𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞 || 𝐬𝐤𝐞𝐩𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐨

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞.

zak was thoroughly confused when he could not get up in the morning. he tried to slip out of bed with no avail, and he was pulled back by a pair of pale arms. barely able to hold his eyes open, he turned to see what the problem was. he bit his lip to keep from letting out a noise of surprise.

the events from the night before washed over him, and his face burned. he remembered watching the movie and being scared by it (which was really embarrassing, he had to say). he remembered darryl holding him to make him feel better. he just barely remembered falling asleep around the end of the movie. he felt bad. why didn't darryl move? he probably didn't want to disturb the sleeping boy. he hoped he wasn't too much of a burden.

there he went again, overthinking. he looked at the sleeping boy next to him, who still had his arm draped over zak's stomach. his hair fell down over his eyes. he seemed peaceful, at least. this was normal, right? was it normal for best friends to...cuddle as they slept? darryl's eyes fluttered open, and zak looked away as he cursed inwardly at himself. he was staring. he hoped darryl hadn't noticed.

the other boy looked down at his arm and where it had been placed before pulling it away. zak felt almost disappointed by this. "s-sorry about that," darryl stammered, sitting up quickly. he found his glasses and slid them on. he wrung his hands together, looking down at his lap. zak said nothing.

for breakfast, zak's mother made banana pancakes (gluten-free, of course). she set two empty plates, as well as one stacked with food, on the kitchen table for the boys as they came downstairs. as zak sat down in one of the chairs, his mother gave him a knowing look. he wasn't expecting it, and he didn't even know quite what it was for. yet, it still made him sink into his chair, blushing.

the two boys didn't really say much as they ate. they seemed to still be a little shocked by what had happened. it didn't seem like such a big deal. it didn't really mean anything.

but it meant something to both of them.

they finished eating in silence. they brought their plates over to zak's mother at the sink, and she gladly took them and rinsed them off, placing them on the rack in the dishwasher.

after a quick run back to his house, it was decided that darryl would just stay the rest of the weekend at zak's. his mother didn't seem to mind when he asked, and zak's mother was just ecstaticto find that he would be staying another night. she was always happy when the two boys hung out. maybe she was just happy that zak was opening up more, spending time with others rather than alone in his room all the time. sure, it was only one person, but it was a start. either that or it was because she knew zak liked darryl, and, well, that's just how mothers are.

zak and darryl had returned to the former's house after their quick trip down the street. darryl carried a bag with some clothes and a few basic hygiene products. it wasn't much, but he only needed enough to get him through one more night until he went home tomorrow. he set his belongings on the floor in zak's room and sat on the edge of the bed. the two were kind of at a loss for what to do next.

zak sat quietly at the other end of the bed, leaving a considerable distance between the two of them. thinking about last night and this morning still made him somewhat uncomfortable. he was glad the other boy didn't mention it. he wasn't quite sure what he would say if he did. he hated how much he had enjoyed being so close to darryl. he felt bad for wanting to stay in his arms. they were friends and nothing more. he shouldn't feel this way.

darryl glanced over at the boy, noticing the distance. he seemed to be lost in thought. maybe it was about this morning. darryl hoped he hadn't upset zak. he hadn't been sure what to do. he just...didn't know what to do. zak had fallen asleep, and he really didn't want to wake him up. he seemed as though he needed it. zak was twiddling his thumbs, staring down at the carpet. darryl hoped that whatever it is he seemed to be going through at this moment would get better. he cared about the boy, and he never liked seeing his friend upset.