10 Late Night Moments
Title: Late Night Swimming
Fandom: Doctor Who
Rating: G
Word COunt: 100
Summary: The Doctor wants to go swimming. Jamie isn't impressed.
“Come on, Jamie!” The Doctor was bouncing up and down. “We’re on Dellious Minor and it’s lovely! There’s such a big swimming pool!”
“What?” Jamie mumbled. “Doctor, it’s the middle of the night!”
“Nonsense,” the Doctor said. “Well. It’s a bit dark, I suppose. But it’s a perfectly good time!”
“Doctor, go away.”
“Fine,” the Doctor said with a sniff. “I shall go swimming without you and you shall be sorry.”
Jamie went back to sleep. When he woke up again, they were in flight and the Doctor had a bruise. He wouldn’t tell Jamie where it had come from.
Title: Oddness
Fandom: Doctor Who
Rating: G
Word COunt: 100
Summary: Rory thinks it's strange that they know when night is.
It’s funny, knowing that it’s night on the TARDIS.
Rory isn’t ever sure how they know exactly. But they somehow always do. They always know when it’s time for bed or if they are staying up too late or if it’s early in the morning somewhere. The lights always seem the same and there’s hardly any clocks (and those he can find don’t always make sense) and it nearly never matches the times on the planets that they land on. But they know. They always know.
Just another of the many things that are odd about travelling with the Doctor.
Title: Change of Heart
Fandom: Sarah Jane Adventures
Rating: G
Word COunt: 134
Summary: Clyde never thought much of nighttime before.
Clyde always thought that night was rubbish before.
It was just a time when you had go to bed and be quiet and be sensible and well-behaved. All the stuff he never wanted to be. And worse, that was when Mum and Dad used to fight, all hissy whispers that sometimes turned into angry yells that he had to pretend not to hear. No, night was rubbish.
But now, it’s different. Now, night’s the time when stuff happens, all the time. When he can look up in the space and see the stars and know there’s so much up there, so many amazing things. The time when Sarah Jane sometimes calls and he gets to see meteor showers or aliens flying over ahead.
Night’s so much better now Sarah Jane is in his life.
Title: Nightmares
Fandom: Detective Academy Q
Rating: G
Word COunt: 100
Summary: Ryu has a nightmare.
“Ryu? Are you awake?”
Ryu was awake. He had just had a nightmare and he had an uncomfortable feeling that the only reason Kyuu was awake was because he’d heard him whimpering.
“Yes,” he whispered back, hoping that Kyuu wouldn’t ask anything and half hoping he would.
“Are you okay?”
“Of course,” Ryu whispered, staring at the ceiling. “I’m fine.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
Ryu closed his eyes again, the dream flickering behind his eyelids. His grandfather. Darkness and blood. A feeling of falling down into depths he could never escape from. Trapped.
“No. It’s nothing, Kyuu.”
Title: Nocturnal
Fandom: Black Books
Rating: PG
Word COunt: 164
Summary: Every now and then, Bernard decides to go nocturnal.
Every now and then, Bernard Black would decide to go nocturnal.
It drove Fran and Manny completely mad. Not only did they have to look after the shop all day, Bernard would then wake them up shrieking that it was time to get up and that sleep was for tortoises and that things needed doing. Of course, no customers ever came because it was the middle of the night - which Bernard liked. He would sit at the desk, cackling gently and throwing books at Manny when he tried to nap and ringing Fran up to find out why she hadn’t come over yet.
Luckily, there was one easy way to get him back to normal.
“The overnight shop closed and you’ve drunk all the wine. We’ll have to wait until morning!”
“What?! No! Outrage! Scandal! Why don’t they open shops at a normal time? This is too much!”
Then he would go back to getting up at a normal time.
For a while, anyway.
Title: Waking
Fandom: Harry Potter
Rating: G
Word COunt: 100
Summary: Harry often wakes in the night.
Sometimes Harry wakes up in the night.
