FicWad

My eyes felt sensitive to light and my mouth stretched into a long, drowsy yawn.
So very intriguing. I'd slept, and during that I'd seen many things, some of which made no sense at all.

I'd seen myself -plenty times- with my face covered with a red silk scarf and I'd been running down a dead-end road.

When I finally came close enough to see the wall that blocked my way, my lungs suddenly gave up on me, ripping and tearing their way through my chest to get more air, exploding into red and orange flames, dancing before my eyes.

Even without any blood or gore, it was the single sickest thing I'd witnessed - and been a prominent part of. The flames hurt my eyes, burnt my skin, so I lowered my gaze to examine the gaping black hole in my middle. It was oddly painless.

I turned around to see someone running my way, waving their hands and yelling something incoherent. A man. I stood still and held my breath and much to my surprise, I never felt the need to inhale again.

When the distance between me and the hysteric man was no longer more than ten feet, I simply turned around and only by walking outran him in a matter of seconds.
Then I saw no more.
This is what replayed in my head over and over again for as long as I'd slept and I wasn't quite sure what to make of it.

I was in the room by myself.
The lights were on and the door was wide open. I rose up to stretch my stiff limbs. The couch had been cleared from all blankets and pillows that had laid there last night. Everything was quiet. I walked to the door very silently, slipping through it and looking around the hall.
No one.
I quickly made my way out the front door and down the corridor to the brittle stairs and exited the building. The streets were vacant, I was only accompanied by fragments of news papers and flyers flitting around according to the wind's will.

The air smelled like the desert, it was dry and stale. Without giving the scene any more thought I continued my way. Ahead of me I could see the road - the one from my dreams and for the first time I noticed I was holding an old, red piece of clothing. The scarf.

The wind increased and moved the light sand that had covered the concrete, making me cough and close my eyes to protect my sight.

I covered my mouth and nose with the red scarf and started running down the street, ignoring the dubious objects lying on the sides of it.

I ran as fast as my legs would let me, my free hand grasping the air ahead of me in desperate attempts to gain more speed. As feelings of terror and dread took over my body, for reasons I could not understand, I knew I'd drag myself forward if I'd have to.
Just as I came close enough the wall--
Wait. Déjá-vu. I'd been here before and I knew exactly what was going to happen next.

I woke up.
I was truly getting frustrated now, my night had gone past according to the same pattern, thinking I'd woke up, declaring the town deserted and wandering around til I'd find the road, protecting my face from the hot sand and running like a turkey on thanksgiving.

Yes, intriguing but still extremely annoying. I looked around again, this time with the lights off. I found I was not alone - did this mean I was no longer asleep?

The man who'd slept (no pun intended) with Frank, was sleeping soundly on the bare linoleum floor, breathing heavily. Frank was sleeping widely on the couch, and by widely I mean the way his arms and legs were scattered here and there, declaring every inch of the surface of the couch his property.
Muffled sounds escaped his mouth now and then, clinging to the silence of the room.

I sat up very carefully after realizing the chance I'd been given, to take a closer look at a sleeping man. To examine and study it from the outside (going with the assumption that I was awake for real this time). I tiptoed to the dark copper colored couch and kneeled beside it, bringing my face quite close to Frank's.
I let my eyes run along his features, from his smooth forehead, across his cheekbones, along his strong jawline all the way down to his full lips and then back up from the other side.

His face was very symmetric but then again, I'd never seen a face asymmetric.

He let out one of those weird sounds that seemed to come from his throat - like something was stuck in there. I leaned away, straightening my posture and admiring the peace sleep brought.

Everything was tranquil and still, counting out those swift twitches or lethargic movements the men made now and then. All in all, it as very peaceful.

I rose back up on my feet deciding I'd seen all there was to see when it came to sleep. I wonder what the men were dreaming about, I hope something less confusing than I.

As I turned around to return to my loveseat, my foot touched (I refuse to say I accidentaly kicked him) the other man in the head.

Not hard enough to cause any injuries, but apparently hard enough for him to notice. I stumbled my way to the loveseat, laid down and pretended to still be sleeping. I could hear the man groan and possibly sit up a little.
I was glad he'd already fallen off the couch - he'd think that's what had woken him up.

"I swear I'll kill you Frank" I heard him mutter. I opened one eye and peeked from behind the blanket I held close to my face, to see what the man was doing.
When I did, I threw the blanket off of my body and half ran back to 'their' end of the room.

"What are you doing?" I exclaimed, words rushing out of my mouth. The man looked like he might start screaming (I've no idea why I pictured him screaming like a little girl in my mind) so I quickly added an apology for startling him.

"Frank" he explained after taking a few deep breaths to calm himself, and continued as I looked at him with a bewildered face, "He took over the fucking couch, I fell over. I told the guy I would kick his ass, I warned him" he said, still gripping onto Frank's skinny ankles.

"........OK" I said slowly "...So what exactly were you planning on doing?" I required.

"Depends" he replied. I paused.

