Can You See Me? (Game Grumps Fanfic) ✓

Six - Nightmare

Dan jolted awake suddenly drenched in a cold sweat, his heart pounding from the nightmare. Out of habit he reached for the bedside lamp and flicked it on, attributing the darkness that surrounded him to the late hour. Only when nothing changed did he remember again. Sitting cross legged atop the sheets, he ran his hand through his disheveled nest of hair, brushing his face clear of the annoying strands.

"Dammit, why did I eat so late? Stupid nightmares..." he muttered to himself.

Already the nightmare was gone, distant. The feeling however was still there and was the same as every other one: helplessness. Though at this point Dan also felt that way in the waking world.

His throat felt dry for some reason. Perhaps he had dehydrated himself somewhat with all the sweat? In any case, he decided to get up for a drink. Swinging his legs over the side Dan prepared to stand. He knew from memory that Arin and Suzy's room was just down the hall, so it shouldn't be too hard to get to and he didn't have to traverse any stairs to reach it. Judging from the quietness of the house he assumed that they had both gone to bed already. He couldn't help but wonder if he should wake them, or just sit it out and try to get back to sleep.

But his heart rate was still all over the place and a short breather would calm him down. Silently apologizing in advance for being such a nuisance, he pushed himself to his feet.

Dan's balance felt all off and he had an overwhelming sensation that he was swaying. He braved a single step and didn't topple over, so decided to try another one. Using his arms to feel around he made it to the door, almost bumping into a few things but managing to steer clear just in time. He pulled open the door and grabbed onto the door frame as he walked out into the hall.

Now, if I just follow the walls, I'll be fine.

He did just that, sliding his hands along the walls as he sidestepped along at a cautious shuffle. He realised how stupid he must look, but he had learned from his mistake earlier and wasn't about to try and walk around without assistance of some kind. At least, not yet.

Soon the surface beneath Dan's hands changed and he paused, having reached the door that he was sure was Arin and Suzy's bedroom. He wasn't about to just walk in, for obvious reasons, so he simply knocked.

There was no response from inside, so he tried again, a little louder. He didn't want to startle them too much.

At last he heard movement from inside and so moved back from the door a bit, careful not to bump into anything. The door opened but Dan said nothing; he was unsure who it was who had opened it.

"Dan?" came Arin's tired voice, confused, "What're you doing here?"

"I, uh... wanted a drink. I'd go get it myself but... y'know..." Dan replied awkwardly.

There was no response at first and Dan started to get concerned.

"Oh. Right, yeah, sorry... Just woke up," Arin continued finally, yawning.

Dan heard him close the door behind him as he came forward, taking hold of his arm and leading him down the hall without a word. The tension in the air was horrible for Dan and he suddenly wished that he'd stayed in his room.

The stairs came as a shock and Arin didn't even warn him at first. It was all Dan could do not to fall head first down them. He asked Arin to slow down a bit as he clung onto the rail for dear life, terrified of misstepping.

Much to Dan's relief he reached the bottom unscathed and the walk to the kitchen was easy. Arin guided him to the table and sat him down, then setting to work pouring a drink. A thought that struck Dan was how calming the sound of pouring water was. For some reason, without his sight the sound seemed to be more clear and smooth, like he could really appreciate it more.

He heard Arin place the drink in front of him and when he grabbed it was glad to find a straw. As disheartening as it was to use, he knew that making a mess at this time of night would just be inconsiderate towards Arin, who no doubt wanted to be in bed right now, not sat watching his friend drink a glass of water.

The chair beside Dan screeched across the floor as Arin pulled it out and took a seat. Still he hadn't said another word. Dan couldn't see Arin's face to read his emotions, so he had no idea why he was being silent, which worried him.

"Are you annoyed at me?" he asked sheepishly taking a sip of his drink.

The question seemed to bring Arin to life and Dan heard him shift in his seat.

"What? Why would you think that?" he exclaimed.

"You're being all quiet. I thought maybe I'd annoyed you by waking you up." Dan realised how much like a child he sounded and cringed, adding hastily to clarify, "I can't exactly read your expressions. All I have to go off is sound, or lack thereof."

He heard Arin chuckle, which lightened his mood.

"No, of course I'm not annoyed. Tired, maybe, but not annoyed. I guess I wasn't sure what to say either, after our little... argument earlier," he explained.

"I don't think you could call that an argument, Arin."

"Well, you looked really upset after what I said, so you can't really blame me for feeling guilty, can you?"

Not to mention that I could hear you crying afterwards.

"No, I guess not. Sorry for reacting like that. I know you were only making a joke, but for some reason it really got to me. Oh, and thanks for what you said afterwards. I really appreciate that," Dan said, smiling in what he hoped was near enough Arin's direction.

Judging from the giggle that followed he guessed that he wasn't quite there.