Boom.

Entrapta jumped as thunder shook the window pane, and snapped her mask down over her face. She hated thunderstorms in the Fright Zone. At home, she had a pair of earplugs just for this, and the thick stone walls of the Crypto Castle held firm against the howling wind. Here in the Fright Zone, windows shook, shingles clacked, all sorts of odd noises from outside felt like nails against a chalkboard. She needed to find another place to sleep, lest she risk losing a whole night's sleep.

Retreating to the vents did no good. The screaming of the wind was drawn out eerily.

The next place she tried was the Sanctum. Being located in the heart of the fright Zone, perhaps it would be quieter.

Boom.

The thunder caused the metal around her to shudder. She bit back a frustrated groan, covering her ears and moving faster through the vents. Once at her destination, she lowered herself out of the vent as quietly as possible.

"Shouldn't you be asleep?"

Entrapta spun around to see Hordak, still working. "Shouldn't you? She shot back, quickly recovering from her surprise.

"I do not need as much sleep as Etherian's do," Hordak responded, pausing his work to give her his full attention. "But you need around eight hours to be fully functional. You should be sleeping."

Entrapta looked down at her feet, hugging one of her pigtails to her body. Hordak fought to keep his ears from dipping lower with concern. Her mask was down over her face, so he couldn't read her expression. He opened his mouth to ask her about it, when another boom of thunder made the lights flicker. Entrapta cringed.

"Are you... frightened?"

"No! No..." Entrapta shuffled one of her feet back and forth. "It's not scary. It's just... loud, and unexpected. The normal noises are much quieter. But this is different." Boom. She sighed, pulling her mask up. She looked very tired. "And you can hear it everywhere."

Hordak's ear twitched. He rose from his seat and crossed the room to her. He went down on one knee to even out their heights better. "You can hear it everywhere except for one place."

"Where?" Her head tilted to the side. Hordak cleared his throat, mentally preparing himself for rejection.

"My personal chambers do not let any outside noise in, or any inside noise out. If you would like, you may stay there for the night."

"Really?" The mask came up. She looked a little confused, but hopeful.

Boom.

"Yes." Hordak stood, conflicting emotions swirling in the pit of his stomach. "Come, I will show you."

As he turned to lead the way, several strands of hair wound around his hand. After a moment's hesitation, he fought back a smile and held her hair with a firm, gentle grip.

Boom.

He keyed in the passcode, opened the door for her, and watched as she took in the plain room; four blank, grey walls, dim lights lining the perimeter of the room. There was another door that led to another room, but Entrapta reminded herself not to investigate. He was letting her in here because he trusted her, and she didn't want to lose that trust. The room was blissfully silent, as promised. The bed sat in the corner. There was a thick black curtain that could be pulled around it to shut out all light. Entrapta took a step towards it, then paused and glanced back at Hordak.

"Go ahead," he nodded, avoiding eye contact, "see if you like it." He continued to babble awkwardly as Entrapta took her hair from his hand, sat down on the edge of the bed, and ran her hands over the blankets. "If it is not to your satisfaction, I can switch out the sheets, or you can leave, that is fine as well-"

Entrapta sighed and flopped backwards, stretching out over the bed. "It's perfect!"

Hordak's ears twitched. He was silent for a few moments, simply relieved, and then confused as to why he was relieved. "Well then," he concluded, "I will leave you to get some rest." His hand was on the doorknob. Entrapta sat up.

"Where are you going?" she asked softly. Hordak froze.

"Back to work?"

"Don't you need rest too? You've been up late as well."

"I will rest elsewhere. I do not wish to make you uncomfortable."

"It wouldn't make me uncomfortable." Entrapta glanced down at the floor, blushing. "You can stay here... unless you would be uncomfortable. On second thought-" She stood, heart racing. "-I really shouldn't be intruding like this. It's a kind offer, but if you need your space-"

Hordak reached out, giving her plenty of time to see him coming, and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I enjoy sharing my space with you," he said, hoping it sounded right.

"You're sure this is okay?" Entrapta's gaze was stubbornly fixed to the middle of his chest as opposed to his face. With anyone else, this would have made him self conscious of his ports, which were visible without his armor on. But he knew that eye contact was sometimes uncomfortable for her, and she stared at noses or shirts instead to stay focused on the conversation.

"Yes. If you wish for me to stay with you here to rest, I will gladly do so." He gave her shoulder one small squeeze before letting go. Entrapta smiled, glancing up at his face.

"You need it really dark to be able to sleep, don't you?" Entrapta changed the subject, turning to draw the curtain back and forth, feeling how heavy it was.

"Yes. I can see better in the dark than most Etherians can-"

"Your eyes pick up more light?"

"So I need to block more out. Correct."

"Does this button shut them off?" Entrapta gestured at the dim lights in the ceiling with her hair while pointing to the switch on the wall. She climbed back onto the bed to reach it and press it before Hordak could answer. The room was plunged into complete darkness, for Entrapta at least.

"Yes," Hordak answered, a smirk on his face. He sat down on the bed next to her. She fumbled with her mask, removing it and setting on the floor. She also kicked off her shoes, and let her hair down. Hordak drew the curtain around the bed, causing it to get even darker. Entrapta pulled the sheets all the way up, almost over her face. Hordak lay back to back with her, body stiff. She tossed the sheets over him as well so he wouldn't get cold. Her body, so close to his, radiated warmth. In barely any time at all, she was asleep, snoring quietly.

The longer he lay there, the harder it was to keep his eyes open. He felt himself starting to drift off.

The next thing he knew, it was morning. Or at least he assumed so. The room was still extremely dark. At some point during the night, Entrapta had rolled over and her arm ended up around him. Her hair was pooled everywhere, warm and soft. Her forehead was leaning against his back, right between his shoulder blades.

Boom. Boom. Boom.

His heart sounded loud in his ears. He couldn't make himself get up now. That would wake her up. He would just have to wait. That didn't sound too terrible, actually.

A half hour later, Entrapta shifted, humming softly. She stretched, her arms out in front of her and her legs straightening. Her chest pressed into his back. Then she yawned and settled back down. "Morning," she said, voice thick with sleep.

"Good morning," Hordak responded. He could feel her breath, warm against the back of his neck. The feeling sent warmth throughout the rest of his body. A different kind. "I trust you slept well?"

"Mmhm..." Entrapta murmured with a contented sigh. Then she seemed to fully realize the position she was in and sat up, taking her arm from around him. "I'm sorry, was I in your personal space that whole time?"

Hordak chuckled. The definition of personal space changed just a little when you were in the same bed. "I don't mind. What's important is that you got enough rest. You can't work on twenty minutes of dozing. I've tried."

"Especially since I'm Etherian," Entrapta said.

"Especially since you're Etherian," Hordak agreed, nodding.

"I've been trying to solve that problem for like, forever." Entrapta flopped back into the pillows.

Hordak rolled over to face her, and ended up closer than he anticipated. "What problem? Being Etherian?"

"Needing so much sleep. Caffeine works for a lot of people to get them up in the morning, but it had many negative side effects if you have too much of it, or depend on it for too long..."

Hordak listened to her run off on a tangent, running her fingers absentmindedly through her hair. He could get used to this- sharing the bed.