Nyctophilia

Shadows crept out from every direction as I slowly made my way down the hallway, and all I could do was wonder why it was so cold. It was early, yes; I was up far earlier than normal, being as it was only three in the morning, but that was no reason for it to be so chilly throughout the house. This time, it hadn't been the some nightmare or old memory that had woken me up, but the unusual drop in temperature. Well, that wasn't... entirely true. But what did it matter? I couldn't sleep, and for once, I had a reasonable excuse for the man who seemed to always be awake when I was, despite the time.

As I reached the end of the hall where I could see the kitchen, I was surprised to find it dark. Tiptoeing my way over to the edge of the counter, I poked my head into the living room to find it dark as well, save for the slivers of dull moonlight that peeked through at the top of the drawn curtains. Was Roy actually asleep for once? Or was he sitting somewhere in the shadows where I couldn't see him?

That would be just like him. Maybe he just wasn't downstairs yet? If not, he would be soon. That had happened before. I'd come up to the ground floor to be alone and not wake anyone up, but as soon as I'd heard the soft creaking from the floor at the top of the steps, I'd known he was awake. Or that someone was awake, at least.

And it was always Roy. But this morning, it seemed not even he was awake.

Making my way to the couch in the living room, I let out a quiet sigh, trying my best not to be as disappointed by that fact as I was. Why should Roy be awake just because I couldn't sleep? It wasn't like I could expect him to always be there when my subconscious decided it wanted to rebel against me. That just wouldn't be fair. He needed sleep and so did I... but I wasn't going to get what I wanted anytime soon, courtesy of all the things that lurked in my mind, w-

Don't go there.

Pushing those thoughts aside, I turned my attention back to why it was so cold in the house. What had happened to the heat? It was still slightly warm, but not near enough to match the frigid winter weather that was raging outside. Was it always like this so early in the morning, and I simply hadn't noticed? No, that wasn't it. Roy always made sure to keep the house warm. As much as he loved snow and winter, he wasn't about to let his home be anything but nice and cozy.

Especially with guests that were mainly used to much warmer weather.

Had he forgotten to turn the thermostat up, then? I doubted that. Even still, I figured it wouldn't hurt to check, so I got up, walking towards the front of the house. My eyes scanned over the barely there silhouettes of furniture, over the darkened walls, searching for the little, glowing blue square of the electronic box that controlled the heat, and it was only then that I realized, as I looked in the direction it should be, that there was no glow at all.

Power's off. Grea-

I jumped, hearing the front door creak off to my left, and my heart pounded suddenly in my chest. Not thinking twice, I ducked behind the corner as it creaked again, and then came open, cold air hitting my face. When it did, I nearly laughed out loud at my stupidity. Roy stopped, standing completely still for a moment as he noticed me, and then smiled, shutting the door behind him.

"Did I scare you?" he questioned softly and I didn't miss the amusement laced in his tone.

"Surprised me; I didn't think you were up."

"Well, the power is out," he replied, pulling off his snow covered boots.

"Is it cold outside?"

"Hell could freeze over and it wouldn't be as cold as it is outside," Roy answered, a little bit breathless, and I couldn't help but smile as I watched him shrug off his coat.

"I noticed it was a bit chilly in here, that's what woke me up," I chimed, leaning against the wall. Roy glanced back at me as he hung his coat up, and the skepticism was obvious, even when he spoke. "Is that the only reason?"

"This time, yes," I answered. "Why'd you go outside?"

"I turned on the back up generator. It should kick in so-" he stopped as the hum of the furnace came back to life. How I hadn't noticed it was off was beyond me. "There it is." I smiled again, and he grinned back, looking genuinely thankful for the warmth. "I think I'm half frozen," he added as he walked towards me. When he was close enough, he reached out, laying a hand on my shoulder. "Come here," he huffed, and it was only then, when I was so close to him, that I noticed he was shivering. Was it that cold outside?

I didn't have time to really think about it as Roy pulled me to him, wrapping his arms tightly around me in a hug. Surprised at how cold he was, I returned the gesture.

"Am I warm?" I asked, letting out a laugh.

"You are," he hummed, resting his chin on the top of my head. We stayed like that for a moment before he reluctantly loosened his grip, but didn't let me go far. Arm still slung over my shoulder, he led us over to the couch in front of the fire place. Moving the wood around a bit with the stoke, he grabbed a match from the mantle and struck it. As the wood caught fire, Roy stepped back, before sitting down on the couch, pulling me with him. As we hit the leather, I nearly jumped at how cool it was. A cold chill crawled down my spine and I couldn't help but shiver at it. Silently, Roy pulled me closer to him and I mindlessly snuggled into his side. Roy, reaching behind him, pulled the fleece blanket from the arm of the couch and tossed it over the both of us.

We sat in a comfortable silence as we watched the flames and Roy finally stopped shivering as the warmth from the fire washed over us. It couldn't have been more peaceful and I relished the fact that mind was relatively blank of the thoughts that normally plagued me. Roy's quiet, melodic humming might have had something to do with that, as well. That, or it was just that he was so warm. Or both.

"Was the cold actually the only reason you're up?" Roy asked softly, breaking the silence.

"For the most part, yes. I never do sleep well, anyway," I replied, my answer completely honest this time. "Why ask?"

"I worry about you. You never sleep well." he explained.

"Neither do you."

"Well, then, maybe we should sleep?" Roy questioned, and his voice was so deep and soft it seemed to tug at my consciousness. Letting out a content sigh, I laid my head against the inside of his shoulder. His warmth was too inviting, too intoxicating.

"I don't want to move."

"Then don't," he whispered, resting his chin on the top of my head again. Roy was easily a whole head taller than me, and even with our relaxed, curled up position on the couch, there was not much else he could do besides that. He was just as comfortable as I was. I was so content I didn't bother to reply, and Roy certainly didn't seem to mind, either.

"Sleep." His voice came as a whisper and I felt my eyes growing heavy. I hummed back to him halfheartedly, blinking slowly as I watched the flames in the fire place, felt their warmth. The shadows they cast on the floor danced slowly to Roy's soft hum, growing darker and darker...

And then everything was black.