A/N: I wrote this at like 3 in the morning. OTL My mind seems to have great ideas when I'm supposed to be sleeping...
I decided to try and write something cute and fluffy. Technically, this is hinted Darren x Evra... sort of...
This fanfic was inspired by the song 'Vanilla Twilight' by Owl City, and I kept listening to it on repeat while writing this.
Hope you enjoy~!

Oh darling, I wish you were here
- By Zombie Red

I wake up in the middle of the night.

"Darren…?"

I turn towards his hammock, expecting to see the sleeping half-vampire. Squinting through the darkness, I see that there's no one there.

Of course he's not there! He's gone with Mr Crepsley on some kind of venture.

I sigh and suddenly feel lonely, a feeling that I'm no longer used to these days. How strange.

I dreamt that I was in that glass case again. Everyone was laughing at me. People grimaced at the sight of me. And then I felt pain; a whack across my face, a kick in my stomach. A dark shadow loomed over me. I was then being told how futile I was, how nobody would want me. How nobody would ever love a useless, little snake boy.

Most of the time, I wake up with a great sense of fear. Sometimes, I wake up crying. But tonight, I wake up feeling empty and lost.

I climb out of my hammock, careful not to wake up my snake (she can get pretty grumpy after being stirred from her slumber).

There's no point trying to get back to sleep. I'll probably end up sleeping for another half an hour or so and wake up again and so on. It's been happening for a few weeks and it's really been messing with my sleeping pattern. I can't concentrate properly throughout the day because of my lack of sleep. My performances at the Cirque have been weaker, and I feel bad about letting down Mr Tall, but he seems to understand my problem.

I walk outside of the tent; maybe some fresh air will make me feel better.

I wander around for a bit till I find the riverbank that Darren and I often laze about by. I lie down on the grass, feeling its cool dampness against my skin, and stare up at the star-filled sky. The moon looks particularly big tonight. I glance at the river, watching the moonlight flicker against the water.

I feel nostalgic, a little bit hollow inside. Like the last piece of the puzzle has been misplaced.

It doesn't feel the same without Darren.

I remember that one night when we were here, whispering and laughing quietly. He had his hand on my shoulder and was murmuring some kind of funny joke in my ear. We both burst into giggles, and I was laughing so much that I didn't realise his hand had moved onto my own.

The hilarity died down and we ended up staring at each other for a while. It wasn't awkward. It was… well, I don't really know that right word to describe it, but it felt comfortable.

I turned away first, afraid that I had a dumb expression on my face.

"Evra."

I didn't want to look at him. I felt embarrassed.

He was moving closer.

I could faintly feel his breath against my neck.

His other hand touched my cheek.

I jerked.

"Evra…?"

Then I looked at him. I saw the worry in his green eyes.

"Did I do something wrong?"

I wanted to say; don't be silly! You've never done anything wrong. I'm just not used to people touching me, you know? I mean, who the hell would ever want to touch me? I look like something out of a horror movie and I'm so goddamn ugly; a freak of nature. No wonder my parents didn't want me.

But I simply replied with "Of course not."

"I never want to hurt you, Evra," Darren said quietly.

"You never have."

"I hope so."

And then I decided to say something that sounded incredibly stupid;

"Why are you so nice to me?"

He looked at me for a couple of seconds.

"Because you're my best friend." He smiled warmly. "Plus, you're a great person to be with."

"But I'm so…" I quickly looked down and bit my lip. Damn it, why did I feel like crying out of the blue? I was not going to cry in front of Darren and make myself look like a fool. I was not.

"Evra, you don't have to try and fight back tears."

And then I completely lost it. I just started sobbing grossly, pressing my face against his shoulder. If I'm honest with you, I felt pathetic. I don't know how long I kept howling for, but my eyes were swollen my throat was hurting. I didn't want Darren to look at me; I was a mess.

After I had calmed down, he asked me if I felt better, but didn't force me to tell him what was wrong. He kept stroking my hair, which was oddly comforting.

I eventually drifted off to sleep and woke to find it was daytime. And I was in Darren's arms.

