It was almost one in the morning when the last movie of the night stopped. Daisuke was asleep on the floor, drooling into a pillow and breathing loudly. It wasn't a snore, but the volume nearly made up for it.
Ken was still awake, and so he stood up and turned the television and tape player off. Abruptly, darkness settled over the room. Not knowing where exactly the lamp was in relation to himself, Ken chose the safest option and headed in the direction of the bed. He found it and crawled on top of the blankets while he waited for his eyes to adjust to the dark.
Eventually, he could see the vague outline of shapes. On the floor, Daisuke shifted, and rolled onto his side. The heavy breathing changed to softer snoring. Vee shifted, one large paw bumping Ken on the head as the large dog tried to get more comfortable on the pillow. Worm was sleeping curled against the larger dog, and both animals were hogging all of the top of the bed, leaving Ken with no pillow and his only option of covering to be to pull the blankets up from the foot of the bed.
He closed his eyes, feeling the silence take over. Daisuke had said that he listened to music, but there was no one to turn the radio on when the brunet fell asleep. Now Ken was stuck in a strange room in the dark, with only his mind to occupy him and the sound of Daisuke's snoring to distract him from the normal night-noises that came with houses: boards shifting, window panes rattling, dogs from elsewhere in the neighborhood barking.
When Daisuke had asked him the day before if he had any odd night habits, Ken had lied and told him 'no'. He hadn't wanted to admit to Daisuke, who had seemed ready to tease him already, that he -was- afraid of the dark. Or, rather, the things that could hide in the dark. Ken had woken to too many nightmares of his brother coming for him from the shadows to feel comfortable without some form of light.
If he'd been thinking, he would have left the television on for light. Daisuke wouldn't have had to know that Ken had been awake to turn it off.
After squeezing his eyes shut and listening to the sound of his own heart beating rapidly in his chest, Daisuke got out of bed again, intending to turn the television on to chase the shadows away. Somehow, instead, he found himself kneeling beside Daisuke's sleeping form.
Without giving his mind a chance to register his actions, or their possible cause, Ken stretched out beside Daisuke so that they were face to face, and he could see the other boy's face, even in the shadows. He closed his eyes and waited for the oppressive feeling of the dark to overwhelm him again, but it didn't happen.
A short while later, he was asleep, left arm under his head as a pillow, his right hand resting on the floor between him and Daisuke. He didn't wake up when Daisuke tried to roll back onto his stomach, nor did he wake up when the brunet's movement pushed Ken onto his back, Daisuke lying half on top of him. And he didn't wake up hours later, when the brunet carefully disenganged himself from their sleep-caused tangle of limbs in search of the bathroom and breakfast.
Ken was still awake, and so he stood up and turned the television and tape player off. Abruptly, darkness settled over the room. Not knowing where exactly the lamp was in relation to himself, Ken chose the safest option and headed in the direction of the bed. He found it and crawled on top of the blankets while he waited for his eyes to adjust to the dark.
Eventually, he could see the vague outline of shapes. On the floor, Daisuke shifted, and rolled onto his side. The heavy breathing changed to softer snoring. Vee shifted, one large paw bumping Ken on the head as the large dog tried to get more comfortable on the pillow. Worm was sleeping curled against the larger dog, and both animals were hogging all of the top of the bed, leaving Ken with no pillow and his only option of covering to be to pull the blankets up from the foot of the bed.
He closed his eyes, feeling the silence take over. Daisuke had said that he listened to music, but there was no one to turn the radio on when the brunet fell asleep. Now Ken was stuck in a strange room in the dark, with only his mind to occupy him and the sound of Daisuke's snoring to distract him from the normal night-noises that came with houses: boards shifting, window panes rattling, dogs from elsewhere in the neighborhood barking.
When Daisuke had asked him the day before if he had any odd night habits, Ken had lied and told him 'no'. He hadn't wanted to admit to Daisuke, who had seemed ready to tease him already, that he -was- afraid of the dark. Or, rather, the things that could hide in the dark. Ken had woken to too many nightmares of his brother coming for him from the shadows to feel comfortable without some form of light.
If he'd been thinking, he would have left the television on for light. Daisuke wouldn't have had to know that Ken had been awake to turn it off.
After squeezing his eyes shut and listening to the sound of his own heart beating rapidly in his chest, Daisuke got out of bed again, intending to turn the television on to chase the shadows away. Somehow, instead, he found himself kneeling beside Daisuke's sleeping form.
Without giving his mind a chance to register his actions, or their possible cause, Ken stretched out beside Daisuke so that they were face to face, and he could see the other boy's face, even in the shadows. He closed his eyes and waited for the oppressive feeling of the dark to overwhelm him again, but it didn't happen.
A short while later, he was asleep, left arm under his head as a pillow, his right hand resting on the floor between him and Daisuke. He didn't wake up when Daisuke tried to roll back onto his stomach, nor did he wake up when the brunet's movement pushed Ken onto his back, Daisuke lying half on top of him. And he didn't wake up hours later, when the brunet carefully disenganged himself from their sleep-caused tangle of limbs in search of the bathroom and breakfast.