Dawnbreakers

What am I doing

He stared at me for what seemed like years. I held in my tears and when they threatened to spill, I looked away. He sighed and walked to his bed, and I followed him. He lied down and covered his eyes with his arm, and I stood there shifting my weight.

"Come here."

I slowly crawled onto the mattress, the springs uncomfortably digging into my knees. I lied next to him, my hands folded on my stomach.

Minutes passed in agonizing silence. Usually it's a cushion of comfort, but all I wanted in that moment was for him to say something. Anything.

But he never did. Instead, he sat up, faced me, and lifted his shirt and hoodie. His body was perfectly carved, how the human body was supposed to look: fine-tuned and capable of damage. But his whole torso was sprinkled with black and blue and green and purple bruises. I felt sick to my stomach.

I gasped and sat up, my fingers shaking as they traced the bruises. His eyes fluttered closed, and he sighed under my touch. I retracted my hand, and he opened his eyes, letting his clothing fall.

"W-what..." I couldn't speak. My throat was dry and my lungs burned.

"I'm a fighter," he said, looking out in the distance.

"Why do you live here?" My voice hardly audible.

"Once I got out..." he closed his eyes tight, then opened them, cooly, like nothing happened. "My dad kicked me out, and I didn't have anyone, so I found this place."

"Why do you fight?"

"Next question."

I paused.

"Why did you bring me here?"

He paused.

Then he looked directly at me, an intensity I've never known before. "Because I can't fucking stop thinking about you." My heart leaped in my throat. "And I can't sleep."

"You sleep all the time."

"Only when I'm with you." I didn't know how to feel about that. "So just stay here while I sleep."

"Uh," I started, getting up.

He grabbed my hand. "Please."

"Okay."

I sat back down on the uncomfortable bed. He lied back down and rolled on his side against the wall. How could he sleep on this thing? It's so uncomfortable. The couch is more comfortable.

"Hey get up," I said, standing myself.

He rolled over, "why?"

"The couch is more comfortable."

He sighed but got up, his face pained. I grabbed his arm and helped him up. He walked to the sofa and I followed. I sat down and he sat next to me, trying to get comfortable with his beaten body. I sighed as he struggled. I grabbed his hoodie and he looked at me, confused. I guided him down to my lap, and he lied down, stilling immediately. Within seconds he was asleep, and I stared down at him.

His eyelashes weren't extraordinarily long. His skin was rough. His hair wasn't perfectly silky. His nose was crooked. But, somehow, he looked absolutely perfect to me. As in, I couldn't design a better human.

---

Ring

Go away

Ring

My eyes groggily opened and I groaned. My eyes opened in shock.

It was dark. Really dark. And there was still a sleeping Heller on my lap.

Problem number one: I'm afraid of the dark.

Problem number two: it's late and I need to go home.

Problem number three: how do I wake up Heller without him killing me?

I looked at my phone. Thirty seven missed calls from my mom. I quickly texted her, saying I was sorry and fell asleep at a friends.

I looked at Heller and hesitantly brushed my fingers against his cheek, testing. He sighed.

"Heller," I whispered.

Nothing.

"Heller," I whispered a little louder.

He groaned and rolled towards me, settling himself against my stomach.

"Heller," I said softly.

"What," he groaned out, his voice husky with sleep. I gulped.

"Get up."

He slowly rose, and though I couldn't see his face, I knew it was pained. He sat there for a minute, and I didn't like the gap between us, especially since I could've sworn there were demons and ghosts everywhere.

"Heller," I whispered, my voice shaky. He didn't seem to notice my fear, though.

"Hm?"

I gulped, I was scared he would take this the wrong way, but I was so scared. I clung to him like a koala.

He chuckled. "Scared of the dark?"

I nodded into his hoodie, burying my face further in his back.

My phone beeped and I jumped four feet in the air. He turned quickly and held me.

"Shh...I'm sorry I don't have any lights. It's okay I'll protect you. Let's get you home." He began to move.

I clenched onto him with a death grip.  "No, I'm not moving."

He picked me up instead, and I wrapped around him like a baby. He walked quickly to his motor cycle and set me down. I shook in my shoes as he bent down to get the helmet and tugged it on me. He placed me on the bike and got on himself, me immediately holding on to him. He sped off quickly, and I didn't mind.

Soon we were under the floods of the street lights, and my body relaxed against his.

When we reached a stoplight, I pulled out my phone.

'Which friend? Are you spending the night?'

I looked at the boy in front of me. I thought of how he needed me to sleep.

'New friend. Yeah I'll be home tomorrow'