Sleepless Nights

Scared Sleepless

Zach sighed heavily, squirming in his seat. Eugene could be incredibly stubborn and Zach knew he wasn't going to get out of telling him.

"I've been having...nightmares," Zach said with a shrug, staring down at his shoes.

"Nightmares?" Eugene repeated. "What kind of nightmares?"

Zach took off his glasses, pressing his hands to his eyes. "I-I don't know, after I wake up I can't seem to remember them."

"And you're afraid to sleep?" Eugene inquired.

Zach nodded, looking up at Eugene with slightly red-rimmed and damp eyes. It tore at Eugene's heart but he pushed aside his emotions of tenderness, not wanting to deal with them.

"Come on," Eugene said, stepping out of the car. Zach slid his glasses back on and got out of the car as well. They approached Zach's door and Zach let both of them in.

"We're going to stay up until 8 PM. Then you're going to go to bed," Eugene told him before clearing his throat. "And I'm going to stay here to monitor you."

Zach shook his head. "You don't have to do that," he told him.

Eugene stepped close to Zach which forced the shorter man to look up at him directly. "And you don't always take the best care of yourself," Eugene replied.

Zach swallowed thickly. He wasn't used to having Eugene stand this close to him. It made him feel...something he couldn't quite put his finger on. Also, he knew that Eugene was right. Zach nodded in defeat, dragging himself over to the couch. Eugene sat down beside him.

They decided to binge-watch some Netflix while they waited for 8 PM to roll around. Every time Zach would start to fall asleep, Eugene would poke him in the side. Zach would grumble something to himself or make a slight noise but he wasn't upset over what Eugene was doing, just desperately tired.

"How much longer?" Zach whined at one point.

Eugene narrowed his eyes. Zach really did turn into a baby when he was sleepy.

"2 more hours," Eugene replied.

"Seriously?" Zach asked, placing his head in his hands.

Eugene reached an arm out toward Zach, hesitating before lightly rubbing soothing circles over his back.

"It's 4 more episodes. You can make it," Eugene assured him.

Zach relaxed under Eugene's hand, still drowsy, and still having to be awoken by Eugene.

Finally, 8 PM hit.

"Alright, bed time," Eugene told him.

Zach frowned. He was practically pouting. Eugene tried not to laugh.

"You've been wanting to sleep all day," Eugene reminded him.

Zach sighed and nodded, looking toward his bedroom uneasily.

"I'll make sure you're safe," Eugene said.

Zach's eyes met Eugene's. Zach was a consistently anxious person, always afraid of the worst happening. But around Eugene, he truly did feel safe. An unfamiliar warmth moved through him and his cheeks turned red. Eugene felt his heart begin to race at the way Zach was looking at him. He stood up quickly and brushed it off.

"Come on," Eugene said, heading into Zach's bedroom, and Zach followed.