bump in the night [log → fin.]
who: Chris (nottwiceblessed) and Yuan (cloakand_danger).
what: eight year old Chris has a nightmare of the future. Yuan's there to wake him up.
when: sometime later tonight.
where: room 1114.
warnings: none, it's tame. ♥
He wandered the halls, trying to remember what he'd been looking for in the first place. It was quiet, his footsteps echoing against the walls. It was dark, the only light coming from the dim stars through the large windows. It was... scary.
He stopped walking, looking around and hoping to place the scenery. He was lost. The place he found himself felt foreign, but he knew it. It was-
Footsteps. He wasn't walking. Who was it? He couldn't tell. Turning around, he searched for the face belonging to the feet. He saw a man, tall, with scraggly hair long and reaching down to his shoulders. It was visible in the almost absolute black, so it must have been light. The dark clothes did nothing to help identify the man. There was something in his hand, long and thin, glimmering despite its surroundings. A sword.
He started to run.
Yuan woke slowly, vaguely aware that something was not right. It took him a long, slow moment - he hated sleep, awareness of his surroundings returned so slowly! - before he could register what it was. Chris was making frightened noises, and thrashing about. He sat up and blinked. "...Chris?" he said fuzzily.
He was still running, taking random turns and sliding on the smooth floor. The man continued to walk, but kept up regardless. The glimmer of the blade was visible ahead of him, he could see it shift with every step the man took.
He continued to run.
A nightmare. The poor kid was having a nightmare. He swung his legs off the bed and leaned forward, reaching over to the cot where Chris slept and shaking the boy's shoulder. "Hey," he said quietly. "Chris, wake up. It's just a dream, kid."
Someone caught him. It was over, the man with the sword was going to-
Yelling, Chris flung an arm out, pushing at his assailant with whatever force he could. His eyes shot open and too late did he realize that his fear had triggered a burst of the new power he couldn't control.
Yuan found himself suddenly flat on his back on the bed. Muttering a bit, he levered himself up. "You okay, kid?" he asked. He should have known better, really - he'd seen Chris fight, should have been prepared for that power.
"Y-Yuan?" Chris murmured, sitting up. He frowned and nodded a little. "I-I... there was a man. With a sword!"
"It was just a dream, Chris. You're all right," Yuan replied tiredly, in as soothing a tone as he could manage.
"It-it..." Chris whimpered a little, curling his legs up to his chest. "It looked like.. that guy from the game room yesterday, but... not."
"...From the game room yesterday?" Yuan frowned. "Who else was there with you?" If someone there had done something to give Chris nightmares, they'd be hearing about it from Yuan.
Chris shook his head. "Um... it... well, he kind of looked like the guy... that Ruby told me to run from if I saw him," he answered, murmuring the last part quiet and fast, hoping Yuan wouldn't catch it.
Yuan closed his eyes and counted to three, making sure his voice would come out steady and calm. "Walter was in the game room with you yesterday?" he asked, his tone holding just a hint of danger in it.
Chris lowered his head into his knees, nodding just a little.
"No wonder you had a nightmare," Yuan replied. "...Ruby was absolutely right, Chris. You see him again, you call me, or...someone, and get out of there. He might not be about to kill anyone again, but he's still very clearly insane, and I don't want you near him."
"But...!" Chris looked up and knit his brows together. "We just played games. I taught him how to play Space Invader! ... he wasn't bad or anything..."
"...He didn't scare you?" Yuan asked. Chris' impression of Walter seemed to have been friendly enough, hardly fodder for nightmares, in spite of what Walter had actually done...
Chris nodded eagerly. "Yeah! He was quiet and kind of..." He paused and shrugged, unable to describe the strange lethargy and twitchiness the man had displayed, but to Chris, it was all harmless, if a bit eccentric. "But he wasn't scary," he finished.
Yuan frowned. "I still want you to be careful if you see him," he warned. "It could still be an act." But then the man in the dream, with the sword...
The sword? ...It couldn't be. "What did he look like?" Yuan asked. "I've never actually seen him."
Chris blinked, and nodded slowly. "Alright..." He tilted his head and thought. "Well... he looked like how Ruby described him...?" he half-asked, wondering whether Yuan had just missed it. "Blond, skinny... he was tall, and wore a coat. Um, I don't think he shaved real well either."
