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Dakota was sleeping soundly on a late October night. Peacefully, he breathed at a slow rhythm, no sounds or even dreams to disturb his rest.
Of course, this wouldn’t be a good story to tell if something didn’t wake him up.
His phone rang loudly on his nightstand, causing him to jolt upright in surprise. Realizing it was not some villain sneaking into his bedroom, he breathed a sigh of relief, but now that left him with anxious curiosity. There were only seven people in the world that bypassed his Do Not Disturb schedule for his sleep: His aunt, the Prime Force, Tide, and the Prime Defenders (Ashe included).
He flipped the device over, squinting with bleary eyes at the light that was far too bright for this hour. It was William.
Answering the call, he put the phone against his ear while he rubbed his eyes once more. “Hello?”
He was meant with quiet sniffles on the other end.
“Will?” he asked, too exhausted and confused to be worried yet. “Is that you?”
“Yeah, Dakota—“ William responded, hiccuping with tears. Right, Dakota was awake now. Something was definitely wrong. “I— I’m sorry I woke you up, but I just—“
Dakota shuffled over his bed and put his other ear against the wall that he shared with the other’s bedroom. He couldn’t hear any sound coming from it. “No, hey, relax,” he said in the most soothing voice he could muster. “You’re okay. Are you in the living room?”
“I’m at the corner of 56th and Sycamore,” he clarified. There was the sound of fabric rustling as he must have been wiping his eyes. He sniffled again before he clarified further.
“I crashed the car.”
Dakota’s eyes widened, almost comically. “You what?! Are you messing with me right now?”
Dakota knew the answer before Will could even respond, because there was a moment of pause where he only cried harder. “There was a deer— and— and I didn’t see it coming— so I thought I’d be able to hit the breaks in time, but—“
“Okay, just— breathe, alright? Just take a deep breath. Are you hurt?”
“No, but the car—“
Dakota was trying to be soothing, but he was also frantically putting on his sneakers, “I’m on my way now. Just stay on the line and breathe.”
He hummed in acknowledgment. Dakota opened his window and leaped, deciding that doors were a time consumer that he could not afford. Worry and panic pumped through his rushing blood all the way to the street corner that William said he was at— not far enough to be a long run for the super powered teen, but far enough that Dakota had to wonder what the hell had possessed William to go all the way out here.
He saved his questions for when he got to the scene, though. Will was sitting on the side of the relatively forested road. There were fewer trees than if it were an actual forest road, and there was a neighborhood of suburban houses within eyesight, but they were far enough away that they likely couldn’t hear the crash.
Speaking of the crash, the car was pressed firmly against one of the smaller trees. The tire tracks and large puddle of water behind it made it clear that the driver had hydroplaned and veered out of control. Looking at the car itself, the damage to it was far smaller than it could have been. The grill was bent, the right headlight was smashed, and there was a small crack on the windshield, but that was it. Dakota could see no other damage besides that.
The red haired boy hung up the phone now and pocketed it into his pajamas. “Will?”
His breath stuttered, but he was able to look up at Dakota with teary eyes. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t’ve—“
“Hey, I already told you it’s fine.” Relieved that his friend did not look hurt, he sat beside him. “The car doesn’t look that bad,” he added with a light shoulder bump.
He buried his head into his knees again, but leaned into Dakota’s touch. “Tide’s gonna kill me,” he lamented.
“He’s not going to kill you, okay?” he reassured, rubbing light circles in his friend’s back to try and help his labored breathing. “But he is probably going to ask why you went on a joyride so late.”
Beginning to settle down now that Dakota was present, William’s words became more clear. “I was being stupid. It’s stupid. I’m sorry.”
He wanted to press for more answers, but William was upset enough as is, so he shifted back to calming him down. “Hey, this is why flying cars exist, yeah? Roadways are super dangerous— especially at night. And look at that drain! It’s set so much higher than it should be if it was really meant to collect the water. This could’ve happened to anyone.”
“Doesn’t mean it’s not my fault, though.”
“I tried to tell Tide when he got the car that it wouldn’t end well, but you know how old fashioned he is. It’s not even that busted, anyway. I’ll bet it’s still drivable.”
Finally, the tears from his friend stopped, and he slumped against Dakota’s shoulder even more. “Thank you for being here.”
“I’ll always be here. How do you feel about going out to eat an early breakfast? My treat.”
He shook his head weakly. “I’m so tired. I just wanna go home.”
“Okay, let’s get you home then.”
He swept up the taller boy with ease, one hand supporting his back and the other hooked underneath his legs. William wrapped his arms around his neck, clingy from the emotional and physical exhaustion. When he spoke again, his voice was quiet and slurred, already on the cusp of passing out.
“What about the car?”
“I’ll come back and carry it home— no sweat. I need to start a morning work out routine, anyways.”
“You sure?”
“Of course I am. You need sleep, though.”
The teen walked back home slowly, not wanting to jostle his sleeping friend. He still had a lot of questions that he wanted answered, but those could wait until morning. Until then, Dakota was just glad William was okay, and that he had asked for help when he needed it.