Sometimes it’s because of his nightmares. Dreams of blood and fear and loneliness. Dreams of an aching scar, of lying hungry in a cold tent. Of being alone in a small locked cupboard, wondering if anybody is ever going to care about him. Sometimes it’s the old, old dream of pain and a bright flash of green light that always seems to be etched on his eyeballs when he wakes up.
But more and more often these days, it’s because James is screaming his little lungs out.
Harry likes it best like that.
Title: While They Sleep
Fandom: Death Note
Rating: PG
Word COunt: 276
Summary: Ryuk watches people sleep.
Ryuk liked to wander around at night.
He can’t go too far from Raito, obviously. That wouldn’t be right. But he likes to wander a little, see what’s around. Look at how the humans sleep.
Sayu always sleeps all flung out, limbs everywhere. Her hair’s always trying to escape from its ponytail, getting everywhere. Soichiro sleeps all stiff and locked up, which is pretty much how he sleeps in real life. Sachiko is a bit more floppy but even she looks pretty tense. Probably it’s cause she’s married to such a tense guy. The Yagamis could really try and lighten up.
He’s not attached to Raito when Raito’s with L so he never sees how that guy sleeps. Bit disappointing really - Ryuk betted it would have been a hoot. But he gets to see how Misa sleeps and she’s weird. Sometimes, she’s all curled up, so tight. Other times, she’s weirdly open, like Sayu, only sort of stiffer. And sometimes, she clings to Raito, trying to hang on and he just wriggles away from her or even gets out of bed and goes to sleep somewhere else. He just doesn’t like people to encroach on his personal space.
When they’re in America, he gets to see the rest of the taskforce. Aizawa sleeps like someone who is uncomfortable on his own. Which Ryuk guesses makes sense - obviously he likes his wife being there. Makes him different from Raito anyway. Matsuda’s floppy, like Sayu, but he twitches all the time, endlessly. Which is kind of weird.
Ide sleeps like a board. And snores. Ryuk finds it totally hilarious.
He likes them all better when they’re awake though.
Title: Promises
Fandom: Merlin
Rating: PG
Pairing: Arthur/Merlin
Word COunt: 286
Summary: Arthur makes all sorts of promises in the dark. For angelqueen04.
“I’ll always take care of you.”
Arthur promised Merlin a lot of things at night. He always did. It was one of the things that always reminded Merlin that their nights weren’t just playful tussles to be quickly forgotten. It meant something.
“You’re my friend. I care about you.”
He said it at night long before he could admit it in the day. Merlin never mentioned anything Arthur said in the dark when the light came up. It was their private time, it wouldn’t have been fair. But he knew about it. He always knew.
“Merlin. Merlin, you’ll stay with me, won’t you?”
Merlin rarely says anything back. He answers when Arthur asks questions about the sex - he always wants Arthur to know how much he loves this, never wants Arthur to think of a second that he doesn’t delight in their nights together. But he can’t - he just can’t - talk the way Arthur does.
“You’re lovely, Merlin. You know that, don’t you?”
Arthur uses the night to be honest. To say the things he can’t say in the day. And Merlin, Merlin is forced to remember that he is not honest. That he lies to Arthur easier than he breathes, every day.
“Merlin, I’ll always care about you. You understand that?”
No. He doesn’t, As Arthur whispers to him, holds him, kisses him, Merlin thinks about Uther’s death, about years of lies and deceit and he knows that Arthur is making promises that he doesn’t understand. That Merlin cannot hold him to because it wouldn’t be fair.
“Merlin, are you crying? What are you … oh don’t cry. Please? What is it? It’ll be all right, I promise.”
Merlin just wishes he could believe that.
Title: Three
Fandom: Merlin
Rating: PG
Pairing: Arthur/Merlin/Gwen
Word COunt: 367
Summary: Arthur likes sharing a bed with Gwen and Merlin.
Merlin and Gwen are cuddling again.
