Novelette {Oneshots}

Insomnia ✧ 𝙱𝚊𝚍

𝚂𝚔𝚎𝚙𝚑𝚊𝚕𝚘

𝚃𝚆𝚜: -

𝙳𝚎𝚜𝚌: Zak tries to make Darryl believe that insomnia is the reason he can't sleep, to hide the fact he's kept awake by a recurring nightmare.

𝙾𝚕𝚍 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚔
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The door to Skeppy's room was ajar, a slit of light streaming through into the hallway. Clocks dotted in each room told me it was near four in the morning, an ungodly hour even for us.

"Skeppy?" I call into his room quietly, confused when I'm given no response. Carefully I push open the door, finding that he is indeed awake. The small boy is curled up in his chair, clicking his mouse absentmindedly. There's deep purple lines under his eyes, and he's visibly shaking dramatically.

"What's going on?" I ask, unsure of what else to say. Skeppy jumps at the sound of my voice, taking off his headphones and spinning his chair.

Further away from me.

"Oh, hi Bad. Why aren't you asleep?" He stretches his arms above his head, and it's then that I notice how weak he looks. Dead, like the life was drained out of him.

"Insomnia" I mutter dully, watching Skeppy widen his eyes as he remembers. Those eyes look drained, mocha-brown drained to a dustier, washed-out colour. A husky of what they once were.

"Why are you still awake? No offence, but you look awful." Not completely a lie, although, I couldn't not find this boy attractive at all times. That sickening feeling returns as I try to suppress the feelings I have for my best friend.

"Couldn't sleep" he mumbles, eyes dropping slightly as he talks. They snap open again almost instantly, as if he's trying to fall asleep but something keeps stopping him. I sigh, looking at the husk of my best friend before me. "Skeppy you said that last night too. And the night before that, the night before..."

"I can't sleep either" he corrects irritably. "I have insomnia too."

"You don't. Your eyes wouldn't be drooping like that if you did." I walk over him, taking a seat on the end of his bed and placing a hand on his shoulder, which he's quick to shrug off. "What's wrong?" I ask quietly.

"Nothing. Nothing is wrong. I told you, my insomnia is keeping me awake again."

"Geppy you don't have insomnia." My eyes are fixed on the frail boy before me, usual tanned complexion drained from his now ghostly features. He looks miserable, yet scared by something. Awake, but barely.

I wrap both arms around my now shaking friend, pulling him tightly into my chest. "You know that you can tell me anything, right?" His fingers fumble awkwardly with the strings of my hoodie, avoiding eye contact at all costs.

"I-" he looks away, debating whether to share the truth. " promise you won't judge me?"

"Promise."

"I... have this... nightmare..." He trails off, and I take his hand in mine, squeezing it reassuringly. "I find it hard to sleep. Can't sleep in my bed, almost fall asleep anywhere else though. Then I remember the nightmares and wake myself up. Maybe it's linked but I don't know-"

The look in his eyes hurts me. "Bad I'm so tired!" he whines softly. "I want to sleep but I can't!"

"How about you sleep in my room?" I offer casually. "If you can't sleep in your bed, maybe you can sleep in mine. I don't mind, we can swap rooms for the night."

"C-Could you stay with me?" he asks nervously, immediately averting his eyes. It takes all of my self control to hide the sheer happiness and giddy feeling of butterflies in my chest. "Sure, muffin."

As soon as he tries to stand, the effect of sleepless nights dawns on him. Almost instantly his legs give out, and I run towards him before he hits the floor. Wrapping my arms under him to catch him, I slowly lower him to the floor.

"You ok?" I ask, earring an embarrassed nod in response. Forcing back the blush threatening to creep across my face, I pick Skeppy up, carrying him out of his room. He wraps his legs around my waist, arms around my neck to steady himself.

It takes me a few seconds to realise what's going on, and what this looks like. To anyone who didn't know that this was just my sleep-deprived best friend, who is probably so tired he doesn't even know what he's doing.

"Sorry... about this..." he mumbles tiredly into my shoulder. Carefully I adjust his position, resting his head against the crook of my neck to make him more comfortable.

"It's okay, muffin. Honestly, it is." Skeppy wraps his arms tighter around me, as quiet sobs begin to echo from him. "This just seems so stupid."

The sour tone behind those words is evident of his embarrassment, mixed with the way he won't let me see his face, which he's buried back into my shoulder. Tears soak through my hoodie, barely noticeable against black fabric but I swear I can feel each one.

"This is stupid" he suddenly repeats, disgust as he spits out the last word. "I'm an adult! I shouldn't be bothered by things as childish as nightmares."

"Everyone can have nightmares," I correct, remembering a few of my own from when I wasn't much younger than I am now. "That includes you. So don't beat yourself up about it."

Skeppy nods slightly, with uncertainty. "But not everyone has someone like you that has to deal with theirs," he adds bitterly.

"I don't mind helping you." We reach my room, and I set Skeppy down on the bed beside me. He shuffles away nervously, unsure as to whether he's stepping a line in friendship.

Unaware to the fact that line blurred long ago.

Giving him a reassuring smile, I reach my arm out towards him. I watch the cogs turn in his mind as he looks from my hand to my eyes before taking my hand. He shuffles back towards me, leaning into my side and keeping our interlocked hands in his lap.

"I care about you. Please don't forget that." Slowly his eyes drift to me, dim and sparkling with the ghosts of tears. He nods, offering a weak smile. "And if you ever have these nightmares again, you can always come and see me, I'll try to help as much as I can."

"You already do," Skeppy leans further into my side, a soft smile tugging at his lips.

"More than you could ever know."

𝚆𝚘𝚛𝚍 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚝: 1091
I don't like this ending hhh