Paul Dano imagines

Comfort~ (dwane/fluff)

Credit- creepling (tumblr)
Word count- 1.7k
You were the neighbour that was always around the Hoover family. When they went on their road trip to California you hadn't seen them in a couple of days. Your parents were never around the house. They were always working long hours. And when they had some free time, they spent it on dinner dates and weekend trips. Ever since you became a teenager you were practically raising yourself. Which meant any free time you had or any time you had to put food in your system you paid a visit to the Hoover family. In a way, your parents took advantage of the Hoover's generosity.

"Hey, honey, your father and I are away tonight. You can have dinner at the Hoover's, yeah?"
"Sweetie, we're away for the weekend. We talked with Mrs Hoover, and she's happy to have you stay with them. Have fun!"
Sometimes they wouldn't even say it to your face. They would pack their bags and leave a note on the fridge, thinking adding a smiley face would make the situation less neglective. If the Hoover family were horrible people, you'd hate it. But you adored them. Yeah, they had their quirks, but their household environment was always more enjoyable than the house you grew up in.

You missed Dwayne the most when you found out they were going to California. Being the same age meant you were automatically paired together and destined to be childhood best friends. When he took his vow of silence nine months ago, you were supportive, but you would be lying if you said you didn't miss hearing his voice. He still expressed his dry humour through writing, but it wasn't the same as hearing it. Surprisingly, his muteness didn't take a toll on your friendship. The thing that made you worry was his behaviour. He told you he wanted to be mute as an act of discipline, but deep down, you knew he did it because he was unhappy. Refusing to speak meant Dwayne could bury his anger towards the world deep within and not cause a fuss. It was that side to him that made you worry. One day he might lose control and completely shut down. The thought of that happening raised concern in your loyalty to him.

On Sunday afternoon, you were taking the garbage out when you noticed the familiar yellow Volkswagen bus parked in the Hoover's driveway. The second you saw it, you rushed to the Hoover front door and knocked eagerly.

"Get the door, Olive!" You heard a familiar voice cry through the walls.

The door opened, and someone half your size tackled you with a hug. You looked down and saw Olive smile ear to ear.

"Hey, pocket rocket. How was Cali?" You said, ruffling her hair.

"Yeah . . . a lot happened," Olive said, a hesitant look on her face. "But I blew away the judges at Little Miss Sunshine!"

"That's great! So did you wi-"

"Are you here to see Dwayne?" Olive interrupted, poking you playfully in the stomach. All you could do was narrow your eyes and hide a smile. Ever since Olive could talk and have thoughts, she had this whole fantasy that you and Dwayne would get married so you could be her sibling-in-law. It was hard to tell if she dreamed this because she looked up to you or if she was an inquisitive child and could tell you've liked Dwayne ever since you were kids. You begged God it was the first option.

Before answering her question, her hand grabbed you by the t-shirt and dragged you to his room. You stumbled behind her, greeting Mr and Mrs Hoover as you entered the house while giving a brief welcome to Frank, the uncle you hadn't met but heard a lot about. The only person you didn't see was Grandpa Ed, which was surprising since he's usually the first to greet you any time you come around.

Olive nudged you to Dwayne's bedroom door. She had a suspicious look on her face as if she knew something that you didn't. You ruffled her hair again before entering Dwayne's room and closing the door.

Something was . . . different. As Dwayne relaxed on his bed, you noticed his room looked different. The bed cot you sleep in for sleepovers is folded out to your right. The room looked like it had just been cleaned, Dwayne's usual clutter items in neat places. The biggest change you noticed was the wall; the Nietzsche tapestry was no longer there. You narrowed your eyes at Dwayne.