It was one of those nights again. Teddie dragged his pillow across the hall, the floorboards squeaking to the rhythm of his tiny feet. He felt the wall, touching it as if he was trying to smooth it out before feeling his fingers brushed against the plastic switch. Switching it on, the lights blinked into electric life and expelled the blanket of darkness covering the corridor.
Moments ago, he had been asleep in his soft bed, for an hour at least. Before that, he had been hovering over Yosuke as the brunette pored over his long-over due homework. Pencil scratching lightly on paper was the dominant sound echoing in the room, the other being Teddie's soft humming. He was bored, bored beyond relief, and it wasn't even his bed time yet! (Teddie usually slept 15 minutes past 12, he was afraid that the Midnight Channel would show up, even though they had already stopped the mastermind).
The blond, thin boy paced back and forth again, this time eliciting a response from Yosuke - "IF YOU'RE BORED JUST GO THE HELL TO SLEEP MAN YOU'RE DISTRACTING ME! - to which Teddie squealed and quickly ran out of the boy's room. It was too early to go to bed and Teddie actually felt.. pain. Usually Yosuke's shouting would have just bounced off his being, but somehow, this time it broke through and actually hurt.
He did consider Yosuke to be his best friend but there was another feeling blistering within him that weakened his jovial exterior, which was an adequate aegis against any kind of hurt. Infatuation? No, Teddie didn't love Yosuke that way, it was more of a brotherly love. Jealousy? What did Yosuke have that Teddie didn't have?
Loneliness?
...
Teddie was unsure as to what he should do next. Should he go to sleep? Should he creep downstairs and watch TV in the dark, hoping that no scary monsters would attack him? He tousled his blond locks in indecisiveness, before letting a frustrated hand scratch the nape of neck. A sigh left his lips as he trudged into his room, his heart sinking at the prospect of a really difficult time trying to sleep.
Pulling the covers above him, he tried to bury himself in the futon as deeply as possibly, out of fear. Sure, the Investigation Team had stopped the murders but Teddie was still irrationally afraid of what might have been lurking in the dark, just waiting to drag him to the other side. Sinking his head even more into the pillow, he tried to let his mind give way to sleep.
It was about an hour into his fitful sleep that the nightmare attacked. Teddie was once again utterly alone in the TV world. He didn't know Yosuke, or Souji-sensei, or Yuki-chan – no, it wasn't that he didn't know them, rather... they forgot him. They forgot about him as soon as they solved the case. Sure, the TV world was a blissful, thriving place then... but what's heaven without friends?
It was always at that moment when the revelation of having no one startled Ted enough to wake him up, drenched in a cold sweat and his sheets sticking to him uncomfortably. He spent an indistinguishable amount of time just lying in his futon, his ragged breaths filling the silence. He was drowsy, so everything seemed a timeless haze before he got up and brought his pillow along.
And there he was. Outside Yosuke's bedroom door, the wood beneath him cold. He had been walking back and forth the lit hallway for at least five minutes now, trying to talk himself out of it, but his groggy brain registered his whispered words as nothing but mindless sounds. Another ten minutes passed with him throwing his back lightly against the wall and letting his slim form slide to the ground in a trembling heap and staying there.
He had fallen into a light sleep after a while, his head buried into his knees, his blond locks hanging off his settling to hang limply from the sides. It wasn't stable at all, his breathing making his chest press against his legs, his head lolling to one side. Eventually it rolled off his knees, Teddie yelping in the process. A defeated sigh escaped his being as he stood up, floor creaking. A turn of a door knob later, he stepped into his room and-
An almost inaudible groan of worn door hinges and a muttering Yosuke was heard, making Teddie pivot on the spot, blue eyes meeting brown.
"Y-yosuke?" stammered the blond.
"I heard you yell. What's going on?" a sleepy Yosuke grumbled.
Teddie's chest tightened as he clung onto Yosuke's words. He wasn't sure what to do next. He could tell him that nothing was going on, and that he tripped or something. Or, you know, tell him about the nightmare he had.
But Yosuke was still angry, wasn't he?
"N-nothing. Just tripped," was all Teddie could manage through his quivering voice, uncertainty tugging at his features.
"Didn't sound like one. C'mon, tell me what happened," Yosuke replied.
Teddie didn't say anything else, his eyes welling up with tears. No, he couldn't let Yosuke see him like this. He wanted to be known as that jovial, carefree bumbling blond boy.. not someone who actually got scared. This desire involuntarily made him turn around, back into his room. He put one socked foot forward-
And Yosuke's hand was tugging lightly at his sleeve.
"What's wrong, Ted?" Yosuke's voice was more gentle now, calming even.
By now, Teddie couldn't force any words out of his shaking form. He pressed himself against Yosuke's shirt, the fabric darkening from the tears. Yosuke's eyes widened in surprise as he felt two hands wrap around his back, nails digging slightly into his skin. The blond mumbled something through his shirt, his words vibrating on his skin.
"Teddie, wh-" Yosuke started, only to realise what must have probably happened. His mouth cracked into a slight smile, as he slung one arm over Teddie's shoulders and threaded a hand through his hair. He softly wrenched Ted away from his body and led him, by the hand, to his room.
They both stumbled in the sudden darkness but the brunette managed to grab some tissues from his desk as he lightly pressed them to Teddie's nose, asking him to blow and wiping it off soon after. Teddie's eyes were half closed by then, prompting Yosuke to walk him to his futon, smiling contently.
Yosuke got in first, allowing Teddie as much space as possible, and urged Teddie to get in. He felt the covers shift a little, and Teddie sniffing, his breath still hitching from his now reduced sobs. Once the blue-eyed boy was in, Yosuke turned to face him, putting a hand on Teddie's waist, the heat of Yosuke's touch burning through his shirt.
"Yosuke.." Teddie whispered, shoving in closer until he talked against Yosuke's neck, his breath tickling it. "I.. Thank you."
"It's... really no problem, Ted," Yosuke's arms now fully wrapping around him. Teddie's pressed flush against his body and Yosuke doesn't mind – he actually likes it – holding his slim body in his arms. "I'm always here."
"I love you," Teddie's words were nothing but a whisper as he slides his hand under Yosuke's arm to cuddle him back. "...Sensei."
"I lo- wait, did you just call me Sensei?"
By now, Teddie is almost asleep, his heart finally calmed down enough to take in Yosuke really holding him close now. Yosuke smiled against his hair and closed his eyes too.
(It could've been the fact that he was half asleep, but after a few moments Teddie felt a brush of something against his forehead – fingers, or maybe a kiss. Either way, Teddie's happy with it.)