Archive of Our Own ^beta

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1

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Vyncent's first few months on Prime were rough.

There was no sugarcoating it. One minute, he was at home- bored of his relatively peaceful life, and deciding to trail after his father's party on a whim- and the next thing he knew, he was being dropped through a portal, and falling into another world entirely.

A world with technology the likes of which he's never seen before, and with people with dozens of new languages, customs, and rules that Vyncent wasn't privy to… And with something else, aching at the back of his mind. Memories of what happened, as well as the voices of his father's adventuring party.

When Vyncent initially fell through, all he could remember thinking was that he was glad that he wasn't dropped into a barren wasteland- someplace that was quiet, and dark, and had no sign of life other than himself. He could also remember feeling glad that he wasn't alone in this terrifying, new world- even if the Greats were just a murmur in the back of his head, instead of being company that he could have decent conversation with…

But then- after so many months of being on Prime, and having to deal with adjusting to this new place, as well as having to deal with the Greats in his head- sometimes, on certain nights, Vyncent would briefly wish that he'd been left to his own devices. 

Because if the Greats were alive and well at home, then everyone would know what happened, and what his father did- even if it'd be at his own expense. Everyone would've been on track to finding him and bringing him back home. And if they were home, Vyncent could sit in his room at the Prime Defender’s base- underground, with walls that were thick, and a room that was quiet- and maybe, he'd actually be able to get some decent sleep for once.

But the Greats came with him. His mom probably thought that he died along with the rest of them- just leaving home one day, and never coming back. There was no search party coming to find him. And, as it stood, it didn't matter how quiet his room was, because in his head, there was that constant murmur that wouldn't go away.

On some nights, everything was a little too loud. 

The murmur, his heart beating, or even the sound of his own breathing- even if he sat in a room that was quiet, and even if he pulled those headphones over his ears, and blocked out as much sound as he could- it was never quiet enough for him to sleep. There would always be a stray twitch, or muffled thump, and it'd have Vyncent awake again in seconds.

On this night, Vyncent recognized the signs easily. His eyes wouldn't close. Every small noise was waking him from any decent sleep he could've been getting… And, on top of all of that, the Greats were making themselves known, and it was starting to give him a massive headache.

Vyncent didn't leave his room very often. As far as he was concerned, he had everything he needed there- and even though his mentor and the rest of his teammates were nice enough (one of them being similarly shy, and adverse to making friends), he still preferred to keep to himself, for now. Just until they'd have to start doing hero work together. 

So, when Vyncent finally left his room in the middle of the night- wanting to occupy himself by finding something to do, like finding something to eat, and then spending a few hours in an empty training room- he expected the base to be empty, and quiet, despite those bumps in the night.

He expected to be alone.

What he didn't expect to see was one of his teammates- William, the one that was just as awkward around the team as he was, and usually didn't even speak to him- already in the kitchen, scrounging around in the fridge for something to eat.

As soon as he saw him, Vyncent froze up. He briefly wondered if he should turn around and walk back to his room- risking William seeing him, and seeing that he didn't want to be in the same room as him- or if it was fine for him to just stand there, and wait for William to finish what he was doing, so that he could raid the kitchen after him.

Either way, it'd be awkward. So, in the end, he just ended up staying there. Frozen, and waiting.

It didn't take very long for William to notice him. After Vyncent slipped off his headphones and fully rested them around his neck, William's head twitched to the side, like he heard it clearly. Then, almost hesitantly, William turned to face him.

“Hey.” He said, slowly.

“...hey.” Vyncent said back.

William- eyes wide- looked around the base like he was expecting someone else to come crawling into the kitchen in the middle of the night- but the only people that stayed there besides them were Tide and Dakota. Tide was out with promises of being back the next morning, and from where they were standing, just quieter than the hum of the fridge, they could hear Dakota snoring from his room- so it was unlikely that they were going to be seeing anyone else.

A similar thought process must've flitted through William's mind, only faster, because while Vyncent was still mentally going over it, William ducked his head down and started looking around in the fridge again- pushing aside an egg carton that must've been lighter than air, and a milk carton that was dipping just below half full.

“Damn.” William murmured. His voice was always whispery and under his breath, but as he continued murmuring, it hardly sounded like he was saying anything at all. “They're housing three teenagers, you'd think that they want to keep the fridge full…”

And even though they were both well aware of the boxes of beef stroganoff in their possession, the pantry went completely untouched in William's search. 

He threw his hand up half-heartedly. After slamming the fridge shut, he muttered something under his breath, and stepped away- but instead of giving up and going to his room like Vyncent thought he would, he headed towards the elevator instead.

The elevator that led outside. Vyncent's eyebrows raised, as he finally seemed to snap out of his stupor.

“Are you getting something to eat?”

William looked back at him briefly- a little startled, like he wasn't expecting him to still be standing there- before he started putting on his shoes.

“Yeah. There's probably, like… a convenience store open. Somewhere.”

Vyncent's hand found its way to the trim of his jacket. His fingers flexed, and curled- and even though he was nervous, and wanted to hide in the familiarity of his own room… He was also hungry, and he felt like he'd rather die than eat anymore of that beef stroganoff tonight. 

“Can I come?”

William's brow furrowed for a moment, but other than that, nothing seemed to be off. He was still putting on his shoes, but he was kicking in the heels to make his foot fit in them.

Then, his expression changed. Eyebrows raised, and actually looking back at him- his eyes darting from his own eyes, to his chin, like he had trouble keeping eye contact.

“Right- you're not from around here either.” He then said, but with the way he spoke, it sounded like he was talking to himself.

Vyncent nodded. “I'm from another planet.”

“Right…”

Vyncent couldn't hear what the Greats were saying, but he could tell that there was disapproval over William's dismissive tone. The pride. That urge, for Vyncent to reach down onto his belt, and pull out something- a knife, a spear, a sword- and show off what sort of heroes came from Fauna-

But thankfully, they all seemed to be self-contained. Satisfied with just talking about it amongst themselves, instead of taking it out on Vyncent’s teammate, who at worst was just a little unsuspecting. That meant that Vyncent would have to hear them talking about it, on the walk over to the convenience store- but he was slowly learning to get used to it. And, even now, they were starting to die down. (They were definitely still talking about it- if he stopped to listen in, he could probably hear the trail end of their conversations- but his head was slowly adjusting to the new people occupying it, and Vyncent couldn't be more thankful for it.)

“Should we get Dakota?”

“Maybe we should get Tide, too.” William said, in a flat tone- and it was probably not meant to be heard, but Vyncent's keen hearing picked up on it anyway.

“...Tide's not here. And he said we're not supposed to be out this late.” Vyncent said, and William gave him a weird look before he shook his head.

“We'll be quick. It's fine.”

-

The outside air was cold, and refreshing- and even though Vyncent had to zip up his jacket a little further to feel truly comfortable, he didn't mind it.

With the way their base was set up- needing to step into an elevator and descend downwards, in order to get inside- it was all underground. And thus, getting fresh air was near impossible, unless Vyncent used the elevator…

But, as embarrassing as it was to admit, Vyncent hadn't adjusted very well to Prime's advancement in technology.

He could barely use the Prime Force's wrist watch, even if he's had basic training with it- the elevator felt like a whole different problem entirely. Though it was designed much more simply, and even as he watched William's fingers easily tap those buttons and send them upwards- Vyncent still didn't feel confident enough to use it on his own. 

Even though the design seemed simple, and him getting stuck in the elevator wouldn't last longer than a few minutes or hours, Vyncent still didn't want to risk it. 

And so- unless someone else was going out- he'd usually stay indoors. Which meant that he'd breathe in the air that their base was filtering through- and even though the others didn't really seem to mind it, Vyncent came from a world with fresh air, and flourishing nature, which meant that he could tell the difference- and be annoyed at it, whenever he thought a little too hard about his own breathing…

Being outside wasn't fantastic. But it was much better than being inside all day. And, as the two of them walked out of the abandoned warehouse, and onto some main roads, Vyncent walked slowly, and took in as many deep breaths as his lungs could carry before he got insanely lightheaded.

It wasn't something that went unnoticed, but thankfully, William didn't seem keen on pointing out how weird Vyncent was being. 

At least- he didn't directly point it out. He stuck to occasionally side-eyeing him.

“What's it like where you're from?” William asked slowly.

Vyncent always gave the same answer to that question.

“It's… a far off land full of mystical wonders.” Vyncent rattled off uncertainly, since he didn't understand what kind of answer William was looking for.

…and Vyncent always got the same response.

“Alright.” 

William didn't sound very convinced. 

Or- Vyncent racked his brain  after the initial answer, since he was quick to jump to it- it's not that he didn't sound convinced. It wasn't the same dismissive tone he usually got whenever he briefly described his home. It's more like he sounded… unsatisfied. Like he wasn't getting the answers he wanted with the questions he was asking.

“...” The Greats were notably quiet, now. On the edge of their seats, waiting for whatever else William had to say.

It took him a minute. But, eventually, he asked, “Is it harder to breathe, out here?”

“Just when we're in the base. Underground.”

And when William remained quiet, Vyncent briefly went into more detail about his home.

Because sure, the air was pretty thin where he lived- his home town was based on a giant floating island, after all- but sometimes it felt like it was so much easier to breathe over there. There wasn't as much smoke in the air. It was much more floral. Vyncent slept with his windows open, and with all sorts of breezes rolling in- cold in the winter, warm in the summer-

It wasn't the worst. It could've been much more horrible- Vyncent could've found himself in a dimension where the air was impossible to breathe, and where he'd find himself suffocating- 

But it could've been better. Prime wasn't his favorite.

“I get it.” William said, a little cryptically.

It was Vyncent's turn to be skeptical, this time. “Yeah?”

“Um. Kind of. I just get what you mean…” He scratched at his chin idly, and murmured. “I'm from a much smaller town… There aren't a lot of people over there, and the technology there isn't as advanced. So… Suddenly being in the big city was really jarring, at first.”

“Hm.” Vyncent hummed.

“And the base- the air gets really stale really quickly.” William wiped his hand off on his hoodie. “I like taking walks, sometimes. And I know how to get around. If you'd like to join me.”

William wasn't looking at him as he said it, but the offer was genuine. And really nice. And, frankly, even if it'd never be as good as it was on Fauna… it was much better than staying in his room all day.

“Yeah.” Vyncent murmured. “I'd like that.”

-

When they finally made it to the convenience store, Vyncent looked around like it would be his first- and last- time seeing one. Slowly sweeping his eyes across the interior, and taking it all in…

It almost looked like the shops back home. It was a little more advanced, and there were way more food and drinks options- as well as cold spots, to store food in for longer without any trace of magic helping it- but it was just familiar enough for him to feel comfortable walking into it without feeling the need to constantly glue himself to William's side.

William turned to an aisle with chips on it. Vyncent made a beeline for an aisle with prepackaged sandwiches that were neatly stacked, and aimed to pick whatever looked the most appetizing-

But then, just as he picked up one of those plastic containers, something else caught his eye. Then another. There were rows and rows of different sandwiches with different ingredients in it, some of which Vyncent's never even heard of. He could've spent hours in that aisle, pouring over the different meat and cheese and condiment choices- but ultimately, he knew that he wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. So he closed his eyes, picked up the first one he touched, and then left in a hurry.

Vyncent found William in the back, next to these glass doors that contained the cold, artificially generated air. It held bottles, and cans- and as soon as they regrouped, William nodded towards it.

“Did you want something?”

Vyncent took one look at the drinks- rows and rows of unfamiliar brands and labels, rows of choices that he couldn't seem to make- and did something similar with his sandwich. He opened up a door, let the cool air wash over him, and picked the first drink that he touched without thinking too much about it.

It was bright pink, and had a bubbly design on it. Willaim didn't seem to think twice about it, and led him straight to the register.

William set his things front and center. Uncertain, Vyncent set his things off to the side.

“Together or separate?”

“Together.” William said, and after a beat of silence, he slowly swept Vyncent's things over.

Vyncent was glad. In his mission to get out of the base, he almost forgot that he didn't have any money on him.

-

Vyncent and William sat on the curb outside.

They were in a pretty busy part of town. Cars drove past, and people came and went beside them- but neither of them paid any mind to it, as they both tried what they grabbed.

Vyncent had some trouble opening the can. Then, the minute that fruity, fizzy drink filled his mouth, Vyncent's face pinched, and he kept it there.

William's mouth twitched around his own drink. “Don't like it?”

He wasn't sure, at first, if it was just an unexpected sensation, or if he hated it- but the longer he let it sit in his mouth, the more he realized that it was definitely the latter.

“...” Instead of answering him verbally, Vyncent leaned over, and happily let the drink spill out of his mouth before he'd gotten the chance to swallow it. There was a sickly sweet aftertaste that accompanied it, and it made him smack his lips a bit- but at least that sparkling feeling was gone.

Something tapped his arm. When Vyncent flinched and looked over at him, he saw William holding out his can to him.

“Try it.” He said, “It's an iced tea.”

Tea. Vyncent took a sip, and was pleasantly surprised by the flavor.

It was much better than the drink that he picked for himself. He took another- one much larger, that filled his mouth, and almost dropped down his face- and then he set the relatively full beverage down beside him for William to take again. 

“Thank you.” He murmured. Maybe he should've been safe, and just stuck with bottled water. He didn't even see it as an option, among everything else.

“Didn't like the taste?” William eyed the can curiously, and even turned it over. “Not a big fan of… Bubblegum soda?” He said the last part like he was surprised by the flavor.

Vyncent thought it over. 

