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In Ulysses’ opinion, the most peaceful time was at night, with nothing but the wind, rain, and crickets for company. It was the most lonely time, but he found peace in that. Something about the quiet felt more like a friend to him than anyone ever had in his life; it stayed with him, strangled him and suffocated him with it’s sere embrace, drained away all that loneliness with it’s saccharine calls of the gale and rhythmic beats of the bugs. It didn’t surprise him that even during the killing game, he was accompanied by the night and calmed by the faux sky of the courtyard.
Everyone was asleep, all except Ulysses. That night, they had decided to sleep two to a room to ensure safety, and he had been paired with Wolfgang. Admittedly, he wasn’t too fond at first, since he found Wolfgang to be quite forcefully formal and cordial, a veil that Ulysses easily read past with the help of his behavior during the fake trial. Ulysses imagined he’d let that cover fall in private, and likely be uptight and too organized for his liking, maybe even strict about separating space if Ulysses really pushed his imagination. Yet, when he needed help moving some of his things, Wolfgang was there, carrying however many books Ulysses cared to ask for, and when he resigned to the couch that he assumed Wolfgang would put him on, Wolfgang disagreed, and insisted they share the bed until Ulysses reluctantly complied. Something about Ultimates and mutual respect, Ulysses didn’t remember.
While they both shared complaints about the lack of sleepwear, Ulysses took note of Wolfgang’s surprisingly casual manner (aggressively casual, he’d say, since Wolfgang left his blazer and tie hanging over the top of the couch haphazardly and failed to notice the issue when he noticed Ulysses’ surprise) and blasé presentation that starkly contrasted with his professional one during the day.
Ulysses, however, would find it hard to sleep, and excuse himself to the dining hall with a so and so excuse about being peckish. Wolfgang understood and waved him farewell from the luxurious bed, sending him off with a charming smile that Ulysses swore lit the dim room up just a bit more.
Sitting in the dining hall, under the light of one of the hanging lights at the table, Ulysses waited for his fatigue to trump the fear that kept his mind running. With each spike of anxiety, Ulysses gently turned the page in his notebook, half skimming the notes inside. Although he’d done this every night since they’d gotten here, he found it difficult to reabsorb any of the information he’d hastily noted throughout the day. Everytime he tried, his heart jumped at some creaking of the building, and he turned the page in resignation.
He wasn’t sure how long had passed. Sometime into his review, he’d somehow made himself a coffee and ended with another empty cup. Ulysses had long forgotten his original reason for being here, focusing solely on re-examining the accuracy of his notes of the dining hall and the sketches that came with it. Despite the vertigo and flicking of his eyes, Ulysses pressed on in his studying. He felt unsafe; something about his notes was wrong, or the room was wrong, or something was happening, but whatever it was he couldn’t sleep. Not yet, and not that he needed to. Eventually, you start to forget you’re tired.
Ulysses nearly jumped out of his skin when the dining hall door opened and scared him awake. Awake? When had he closed his eyes? He scrambled to his guard and slammed the book closed, looking up and feeling the vertigo sway his head before it cleared from the adrenaline.
In the doorway, barely illuminated by the honey-like glow of the lights above the table, Wolfgang stood and blinked at Ulysses’ distress.
“M-Mr. Wilhelm,” Wolfgang started awkwardly, a little bit of shock permeating out of his tone. “I thought you’d gone back to your own dorm.”
Ulysses sighed the tension out of his joints and relaxed. “N-no, I… I’m still here.” He motioned vaguely with his hand. “I never found anything I wanted.”
“Is that so?” Wolfgang asked, approaching closer. The light hit Wolfgang and cast his shadow, tall and slim, behind him like a cape. Ulysses sensed suspicion in his voice. “Then why stay out here?”
“I didn’t feel like sleeping either, so instead of wasting my time doing nothing in bed, I decided to review my notes from today.” Ulysses fought back the yawn that bubbled up his throat. Coffee would be nice. He lifted his mug and frowned to find it empty. How many times had he done that now? “I guess.. I lost track of time.”
“Yes, quite,” Wolfgang responded, pulling out the chair next to Ulysses. “It’s been a couple hours. Frankly, I couldn’t sleep either.” He laughed quietly and looked away as he sat down. “...Not without my roommate.”
Ulysses blinked, sluggishly processing Wolfgang’s words. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to keep you up.”
“No, it’s fine, I… kept myself up, I suppose. Worrying about this and that… and worrying about you, ah… Mr. Wilhelm.” Wolfgang smiled sheepishly, bringing his hand up to his face to semi cover his smile. “I was worried you wouldn’t come back.”
