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Dark. It was so dark. Bones couldn't see his hand outstretched in front of him, stumbling aimlessly around within the void.
Why was it so dark? Why couldn't he see?
He hands shook as he gently grabbed onto his arms to hug himself, in a futile attempt to self-regulate.
Fuck, he was so scared. Terrified. How long had it been since he was this scared? He couldn't breathe. Holy shit he couldn't breathe.
He couldn't–
He jerked awake, bolting upright in bed. The room, the VIP room he'd gotten with Vick and Elise, was somewhat dark. But he could make out vague shapes.
Good enough.
Bones took in a deep breath and moved his arms to hug himself, tapping his fingers against his arm anxiously. He hated nightmares. He wasn't even all that scared of the dark–if anything, being in the dark was an advantage for him–but right now, he wanted to be anywhere else.
He knew what always used to calm him down, even as a child– cuddling with his mom after a nightmare always helped him get right back to sleep. And if he was gonna survive a death game, he'd need all the sleep he could get.
A certain racer's image popped into his head, and he almost groaned out loud. He didn't want to go seak out Benny for comfort. But, it seemed like the best bet he had to be able to sleep.
He was never a gambling man, but maybe this once, he could take a chance.
Carefully getting up from bed, Bones grabbed a blanket and quietly left the room, making sure neither of his teammates had woken up because of him. As soon as he was sure they were asleep and wouldn't follow him, he slowly moved over to the rest of the contestants rooms, and found himself standing outside of Benny's.
"...Just knock," He whispered to himself, holding up a fist to the door. "He's not gonna hit you or some shit..."
He carefully knocked on the door, and surprisingly, he heard shuffling almost immediately from behind the door. Footsteps echoed in the room until they were right up to the door, which slowly opened to Benny standing there, his hair messy and eyes tired.
He blinked as he saw Bones, a blanket slung over their shoulders and an exhausted look on their face. The pieces clicked almost immediately.
"...nightmare?" He asked quietly, gently grabbing Bones' hand and leaning him into his room.
Bones nodded as Benny shut the door behind them, walking over to the shitty mattress the staff provided that Benny now called his bed. "Mhm. Couldn't sleep?"
"Yeah," Benny yawned, stretching a bit. "...like old times, then?"
Bones' face flushed slightly, lowering himself down to the mattress and draping the blanket over themself. "Like old times. C'mere?"
Benny obliged and climbed into bed with Bones, tugging the covers other both of them and gently wrapping his arms around him. He felt Bones immediately melt into his hold, his body relaxing as his breath began to even out.
Benny laughed a little, "Still surprised how well this works for you..."
Bones hummed in response, "Tell anybody and I'll kill you..."
Benny chuckled and pulled Bones closer to him, exhaustion washing over him as he held the other.
"No worries. My lips are sealed."
"...g'night..."
"Night, Bones..."
They both considered that night to be their best night's sleep in years.