“I didn't like the texture of it either.”

William clicked his tongue and nodded, like he understood. “I didn't even know that was a flavor… Sounds terrible.”

“It was.”

Despite making up his mind about it being disgusting, William eyed Vyncent's soda as they ate. Then, as if he was curious, and couldn't leave it alone until he knew how gross it was, William put his nose up to the can, and took a sip himself.

He turned his head, and spit it out seconds later.

“I told you.” 

“I know.” William said gravely. “We'll find something better for you next time. Promise.”

Next time. In all honesty, he was probably just going to stick to drinking water. It was the safest, and he knew he liked it- and even though he was slightly curious about all of the new flavors, he didn't think it was worth wasting anything.

“...I'm not used to all of the drinks on Prime.” He admitted. “I don't know if I'll find anything I like.”

“You liked the tea.”

Vyncent frowned. He did like the tea. And he didn't know how many more of the selections he'd like, unless he tried them.

“Maybe. Next time.” He managed before he continued eating.

Thankfully, the sandwich he picked was pretty good. Next time, if Vyncent was overwhelmed, and didn't want to spend all night in that convenience store, he could just pick up the same order again. Maybe he could dip his toes into this- trying drinks steadily, before the thought of trying other food crossed his mind…

For now, he'd stick with this. Tea, and a good sandwich.

“Why did you come to Prime?” William asked him. “You're my age, and you're so far away from home…” William wasn't looking him in the eye, and Vyncent caught him fidgeting a little. Distantly, Vyncent thought that it was nice that he wasn't the only one that was nervous, here. “You didn't come all the way over here to join some superhero team, did you?”

It was said lightly. He was probably joking, to lighten the mood.

“It's a long story.” He admitted, “But it was either this or jail.”

William's eyes widened when he looked back at him. He opened his mouth, like he was planning on saying something- some exclamation of surprise, maybe, or some consolation- but instead, all that came out of his mouth was a breath outward.

“Okay.” William said, before he turned, like he was still trying to process it. Vyncent didn't know if he was reading it right, but it seemed like he wanted to ask more about it.

Or, maybe, he just wanted to keep talking, but he didn't know what to say after that.

Vyncent paused.

“You're not from around here either.” He said, when it became evident that William wasn't going to say anything else. “Did you want to join a superhero team?”

William's thumb nail dragged against the side of the aluminum can.

“Also a long story.” He said at first. But then, his face took on a much more worried look. “But, uh. In my case, it was either this, or dying. I guess.”

“What?” Vyncent didn't know why he caught William so off guard with his answer.

“That's how I got my powers?” He rushed to explain. “I'm just trying to keep myself from falling through the floor, you know?”

“Huh.”

William's nail dug into the can a little further.

“Dumb question.” William muttered. “I wonder why they decided to go with the three of us. Sometimes. We're definitely not the only superpowered kids on Prime… But we're probably the most troubled.” William scratched the side of his face, and spoke into his hand when he said, “...maybe we should've brought Dakota with us. I've been wondering where he came from for a while now.”

“He's pretty excited about joining the Prime Force.”

“But what does that mean?” William asked, and with how distant his eyes seemed, it looked like he was talking to himself. “How'd they find him- you know? Where'd he come from?”

“You can just ask him when we get back to the base.”

William frowned. And even though it wasn't a sentiment that was shared verbally, Vyncent understood how odd the request was anyway.

Before that night, William and Vyncent hardly talked to each other. They weren't usually in the same room if they didn't have to be. This little outing made way for them to be able to talk casually like this- if Dakota was there, it was a conversation that'd happen naturally. But if they were back at the base again, and they tried asking Dakota…

Well, Vyncent didn't think that anything bad would happen. They were all a little prickly to each other because they were all teenagers that just met- but of all of them, Dakota was the friendliest. If William asked, and if it wasn't too personal, Dakota probably would've responded positively.

And even if he didn't, at worst, it'd just be a little awkward. (But from what he could tell from William, a little awkward might as well be a death sentence. So, unless they had another outing, and Dakota was invited to it- and unless the conversation came to them naturally- William wouldn't be getting his questions answered anytime soon.

Vyncent couldn't read expressions all that well, but he could tell that it bothered William. Not knowing. Vyncent wondered if it was a habit that he recognized.)

They finished their food in silence. 

-

Dakota hadn't woken up in their absence. 

When they returned, the base was just as quiet as it usually was- save for their teammate’s snoring. And so, the two of them were quiet, and careful- slowly taking off their shoes, and leaving them by the elevator, just as they left it last time.

Then, just as Vyncent was getting ready to go back to bed, William cleared his throat.

“Hey- Vyncent?”

“Yeah?”

William looked nervous. Really nervous- eyes pinned to his hands, which were moving around weirdly. And when he spoke, it sounded stilted, and awkward.

“I couldn't sleep earlier.” He said, and Vyncent had to strain his ears to hear him properly, “I was gonna watch a movie before bed. If you want to. Too.”

William looked back up at him after he asked it. Vyncent nodded along, and hoped that he didn't seem too eager to avoid going back to his dull bedroom.

Vyncent's gotten accustomed to what movies were. That's what he's been doing in his room, for the most part. Watching movies. The technology on Prime was so advanced that every shot in a movie looked stunningly clear, and made Vyncent feel like he was looking through a window, instead of watching something that wasn't real. 

The images plastered on that screen were so vivid that it felt like he could reach through that screen- and sometimes, though it was rare, Vyncent would actually try to reach through it- fingers pressed to the screen, bleeding into the lives of teenagers going through high school and dealing with that sort of drama, or the more fantasy-esque shows, with dragons and elves, and everything else that was back home.

The screen was always warm against his fingertips, and never so much as curved under the pressure of all of his pushing. And, despite wanting to- despite the Greats urging him to, sometimes, since they were all just as homesick, and disillusioned- he would never make it through to the other side.

On those nights, he'd sit too close to the screen- almost zoning out, as if his wishes would just manifest if he really thought about them hard enough. He'd get headaches, and he'd be unable to stare at screens for hours after it all- and then, next time he picked up a remote, and the next time he got so homesick that it made him want to puke, he'd try again and again to bleed into that dream world.

On this night, the movie that William picked was so old that it was in a different color scheme entirely. 

The movie had a fuzzy layer over it, like it was having trouble keeping up with demand, and Vyncent's keen ears picked up on the slight distortion of their voices- as if it was coming from an illusion.

It was easier to separate it from reality. It was easy to sink into the couch next to his teammate, and to be enthralled with this movie the same he would've with a book.

It didn't take long for him to fall asleep. As he felt his eyelids getting heavy, he leaned against the arm of the couch, and he didn't really think about it.

-

(He'd wake up several hours later to the sound of Dakota and Tide bustling around the kitchen. There would be a small crick in his neck that just needed a stretch to go away-

But to his surprise, he'd wake up with a blanket thrown over him- and even as he racked his brain, he couldn't seem to remember where he got it from.)

—

2

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Vyncent learned very quickly that William's favorite thing to do was to snoop.

With every new environment the Prime Defenders found themselves in, if he wasn't taking everything in with his strangely keen eyes, and seeing things that Vyncent and Dakota couldn't even begin to pick up, then he was physically going through, and picking things apart.

Vyncent picked up a similar habit, because of him. 

William's fingers tapped on everything he was curious about, whether he meant to or not. Vyncent's fingers would follow moments later. William's head would turn to innocuous corners of the room, and Vyncent's head would follow over his shoulder. He couldn't help but let his eyes wash over everything- because even if he couldn't see the same things that William was, there was always the chance he'd see something else, and it never hurt to be observant.

After a while, it just started being something that he did on his own. If William was off looking somewhere, then Vyncent would be the eyes on the back of his head, seeing if he could spot something on the other side of the room before William could.

And that was why- while the Prime Defenders were technically homeless, and staying over at Wavelength's house until they could get their bearings- Vyncent felt horribly restless. Because on top of the emotional turmoil of losing the only place he's had to call home, and of finding out that Doug had a hand in it- he was in a new environment.

Everything was entirely new, and unfamiliar. And initially, William seemed to be too drained to look into it further than looking in Ashe's room or exploring the kitchen- which meant that the house, unexplored, could've been holding anything- and until William got too curious for his own good, Vyncent would just have to wait.

On their first night there, with Vyncent on the couch in the livingroom, and William sleeping on an air mattress next to it, that restlessness came back tenfold. And for an hour or so- his eyes shut, but his mind racing- Vyncent thought that he was getting a good look into how the rest of his nights were going to look, while he was there. Restless. Anxious. Wide awake in the middle of the night, even though he was exhausted…

Then, just as Vyncent was going to give up on getting a good night's sleep, William whispered, “Hey Vyncent, you up?”

He made no effort to look like he'd been asleep. 

“Yeah, why?”

“Nothing. Just… can't sleep.” William murmured. “I haven't been getting much lately..”

Silence washed over them. For a minute, they were just laying in a quiet house. 

Vyncent's leg twitched. He could feel his back starting to ache, and for a moment, he wondered why he was the one on the couch, instead of the mattress-

But instead of airing his grievances, Vyncent's shoulders squared, and he turned over to face William- who'd been laying there with his eyes plastered open. When Vyncent moved, he was startled, but otherwise didn't say anything.

Vyncent hadn't known William for very long, at this point. But he's known him long enough to know when he was itching to uncover a mystery. Maybe Vyncent was just projecting, and that curiosity was eating him alive, while William was just mildly interested- but he swore that William must've been just as curious as he was.

It was Vyncent who said, “Wanna break into this guy's basement?”

It was William who grinned, like he was glad that Vyncent caught on so easily, and said, “Yeah.”

Wavelength's suburban home, for the most part, was pretty normal. 

He had his son living with him, and as far as Vyncent was concerned, Ashe didn't even know that his dad was a major supervillain- which meant that, usually, Wavelength was very careful to keep it from him… but then, behind the washing machine, there was a secret passageway that led straight to his secret villain lair-

And, personally, Vyncent didn't know how he could've missed it. Ashe was spending so much time at home- he must've known that something was going on with his dad, even if he didn't know what it was. If Vyncent was spending this much time at home, and his dad was doing something-

Well. He probably would've gotten caught up in one of his crazy schemes. That's why he was on Prime, and why Ashe could spend his days in his room, peacefully none the wiser. And, maybe, checking out this guy's secret basement wasn't a very good idea, either- not a killable offense, surely, but something that'd cause strain in Wavelength's hospitality nonetheless- 

But they'd already made up their minds. Hand in hand, William and Vyncent floated down there to avoid a sensor that'd alert Wavelength to their exploring-

And then, once they reached that secret room, Vyncent flicked on a light switch to brighten up Wavelength's secret villain lair. In turn- as if Wavelength was down there waiting for them, or as if something like a light switching would be enough to alert him- William straightened up, and went invisible, which meant that Vyncent went completely invisible in turn-

But nothing happened. 

There was the steady flow of air, just like how it was in their old base, as well as the sound of something beeping- but it didn't sound too unlike how it was in the living room. It was mostly quiet. The longer they stood there, frozen, without anything or anyone jumping out at them, the longer they realized that they were in the clear.

Vyncent shrugged his shoulders, and forced himself to relax. When he let go of William's hand, he was visible again- and although William didn't immediately become visible after realizing that they were safe, Vyncent heard movement coming from his side, followed by a mug being lifted into the air- so he took it as his cue to look around as well.

Inside, they found plenty of things- a drawing that Ashe must've made while he was much younger, dozens of iterations of the same Wavelength suit (including one that looked like it was a work in progress), a list of names- a hit list, William suspected, after digging a little deeper…

But before they could get too into it- right as they moved on from the list, and Vyncent found a new corner to dig into- they heard a slight thump come from above them, followed by the sound of quiet movement. And when Vyncent turned to look over at William with an incredibly alarmed look on his face, he was met with William's face, which was covered by one of Wavelength's masks.

He had to help him out of it, and then the guards he put around his wrists- fitting them back where he found them, trying to be quick and quiet all at the same time-

They hurried out of the secret base. William grabbed onto Vyncent's hand, and floated him back up to the entrance. Their landing was a bit heavier than either of them liked for it to be, but they wasted no time setting everything back to normal, and practically diving back into the spots they were supposed to be in.

Vyncent and William quickly threw their blankets over their heads, and then remained completely still- both holding their breaths in anticipation, as if they'd get in trouble from something like an exhale-

And they were right to be worried. Someone did, in fact, walk into the kitchen- and if they ignored the sound of movement above them, and kept searching through Wavelength's basement, then they definitely would've gotten caught down there.

Vyncent knew that nobody else could see as well as he could in the dark, so he wasn't really worried about anyone seeing him slowly pull the blanket away from his face- but as he saw someone walking in, the living room got so quiet that it felt like they could hear a pin drop.

Ashe walked into the kitchen. He opened up the fridge, and grabbed a can of Recharge from it- the light briefly illuminating his face, as he looked over at Vyncent and William- but then, without any proof of them being awake, the fridge closed, and he was leaving the kitchen just as quickly as he'd entered it.

It was silent yet again. The ceiling fan above them was the only thing that was making any noise- this constant droning that seemed to chill his bones, along with the air that it was pushing around. Vyncent laid there, completely still-

And realized that the jittery, restless feeling hadn't gone away just yet. Not even after their little adventure. 

If anything, it got worse.

It was a familiar, gut-pulling revelation. He wasn't going to be getting much- if any- sleep tonight.

