I'm going to try to complete this as quickly as possible, because the idea came to me late last night, like most of random plots. Luckily for me, this WotD actually fits pretty well.
Post Alarm (30).
$4$
Moxie: (n.) vigor; verve; pep; courage and aggressiveness; skill; know-how.
Annie was really warm, but she couldn't move anything more than her right arm.
It was a peculiar realization, but not one vital enough to require her to wake up from her comfy bed. And then her bed moved.
That was enough to require waking her up.
It wasn't so much that her bed moved, per se, it was more like the comforter and sheets on top of her shifted. And then her comforter—heavier than she last remembered it—wrapped itself tighter around her waist. Which, in retrospect, didn't seem like things her comforter could do.
Cracking her dark eyes open, she stared incomprehensibly at the ceiling for a while. That wasn't her ceiling. Or, upon closer inspection, her comforter. Or for that matter, her bare shoulder.
Alarm welled up in her chest, but as quick as it came it was gone, and replaced with the memories of last night. Really, if she did the math, probably less last night and more like a few hours ago. She had been in her own bed, but a frantic call from Auggie during the middle of the night had resulted in an impromptu trip to his apartment.
It had taken a while to calm him down. They stayed curled on the floor, and even as the thunder subsided he never let her go for a minute, loosening his grip only long enough to let her slip out of her drenched coat. She spent the whole time talking to him in hushed, soothing tones, but after an hour she knew there was no way he was going to let her leave and no way they would be able to survive tomorrow without some sleep.
It only took a little effort to get him to stand up, and by that point the terror he had been feeling had melted to sheer exhaustion, so convincing him it was time for sleep wasn't that difficult. In her haste to get to Auggie as fast as possible, she had just thrown on a raincoat and boots over her pajamas, so she didn't need to worry about changing or borrowing his sweats. That was a good, because it seemed the one thing Auggie couldn't manage was to be away from her for longer than a few seconds. It was like he thought if he let go of her, she might disappear.
It was empowering to know he relied on her so much at a time like this, so she didn't say anything when he leaned heavier into her side than usual.
The bed had been a bit of an issue, because as concerned as she was for him, seeing the sheets rumpled at the foot of his bed only made her think of that brunette he mentioned taking home with him. She was willing to take a lot as his best friend—her standing there in his bedroom well past 3 AM more than proved that—but sleeping in those sheets was not happening.
Locating a new set of sheets was easy—he kept them neatly stacked in a shelf in his linen closet, right above the towels, probably for convenience as well as order. Luckily, he returned the favor and didn't question her for a second as she stripped his bed and set out the fresh new sheets. From there, it had been easy to guide Auggie into bed. She hadn't asked, but all the same she had been planning on sharing the space with him in case the storm picked up again. Before she could wander to the other side of the bed, his grip around her elbow tightened unexpectedly and he pulled her down toward him.
She went with the motion, sliding into bed and letting him arrange her comfortably to his side. She had an odd, flitting thought that he was using her like his own personal security blanket, and she smiled involuntarily.
So she was in Auggie's apartment, in Auggie's bed. That was an interesting turn to her Sunday night.
Sunday night. Shit.
Annie cracked her eyes open wider, finally noticing that the room was still surprisingly dim. There was no sound of rain against the windows, which meant the storm was over. What time was it?
She looked over, following the line of Auggie's shoulder and neck to that mess of dark hair. His face was turned toward her, and his eyes were already open. She idly wondered if he had been awake this entire time.
Clearing her throat slightly, she smiled and whispered, "Hey."
"Hey," he said, equally quiet. "Listen, about—"
"It's no problem," she assured him.
"No one else knows," he said.
"No one else will," she promised, using what limited range of motion she had with him half on her body to reach up and squeeze his wrist. "I promise. That's why we're friends."
Auggie smiled.
$4$
I may add to this later in the day if I have time...