Wyatt. Yuan's expression went still and blank. Chris hadn't been dreaming about Walter, he'd been dreaming about Wyatt from his future. Yuan idly wondered if he'd always been able to dream the future, or if this was some trace of his older self's memories coming to haunt him. "I see," he said. "Well, it doesn't matter, the man with the sword isn't here. You should go back to sleep, it's still late." Yuan was feeling the pull of sleep himself.
Chris frowned at the sudden lack of expression, then looked away and nodded a little. "O-okay..."
Yuan frowned. "...You all right?" he asked carefully. Oh, he was no good at this kind of thing...Lloyd was the only kid he'd known for years, and he'd been a toddler.
"I..." Chris returned his face to bury into his knees. "I don't think I want to go back to sleep..."
Yuan sighed. He knew that feeling all too well...but he did want to go back to sleep. Still, he could hardly leave the kid alone like this. "What do you want to do, then?" he asked.
"Could I..." Chris trailed off, uncertain. Yuan was definitely a nice guy, letting him sleep in his room with him and playing games in the game room even when he didn't know any of them. But would he let Chris...? Taking a breath, he murmured, "Could I sleep in your bed with you tonight..?"
Yuan blinked at him, for a moment not sure he'd heard correctly. "You want to sleep here?"
Chris nodded shyly, turning to Yuan with hopeful, if sleepy, eyes.
Too tired to argue, Yuan gave in, moving aside to make a space for Chris. "I'm warning you now," he said, "I don't cuddle, and don't expect this on a regular basis."
Chris blinked. Really? Without saying a word, he slipped off the cot and over to the bed, climbing onto it and sitting on his knees for a moment, trying to decide how close Yuan would let him before it would be deemed 'cuddling' and thus not allowed.
Yuan laid back down and shifted over further, to allow Chris plenty of space to lie down. "There we go," he said, adjusting the blankets to be spread evenly. "Better?"
Chris crawled to the space and pulled the blankets up over him, nodding. "Yeah... thanks," he murmured.
"Don't mention it," Yuan murmured sleepily, already starting to drift off.
Chris lay down and waited for Yuan to fall asleep, blinking sleepily. If Yuan would let himself sleep, it was definitely safe. All the adults in the entire castle seemed too worried about bad things happening that they definitely wouldn't sleep first unless they knew it was safe. Sighing tiredly, he murmured a bit and let his eyes close, hoping the nightmare wouldn't return.
what: eight year old Chris has a nightmare of the future. Yuan's there to wake him up.
when: sometime later tonight.
where: room 1114.
warnings: none, it's tame. ♥
He wandered the halls, trying to remember what he'd been looking for in the first place. It was quiet, his footsteps echoing against the walls. It was dark, the only light coming from the dim stars through the large windows. It was... scary.
He stopped walking, looking around and hoping to place the scenery. He was lost. The place he found himself felt foreign, but he knew it. It was-
Footsteps. He wasn't walking. Who was it? He couldn't tell. Turning around, he searched for the face belonging to the feet. He saw a man, tall, with scraggly hair long and reaching down to his shoulders. It was visible in the almost absolute black, so it must have been light. The dark clothes did nothing to help identify the man. There was something in his hand, long and thin, glimmering despite its surroundings. A sword.
He started to run.
Yuan woke slowly, vaguely aware that something was not right. It took him a long, slow moment - he hated sleep, awareness of his surroundings returned so slowly! - before he could register what it was. Chris was making frightened noises, and thrashing about. He sat up and blinked. "...Chris?" he said fuzzily.
He was still running, taking random turns and sliding on the smooth floor. The man continued to walk, but kept up regardless. The glimmer of the blade was visible ahead of him, he could see it shift with every step the man took.
He continued to run.
A nightmare. The poor kid was having a nightmare. He swung his legs off the bed and leaned forward, reaching over to the cot where Chris slept and shaking the boy's shoulder. "Hey," he said quietly. "Chris, wake up. It's just a dream, kid."
Someone caught him. It was over, the man with the sword was going to-
Yelling, Chris flung an arm out, pushing at his assailant with whatever force he could. His eyes shot open and too late did he realize that his fear had triggered a burst of the new power he couldn't control.
Yuan found himself suddenly flat on his back on the bed. Muttering a bit, he levered himself up. "You okay, kid?" he asked. He should have known better, really - he'd seen Chris fight, should have been prepared for that power.
"Y-Yuan?" Chris murmured, sitting up. He frowned and nodded a little. "I-I... there was a man. With a sword!"
"It was just a dream, Chris. You're all right," Yuan replied tiredly, in as soothing a tone as he could manage.
