorry," he said softly. Jay ignored him.

Zane loved snow. It was a crucial part of him. He had grown up with it and its beauty. Seeing the snow falling around outside was a comfort on a dreary day.

But Jay loved snow for different reasons. For Jay, it was new. It was fun, strange, and beautiful. He had never even seen snow before he had come to the Destiny's Bounty, living in the desert with his parents his entire life. He still loved it, but with a different passion.

Zane stood up. He wouldn't be able to stand not knowing what his friend was so determined to create. The Nindroid began to scout around the bedroom for some clue as to what Jay was working on.

The first clue was a trash can full of papers next to Jay's bunk. Zane leaned down and pull one of the crumpled balls of paper out of the garbage can and unfolded it as quietly as he could, so Jay wouldn't hear and guess what he was snooping in. But when he unfolded it, there was only a sketch of a rectangle and Jay's scrawled handwriting, which, for the life of him, Zane couldn't read if he tried. Zane decided to dig to the bottom of the trash can so that he could see Jay's early thinking.

He rummaged in the trash can. His hand hit something cold and metal. Another clue.

It was an empty energy drink.

Zane stared at it. Jay didn't need energy drinks. Did he? Zane had never seen him drink one before.

There were four other empty energy drink bottles in Jay's trash can. Zane was beginning to get worried.

His fingers found a small, crumpled paper at the bottom of the trash can. He quietly drew it out of the trash can.

"Done," Jay said loudly.

Zane jumped and dropped the paper. Jay stared at him.

"What are you doing?" he demanded. Zane shrugged his shoulders and backed away from the trash can slowly. Jay stood up, scooping the invention into his arms, and walked over to the Nindroid, suspicious. "I don't believe you. What's in your hand?"

Zane sheepishly held the crumpled up paper to Jay. Jay's eyes widened, and he snatched it.

"Did you read it?"

"No," Zane said.

Jay looked on edge. He stuffed the paper in his pocket.

"I finished my invention," he said quietly. Zane nodded.

"What is it?"

"A Dream Machine."

"A what?"

"A machine to give you dreams."

Zane grinned. "That's amazing! Does it work?"

"It should." Jay climbed up to the top bunk, set the Dream Machine on his pillow and switched it on. It made a whirring noise, and the small black screen flickered to life. It said: Induce dream? in blue letters. Jay pressed a button, and the little screen flashed. Now it read, Creating dream...

Jay and Zane, peeking over the bunk, waited anxiously.

Dream Created. Experience Dream?

Jay pressed the button again.

Preparing dream...

Experiencing dream.

Jay went limp, and collapsed on the bed. Zane gasped.

"Jay?" he said. "Jay!"

Zane was astonished to find that he was asleep. Did it work? he wondered. He waited impatiently for Jay to wake up.

Zane searched Jay's face for hints on what he was dreaming about. He didn't find anything, but he did see, for the first time, the tired rings under his eyes, and the creases in between his eyebrows, and the bitten down beds of his fingernails. Zane was shocked to find that Jay looked... anxious. Tired. Worried.

Then he looked at Jay's pocket. The crumpled up paper stuck out of his jeans ever so slightly, and Zane felt the irrepressible urge to grab it.

The Nindroid edged around the bed to the ladder, and began to climb. He reached his hand up and pulled the paper out of Jay's pocket gingerly, unfolding it anxiously, reading it intently.

It was a journal entry, ripped out of a notebook.

Zane read the first few sentences. His heart dropped to his shoes.

He put his hand over his mouth and choked on something, dropping the paper and taking deep breaths. Zane glanced down at the trash can next to the bunk bed.

He scrambled down the ladder and started pulling papers out of the garbage can, frantically. Each one he read made his heart beat faster. Oh no... how long has Jay been harboring this?

Zane groaned. "Oh, no," he whispered.

He crawled over to the paper that he had taken from Jay's pocket. With growing dread, he read it over again.

This has to stop.

Night after night, it's been nightmare after nightmare after nightmare. And Nya's in every single one.

I'm so scared. I'm such a worthless person; how could she ever want me? Every time I see her now, it's a mix of love and fear. I fear her - I fear what I love. I couldn't survive without her, but she doesn't even belong to me.

