Another Night. Another Episode of Insomnia.

[Reid Garwin]

Reid was not good at keeping still. So it was F**king torture to be stuck in bed but unable to sleep. He could get out of bed but he risked waking Tyler, that was assuming the boy was actually asleep which was possible but highly unlikely given the events of the previous night. They'd lost Sarah at the fall fest. They'd been charged with one job, one thing to do and they'd lost her. Which was actually both easy and hard to explain.

Easy because, well, it was Chase. He had so much more power than any of them and so it was probably pretty simple for him to take Sarah while they weren't looking. Which was the hard thing to explain, they'd taken their eyes off her for two seconds and that was it, she was gone. Which, again-magic-but silent kidnapping that didn't attract attention? How? Reid wanted to know.

His fingers twitched under the duvet, he could almost feel them tingling at the thought of being able to do something like that. Holy S**t he wanted to Use, and badly. That was fine, he told himself, purely natural. Everyone felt it, they all had this power that willed them to use it, day in, day out. He was fine, he told himself, it was a natural reaction. Just because he succumbed to it a little more than the others didn't mean he was addicted. Not to the rush, not to the high, not to the sheer exhilaration of having pure power rolling out of your body.

Suddenly he was far too hot under all these damn bedclothes. He pushed his duvet off-more like flung it aside-and took a breath, that was better, much better, he wasn't quite as warm now but still not perfect. The dorm room was just too hot, he told himself, as he slid out of bed and crossed to the window. He sat on the seat that covered the window ledge-girly F**king thing, decorated with cushions and what not-and pushed the window open.

Rain battered his hand as he opened it and he quickly withdrew it. He didn't budge in his seat though, No, this was exactly what he needed.He took in a breath of fresh air and closed his eyes. The rain was blown inwards and some of it landed on his face. He didn't need to Use. Didn't need to. He did want to. So badly. He glanced at Tyler's form, it was still but did that mean he wasn't awake? Of course not. "Hey, Ty? You awake?" It was quiet, barely above a whisper, he didn't want to wake Tyler if he was asleep.

[Tyler Simms]

Falling asleep was never easy on Tyler Simms. Tyler didn’t think he could call it insomnia because he did sleep, but it took hours and was usually a light restless sleep. Everything that had gone down in the last three(?) days didn’t help any. First there was Caleb and Reid having it out in the alley, and Caleb had to remind Reid that he was going to kill himself if he kept Using. Caleb had to be wrong, but he wasn’t. Caleb was never wrong. Caleb saw what Using did to his dad, all the sons did, but that wouldn’t happen to Reid. Reid couldn’t die. If Reid died. No. It wouldn’t happen.

Tyler was going to keep lying to himself, because Reid wouldn’t listen to Caleb. Maybe he would listen to Tyler if Tyler had the balls to tell him to stop. The only hope Tyler had was the one that told him Reid knew Caleb was always right, and he saw what happened to Chase Collins, so when their lives settled back down Tyler could hope Reid would think about the consiquences of ascending.

God d*** Chase Collins. A man had to die because of Chase Collins. A bitter old, selfish man but a living person. Caleb’s father, and Caleb wouldn’t blame Chase: He would blame himself because his father willed Caleb his power to defeat Chase. Defeated: Not killed, Chase was still alive and waiting to destroy them. The Sons, their families and friends, God knew what else Chase would do now, because Caleb beat him and he would want revenge, and power.

What was Reid doing? Besides getting up. Now he’s at the window. Now he’s opening the window. Reid? Why is Reid sitting at the window; it’s fall in Massachusetts, it’s cold. Tyler frowned, something was wrong. Other than what Tyler had listed. “No, ‘m accurately talking in my sleep.” Tyler replied when Reid tried to get his attention, but Reid had Tyler’s attention when he started tossing in bed. Reid always had Tyler’s attention. Tyler pushed his covers off and drug himself from his bed. D*** it’s cold. “I can’t sleep either.” He said and crossed the room, then sat on the window ledge beside Reid. It was obvious something was wrong with Reid, most likely one of the two things Tyler had been over in his head, or both. “What’s up?”

[Reid Garwin]

Apparently he hadn't woken the boy, he'd already been awake. Reid gave a quiet laugh. "In that case you're smarter than I give you credit for." He said, still quietly. It was like an unspoken rule that even if you were the only people in the room, if it was dark inside and out if was still best to be pretty quiet. Plus Reid didn't think the walls were all that thick. Not that he cared about the possibility of waking people up. He kinda like provoking fights. It was why he baited Aaron so often.

He watched as Tyler got out of bed and made a face that said 'Jesus it's cold in here' before walking over to the window and sitting down. "Ty, if you're cold, wrap yourself in your blanket." He told his younger 'brother', really Tyler was the only person he allowed himself to be a 'softie' around. Maybe that was just the influence Tyler had, he was the 'baby boy' the one they wanted to protect, all of them.

