Rover cast a glance at the boy, hesitant to meet the golden eyes that so often burned in anger towards him. And as usual, they were. The chimera shifted awkwardly, looking at the mass of blankets on the floor. How could he explain this one?

Oh yes, like he was going to admit that it was the thunderstorm that had sent him scampering onto the foot of the bed (Which, he noted, would have been safely out of range of any stray kicking) and caused him to drift off into a nightmarish dream. That the nightmare had made him edgy and, in fright, he might have lashed out once or twice in his sleep. That these nightmares came frequently, ending only when he at last would wake up. That these nightmares scared him more than any death threat that shrimp--

Fingers snapped in front of the dog-like creature's face, and he became aware of an angry grumble kept quiet enough to not wake the boy's brother.

"What the hell do you think you were doing? And why were you in the bed, anyways?" There was nothing remotely forgiving in his tone. And he had every reason to be angry; Bruises were clearly formed on his face and flesh arm, bruises that would have to be explained to a certain brother the next morning.

Rover frowned. Relentless questioning... That he wouldn't be able to get out of. He sighed and stared at the floorboards, surprised at how subdued his stark red fur was in the dark.

The boy narrowed his eyes, forcefully grabbing Rover's muzzle and lifting it. Rover flinched. The cold metal hand that held his mouth felt oddly like a muzzle. He pulled away and snorted, finally answering,

"I'd sooner sleep on the foot of the bed with you than wood floor. The floor is cold." It wasn't completely a lie...

Silence. He awkwardly continued,

"Look, you ever been scared of something? If you haven't noticed, that thunder is loud. It hurts my ears. I was sleeping when it started, so it startled me." The silence was overpowering. Rover felt he couldn't stay quiet, not with the silence, not with the boy's eyes practically burning holes through him.

"And I figured sleeping on a bed would be a bit more comfortable and I'd be calmer... The foot of your bed was the only place I could think of." He was starting to feel miserable. Admitting something like this, to that boy? Pathetic.

Still, the boy's anger wasn't gone. He pointed at the bruises on his face and arm. "What about you kicking me?"

Rover stumbled, at a lack for words. What could he say now? Minutes ticked by before he replied, voice quiet and not at all laced with the usual sarcasm or smugness,

"Nightmares... I must have thrashed..."

Why had he said it? Where was the nasty retort? The silence wrapped around him like a blanket, threatening to choke him.

He glanced at the boy again, fishing for some response in the golden eyes. Something to tell him whether or not to go on. But they were no longer focused on him. Blond bangs hung over his face, and through them Rover could see the boy staring down at the floor. He couldn't read his expression, try as he might.

Rover lifted a paw and stared at the pad, rough and scarred. So much silence. He couldn't stand it, not when he knew things were off kilter.

"Did you hear me?" asked the chimera.

A nod.

This was unusual. He always found a way to answer before. More often than not it was a threat or a rude remark, but it was still something.

At long last the boy spoke up, voice sounding even meeker than Rover's had. "I see..."

But he didn't see. He didn't know what those nightmares were like. He would never come to know the raw fear that struck on nights like these. No matter what he went through, Rover knew the boy wouldn't understand. To know what it was like to wake up, realizing you had been thrashing in your sleep. That these nightmares were all your doing, painful memories that could've been prevented if you weren't so stupid and made the mistakes you had.

It wasn't until Rover caught the hurt look in the boy's eyes, until he heard the slight whimper, that he realized he had voiced those thoughts aloud. The boy shrunk back, and Rover knew full well he had done the stupidest thing. He should have known better. Why did he have to open his big mouth and say that?

He stammered a quick apology to the boy, how he'd be more careful and watch what he said. He also apologized for the bruises, saying that he'd help explain them.

So long as this night never happened.

The boy silently stood up and gathered the blankets, wordlessly crawling back into the bed. He absent absentmindedly smoothed out his hair and turned so he was facing the wall.

Rover sat contemplating until he was sure the boy had fallen asleep, then stretched his sore leg out and carefully stepped onto the bed. Instead of taking up the foot of the bed, he laid between the wall and the boy. He found it slightly amusing that the silence making him talk was the same silence that bound the pact. This night had never happened.

When morning came around, Al was surprised to see his brother comfortably curled up against Rover, one arm draped over the chimera's shoulder. He figured it wouldn't hurt to let them sleep a bit longer, and made a mental note to ask about those bruises.

Kay, this is one of the first times I've posted my work online... At least, in a community I'm completely alienated to. It feels a bit weird to do this, actually. -chuckle- Anyways, as if you can't guess from things, Rover is a fan character of mine. I'll, uh, explain more in other stories. In a nutshell, he's a dog/human chimera. I am uncomfortable with how he comes to be like this, as its treading on some fairly uneasy ground and I'm not sure if its even possible. But I'm not going to press the issue, because his past makes him who he is. I can't really say when this falls, timeline wise... Ah well, hope you enjoyed it!