"It-it..." Chris whimpered a little, curling his legs up to his chest. "It looked like.. that guy from the game room yesterday, but... not."
"...From the game room yesterday?" Yuan frowned. "Who else was there with you?" If someone there had done something to give Chris nightmares, they'd be hearing about it from Yuan.
Chris shook his head. "Um... it... well, he kind of looked like the guy... that Ruby told me to run from if I saw him," he answered, murmuring the last part quiet and fast, hoping Yuan wouldn't catch it.
Yuan closed his eyes and counted to three, making sure his voice would come out steady and calm. "Walter was in the game room with you yesterday?" he asked, his tone holding just a hint of danger in it.
Chris lowered his head into his knees, nodding just a little.
"No wonder you had a nightmare," Yuan replied. "...Ruby was absolutely right, Chris. You see him again, you call me, or...someone, and get out of there. He might not be about to kill anyone again, but he's still very clearly insane, and I don't want you near him."
"But...!" Chris looked up and knit his brows together. "We just played games. I taught him how to play Space Invader! ... he wasn't bad or anything..."
"...He didn't scare you?" Yuan asked. Chris' impression of Walter seemed to have been friendly enough, hardly fodder for nightmares, in spite of what Walter had actually done...
Chris nodded eagerly. "Yeah! He was quiet and kind of..." He paused and shrugged, unable to describe the strange lethargy and twitchiness the man had displayed, but to Chris, it was all harmless, if a bit eccentric. "But he wasn't scary," he finished.
Yuan frowned. "I still want you to be careful if you see him," he warned. "It could still be an act." But then the man in the dream, with the sword...
The sword? ...It couldn't be. "What did he look like?" Yuan asked. "I've never actually seen him."
Chris blinked, and nodded slowly. "Alright..." He tilted his head and thought. "Well... he looked like how Ruby described him...?" he half-asked, wondering whether Yuan had just missed it. "Blond, skinny... he was tall, and wore a coat. Um, I don't think he shaved real well either."
Wyatt. Yuan's expression went still and blank. Chris hadn't been dreaming about Walter, he'd been dreaming about Wyatt from his future. Yuan idly wondered if he'd always been able to dream the future, or if this was some trace of his older self's memories coming to haunt him. "I see," he said. "Well, it doesn't matter, the man with the sword isn't here. You should go back to sleep, it's still late." Yuan was feeling the pull of sleep himself.
Chris frowned at the sudden lack of expression, then looked away and nodded a little. "O-okay..."
Yuan frowned. "...You all right?" he asked carefully. Oh, he was no good at this kind of thing...Lloyd was the only kid he'd known for years, and he'd been a toddler.
"I..." Chris returned his face to bury into his knees. "I don't think I want to go back to sleep..."
Yuan sighed. He knew that feeling all too well...but he did want to go back to sleep. Still, he could hardly leave the kid alone like this. "What do you want to do, then?" he asked.
"Could I..." Chris trailed off, uncertain. Yuan was definitely a nice guy, letting him sleep in his room with him and playing games in the game room even when he didn't know any of them. But would he let Chris...? Taking a breath, he murmured, "Could I sleep in your bed with you tonight..?"
Yuan blinked at him, for a moment not sure he'd heard correctly. "You want to sleep here?"
Chris nodded shyly, turning to Yuan with hopeful, if sleepy, eyes.
Too tired to argue, Yuan gave in, moving aside to make a space for Chris. "I'm warning you now," he said, "I don't cuddle, and don't expect this on a regular basis."
Chris blinked. Really? Without saying a word, he slipped off the cot and over to the bed, climbing onto it and sitting on his knees for a moment, trying to decide how close Yuan would let him before it would be deemed 'cuddling' and thus not allowed.
Yuan laid back down and shifted over further, to allow Chris plenty of space to lie down. "There we go," he said, adjusting the blankets to be spread evenly. "Better?"
Chris crawled to the space and pulled the blankets up over him, nodding. "Yeah... thanks," he murmured.
"Don't mention it," Yuan murmured sleepily, already starting to drift off.
Chris lay down and waited for Yuan to fall asleep, blinking sleepily. If Yuan would let himself sleep, it was definitely safe. All the adults in the entire castle seemed too worried about bad things happening that they definitely wouldn't sleep first unless they knew it was safe. Sighing tiredly, he murmured a bit and let his eyes close, hoping the nightmare wouldn't return.