Listening
Note:
listen /ˈlisən/ n. an act of listening to something. v. 1. to give one's attention to a sound. 2. to take notice of and act on what someone says. 3. to make an effort to hear something; be alert and ready to hear something.
There is sound, even in silence. Will knows this. He knows that it's when the world is otherwise silent that you can hear the what really matters.
Tonight he's awake, but not like he was the last night. Tonight he's not filled with dread and fear and tension, but with a tranquility, taking stock of the sounds around him - the sounds filling the silence.
In the other room, the new air conditioner drones softly, contentedly cooling. The faucet in the bath leaks, dripping water slowly wearing away the porcelain around the drain. Somewhere above a board creaks.
If he listens closer he can hear the hum of the aged cooler, the occasional crack of ice settling, and outside the window the buzz of a streetlamp.
But most importantly, he hears the soft hush breathing beside him. The gentle sound of life and slumber that tells him that Bran is there, that he's not some figment dreamt up, but solid and real.
Will smiles softly in the dark, rolling over to pillow his head on Bran's shoulder, listening to the gentle hiss of his fingers over the fabric of Bran's t-shirt and the soft shifting sounds of two bodies adjusting to fit together.
