No one knew but Sora always had bags under his eyes, he was just concealing it with his mother's make-up- under her supervision, of course. No one knew. They would have asked if he had trouble sleeping sometimes, which he didn't. In fact, it was probably the opposite. He slept too much, actually. Well, for any "normal" person, it would seem that way, but for Sora he couldn't tell. Didn't care to tell.
All he knew was that the mysterious realm of dreams and unconsciousness delivered a sense of security, of peace, of happiness. A sort of happiness that he somehow couldn't find in the real world.
His parents divorced when he was young- he never knew his father. Well, not from what he remembered anyway. They said his father went away for a sea expedition but a storm hit and well- long story short, there were a lot of funerals that week. Not that he remembered attending any of them anyway.
Now his mother, she was always busy. He didn't blame her either; having been a single mother with no child support and a child too young to work, she had no other choice but to get two jobs… Often times he'd come home but it was almost always the silence and emptiness that welcomed the lonely brunet.
Sora wasn't always lonely, though. No, he had friends- very good ones at that. Kairi and Riku were two particularly good friends, his best friends, actually. There was also Selphie, Tidus and Wakka but they had their own little crew going. But that was okay, Sora had his own squad too. It wasn't too bad.
For a time, Sora actually was happy. He was always happy, always sporting that stupid grin, and that stupid laugh, always cracking those stupid jokes, giving those stupid thumbs up, and playing those stupid games… This isn't to say Sora didn't appreciate anyone's company or didn't enjoy participating in any of those activities, but sometimes it just got too overwhelming, too… too fake for him.
The smiles were sometimes genuine, especially to Kairi, but there was a hidden sadness.
I know you'd be better with Riku.
The laughs were sometimes thick and sincere, but there was a masked sound of pain.
I know that was a joke, but it still hurts.
The jokes were almost always funny, and even if they didn't catch any attention, he always laughed at them, just because he needed it.
I know it wasn't that good, but it was more for my own pick-me-up anyway.
The thumbs weren't always up, but he tried his best. He always did.
If I can't lift myself up, at least I can encourage others.
The games, they were fun. But Riku was a big show-off- always boasting his muscles about, always making sure the attention was on Mr. I'm-So-Great-So-Notice-Me. It was tiring.
When can someone else get the attention? When can I have any attention?
Sora didn't know how to deal with his strange emotions, how to explain them to anyone without seeming like a baby, or like a weakling, so to escape the confusion and the hurt, he just did what he thought he did best- sleep. Sure, he came off as lazy a lot of the time, but it was the best option to him. It was a lot better than "talking about your feelings" or whatever.
At least in his dreams, he had all the attention on him, all the friends, the adventures, the family… whatever he wanted, it was there in his mind. It just felt so good to slip away, to fade for a while, to forget and not have anyone miss you too much because they know you'll wake up again, see the light of day again, and it was good. It was good.
So resting his head on his pillow of the sleeping bag, Kairi and Riku sleeping on the floor of the living room, each with their own sleeping bag, Sora found peace. He had his real friends by him, and his fake friends in him… He slept too much, he knew. But it was the best option he had.
Resting a while more never did anyone any harm.