"You see, if we raise the bed, we can store things underneath!"
Inaho listened as Slaine explained his newest idea. It seemed to have potential, and he was willing to try pretty much anything if it would give them more space. The longer they lived there, the more crowded it became as their things somehow expanded, all without them actually bringing anything new into the apartment. It was a good thing they were both broke, because otherwise they probably wouldn't be able to see the floor. There was only one problem with Slaine's plan.
"What if I fall out?"
Raising the bed would mean a much greater fall, and he had indeed been kicked out of the bed on more than one occasion. Rolling onto the floor was one thing, falling from a height was another.
"We can switch, I'll take the outside."
He preferred the outside, since it was warmer (being away from the window) and didn't require climbing over Slaine to get in and out, but this might be worth the sacrifice. Slaine would probably fall out of his own accord, but that was hardly his concern.
"I suppose it couldn't hurt to try it for a while, at least. How do you propose we raise it?"
He wasn't particularly expecting a useable answer, but it would be a good idea to hear Slaine's plan before suggesting his own.
"These!" Slaine held out a catalogue, which sported several university dorm room accessories on its opened page. In the bottom corner was a photo of some black, cube-like things, for a hefty price.
"A little expensive…" he mused aloud, reading over the little advertisement blurb, "but if we split the cost it should be alright."
On his way home the following day, Inaho made the purchase. It took them the better part of an hour to maneuver the bed in such a way that the risers could be slid under the edges. Slaine nearly dropped the bed on Inaho twice, the first time because of a spider, and the second because clouds of dust got in his eyes. Yet miraculously Inaho was spared being crushed, and they swapped places before Slaine could have a third go at it.
When eventually everything was in place and the bed firmly set upon its new pedestals, they went about sweeping and removing the various stray articles from under and behind it. The new setup afforded approximately double the previous space, and now some larger items would fit neatly under the bed. At last they finished, and stood back to admire their work. The room looked much cleaner and more spacious now.
By the time everything was in order, it was quite late, and the two turned in for the night. Inaho reached to close the curtain, which they had since repaired, and was now right beside him, but paused when he looked out through the window. The night sky was shimmering with stars, and a soft ring of pale light encircled the half-moon.
"Nice, isn't it?!" said a voice far too close to his ear.
He turned his head to find Slaine's face just centimeters from his own. "Why are you…"
"I can't see from over there. No wonder you always closed the curtain…"
Inaho scooted as far towards the wall as would allow. "You're too close," he protested as Slaine accordingly scooted as well, so as to gain a better view of the night sky. Inaho rolled over to face the wall, wondering if this would become an every night ritual. If it wasn't one thing, it was another.
"What's your zodiac sign?" asked Slaine cheerfully, not even slightly drowsy though it was nearly midnight.
Inaho sighed. "I don't know," he replied, squeezing his eyes shut in hopes that sleep would come quickly.
"How can you not know?!" He could feel Slaine sit up in surprise. The sudden cold draft of air made him shiver, and he clutched at the blanket before it could be pulled completely from him.
"I don't particularly care. So, I don't know."
Slaine was not satisfied with that answer. "When is your birthday?"
"February 7th."
"Hm," Slaine thought for a moment, "Aquarius. Caring, inventive, unemotional, stubborn… sounds about right."
Inaho pretended to have fallen asleep. But it was quite cold, being one of the first chilly nights of the season, and so he found it difficult to get comfortable. A steady draft was seeping from the invisible cracks around the window. This was precisely why he preferred the side away from it, but he also did not relish the idea of falling out of the bed.
"Are you cold?" asked Slaine. He was still trying to see out the window, because his voice was still very close. Inaho continued to feign sleep.
"We can turn on the heat, you know," Slaine persisted.
"That's expensive." The words were out of his mouth before he remembered he was 'asleep'. "I'm fine," he added, yawning for emphasis as he willed the shivers away.
"You'll get sick. That costs money and time. Besides, I'm cold, too."
With a long sigh, he looked over his shoulder at Slaine. "Fine."
He felt Slaine slip out of bed, not without a stumbling thump that no doubt was the result of forgetting about the new bed height, and then a few moments later, "How does this work again?"
"Just turn the dial."
He heard the squeaking of the dial as Slaine fiddled with it. "It's not doing anything."
Hauling himself reluctantly out of bed, Inaho trudged over to take a look. Indeed, it was broken. Not that it was much of a surprise, but he wished he had at least anticipated it, and thought to have it fixed before the cold weather set in.
"I guess… we'll manage…" he said unconvincingly, noting how the temperature had dropped in just the past hour.
"There's always the curtain," suggested Slaine.
Inaho gave him a lifeless look. Was that supposed to be a serious suggestion, or was Slaine mocking him? He could not see his expression in the dark. Yet another sigh escaped him, which became more of a yawn. It really was late. Resigned to their fate, they slunk back to bed.
Inaho jolted awake. Someone had just sighed loudly into his ear, and it did not take him long to register who. His first instinct was to push Slaine away, but then he realized he was actually quite comfortable and warm. A thin arm coiled around his chest, one leg clamped over his knees, and a face was nearly buried in the crook of his neck. Inaho stared up at the ceiling. It really was warm…
He had drifted back to sleep at some point but it was not long before he was woken yet again. This time, it was the cold that dragged him from his slumber. Slaine had let go of him, and turned to his other side. He was a little miffed, and too groggy to think clearly, so rather than doing the logical thing and getting up to put more layers on, he simply scooted closer to Slaine. The sleeping one grunted softly as Inaho drowsily squished against him, basking in the warmth.
The next time he woke up, it was to the horrible sensation of falling. And then pain as he landed with a thud on the floor, all tangled in the blanket, and with Slaine's weight on top of him. For a moment he simply stared into the darkness, stunned. How on earth he had ended up on the bottom when Slaine had for this very reason taken the edge, was beyond him, but for the time being all he wanted was to get out from under his roommate and climb back into their comparatively warm bed. Rather than climbing off of him, or apologizing, or anything, Slaine did not move. Then the appalling realization hit him that Slaine was still asleep. Inaho shifted and squirmed in an attempt to free one of his arms, which might help him extract himself from this ludicrous prison, but it only served to rouse Slaine just enough to make himself more comfortable on his new, live bed. Eventually he gave up, and finding Slaine made a rather warm blanket, and that he was far too exhausted for this, drifted off to sleep.
When morning finally came, his eyes gradually opened and focused on the ceiling.
"Ah, you're awake," said Slaine as he exited the bathroom, "The bath is still hot if you want to go hop in. I'm about to make breakfast, if you'd like some."
It was rare that they both got up this early, but it had been a strange, rather restless night. Maybe Slaine had not slept as well as he seemed to have. Shivering, Inaho crept from the tangled blanket and made his way to the steamy bathroom.
"Oh, and I called about the heat," Slaine added, his head buried in the refrigerator, "They're sending someone to fix it in an hour."
Inaho nodded sleepily, and then continued on to his cozy bath. As he slipped into the hot water and leaned his head back contentedly, he thought, all in all, that Slaine wasn't really all that bad. A little strange, perhaps, but somehow… endearing.
a/n: *repeats the word "platonic" to self* (I really needed to indulge after recent chapters of Shattered Chains… writing angst is so draining ;;)
