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Sykkuno doesn't say anything when Corpse bolts out of bed, rolling into the balls of his feet and suddenly hurrying down the hallway. He doesn't call after him because it has come to the point where his nightmares are part of their sleeping routine, or rather, a lack-of-sleeping routine. Sykkuno pushes himself up slowly as the hallway light flickers on, bathing half of his in a white glow. He props himself up on his elbows and peers at the clock, where the obnoxious red numbers spell out the time.
2:15 AM
He sighs, swinging his legs off the bed and letting his feet hit the floor. The blankets fall to the floor in a messy heap, leaving him suddenly cold. He stands, cracking the stiff joints in his shoulders and neck. Sykkuno contemplates putting on more clothes then decides against it, too groggy to care that he's only in a pair of boxers and an old academy shirt. Yawning, he paces steadily down the hallway, already expecting what he's up to before he even enters the living room.
"Corpse?" he calls into the semi-darkness of the room, fumbling for the switch. His hand collides into Corpse's when he finds it, making him yelp and take a steSykkuno back. Light suddenly fills the room, and he blinks a couple times to adjust. Corpse stares back at him with a blank expression that contrasts the turmoil in his eyes. Sykkuno swallows down the bile that rises in his throat at the sight of him, and opts for lighter conversation. "Oh Jesus," he chuckles, though it sounds forced. "You scared me." His laugh is met with silence and his next joke dies in the back of his throat. "Corpse," he murmurs seriously, taking his face in his hands. His expression doesn't change a bit. "What happened?" Sykkuno finally asks. Corpse exhales, shoulders sagging when his hands trail down his neck.
"Nothing," he mumbles, wrapping his arms around his waist. "It was nothing." Sykkuno ignores the loss of oxygen when he crushes him to his chest and holds him tighter.
"It wasn't nothing," he argues quietly, trying to not to stumble over his words when he feels him silently sobbing into his shirt. He doesn't want to talk about it, he knows, because Corpse and talking about feelings were two things that rarely went together. Even after everything he's gone through, his throat still constricts when he's asked to discuss it in the safety of a private room.
Sykkuno hates the way he goes stiff when the therapists question him, prod at him until he's suddenly sweating and gasping and yelling. He can't do that to him too.
"It was nothing," Corpse refutes weakly, sounding even less convincing with the way his voice cracks at the end. His shaking now leaving Sykkuno with the responsibility to suddenly shoulder his weight.
"Alright," he grunts, maneuvering them backwards into the couch. "It was nothing," he repeats. "You're right, it was nothing. Everything's okay."
He falls into his lap, and somehow Corpse's face manages to stay buried into his shoulder. Sykkuno lets his fists curl into the back of his T-shirt as he rubs his back comfortingly.
He dozes off eventually, so he slides off his lap and adjusts them both until his head is in his lap and his butt is planted firmly in the couch cushion. Sykkuno props his arm on the armrest and drops his chin into his palm, absently combing his fingers through his hair as he gazes out the window.
Sykkuno's not good at it - the comforting thing - but he'll do anything now to get the dark circles under Corpse's eyes to disappear. Even if he ends up acquiring dark circles himself on his behalf. He just wants him to sleep peacefully, for once.
He's pulled out of his thoughts when Corpse shifts, rolling from his side onto his back. His hand that was in his hair trails down to his chest, where he feels his heartbeat thumping against his ribs.
He mumbles his name in his sleep, making his own heart stutter.
Just the fact that he's alive and okay is enough for his eyes to flutter shut, just as the morning light filters through the living room blinds.
Corpse wakes up on the couch, not an uncommon occurrence for him, but this time with a blanket haphazardly wrapped around him. Despite the warmth it provides, Corpse feels the absence of a certain heat that's normally tucked into his side. He shoots upright, absolutely frantic.
"Sykkuno?!" he shouts, stumbling to his feet and tripping over the blanket that's now wrapped around his legs. Corpse hardly cares about his own predicament, instead he's surveying the apartment. The only part of his brain that's functioning is the one that's looking for Sykkuno.
"Right here," he replies, and Corpse swivels until he's facing the kitchen window. He's perched lazily on a stool, the wind ruffling his hair as he inhales the contents of a cigarette. Sykkuno releases his smoke out the window, knowing how much Corpse hates having the smell in the apartment. He stalks up to him and places his arms on either side of him, trapping him in his seat.
"Am I really that much of a burden to you?" he laughs bitterly, plucking the cigarette out of his hand and flicking out the window. Sykkuno makes a startled noise, hand stretching out the window as if he means to reach for it. He pulls him back, grabbing his face in his hands roughly and making him look up at him. "Am I really?" he repeats. Sykkuno's previously annoyed look softens into concern.
"No," he promises, hands pulling him closer by the waistband of his boxers. "Absolutely not." Corpse bends down and kisses him, tasting his mouth despite the fact he sort of smells like an ashtray. He's sure his morning breath isn't any better anyway.
"I love you so much," Corpse mumbles against his lips when they break apart, his eyes still screwed shut. He feels him smile.
"I love you too," he breathes, just as the alarm in the bedroom goes off. Corpse peers up at the kitchen clock.
6:00 AM
The light catches in Sykkuno's eyes as he leads him back down the hallway to the bathroom, and he's struck by just how handsome he is. His crude 'sex times' insinuation dies in his throat and he kisses him again, feeling his lungs finally expand as if something's been weighing down on his chest this whole time.
He's alive, he realizes. And Sykkuno's here and he's always going to be here and he's going to be okay.