"....On?" I encouraged him to continue.

"On whether your in on it, or not" he announced with a smile appearing on his face. He looked very handsome when he was smiling, handsome in some jovial, boyish way.

He was asking if I was going to help him take his revenge on Frank, as in to play a prank on him? While he slept, while he was utterly oblivious to the activities outside his little dreamland?

Oh, well.. This could turn out fun, and besides, I was delighted by the man's company, seeing as though he was the only one besides the blonde man called Bob that I hadn't talked to last night. Not that the few words I exchanged with Ray last night could count as chatting.

"I'm in" I whispered, a little excited from some reason I couldn't put my finger on. I felt like I was a part of the group, nevermind only the two of us were awake, but still, I felt I was a part of their group, their circle of friends.
I knew I was getting ahead of things.

"Think you can handle carrying half of his body weight?" The man questioned. I nodded -my strenght had decreased remarkably but I believe I was still strong enough to lift the man off the couch myself, but then again, all that was pure speculation.

"Alright, you take the ankles" he commanded and I grabbed Frank's legs, gripping tighter as the other one almost slipped and hit the arm of the couch.

The man grabbed Frank's arms and gestured me to lift him up just as he did. I followed him (naturally, since we didn't want to tear the poor guy in two) to the bathroom, and helped him lay Frank down in the bath tub, very slowly and carefully.
Luckily, he didn't wake up.

I was about to ask what the next move was, but had the brain to put the pieces together on my own. A sleeping person and a bath tub equals... Well, I could think of something cold and wet and he wasn't going to like it.

The grin on the other man's face grew devious as he reached for the knob. I stiffled a giggle. He was having the time of his life, and I was very much enjoying myself as well.

He looked at me once as if to ask me whether I wanted to sneak back into the living room to hide and not share the blame for this, or not, so I just nodded, hoping he knew I wouldn't miss this for the world.

I was a bit concerned since I didn't know anything about Frank except for his name and some random details I'd picked up on last night, so I had know idea as to how he would react. Would he laugh? Would he be mad?

I nodded again and he turned the knob, making the cold water spray from the shower head. I smothered another giggle as the man chuckled looking down at Frank. Fast as a lightning Frank's eyes blew open, he sat up looking around him like a deer caught in headlights.

'What the-" he muttered as he rubbed his eyes, spat out some water and tried to get his head around what was going on. The other man turned the knob again, and the showering stopped.

Frank swept the water off his face and looked up to the two of us, standing there fighting a fit of laughter. Frank looked like a half-drown cat and the numerous expressions we saw on his face varied from playfully hurt and ashamed to confused, furious and finally very blank.

"Sleep good, Frank?" The man asked with a smile apparent in his voice, "I'll bet the couch was comfortable"
The man offered Frank a hand which he defiantly rejected, getting up himself. He looked down at his soaked clothes and shuddered.

"To an extent" He finally replied.

I turned around and grabbed a towel from the counter and handed it over to Frank, who took it and buried his face in the dry warmth of it.

"Alright folks, you got me good I'll give you that. But you have to understand that there are consequences to your actions" he said sternly, fighting a smile.

"Ugh, yeah, and just what did you think all this was about, dumbass?" The other man snickered.
Frank shrugged the comment off and turned to look at me,

"This concerns you, as well, Willow. I don't care whether you spend another night here or not, one way or the other, you-" he winked at me "-are going to get it"
The other man burst out laughing and exited the bathroom.

"Just ignore him. Gerard has a filthy mind. Vanish is no help, we tried it. You should never trust pink" He said and I tried to look like I knew what he was talking about.

"You've no idea what I just said, do ya?" He added when he saw my badly covered confusion. I shook my head and smiled somewhat apologetically.

"I figured. You know, that's a good thing. Filter half of everything we say and maybe you can keep your sanity" He smiled

"I'll try" I replied. Though we were only standing there, talking, the athmosphere grew heavy the second the last word rolled off of my tongue.

We stared at each other, I carefully, he thoughtfully and observing. I took a step back and leaned on the counter.
I wondered why I hadn't left the room already.
I wondered why he hadn't.

All of a sudden he threw off his shirt. I stared at him confused, with question marks written all over my face.

"I gotta dry off" he explained fighting a smile again. I looked down and mumbled an apology, making a point to leave the bathroom.

Just as I turned to face the door, an arm blocked my view. He leaned his right arm on the cupboard above the counter, leaving his face inches from mine.
I froze and stared at him blankly, trying not to look at his bare chest. I think that might give him the wrong idea, so I focused my still a bit shocked eyes on his face only.

He stood there like that for what felt like five slow minutes until the man whose name I now know -Gerard- called from another room, saying the coffee was served. Frank cocked his head to the side half an inch and smiled a crooked smile.
Then he backed off and continued wiping his wet skin with the towel.

"Just checked how you'd react" he told me, looking suddenly very occupied. I took it as my cue to leave.

I recall coffee being mentioned.