Arthur watches them affectionately. He is not in the middle of their cuddle and he’s glad of it. He doesn’t mind the occasional embrace but he just can’t get behind cuddling. He just isn’t a cuddly person, it’s not him. He likes to sleep unencumbered by arms most of the time. So Merlin and Gwen snuggle up together when they share his bed. Mostly, Arthur likes that arrangement although sometimes, he feels a little jealous. Like now.
So he leans over and prods Merlin in the back. Merlin groans and lifts his head sleepily to glare. Arthur just grins back and beckons demandingly and Merlin rolls his eyes and gently untangles himself from Gwen. She stirs and smiles and Arthur remembers how beautiful she is, how much he loves her.
“You’re such a pain,” Merlin murmurs and prods him back. “You don’t like cuddling.”
“Never said I did,” Arthur answers. “Just felt like waking you up.”
Gwen laughed and leans over to swat him. Arthur catches her hand and kisses her fingers gently, reaching out to hold Merlin close with the other hand. He can’t even really remember how this started but it’s so right. It’s always been so right. It hasn’t been easy - he remembers the months of negotiation, the arguments, the jealousy. He wanted them both but he didn’t want to think he wasn’t enough for either of them. Gwen had been scared that his and Merlin’s bond would cut her out, Merlin was afraid he was just second best. Arthur hated all of that. He likes things easy.
But it’s easier now. They’ve got a system and things are settled and Arthur’s happy. He feels almost bad for it but he’s not sure he’s ever been happier. They’re all happy.
“Can we go back to sleep now?” Merlin asks, stroking Arthur’s shoulder gently. “Some of us have work tomorrow, you know. Not all of us are kings who can just laze around judging laurels.”
“Oh shut up,” Arthur says, closing his eyes. “Go back to your girly cuddling then.”
Somebody pinches him. He has a feeling it’s Gwen. He doesn’t mind. He’s just glad that they’re there.
Title: Seeking Comfort
Fandom: Merlin
Rating: PG
Word COunt: 404
Summary: Merlin sometimes has nightmares and when he needs comfort, he tends to go to the knights.
Sometimes, Merlin wakes up in the night and usually it’s because of nightmares.
He has a lot of nightmares these days. About Morgana and Uther and magic and immortal soldiers that kept coming and coming. About Will. About every death that he has on his conscience. About darkness and magic and Arthur finding out every secret he has and hating him.
Sometimes, he can go back to sleep after this but mostly, he can’t. He lies there, shaking and crying and trying to remember how to breathe right. And sometimes then, he goes to one of the knights.
If he wants to talk, he goes to Lancelot. Lancelot is the only one he can talk to after all. He always talks to Merlin willingly, listens to Merlin’s despair, offers soothing comfort before settling them both down, lying close to Merlin in the dark.
When he is almost paralysed with fear, thinking about sekrets and monsters and solders, he goes to Percival. Percival doesn’t ask questions. He reaches up those wonderful big arms of his and Merlin curls up in them, resting his head on Percival’s shoulder, feeling secure. Percival falls straight back to sleep and Merlin just lies there, quiet and slowly relaxing.
When he wants to be gently teased out of it, he goes to Elyan. Elyan always grumbles at him, tells him he’s daft to be afraid of the dark, that he ought to go and wake someone else. But as he says it, he checks Merlin over, gets him into bed, rubs his arm soothingly.
“Just nightmares, he says and then they settle, lying back to back with each other. Merlin listens to Elyan’s soft snores until he feels peaceful enough to sleep himself.
(sometimes, he wishes he could go to Arthur or Gwen. He thinks Gwen would hug him, tell him it was all okay. Maybe Arthur would roll his eyes and laugh but he’d support Merlin in his own way too. But he can’t go to them. There’s too much there, too much he can’t say and anyway, they have each other. It would make things … awkward.)
When he doesn’t know what he needs, he goes to Gwaine. Gwaine pulls him down into the bed, makes him laugh, makes him shiver. They cuddle close and Merlin breathes in Gwaine’s comforting scent and presses their lips together and thinks that maybe everything will be all right in the end.
