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Tic tic.
Tic tac tac.
Tic tic!
A tune sounds from above, a repeated tapping against the wooden ceiling of his bunk.
"Zuke?"
He begins to doze off.
"psst! Zuke!"
He feels something mildly sharp poke his cheek, and opens his eyes to Mayday leaning into his bunk and poking him with his own drumsticks. She's dressed in that obnoxious yellow scale pattern onesie she found on the sale rack one time. She probably still doesn't know it's Sayu's merch.
"Wh- May..."
Their hands brush against one another as he takes the sticks out of her grasp. Now unarmed, she can finally stop assaulting his cheek. He rubs the sleep out of his eyes with his free hand and sits up in his array of blankets and pillows.
"What... time is it?"
A nervous chuckle sounds from his bandmate as she slides back.
"...3am ....uh..."
"What? May- why'd you-"
He stops, holding his temper. He may have just been woken, but let's stop. She might need something.
"You ok, May?"
"The draft in my bunk I tried to patch up earlier? It came through and it's cold again and I wanted to try smacking it back together but thought you'd wanna know what I was doin' first before I started? Dunno."
Oh. Right.
Winter in Vinyl City was certainly more tolerable than the weather you'd get on Pluto, but living in the sewers had it's own risks when it came to the season. They'd collected an ensemble of blankets and cushions and snuggies for the purpose of staying warm, but holes and drafts in their home had to be patched up regularly.
And he wasn't particularly happy that May wanted to start making a ruckus at 3am.
"May, it's... way too early. And you'll wake up Ellie."
"Zuke, my dude, I'm literally gonna freeze."
"Well.... uh... right."
He stops to think for a second. May fidgets uncomfortably in her spot, then leans in again.
"I wanna believe there's always something you can do, so... can I sleep in your bunk tonight?" She rushes her sentence like usual and clasps her hands together with a large grin. Pleading wasn't something she did well but maybe he'd understand-
"In mine? I mean, I guess I could sleep on the couch, just for tonight-"
"I meant together, Zuke. I don't wanna butt you outta your own bed."
"OH. O-oh."
The string lights dimly light the lime spreading across his face. At least his face now feels awfully warm in this weather. He blinks a couple times.
Zuke had a crush on his best friend, and he wasn't ashamed of that (though, actually admitting it would be a different story.) But he was scared. Scared that one day it'd get in the way of their friendship, their music. He wasn't sure when it started, or how it started, but May's aura captured him. Her passion for music and love for the tightly-knit community they lived in never ceased to leave a warm feeling in his chest. And he couldn't help but smile while she'd tug at his heartstrings like she would while playing her guitar. But slower, I guess. With how much she shreds that thing it'd hurt a lot, actually.
She was impulsive and loud but that made her such a genuine person. Zuke hoped that one day, sea and fire could comfortably mix gradually into a vapor, instead of the sea extinguishing the fire or the fire boiling the sea- until there's nothing else.
"Zuke?" May taps her fingers against the wooden bunk.
"Wh-?! Oh, right. Yea, let me just..."
He scoots over to he's nearest the wall. And it's too late when he realises he probably should've let her sleep against the wall so she'd be warmer. Now he just feels trapped.
They lay down under the covers with their backs turned, a sizeable gap between them.
"Thanks, Zuke..."
"Don't mention it. It's not a problem, May."
She presses her cheek into the pillow.
"I mean like... in... general. Thanks for being here for me."
It brings a goofy smile to his face, so in a way it's for the best his back is turned. May wasn't often this soft-spoken, she was hardly at all, so it felt relieving that she felt this comfortable around him.
But it's only because she still sees you as her best friend, a voice sounds in the back of his head.
He starts to stir again. Zuke wakes to the ceiling of his bunk and realises he must've rolled over in his sleep.
He hears mumbling, coupled with short breathes as a figure shudders to his left. May's still got her back turned, but she's shaking so much. Another blanket is tossed on top of her. In her surprise she looks behind her.
"Zuke...?"
"Take it, you're cold."
Her innate stubbornness comes through once again. Sure, I could take it. But Zuke doesn't deserve to freeze either.
May shuffles closer towards Zuke, much to his surprise.
"Now you've got no choice but to share the blanket with me." She says, clearly proud of herself in some regard.
They're touching shoulders. And Zuke panics as May just smiles on with her eyes closed.
And he waits.
And waits.
...He doesn't know what he's waiting for.
But this is what you wanted, right? Well, no, the girl I love is inches away from me and we're literally in the same bed.
Minutes and hours pass until Zuke finally gets some sleep. His mind was a daze, but not the kind that made it easy to sleep.
Instead, now the one that awakens is May. She's somehow found her way leaning on his chest, and it's unusually comfortable.... well, not that she'd be aware of. Resting her cheek against his breast is something she's never tried before.
But it's comforting.
And warm.
And it feels like home and-
Something tingles in her chest. Her face is flushed and she's caught herself blushing and her mouth forms another stubborn pout.
Surely...?
She gets up to look down at him.
His face is painted with a slight blush and that hair he fusses so much about is now sprawled across the pillows. He's so quiet, and looks so peaceful. And he was really trying to help tonight and that's really sweet.
He's someone she can rely on.
"Goodnight, green light."