It was thirty minutes past midnight when Carlos hung up on Cecil. His explanation for doing so was that he had found "a strange and fascinating scientific anomaly of some interest and he would have to call Cecil back because it was important that he investigate".
Cecil had grown accustomed to this sort of exchange with his eccentric scientist boyfriend, and though it was frustrating it was also endearing so that helped. Yes, it was frustrating that his amazing hero boyfriend would rather analyze sand components than search for a way home to his worried boyfriend, and yes it was frustrating that their phone calls grew ever shorter but he couldn't be mad at Carlos. Not when the end of every on-and-off-phonecall conversation yielded some great declaration of affection.
Besides, Carlos's dedication to science was admirable! Even if that same dedication was what persistently kept Cecil's bed empty at night...
Cecil looked at the clock again and considered the late hour. It was unlikely that Carlos would call again, and so it was probably best to get on with his nighttime routine: roughly four glasses of wine.
Just to help him sleep, of course.
Although usually Cecil's phone did not ring while he was in the middle of gaining assistance sleeping. Cecil ran a hand through his unruly hair, blinking with confusion as if he'd just been awoken suddenly. He was sitting on the couch with his feet up on the table, still wearing his work clothes but with his tie laying abandoned next to him and a few buttons undone on his shirt. He pawed at his phone, managing to grab it before it sprouted legs and ran away from him, then answered it.
"Hello?" Cecil drawled. "Carlos?"
"Cecil, I've tracked the strange color changing sand to its source, it seems to be some sort of strange pulsing...mushy...thing! It's quite fascinating." Carlos said excitedly. "I'm not sure what's causing it to pulse, or what's causing it to change the color of the sand, but I will find out. I am a scientist, so it will only take a little time I am sure."
"Mhmm. Souns grea' Carlos." Cecil muttered. "S'really interesting."
"The sand has gone from red to blue now, and I think its going to be violet next if the pulsing speed and frequency is any indication."
"Mhmm."
"Of course it could end up being teal, they have similar pulsing patterns so its easy to be confused."
"S'usually hard...with pulsin'." Cecil agreed, nodding even though Carlos could not see.
"Cecil, is everything alright? You sound...different." Carlos asked with some concern.
"Oh, I'm jus' tired." Cecil shrugged.
"No, your tired voice is similar...but different." Carlos said. "Have you been drinking?"
"A little." Cecil admitted.
"A little?" Carlos asked doubtfully. "How often does this happen?"
"Uhm...every...night?"
"Cecil."
"Just enough to help me sleep." Cecil insisted. "You know, ever since the sun began risin' earlier s'just been hard to get the...the...what're they called..."
"The legally binding hours of sleep?" Carlos suggested.
"Those! And its just so hard, y'know?" Cecil sighed. "With you not here."
"I'm working on getting home, Cece."
"I know y'are."
There was a brief moment of silence, the only audible noise being the breathing of both men. Carlos sighed but before he could speak again, Cecil cut him off.
"Look...I'm tired and you've got...science to get back to. So lets jus' call it a night."
"Alright." Carlos agreed. "I love you, Cecil.
"I love you, Carlos. G'night."
Carlos stared out into the desert. The masked warriors had marched off some time ago, and the scientific wonders had ceased for a moment. The only thing of interest was the blinking light on the horizon. Carlos thought about his phone call to Cecil last night and began to worry. He wasn't ready to leave the desert just yet, and Cecil knew that and accepted that. There was still so much to discover, so many strange occurrences that even citizens of Night Vale would find odd. Cecil was being patient, and he was happy...
Or at least Carlos had thought Cecil was happy.
Carlos knew the importance of living for yourself even when you're in a relationship, and doing what's important for you even when your partner is frustrated by it. Despite that, he never would have stayed in the desert so long...past their anniversary...if he'd thought it was making Cecil so upset.
It was his radio voice, so perfectly trained and emotionless. He could ramble on about disappearances and murders and apocalypses without a tremor in his perfect voice, but last night under the influence of alcohol there had been sadness in his voice.
Maybe it was time to look for the door. After all, once he'd found it, he could always come back to the desert, right?
For the moment, he'd have to find some way to keep Cecil's spirits up. Some way to help him sleep, a way that wasn't drinking himself blind.
Cecil was the picture of a normal healthy Night Vale citizen all day, talking to those he passed by on the way to and from work, paying the blood toll necessary to exit the radio station, completely ignoring the dog park...
Then he went home to an empty house, and let his facade slip.
Carlos was late calling him, though there were a few texts excitedly describing various things the scientist had come across in the desert. Cecil poured himself a glass of wine and settled in with a few episodes of Star Trek that Carlos had begged the DVR to record. (Quite literally begged and provided all the offerings Cecil instructed him to) He couldn't pay attention to the tv, instead he reflected on his situation and ignored the blurriness of vision that came from both tears and finishing off the bottle he'd not intended to get more than a glass out of.
He was trying to hard to support Carlos and his excitement for science and he was trying so hard to make it look like nothing was bothering him but in the end he always ended up back here.
Cecil's phone leapt to life, howling with bloodlust and attempting to escape. Cecil managed to pin it down and answer the call.
"Carlos?"
"Cecil, are you in bed?"
"No. Why?"
"Go lay down, Cecil."
Cecil shrugged and obeyed, making his way to the bed. He lay down, and was wondering if maybe this was for some sort of experiment when Carlos began to sing.
His boyfriend had an adorable speaking voice, but his singing voice was just precious, and it was something Cecil did not get to hear often. The song was slow and sweet and in Spanish so Cecil didn't know the words. While being fluent in Russian, French, and Nightwolf, Cecil was only now learning Spanish with some help from Carlos.
"C-Carlos?"
"Just lay down and close your eyes. I'm trying something." Carlos insisted, beginning to sing again. Cecil acquiesced...if only for science's sake. Of course with Carlos singing and the wine making him feel warm and the bed enveloping him in softness, it was easy to fall asleep. Which is just what Carlos wanted.
Carlos kept up singing his boyfriend to sleep for the next few days, and Cecil cut back on his drinking-finding he needed it less. The sadness was still there, but dulled. It remained faintly, as smoke remains faintly mirroring the image of a flame.
Cecil was listening to Carlos sing again, laying in bed and letting his boyfriend's voice float over him. The singing sounded different tonight, almost louder almost closer. He sighed and closed his eyes, and because he closed his eyes he didn't see the alert on his phone telling him the phone call had ended.
as he made his way into the bedroom, quite and unobtrusive like a shadow. His clothes were dirty with sand, his hair had grown a bit longer and more unruly, no doubt tomorrow he'd want to shower and enjoy all the comforts of a non-otherworld-desert-world, but for now he just wanted to get into bed. So he sang as he approached, ran a hand over Cecil's hair and then pressed a kiss to his temple.
Cecil jumped, no doubt expecting a sudden argument with The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Live In Your Home about boundaries. Instead he came face to face with Carlos.