Murdoc jolts awake to the sensation of a warm body pressing up against him. Not completely sure what's going on, the man props himself up on his elbow, then reaching to the lamp so he can pull the string. The room lights dimly, as if an orange evening sunset has materialised from nowhere and painted itself across Murdoc's walls.
His vision adjusts enough so he can see who's here in bed with him. Reasonably certain that he hadn't had any bird over last night, it's confusing to him as to why he's not alone. Eventually, it registers in his sleep-lagging mind that it's Noodle who'd disturbed his sleeping. Usually, he'd be upset, but.."Noodle, dove."
Noodle takes a moment to reply. "Mu-doc. Want." She explains tiredly. Her voice is muffled by Murdoc's shirt. "Is cold." The girl tries to get as close to Murdoc as she physically can. He smells of cigarettes and sweat, but that's just part of the whole 'claiming Murdoc's bed while he's in it' endeavour.
Murdoc lets her, chuckling softly. "Is it, now?" His hand gently combs through Noodle's hair. "You've gotten your own blankets for a reason." His accent is especially thick, as it so often gets when he's sleep deprived or very drowsy.
"Hmm.." She presses her ear to rest on his chest, then listening to his heartbeat for a moment. "No good.. Mu-doc. A Mu-doc." Noodle seems to have her mind set on staying in Murdoc's bed. After all, it's her favourite place to sleep aside from Russel's bed. "Noodle stay, yeah?"
"Don't have another choice, then, do I?" Murdoc adjusts his pillow, his other hand resting on Noodle's back. The girl giggles a bit.
"No, Noodle stay." Noodle's breathing seems shallow, now that Murdoc is actually alert to a point. Almost like she'd been running. He frowns.
"You had another nightmare?" He presses, closing his eyes and leaving his head against the headboard. "It's been happening, uh, more often, hasn't it?" Murdoc sighs.
Noodle pauses. "..Hai.. Sleeps bad." She admits, her gaze travelling to his face.
"Want to talk about it, dove?" Offers the man, meeting the child's eyes.
"Can not, um. In.. In right.. Word." She frowns, wishing her spoken English was developed more.
"Right, right. Not enough English." He sighs. "Well. That's okay."
Noodle's mouth curves into a smile. "Hai. Mu-doc. Mu-doc, umm, uh, sleep?"
"Yeah. Long as you will." The Satanist yawns, pulling the lamp string so that the room goes dark. "You want your blanket?" Murdoc smirks.
"Has a blanket." She pulls up Murdoc's comforter over the both of them, not caring that the thing probably hasn't been washed in years. The child sighs with contentment once she realises that the nightlight is on over by the door to the loo. "Sleeps."
"Mhm. Night, dove." Murdoc feels a sudden weight on the space between his neck and right collarbone. The smell of artificial strawberries and vanilla fills his senses as he adjusts his head so it's rested on hers. The child's legs manage to tangle around his right arm, and he doesn't much mind it.
"Loves Mu-doc." She whispers.
Murdoc is startled awake again by the feeling of movement in his bed. The weight is still on his collarbone, and the sound of Noodle's breathing close to his ear. The child mutters in Japanese in her sleep; sometimes even seeming to sing, but he isn't ever upset about it. She's got a real talent for singing. If only she would realise that she's allowed to sing as well as play guitar. No matter.
The Satanist doesn't even bother with the lights at this point. "Who's there?" He mumbles.
There's the sound of a sniff in reply. "Me-- me. Had a.. Um.."' 2D's voice is shakey. The man curls up on the other side of Murdoc.
"Nightmare, eh?" The green man frowns. "I suppose you should tell me about it, hmm?" He lets 2D rest his head on the other part of his collar and twist his long legs around with Murdoc's. He watches the singer take one of Noodle's hands and hold it in his, then resting both on Murdoc's chest.
"Yes-- yeah. I. Um. Dreamed about how I drowned in a swimming pool. And then I dreamed it again. And again. And again. And agai-"
"I get it. One of those dreams where you can't wake yourself up, yeah." He pauses. "You've not even gone swimming in years, though. And you're tall enough to touch bottom if you need to, see."
"But it felt so real!" 2D whines. Noodle whimpers in her sleep.
"Sweet Satan, keep your bloody voice down." Murdoc hisses. "If you go swimming in a pool sometime, we'll get you some of those floating tubes, like those colourful ones in America. How's that?"
The older man feels 2D nod slightly. "Yes. But you were laughing at me. As I drowned. And Noodle was crying, and Russel was dead already."
Murdoc is silent for a moment. "Eh. Maybe I'd laugh a bit towards the beginning." He admits. "But I wouldn't let you die, otherwise I'd be short a singer, now, wouldn't I? And that'd be, er. Inconvenient."
The bluenette hums a bit in reply. "I suppose so."
"Russel won't die. You've seen the man. He's rather like an angry wall of meat or something." The Satanist points out, yawning. "Think you can sleep?"
"Hmm. Yes, I might do that. If. If it's alright with you." Stuart's breath is warm against Murdoc's neck.
The Satanist nods. "It's alright, yes. Just don't kick around too much, you'll wake Noodle. She had a bad night, too. Came in here round an hour ago."
"Oh dear. It's sad she gets nightmares, she's," a yawn, "she's so little."
"Mhm. Think she was lonely, too." Murdoc agrees.
"Ohh. She does get that way a lot, yeah?" Stu gives her hand a gentle squeeze.
"Yes, rather unfortunate. But it's alright, she's sleeping well." Murdoc says. "I think she didn't want to bother Russel, he wasn't feeling well earlier, hmm. Not been getting enough sleep."
"You either." 2D's accent seems to be morphing into something even more incomprehensible than usual.
Murdoc pats 2D's head. "Go to sleep, now. You're too tired to talk."
He feels the younger man nod against his jaw.
Hey, guys!
My school starts on Wednesday. I'm really nervous!
I might not keep updating, not sure yet. But I'll see what happens!
Until next time (?)
Liz
