schlatt (+lunch club) : babysitter

twenty four +

my insomnia is up to 4000% all night. sometimes i drift off for a couple seconds, but all my brain can dream is some horrible nightmare about schlatt. i see him look so sad and then some giant wave or great bear comes and swallows him up. then all i can hear is some terrible, painful scream.

he always dies in some terrible way and i can't save him. why can't i save him?

the next morning all i can think to do is call one of the guys who can put my mind at ease.
"charlie?" i say quietly, running my hands nervously through my hair.
"hey y/n- sorry i sound grumpy i just woke up. you okay?" he croaks.
i try my best to skip through all the small talk, "i'm cool, i'm cool. i didn't sleep well but it's fine."
"oh that-"

"listen, is- you know schlatt?"
"yeah? what about him?" in the background i can hear grace ask if i'm okay.
"i'm alright! i just ... had a couple nightmares about something bad happening to him haha .." i chuckle a little, coughing in the process.
"you wanna tell me about them?"
"well they were just really horrible ... i could never save him .. i don't know- i got worried is all ..."

"aw y/n it was just a dream. he's fine we spoke a couple minutes ago. he's moved now down to-"
"out of new york?" i cough again.
"yeah. hey that cough sounded pretty rough are you okay?" he asks, concerned.
"oh yeah just-" i cough again, "i think something about the air is messing with me. it's not covid though." i brush over it and pace around the wooden floors.
"okay. well, let me know how you feel. you've said before that your lungs aren't good .."
i shake my head, "oh i'll be fine don't you worry, charles."
"okay, well i hope you feel better soon!"
"thank you .. bye!"
"bye!"

it's fine. i'm fine.

i get up to stream and take my mind off it. ted is my next mario kart victim and my chat is always so fond of him.
"mods, run a poll of who you thinks gonna win." i say before muting myself to cough.
"they're all gonna say me, y/u/n. your chat is in love with me. ay chat?"
"fuck off ... you're supposed to be MY chat!"

"hey charlie said you sounded a little-"
i mute myself on twitch but not discord, "shhh! i don't want chat worrying ... don't mention anything from my call with charlie .."
"oh -"
"a little bit like i'm gonna win?" i say, unmuted now.

"sure .. oh look who it is!" ted smiles.
"who? is hasan in chat? hi hasan .."
"it's- just a friend. how's the roomie?" he stares down at chat and i feel a little weird.

"can you tell me who it is?"
"it's .. a secret .."
"you have a secret friend?" i turn a sharp corner.
"yeah. chat be quiet."
"what's your chat saying?"
"nothing .."
"you're stupid." i shake my head and take my rightful place in first, as always.

in the evening, i leave my computer playing my recommended videos as i search through my big oak closet for something to wear tonight.

after a couple of minutes i have to sit down ... i'm exhausted. i lie back on my bed and stare up at the ceiling. the thoughts start to creep in.

when i was a kid and always popping in and out of hospital, i once caught a virus and had pneumonia. i was bedridden and coughing and tired and ...

can you catch it twice? i doubt it ... most viruses you only catch badly once so .. i must be fine. but is pneumonia something you can catch twice ...?

i sigh and sit up again as my computer plays a voice i haven't heard in almost a year now.

"how's it going guys, my name is schlatt ... "
it plays one of the wii videos. the barbie one.