Vyncent had a similar problem with sleeping when he was back home on Fauna. It wasn't something that developed entirely on Prime- it didn't start in their dingy old base, with the Greats keeping him constantly awake, and with him and William needing to do nightly walks and movies just to ease him for the night- but as stress and unfamiliarity piled on, it just had the room to flourish while he was there. 

It was something that started when he was a kid. He could remember many nights where he couldn't seem to turn his brain off- staring up at the ceiling, and waiting to eventually fall asleep. During the days that'd follow those nights, Vyncent would wake up at dawn, just as he did every morning- quiet and tired, and prone to falling asleep in the middle of the day.

Vyncent would spend most of those nights outside, messing with their livestock, or finding better things to do. It was on one of those many sleepless nights where he'd decided to follow his father's hunting party, The Greats, and in a long series of events, one of the many things that led him to being on Prime in the first place…

And on this night, if they'd gotten spotted, it would've been a night where a supervillain caught them going through his basement, and eviscerated him on the spot. It should've gone down that formula- couldn't sleep, found something else to do, and then finally sleeping a little too late into the night-

But, instead, it didn't fix anything.

After a long bout of silence, Vyncent turned his head.

“William.”

“Yeah?” He responded quickly. He didn't even sound tired.

“What do you think the list was for?”

“...I have no idea.”

More time passed without them saying anything. Vyncent's eyes would close, but it was never for too long- it felt like he was just blinking really slowly. Once his eyes were open, they'd want to stay open.

It felt like it was the middle of the day. Vyncent felt like he had the energy to just swing his legs over, get up, and go about the rest of his day- even though it was the middle of the night. 

Was he stressed? He didn't feel stressed. Their base got blown up, and they had to stay with Wavelength, who he stabbed back on Harttawa… And sure, they just got back from the spirit world, and Mallard Conway's pendant was in his pocket, and every sense of normalcy he's clung onto- despite William, Dakota, and Tide- was completely taken away from him-

But he felt fine. Relaxed, even, as the couch dipped beneath him. His exhaustion just wasn't registering.

Vyncent tried opening his mind to other possibilities. He was stressed, but just wasn't feeling it- but that wasn't right. He'd usually feel that sort of tension in his body, even if his brain wasn't quick to register it. And then, even if he was stressed, was it because of everything going on? Or was it because he wasn't quick to fall asleep, and he was dreading the night ahead of them?

…maybe it was that last bit.

It was a vicious cycle. Vyncent was stressed because he wasn't sleeping, and then, he wasn't sleeping because he was stressed- so on, and so forth, until he'd stay awake far longer than was necessary. Usually, it ended up with him staying up until the early hours of the morning.

He could toss and turn as much as he liked. Tonight would be no different.

So instead of trying to get some sleep (and then, ultimately, getting frustrated when no progress was being made) Vyncent just aimed to make himself as comfortable as possible, and let his mind wander a little.

The first thing his mind went to was the Greats. He knew that if he moved past the white noise in Wavelength's living room, and tried knocking on the door in his own head, then they'd jump in an instant to talk to him… but, usually, that'd just end with him getting a headache, and even less sleep, so he ignored them.

Last time he got like this, it was because of the Greats. William took him out to get something to eat, and then, by the time they made it back to the base, they were watching a movie, and Vyncent was just exhausted enough to finally fall asleep.

Was that the key to cracking the code? Not just doing something like going through Wavelength's basement- which only provided him with momentary relief, before it riled him up again- was it the food, or the walk, or the movie?

Vyncent let out a discontented sigh. Then, he turned his head again.

“William?” He asked, at the same time William said, “Vyncent?”

“Yeah?” Vyncent backtracked immediately.

“No- you can go first. You asked first.”

“Do you…” Vyncent felt weird, laying down and asking him this. So he propped himself up on his elbow, and leaned over the side of the couch, “Do you want to get something to eat?”

Vyncent could see pretty well in the dark. And so, when William's eyes darted over to him and then darted away, he caught it. It seemed like he was thinking about it.

“Yeah.” He said, eventually, before the two of them sat up in unison.

-

The fridge was full of canned drinks, and ready-to-eat meals that only needed a few minutes in the microwave. And even though those drinks were the same ones splashed into Doug's eyes, Vyncent never got to know what they tasted like.

But when Vyncent tried picking up one of the cans to inspect it further, and see if it was worth drinking, William's hand raised tentatively, and pushed his hand back into the fridge.

“We don't need to be staying up all night.” William said under his breath.

Vyncent tried looking over at the other foods, to see if any of the other options were any better… but as it stood, nothing really jumped out at him.

The food on Prime never tasted like how it did back home. Every time Vyncent was given something to eat, there was always something that made it seem so… bland. 

And, usually, it wasn't much of a problem. He'd eat, and if it was hot, he'd even enjoy it- he even enjoyed those sandwiches he'd get at the convenience store with William- but sometimes, those ready-to-eat meals and beef stroganoff dinners would sit like ash in his mouth, and he'd eat slowly, but finish it all eventually, only because there was no other option available to him.

Maybe it wasn't a Prime problem. Maybe it was just the food that was being served to him in Rockfall, or provided by his mentors- Tide specifically, who had a strange penchant for only making beef stroganoff. Maybe, it was all just the simple fact that he was prone to homesickness, and sometimes- especially after losing the only consistent home he's ever had on Prime, and while he was sleeping on a supervillain's couch- all Vyncent wanted to do was go home, eat his mother's cooking, and sleep in his own bed.

Maybe he just missed when the worst parts about his day were gathering herbs and meat for dinner- or running into the occasional monster on his walks around town (which- if they were all lucky enough- would be slain easily by his father, and make for a good stew by the end of the night.) Or, maybe, he just missed being in a place that was entirely familiar to him, with food he could always count on being on the table. Maybe it was the consistency.

Maybe it was all of it, crammed together in one giant mess. The bad ready-to-eat meals, the lack of a consistent home- the lack of a home in general- being a million miles away from his family… Right now, the only piece of home he had on him was his knife, and the Greats in his head- but he stopped hearing their chattering a long time ago, and they could not satisfy his hunger.

Vyncent looked back at William, just to find that while he was lost in his thoughts, the other was staring right at him with a weirdly soft look in his eyes. He looked away the minute Vyncent noticed it- but he still saw it. And he still briefly wondered what William was seeing.

“See anything you want?” He asked, and Vyncent frowned at all of his options again. “We could probably look in the freezer. If not.”

“I'm craving something specific.” He admitted, and the thoughts of a flavorful soup filled his mind. “Just something my mom would make, when I got sick.”

Vyncent's voice was light and neutral, and didn't account for the feeling of something clawing at his skin. The hunger for something so specific from home- no matter what food they scrounge up, or made, it wouldn't taste like what he wanted it to. And so, it would taste like ash in his mouth.

William seemed to get a good idea of what he meant, even without Vyncent having to say it. “Do you think we could make it here?”

It was a simple soup. Vyncent knew how to make it- and even if the foliage was different over here, he could probably get close to it.

“Do you think we can?”

William looked over to the sink. There were plates, and forks stacked up in the sink- unwashed for a while, even if it was difficult to parse how much time had passed. Then he looked at the time.

“...we've made beef stroganoff at his house before.” William said, a little quietly, “If he doesn't find out, I don't think he's gonna mind.”

-

They poured over the ingredients in Wavelength's house. Which wasn't much, apparently, but there were a few simple seasonings that Vyncent recognized.

He used to like cooking with his mom. Or, more accurately, he liked watching her cook- dipping his finger or a spoon into it whenever she let him, and tasting the ingredients and progress being made along the way. And even though he knew that there was no way for them to accurately match the exact soup she'd make… he knew that they could probably get pretty close, if they really tried.

William's idea, initially, was to go to the store, and make up for what they couldn’t already find. 

There were some concerns about leaving through the front door- leaving it unlocked, for them to come and go- even though Wavelength lived in an area where every single house down from his looked exactly the same as his did. 

If anyone was breaking in, they'd have to consider all of the other houses before they'd consider his- and then, on top of that, if they did break in, they have a lot of people they'd need to go through- a hero with a stellar reputation, a hero trainee that moved faster than they could blink, an infamous supervillain, and his son, who always had his demon book on hand…

They'd be fine, if Vyncent and William stepped out for a bit, and left the door unlocked.

But that didn't mean that they weren't careful- William didn't want to invite that opportunity. So instead, they left through the back, like they were a couple teenagers sneaking out of the house.

As they hopped off the porch, and planned to walk through the gate in the fence, something caught Vyncent's eye. 

He lingered behind, as William kept walking towards the exit.

There was a hole in Wavelength's fence. It wasn't very big- probably around the size of his fist, but bigger, and splintered from the impact- but he could tell from the symmetry from the rest of the fence that it wasn't something intentional.

Vyncent drew closer. Behind him- knowing that William was too curious to let this pass on his radar- Vyncent heard him step closer as well.

“Wow.” William whispered. Once he was in Vyncent's line of sight, he was turning his head over to look inside it, “You can see right into the neighbor's yard…”

Vyncent almost asked if William could figure out what caused it. But then, just before he could, something else caught Vyncent's eye, and he found himself pressing his face against the hole to get a better look at the other side.

Vyncent saw a garden. One that was not only ripe with fruits and vegetables- with their color just barely peaking between their fluorescent green leaves- but also carrying an abundance of it.

He wouldn't need much. Just a little. Already, Vyncent's mind was racing with the ingredients they'd need. Knowing that they were on a budget since neither of them had much money on them right now, and knowing that it'd taste so much better if it was fresh from a garden, Vyncent had already made up his mind.

As William was getting ready to leave- walking back to the gate, and thinking that Vyncent was right behind him, as he was going to unlock it- Vyncent was already reaching for the top of the wooden fence, and trying to find some purchase before he'd pull himself over. And then, just as he reached the top, he could hear William's footsteps frantically padding over to where Vyncent was.

“What are you doing!?” 

“We might not have to go to the store.” He said.

Vyncent almost hopped over the fence entirely. But then, before he could swing both of his legs over, he thought of William trying to follow after him- clumsy, as he'd grasp the wooden fence, and probably staying on the other side the whole time, since he didn't have the body strength to pull himself up…

So Vyncent leaned down, and held his hand out for him to reach. 

William stared at it like he didn't know what to do with it. Then, he stared up at Vyncent, walked over to the fence, and walked right through it.

Right. Ghost powers.

Vyncent landed swiftly right next to him. And then, once he saw that the coast was clear, he crouched down, and made his way to the other side of the yard.

“Vyncent, this is someone else's backyard.” William said, but he still hastily followed. “We're trespassing…”

“They won't even notice it's gone.” Vyncent promised.

As soon as he made it to the garden, he ran his hands through the leaves, and started plucking away. 

He could see pretty well in the dark, so it wasn't much of an issue to see what he needed. He took those vegetables, and the herbs that were hidden right beside it- putting it up to his nose to inhale those familiar, earthy scents, or tasting it just to be sure that he was getting the right ones- and grabbing just enough for what he needed.

A serving. Or- he plucked a few more- two servings, in case William wanted some as well. In case they made it right, and the soup was actually good.

And then, just as Vyncent was carefully picking through, and reviewing his haul, the porch light flickered on.

William's reaction time was quick. He grabbed Vyncent's shoulder, and the two of them were gone before the light could remain on them steadily.

The owner of the home stepped onto the porch. It was an older man, looking out at his garden, like he was making sure that he wasn't just seeing things- but with the two of them remaining completely still, and with no signs of anyone being outside- the older man had no choice but to move on.

The minute that door was shut again, even before that light flicked off, Vyncent tried looking down at his hands again, to make sure that he had everything- but William kept them invisible for a little while longer.

When they were visible again, William sighed. He still kept his hand planted on Vyncent’s shoulder.

“Come on.” He pulled, and Vyncent's shoulder shrugged along with his hand. “If they see us, they're gonna call the cops.”

That was enough incentive for Vyncent to leave. The two of them walked through the fence, and before Vyncent could figure out a way to climb over the fence while carrying everything, William easily phased through the fence, and brought him through as well.

-

The kitchen was an organized mess that they picked through.

William turned the stove on to a low heat. As soon as there was a pot of water on the stove, Vyncent added ingredients as he saw fit.

Then, as soon as Vyncent got close enough- smelling a scent that was close to what would usually permeate in the air, whenever his mom was making the same thing- he took a step back from it.

“We're supposed to wait.” He remembered, suddenly, and the thought of waiting for it made his stomach sink a bit.

They needed a couple hours at least. He knew that, even if it was getting later, and getting some sleep now would help… He could wait for it. He just needed to be patient.

Vyncent sat down on the cold, tiled floor of the kitchen- right next to the exit. William sat down next to him with a huff, using a chair to steady himself as he did so. Neither of them thought of how much more comfortable sitting on the chairs would be.

“Sometimes, she'd serve it with toasted bread.” Vyncent remembered fondly. “Or, um. Noodles.”

“There's instant noodles in the cabinet.” William informed him, and Vyncent's hands twitched a little, with anticipation. “We'll just have to wait.”

“Right.” Vyncent sighed.

To Vyncent's surprise, as they waited, that exhaustion came back- but this time, instead of him being tired with no way of fixing it, his eyelids began to droop a bit. 

He pushed his head against the wall, and sighed- but that tiredness persisted stubbornly. And on top of it, to make it worse, he was getting uncomfortable because he wasn't in a position that was easy for him to sleep in.

So Vyncent slid down, leaned over, and rested his head on William's shoulder instead. 

