oneshots • sidemen

|| 14 || wroetozerk • lights out

|| ship; wroetozerk

(sneaky bit of vobi and ksimon too, just for my sake)

|| warnings; none

|| words; 1.6k

|| requested by; charlottesydx

- {} -

Josh

I don't think anybody knows quite how bad Harry's fear of the dark is.

Or, to be honest, the fact that he has a fear of the dark.

I only found out about it when Harry and I started sleeping together. Sharing a bed. He was always reluctant to have the lights off, and when I eventually switched them off to sleep, he would stay up on his laptop, or phone, well into the night. I'm pretty sure he only fell asleep when he couldn't force his eyes to stay open anymore, since I often would find him propped up against the headboard instead of lying down the next morning.

But eventually, I questioned him about it. Because his habits were beginning to affect my sleep as well as his own.

When I brought it up, he was reluctant to explain. But after I kept pressing for an answer, he gave in. Told me he's had a fear of the dark, for as long as he can remember. And that he doesn't like telling people, because he thinks it's childish, and they'll judge him for preferring to sleep with the light on.

I just told him it was fine, and ordered a night light for my flat, so he feels safe when he stays over. And made sure to switch on the one he keeps at his flat before we go to bed whenever I stay over there.

He sleeps easier now. The difference is considerable.

Instead of fighting the drowsiness, he'll just cuddle up with me, pushing his head right under my chin. Fall asleep within minutes, snoring peacefully.

Not a worry on his mind.

I've also made sure to be prepared in the case of a power cut, by now keeping a stash of torches, battery packs for our phones, candles and blankets under my bed. Put some under his bed too, for when I stay over with him.

And then, if the power ever does cut, all I need to do is reach under my bed, and it's sorted. His panic will calm as we cuddle up together, hidden in the blankets, watching pre-downloaded movies on my phone by the dim light of the candles.

Unfortunately though, I'm not able to be prepared for a power cut everywhere we go.

Like Simon and JJ's flat, for instance.

-

"Vikk, it's fine, relax," Tobi soothes, wrapping his arm more tightly around the smallest boy. We finished shooting videos for MoreSidemen an hour ago, and are now all sat watching a random movie in JJ and Simon's living room. Only about forty minutes ago, the thunderstorm began. And Vikk has been stressing about it ever since then.

"Tobi, we're all gonna die. What if lighting strikes the television aerial, and electrocutes the whole house? Then we're toast. Literally," Vikk insists, cuddling up closer to Tobi.

"Honestly mate, you're worrying over nothing. The flat doesn't even have a TV aerial," JJ states, an attempt to calm Vikk.