Fandom: Doctor Who
Rating: G
Word COunt: 100
Summary: The Doctor wants to go swimming. Jamie isn't impressed.
“Come on, Jamie!” The Doctor was bouncing up and down. “We’re on Dellious Minor and it’s lovely! There’s such a big swimming pool!”
“What?” Jamie mumbled. “Doctor, it’s the middle of the night!”
“Nonsense,” the Doctor said. “Well. It’s a bit dark, I suppose. But it’s a perfectly good time!”
“Doctor, go away.”
“Fine,” the Doctor said with a sniff. “I shall go swimming without you and you shall be sorry.”
Jamie went back to sleep. When he woke up again, they were in flight and the Doctor had a bruise. He wouldn’t tell Jamie where it had come from.
Title: Oddness
Fandom: Doctor Who
Rating: G
Word COunt: 100
Summary: Rory thinks it's strange that they know when night is.
It’s funny, knowing that it’s night on the TARDIS.
Rory isn’t ever sure how they know exactly. But they somehow always do. They always know when it’s time for bed or if they are staying up too late or if it’s early in the morning somewhere. The lights always seem the same and there’s hardly any clocks (and those he can find don’t always make sense) and it nearly never matches the times on the planets that they land on. But they know. They always know.
Just another of the many things that are odd about travelling with the Doctor.
Title: Change of Heart
Fandom: Sarah Jane Adventures
Rating: G
Word COunt: 134
Summary: Clyde never thought much of nighttime before.
Clyde always thought that night was rubbish before.
It was just a time when you had go to bed and be quiet and be sensible and well-behaved. All the stuff he never wanted to be. And worse, that was when Mum and Dad used to fight, all hissy whispers that sometimes turned into angry yells that he had to pretend not to hear. No, night was rubbish.
But now, it’s different. Now, night’s the time when stuff happens, all the time. When he can look up in the space and see the stars and know there’s so much up there, so many amazing things. The time when Sarah Jane sometimes calls and he gets to see meteor showers or aliens flying over ahead.
Night’s so much better now Sarah Jane is in his life.
Title: Nightmares
Fandom: Detective Academy Q
Rating: G
Word COunt: 100
Summary: Ryu has a nightmare.
“Ryu? Are you awake?”
Ryu was awake. He had just had a nightmare and he had an uncomfortable feeling that the only reason Kyuu was awake was because he’d heard him whimpering.
“Yes,” he whispered back, hoping that Kyuu wouldn’t ask anything and half hoping he would.
“Are you okay?”
“Of course,” Ryu whispered, staring at the ceiling. “I’m fine.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
Ryu closed his eyes again, the dream flickering behind his eyelids. His grandfather. Darkness and blood. A feeling of falling down into depths he could never escape from. Trapped.
“No. It’s nothing, Kyuu.”
Title: Nocturnal
Fandom: Black Books
Rating: PG
Word COunt: 164
Summary: Every now and then, Bernard decides to go nocturnal.
Every now and then, Bernard Black would decide to go nocturnal.
It drove Fran and Manny completely mad. Not only did they have to look after the shop all day, Bernard would then wake them up shrieking that it was time to get up and that sleep was for tortoises and that things needed doing. Of course, no customers ever came because it was the middle of the night - which Bernard liked. He would sit at the desk, cackling gently and throwing books at Manny when he tried to nap and ringing Fran up to find out why she hadn’t come over yet.
Luckily, there was one easy way to get him back to normal.
“The overnight shop closed and you’ve drunk all the wine. We’ll have to wait until morning!”
“What?! No! Outrage! Scandal! Why don’t they open shops at a normal time? This is too much!”
Then he would go back to getting up at a normal time.
For a while, anyway.
Title: Waking
Fandom: Harry Potter
Rating: G
Word COunt: 100
Summary: Harry often wakes in the night.
Sometimes Harry wakes up in the night.