It was a motion that usually happened whenever they watched movies together. Usually, whenever Vyncent or William's heads lolled over to the side, or when their eyelids became heavy, that was a sign that it was time for them to disconnect, and get ready for bed.

Vyncent was tired. But instead of them moving away, and peeling off to bed, they stayed like that.

“Wake me up when it's done.” Vyncent muttered.

“Yep.” William said, and he sounded hasty- or just strangely stiff.

Vyncent thought nothing of it. He drew his knees up, curled around William- a little closer than normal, but Vyncent was making himself comfortable, and William didn't seem to mind it very much- and so, he fell asleep right where he sat.

-

(And when Vyncent woke up a couple hours later- it was early in the morning, and the pot with the soup in it was still simmering.

William's head was resting on top of Vyncent's. He wasn't breathing softly, like he wasn't expecting him to be- after another second or so, Vyncent realized that it sounded like he wasn't breathing at all- but when he shuffled around to finally sit up, William's eyes blinked open, and he stretched. 

In their tired haze, they checked the broth. Vyncent dipped the spoon in, and before he could think too much about it, he tasted it.

And while it wasn't exactly like his mother's soup- having a very similar smell, but not the exact flavor- it was close. Close enough. Better, really, than anything else he's been offered on Prime.

Vyncent's eyes stung with tears while he ate. William almost fell asleep while eating it. 

It was perfect.)

—

3

—

All that Dakota left behind was a letter.

No proper goodbye. No warnings, or signs for his departure- ever since Ashe summoned the trickster and disappeared, Dakota’s been fidgety and distant- and then one day, just as Vyncent was wondering what the three of them were going to do with themselves, there was a note left on their kitchen counter, and Dakota Cole was gone.

Tide left soon after- scheduled for depowerment because the Prime Force weren't happy with his decisions as their mentor. That left William and Vyncent behind, two stragglers that were both too far from their homes to go back (even though one was clearly much further than the other one was).

They both had a giant, renovated base to occupy, since the Prime Force were still expecting them to take up the mantle. They didn't even know that Dakota- the most enthusiastic out of the three of them- was miles away, and wouldn't be returning for the foreseeable future. They probably didn't even know that Ashe was missing.

It felt wrong, pushing through without them. It felt wrong informing the Prime Force, or anyone else about it for that matter, that their friends were missing, and that the only two people left weren't as thrilled to play superheroes. It was easy to listen to the demand for missions to be done while their friends were gone, and to become disillusioned, and resentful-

And Vyncent was just glad that William was thinking the same thing he was, when he started getting sick of it all. 

They didn't stay in the Hall of Elements, despite the rebrand. They took the technology they were given in this new base- a couple of advanced, high-tech bandages made to cover the large wounds that were left behind- and they set it up in the (mostly) habitable ruins of their old base.

They left their wristbands behind, still buzzing with updating messages. Technically, with it, they were leaving the whole Prime Defenders thing behind too- so, really, they could've done anything they wanted- but they both agreed to keep doing similar hero work. This time, they were just doing it on their own. 

If the Prime Force tried checking in on them, or chastising them, they'd all be gone. And if they really tried looking for them- scrubbing through every case they've solved on their own, and every connection William had- then they'd be found, but it wouldn't matter. It wasn't like they were sneaking around, or anything. They weren't even hiding from them.

It was purely a statement- quietly quitting. Vigilantism wasn't illegal (even if, technically, stealing the technology was), so William and Vyncent wouldn't get in any trouble for going off on their own. And if they wanted heroes working for them again, then they could make a new Prime Defenders group- bring in new young heroes, and give them the weight that William and Vyncent couldn't carry on their own. 

Because as far as Vyncent was concerned, the moment Tide and Dakota left, he and William became something else entirely.

It was a decent system. If people needed help- picking up trouble on police scanners, or from policemen themselves- Vyncent and William wouldn't even glance at their superhero costumes. They'd just throw on their shoes, they'd actually help people, and then they would retire to their ruins at the end of the day.

For the most part, they were doing great. Training, saving people, all while separated from the Prime Force- 

But then, sometimes, they'd miss it.

It was never spoken, and Vyncent couldn't be entirely sure that it was a sentiment shared between them, but it'd start small. The inconvenience of living on their own. Getting takeout constantly, and having to eat without having a working stove on hand- and then needing to make money for that takeout. The inconsistency of reports, the constant mixup of what they thought they were supposed to do, and what officers needed them to do, which has led to more problems than solutions (and just a few too many close calls, when it came to those officers making arrests)-

Needless to say, it was stressful. 

And when they would return to their beds at the end of the day, more often than not, Vyncent would find himself staring up at the cracked ceiling for hours at a time- as if his staring was the only thing keeping that ceiling from crumbling down on them.

And some nights, whenever William would ask if he was awake, Vyncent would often find himself talking before he could think about what he was saying-

“What do you think Dakota's doing right now?”

And William would be silent- not because he was falling asleep, but just because he was mulling it over in his head, and considering it.

“I don't know.” William ended up saying, and Vyncent could hear frustration bleeding through what was supposed to be a neutral statement. “I don't think it's good to think about that sort of thing. We should give him some space.”

It was a cool, and measured response to this situation. The reasonable one. The one that the Greats probably would've been telling him, if he hadn't tuned them out so long ago- 

But with them spending so much time together, just the two of them, Vyncent knew William like he knew the back of his own hand, and he knew that William wasn't as calm or collected as he tried proving himself to be. He knew, deep down, that if Vyncent suggested doing otherwise, then William would've wiped his hands, claimed that he tried the reasonable approach, and would've been the first of them on their way to finding Dakota.

One day, there were five. And then, there were only two- and even though Vyncent's lost his home and his friends multiple times over since he's been in Prime, and everything's been so inconsistent, it didn't stop him from stressing at every change being made.

Eventually, he'd get used to him and William sleeping in the ruins of their old base- and then what? Would someone else like to displace them? Would Doug, or Mallard Conway come strolling through, see that their old base wasn't quite inhabitable, and burn the rest of it to the ground? Would William say that he needed space, and go back to Deadwood? Would Vyncent be alone?

He wouldn't be alone. Not really. The Greats were always there, if he really sat back, and listened to them talk- and they were that little piece of home that he was taking with him on Prime. Even if William left, realistically, he'd be just fine. It wasn't the fear of being by himself on a strange planet anymore- not like how it was the first time. 

But William, throughout all of this, was a constant. 

Ever since he met him for the first time in this old base, he's been right by his side- and so far, he's been the only one who hadn't left him. That must've been why Vyncent got so attached to him, and why he was suddenly worried about him leaving- Vyncent hated change, and the adapting that was necessary to it, and William leaving would've been the straw that broke the camel's back, right? 

The answer seemed easy. It was the one he was drawn to- even if their home situation was always switching around, and everything was constantly changing despite Vyncent wanting it all to stay- there was one constant. 

And so long as Vyncent was on Prime, he'd be right by William's side, to be his constant as well.

-

Even with so much time passing, and their schedule becoming something consistent, Vyncent wasn't getting any sleep.

It was somewhat worrying. 

It wasn't that he was staying up late, and sleeping in the next morning- even that would've been preferable to the alternative. No, instead, just like he would when he was a kid, he was staying up late, and waking up at the same time he usually did in the morning. 

William was aware of it. He would constantly try to tiptoe around him in the early mornings, and let him sleep in- but with the sun streaming in through cracks in the ceiling, it was impossible for him to be asleep for too long.

They'd go about their day. And sometimes- if they went somewhere, and William ghostshaped a vehicle for them to drive around in- then Vyncent would doze off in the backseat until they got there- and he'd wake up feeling more disjointed than refreshed… But then, at the end of the day, they'd go back to the ruins- home, as it stood- and Vyncent would wait to fall asleep, over and over again.

Then, one night- as the days were steadily getting shorter, and the nights were getting colder- a storm rolled in through Rockfall. 

Rain came trickling through the ceiling in the middle of the night. And just as Vyncent was starting to doze off from the white noise, he heard William's startled shout, followed by the sound of him scrambling out of his mattress-

And when Vyncent sat up- hand already reaching for his belt, just in case there were any intruders they'd need to fight- he saw that William was just fine- wiping his hands off on his hoodie and visibly sulking. The rain dropped onto some rubble- and when that drizzle turned into a proper rainstorm, a stream picked up, and hit William's mattress directly.

They were quick to drag it out of the way- but then, at that point, it was the middle of the night, and it was cold, and with the mattress still being wet, it was going to be a pain to sleep on. Even if William's nerves were a little different, and even though he swore that he'd be just fine sleeping on it…

Well. Vyncent wasn't getting much sleep anyways. 

“You can sleep on mine.” He said, and his voice was dry with misuse, but he started rearranging his bedding anyways.

“No, it's fine…” William said, but in his attempts to sound indifferent, he just sounded miserable. Or, maybe, he just sounded tired. “We don't have anywhere else to sleep, and the floor is way too cold for you.”

It was true. Even though, in the early days, the base was high-tech, and the floors were even heated on cold nights- right now, with the frigid air flowing in through the base, the ground was colder than the air outside.

“I'm not getting any sleep tonight anyway.” Vyncent said, and he looked around for his shoes. “I'll just train.”

William frowned, and looked down at the mattress. Paused.

“We could share it.” William offered. He got fidgety, and nervous as he said it, but after Vyncent thought about it, he agreed.

The first night was probably the worst of it. 

The last time he slept in the same bed with somebody else, he was young, and it was with his parents- climbing into bed, and trying to sleep after a nightmare or train of thought that kept him just as awake as he was now.

He remembered those days fondly. When both parents slept in the same bed, and when he was small enough to settle in between them, and when they'd both be too tired- or too unwilling- to get up, and take him back to bed. Back then, it was easy to wait, and then to eventually fall back asleep.

When William and Vyncent shared a bed for the first time, it was clear that if William had shared a bed with anyone- parents, siblings, friends at sleepovers- then they probably put pillows in between the two of them to make sure they both slept comfortably.

His elbow was sharp, and his hands were cold- and they didn't have the room to try and situate themselves on opposite sides of the bed, so they had to make it work. They spent a couple minutes micromanaging every placement of their limbs until, finally, they could lay down without being too uncomfortable-

And in the end, they both ended up with their backs facing each other- pressed against one another to avoid falling off the mattress. The blanket was just barely enough to cover them both.

It took a long time for either of them to get to sleep. Both of them were shivering, and uncomfortable- and the next day, that unfortunate sleeping position had its consequences, as they woke up- tired, and suffering through stiff joints that they needed to stretch out.

Vyncent thought- that was fine. They could just pull the mattresses out, and keep them from being rained on- and then, they wouldn't have to worry about that.

But then, the nights at Rockfall got colder. And as it got colder, Vyncent found that it became harder for him to fall asleep at night.

Nights were rough, mornings were worse- there was a constant drowsiness to him that made going through the day feel like a chore. Weeks passed like this- wandering around in a tired haze, and constantly wondering when it would be late enough for them to go to sleep again… And, to his surprise, William seemed to be in a similar state. Neither of them really mentioned it. They chattered the night away in the cold, went about their days in whatever weather Prime had to offer them-

And then, one night, William couldn’t seem to take it anymore. Vyncent watched through half-lidded eyes as he suddenly sat up. And then, as he got out of bed, Vyncent sat up alongside him.

“Vyncent, I can't sleep.”

“I can't either.”

The exhaustion was palpable on William's face. His sleeves fell over his hands, then pressed into his eyes- but it did nothing to help him.

They were both restless. And anxious. And if they kept going like this- or if they didn't find something to do- something would happen during a job, or something important- and it would be horrible for them, in the long run. They were supposed to be these strong, independent vigilantes that rejected the Prime Force, and were doing better because of it- and they'd rather die in these conditions than go back to it, really- but, at the same time, they needed something to show for their efforts. They needed to get better.

That night, the two of them started jogging, to see if it would tire them out.

William wasn't athletic. Compared to Dakota, neither of them seemed to be as active as he was- but while the two of them were on their own, and Vyncent was still trying to wring out his rusty muscles, it became more than apparent. William could barely keep up with the pace Vyncent set, and would often drag on behind him.

Jogging helped. When they went back to their base, they didn't say a word to each other, as they collapsed onto their respective mattresses. But then, they went to bed in the same clothes, and woke up sweaty and gross- and tired- so they both agreed to do it earlier in the day.

They stretched, jogged, showered before it got too late in the day- and for the first couple of weeks, it made them tired enough to get some decent sleep.

Then, as William got more used to it, Vyncent thought of something else they could do. Something that would be productive, on top of this.

They started sparring. William on his own- hands bare of any weapons- and with Vyncent summoning the Greats, and asking them to help him and his friend out.

“Okay… Min.” William got into this weird position- arms up, and stance spread on the mat. Maybe he was trying to look intimidating. Maybe he actually thought that he was in a proper fighting stance.

Either way, Min maneuvered Vyncent's body to something a little more proper. She'd demonstrate why his stance was off, and then, she'd show him something better.

It got added to their routine. They'd wake up, do their job, do warm-ups, and then spar- and even thought The Greats were a little tough on William during those first few sparring sessions- leading to Vyncent having to go easier on him when it was just the two of them, so he could get the basics down- he never backed down from it. Never complained, outside of the actual sparring sessions themselves.

William gained some muscle. He started catching up to Vyncent during their jogs, and kept up with dodging during their sparring sessions- even if William's own punches weren't really good…

And then- just as they were starting to find some semblance of normalcy, and actually falling asleep during the night- the temperature dropped further.

