(Noodle's POV)

Indigo hair shadowed a young woman's face as she looked about the small, convenient bedroom. A red glow pooled into the small space from the lava lamp that sat atop a bedside table with an alarm clock and an orange pill bottle sitting close by. The room was noticeably cleaner than when she'd first seen him on the island, and she had to admit, it was sweet of 2D to treat her with upmost respect and did the most he could, by cleaning his room to where it was decent for a visitor.

Before her was the same bed she laid on in hopes to comfort her insecure friend, Stuart Pot, who fought off demons and nightmares in his head.

2D has been through shit to have forgotten the differences between reality and dream-state… Although he's always been a little jumpy at times, he's gone from a strong mental status to one that's beaten down and worn away. He seems to look like he's in some sort of trance when he looks at me; he's there with me physically, but it's as if he's captivated in his thoughts, miles away from me…

She walked along the side of the bed, tracing her fingertips along the soft linen of his bed until her hand fell off numbly and she took her eyes back to the bedside table. She frowned at the capsules that were encased in the orange container and she reached out, grasping it and taking it to her face, examining the medication.

Every green and white patterned pill was engraved with "10 mg" and her green eyes flashed to the bottle, the label reading "Lortab".

Noodle's eyebrows furrowed together as her eyes skimmed the possible symptoms listed on the label, but could only read a few, since it ended with "consult your physician for more information on your prescribed medication".

Nausea. Sweating. Unusual thoughts or behavior. Drowsiness-anxiety-seizure-slowed heartbeat-loss of appetite- discoloration of the skin or eyes.

These were symptoms that 2D could get by one dose, but from what she'd seen earlier, he took a few and didn't care to count how many there was.

Oh Toochie… Why are you doing this to yourself…?

She brought a shaky hand to her mouth and she set the bottle gently on the table, unable to breathe without letting out an uneven sigh which slowly began to grow into a silent lament for 2D.

You are risking your life by taking these supplements… You're throwing yourself into drugged nightmares and nervous outbreaks… You were wandering aimlessly on these beaches and Murdoc didn't even attempt to help you when I was gone… Stuart… I can't watch you do this to yourself. I can't…

Noodle seized up her anger and curled her hands into fists, popping her knuckles and grinding her teeth while she blinked away tears that threatened to fall on her face.

Begrudgingly, Noodle climbed onto the mattress and huffed out a sigh of defeat, realizing she couldn't change a thing. She can only throw out empty pleas and hope that 2D stay safe, no matter what decision he makes.

She was only that friend that could hold back her thoughts and keep them in her head, using every ounce of her will to hold back from physically harboring the addiction and weaning him off of the drugs that he seemed to take fairly frequently. She could only watch, holding in her thoughts on the man who'd changed in the five years that she'd gone missing.

Turning on her side, she glared at the wall, but her eyes softened when she thought of how quietly Stuart had been when she held him, hours ago on this same bed.

Her mind raced back to that and she longed for that chance to hold him again, whether he was upset or not; his soft pale skin, the bright blue hair, the sadness in his eyes that never left- it was home in her eyes. Ever since she was a child, she had been treated like that- cradled in his long arms when she wanted someone to love her, care for her and guide her through her teenage years until she left them in all in a sudden moment of gunshots and fire.

But now, when she returned to that home that she was sure she'd lost, she wasn't sure it was a family figure anymore. It was something else that she couldn't pick out, and it made her all the more worried for his health and newborn addiction.

Well…who knows when he started taking that many doses…? He might've begun years ago and I would've never known because I was gone. I was gone and I was the one who left him like this.

Noodle closed her eyes and curled beneath the covers, hearing the pipes overhead shut off and the sound of water receding, leaving her in the bone-chilling silence.

She buried her face into the covers and took in the scent of butterscotch and cigarette smoke; Noodle smiled and was lulled to sleep, emerged in her memories and bittersweet sadness.

(2D's POV)

A little while later, after all his thoughts and problems washed down the drain, Stuart finished his shower and dried himself off, clothing himself with all he had and hung the black towel over his shoulders. He tossed his dirty clothes into the hamper over besides the door, then turned the knob and opened up to the dark hallway with a single light down near the elevator.

Steam flooded out of the room when 2D left the room and he weaved through the clutter in the hallway, stepping over all of Murdoc's junk that he never bothered to drag into his room.

Lazy twat…

2D began to flip through ideas and played scenes in his head, figuring out what to do for the majority of the night. He refused to take his pain killers, for they only made him fatigued and he'd already slept most of that day off. He was determined to stay up for the majority of that night, and whether Noodle was going to join him was up to her.

