Chapter Seven: Will you be there in the morning?

Jake was always an early riser. He opened his eyes and saw Tobias' head nestled in the crook of his arm, his arms around Jake as his he were some over sized teddy bear. Then nature decided to ruin his happiness with a rather pressing need.

"Tobias, you need to let me up."

"........mmmmmmmmm...... warm......."

"I know, but I need to get up." A small moan of displeasure as Jake removed himself from Tobias' grip as he wandered into his bathroom to releive himself. He glared downwards at the cause of his interrupted moment of happiness, "You couldn't wait could you?" He blinked as he relized WHAT he was talking to. He laughed and finished up, still smiling. He walked into his room and crawled back into bed.

His mother opened the door, "Jake.....? Oh your up! Who's this?"

"My friend Tobias, Momma. He had a bad dream....."

She smiled and picked up Tobias's clothes from the floor, "I'll just wash these for him."

"Thanks Momma."

Jake was asleep before she even closed the door.
~~~~

Tobias was warm. He felt like his was floating on a warm patch of air. Thermals, he thought as she slowly slid into conciousness. He opened his eyes only to see Jake's brown ones staring at him, "Ja..................Jake?"

"'Morning Toby."

Tobias couls feel a blush creep over his cheeks, "Top of the morning to you." He mumbled, hiding his embrassed tinted cheeks in the pillow he slept on, which smelled like Jake.

A laugh broke through his thoughts, "Oh Tobias, why are you embarressed?"

"We slept in the same bed, Jake, and I wake up to you staring at me! It's EMBARRASSING!" His muffled explaination caused Jake to laugh harder.

"You weren't so embrasses when you wouldn't let me go this morning."

Tobias peeks out from behind his pillow, "What?"

"You had a nightmare last night. You came into my dream, wakeing me up to warn me about it," Tobias' eyes widen in horror, "it as weird, but when I woke up and hugged you, ya'know, to comfort you, you seemed to calm down, and we fell asleep like that. I woke up this morning, with a desperate need to use the bathroom and you wouldn't let me go."

Tobias moaned, "Oh no......."

"What?"

"My mom said......., shit." Tobias glared at Jake, "You repeat ANY OF THIS TO ANYONE and I won't hesitate to kick your ass." He took a deep breath and began again, "My mom said, when I was little, if I was scared, I'd mentally call out to someone who I knew would protect me from something I couldn't fight. Nothing like the demons in your own mind to make you weak and pityful." Tobias muttered, still wrapped up in the cotton sheets of Jake's bed, he barely noticed Jake's facial expression. An expression of worry. "She said something else happened to me in Ireland, something that I deliberately blocked from my mind, that I can't remember anymore, but it still haunts me in my dreams." Tobias!, his mind cried, Stop NOW! Before you spill everything and he knows! "I can never remember what it is that terrifies me, but I wake up screaming." He sat up and shoved his hair out of his eyes, angrily, "Why am I even bothering to tell you all this?!"

"Because your mind reached out to ME! I deserve to know why was that?"

"Because I subcontiously thought you could protect me?" Tobias offered, weakly, his sudden burst of anger gone.

"Because you KNOW I can protect you." Jake said, sitting up, yet staying behind Tobias's rigid form, "Listen Toby, your my friend. If I can help you in anyway I can, whether that means you sharing a bed with me every day of our lives or not!"

Tobias blinked back tears, Jake wrapped his arms around Jake, holding the boy close to him, "Toby........."

"I'm gonna get dressed now, then I'm going home................"

"Toby, no. Stay here for a while."

Tobias wiped at his eyes, "You're right, this is stupid and I'm just being silly." A sigh, "Can I please get dressed?"

"Go right a head."

Tobias turned and looked at the now smirking Jake, "You're still here."

"You're bashful? Shy, even?"

Tobias glared, he already made a fool of himself once, there was no way he was gonna let some.... JAKE make him feel even stupider than he already did. "Fine. Watch! See if I care." He stood and slowly pulled off Jake's shirt from his body, then Jake's pants. He stood in Jake's room, in front of Jake in nothing but his boxers. A small smile played on his lips, until he felt finger tips on the small of his back. "What the......? Jake?"

"You have a tattoo?"

Tobias blushed, "Uhh, yeah."

"It's cool."

"Thanks..........oh god." His breath hissed through his teeth as Jake ran his fingers up Tobias' back, "Damn it, stop that..."

"Distracting?"

"Shut up." Tobias walked to where his clothes should be..... but they weren't there. "My clothes went..... where?"

Jake blinked, "My mom took them."

"Then she saw us.... sleeping like.... oh my god......................" Tobias grabbed Jake's sweatpants and pulled them on. "She saw and....."

"Tobias. I explained it to her. She thinks quite highly of my friends, and will always give a second chance, even if it is still the first chance to her."

Tobias picked up the discarded shirt, then sniffed. Then pulled the shirt over his head, and sniffed again, "Bacon?"

"Breakfast." Tobias' stomache rumbled, "Appearently you are fond of the idea?"

"Always." They left Jake's room and down the stairs, each oblivious to the fact that the other wanted very much to go back into Jake's room and find out what else a little skin bearing can reveal.