It didn't snow in Rockfall, but it always felt like it was coming close to it. Vyncent would stay awake, wide-eyed, and wonder if the cold was anything concerning, past just being annoying- like if he needed to worry about hypothermia setting in, and mistaking that tiredness for something that would kill him.

Unbeknownst to him, William was dealing with a similar problem. And as it got colder, and they tried many other ways to combat it- moving it further into the training room, or finding extra blankets in the rubble- it just seemed endless.

Then, one night, William sat up- and just like he had on the night where he suggested that they should exercise, he seemed like he already had an idea to solve it.

“I'm pushing our mattresses together.” William said, before he started kicking the thing over to where Vyncent's was. “It's too cold for this.”

“Yeah.” Vyncent agreed quietly. 

Half awake, Vyncent helped him out- pulling the mattress towards him as William was pushing it over. Then, William plopped down onto the shared bed, and sighed.

They shared their blankets, and whatever minimal body heat that William had. After a while, finally, it was warm enough for them to get some decent sleep.

-

They ate every meal together. They changed in the opposite sides of the same room, they spent the day together, they did warm-ups and jogs, they sparred in the ruins of their old training room- then, in the early evening, they both made that hike out of the old base to the gym a block away to shower, and then to the restaurant down the street to get their dinner. 

And at the end of every night, Vyncent collapsed onto his mattress, and William ignored his own in favor of curling up right next to Vyncent. In the winter, Vyncent would wait as William leeched the warmth from him, and adapted to his body heat, and as the days got hotter, William's body temperature being low was a blessing for both of them. Either way, there was always an excuse for them to be there- and there was always enough room on the mattress. 

He knew that this was never bound to be something permanent. Life was tricky. And while he knew that William wouldn't just up and leave him, he knew that something would happen, and that they'd be pulled away from this situation…

But, as strange as it was, once he started sleeping more, Vyncent found that he actually liked this arrangement. 

There was the independence aspect- no longer needing to work directly with the Prime Force, after they stood around and did nothing, thanks to William calling the shots. And then there was his constant. Even after spending so much time together, and even if their living situation was tricky…

It was one of the better deals he's gotten since he's been on Prime. And as the months stretched on, there was that trepidation- waiting for something to happen, and waiting for them to get displaced again- and then there was a soothe to that worry. 

No matter where he was, William was going to be right behind him. He needed that.

-

(Half asleep, and barely conscious, Vyncent's mind delved even deeper into his dilemma. 

What if it was William who left, instead of Dakota? Or Tide? He wasn't happy with anyone leaving, but he was at least somewhat content right now- he could stay awake some nights, stressed by everything changing, and wishing they'd come back, but eventually, he'd sleep again. The world would turn. He'd move on…

But if the boy sleeping in the mattress next to him was Dakota instead of William, would Vyncent be here with Dakota, or would he be on the first bus to Deadwood? 

There was a curl in his gut, and Vyncent knew the answer. 

No. Even if Dakota, and Tide, and Ashe were all there- even if they had a base that was all in one piece, and even if William was the only one missing- he wouldn't have been content enough to change, and move on. He probably would've been on that first bus back to Deadwood. He'd probably follow William to the end of Prime.

It was a startling realization, and not one that he took lightly.

Vyncent was asleep before he could think too much about it. But then, the next day, as that thought persisted, he made a note to tell William about it.)

—

4

—

Sometimes, when Vyncent closed his eyes and tried to sleep, all he could see was the Lich.

This problem started back on Fauna. Seeing his home- previously so beautiful and green around this time of year, a point of pride he had, while he was living in the concrete jungle of Prime- be reduced to nothing but a wasteland had more of an effect on him than he realized.

Because initially, aside from the shock over seeing his home be something that was so unrecognizable, everything was all so… hectic. He barely had any downtime to sit, and think about it- his brain was in a constant rush. He needed to help his friends navigate the wasteland, he needed to help people that were being displaced and abandoned, he had to see his mom again, and deal with losing his traitor dad, and he needed to help the Greats- he needed to find the Lich and he needed kill it-

And then, without even having the chance to say goodbye, Vyncent was on a portal back to Prime. The Lich was being taken to jail, instead of being dealt with properly.  And now- even though they were back in their Winnebago, and Vyncent could sleep on a familiar bed- he couldn't sleep. Again.  

And, what was worse- when he did go to bed, he was plagued with nightmares of the Lich finding their Winnebago, taking the sword from right under his nose, and using it to terrorize more people from different dimensions.

Realistically, he knew the sword was powerful. It could change into any weapon he wanted it to. He knew how to wield it expertly, and so far, he's been careful with it-

But on some nights, it felt entirely too fragile in Vyncent’s possession. 

The Greats were dead- or, they were all undead, technically- and instead of being inside of his head, and guiding him through Prime, all of their power was imbued in this sword. If it broke, then that was that. If it was stolen by the Lich, then it would be used to terrorize Prime, and any other dimension that the Lich would want to go to.

It was a weight he gathered on his shoulders. And for the first week of him having it, that's all it was. Weight. If it wasn't keeping him up, then it was waking him up in the middle of the night- curling his stomach, and making his eyes shoot wide open, just to make sure that his sword was where it always was.

One night, after a particularly harrowing dream, Vyncent's eyes opened- and as he started bleeding from the dream into reality, slowly starting to gain his bearings- he kept them pinned on the sword that was propped against the wall.

At first, as he was waking up, he couldn't tell if the Winnebago was moving, or if he was just nauseous, and had a horrible case of vertigo. But then, when the entire vehicle made a sharp right turn, and that sword leaned over, and threatened to clatter against the ground, he was on his feet in an instant- catching it just before it did so.

The sword almost fell. The Winnebago was moving- Vyncent couldn't tell what time it was exactly, but based on Dakota's soft snores coming from the bunk next to his, he knew that it shouldn't have been moving. It was too late- or early- for William to be driving.

And yet, the Winnebago was moving at a steady pace. And as Vyncent stumbled over to the front, he saw that William seemed to be fully awake at the seat- one hand lazily placed on the lower part of the steering wheel, as the rest of his body seemed to lean back into the seat.

Music played very faintly from the stereo. And even though it was quiet, he swore that he could hear William faintly singing along to whatever was playing.

“William?”

“Vyncent!” William jumped in his seat. His hand slapped against his steering wheel, and his eyes- wide, and bugging out of his head- trained on Vyncent for a few seconds too long, before William realized that he was supposed to be keeping his eyes on the road. “Why are you… still awake?”

“Couldn't sleep.” 

Vyncent sat down in the seat next to him.

William eyed the sword warily, as it leaned against the dashboard. “...I noticed.”

“Couldn't sleep either?” Vyncent muttered, and his head nodded towards the steering wheel.

William shrugged, and muttered something indistinguishable- likely looking for an excuse, before he found one, and could say it clearly.

“...you guys like sleeping while I'm driving. So, if you're having trouble, and I'm gonna be awake anyways…”

You guys? Vyncent frowned. “Dakota likes it.”

At the mere mention of their friend, the two of them paused their conversation, and waited to hear that soft snoring coming from the back.

Something fond crossed William's face. “Back when it was just us, and you wouldn't get enough sleep at night, I'd ghostshape a golf cart to get around, and you'd always fall asleep in the back.”

“That's different.”

William shook his head. “You'd always be tired, so I'd drive around the block for an hour, and you'd sleep right through it.”

“...” 

Vyncent's eyebrows furrowed. In his mind, those drives were always over as quickly as they started, even if he was always dozing off during them. And- well- he never really got any good sleep during those drives, or during the following nights, so he didn't know how much those drives were really helping him…

But it was thoughtful. And Vyncent didn't know what to do with that.

“You liked sleeping in the golf cart, and I liked driving it. So. I thought this would… yield a similar result.” William gave him a sad look. Vyncent couldn't tell if he was upset, or if he was just looking at him normally. “Guess it didn't help.”

“Not really.” Vyncent said, vaguely. At William's nod, Vyncent paused, “You took a sharp turn, back there.”

William hummed, “I almost missed an exit.”

A bad driver never misses their exit- William told him that, once, after someone cut him off. Vyncent wasn't completely sure if it applied here- but knowing William's usual driving habits, he wouldn't be surprised.

“I don't know how Dakota's sleeping through it.”

“He'd sleep through a car crash.” He murmured, and Vyncent worried that they'd weren't far off from one. “Or, maybe we'll have some more company in a minute.”

“Ha.” 

“Is that the only reason you're awake?” William prodded thoughtfully. “I promise, it's smooth sailing from here.”

Vyncent readjusted his seating position. 

“No.” He said cryptically.

And then, when Vyncent didn't say anything else about it, William blew a breath through his nose. “Alright.”

Most of that night drive was spent in silence. 

Vyncent leaned his head against the side, and then his seat belt- and even though William suggested leaning his seat back, and trying to sleep up there, Vyncent ignored it, and kept staring at the road ahead.

Every once in a while, out of the corner of his eye, Vyncent would catch William looking at him. His face would change rapidly, like he was thinking.

“Penny for your thoughts?” William eventually asked.

Vyncent wasn't a fan of those sayings. Sometimes, he'd take it literally, and sometimes, it'd make no sense at all- especially with him avoiding sleep like the plague.

“You don't have that kind of money.” Vyncent murmured back.

“Come on, Vynce.”

His thoughts swirled around his head. 

The Lich, obviously, was a constant reoccurring thought in his mind- he couldn't seem to get through a night without thinking about him swooping down, and doing something horrible to all of them, or to Prime…

But as they drove down the road, and as the stereo played faintly, and as William prompted him to talk about what was on Vyncent’s mind… it got Vyncent's mind thinking about something else as well. Every worry and thought he's had, since they came back to Prime. The Lich, his home…

“...It's so quiet. Without the Greats in my head.” Vyncent whispered, like he was talking to himself, and he was scared of William overhearing him. “I think I miss them.”

Through every criticism that Vyncent's had of them, all of them felt so small, in comparison to what they actually brought him. Safety, protection, and company, throughout all of this. An aid for his otherwise rampant homesickness. He had all that power- even though it wasn't his, really-

Now, all he had was this sword, which he needed to protect with his very life. Safety, exchanged for responsibility. It didn't feel very fair.

He didn't explain it to William. After he said it, his mind went rampant, and his mouth twisted shut. And so, William tried picking apart what he was saying, and what he could've been upset by.

“They're protecting Fauna right now, right?”

“Right.” They were out fighting the good fight, while Vyncent was cleaning up the messes he left behind on Prime.

“That's good.” William tapped the steering wheel nervously.

He still kept looking over at Vyncent, like he was waiting for him to elaborate. And as his mind tried piecing together a coherent thought, Vyncent found himself asking something that was only slightly unrelated.

“If I ever went back to Fauna, would you come with me?”

“Definitely.” William's voice was light. Fond. “I want to see what it looks like without the Lich being there.”

Vyncent thought of his home, rebuilt without someone like the Lich being there to take them down. 

They didn't get to see its beauty, before the Lich destroyed it. While they were there, William and Dakota mostly stayed indoors, and out of the way. He thought of bringing William and Dakota with him, and taking him through a proper tour of his home- 

William drove over a bumpy part of the road, and the two of them rose and fell along with it. 

Vyncent thought of a tree at the edge of his village, growing on top of a hill, farther away from the other trees in the same area. Growing up, you'd hear all the kids being a little too grown for their own good, taking their girl over there, and gushing about how romantic the view was. Vyncent's never had any reason to be over there himself, but he's seen it many times before- and he's seen a few of his friends hanging around there as well.

He thought of him and William sitting by that same tree, hand in hand- or maybe even closer. Vyncent’s head on William's shoulder, curled around him. Sleepily watching the sun rise, or set- and then staying out there a little too late for their own good.

He wondered if it was still there- and something inside of him ached horribly.

Thinking about home after leaving always left a bad taste in his mouth. 

After years of being on Prime, and finding any possible way for him to get back home- suddenly, he was back, among family and friends. And suddenly, even though his home was ruined, and it was all different now… if he stayed, everything would've gone back to normal eventually.

And yet, there he was on Prime. Again.

He had a responsibility to save Ashe. That much was true. Going home now, and leaving William and Dakota to save the world would've made him feel even worse- he understood it, just as much as anyone else. (And yet, if he dug any deeper, there was something selfish and ugly lying there. He knew that if he stayed home, even if they could manage it on their own, a crudely shaped William and Dakota hole would've been left to rot in his body.

As of this point in time, there was no way for him to have the best of both worlds. There was no convenient portal that could take him from one place to another, like a train. And if this was all over- Ashe was back, and the Lich was dead- and if the option for Vyncent to go back home came up again, he knew that a part of him would want to leave- 

And that a selfish, horrible, slightly bigger part of himself would've wanted to stay.

He didn't know what he'd do, when faced with that decision. He didn't even want to choose. He wanted both- or he wanted that control out of his hands. So that even if he felt guilty for staying on Prime, or even if he felt terrible for leaving his friend and his current partner behind to go back to the remnants of his old home, he could wipe his hands clean of it. He could soothe himself, and say that it wasn't his choice, and that he'd have to adapt to this change- even if it would be impossible.

Horribly, selfishly, in a place he would never admit out loud- there was also a small voice that wished that he'd never get that sort of chance again at all. 

It felt like a betrayal. It made him feel sick, then better, then sick all over again.)

Vyncent shifted in his seat like it was warming up, and slowly becoming unbearable to sit on. His stomach was tying in knots, and he was getting nauseous, and the windy backroad William had set them on was not doing him any favors-

“Pull over.” He said, suddenly. His hand reached over to the armrest, and gripped it tightly.