So, really, he probably should have shut the window but he was so damn hot. "Probably the same thing as you." He pointed out when Tyler asked him what was wrong. "And I was overheating. He confessed though he got the feeling that much was obvious since he was sitting next to the open window, mid September, in Massachusetts, whilst it was pouring with rain. Yes, this was the most sensible plan ever.

"I don't know. It's just, with everything...sleep's havin' a hard time comin'." He confessed, "And you know how I don't like stayin' still." It was true, he always had to be tapping his foot or shifting in his seat. Not to mention he had problems sleeping anyway, without all the crap that had happened. This was just magnifying the problem. They were gonna be so wiped tomorrow, Reid didn't give a damn that it was Monday, there was no way he was going to class. They could probably be excused to go visit the hospital if he was perfectly honest.

Well, they'd go to the hospital anyway, excused or not. Pogue'd be glad of the distraction. Of course seeing him like that made Reid mad, but when wasn't he? He got angry easily. Part of his supernatural 'power' seriously, what the F**k kind of power was that? Oh, I can get angry and hate you. Useful. Not.

[Tyler Simms]

“I think I'll take that as a complement.” Tyler knew complements were hard to come by when it came to Reid, but that was how Reid was and Tyler accepted it. Tyler liked Reid. Tyler had Reid figured out. Sort of. Maybe not. Tyler thought he had Reid figured out. What was it about lights out that made everyone feel like they had to whisper? Tyler thought Spenser was a castle they had turned in to a school so the walls were made of stone. That actually made no sense. Oh right, Caleb’s great great great grandmother started Spenser to be a school. It was still probably built well.

A blanket probably would have been smart. Tyler intended to sit beside Reid on the frilly window-cushion until Reid tried to sleep again, so that meant Tyler was going to sit beside Reid and the freezing window for at least an hour. He could take it, Tyler told himself. It was just cold air, and water. The worst thing that could happen was Tyler would get sick, but he had never heard of someone actually getting sick just from being cold, and they were going to cut class the next day to see Pogue in the hospital, sick Tyler or not.

Chase’s memory had to be keeping Reid awake. Well Chase’s memory and Chase probably coming back. It was keeping Tyler awake too, Chase’s return and Reid’s Using, only Tyler didn’t think Reid would fess up to his addiction because Tyler asked “what’s up.” Chase and being over heated were keeping Reid awake, wait a second. The dorms had a crappy heating system, in a few weeks snow would be falling, and Tyler was freezing, it wasn’t hot in their room. Was Reid sick? Stress kills imune systems, there was enough stress between the Sons of Ipswich to kill all four of them.

“Yeah, I know.” Tyler nodded. Reid’s twitchity habits weren’t news to Tyler. Reid had been Tyler’s closest friend for as long as the youngest son could remember, so nothing Reid did was news. Tyler didn’t have to talk, Reid would talk about Chase Collins, and his addiction if Reid wanted to. Tyler didn’t talk much, he didn’ t think he could make Reid talk if he didn’t want to. Instead Tyler raised his hand and put his palm on Reid’s forehead. S***. He was warm to the touch. It was almost nice against Tyler’s own cold ha- not the point right now.

[Reid Garwin]

So apparently Tyler didn't feel the need to listen when Reid told him to get a blanket. The blond shook his head and turned slightly to reach behind him for the blanket from his own bed. "You're daft sometimes." He muttered jokingly and wrapped the blanket around Tyler's shoulders. Only Tyler would put aside his own discomfort in favour of making sure Reid himself was okay. Which had kind of left Reid to look out for Tyler while Tyler looked out for him. Which made sense pretty much nowhere but their heads.

He flinched slightly at Tyler's hand on his forehead but then relaxed into it. "Jesus, Baby Boy, your hands are like ice." He felt glad he's provided the boy with a blanket. He had to admit, the coolness of Tyler's hand on his own hot forehead felt good. It wasn't that he was sick or anything-Reid Garwin did not get sick, he pretended to be sick to play hookie but he did not get sick-he was just way hotter than he should be. The window was helping a lot but the feeling still hadn't subsided. The one of wanting to Use.

It still didn't mean anything, he just wanted to. He paused and held his hand out, his eyes flashing and summoning Tyler's blanket to his hand, he draped that too around Tyler's shoulders. It was probably a little too much but- someone had always said that it was better to layer up and be too cold because you could take layers off, you couldn't put them on if you went out without them on. Not that they were going out but the point still stood, mostly. Eh. Whatever.

The blanket touched his hand and Reid felt that moment of triumph, or power, or exhilaration but it was a very meaningless task really. It was simple and easy, he wanted harder. Harder like jumping out of the window and landing without a scratch. Which was kind of what he'd been planning to do had Tyler not been awake. He could probably still do it anyway. There was very little danger of being reprimanded with Tyler. He'd accept what Reid was doing at face value, a teenage boy wanting to have some fun with his mystical abilities before he had to stop.