I'm not entirely sure what shocked me the most; the fact that I had spent a whole night outside without freezing to death, or the fact that I had spent a whole night cuddled up with my best friend. I had never been so… intimate with someone else before.

It's funny how I remember everything from that night so clearly.

I turn over to my right, imagining if Darren was lying next to me. I reach out, my fingertips touching nothing. But I imagine feeling his thick brown hair, his soft pale face, his thin red lips…

I look at my hand, wishing that his fingers filled the spaces in between them.

I can't stop thinking about him.

For the weeks that Darren was away, I felt so lonesome and even desolate at times. I realise how much I count on him for my happiness. Is it right for me to do that? I've been alone for pretty much all of my life, up until now. Ever since the half-vampire walked into my life, he became the only company I would ever need. He's funny, smart and a genuinely kind boy.

Darren makes me feel happy; an emotion that I honestly haven't felt in what seems an incredibly long time. He makes me love life again.

"I wish you were here," I say aloud, placing my hand over one side of my face. My palm touches my cheek and I realise that it's slightly damp. Since when did I start crying?

I quickly wipe away my tears, only to find that even more drip from my eyes.

God, why can't he be here right now? It's been weeks since I last saw him and I miss him so much. When I think about him, I don't feel as lonely, but it doesn't compare to having him right next to me in person. I just want to feel his arms around me again. I just want to feel safe.

I lie there awake, drowning in all of my thoughts.

How much time has passed? Half an hour? A whole hour? Three hours? I have no idea. After some time, I watch the sky slowly turn from deep blue to dark pink. The clouds become lighter and the sun slowly begins to peek out from behind them. I can hear birds cawing.

"Evra? Is that you?"

I immediately jolt upwards and quickly look behind; I didn't even hear them coming towards me!

Wait… is that…?

"D-Darren?" I whimper.

He laughs. "Who else?"

I'm stunned. Am I dreaming? I can't even speak properly. "How come… how come you're here? I… I thought you were going to be away… until… until the middle of next month?"

"Mr Crepsley and me managed to find our recipient pretty quickly, surprisingly. Well, if you call a few weeks 'quick', that is. To be honest, I should be the one asking you that question; it's half past seven in the morning and it's freezing!"

Oh. I've been pondering for so long that I didn't realise how cold it had become.

I give a low chuckle. "I couldn't sleep, that's all."

"I guessed as much. When we got back, I couldn't find you anywhere! I was so worried… At first, I thought you had been abducted or something." He scratches the back of his head, something that he often does when he's embarrassed, I notice. "But then I remembered this place and thought that you might be here."

I shiver, rubbing my arm. Darren sees this and takes off his coat, handing it to me.

"You seem to need it more than I do."

I smile, taking his coat. "Thank you." I drape it around my shoulders, taking in its scent. "I'm glad you're here, Darren."

"I'm glad to be here." He offers me his hand. "Come on, let's go home. I'm feeling knackered, not to mention hungry!"

After he helps me up, I realise that he doesn't let go of my hand, and pulls me towards him. Up close, I can see the bags under his eyes and the scruffiness of his hair. There's even a bit of dirt on the tip of his nose. The first small rays of sun reflect on his eyes, making them a little translucent. He catches me looking at him and grins.

I don't know what comes over me but… I just throw my arms around him and bury my face in his neck; I just want to feel his warmth again.

"I missed you," he says softly, almost a whisper, as he rubs my back.

"Me too," I reply. "More than you can ever imagine."

And then he does something that I do not expect.

He stands on his tip toes and kisses me on the cheek.

I gawp at him, a fluttering sensation rising in my chest. I feel dazed; I don't know how to react. He spots my expression and simply giggles.

After I detach myself from him, he takes my hand again. I can feel him tracing the top of it with his fingers.

We make our way back to the Cirque as the sun rises, talking quietly as we go along. As Darren tells me about his journey with Mr Crepsley, he leans against my shoulder. His fingers fit the spaces between my own perfectly.

I feel at ease again, a comfortable feeling in my heart. I know that I'll be able to drift off into a deep sleep without any problem at all.

As long as I'm with Darren, everything is going to be alright.