Sometimes it’s because of his nightmares. Dreams of blood and fear and loneliness. Dreams of an aching scar, of lying hungry in a cold tent. Of being alone in a small locked cupboard, wondering if anybody is ever going to care about him. Sometimes it’s the old, old dream of pain and a bright flash of green light that always seems to be etched on his eyeballs when he wakes up.
But more and more often these days, it’s because James is screaming his little lungs out.
Harry likes it best like that.
Title: While They Sleep
Fandom: Death Note
Rating: PG
Word COunt: 276
Summary: Ryuk watches people sleep.
Ryuk liked to wander around at night.
He can’t go too far from Raito, obviously. That wouldn’t be right. But he likes to wander a little, see what’s around. Look at how the humans sleep.
Sayu always sleeps all flung out, limbs everywhere. Her hair’s always trying to escape from its ponytail, getting everywhere. Soichiro sleeps all stiff and locked up, which is pretty much how he sleeps in real life. Sachiko is a bit more floppy but even she looks pretty tense. Probably it’s cause she’s married to such a tense guy. The Yagamis could really try and lighten up.
He’s not attached to Raito when Raito’s with L so he never sees how that guy sleeps. Bit disappointing really - Ryuk betted it would have been a hoot. But he gets to see how Misa sleeps and she’s weird. Sometimes, she’s all curled up, so tight. Other times, she’s weirdly open, like Sayu, only sort of stiffer. And sometimes, she clings to Raito, trying to hang on and he just wriggles away from her or even gets out of bed and goes to sleep somewhere else. He just doesn’t like people to encroach on his personal space.
When they’re in America, he gets to see the rest of the taskforce. Aizawa sleeps like someone who is uncomfortable on his own. Which Ryuk guesses makes sense - obviously he likes his wife being there. Makes him different from Raito anyway. Matsuda’s floppy, like Sayu, but he twitches all the time, endlessly. Which is kind of weird.
Ide sleeps like a board. And snores. Ryuk finds it totally hilarious.
He likes them all better when they’re awake though.
Title: Promises
Fandom: Merlin
Rating: PG
Pairing: Arthur/Merlin
Word COunt: 286
Summary: Arthur makes all sorts of promises in the dark. For angelqueen04.
“I’ll always take care of you.”
Arthur promised Merlin a lot of things at night. He always did. It was one of the things that always reminded Merlin that their nights weren’t just playful tussles to be quickly forgotten. It meant something.
“You’re my friend. I care about you.”
He said it at night long before he could admit it in the day. Merlin never mentioned anything Arthur said in the dark when the light came up. It was their private time, it wouldn’t have been fair. But he knew about it. He always knew.
“Merlin. Merlin, you’ll stay with me, won’t you?”
Merlin rarely says anything back. He answers when Arthur asks questions about the sex - he always wants Arthur to know how much he loves this, never wants Arthur to think of a second that he doesn’t delight in their nights together. But he can’t - he just can’t - talk the way Arthur does.
“You’re lovely, Merlin. You know that, don’t you?”
Arthur uses the night to be honest. To say the things he can’t say in the day. And Merlin, Merlin is forced to remember that he is not honest. That he lies to Arthur easier than he breathes, every day.
“Merlin, I’ll always care about you. You understand that?”
No. He doesn’t, As Arthur whispers to him, holds him, kisses him, Merlin thinks about Uther’s death, about years of lies and deceit and he knows that Arthur is making promises that he doesn’t understand. That Merlin cannot hold him to because it wouldn’t be fair.
“Merlin, are you crying? What are you … oh don’t cry. Please? What is it? It’ll be all right, I promise.”
Merlin just wishes he could believe that.
Title: Three
Fandom: Merlin
Rating: PG
Pairing: Arthur/Merlin/Gwen
Word COunt: 367
Summary: Arthur likes sharing a bed with Gwen and Merlin.
Merlin and Gwen are cuddling again.