“What?”

“Pull over.” Vyncent repeated, urgently.

Thankfully, William did as he was told.

Vyncent stumbled out of the door just as the Winnebago stopped. There was a step that was a little awkward- and he almost fell over, in his attempts to just leave the car- but he retained his balance rather quickly.

Vyncent didn't throw up, but he felt like he could've. 

His chest constricted. His stomach hurt. The cold air helped with his flushed skin, and the cold air helped with his breathing- but it wasn't enough. And when William found him, he was sitting down, breathing, and trying to sort everything out so that they could get back into the Winnebago, and continue their roadtrip.

Vyncent was too choked up to get his words out properly.

It was a mix of so many things. It was that rampant, familiar homesickness that's been carried with him like a badge. It was his horrible, selfish want to stay on Prime with William, and Dakota. It was the regret of making either decision- even though it wasn't a decision he's even made yet- it was the anticipation of having to make that decision.

It was the Lich, still alive, despite Vyncent being sent to avenge his family by killing it. It was the sword, still resting against the passenger's seat in the Winnebago. It was betrayal. Paralyzing choices, no right answers, and the weight of the world collecting on his shoulders-

He hated this. Feeling choked up, clenching and unclenching his hands, and having the words swirling around in his head, but being entirely unable to voice them. And the more he thought about it, the more he wanted to say it. The more he wanted to open his mouth, and have the words spool out like a roll of yarn- letting his partner dig his fingers through that tangled mess, and help him sort it all out. Taking the choice from his hands, and giving it to someone more capable.

…Well. Maybe not more capable. 

But William was his partner, and beyond all of the romantic parts that stuck to it, being his partner meant that they helped each other out. That meant that if Vyncent had a problem, and found his voice, that William promised to stick by his side, through thick and thin-

But, as it stood, Vyncent's throat clogged, and nothing came out.

His eyes stung with tears, and from there, his frustration only amped up, further and further, until it became something unbearable. He wanted to- he- he didn't know what he wanted to do. He didn't know what he could do. Because as it stood, even though he had the urge to get up, and do something- he had no answers. He spoke no words.

Vyncent Sol sat there on the side of the road, completely still, and entirely unable to do anything except seethe.

And when William's hand hovered over his own, like he was unsure of what to do, Vyncent let himself lean over, and press the side of his face into William's shoulder, just like he'd done at the night at Wavelength's house, and then so many nights after that, whenever the two of them were sitting together. As far as Vyncent was concerned, it was one of the safest places in the world to be.

William didn't say anything, and Vyncent didn't want him to. He just sat there, idly rubbing his shoulder, and waiting until Vyncent pulled back.

At some point- just as Vyncent realized that he'd been gritting his teeth- the door of the Winnebago opened. 

Vyncent ripped his head from William's shoulder, and sat up so quickly that it made his head spin. William just turned his head over.

Dakota was poking his head out of the parked- and, now invisible- Winnebago. Vyncent could see his expression clear as day- all sorts of confusion, on top of his eyebrows upturning, like he was worried about the two of them being outside, instead of being in the Winnebago.

“We'll be back up in a minute.” William said, quietly.

After Dakota left, Vyncent got some handle on himself again. Pulling a little further away from William, and wiping his eyelids with his thumb. 

…He wasn't usually so emotional. In hindsight, and after he'd finally calmed down, it seemed a little embarrassing- but he knew that he was just overwhelmed. And tired. And mixing those two usually met with the sort of frustration that was difficult for him to handle.

He just wanted to get some sleep. He wanted weight off his shoulders, and he wanted to lay down, just as simply as Dakota did every night. Why was that always so difficult to ask?

“You alright?” William asked, and after a minute, Vyncent nodded.

“I'm just tired.” He murmured, and he was glad that the words were finally coming to him, now. “A lot's happened.”

William looked thoughtful. Vyncent wondered what kind of pieces were being moved around in his head, right now- and how accurate they were to what Vyncent was actually feeling. Obviously, smart as William was, there was no way he could've gotten the full depth of everything- he couldn't, frankly, reach into Vyncent's head, pull out that tangled mess, and sort everything out for him- but as it stood, Vyncent was never going to get the full picture out, and William was just going to have to work with what he had.

“Can't be easy with… the Lich, and everything.” It was the newest thing that happened- easy pickings. Of course William would be spot on, with one of the many problems that was cycling around in Vyncent's head.

“No.” Vyncent agreed.

“But if he gets out, it's totally a kill-on-sight situation, right?” William was talking slowly. Vyncent's eyebrows furrowed- he was probably trying to poke, and prod his way to the problem. “And if he comes here…”

Vyncent looked back at him, and some understanding crossed William's face. Though they were slightly separated, William still bumped his shoulder.

“Trust me. I'm a light sleeper.” He said, and Vyncent's frown hardened as his tone changed, slightly. “You don't have to stay up all night, and wait for him to show up.”

Vyncent knew that William didn't get much- if any- sleep these days. 

William thought that he was burdened with this horrible secret that made him less human- saying it out loud or talking about it, just as it would with most things, would put it out there, and make it true, and something that needed to be confronted. 

The more he thought of it, the moodier he got, and the longer he stayed in his own head- he'd cracked jokes about it, and if Vyncent didn't pay attention to what he said, then his mutterings to himself would’ve gone completely over his head, and his issues would've been completely unnoticed.

But Vyncent knew. 

It wasn't something he picked up on right away- by design, it wasn't supposed to be something that he picked up on, since William said it just casually enough for Vyncent to miss it. And since William would rather chew through his own leg than talk about it, they didn't talk about it.

Vyncent wanted to talk about it. Especially now, as it was relevant. He wanted to press- just how much sleep was he getting tonight? If the Lich broke out of that prison- with awful security, as he's tested himself- and just came strolling in through here, how quick would William's reflexes be? Would he wake up Vyncent in time? Or would he try something himself?

(Was this a weight that he was taking off his own shoulders, and putting onto William's? Why couldn't Vyncent take it? Unspool that mess, and take care of it- 

If the Lich was dead, and Vyncent went back home, would William come with him? And would he stay?)

Vyncent held back, just for the time being. If he let his brain dig any further downward, then he wouldn't be able to get out.

“I trust you.”

And he did, in some way. With William's inconsistent sleep schedule, and Vyncent being jumpy- but still getting his sleep, hopefully- then he wouldn't have to worry about the Lich sneaking in, without either of them noticing. If the Lich found them, and came here, he'd get killed, and that would be the end of it. 

One problem knocked down, out of many. Vyncent just hoped that it wouldn't come to that.

William finally stood up, turned around, and held an arm out for Vyncent. After a pause, Vyncent let himself be hoisted up- constantly surprised by William's newfound strength, as if he wasn't there to help him get it.

There were a million other problems in Vyncent's mind. Landmines, that'd blow over if he or William ever prodded at them a little too much- but for now, it was easier for Vyncent to push it back, and ignore it.

“Alright.” William put his hands on his hips, and took in the rest of the Winnebago with a critical eye. “Where's the door?”

-

(When they finally got back inside, Dakota was already asleep.

There wasn’t a whole lot of room in the Winnebago. William and Vyncent crawling in the same bed together meant having to crawl into the cramped beds that felt more like coffins- making just enough room for four to sleep comfortably, if they were all on their own beds, and if they slept still throughout the entire night- but it was wide enough to fit them and then some, so they made it work.

Vyncent went in, pulling the sheathed sword in with him to make sure that it'd be close enough to grab. Then, William was crawling in after him. They situated themselves. Vyncent- either exhausted from staying up so late, or exhausted from their conversation earlier- was quick to fall asleep that night.

There would be a couple sleepless nights after that, where the two of them would stay in that bunk, and whisper to each other, until Vyncent felt good enough to sleep-

But it was much better than the alternative. And Vyncent was just glad that William was right there with him, even if he couldn't fully understand it himself.)

—

5

—

With William and Dakota getting their heart transplants, they were both vulnerable. 

It wasn't something that became apparent immediately. After they woke up from their surgery, Vyncent was caught up with making sure that they weren't going to run out in the middle of the road, and get hit by a car. William was babbling nonsense, talking about how he was alive, and how strong he was now that he had Dakota's super heart- all while Dakota was laying on the floor of the waiting room, staring up at the ceiling, and raising his arm to trace circles around with his finger…

Vyncent practically had to drag them over to the Winnebago. And then, when he got them there, William was insistent on driving them to go see Tide in their sorry state, and Vyncent had to pull him away from the driver's seat- which, then, led to William curling up on the ground, and complaining about popped stitches, which led to Vyncent having to check him over, and make sure that he didn't actually pop anything-

It was strange. It was slightly endearing, until it was frustrating. And, for the first few hours afterward, Vyncent was glad that they weren't using their powers, because if he had to chase after a drugged-out Dakota and William at their best, then he was worried that they'd have another zoo-break situation on their hands. Or worse.

Then, somewhere around the first evening, the two of them fell asleep early, and woke up late, and he realized just how compromised they were.

Dakota's powers were effectively gone, after doing one of the most heroic things that he could've. William hadn't used his powers since before the surgery, which wasn't all that worrying because Vyncent knew that he didn't like using them, or being reminded of them- but usually, like it was second nature, William would use them anyway.

And yet, the two of them didn't use their powers. Dakota physically couldn't without his super heart, and sometimes, William would wave his hand around like he was going to, but then nothing would end up happening in turn.

Days passed, on their way to seeing Tide again.

Whenever William drove, Vyncent was always sitting ram-rod straight in the driver's seat- and then, whenever William started falling asleep at the wheel, Vyncent would switch out with him, and drive a little further.

They'd have to be weaned off the painkillers eventually. Then, things could go back to some semblance of normalcy, even if Dakota would still be powerless… But until then, Vyncent had this strange urge to make up for them, during their recovery.

There was the fear that they'd be attacked, and that they'd be utterly defenseless against whatever problem came their way- that same creeping fear that Vyncent had whenever the Lich was put under arrest, instead of being killed. 

Then there was that horrible, familiar trouble with getting to sleep. Something that started small, with him waking up in the middle of the night, and then being fully awake through most of it, to him laying down, and then spending most of his nights staring up at the ceiling-

Until he wasn't really sleeping at all. 

And, unlike the many other times that he's had this problem, William was recovering, and couldn't stay up with him. 

So Vyncent kept going, and wondered how long he'd last before it became unbearable.

-

They visited Tide before they did anything else.

The three of them sat with him, and had a meal- beef stroganoff, which became a weirdly nostalgic meal, since he's been gone- and they spent a couple hours catching up with him, and filling each other in on what they'd been doing…

But Vyncent was hardly paying attention to that. It was mostly William and Dakota, talking over each other. Vyncent's mouth stayed completely shut.

He was particularly annoyed over a new friend that Tide had. A mutant from Harttawa's experiment days- a bird with the head of a lizard- something that was constantly swooping down on him, and trying to take the serving of stroganoff he had in his bowl. If it wasn't doing that, then it was bumping and biting his leg, or just generally stalking him- and no matter how many times Vyncent tried shooing him, he always came back.

Whenever he wasn't completely focused on the lizard, he was focused on the ground below his feet instead- chewing slowly, eyes half-lidded, while the rest were excitedly telling Tide about their adventures.

Then, they were given free reign to look through the rest of the Harttawa base- and the first thing Vyncent did was peel off from the rest of his friends, and check out the recreation of his old room. 

The only thing that was different, really, was that there was a window in his room. When he cracked it open, and let that seaside air blow in through his window, the curtains fluttered, and lit up the room even more. His eyes glanced over the familiar posters plastered over the walls, and the television, and the bed, covered in sheets and blankets that depicted the cartooned planets in Prime's solar system-

And then, without so much as taking his shoes off, or slinging that sword off his shoulders, Vyncent collapsed onto the bed, and inhaled the overwhelming scent of clean sheets.

If he closed his eyes, and didn't think about the window, or the beach, it was almost like he was in that first base all over again. Adjusting to his new life, in a room that was clean, but nothing like the one back at home. Back when he had the Greats, and the only thing he had to worry about was school, and the fact that their fridge was never completely stocked because the three of them would go through all of it so quickly-

The plan was to lay there, and drown in the sickly sweet nostalgia for a part of his life that he never thought he'd ever miss. 

Instead- with his sword on his back, and with him realizing that the island was isolated, and they were all practically alone out there- he fell asleep, and woke up several hours later, unreasonably sweaty and tired- and yet, waking up from the longest he's slept in one sitting for a while.

The curtain was still blowing gently, but the world outside was dark. He stumbled out of the room- hair mussed and tangled, eyes red, skin intended with red marks from where his cheek was pressed against his hand- and was greeted with the jabbing of his peers, all collectively wondering if he had a good nap.

Vyncent felt bad that he missed out on some time that could've been spent talking to Tide. Then, he felt slightly better, when Tide agreed to come along with them for some of the ride. Then he felt worse when he realized that Tide was powerless along with the rest of them, then better, then worse- in this weird, looping cycle that made Vyncent nauseous. 

Dakota and William didn't notice because they were still loopy, but Tide had. To his dismay. Vyncent wasn't so good at reading people, but he could spot that familiar, concerned expression coming from Tide, and he could guess exactly what he was thinking.

