Angels Like Anal, or At Least Geoff Does

Dying Like A Man Is Stupid

Awsten tossed and turned in his bed, feet firmly tucked under the covers as the shadows within his already dark room melded into all terrible things imaginable. He never imagined that his room, his safe haven, could suddenly become so compressing.

His bathroom door was shaking again. Awsten wasn't aware when the shaking had begun, only that when he'd first slipped out of his unrestful sleep it already was. He hadn't wanted to assess it then, it was already too dark for him to be willing to risk being eaten by the hypothetical shadow monsters, and he certainly didn't want to assess it now.

Everytime he peaked over the covers the shadows contorted into characters so he opted to stay firmly tucked in. He allowed himself to daydream, plotting a storyline he could drift off to but his head was pounding far too hard to concentrate so the concept got away from him. Something about a boy who kissed him softly and then they were plying some stupid video game, it was nice enough.

As he fell asleep the daydream fought to integrate with his dreams but was pushed away by something far darker.

He was running, begging his legs not to fumble and cause him to fall. All he knew was that he had to keep running. He'd die if he didn't. Something was chasing him, he kept catching glances of the creature in his prefel vision. Pale, gaunt, with long limbs he knew it would look just like some alien or demon creature from one of the horror movies he watched.

And from what he could tell it was just a hair away, it was certainly going to catch him. Yet, he kept running. His body protested and he knew he didn't have long left. His heart was pounding in his ears, he was panting and his side began to ache in what was surely a stitch. Maybe it was time to give up.

Maybe it was time to die.

He stopped running, keeping back faced to the monster and his eyes pressed tightly shut. He wasn't going to 'die like a man'. He just wanted it to be over and done with as quick as it could be.

But the urgency was gone. Was anyone even chasing him anymore? He squinted his eye open to gaze into the never ending darkness ahead of him, nothing. He listening carefully for the breathing of this other creature but he was again met with nothing but his own frenzied heart.

He forced himself to turn around.

Mirrors. The sides of the tunnel he had been fumbling threw was entirely made of mirrors. The gaunt pale monster he'd been terrified was only himself. It was ridiculous really and he allowed himself to laugh.

Until his body began contorting in the mirror. Limbs stretching and shrinking in width, hugging his bones. He looked down at his arm seeing it wasn't just some sick silly mirror, his arms really were morphing into a grotesque sight. He'd always wanted to be skinny but not like this.

He was paler, paler than he'd ever been. Looking back in the mirror he saw his hair shrinking back into his head, his face stretching, eyes turning black and lips dissolving into a gaping mouth. Was this what he looked like on the inside, was this his soul?

Maybe it was time to give up.

Maybe it was time to die.

Awsten's eyes flew open, he was drenched in sweat and his heartbeat echoed in his ears. Bad, everything was bad. He reached for his bedside table, fumbling around until he finnally grasped his phone and turned it on.

He was met with a far too bright screen, causing his eyes to water and remain unfocused. He scrambled with the screen to turn the brightness down.

5:30. It was 5:30. That was good. He could work with that.

He scrolled through his contacts until he found who he desperately needed in this moment.

"J-jay?" Awsten attempted not to whimper into the phone.

"Yeah," Jawn grumbled in his morning voice which in any other situation would lead the two into a different situation, "You woke me up."

"Sorry," Awsten murmured back in response, "I just...I just need you."

"So, you want me to come over?" Jawn asked.

"I don't wanna be in my room, hadda nightmare," Awsten confessed.

"That's fine."
_______________________________________

Awsten stared out at the sunrise as he cuddled into Jawn's side, as they sat on the roof of his house. If they were better at being edgy teenagers they'd be smoking but Awsten was clean cut and Jawn didn't like the smell of cigarettes or weed.

"If Kris was here, they'd definitely be smoking," Awsten joked.

"I'm glad they're not here then," Jawn scrunched up his nose in distaste, "I'm not mentally prepared for that."

"You've got all day, Jay," Awsten murmured back, "They'll probably want to at lunch, or after school."

Jawn nodded. Awsten blew out air again only to find that it no longer appeared white, it was too late for that causing him to pout.

"What was your dream about?" Jawn asked, tilting his head down at the smaller.

"I was runnin' and then there was mirrors and I became a monster or something," Awsten shrugged, the finer details already leaving his mind, "Can't really remember it."

"You should write it down," Jawn offered.

"Don't really want to remember that one, honestly," Awsten huffed.

"Are you mad?" Jawn frowned, "I'm sorry."

"I'm not mad," Awsten replied, "Just off. I didn't get much sleep last night."

Reassuring Jawn was second nature at this point. The other relied heavily on the social cues he understood, Awsten was just glad he wasn't a girl. Jawn barely understood the facial expressions of them.

"We should go in," Awsten sighed, "It's garbage day, people'll be out soon. Don't need Mom to hear anything more about her miscreant son."

"You're trash isn't out," Jawn added.

"Another reason," Awsten quipped.

"I like the cold," Jawn sighed sadly.

"We can hang out in the backyard after I put the trash out."

Jawn smiled at that and begun to get up, and Awsten joined him. Hoping his mother wasn't awake to grill him on how dangerous the roof was.

A/n,  My least favourite book is my most popular and that makes me sad bc I get so many notifications on it and barely any on my favourites and now Resident Evil 8 is my special interest.

And I accidentally wrote fanfiction about it.