I'm sure she hates me. I'm annoying, like everyone says. I talk too much. I can't create a decent invention to save my life... There's no way that I could ever be good enough for her.

And these nightmares. They hurt so much. They bleed into my everyday life. I'm scared to go to bed at night, so I have energy drinks and chocolate to keep me up. Every day is a struggle.

It's hard to even go on living.

I should find a way to stop these dreams. Or replace them. Because now I can't even look at Nya without breaking down. What can I do?

This is stupid. I'm immature and childish.

But what if there is a way to stop these nightmares...?

Zane crumpled the paper in his hand.

Nightmares.

Jay was having nightmares.

About Nya.

Jay screamed. Zane covered his ears, startled.

"No!" Jay yelled. Something cracked, and Jay started crying.

Zane got up off the floor and climbed the ladder. "Jay! Jay, what happened?" His words caught in his throat at the sight on the bed.

Jay's arms were over his head, and he was sobbing into his blanket. The Dream Machine was smashed. Pieces of plastic and shards of invention littered the bed. Zane covered his mouth, shocked.

"Jay," he said breathlessly.

"Nightmares," Jay whimpered. "Nightmares again. Every time. Every dumb time I've tried to make this stupid machine, it's nightmares."

Zane clambered onto the bed. "Jay, it's okay," he said. "We can try it again. I'll help you."

"Zane, this is the sixth time I've tried this. There is no way."

"I don't care. This has to stop, somehow. Just let me help you."

Jay just cried harder.

"I don't care. I just don't care. I need them out of my head."

Zane crawled towards Jay and rested a hand on his back as he wept. "Oh, Jay. It's okay. You... um, you don't need a Machine to dream."

"No, that's not what I need. I need these nightmares gone."

Zane took a deep breath and rubbed Jay's back comfortingly. "Well, what better way is there to lose your nightmares than by dreaming? About good things?"

Jay wiped his eyes and sat up, leaning against Zane for support. "Okay," he said softly, hiccupping. "Whatever you think will work."

Zane thought for a moment, rocking Jay back and forth in his arms. "Alright," he said. "I think I know how. Close your eyes."

"Why?"

"Close them. That's the only way it will work."

"Okay." Jay closed his eyes.

"Now you're done."

"What?" Jay looked up at Zane's reassuring face. "But... but that can't be it."

"It is. Just keep your eyes closed and think of the things you love."

Jay wiped his eyes some more. "There's got to be more than that. There's got to be more than that. It can't be so easy to get rid of all these nightmares."

"Okay, it is a little bit more than that," Zane admitted. "You need to do it every day for a long time. Just sit down, close your eyes and think of the things you love."

Jay hiccupped again, and closed his eyes. Zane watched his brow furrow.

"Think of things you love to do," Zane suggested. "Think of things you love to eat, things you love to see... things you love."

"Snow," Jay murmured. Zane smiled.

"Think of snow," he agreed.

Jay opened his eyes and looked up at Zane. He felt comfortable in Zane's strong arms. "Is thinking about snow a dream?" he asked.

"You tell me. It's as good as a dream, right?"

"Yeah." Jay snuggled down deeper into Zane's comforting hold and looked out the window at the flakes falling slow and steady to the ground.

"Zane?" he said. Zane looked down at him and smiled.

"Yes?"

"You're right. It's helping so much."

Zane sighed with relief. "I knew it would. You're a dreamer, Jay, you've always been."

"I know. My mom used to tell me that every night."

"You're great, Jay. You're the best friend anyone could have," Zane said.

Jay laughed softly. "You're a better one, Zane."

Zane laughed, too.

They both looked out the window, silently watching the snow fall. Zane was so relieved he could of passed out. Jay was going to be okay. Zane was so worried.

Jay grinned. "You know what I'm going to do tomorrow?"

"What?" Zane asked.

"I'm going to ask Nya out on a date with me."

Zane laughed. "Do that. I have a feeling I know what she'll say."

"Haha. Thanks, Zane. I really needed this."

"Anytime, Jay. I'm just glad you're okay."

It was supposed to be depression. I was supposed to write where Jay had depression and Zane was trying to fix it.

Annnnnd it turned into nightmares. I can't write a sad thing correctly to save my life.