Serendipity

I don't understand boys

I wake up, but don't open my eyes yet, still trying to hold on to the splintering threads of sleep.

And then I feel something that definitely wasn't there when I went to bed last night.

I open one eye slowly to find myself curled around Sydney like how Kiki curls around one of her favorite stuffed squeaky toys.

My face burns, but I don't pull away.

Maybe I can stay like this for a little longer...

Then Sydney groans and shifts closer to me, so our faces are a mere hairsbreadth apart.

I am....wide awake now.

"Mmmm," Sydney hums sleepily, sliding one of his legs between mine (breathing? What's that? I think I forgot). His eyes open slowly. "Tim?"

"Sydney?" I lick my lips, trying my best not to look at his.

"Ah, it's morning," He lifts one hand so he can rub his eyes. Is he not fazed at all? He seems to prove me right when he hugs me closer and sighs. "How'd you sleep?"

"I slept okay," Actually, now that I think about it.... This might've been the best I've slept in a while. "You?"

"Mm," He nods. "I slept okay, too." Suddenly his hand grabs my own and squeezes. "Oh, did you have any bad dreams?"

He knows about the dreams?

"No.... surprisingly," My eyes widen. "Hey, Sydney."

He smiles, his gaze still heavy with drowsiness. "Yes, Tim?"

"You're magical," I tell him.

He stares at me for a few seconds as my words process in his brain, then bursts out laughing.

I blush. "It's not funny."

"I'm sorry," He says, covering his mouth with one hand. "You're just cute."

Oh. Now my face is on fire. That's nice.

"I, uh," I mumble, pulling away and sitting up. "I have to pee."

"Go ahead," Sydney waves me off, covering his eyes with one arm he slings over his face. "I still need to wake up."

I slide out of bed and hobble over to the bathroom, trying my best to not hobble at the same time.

I close the bathroom door behind me and immediately bend over the sink so I can splash cold water in my face.

Why was Sydney in my bed? How does he know about the dreams?

Why can't I calm myself down?

Eventually, I stop splashing water on my face so I can look at my wet self in the mirror.

My skin is tinted pink from all the water, and probably also a tiny bit because of Sydney. Dammit. Why does he have to be so...

"Hey, Tim," His voice startles me. I turn my head to see him leaning against the door frame. "I know your face is beautiful, and I could stare into your eyes all day, but if you wouldn't mind either peeing or getting out... I have to pee, too."

My blush comes back in it's full glory, but this time at least I can say it's just from the water.

"Sorry," I send him an apologetic smile. "You can go."

I duck out of the bathroom, and he grins knowingly at me before slipping in and closing the door behind him.

Suddenly I realize something else-

I didn't have a shirt on. I still don't have a shirt on.

Now, that by itself wouldn't usually be an issue. But if Sydney was sleeping with me...

I touch my chest self-consciously. I didn't even notice it before, since I always sleep shirtless.

But...

"Snap out of it," I mutter, shaking my head and heading towards the stairs. I remember Sydney's laundry I tossed into the washing machine last night and trot down the stairs, on a mission to get them out and upstairs before he gets out of the bathroom.

I'm glad I thought about staying up long enough so I could switch the laundry over to the drying machine, though I'm still disappointed I couldn't stay up just long enough to get them out again and upstairs.

As I pull his clean and dry clothes out from the dryer, I hear a loud thump from upstairs.

I freeze. Did he pass out again? Is he-

"I'm fine!" Sydney's voice floats down the stairs, reassuring me. I laugh lightly and scoop up his clothes into my arms.

"What's all this thumping and bumping for?" I call up to him as I climb back upstairs. "It seems a little unnecessary."

"Sorry," He says, opening the bathroom door and taking a couple steps out into the hallway. His eyes land on the clothes in my arms and his eyebrows shoot up. "Is that...?"

"Yep," I grin. Staying up was definitely worth it. "I washed them for you."

I hold them out and he takes them from me, a smile fighting it's way onto his lips.

"Is this why you stayed up so late?"

"I only stayed up till, like, midnight," I shrug. Maybe a tad later, but he doesn't need to know that.

He shakes his head. "Well, thank you."

Puffing my chest out a little at his praise, I grin. He glances at me and snorts.

"Oh," I gasp, reaching out and placing a hand on his shoulder. "And next time you come over, we should take the dogs to the beach! You'll have to bring your own swimsuit, though."

"Next...time?" He echoes, blinking. I tilt my head.

"Yeah?" I frown. "Unless you don't want to."

Sydney starts to say something, but suddenly Loki bounds out from where Mom must've let him out of his kennel and jumps up on him. He stumbles back with a surprised yelp, and I instinctively reach forward and slide my hands under his armpits so he doesn't fall.

"Sorry-" He laughs, reaching one hand up to grasp my arm. The other hand extends towards the wall so Loki's claws don't rip the fabric of his clean clothes.

I help him stand, then shove Loki away. Honestly, this is why Kiki's my favorite. "Don't apologize. Loki just doesn't know 'down' yet."

Kiki shuffles past us, nosing my door open further so she can go plop down on the air mattress.

"Kiki!" I groan. "You're getting your fur all over our nice clean air mattress!"

She rolls her eyes and huffs, placing her head delicately on her front paws and looking decidedly away from me.

"I don't think she cares," Sydney comments, brushing the Loki fur off of the hoodie I lent him.

"She probably doesn't," I sigh and shake my head, shooing Loki away.

I turn my head back towards him, and we meet eyes. Neither of us look away for such a long time that both of our faces are turning pink by the time he backs into the bathroom door and breaks the eye contact.

"Well, uh," He chuckles nervously. "I'm gonna go get changed...."

"Good plan," I agree, equally embarrassed. I'm not really sure why, but—

The bathroom door closes, startling me out of my daze. I glance down at Loki, who wags his tail cheerfully.

I pat his head and sigh.

"I don't understand boys," I whisper. He sniffs my hand and sneezes on it sympathetically. "Even though I happen to also be one, they just make no sense."

Then I shake myself mentally and go back to my room so I can slip into my own day clothes.