Worlds of Darkness
By GirlX2
Chapter One
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'Understand death? Sure. That was when the monsters got you.'
Stephen King, 'Salem's Lot
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"You know what keeps me awake at night? Monsters in the closet."
House
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Wilson was having a nightmare.
House groaned, rousing from what had been a very sound sleep. When Wilson had nightmares he thrashed about violently and cried out. Six months ago House would have ignored the hubbub. Of course back then they hadn't been sleeping together.
House reached over and roughly shook his lover. "Wilson. Wake up."
Wilson didn't have nightmares very often. Or if he did, he didn't wake House. It was never easy to bring him out of them--Wilson, while a morning person, had a rough time making the transition to fully being awake. On the plus side this gave House an excellent excuse to be affectionate, with the added bonus of Wilson not remembering it clearly later.
He moaned as House shook him. "No…I don't want to…"
"Wilson." House repeated loudly. "Wake up. You're dreaming."
"Please…" Now House noticed tears streaking down his face.
"Shit." This was a bad one. House wondered if either of them would get any more sleep tonight. "Wilson!"
The yell seemed to have done the trick. Wilson blinked slowly, his gaze unfocused.
The terrified shriek caught House completely off-guard. The oncologist cried out and made a move toward the door, not realizing he was still tangled in the sheets.
House winced as Wilson dropped onto the floor. He grabbed for the bedside lamp. The light flickered for a moment, casting shadows about the room and making Wilson whimper. He still wasn't fully awake.
"It's alright Jimmy." House mumbled as the light decided to stay on. "You were dreaming."
"I…" Wilson focused on the older man. "House?"
"Yeah." House crawled over to his side of the bed. "You okay?"
"I think so." Wilson blinked against the bright light.
"Then get back in bed. We have to get up in five hours."
"Okay." The younger man said quietly, detangling himself from the sheets.
House groaned inwardly. He knew that tone. Wilson wouldn't be sleeping again tonight.
Wilson snuggled close to House as he got back into the bed, laying his head on the diagnostician's chest. House, to tired to think up a cutting quip, stroked his hair silently. It seemed to help.
"Do you want to talk about it?" House didn't want to talk, but letting it go would do more harm than good. House had learned this after ignoring Wilson's nightmares before.
"I can't remember what it was about." Wilson murmured.
"You're lying."
"No, I-"
"Tell me."
"Something scary. How should I know? It was just a dream." Wilson curled against him.
House flicked the light off, eliciting another shudder from Wilson. Interesting.
As his eyes adjusted to the dim light, House could see Wilson wasn't even trying to sleep. His gaze was fixed firmly on the opposite wall. House glanced over and saw nothing except the slightly ajar closet door.
"You're afraid of closet monsters?!"
Wilson winced at the volume of the shot. "What are you talking about?"
"You're watching the closet like it's going to bite you."
"I am not." Wilson rolled over, now facing away from both lover and closet. "My focus happened to fall on the closet."
House looked back at the closet, wondering for a moment if the excuse was possibly true. He couldn't see anything to catch focus on, other than two slightly-glowing spots inside the closet. Probably buttons catching the lamplight from the street.
Except there were no streetlamps on this side of the apartment.
House rolled over, facing away from the closet. He shrugged off the spots even as he snuggled closer to Wilson. Monsters in the closet. No way.
The two dots winked out as the sun rose over the apartment. The time had run out on that particular night. It would come back again until it didn't wake anyone. This time it had come closest. That was promising.
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To be continued...