Arthur watches them affectionately. He is not in the middle of their cuddle and he’s glad of it. He doesn’t mind the occasional embrace but he just can’t get behind cuddling. He just isn’t a cuddly person, it’s not him. He likes to sleep unencumbered by arms most of the time. So Merlin and Gwen snuggle up together when they share his bed. Mostly, Arthur likes that arrangement although sometimes, he feels a little jealous. Like now.
So he leans over and prods Merlin in the back. Merlin groans and lifts his head sleepily to glare. Arthur just grins back and beckons demandingly and Merlin rolls his eyes and gently untangles himself from Gwen. She stirs and smiles and Arthur remembers how beautiful she is, how much he loves her.
“You’re such a pain,” Merlin murmurs and prods him back. “You don’t like cuddling.”
“Never said I did,” Arthur answers. “Just felt like waking you up.”
Gwen laughed and leans over to swat him. Arthur catches her hand and kisses her fingers gently, reaching out to hold Merlin close with the other hand. He can’t even really remember how this started but it’s so right. It’s always been so right. It hasn’t been easy - he remembers the months of negotiation, the arguments, the jealousy. He wanted them both but he didn’t want to think he wasn’t enough for either of them. Gwen had been scared that his and Merlin’s bond would cut her out, Merlin was afraid he was just second best. Arthur hated all of that. He likes things easy.
But it’s easier now. They’ve got a system and things are settled and Arthur’s happy. He feels almost bad for it but he’s not sure he’s ever been happier. They’re all happy.
“Can we go back to sleep now?” Merlin asks, stroking Arthur’s shoulder gently. “Some of us have work tomorrow, you know. Not all of us are kings who can just laze around judging laurels.”
“Oh shut up,” Arthur says, closing his eyes. “Go back to your girly cuddling then.”
Somebody pinches him. He has a feeling it’s Gwen. He doesn’t mind. He’s just glad that they’re there.
Title: Seeking Comfort
Fandom: Merlin
Rating: PG
Word COunt: 404
Summary: Merlin sometimes has nightmares and when he needs comfort, he tends to go to the knights.
Sometimes, Merlin wakes up in the night and usually it’s because of nightmares.
He has a lot of nightmares these days. About Morgana and Uther and magic and immortal soldiers that kept coming and coming. About Will. About every death that he has on his conscience. About darkness and magic and Arthur finding out every secret he has and hating him.
Sometimes, he can go back to sleep after this but mostly, he can’t. He lies there, shaking and crying and trying to remember how to breathe right. And sometimes then, he goes to one of the knights.
If he wants to talk, he goes to Lancelot. Lancelot is the only one he can talk to after all. He always talks to Merlin willingly, listens to Merlin’s despair, offers soothing comfort before settling them both down, lying close to Merlin in the dark.
When he is almost paralysed with fear, thinking about sekrets and monsters and solders, he goes to Percival. Percival doesn’t ask questions. He reaches up those wonderful big arms of his and Merlin curls up in them, resting his head on Percival’s shoulder, feeling secure. Percival falls straight back to sleep and Merlin just lies there, quiet and slowly relaxing.
When he wants to be gently teased out of it, he goes to Elyan. Elyan always grumbles at him, tells him he’s daft to be afraid of the dark, that he ought to go and wake someone else. But as he says it, he checks Merlin over, gets him into bed, rubs his arm soothingly.
“Just nightmares, he says and then they settle, lying back to back with each other. Merlin listens to Elyan’s soft snores until he feels peaceful enough to sleep himself.
(sometimes, he wishes he could go to Arthur or Gwen. He thinks Gwen would hug him, tell him it was all okay. Maybe Arthur would roll his eyes and laugh but he’d support Merlin in his own way too. But he can’t go to them. There’s too much there, too much he can’t say and anyway, they have each other. It would make things … awkward.)
When he doesn’t know what he needs, he goes to Gwaine. Gwaine pulls him down into the bed, makes him laugh, makes him shiver. They cuddle close and Merlin breathes in Gwaine’s comforting scent and presses their lips together and thinks that maybe everything will be all right in the end.