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Walker jerked awake at a loud snap of thunder overhead. The room was dark, lit lowly by a small lamp in the corner that certainly was not on when they went to bed. He turned over, threw an arm out to pull Bob closer, but it landed only on cool sheets. Squinting revealed Bob was nowhere to be found.
The sound of rain falling outside filled the bedroom. Walker propped himself up on one elbow. The sliding door to the balcony was open, curtain thrown wide, and he could make out the shape of someone standing outside. “What the…” More thunder crackled around the tower. With a huff, he tossed the blanket aside and got to his feet.
A sharp breeze blew in through the open door, whipping around the room and prompting Walker to grab a hoodie. He slipped it on quickly before stepping onto the balcony. The concrete was damp beneath his bare feet as he stepped toward Bob’s still figure. “Oh, come on,” he cleared his throat, “You’re not serious right now.”
Bob ripped one hand away from the railing, mechanically like his fingers had become frozen to the bar. The rain wasn’t pouring, but his clothes were soaked; he had been standing there for some time. He looked over his shoulder at Walker, looking just a little surprised. “Just grabbing some air.” A smile flashed over his face for a moment, like he couldn’t quite hold it.
Walker shook his head, somewhat in disbelief. “Alright, well,” he moved close enough to take a gentle hold of Bob’s arm, “You’ve done that. Now I’m cutting you off.” Raindrops were blowing back in his face now that he was as near the railing as Bob was. “It’s freezing out here.”
Bob whipped his head up to meet John’s eyes, a few beads of water flinging off bits of his hair. “I’ll, uh- I’ll just be a few minutes.” He glanced back out at the city beneath them. “It’s feeling kind of small in there right now.” He gulped. “Like, small.”
“Hey,” Walker cupped Bob’s jaw in his other hand- His face was cold- “Wait, now, what’s going on?”
Shaking his head, Bob shrugged one shoulder. “Nightmare, I think. Woke up feeling like I needed to get out- get away- Room felt so small, like it was gonna swallow me. Just been standing out here a while, I guess.”
For a few seconds, Walker let that sink in. The sound of the rain seemed to separate them from the whole rest of the world. “Yeah, I guess,” he finally settled on. “You’re soaked,” he added, “and shaking.”
“But not trapped.”
“You shoulda just woke me up.” Like he couldn’t help it- couldn’t stand the space between them- John pulled Bob into his arms. He was wet, cold, but he needed this. “Know better than to face that shit alone.”
Bob sniffled, snaking his hands up under Walker’s hoodie. There was a flash of lightning. He felt grounded, being held like that, and his breathing started to slow in time with John’s.
Walker tensed at Bob’s icy fingers. “C’mon, let’s get you inside.”
After a little additional persuasion, John was able to talk Bob back inside, dripping wet as he was. Bob stood in the middle of the floor, letting a bit of water run down his face and neck while Walker stepped into the bathroom and returned with a towel.
“You wanna talk about your dream?” Walker asked, pulling Bob’s wet shirt off over his head.
Bob shook his head, patting himself dry and watching the shirt plop into a puddle on the floor. “Don’t really remember.” His pajama pants clung to his legs as he kicked them off in the direction of the shirt. Rubbing the towel down his thighs, he caught a glimpse behind him of John straightening up the bed. “Didn’t mean to- you know- wake you with… all of this.”
“All of this,” Walker was at Bob’s side again in an instant, “is exactly what I signed up for.” He yanked off his own hoodie and added it to the pile of wet clothes in the corner. “Now,” he nodded to one side, “back to bed.”
Already walking toward the made-down bed and sliding into the covers, Bob quipped back, “You seem a little overdressed now, you think?”
John pulled back the curtains to the sliding door, allowing a view out into the stormy night sky. He hoped it would help the room seem bigger. “Uh, no, actually.” When he turned to face Bob, he was grinning. “If you remember, you did that to yourself by standing out in the rain like a maniac.” John caught a look at Bob in his boxers before he pulled the covers over himself. Something about that prompted him to pull his own t-shirt off on the way over to the bed.
Bob cracked a smile. He slid over a bit to make room so Walker could fit right in beside him.
The storm sounded like it was getting a bit further away- more rain, less clapping thunder. John pulled Bob against him with one arm, wrapping him up. “I know you,” John breathed, “so I know you can do it alone,” His thumb was rubbing circles on Bob’s hip, “but you don’t have to.”
Bob’s head was resting on John’s chest, wet hair going in every direction. He nodded, sleepily- gratefully.
And that was enough for John- Knowing that Bob felt safe with him. He pulled his boy impossibly closer, and took a deep breath. Anything else could wait 'til morning.