hyperfixation station

He didn't wait for a response, turning around and walking back over to his bed, and soon enough, he heard the sound of his door closing, and feet scrambling to catch up to him.

Cold laid back down on the bed with a sigh, looking over and watching Paranoid cautiously get into bed with him.

It wasn't often that Paranoid went to Cold for support or comfort, but he did consider himself a welcome distraction from how loud and intense the others were. Sometimes they just needed help with being numb, and Cold wasn't one to say no to much.

Paranoid laid down, and immediately turned his back to Cold, his shoulders still tense.

"Thank you," Paranoid spoke up after a few minutes, sounding much less scared and stressed already. "I'm sorry if I woke you up."

"You didn't," Cold replied, never taking his eyes away from Paranoid's back, feeling like there was a vast mountain between their bodies.

They were close, but not close enough.

This wasn't how Cold expected his night to go, but he wasn't complaining. There was something about Paranoid that Cold found fascinating. Maybe it was because they were so different. Maybe it was because they were 'stranger pairs' or however Contrarian described it.

It was hard to understand why, but Cold wasn't particularly interested in the why. If he was and he figured it out, then it wouldn't be very entertaining anymore.

No, Cold was more interested in how Paranoid made him feel.

Cold used to think that he was an unfeeling void, wanting to take in anything that made him feel more than he was. He was stable, unflinching, and was happy to not need anybody else.

But ever since taking this new body, that didn't seem to be the case anymore.

Cold watched as Paranoid still shook and trembled, even when he pulled up the covers up to his chin. His feathers bristled, and his whole body still looked quite rigid and tense, as if waiting for something to strike out at him.

Cold wondered what sort of dream he has, to make him this frightened.

Soon enough, the silence was beginning to suffocate Cold, and he wanted to reach into Paranoid's mind and live there for a bit, to see how deep the horror went.

In the blink of an eye, and a hunger stirring deep within him, Cold swiftly reached over and pressed himself against Paranoid's back, holding him close and resting his cheek over his neck, feeling his pulse pounding against his skin.

Paranoid immediately stiffened and yelped, flinching but not fighting the hold. Cold felt Paranoid grab onto his arms and hiss into his ear, "What are you doing?!"

"Getting you to stop shaking."

"You can't just do that without warning me!"

"Why? It didn't make much difference. You're not fighting it."

Paranoid spluttered, failing to come up with a response, and Cold smiled at the feeling of Paranoid's feathers trying to puff up while trapped between Cold's chest.

Eventually, Paranoid collected himself enough to just sigh harshly and then said, "Just say something next time."

Then Cold felt a squeeze to his arms, and then Paranoid's entire body slowly relaxed, melting into his arms.

There was nothing but silence and the sound of breathing for awhile, and Cold focused on the feeling of Paranoid in his arms, feeling every curve and limb against his own.

Funnily enough, despite physically calming down, Cold could still feel his pulse going haywire.

"Why did you come to me first?" Cold murmured, feeling Paranoid shiver against him. "Was I your first choice?"

Paranoid made a small, unsure noise, wriggling for a moment before stopping again, and Cold found it so fascinating, to be holding a person like this in his arms, and be directly responsible for their reactions, to be able to poke and prod to his heart's desire.

Even this was so much better than being alone with the silence. Cold didn't want that.

He didn't want to be alone.

"Truthfully," Paranoid said, "I had a feeling that you'd be awake, and that you'd let me in. You're not the best sleeper."

Cold pressed his face further into Paranoid's neck, breathing in his scent and warmth.

Paranoid continued, "You just- You make everything a lot more clear." Then he chuckled. "Although, you'd probably just call it numb. I'm not sure."

Paranoid sighed, rubbing a thumb up and down Cold's wrist.

"You scare me sometimes," Paranoid quietly admitted, "but sometimes you're the only one that can make the monsters go away. That's stupid, right?"

No, no it wasn't, because Cold was feeling the exact same way.

He used to be so good at not wanting anybody else, being detached and observant. He believed that was the only logical way to live, nothing to fear and no one to hold him back.

But now Cold found himself craving other people.

The thought of being alone, of having nothing but his own thoughts and the silence, was something that terrified him.

He didn't want to be alone. He didn't want to go back to that sickening reward, if you could even call it that.

The others blocked out that loneliness with their presence, with just their own selves. They were all so full of passions and fears and emotions, that they got rid of that fear deep within Cold's heart.

Even now, he didn't wany to let go of Paranoid for the rest of the night, the rest of his life, perhaps.

Paranoid, of course, noticed his silence, and nervously asked, "Cold? Are you okay?"

Cold didn't speak, too enraptured with the way Paranoid's pulse was picking up speed.

"Oh, I've upset you, haven't I?" Paranoid assumed, guilt and shame rising in his voice. "I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have come here unannounced-"

Paranoid started to wriggle about, body tensing up again as he tried to sit up- but immediately froze when Cold's arms tightened around him in an iron, desperate grip.

There was a pause, and then Paranoid softly asked, "Do you want me to leave?"

"No," Cold gasped, an aching in his chest that he didn't wish to confront right now.

He buried his face in Paranoid's neck and whispered, "I want you to stay forever."

There was a moment where everything stood still- and then Paranoid sighed as he snuggled back into Cold's arms.

"Okay," Paranoid whispered, holding Cold's arms tightly, and that made Cold relax, surprisingly, that simple action.