Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)

Let Us Die Young Or Let Us Live Forever

Shut up I'm churning out chapters as we speak. THEY'RE COMING I SWEAR

XxX

Day 9 – Sleeping In

"I'm counting the steps to the door of your heart."

XxX

The sun was beginning to set outside the window when Vin finally woke, bathing the bedroom with an orange glow. He felt uncomfortably groggy, like one always did after taking a nap during the day, and there was an irritating ache in his lower back. He instinctively began to sit up, before freezing abruptly and glancing around.

Nope. Not his room.

And, he realised belatedly, the warm weight pressing against his side wasn't a figment of his imagination. Recollection came back to him, and he glanced over. Sure enough, Zero was more or less attached to his side at every point possible, latched onto him like some strange sort of sea creature. The odd analogy made his lips quirk upward in amusement, despite the fact that they – platonic friendship be damned – were literally cuddling. Sure, they had their moments holding hands and hugging and whatever, but cuddling? That was a bit different.

However, "different" or not, that didn't change the fact that her face was buried into the side of his neck, that her arm was draped across his chest, or that their feet were tangled. She hadn't been stirred by his earlier attempt to sit up, which clearly said something about how tired she had been. Whatever embarrassment Vin may have felt earlier immediately dissipated, replaced by a sense of comfort that the situation was looking up. And hey, he wasn't entirely opposed to the touching, either.

This was okay, he decided. Though it was a situation that was clearly out of the norm, it wasn't an unwelcome one. And hey, he might as well make the most of it while it lasted, because when Zero woke up and realised that she was a perpetual burrower when she slept, the moment would be over, just like that. Because, best friend or not, Zero Toriello did not cuddle. Period.

Vin exhaled quietly, tipping his head sideways so his cheek rested on the top of her head, and resisting the urge to loop his arm around her waist and draw her closer. Like, it was technically an option, since she was already lying on top of his arm, but he figured the movement would most likely wake her, and that was the last thing he wanted. So he contented himself with thinking about the what if's, pretending that one day he could have this for real. That they could wake up together and it would be a deliberate thing, not just because they fell asleep by chance. That he could lean down and kiss her forehead, because that was something they just did. That they could do stupid couple-y things like wait for each other after class, or talk about the future, or be wrapped up together in the same jacket. Sue him, he was a romantic, okay?

However, the more he thought about it, the more he realised that Zero really wasn't that kind of person. Sure, she had a love for hugs that she would never admit to, and was rather preferential to oversized hoodies when left to her own devices, but he couldn't really see her being affectionate on a particularly large scale. But then again, he had never seen her with cause to behave that way, so there really was no telling.

Zero stirred slightly in her sleep, mumbling inaudibly as she buried her nose further into the side of his neck. Her fingers curled in the front of his shirt, making his heart clench painfully. This – this was why he'd never really let himself wonder before. Because when he had to face the truth, and accept that he could never really love her the way he wanted to, it goddamn broke his heart. And every time he realised that, the worse he felt whenever she smiled, whenever she laughed, whenever she held his hand.

But he couldn't help that. He could never help being in love.

XxX

Chapter title: "Forever Young", Alphaville

Quote: "Don't Dream It's Over", Crowded House