Dirk Gently and The Waking Sea of Reality

A Message From The Past And The Future At The Same Time

       Todd woke up around 6:45 am, much earlier than he needed to be awake. He looked over at Dirk, still asleep, and he got an idea.

Todd slid out of bed at the foot of it. Their bed was in a corner and Todd slept on the side closest to the wall. Very quietly he fed and walked Bean, leaving a note on the nightstand in case Dirk woke up and freaked out; Out walking Bean. Don't panic. I'll be back in 15.

He returned to their apartment to see that Dirk was still fast asleep. Wrapped in the blankets with only his head and feet visible, lightly snoring. The early morning sun shined through the cracks in the blinds, casting golden ribbons over his face. His auburn hair reflected the warm light so beautifully, bits or red catching the light like copper threads. He looked peaceful. Beautiful. Angelic.

Todd was relieved too, Dirk needed more sleep. He always functioned on such low sleep, Todd wasn't sure how he managed to stay so energetic though. Dirk had confessed to him that he wakes up sometime in the middle of the night, unable to go back to sleep. He then finds something to do or read until he feels like he can go back to sleep, usually, around 4 or 5 am. And he almost always woke up before Todd -who was a heavy sleeper- and while he waited for him to wake up, he held him in his arms. Taking in his wonderful Todd energy he loved so much, thinking about how lucky he was, how much he loved him. Undeniably content just like that. And when Todd woke up, he always smiled. How he loved that sleepy smile. So raw and unfiltered, so perfectly Todd.

There were the rare occasions that he did sleep through the night. And those days were where he was at his best, at his cheeriest. Todd could tell he had one of those nights last night, first, there was the snoring which he seemed to only do on nights with full rest. But there was also the fact that he was so drained from last night. All of the fear, the resurfacing trauma, the brand new confession, it was a lot. A lot a lot. And his mind needed to recharge if it was going to handle, less handle and more stumble through safely, what was sure to be another hellish day.

So the universe let him sleep. It didn't keep him awake with it's buzzing and whirring. A vast series of electric wires that shot from one place to another, connecting everything and nothing all at once, waiting for that new piece of information to come along and to sort into its perfect little slot of reality. That was what kept him awake. The universe never slept, so why should it let him? Because he deserved sleep... never mind, that was supposed to be rhetorical.

Todd went to the kitchen and put a kettle on. He poured himself a mug of black coffee which he gulped down with a tolerant disgust.

He opened the fridge to pull out some eggs. He opened the freezer and grabbed the box of Eggos, because he didn't have the patience or motivation to make pancakes and eggs. Frozen waffles would have to do. And Dirk most certainly did not mind.

When Todd had finished cooking, Dirk was still fast asleep. He moved the crystal to the coffee table to make room for Dirk's food and tea on the nightstand.

He leaned down to kiss his forehead. Dirk's eyes fluttered open.

"Good morning, Dirk."

Dirk craned his neck upwards to kiss Todd properly. Soft, slow, wonderfully sleepy, and love-filled, Todd followed him as he pulled away.

"Good morning, Todd," he smiled with all the fondness in the world. Dirk closed his eyes and inhaled deeply through his nose before opening his eyes lazily. He grunted, his voice groggy. "Is that breakfast? Smells wonderful whatever it is."

"You know it, love."

Dirk sat up with furrowed brows, he raised a finger and opened his mouth and then closed it, looking off to the side and then back at Todd before leaning over and saying very slowly;