Tide didn't say anything, though. And as they all made their trek back to the Winnebago, Vyncent realized that he wasn't going to say anything about it- not even if Tide found the opportunity to do so. It wasn't like he wanted him to, really, it was just-

Tide was… weirdly distant, towards Vyncent. Maybe, if they were all actually back in that old base of theirs, and still saw each other every day or so, it wouldn't have been so awkward. Maybe Tide would've put a hand on his shoulder, pulling him aside, and asking Vyncent what was wrong- and maybe, even if Vyncent had trouble getting his anxieties out, he would've felt better.

But as it stood, Tide felt like a stranger to him. And, as harsh as it sounded, Vyncent's brain made him out to be just another person that he had to take care of. He was vulnerable. If someone- or something, maybe a demon- attacked them, Vyncent would be the only one capable of fighting them off. 

Grumbly, sad, sleep-deprived Vyncent- fumbling with the handle of his blade. 

The thought made him feel terrible. It ruined any sort of joy Vyncent could've felt, seeing Tide again.

-

When everyone else was asleep, and Vyncent assumed that the nap he had earlier was taking its toll, Vyncent decided to drive the Winnebago around for a bit. Just like William would, whenever he couldn't sleep.

Despite being bad with most technology, Vyncent wasn't all that bad when it came to driving. He rode around on his motorcycle like it was second-nature, and when he drove the Winnebago around, he drove smoothly. 

The only problem was that Vyncent had no clue where he was going.

They were visiting Dakota’s master, and he knew that he had to drive to the mountains to get to it- but there was no map on hand for him. And the map they usually used- GPS, on all of their phones, that'd tell him when to turn- was entirely unavailable to him.

He'd have to wake one of them up to use it. And he didn't want to do that.

Vyncent liked to think that he made it pretty far, before he started falling asleep at the wheel.

It was something he realized slowly. Head tilting, eyes drooping- the Winnebago would slow until it'd stop in the middle of the road, and by the time he'd realize what he was doing, Vyncent's head would shoot up again, and he'd be on his way again.

So, thinking that he could just nap again, and continue the drive when he woke up a little while later, he pulled over, and watched the front of the Winnebago disappear after he parked. Vyncent leaned back into the seat, closed his eyes, and waited- 

But nothing happened. It felt better on his head to lay back like this, but a little while after, Vyncent got restless. He became disturbingly aware of the quiet, and the darkness behind his eyelids- and of the fact that he wasn’t actually sleeping.

So he’d sit up again, leaving that weird, jarring in-between where he was neither awake nor asleep, and he’d try to drive. And it would work, but only for a few minutes, before his head would hurt, and he’d consider trying to pull over again.

It'd happen a few times over. And yet, no matter how tempting it was to go back to the bunks and lay down, Vyncent didn’t want to leave the driver’s seat.

This wasn't like many of Vyncent's other problems, he realized- this wasn't just him laying down, and being unable to sleep. This was much more than that. Vyncent couldn't sleep.

They were still in the city. If he did manage to sleep, and if something snuck up on them, then he'd have to be the one to notice it, and fight it…

Dakota's Master- his place was in the mountains. And according to Dakota, it was safe and secluded- the least Vyncent could do was make it a little closer to there, so that if something did happen, Vyncent wouldn't be so grossly outnumbered.

Stress would sink in. Vyncent's eyes would widen, and he'd sit up a little further- but then, eventually, with nothing to occupy himself with, he'd get tired again. Rinse and repeat.

Vyncent hated it. After a certain point, it felt like he wasn't functioning properly- like one too many twitches of his eye, and suddenly, he'd be driving off the side of the road, and careening into a ditch. And as he pulled over for what felt like the 20th time- leaning back, and sighing- Vyncent was startled by a hand on his shoulder.

To his credit, Vyncent was quick. 

A sudden adrenaline shot, and his brain convincing him that all of his anxieties were true, and coming to life, and that he needed to be the one to stop it had his shoulder twisting, his fist reeling back, and his eyes trying to clock onto where his sword was-

But then he saw William- eyes half-lidded, mouth twisted up, and eyes scanning around like he was looking for something- and then, all of that gusto was gone in an instant. Vyncent’s arm melted, and fell back into his side, as if he could hide it.

“William?”

“Hey, Vynce…” William yawned. Vyncent stifled his own oncoming yawn, eyes narrowed as he did so. “I thought I felt the Winnebago moving. What are you doing?”

Unfortunately, it seemed, he wasn't as good as he thought he was. “Couldn't sleep.”

Same excuse as it always was, whenever Vyncent was awake. He couldn't sleep, so he had to occupy himself- William's done this plenty of times, back before he and Dakota had their surgery. It'd be hypocritical, if he called Vyncent out for doing it.

William frowned, as he leaned over, and looked out the windshield. “Where are we?”

Vyncent looked around, and tried to spot that same mountain area that they were supposed to be heading for. With no verbal answer, William just sighed, and sat down in the empty space between the two front seats of the Winnebago.

Half-awake, blinking slowly, and looking like he was using 110% of his brainpower to do something that he could usually do so simply, William lazily tapped at the screen of his phone. He was on the ground, and leaning his head against Vyncent's leg- and for a second, Vyncent worried about William falling asleep there.

It was a strange thought. After so many weeks and months of William struggling with sleep- going days and days on end without it- it was now something that could come to him easily, if he wasn't careful about staying awake.

But he didn't. “You're going the wrong way.”

He tried showing off what he meant- but the minute Vyncent's eyes hit the screen of his phone, it was like a block set itself up in his brain- and refused to interpret it.

“Okay.” Frustration bled into his voice, even without him meaning to.

“You're on the right track, but you need to go down this road…” William's mutterings devolved into something Vyncent couldn't fully interpret. William was swiping his thumb across the screen, and rattling off street names- and maybe he was too tired for this conversation, too, but he still tried his best to focus.

“Alright.” He fumbled with the keys.

“You're going now?”

Vyncent looked between him, and the steering wheel. “Yeah?”

“Vyncent…” William rubbed his eyes, “We can just go in the morning. Let's break for a bit.”

William was probably tired, and wanting to go back to bed.

Vyncent wasn't sure why he was waiting for him to join him. Vyncent certainly wasn't keeping him there- he could've gone off on his own, or could've crawled in bed with Dakota- but instead, he remained seated there, like he was waiting for Vyncent to come to his senses, and leave along with him.

Vyncent kept his fingers on the keys. One twitch, and a couple notches to the right, and the Winnebago would roar to life yet again, and they'd set off. William would probably fall asleep where he was sitting. Vyncent would have to fumble, and turn on the radio to keep himself awake- even if a horrible headache was starting to form.

Vyncent didn't do anything just yet. He looked down at William, then at the steering wheel, before he let his hand fall again. 

“Sure.”

Vyncent thought he said it passively. Or, at least, neutrally, but something about it must've been different about how he said it. He felt William's head turn under his hand, and look up at him- eyes just as sharp as they usually were when he was at his best.

“What?” He asked, and Vyncent looked around, as if he'd be talking to someone else.

“What- what?”

“Are you…” William shuffled around. He used his hand to steady himself, as he stood up. “You can't sleep again, right? What's going on?”

“Nothing's going on.” He murmured, but William didn't seem convinced. “I'm just… worried.”

“...” William plopped down onto the passenger's seat. He still looked tired, and Vyncent didn't think that they'd have the sort of talk that'd mean anything by tomorrow morning- but he still looked attentive, despite it.

Vyncent, feeling marginally better than he did last time they tried talking about it, sighed, and tried to think of a good way to phrase it.

“I don't know… what’s going to happen.” Vyncent said slowly, but it was about as fast as he could manage to say it. “And…”

“And…” William repeated, eyebrows raised.

“...I don't know what to do. About that.” He said, vaguely, but it was the only way he was able to get those words out.

They both paused. William looked like he was taking some extra time to think, and Vyncent couldn't tell if it was because of the medicine, or how tired he was- but either way, plain as day on his face, Vyncent could tell that he was frustrated because of it.

“We're gonna go see Dakota's master.” William said, after a while. Then he rubbed his eyes, and sounded utterly exhausted when he said, “And we're all gonna train with him. And… then, when we're all strong enough, we're all gonna save Ashe from the Trickster…”

Vyncent blankly stared at him. Then, when he realized what he was trying to do- giving him a literal solution, for him not knowing what was going to happen next- he squeezed his eyes shut, and he sighed.

Vyncent wished that the nap on Harttawa did something. He wished that he went to bed- and he wished that he could've recalibrated, and woken up feeling better than ever. Feeling more sure of himself, instead of just… what? Overthinking, with no solution in sight? Trying to head for a mountain on unfamiliar roads?

“If we get attacked on the way there…” He got out, before the panic could firmly settle in, clog his throat, and leave him unable to communicate, “We can't- I'd have to be the one to…”

William's face pinched, like he hadn't even realized it until now. Then, for some odd reason, his face relaxed, and he finally sat down in the passenger's seat next to him.

“You're worried something's gonna happen when you're asleep? Like with the Lich?”

Vyncent's jaw set. He hadn't even thought about the Lich.

All of his loved ones on Prime were contained in this small space. Vyncent was the only one capable of holding his own in a fight, and all the other heroes were far too incompetent to be relied on.

“I'm worried… something will happen in general.” He finally admitted, and tried to stave off the same feeling that told him that speaking it out loud would somehow manifest it into existence. “Demon attacks, villain attacks, or… heart attacks…” He spotted William putting a hand up to his midsection, like he was suddenly reminded of his surgery scars, “And I can't stop it.”

William sighed. In the silence that followed, instead of just the sound of Dakota sleeping, if they strained their ears, they could hear two sets of it. Dakota in his own bunk, Tide on the couch, since he fell asleep long before either of them had a chance to tell him that there were two available bunks…

It was early in the morning. In just a couple hours, the sun was going to rise, and they'd have to go about their day- even if Vyncent was running on no sleep.

William still looked tired. “They're gonna be up soon.”

“Mhm.” The Winnebago was gonna be filled with life, and noise, and Vyncent was going to wince through every single bit of it.

Maybe he'd get a nap when they were on the mountain. Maybe, everything would be much too hectic for him to have that opportunity. 

“There's not really… a fix for this. Not one that I know.” William said solemnly. Vyncent knew that he was coming from a very similar place, so he didn't immediately brush him off. “But you're not gonna get any better behind that wheel.”

“...”

“Let's go to bed.” William offered. Vyncent frowned. “You don't have to be asleep, but laying down, and closing your eyes will still go a long way. It's helped me a lot.”

“Even when you weren't sleeping?”

William gave him a knowing look. 

It still wasn't something that they talked about. This was probably the first time that Vyncent even alluded to it being real- for the longest time, William Wisp couldn't sleep. But now that William was alive again, it wasn't so much of a sore spot anymore. Now, Vyncent could point it out without William drawing away, or changing the subject entirely.

“Even when I was alive.”

“Really?” He pressed.

“Really.”

“...” Vyncent's hands fidgeted.

He hated the thought of laying down, and not having anything to occupy himself with. He could imagine it now- maybe he'd get close to falling asleep, and maybe, he'd stay in that haze for a little while- but then, inevitably, he wouldn't get very far. He'd still be tired when he woke up tomorrow.

…but staying up wouldn't be much better, would it?

Vyncent almost asked William how he did it. How long it took for him to try this technique, before he found out that he didn't need to sleep anymore. Maybe, he could even ask if it was something that Vyncent could somehow achieve, even if it was unwise to try…

But then William stood up, and stumbled over to his bed. And, without thinking too much about it, Vyncent got up, and followed right behind him- holding an arm out, like he was making sure that William wasn't going to fall over on the way there.

As per their usual routine,  Vyncent kept his sword near where they were sleeping. William got in first, laying flat on the lower bunk, and Vyncent crawled in after him- closer to the exit, just in case he'd have to jump out.

At first, Vyncent was careful to keep some distance. William was still recovering, and stitched up, and Vyncent couldn't sprawl on top of him, as he usually did.

But then, as Vyncent got into a less than optimal position, William tapped his elbow. “Come on…”

The position they adjusted into was a little awkward, but they went for it anyway. Vyncent had to crane his neck downward to fit his head on William's chest- closer to his neck, the back of his head planted firmly against the bottom of William's chin- and then, he had to shuffle around a little, to get comfortable.

“You know…” William muttered, “Lots of people do this, without having any superpowers. And a lot of them turn out to be okay.”

“Lots of people don't have demons chasing after them.” Vyncent reminded him.

William yawned. Vyncent puffed out his cheeks when stifling his own yawn.

“Deadwood- where I lived- was full of spirits like these… maybe not as violent… but my parents and I went camping all the time.” William tapped away at Vyncent's shoulder, and Vyncent's hand rhythmically copied the movement against William's side, “Nothing happened to us on any of these trips.”

“Hm.”

“Plus… With how Dakota talks about his Master, he's probably crazy strong. We'll be fine.” Another yawn, one that Vyncent could hear through William's chest. “I don't know what you're worrying about…”

Vyncent’s eyes narrowed, as he angled his head to glare at him.

William was one to talk. He was usually so much worse than he was, when it came to stuff like this.

But now, it seemed, he was too tired to trouble himself with it.

William's hand left his shoulder, and gently carded through Vyncent's hair. His fingers dug underneath his ponytail until it came loose, and his painted nails moved in a slow, rhythmic movement- dragging against his scalp in a way that made some of that tension melt away in an instant.

Under Vyncent's keen ear, he could hear William's slow breaths, on top of his heartbeat. He was alive. And, any minute now, that hand would stop scratching his head, and fall limp- but even as it would do so, that breathing would even out. The heartbeat would slow, but still beat. He would still be alive, and warm for once in his life, and Vyncent would be here to bask in it with him.

