"Jesus! What the-?!" Weronika whisper-shrieked, heart taking off a second time. She was so overwhelmed that she forgot what got it racing the first time. Then she came to some of her senses. "What the heck are you doing here?!" Meeting her halfway in the hallway was Neo Lone, her unit-mate and… flat-mate! We're not technically ROOMmates because we don't actually share a ROOM together… God… Idiot, idiot, idiot! Stupid, stupid, stupid! I am the DUMBEST motherfu—
"I was coming to speak with you, actually," Neo said, tone light and airy, expression disinterested and bored.
"What?!" For a third time, cognition momentarily evaded Weronika Seperack. Neo was swift to continue, before Weronika could.
"I was having a restless night, and so thought I would come to you for suggestions, ideas, or advice on how to remedy the situation."
"Me?!" Weronika poked herself in the chest with a thumb. "And at like… 4:00AM?!" It was a good thing she and Neo remembered to whisper-yell.
"You are the only elder sibling of the unit, are you not?" Neo drawled, and at last, Weronika finally expressed something other than anger.
"Pfft! What?! You sayin' you want me to be your onee-sama now? HAHAHA!" Weronika had to snort to keep her laugh from getting too loud while Neo scowled at her, crossing her arms. It was a pose that would've intimidated most people, but not Weronika. She only laughed even more.
"And what of you, Weronika?" The leader and main vocalist of Abyssmare finally demanded. "You nearly ran into me as well, did you not?"
It was evident from where and how Weronika stood in the hall that she was not on her way to the bathroom, kitchen, or any other common area. Instead, she was on her way to Neo's room. Weronika's stomach plummeted. Ah. Yes. The thing that sent her heart racing the first time, and sent her racing to Neo's room… They danced around the issue as if performing onstage. Something clearly spooked both of them, but of course, neither wanted to be the first to admit it. Admit that they were afraid, and that they'd gone to each other for comfort… So, how did they get the support they needed while keeping their dignity intact? Hmm…
"It is cold," Neo finally said, and as painfully obvious and pathetic of an excuse and segue as her words were, she was not wrong. It was the Christmas season, and as luxurious as the Japanese apartment was in which Abyssmare stayed, no one enjoyed standing around a cold, dark hallway in pajamas in late December. "I will allow you to be as my bunkmate, but only for this one night. Consider it… a Christmas gift," she scoffed dryly.
"So you're saying you wanna sleep with me?!" Weronika reeled back, almost forgetting to whisper-yell. Mistletoe? More like mistle-foe…
"If that is what you took from my words," Neo replied, fighting to keep an even tone as she smirked, thanking the darkness for its concealment. She pushed open her bedroom door again, this time wide enough for two rather than one. No one should've had to spend Christmas night alone…
"It's- it's- it's not like I mind sleeping with you, you know?!" Weronika insisted as she shoved her way into Neo's room after Neo, trying to sound surly. Only after Neo looked over her shoulder with a raised eyebrow, teasing, did Weronika realize her error. Oh… Damnit! "Shut it, Neo!"
"I didn't say a word." Neo turned away, blonde hair swishing behind her, eyes closed and nose in the air. Weronika, darling, she thought with a snide smile, you simply MUST get better about not digging your own grave so deeply! You make it too easy! It is almost insulting.
Weronika growled, but followed Neo to bed. "It wasn't even that scary of a nightmare, anyway…" Ah. So that was what it had been.
"What happened in it?" Neo asked, tone still vaguely aloof as she and Weronika slowly, carefully crawled into bed together, each one trying desperately to ignore all the feelings that came with getting so close to the other while under covers.
"Sophia turned into this giant, like, werewolf-Krampus hybrid thing, and was trying to pick us off one by one!" Weronika admitted, murmuring.
"Hm. Sounds as though you may need to consume less eggnog from now on," Neo remarked glibly, both eyebrows raised.
"Hey!" Weronika shook a fist. "I told you it wasn't scary! Just got my blood pumpin', is all! Now I'm too worked up and excited to go to sleep!"
Sure, Weronika. But Neo could not fault the other singer. She did not delight in the thought of disclosing her disturbing dream either. Almost a comical counterpoint to Weronika's dream of overstimulation, Neo's was… complete, utter isolation. The entire world was empty, no life except plants to be found anywhere. Every last person and animal on Earth was suddenly… gone, and Neo could reach no one. She was all alone.
It was a lot more upsetting and despairful than it sounded, though even when Neo finally found the courage to briefly summarize what happened, she refused to acknowledge how shaken up the nightmare truly left her. It was just being by herself. Not particularly scary. Right? But the mere memory of the nightmare was enough to make her skin crawl. Mom and Dad were gone. Unit-mates were gone. Even the rival DJs and Sho! No matter where Neo went, she was alone… So, how did she and Weronika get the support they needed while keeping their dignity intact? Hmm…
Weronika lay on one side of the bed, Neo on the other, a wall of pillows planted firmly between them, clearly marking each girl's borders and boundaries. Not even an inch of skin or hair was to cross that fluffy, white line. Weronika could only stare at the dark ceiling, almost scowling.
Is she staring at the ceiling too? With that flat, bland expression of hers? Gah! She's so freaking creepy sometimes! Like a robot!
"Weronika." Abyssmare's main vocalist suddenly addressed the second, voice flat as always.
"WHAT?!" Genuinely startled by Neo's uncanny ability to catch her completely off guard, Weronika yelped.
"Are you attempting to inform Elsie and Sophia of our sleeping arrangements as well?" Neo drawled, smirking to herself through the dark.
"Well, why're you tryna talk to me when we're tryna sleep?" Weronika whined, defensive and embarrassed, crossing her arms.
"Why do you grind your teeth so loudly while we attempt to fall asleep?" Neo asked back, and Weronika flinched again.
Gah…! Damnit… So that's how she got me! Grrr… She rolled over in bed, facing away from Neo with even more stubbornness and defiance.
"Was this proposal not meant to alleviate nightmares?" Neo finally asked outright, and Weronika nearly fell out of the bed in surprise at the directness of the question, whipping back around to face Neo again. She, however, was adamant in all of her denials.
"It's just because you are scarier than any nightmare!" Weronika snapped. Seriously, bring back hungry Werewolf Krampus Sophia please! I don't want to be on the Naughty List anymore if it means I have to endure… one night with Neo… Never mind that she'd asked and agreed to it.
"Ah, so I have successfully chased your night terrors away?" Neo asked in mock interest, smirking in mock pleasantry.
"Hey! Don't go twisting it around and getting all proud, now!" Weronika warned, pointing an accusatory finger at the blonde, and although the blonde would never admit it out loud, she could admit to herself that she almost understood exactly what Weronika was trying to deny.
Neo, too, felt a little less afraid with the other girl so near. Then again, what nightmare wouldn't flee from Weronika? Just as Weronika thought of her… Neo laughed to herself as Weronika continued to growl, protest, and blush beside her, creating a pleasant and steady drone that Abyssmare's leader and vocalist slowly but surely drifted off to…
As both girls would be long lost to sleep by then, neither would know whose hand reached through the pillow wall first, or how long it took the other to wrap back around the first. All either singer knew was that, by dawn, they woke up warm even though there was frost on the window and snow on the ground. Their hands and fingers were still intertwined. They both woke up to see it, but neither wanted to be the first to address it.
Truly, Weronika was tired even as sunlight slanted in through ice and glass, scarier than ANY nightmare… What a Christmas gift! … Ba humbug.
AN: Merry Abyssmas 2023 to my best friend, HellisJustAplace (DeviantArt) aka Hell_is_just_a_place (AO3). Here's your Neonika!