Carlos lay, sprawled across the bed, breathing ragged with terror, as the wriggling, humanoid, tentacle creature blocked the light coming through the door frame from the hall light in Cecil's apartment. The tentacles swirled and twisted and one began to reach for him...

Click!

The light in the room turned on.

Carlos closed his eyes against the blinding lights, and when he opened them again, Cecil stood in the doorway, a concerned expression painted across his face. "Carlos? You sounded like you were having a nightmare. Are you alright?"

Carlos blinked.

He had gone to Cecil's bedroom to take a nap after having a bit of a breakdown, an existential crisis of sorts. His ASD tended to make that happen quite often during times of stress.

"Carlos?" Cecil said. He was sitting on the edge of the bed now. Carlos hadn't even seen him move.

"Y..yeah, Cece. I'm okay."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No.." he paused, looking up into Cecil's calming, peaceful eyes. He almost reconsidered. "I'm okay, I think."

Cecil frowned and kicked off his slippers, joining Carlos beneath the plush sheets of his bed.

"I don't believe you. Therefore, I believe cuddles are in order to solve this apparent nightmare." The Voice of Night Vale wrapped his arm around Carlos's stomach, grasping his shirt, and put his head on his chest.

Carlos chuckled softly and wrapped an arm around Cecil's shoulders, staring up at the ceiling until drifting back to sleep.

If the lights weren't left on, Carlos would've thought he was dreaming again.

But he wasn't dreaming. In fact, he was never dreaming.

The only reason he might've thought he was, is because when he awoke, there was a tentacle wrapped around his arm, and another gently curled into his hair.

He shrieked and yanked them off, leaping out of bed. He went to grab Cecil but the tentacles seemed to already be wrapped around him.

The tentacles said his name, it was low and gravelly.

There were too many of them.

Cecil awoke to a high pitched scream and slowly drug himself awake. "Carrllloss...?" He said groggily. Cecil blinked his eyes open and saw Carlos, eyes wide and crazy, pressed against the wall in terror.

Cecil was confused.

"Did you have another nightmare?" He asked sleepily. "Come back to bed, my love"

Carlos shook his head furiously.

Cecil sighed and went to get up to help his boyfriend, when he saw the tentacles.

He gave a little yip and drew his tentacles back into his skin.

"It's okay baby, they're all gone now, see?" Cecil said shakily, trying desperately to repair the situation.

"Cecil, what the actual fuck?"

Cecil tutted, knowing that there was no way to back out of this now.

"Carlos, sit down please." He said, patting the bed next to him. "Let me explain."

Carlos tentatively sat down, wrestling with his emotions, breathing picking up. He pulled out a stick of spearmint gum, as he always did in stressful situations, and began vigorously chewing.

"You know Night Vale is different than most towns...half of our citizens couldn't even be classified as humans. Well, I'm part of that half. I don't remember when I discovered them or even started using them, but they are a part of me, and can't hurt you." Cecil said in a calm, even tone, trying to relax his boyfriend.

After a few minutes of silence, Carlos had slowed his chewing and calmed himself enough to ask Cecil some questions, as a scientist does.

"Can I see again?"

"Of course, my love"

Cecil tentatively brought back his tentacles, sliding them trough the neck and arm holes of his clothing slowly and carefully so as not to frighten the man any more.

"Intriguing..."

Carlos reached out and caressed one, it was soft and warm like Cecil's skin. It leaned into Carlos's touch.

"Where do they come from?" He asked, trailing the tentacle back to Cecil's shirt hole.

The radio host tugged his short over his head and turned around, revealing the purple tendrils coming out of his back.

Carlos traced the tentacle down to the base and noted its seamless connection to Cecil.

He arched his back into Carlos's touch, savoring the feeling of his calloused hands against his back.

"Mm..Carlos..."

Carlos pulled back. "Sorry"

Cecil whined and pushed back again, trying to get Carlos's hands back on his body any way he could.

The scientist noticed his desperate attempts and gently placed both hands against Cecil's skin, running them down his back softly, causing him to sigh in pleasure.

"I just love feeling you."

Carlos smiled at this and wrapped both arms around Cecil's torso. The squiggling of the tentacles between his chest and the other mans back was a little strange, but not unpleasant. Cecil turned back around and wrapped his arms, legs, and tentacles around Carlos and pulled them both down to the bed, snuggling fiercely.

Carlos chuckled, gently wrapping his arm around his boyfriend and going back to sleep.

And when he awoke the next morning, there was a few more tentacles curled up into his hair, but this time, he smiled, and kissed Cecil on the forehead.

"I love you, my little squid"