“Why so? These past few nights have been pretty uneventful, so it’s unlikely something could’ve happened to me,” Ulysses responded, shaking away the creeping dizziness that comes with lack of sleep. “Not unlike you, I have faith that nobody will genuinely play the game.”
“N-no, not that… well, that too, but I was worried you were uncomfortable with our, ah, arrangement.” Wolfgang leaned onto the table with his arms, rolling up the misaligned sleeves of his blouse. “I understand that my pushing may have been a bit much, after all we’ve only just met… so I was worried you’d gone back to your own dorm.” He jumped at his confession before Ulysses could speak. “And, of course, your safety as well! Even without that, I’d still be worried awake about your well-being. I was.”
“Oh, no, I’m alright with the sleeping arrangement. I didn’t pay it much mind, really, and I’m grateful you let me sleep in the bed as well…” Ulysses combed back his messy hair with his hand and let out another long sigh. “I understand, I probably wouldn’t have been able to sleep either. My apologies, I should have let you know…”
“No need, Mr. Wilhelm,” Wolfgang dismissed, waving his hand. “I respect your dedication to your notes, it impresses me how much care you put into your study.” He smiled. “I wish I was more like you during law school.”
“Hm, I wouldn’t be so fast, you were a teen prodigy in law school years much beyond your age. That’s impressive in itself,” Ulysses countered, feeling his energy draining. A yawn worked its way out of him as he bent over the table to lay his head on his arms. “Additionally, this ‘dedication’ really doesn’t do me much… I’m still just as forgetful as before, the only difference being that I don’t sleep as much.”
“Ah, the joys of late night studying. You should give yourself more credit! From what I hear, you remember your history quite well. Whether this sleepless behavior is to blame is…” Wolfgang cocked his head. “...a mystery to me.” A pause. “Nevertheless, there’s nothing in that book that is worth your health, Mr. Wilhelm.”
Ulysses blinked again, noticing the trouble he had with focusing his eyes on the wood pattern of the table. Looking up, he attempted to fix his eyes onto Wolfgang, but found it near impossible. Wolfgang’s expression turned from pleasant to concern as he watched Ulysses’ face.
“Goodness, Mr.Wilhelm… I advise you to go to sleep now if you wish to be able to join the group tomorrow.”
Ulysses shook the drowsiness that fogged his head. “Ugh, you’re up too, and yet you seem no worse for wear…”
Wolfgang smiled pleasantly again. “Law school gave me much more than just knowledge on the Law. I studied late nights more often than everyone else… that kind of dedication could kill a man if pushed far enough. I stopped right before the ledge…”
Wolfgang turned his attention back to Ulysses and returned to his concern. “... and you’re reaching it. Come on, it’s about time you slept…”
Ulysses didn’t have it in him to try to argue. Wolfgang stood up from his seat and gently took the empty mug from the delirious Ulysses, placing it in the sink quietly. Ulysses could barely function through his drowsiness, sitting up and finding it hard to keep his head from falling onto the table, and when his head did drop, Wolfgang gently caught it and helped him up, picking up his notebook and pulling Ulysses along with soft encouragement. The lilt in his voice was a sleeping spell for Ulysses, and he found himself stumbling right into Wolfgang, who caught him with expert reaction time and, after a pause, continued to walk him back towards the dorm.
Ulysses never realized how gentle Wolfgang could be. He was always so clean and tidy that Ulysses had clocked him to have that assertive, commanding touch of a lawyer, and yet, experiencing it now, he’d discovered that Wolfgang was… entirely gentle, almost to a painful degree. The revelation only seemed to sap more energy from him; make note of it tomorrow.
When they reached the dorm, Wolfgang guided him to the edge of the bed, letting him fall face first into the sheets (to Wolfgang’s secret delight), and placed the notebook on one of the couches. Although Ulysses would’ve preferred to fall asleep where he was, Wolfgang encouraged him to get situated properly so he slept well and comfortably. Ulysses tried to keep his eyes awake, at least long enough to thank Wolfgang, but he barely had enough energy to process what was happening, let alone open his mouth and speak. He couldn’t tell if it was just because he was comfortable, or if it was something in the air he couldn’t smell, or maybe it was just the comfort that he would be safe with another person and that he wasn’t alone, or maybe it was none of those or all of those, but for the first time since he’d arrived here, Ulysses felt just a little safer. The last thing Ulysses felt was the pressure of Wolfgang getting into the bed next to him, shifting the mattress slowly and mindfully so as to not disturb him.
Ulysses slipped into one of the most comfortable and care-free sleeps of his life.