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Three days. Three goddamn days that meant it had been 72 hours since Wifies had slept. The first night I’d been okay with it. It’d been a little while since we pulled an all-nighter and the little… bird. I don’t know what he is. Just a guy with a feathery tail I guess. Or maybe some kind of griffin? Anyway he seemed pretty excited, bouncing up and down, talking about “flecks of gold” and “another world”.
The second night was what had started to worry me. When I had checked on him in the morning, Wifies seemed ecstatic if not a little maniacal. But he continued to not rest. At around ten PM I started considering dragging him to bed. “Wifies..” I began, leaning over his desk. “Not now, Hummer. I’m close.” There it was again. ‘I’m close’ … Close to Levi, to finding the truth in this whole mystery.
Of course, I was Levi. He didn’t know and I didn’t plan on telling him. If I told him it’d be over. He’d leave or hate me or even both. I, even if Wifies never knew was his greatest obsession. Just as he was mine.
By the third night however… I was done. Wifies was running himself into the ground for this. I’d walked down to the lower deck, intending to wake him, only to find he was awake. Wifies, despite his clearly shaking hands, was going through another article, underlining anything about or even remotely related to the world he’d been to.
“Wifies?” He looked up. “Hummer? What are you doing up?” I stared at him. “It’s… 1 in the afternoon, Wifies.” The other blinked. “One? But it was- never mind,” he cut himself off. “Take a look at this. It’s just like what happened to me!” He held up the book and quill he’d been writing in.
“Did you copy it down?” I held the book in my hands, squinting. He nodded. “Wifies, this is incomprehensible.” “What? Let me see that.” He snatched the book back. “Oh.” Wifies set the book down, rubbing his eyes.
“Your hands are shaking. Maybe you should sleep and let me-” “No.” I froze. “Wifies.” “Hummer.” We glared at each other. “I just need something to eat-” Wifies stood up before he grabbed at his head. “-!” He stumbled forward, just as I reached out to catch him.
I caught him by the waist, pulling him upright. He was so small compared to me, even in this form. “You alright?” I steadied the griffin slightly before releasing him. “I- uh, yeah.” His hands continued to shake. “Okay you’re going to bed.” I reached for him again, intending to steer him towards the bedroom, but Wifies’ ears snapped up. “No. I have things to do.” “Wifies-” “I’m fine, Hummer.”
-[/11:00 PM\]-
I’d given up on sleeping. All I could think about was Wifies. I got out of bed and walked through the hall before stopping outside the library. There was a glow of blue shining through the crack of the door. I knocked.
“Come in!” The griffin’s voice came from behind the door, sounding hoarse and exhausted. I stepped inside, shutting the door softly behind me. “How’s it going?” My screen crackled slightly. “Not well. I can’t find anymore mentions of the other world.” I pulled his chair away from the desk.
“Hummer? What’re you doin’?” He was slurring his words now. Poor thing, I don’t think he even realised. “You need to sleep.” I slipped my arms under his own, pulling him out of the chair while he protested weakly.
I moved him to face me, still not putting him down on the ground, as his protests quieted. He mumbled something. “Hmm?” “Please don’t make me.” I blinked, before my eyes, or rather my screen, softened. “I know but you need to rest.” He shook his head desperately. “You don’t. Hummer, please..” I sighed. “Explain then.” He shook his head ‘no’ again.
I set him down on the floor, still keeping a hand against his side. “Wifies. Can you look at my screen please?” He glanced towards me hesitantly. “Okay…” I never wanted to do this to him, to use this on him. It was a tool, for manipulation, for control, for getting my way. Not for making the person I loved rest when they didn’t want to.
I crouched til I was eye level with him. The usual glitch on my screen shifted to a kaleidoscope of colours. Emerald greens, vibrant oranges, prismarine and so many others. “Hummer? What-” “Shhh, you’re doing so well, okay? Just keep your eyes on the screen.”
Wifies turned his head away anyways. “I don’t-” One of my hands left his side, coming up to rest against his face, slightly under the griffin’s jaw. I guided his line of sight back to the screen, holding it there.
Green, blue, orange, yellow. His eyes flicked away before returning like he didn’t know where to look. Once they looked onto the screen, his pupils blew out, possibly to the largest I’d seen happen from my hypnosis.
“There you go.. just sink into it.” His tail curled around my ankle, feathers brushing the edge of my trousers. Blue, yellow, orange, green. Oh. I could make him do anything now. Stop fighting, stay here, love me- No. That’s not what this is for. He needs to sleep not whatever any of that was. “Okay, you still there, love?” I froze, hypnosis pausing for a second. Whoops. Wifies mumbled something dazedly. “What was that?” “Love…?” Shit.
“Nothing, Wifies, just go to sleep.” The griffin nodded, his eyes already drooping. Wifies tipped forward into me. I caught him, wrapping my arm around his shoulder and across his back. “Easy.. such a good job, Wifies.” I cooed. He made a soft confused noise, nuzzling closer into my chest. I slipped an arm behind his knees, picking him up into a bridal carry.
I shoved the door open with my foot, closing it as quietly as I could. I walked to his room, again kicking the door open. I sat down on the edge of his bed, intending to set him down and leave but as I shifted Wifies out of my arms, he grabbed my sleeve. “No.. Don’t leave.. please….?”
My grip on him tightened reflexively before I loosened it. “Shhh, I’ll stay, don’t worry.” Wifies relaxed at that, like he trusted me. I felt sick to my stomach. He trusted me. And I had abused that. “‘M sorry.” Wifies whispered as I slipped into the bed, with him, sideways, across my lap.
“For what?” I brushed a strand of hair out of his face. “Makin’ you worry..” His grip on me tightened. “No need to apologise.” One of my hands settled into Wifies’ hair, massaging his scalp. He practically purred, leaning into my hand. “Just sleep.” He nodded weakly, eyes fluttering closed.
-
~
Warm. That was my first thought. The second was ‘what the hell happened.’ I shifted slightly before freezing. ‘Was that- no no no no no- Hummer?’ Our chests were flush, and he had his arms around me. I looked up at him, though my eyes struggled to stay open. Hummer’s screen was dark and tilted away in sleep.
My eyes shut again before I forced them open. Everything felt far away and heavy, like it was wrapped in a cloud. All my thoughts, including those of last night, felt like smoke. My brain could only hold onto thoughts of Hummer. How warm he was, how he smelled like the air after a storm, how comfortable he was. It felt like I’d been drugged.
But I hadn’t had anything right? No, definitely not. I tried reaching for the memory again. Hummer, his hands in my face, flashes of colour, “Just keep your eyes on the screen”. What? I- oh god, what did he do?
I should’ve gotten up, forgotten about this whole thing. But I was comfortable and exhausted and confused and Hummer was warm and solid and he smelled nice… God, how I hate him… but oh how I love him.