The Sound of Drums (Age 16)

Prompt #80: Noise

Genre: Hurt/ Comfort

Summary: Koschei is troubled by the drumming.

Theta was lying on his back staring up at the gloomy high vaulted ceilings of Dormitory 7 without really seeing it. It was half an hour since the lights had been turned out and the room shrouded in darkness. In eighteen of the other beds that filled the enormous space, his peers were also lying silently asleep or waiting for sleep to claim them. In the nineteenth bed, four spaces down to the left of his own, Theta could feel that Koschei was lying awake and that he was still in agony.

All day Koschei had been suffering. The noise that he could hear inside his head; the drumming had been so loud that it was actually causing him pain. Koschei had struggled on through his lessons, refusing to tell the professors that he was ill despite Theta's pleas. By the time that the pair had finally been released from Temporal Science, their final lesson of the day Koschei could barely see straight. He had clung to Theta's arm and he'd led his friend back to their dormitory; Koschei had lain down on his bed, refusing to move, even for dinner.

Theta had spent the evening sitting with him running his hands across Koschei's forehead trying to sooth the pain for him but then the bell had sounded for lights out and Theta had had to go to his own bed but he couldn't even think of trying to sleep when he knew Koschei was suffering so badly.

A snore, from the bed on Theta's right, told him that Amis had finally fallen asleep. Theta breathed a sigh of relief. Amis was known to be the biggest tell-tale in the eighth year and if he caught Theta sneaking around after lights out, then it was a certainty that the professors would hear about it and he would find himself in serious trouble; possibly even transferred to another dormitory before breakfast. They wouldn't care about his reasons. They'd only care that he had broken the rules.

Another fifteen minutes passed by, Theta counted them by the quiet ticking of the Grandfather clock that stood at the end of the long corridor-like chamber and then he heard it; the door at the far end of the dormitory clicked open and the night orderly entered making bed-checks. These checks were made every two hours during the night, just in case any students were tempted to get out of bed for any reason other than to use the bathroom.

Theta heard the night orderly pass by his bed and listened while he continued on his way, eventually when he heard him leave the room Theta slowly slid his blankets back and sat up.

His eyes had become accustomed to the darkness and Theta was able to manoeuvre himself past four of his sleeping classmates in absolute silence and find his way to Koschei's bed.

Koschei's eyes were open but he didn't move at all as Theta pulled back his bed covers and slid underneath them. He blinked only once as Theta clasped his hand tightly and shuffled close so that their bodies were flush against each other in the small space.

'Are you ok?' Theta asked, through the psychic link that they had shared since they were ten years old.

'No,' Koschei replied and Theta felt a tremor pass through his body. 'They're getting louder Thete. I can't stand it.'

'Ssh,' Theta soothed. He kept Koschei's hand clasped tightly in his left hand and brought his right hand up to gently caress Koschei's forehead.

'Can't you hear them?' Koschei asked desperately pleading and Theta saw that there were tears pricking at his eyes.

'No,' Theta replied sadly. 'I'm so sorry Kosch. I wish I could I really do.'

'It's real,' Koschei insisted. 'It's real. Why can't you hear it?'

'I don't know love,' Theta told him, feeling so utterly helpless. It broke his hearts to see Koschei in so much pain and distress. 'I wish you'd tell the nurses.'

'I can't,' Koschei replied, suddenly looking terrified. 'I can't tell anybody Thete. They'll think I'm mad. Father will send me away. I can't... please don't tell anybody.'

'I won't,' Theta reassured him. 'I promised you love and I meant it. I won't tell them.'

'Thank you,' Koschei sighed, relieved and then shook his head sharply, screwing his eyes up tightly. 'Why won't they be quiet? I can't think; I can't sleep. I can't stand it anymore. I just want it to stop.'

Theta let out a breath as he watched Koschei's beautiful face contorted in pain. He wanted to do something, anything to take his pain away. Theta concentrated hard and focused all of his energy on their psychic link. He could feel Koschei's pain; his anxiety and fear but he couldn't hear anything in Koschei's mind; there was no noise at all.

Theta let his mind begin to wander; picturing anything and everything that he thought might help sooth Koschei. He thought about the time that they had spent together as children playing in the woods on the summit of Mount Perdition, building dens out of sticks and hiding themselves away in their own little world; how safe they'd felt up there just the two of them.

Gradually Theta felt Koschei begin to relax.

Theta's thoughts shifted. He pictured the river bank near his family home. Koschei loved it there. He remembered the day that they'd spent sitting there for hours watching the water running over the rocks, just sitting together in companionable silence and then he remembered how Koschei had leaned over and kissed him and how nervous excitement had pooled in the pit of his stomach as he'd shyly responded.

Koschei's breathing became more regular, his muscles unclenched.

Then Theta leaned forward and kissed Koschei lightly, all the time whispering words of love and devotion through their link. He felt Koschei respond and gradually he deepened the kiss, running his hand across Koschei's back in a comforting motion.

'I love you,' Theta whispered as they parted for air.

'I love you too,' Koschei replied softly. 'They've stopped.'

Theta smiled and pulled Koschei close to him. Koschei responded by burying his face in Theta's neck.

'Sleep now, love,' Theta told him. He held Koschei until he felt his breathing change and he knew that his lover had fallen asleep.

Theta pressed a kiss to Koschei's forehead and lay there a while longer watching the face of his lover relaxed in sleep. Then, carefully, so as not to wake Koschei, Theta slipped out from under the covers and carefully made his way back to his own bed.

As he nestled his head against the pillow Theta allowed himself to breathe a sigh of relief but he was still worried. It wasn't right, this drumming; in fact it frightened him. This was the worst attack that he'd ever witnessed Koschei suffering and Theta wished with all his hearts that he would stop being so stubborn and ask for help; he could at least mention it to the Prydonian nurses or to his parents.

The thought occurred to him that he could do it himself. He could go to the nurses and tell them about Koschei's attacks, but that would mean breaking his lover's confidence and Theta knew that he could never do it. Koschei was his best friend and more than that Theta was in love with him. He couldn't betray his trust. Koschei would never forgive him if he did.

No. Theta would just have to hope that this was something that would get better over time; that it would pass.

Theta closed his eyes but sleep didn't come quickly.