Part One, Part Two, and Part Three.
If you’d asked what Insomnia's usual nights were like, he’d probably tell you that it was full of keeping Thomas awake at odd ends of the night, coffee so black and so full of sugar that he could barely stand to stay still for more than a couple of seconds, and doing anything that he could until his body could no longer stand to have his mind awake until he completely passed out from exhaustion. It certainly wasn’t a healthy lifestyle, but Insomnia didn’t classify himself as a healthy person.
To add to it, most of his nightly escapades normally didn’t involve snooping on others, and yet here he was.
Jabber in all honestly wasn’t someone that Insomnia knew a lot about before he had fallen down here in the pit with the rest of them, he was someone important..or at least he had been. He couldn’t be too important now though, seeing as this was where they all went when they weren’t important anymore, Dread had been one of them in the very VERY early years that he could still recall. He hadn’t made quite the noise that Jabber had made coming down though. Not that it mattered in the end, seeing as they all ended up in the same place.
Although, he didn’t really care about any of that if he was being truthful with himself. It mostly didn’t involve him so he just had no reason to care over the squabbles of Deceit and the other light sides, his main concern was getting in enough of his favorite tv shows in as many nighttime hours as he could.
So really, it just didn’t make sense for him to be here with his ear pressed against the door, he listened close and if he held his breath he could faintly..just faintly hear it. Rough but muffled sobs, like someone, was gasping and choking on each breath they were taking in but it was just too difficult. He could hear the catch of Jabber’s breath, the way it seized as if he was trying to keep it all in and buried deep inside of himself, but ultimately failing to do so.
He could just imagine the splotches of tears that stained the other’s pillow, would he be biting the pillow to keep himself quiet? Or was he shoving his entire face into it like a teenager crying over a boyfriend?
For whatever reason, Jabber struck him as the kind of persona to try and scrunch himself up so very tight as if that would confine all of his emotions into a singular pill that would make it easier to swallow.
But, if Insomnia knew anything about pills, it was that they were very hard to swallow if there were too many of them.
Which is why that in itself surprised him when he felt the dashing sensations of regret and sympathy for the newer dark side who was pretty much wallowing in his own self-pity without anyone to really drag him out of it. Deceit didn’t know how to deal at all with tears, Dread wasn’t much use since he had closed himself off to pretty much everyone, and Malicious...well it would be one massive mistake to even go near him at this time of night.
Insomnia wanted to groan and stamp his foot when he finally realized that it came all down to him to solve this thing, he hated having to do stuff when it was his time. He was supposed to be watching Parks and Recreation again with a coffee in one hand and a pizza in the other, not doing...this.
Still, even as he pouted like a petulant child he raised his hand giving a jittery little knock on the metal door that really felt too cold to the touch. The crying abruptly stopped, and he was pretty sure he could hear sniffling as the footsteps came closer. When the door suddenly opened Insomnia fixed on a smile that was way too big for his face, Jabber’s eyes were rimmed in red and one of the cracks on the other’s face seemed to have all of a sudden snapped over the slope of his nose.
“I was just about to go and get some coffee! Would you like to join me?” Insomnia’s voice was such a chipper sound, and it was something that he didn’t at all feel, then again he rarely did so. The narrowing of Jabber’s eyes though made him committed to the part, the only thing he had on display was cheerfulness and nothing more and he was so happy when it actually paid off.
Jabber gave a short but stiff nod, not saying much as he stepped into the hall shutting his door behind him. Insomnia could have been wrong, but it looked like dozens upon dozens of pictures were spread out all over Jabber’s bed. Were they of his old friends? Had they been the ones to push him into the pit like they did to Dread? Whatever it was, he was sure that it would come to light sooner or later.
After a few minutes, the two of them were sat at the dining room table, Jabber was seated right across from Insomnia looking into the lighter colored coffee that Insomnia wouldn’t be caught dead drinking. He couldn’t help but to wrinkle his nose as he saw the other drinking it so easily, it almost made him gag to watch it. How on earth could someone stomach coffee with only evaporated milk in it?
“May I ask you a question?” Jabber’s voice actually managed to startle Insomnia for a split second, he hadn’t been expecting their newest recluse to talk during their little coffee break.
“Sure, but only if I can return the favor!” He chipperly said, before guzzling down his coffee at such a rate that it made Jabber wince to watch the sludge of coffee and sugar go down.
“May I pass, if I can’t answer.” This was something that Insomnia had honestly expected, questions and answers didn’t come without a bargain. In this case, it was a bargain he could agree to, so without hesitating, he nodded his head before getting up to pour himself another cup.
“Why do you stay up so late? I can hear you sometimes, going through the hallway every night.” An easy question, at least in Insomnia’s mind. Turning around he leaned back against the counter stirring the seven heaping spoonfuls of sugar he had put into his drink. He took an extra long sip before he thought to give an answer, it was never an easy answer for others to swallow but it was one he was able to tell all too easily.
“Because I am afraid, so I stay awake.” He saw the other squinting in confusion as well as curiosity, there may have been some worry in the other’s gaze as well but he didn’t look too deep into it.
No one was ever worried for him, he was a disorder, after all, it would have been better if he wasn’t there at all, but then again life didn’t always work out like that least of all for him.
“Why what are you afraid of?” Insomnia bounded up from his spot next to the counter wagging his finger at the other with a tut, and the deep frown that set on the other’s face clearly showed that he was disappointed. Although he didn’t relent.
Scooting up on the table now, Insomnia got a little bit closer than usual as he asked his question, “Why are you here in the pit?” He chattered off, and almost immediately Jabber’s face gained a pained and pinched look to it, the wrong question.
“I pass.” Came the immediate answer, and really he expected nothing less.
“Did someone make you come down here?” He tried again this time, another pinched look and yet another wrong question to be asking. Jabber chugged his coffee down before heavily setting it on the table.
“I pass.” Was all that answered him.
It was almost infuriating had Insomnia not understood it so much, no...that was a lie. He was still angry, but seeing the gentle curve of Jabber’s neck as he almost regretfully seemed to be looking down either in shame or his own flavor of regret, Insomnia didn’t have the heart to hold it against him. Despite himself, and despite whatever he had told the others on how he would react upon coming face to face with a light side, he couldn’t hate Jabber for being so short and so distant to them. He was like them now, he was abandoned, forgotten, and apparently useless to the others upstairs.
So he took in a deep breath, if he had spent countless hours rewatching and watching again Parks and Recreations then he could..no he would have the patience for this in order to do it right.
“Alright then smart guy, then what’s your favorite tv show?” And to see Jabber’s eyes peering up at him and lighting up more than usual, well it made this patience well worth it.