He pondered on these things as he took the elevator down to his room.

Marathon of Dawn of the Dead. Yep.

2D shook his towel over his head, scrubbing the water out and then smoothing his hair down when the elevator jerked and the metal doors opened to his bedroom.

As he expected, Noodle was already situated on his bed, but he didn't expect her to be asleep that quickly. He'd only been occupied in the bathroom for twenty minutes at most!

He flashed his gaze to the alarm clock which read, "9:17 PM". He'd been in there for almost a full hour.

2D just shrugged at this, ruffled his hair again and laid the towel out on the railing at the foot of his bed, careful as to not wake up the sleeping woman whose back was to him. Her purple hair covered the majority of her face while her body was curled beneath the mass of comforters on his bed, only letting out a faint snoring that 2D could barely catch.

Smirking, 2D turned away and frowned when he realized that the sound of the television would wake his sleeping visitor, so he began to pace his room, evaluating his choices.

He eliminated the choice of setting the television on mute and adding subtitles. Imagining the sounds of zombies tearing flesh and blood-curdling screams wasn't the same as what was provided in the footage.

There was the option of books, but it was difficult reading in just the light of a lava lamp. So he ruled reading as well as drawing and writing with the choices he was given.

So he twiddled his thumbs, puzzled in the limited options he considered until he bowed his head in defeat and rubbed his neck.

I won't always get the things I want…But at least I'll know that Noods is safe here with me and Russ watching over her…

He lifted the covers and crawled into the bed, laying on his back and enjoying the warmth that Noodle's body gave off.

The stir on the bed, unfortunately, woke up Noodle who flipped over and stared blankly at Stuart for a couple of seconds. Her tired eyes were clouded with sleep and her purple bangs covered her eyes, making it harder for her to see him in the red glow of the lava lamp.

"2D-san…," she began in a drowsy voice.

"Sorry I woke you, Love. Go back to sleep," Stuart murmured in a hushed tone.

She yawned out a, "mhmm," before she curled into the grown man's arm and quickly fell unconscious.

When he could hear the rhythmic sound of her breathing slow to an even pace, he relaxed and laid his head back against the edge of his pillow.

I'm tired of sleeping… And I'm tired of waking from nightmares too… But I guess it's the only choice I've got…

2D turned to the lump under his covers that hid Noodle's tiny frame and he smiled lightly at how her smaller body fit so well into the crook of his own. It felt odd to him, considering the fact that it'd been years since he'd last had a girlfriend to sleep with, much less have a girlfriend at all. That comfort of a second person lying beside him was not only warming to his body, but it softened the busy thoughts that drove through his mind and reverberated through his ears.

It mellowed him and came to him as a remedy: the feeling of being needed by someone other than a drunken materialist with green skin.

The fact that Noodle was alive at all was something that made him tenderhearted and hopeful. If he managed to push back the unexpected feelings he had for her now, he could stabilize their friendship and fortify it. But still…there was that feeling in the back of his head, snagging at his thoughts and keeping him from it.

This is wrong. I can't do this… Think of what Muds would say…What Russ would do. If we find a way to get off the island, what would my morals prove? Noodle is YEARS younger than me; she sees me as an older sibling with weird hair and smashed in face! I'm no good: let it go.

The warmth that enclosed his body left and he let the voices in his head get full access to him, manipulating his spirit and pricking at it with the name he was avoiding all night.

Pedophile….

Closing his eyes, he flipped to his other side and curled into a ball, coldness sweeping into his exposed shoulders and torso.

Pedophile….

Uncomfortable, he turned once more so he lay on his back again and pleaded his body to succumb to sleep.

It was half an hour later before his body finally gave into his internal cries and took him into the first dreamless sleep he had in years.

(Author's Note)

Oh look-it! Noodle's got secrets to hide too… How cute.

I love that you like my story. I'm working on 2D's backbone. He's gotta man-up sooner or later… But realize it's only been a day. A few hours of repairing isn't much, but I'm working on it because I know how much you might be tired of him being depressed & insecure…

But that's kinda what this story is about… Sorry guys.

Thanks for your feedback!

I'LL BE HEADING OUT TO VACATION TODAY! I won't be able to update as often, I don't think, so I posted a chapter early today. I'm hoping that the mountains will have a decent wireless connection…

I love you all! I hope you've liked it so far!

Review please.

I don't own Gorillaz.