It was well past midnight by the time Morty finished the last paperwork. With one last signature, he placed down the pen and then leaned back against the chair with a deep sigh. Pinching the bridge of his nose to stave off the slight headache pounding behind his temples, he cast a glance at his bed. He was tired, the desire for sleep creeping up with each passing second. It would be so nice to finally rest his weary body but lately, he came to notice that when he closed his eyes and let sleep claim him, strange dreams would appear.
Initially, he never put much thought into it. The first time it happened, Morty woke up in the morning, feeling slightly confused for some odd reason. It felt like he should have remembered something but no matter how hard he tried, nothing came to mind. Pushing the sensation away, he went on with his day, all but forgetting about the strange feeling until he slept that night. This time, there were flashes, barely noticeable but present in the strange dark expanse. When he attempted to make sense, he would wake up, feeling rested and yet like he hadn’t slept a wink.
This continued for about a week now. Morty had come to expect the strange dreams, which in a way, helped make them clearer. At least, that was what he believed happened. Before he closed his eyes and slip into deep slumber, he implanted the notion that he would be having another one of the odd dream. Every time he returned to the empty dark space, it slowly gained color and shape, like he was finally zooming in on a blurry picture. These moments never lasted more than a few seconds at first but over time, he found himself able to stay and when he woke up, remember the place he was in.
Morty of course tried to figure out why this kept happening to him. The most logical answer would be a manifestation of a new power. He could see spirits, hear and interact with them as well as locate lost items like a human Itemfinder. A new ability popping up wouldn’t be the strangest thing to happen. Once he accepted that answer, he wanted to figure what this power was. From what he could gather, it seemed to only happen when he was asleep. Was this a prophetic dream of sorts? Though, something told him that it was nothing like that.
Nevertheless, Morty was mixed parts weary and reluctantly curious. He disliked not knowing what was exactly happening with his body or mind. It didn’t seem like it was affecting him negatively. Beyond feeling like he hadn’t slept a wink, the feeling generally passed after a few minutes, like a heavy cloth had been lifted from his brain. There must be some kind of reason for this power to manifest, a trigger or something that made him wish his life was just a little bit easier. At least he had the mental maturity to handle this new change now.
One week stretched into two and with it, the blurry images and colors finally formed a decipherable picture. Morty found that all this time, he was in a forest of some kind. Luscious trees, clear blue sky, a calm river -- everything was a good representation of serenity but there was a feeling of unease. It looked right but felt wrong in a way he couldn’t understand. Morty wished he could stay in this dreamscape a little bit longer so he could investigate but he never managed to go past a dozen steps before he woke up, staring at the ceiling tiredly.
What was the reason? Why did this kept happening? What must he do? All of these questions plagued the blond when he was left alone with his thoughts. Morty wished he could get some sort of answer, or a hint for these strange dreams. It finally seemed like he was making the first step when the next visit showed him something different. The scenery remained unchanged but the last time he checked, there was no else beside him. Amethyst eyes zeroed in on a figure standing a ways away from him. He wasn’t able to so much called out to it when his eyes snapped open.
While he had no idea what that was, at least he could look forward to it, planting the desire before he went to sleep. This time, he was able to walk towards the figure about halfway. The next night brought him closer, as was the next. Morty could slowly make the figure out. Slender body, like that of a young girl. Blonde hair. White clothes. Never seemed to look back at Morty, even when he tried calling out to her one time. He was certain that she had something to do with this so he pushed forward until finally, he stood directly behind her.
Morty didn’t know if he could touch things in this dreamscape but he tried anyway, tapping her shoulder. Finally he got a reaction. She turned around and Morty could only register the bright green eyes before his own opened, staring at the same ceiling. The blond slowly sat up, allowed himself a few minutes to recover before smiling slightly.
Meandering around the patio tables outside the dining hall, Touya lets his backpack sling down to the crook of his elbow. He busies himself digging for his lame excuse of a packed meal, throwing a few greetings and smiles in different directions without any intention of changing course. He had enough of an interesting conversation with some of his peers that morning. And already late to lunch, he wouldn’t leave @lisry waiting any longer.
Temperature kindly kicked up for spring, and they’d agreed to eat in the sunlight today. She’s alone at a table, always putting this hour aside for the two to have some time to themselves. Her lunch appears almost untouched however, and Touya pouts a bit at that, watching her delicately fiddle with her cellphone.
Enough guilt!
Without an appropriate hi or my professor kept us a little longer than usual, sorry to announce his arrival...
“ Hey, princess. You should come to a mixer I’ve been invited to. ”
Touya resists a cheesy smile, sitting closer than usual to evoke a greater reaction from his distracted friend. Would she blush? Slap him? Probably both - those responses weren’t exactly rare with Lillie.
“ It’s true. I’ll actually go if you come with. ” He adds, using his normal voice.
the patter of his pencil drumming against the desk was swallowed by the professor’s dreary words. it wasn’t his fault that he found the subject boring; it was a required class after all. he’d always hear from the upperclassmen how absolutely amazing this particular seminar was supposed to be and how the professor was literally godsend. he was nearing the end of his first week and still hadn’t caught a breath of that divine presence.
perhaps it would help if he had a friend in the class, but he didn’t know a single soul at this school and hadn’t mentally prepared himself for the gruesome process of friend-making. something about approaching people and striking up a conversation gave him the chills. he’d much rather curl up with a good book.
it felt like nearly a century had passed by the time the class was dismissed. once he’d roused himself from his half-awake state he packed up his belongings and trudged his way to his room. it was a bit far off in one of the older buildings on campus, but it had a certain charm to it. of course, it also meant the building had no elevator and he’d have to drag himself up the endless flights of stairs to reach his floor, but he supposed a little exercise never hurt anyone.
his room was a mess of open suitcases and belongings strewn about. people always remarked that he looked like an organized sort of person, but that was anything but the truth. adrien would leave his used dishes out and unwashed until he was out of clean ones and his clothes on the floor where he’d taken them off. it was a wonder that he managed a clean appearance on most days.
one thing he absolutely never did (but supposed he should begin doing) was write out his tasks and plan out his day. he hadn’t touched his planner in weeks.
and that was why he found it peculiar to see a colorful to-do list written in pretty handwriting on the room’s dusty mirror. it most certainly wasn’t there when he moved in. adrien was no stranger to the unusual, but perhaps his memory was fooling him. he wiped the words away and decided not to think too much about it.
“Are you saying I should put it in a ponytail and call it my Z-powered form?” he teased, already gathering it in his hands. It was barely enough for a man bun, much less a ponytail!