-

(Eventually, just as they thought, Tide and Dakota would be up, and William would groggily tell them that they needed a few extra hours of sleep.

They wouldn't budge. Vyncent listened to the sounds of Tide and Dakota getting ready for the morning, and he'd just sink further and further into his partner until finally- after he was comfortable enough, and while he was still listening to the steady thrumming of William's artificial heartbeat- Vyncent finally fell asleep.)

—

+1

—

There was a broken window in the Winnebago.

It wasn't cracked, or shattered, and on the outside, it even appeared to be normal. 

But one night- right before they left for Vyncent's world- they cracked it open to keep the thing from heating up while they were gone. Then they didn't see it for weeks. And through it getting stolen, and after almost losing it forever, they tried closing that window before a cold night, and found that it was stuck in place.

They didn't have the money to replace it, nor did they try to fix it themselves- too scared to break it, and end up with a gaping hole in the side of their Winnebago. So they left it there. And when they remembered to, they taped some cardboard on it to keep it from getting too cold at night, and too hot during the day.

It was a little thing, but it made a big difference. The internal temperature was messed up. And for weeks, it was all just a constant reminder- keep the cardboard there, make sure the tape was in place, and make sure that it didn't fall off while they were driving. Otherwise, if they left any of their limbs outside the blanket while they were sleeping, they'd wake up shivering.

Usually, William didn't have this problem. Usually, he wasn't alive, and more feeling than he'd been in years- and then, after he was, Vyncent acted like his own personal heater during the cold months.

Usually, William wasn't sleeping on the small couch in their Winnebago- laying down, and staring up at that tilted piece of cardboard that was supposed to be covering their window-

But tonight was different.

After the whole Belltech adventure, something in their friend group had shifted. And even though they all refused to talk about it past the first day or so, that horrible, overwhelming feeling of guilt stuck with him like a burr sticking onto his sock.

The first few days were the worst of it. William felt like he wasn't getting any sleep, despite needing to. 

He'd go to bed with his hands shaking, and his chest constricting- needing to breathe becoming a horrible chore, instead of something exciting, that proved he was alive- but instead of falling asleep, he'd fall into a familiar state. Not quite awake, but not quite asleep- 

Then, he'd get up hours later- either from his own internal clock when they were hiding away in the library, or later on from the light peeking in through the broken window of the Winnebago- and then, he'd have to continue with the rest of his day.

Usually, he'd be the first of them awake. Instead of sleeping in the back with the rest of them, and with Vyncent, he confined himself to the space in front of the Winnebago. Every morning, he'd briefly stew in his anxiety, wondering if it was just a horrible dream that he was waking up from- before he'd remember everything, and eventually drag himself out of bed.

All things considered, William liked to think that he handled himself pretty well. After the hardest days were over… Well, progress was slow, but he was working through it nonetheless.

It was easier to work through when they had a set goal in mind. They had things to take care of. Cantrip died, the fate of his brother and Xavier was uncertain, and he wasn't exactly sure on where he stood with his friends- but they still had Ashe to save. They needed to go to Deadwood, meet up with a bunch of heroes, and they needed to stop the Trickster.

They still had a million things to work out after that, but until then, William thought he could focus on the road ahead, and ignored everything that the Winnebago was cruising by- just for now. Just during the days, as he was expected to function like a normal human being.

But the environment he was in made it easy for him to sulk, and stew.

It was cold at night. Even with his jacket on, and his blanket, William couldn't stop shivering- but even so, he stayed on the couch of the Winnebago, and slept there just as he's done every night since the Belltech incident.

Was it his self-inflicted punishment, or did he just feel too guilty to spend the night with Vyncent, as he usually did? Was he being a good person, or was he just stirring the pot even further? Everything was normal during the day- as normal as it could've been, anyway- and yet, it felt different at night.

William couldn't describe it. But until guilt stopped completely haunting him at the thought of being close to either of his friends, or anyone really, he was content with just sitting on their little couch, and wasting the nights away in his thoughts.

-

On one of those nights- just a couple days away from Deadwood, where William decided to watch a movie  instead of just sitting there- Vyncent stumbled from his bunk, and into the main living space.

William first thought that Vyncent was going to the bathroom, or that he would complain about the noise- so he preemptively turned the volume down. Then, as Vyncent stepped closer, and William realised that he was going to sit with him, moved his legs to make room on the couch.

Vyncent sat down on the ground in front of the couch instead. William's stomach did flips- that mix of guilt and affection making it difficult for him to do much of anything, except stretch out his legs again.

Was Vyncent on the ground because he didn't want to sit next to him, or was he there so that he'd be sitting closer to William? He shuffled on the couch.

“Couldn't sleep?” William whispered, even though there was no real need to. Dakota wouldn't wake, even if they were talking at a normal volume.

“Not really.” Vyncent answered back, just as quietly.

William's hand hesitated- it moved to reach, then stopped in place for a second- before William finally decided to close the distance. He pushed his fingers through Vyncent's loose hair- barely brushing against the scalp, but still keeping it there. Vyncent sank down, like he was giving him easier access- still facing forward, and towards the screen.

His fingers twitched. If it were any other night, and they were up for any other reason (keeping Vyncent company, for example, when he was having trouble sleeping), then William probably would've started twisting his hair into knots, and braids for the hell of it- messing with his hair, as Vyncent's eyes were glued onto the movie he put on- 

But for now, William just brushed his fingers through it. His eyes went from that, to the movie, until his hand got tired, and he eventually set it down again. His fingertips were still close to Vyncent, like any contact would've been helpful, but he didn't reach any further.

“Is the movie bothering you?” William asked, on the off chance that the volume was actually keeping him awake.

“No, it's quiet.”

William ran through the different reasons in his head. He liked this- talking with Vyncent, whenever he was having trouble sleeping, and helping him work through it as much as he could. It made him feel helpful. It certainly made Vyncent feel better.

“Is it the Lich?”

Vyncent shook his head, “Not tonight.”

“The Trickster?”

Vyncent paused. Then, finally, when William thought that the most obvious answer was the right one, Vyncent cryptically muttered, “Something like that.”

William couldn't help if Vyncent was being vague. He also knew that he couldn't be too pushy, if he could help it.

So they sat, and watched the movie together. And, for a bit, it was nice- like old times, the two of them. 

And then, at some point, Vyncent moved, and William's hand pulled back. 

Vyncent grabbed one end of the blanket that William was using, and turned- curling it around him, as if he was becoming parallel with the couch to lay on it more comfortably without actually laying on the couch. He expected Vyncent's head to press further against the couch, and for him to sleep just like he did on that first night-

But Vyncent couldn't possibly feel comfortable sleeping there. He twisted, and shifted, and William frowned at the sight. He'd definitely be waking up with a sore back, or neck- or something.

“Go sleep in the bunks, Vynce.”

“I'm fine out here.” He decided.

“Dude.”

“Dude.” Vyncent repeated in a similar, snappy tone- and from where he was laying down, it was easy for him to make eye contact with William. 

“...”

“...” The eye contact didn't last very long, as Vyncent quietly murmured, “I didn't want to sleep alone tonight.”

The guilt was back in full force. Vyncent's hand, palm facing the cushion of the couch, inched closer to where William was. An offering, if William wanted to take it. Unmoving.

William couldn't find it in himself to further convince Vyncent to leave. He could've- doubling down, and saying something prickly, just to get across the message that William wanted to be alone, and needed him to back off for the night…

But he was also really starting to miss him.

They didn't talk about it, past that first day. Focus ahead, think about it later- but with Vyncent here, and with a million other thoughts racing through his head, it was easily one of the only things that was on his mind.

“I was so stupid.” William whispered, like he was hoping that nobody else would hear it but him.

Vyncent didn't even seem to need the context for it. He knew why he was out here. “Yeah.”

“...” Some anger rose, then fell. Vyncent was one to talk- turned into- Vyncent’s right.  

A constant barrage of conflicting thoughts furrowed into William's brain, pulling him between wishing that Vyncent was there with him and could similarly say that he was doing something horrible- to understanding that, logically, Vyncent was right to not get involved, and that Vyncent was one of the many people he counted on to keep his head on straight- to wondering if not getting involved was worse than what William did, which just didn't seem right.

There would be an attempt to self-soothe. William was trying to get everyone out of this alive, but it spiraled out of hand- anyone else in his situation would've done the same.

Then, there'd be a steadying force that'd quickly ground him to reality. William was much, much smarter than this. His group depended on him being smart- and he failed them.

William's brain became a mushy mess after that. He wished that he could sink further and further into his jacket that could barely hide him as well as a hoodie could, or this couch, until there was no chance of him resurfacing ever again-

On the other side of keeping himself busy instead of focusing on the wrongs he's done, there was the aspect that if he was entirely too consumed about it, then he couldn't just sulk. He had to get up, at some point. Even if it was weighing down on his shoulders, or pulling his gut towards the ground, he'd still have to put one foot in front of the other, and keep going.

That was one of the benefits, he supposed, of staying up so late. If anything was bothering him, then he could sort it out by morning, and not have to worry about it- but that wasn't what was happening, here. William was sulking, and he wasn't sleeping-

And now, he was dragging Vyncent into it. Which was making him conflicted… but, admittedly, he enjoyed his presence. So he swallowed any protest of Vyncent being there, and just continued to sulk.

He wished that Vyncent could've said something or done something to make him feel better, somehow. He wished that his presence could've relieved him, and that all of the stress and guilt would just melt away-

But he also knew that it wasn't realistic to expect.

Vyncent already gave him that fancy speech, back in David's apartment. Sure, in context, it felt a little more fitting- William was figuring out how to handle his brother, and Vyncent swore that he wasn't going to leave him behind to deal with it himself, just like he did earlier… But William knew it went a little deeper than that.

I'm not leaving you. I’m here.

It made his gut turn. It made him feel horribly guilty, on top of everything else-

But. It was also nice.

If he indulged, and if he slowly, finally, took Vyncent's hand- fitting his fingers in between his partner's- everything didn't just melt away. But it all felt just the slightest bit better.

After all of this- Ashe, the Trickster- they'd stay at each other's side. William would finally have to face everything head-on. He'll have to (somehow) work his ass off making up for everything he's done- he'd listen to his friends more often, and not stay stuck in his own head, thinking that his way of solving things was the only way to go about it, and then- the guilt wouldn't go away. It would never go away. But it would ebb, and ease, and eventually, William would do more good than harm.

It was better than sulking all day, wasn't it? Actually finding something to do, to fix this. Finding anything to do- staying active, and productive- that was something that Vyncent would usually do.

Maybe that influence was already rubbing off on him.

Maybe, it was for the best.

-

(William already knew about Vyncent's horrible sleeping habits. One stressor, and suddenly, he was up for nights at a time, and prone to falling asleep in the middle of the day, if it got too bad.

On their way to Deadwood, it was like their roles had suddenly flipped. Vyncent didn't carry the same weight of guilt on his shoulders that William had- and so, William was up more often than not, busying himself by working on a spiritual totem that'd keep all of them from getting possessed by those horrible demons in Deadwood.

Sometimes, late into the night, Vyncent would wake up as well. Sitting beside him as he worked, even if he was clearly tired, or the both of them clearly needed to sleep. Even if the company was quiet, it was company nonetheless.

On the last day- right on the outskirts of Deadwood, where everyone agreed to sleep, and finally hit town in the morning.

On that night, as William was finally finishing the totem, he stretched, and realized that bone-deep exhaustion was hitting him like a truck. They all had a big day ahead of them, William included. It wouldn't kill to lay down, and close his eyes for a couple hours.

Almost on instinct, instead of turning to that corner of the Winnebago with a broken window, he went to Vyncent's bunk instead. He was too tired to feel guilty about waking him up, and telling him to scoot over- and, based on the way Vyncent stirred in his sleep, pulled that shared blanket over the two of them, he didn't think he minded very much, either.)

—

+bonus

—

In college, Vyncent was busy more often than he wasn't.

He developed strange habits, a new sleeping schedule- one that would support him staying up into the late hours in the morning, and for once, sleep well into the day. He depended entirely on himself, for everything-

And during his busier moments, it was almost impossible to keep up with what his friends were doing. He'd gotten better with technology- he knew how to text, and how to get on a group call with everybody else- but, more often than not, the times he was free was when everyone else was busy.

Dakota was still doing hero work with Tide, and kept a relatively good sleeping schedule. (Even on his days off, he could never seem to stay up too late- he'd either end up falling asleep right where he stood, or he'd just hop off the call early.) Ashe also had school, and for some reason, their sleeping schedules never really aligned…

And William…

Well. He spent most of his days in the spirit world. Sometimes, on Vyncent’s days off, he'd spend some time there with him.

But time didn't move the same over there. Sometimes it was shorter, sometimes it was longer- and sometimes, when he was available, and all he wanted to do was hang out with William, he would be in the spirit world, and the text he'd send would go unanswered for hours.

It was a weird adjustment. 

But, strangely, after Vyncent got used to it, it wasn't something entirely bad.

William was doing good things in the spirit world as the Wisperer. Vyncent was going to college, and learning. They were both spending and sinking time into their own things. And, sure, getting a text back wasn't something that was easy, if William was working-

But at the end of every day, right as Vyncent was eating dinner, or turning in for the day, there'd always be a knock on his door. William would walk in, press a kiss to his cheek, and often apologize up and down for being so late-

And then, the two of them would lay down on that cramped mattress in Vyncent's dorm room, and decide on whether or not they wanted to watch a movie before bed.