Blinding Lights | Skephalo

no one's around to judge me

thank you so much for 3k reads & 300 votes that's crazy!!! <3 i'm sorry this chapters a day late i am trying to power through extreme writers block

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Darryl

Darryl sits up quickly in a cold sweat, his gasps short and loud. He doesn't remember falling asleep, but he does feel better now that his head isn't aching as much anymore. 

Zak, who had most likely fallen asleep sitting in a chair outside Darryl's room, rushes in. He kneels by Darryl's side, handing him his glasses that were on a nightstand. Darryl didn't wear them often due to him having contacts, but they came in handy if he wanted to just sit in bed for a while. Zak always told Darryl that the contacts really brought out the green in his eyes, too.

"What happened? Are you okay?" Zak asks.

Blinking for a second, Darryl realizes that he can't remember what had gotten him so spooked. Usually, his dreams— nightmares— are extremely vivid and he is able to recall them as if they're memories, but things were different this time. His mind was completely blank.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just had a bad dream, I think," He responds, hesitating. Darryl places his glasses on his face, getting a clearer look at Zak through the darkness that was setting over the horizon. "Thank you."

"You don't need to thank me, Darryl. You're the one who's helping me, remember?" Zak scoffs playfully and rolls his eyes. "Can I sit?" He gestures to the bed.

With a nod, Darryl scoots over to make room for his friend. Glancing at the clock, he's glad to see that there is still thirteen hours until the package is due to be dropped off. "Are you tired?" Darryl asks.

"No," Zak responds. "Do you want to go out? I promise no one looking for us is out at this hour."

"Fine. But we'll have to walk; I still don't have my car." Darryl says, after thinking briefly on their argument from earlier that night. He had claimed that he couldn't sit back and act normal, and going out in public with Zak is just the opposite.

"That's okay. I like spending time with you, anyways," Zak's voice picked up an octave as he stood and dragged Darryl out of bed. "I was thinking we could go to iHop; I suggested pancakes as a joke before but now I really want some."

Darryl suppresses a smile as he throws on a relatively clean shirt, turning away from Zak as he does so. He can feel eyes on him as he freshens up a bit, but Darryl wasn't sure if they were just focused on the back of his head, which still pounded with a dull ache. Once he was content with his appearance, Darryl shoved his wallet into the pocket of his jeans and led Zak out of the apartment.

The silence seemed to echo off the walls as Darryl and Zak walked through the empty halls. Both boys were relieved to step outside into the fresh air and buzzing city, as it gave them an actual excuse not to talk to one another.

Although it was nearly two in the morning, late-night partygoers could still be seen stumbling home after their nights of fun. Music was still blasting from someone's apartment above the boys, the pavement vibrating with the sensation from the bass. And even though Darryl hated to admit it, he loved the rush of adrenaline he got when people turned to look at him and Zak. The notion that they had just robbed a bank and were going to deliver a bomb— and how they're on their way to get some pancakes in plain sight— excited him in more ways that he could understand. Of course, Darryl would never share that with Zak. He wouldn't want to make light of the situation they're both stuck in.

"How come we've never done this before?" Darryl asks Zak as they step inside the iHop. There were a few couples in booths and one large group of drunken girls at a table, but the place was relatively empty, much to Darryl's liking.