[Tyler Simms]

Tyler Simms, for as long as he could remember, had a habit of looking out for Reid Garwin. Reid was often reckless and sometimes he needed to be held back, figuratively and literally. Tyler was easy going, most of the time he was his “brother’s” calming agent, because Tyler was the youngest and the older three didn’t feel like they could say no to him. There was not a year’s difference between Caleb and Tyler, it probably had more to do with their personalities. Caleb was stoic and mature. Nothing ever phased Caleb. The oldest acted like he was in his late twenties on a good day. Tyler was winsome and child like. Tyler Simms just looked innocent, and he had to admit he acted it too.

“I’m daft?” Tyler had to smile. It amused him when Reid came out with a new word no one in the twenty first century used anymore. Most things Reid Garwin said or did made Tyler smile, god he was feminine. Feminine, winsome and babied, where did this “strength” come in? Tyler’s father had preached that real strength comes from finding ways to avoid fighting, but Tyler had looked up strength in the dictionary at least five times, and “power” seven or eight. Webster’s said Greg Simms was wrong.

Reid was a lot warmer to the touch than he should be, on a regular day. There was no reason for Reid to be this warm in their freezing dorm. Standing in front of an opened window. Being rained on. Reid wasn’t sick, Reid was never sick, all though he was very good at faking it. So Reid wasn’t sick but something wasn’t all well. “That’s normal.” Was Tyler’s only argument when he was told his hands were cool, but he was regaining feeling in his fingers quickly since they were pressed to Reid’s overheated skin. “You shouldn’t be this warm.”

Tyler combed his fingers through Reid’s hair a single time before he pulled his hand back to himself. One of those things that Tyler got away with because he was the baby, and because he was Reid’s best friend. Tyler looked out for Reid and Reid looked out for Tyler. It had always been that way. God he was feminine. Then Tyler saw his blanket fly to his hand and it sort of clicked together. Tyler thought. He could of jumped to the wrong conclusion because he thought about it too long. Reid’s body was over heating because he needed to Use? No. Reid wasn’t that bad off. Tyler accepted both blankets and wrapped them around his own frame, then his full attention was on Reid again.

“Reid, what’s really keepin’ you up?” Yeah, Chase had something to do with it, but there was more to it. "What's makin' you overheat?"

[Reid Garwin]

Yes, okay, he'd used the word 'daft' and it had been a little stupid. He was tired, it was excusable. right? Meh. It was in his mind. Reid gave a confident smile, because that was what he did, "Yes you are. You're very daft." He wasn't mean about it, Tyler knew he was joking. That was what he did, he joked, he called people names, he said mean things but he never meant them. Well, not when it was his brothers he was talking to anyway and certainly not when it was Tyler. On the contrary, anyone that said a bad word about Tyler got an immediate punch in the face.

Reid was fairly sure Tyler didn't really approve of them 'babying' him all the time but it wasn't about to stop them from doing it. Tyler's hand was still pressed against his head, evening out the cold:hot ratio of Reid's own forehead against Tyler;s cool fingers. then they were gone and Tyler's hand brushed through Reid's hair. He was about to make a snarky comment about not being a cat, but he found he didn't really care. Tyler's hand in his hair felt kinda nice. It was a weirdly intimate touch, he'd admit, but it didn't feel bad. On the contrary he kinda liked it.

But Tyler's hands were still freezing and they weren't getting any better sitting in his hair or just in the air. Reid gently took Tyler's hand and pressed it between his own palms that were just as warm as his forehead. Hopefully now with the blankets and the hot water bottle like Reid pressing his hands, Tyler might warm up a little. Reid shuffled his hands, rubbing warmth into Tyler's fingers "Better?" He asked with a small smile, this was important to him. But he was still pretty selfish and if Tyler had all the layers and his warm hands the window could stay open and cool down his still too hot body.

What was really keeping him up? He'd been thinking about everything that happened with Chase, their failure with Sarah, worrying about Pogue but then what? He'd just gone into meltdown. Reid shrugged slightly, "I was just thinkin' and my body went into overdrive, went into meltdown and now I can't get it to cool down." That was a bit of a lie, it had helped when he summoned the blanket to his hand but that wasn't because he *needed* to Use of anything. It was just a coincidence. Reid swallowed, "I don't feel so good." He confessed after a slight pause. Actually, his stomach was feeling a bit topsy turvey. He wanted to suggest doing something, going out and doing something crazy, having fun but he didn't think Tyler would approve and he needed his sleep. He was well used to Reid's crazy ideas but that didn't make it better to drag him out into the dark and stormy night. Especially if Reid himself was getting sick.