Wicked Ones {bxb}

{Chapter 23 : Sleep Speaks}

Vincent sat up from his sleep. A clammy palm came up to brush away the sweat that joined at his brow, and he peeled off the thin sheets that covered his legs. He had only slept four hours at most, but his body was awake with an overbearing warmth. He stood to his feet and snapped open the window, pausing when he looked to his side and saw the light of the moon wash over Kailan's sleeping face.

He had seen Kailan sleep many times before, but something was different about tonight. He was bathing in the lunar blue, his hair a black mess of ink that spilled this way and the next. The moon glinted off of the fine cut of his jaw, enlightening his strong features. Vincent couldn't see much else; the room was far too dark. And yet, in this darkness, Kailan seemed to glow.

Vincent was hardly aware of his movements as he took a step closer. Something was captivating him, drawing him to Kailan's bed side. He stood, observing in a daze. Kailan's rhythmic breathing was nearly hypnotizing. When he was awake, Kailan had an intense expression—one that made most others uneasy. But laying here, his face was soft, motionless. The only movement was the knitting of his brows as he fought through a dream, his serene expression tensing into something pained, and then fading back to the innocent embrace of sleep.

As he began to tense again, Vincent reached forward.

Gentle fingers feathered over Kailan's soft cheek, and the subtle gesture caused his eyes to slowly flutter open. He didn't seem surprised to see Vinny hovering over him. He didn't move an inch, in fact. He only gazed up expectantly, his expression heavy with sleep.

For the longest time, they seemed stuck, staring at one another in deafening silence. Trapped in an unrelenting exchange. No words left their lips, but there were whispers in the way their eyes met. More so, how they couldn't look away.

And then Vincent woke up.

"Shit!" He sat up in a jolt, a wave of panic rushing through him hot and red. He was in his own bed now, the warm rays of sun bleeding through the window and kissing his skin. "What the hell was that?" he asked himself, rubbing his hands roughly over his face. As he looked up, his eyes landed on a very much awake and inquisitive Kailan.

The sight startled Vinny and he shoved himself back in alarm, smacking his headagainst the wall behind him.

"That sounded like it hurt," Kailan said with an amused smile, returning his attention to sketchpad in his lap. He sat crossed atop his own bed, erasing, sketching and erasing again. After a moment, he scowled, tossing the book aside. As always, he was getting nowhere.

"You look,"—he hesitated, looking Vincent up and down—"fucking awful." Kailan smiled at his friend in mirth, getting up from his bed and walking out into the kitchen.

Vinny laid his head back against the wall, sinking into a breath of relief once Kailan had left the room. He didn't dream all that often. When he did, it was usually nightmares about fire. Never something like this. It felt so real.

Vincent collected himself and left his bed at last. When his eyes landed on Kailan in the kitchen, he could feel his body tense up. It felt like he had hands around his throat, squeezing with feeble fingers. He reached for the collar of his shirt, only to find he wasn't wearing one. It was all in his head, he told himself. It was only a dream. Some weird Freudian bullshit. You're worked up over nothing.

"Training's gonna be a bitch today," he spoke, if only to derive a conversation.

He found his way to the bathroom and met his face in the mirror. Kailan was right. He looked awful.

Splashing some cold water on his skin, he reached for a nearby towel and dried off rather roughly. After such a terrible night's sleep, anything to wake him up would do. "Jahni wanted us there early today," he called to the kitchen, his sights still set on the sapphire eyes mirrored back at him. "Do you have classes?"