Sleep

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One week later, things were ready and belongings were packed.

Most of our stuff were already put in the trailer, the backpack of belongings placed in each of our trailer bunk beds.

We had picked straws, and yes, I did get top bed. Stephen didn't. I got to mock him that rest of the day because of that.

Some of the things, though, such as the extra toothbrushes and a bit of food, were still in the house.

All those small extra things were all gathered in a huge bag by the stairs, so that when it was time to evacuate we could just snatch up the bag and get outta there.

Woosh.

Out. Just like that.

We told each other that it was a priority to carry some kind of weapon 24/7, in case of a 'surprise attack.'

And so we did that. I got to carry around a butter knife.

The four of us predicted that there would be about a hundred zombies by the end of the week.

Well, we were wrong.

There were so many more.

At least, that's what the news said.

There were about 5 times as many zombies than we had thought. That rounded up to about 500 of them in total.

And that deal with the bed I made with Stephen?

Well, it was still going, even after a week.

I don't really think it's even a deal anymore, because the two of us kinda discretely changed up the rules.

Anyways, I still sleep on the bed. And Stephen does too.

It's a normal thing, now. Once you do it so many times, it becomes regular; almost being a force of habit.

The first few days of the deal, it went how it should go: Stephen sleeping in a pile of blankets on the floor, while I slept on the bed.

But then the fourth day came around.

Stephen had gone to sleep earlier that Thursday, and I don't know if he did this accidentally or on purpose, but he took the bed.

Like, the whole bed.

Even when he clearly knows about the rules of our deal.

He was spread out on the mattress like a starfish, sound asleep and lightly snoring. His face was smooshed between the pillows.

I felt really bad for having to wake him up, so I didn't.

After taking a night shower and getting dressed and brushing my teeth, I had to spend 5 minutes trying to push Stephen's lifeless body in order to make myself space.

It was so awkward for me, so I was glad Stephen was asleep and didn't wake up.

I had made sure I didn't come in contact with his body as I lay down on the bed next to him, rigid as a rock.

It was uneasy at first, but after a while, I slowly melted into the bed like normal.

I fell asleep to Stephen's faint snores, and I could tell he was on the bed next to me with the weight of the bed moving as he shifted in his sleep.

The thought of someone sleeping by me was comforting, strangely enough.

When I had woken up, there was slight pressure all around my stomach. Stephen's arm was slung around me, one of his bare feet touching my ankle under the blankets.

I felt really warm and comfy in my sleeping position, and I was half-asleep, so I didn't think much of the cuddling as I closed my eyes and drifted back to sleep again.

And then the next night, that whole cuddling-sleeping process repeated itself.

I don't really even know how it happened that next day.

One moment, I was sleeping by myself in the bed, and then the next, I was hugging Stephen in my sleep like a koala with sunlight beaming through the window.

I didn't mind it as much, I guess.

And I don't think Stephen did either.

And so the weekend passed with us getting accustomed to sleeping together. I remember one night, I fell asleep to the smell of grapefruits as my face rested in Stephen's purple floof.

But it wasn't a big deal, right?

Just two bros being bros. Guys being guys. Dudes being dudes.

No homo.

(oh ho hO -)





"Yo waddup fam," Jay greets us, walking into the kitchen. I halt my spoon mid-air as I watch him twirl the gun in his hands. "Good morning!"

"It's the afternoon," I deadpan, and I bring my spoon up to my mouth again. "Were you asleep all this time?"

"Hey, I was busy last night with some stuff, okay?" Jay held his hands up. "Don't attack me."

Stephen raises an eyebrow as he swallows a spoonful of cereal. "What in the world could've you been doing yesterday that late?"

dan: me

"Eh," Jay shrugs, taking a seat next to us. "None of your business. What's for breakfast?"

"Lunch," I corrected him. "We're having cereal."

Jay gives me an unimpressed look. "Cereal for lunch? Really?"

"You should've been here for breakfast," Stephen says. "Hosuh made pancakes. The fluffy ones. They were really good."

The boy's eyes widen. "Fluffy pancakes? What!"

"It's your loss," I shrugged. "I hope what you did last night was worth not getting pancakes."

Jay grumbles, resting his face on the table. "No it wasn't."

"What did you just say?" Dan asks, walking into the kitchen.

"I was kidding!" Jay says, voice muffled by the fabric of his shirt as his face rested against his arms. "I was totally kidding!"

"Uh-huh, sure," Dan nods his head. "No, it's true, what happened last night was definitely  not worth missing out on those pancakes. Man, were they good."

Stephen and I share weird glances as Jay let out a stifled whine.

"Is... Is this some kind of inside joke?" I questioned, staring at Dan. The more I watched him, the more I noticed the blushed tint of pink on his face.

"More or less," Dan let out a high-pitched chuckle. He looked nervous.

Shrugging his weirdness away, I got back to eating my cereal and so did Stephen.

"Anyways," I took another gulp of my food, "how long until we have to evacuate?"

Jay raised his head from the table. "You already asked that about a hundred times."

I shrugged, chewing on my lunch. "Oh well. I'll keep asking until I get an answer."

"I don't know, it could be now, it could be a month," Stephen responded. "It only takes one zombie to break into our house, and then after that, woosh, we're out of here."

Dan sits down on a chair. "Do you think we'll ever come back here? To visit the house, and just hang around for the nostalgia?"

"I'd like to," I say. "Like, in two years, we could come here and remember fun times without the zombies. See the difference before and after."

"That's if we're not dead by then," Jay interrupts, grinning devilishly. "I bet Hosuh's gonna be the first one to die."

"I'll be the reason he's gonna die too," Stephen adds. "I'll be waking up and stabbing Hosuh like I usually do."

"NO!"

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