Title: IN THE DARK OF THE NIGHT EVIL WILL FIND HER. I’m just kidding its actually just Silence.
Prompt: 26: Whisper. Or at least here’s to hoping I get it in on time.
Character/Pairing: Gil and Oz, not necessarily pairing but bonding I guess.
Word Count: 1,278
A/N: Its rough, I had to write using my phone while on the train to and from work so hopefully I caught most of my spelling mistakes?!
Summary: A young Oz and Gil have a sleepless night, what is it people talk about in the dark?
+6 points for Team Retrace!
The bedsheets rustled slightly as Gilbert shifted his weight. Even with two young boys on it, the bed seemed so massive. It was Oz’s of course, the young master himself was sitting up, hugging his knees. The blanket partially draped over him as he looked out the window. His features slightly obscured in the dark, only a pale glow from moonlight cast a peaceful light on the boys face. Gilbert felt a little uneasy. He couldn’t sleep and crept to Oz’s room, the reason even he wasn’t entirely sure about, and here was Oz, wide awake and… Scared?
Was he scared? When he turned to see Gilbert in the door, the servant couldn’t make out his face. What kind of expression did he make? Oz beckoned him in, voiced hushed, and now they sat in silence. Oz spoke first. “The anniversary for the Tragedy of Sablier was today. Or tonight I suppose. Mrs. Kate told me during tutoring, earlier. We had a moment of silence, for all the people who disappeared.”
His voice seemed distant, as he kept staring at the window.
“Young Master?”
Oz chuckled a little. “It used to scare me when I was younger, I thought I outgrew it, or at least the fear of it but…”
Oz turned to look at Gilbert and then looked away. “It’s kind of embarrassing, but I had a nightmare.“
Panic jumped into Gilbert’s throat.
“A-are you okay? What happened, it didn’t scare you too much did it? I-I’m not sure how much I can help but-!"
"Gil, calm down! I’m okay now, it just surprised me earlier is all…"
Oz placed his chin on his knees, thinking.
"I.. Was in Sablier while it was happening. People were panicking, there was fire everywhere, it seems like a blur now but it felt more detailed while I was dreaming. There was a lot of blood, and people lying on the ground. I don’t understand why I dreamed of that. Everything was sucked into the Abyss, so why are people already dying before that happened? I feel like there was something else, but I don’t remember now, the rest of it is starting to disappear… When I woke up I couldn’t get back to sleep at first, but I feel better now."
He laughed a little but that felt forced, even for Oz.
"Why are you up, Gil? It’s still pretty late."
”…Well. I had a nightmare too…“
Oz was quiet for just a second before his voice came out quick and surprised.
“Really? Of the Tragedy?”
“No, it was something else but… I’m not sure. It was so strange… There was a tall man, so tall that I felt so small in comparison. I couldn’t see what he looked like, just his hand.
He wore a white glove and enough I can remember all the wrinkles and seem lines of his glove but I don’t remember his face. He was reaching out, but I don’t know why. I couldn’t tell if he was going to hurt me… Or…”
Gil stopped himself. He didn’t want to explain what happened after his dream, the way he felt when he woke up. He felt like there was a hole buried deep in his chest. And he had some instinct, that the hole would go away if he could see Oz, just for a moment. So he wandered down the hall in the dark, feeling the walls with his hands, a part of him wondering why, but here he was in Oz’s room all the same.
“Hmmm… That’s really odd…”
Oz spoke again, tentatively but slightly optimistic.
“Maybe it’s one of your old memories?”
Gilbert cracked a wry smile.
He spoke softly, more to himself than anything.
“I hope not…”
Suddenly, Gilbert caught himself speaking about something he never voiced at loud.
"Sometimes… I feel like I’m not in the right place. I-it’s not that I don’t enjoy being here and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere without you, Young Master. But, sometimes I wake up and my room doesn’t feel like my room, as if the building is all wrong. Or the trees are wrong. Or the way the sun comes in doesn’t feel right. I don’t know what I’m expecting either, it’s just… Silly."
His cheeks were red, the more he talked the more self conscious Gilbert became before he trailed off. He wasn’t even sure where he was going or why he said it.
Oz was quiet, the moon was sinking and the room grew more darker as the silence passed. The boy was thinking hard about something, Gilbert could feel it in the air. He strained to look at his master in the dark, what sort of face was he making?
He caught something, a glow perhaps. Like a small candle in the far corner of a dark hallway. It burned quietly, like a whisper. It was so slight, even pushing his eyes the best he could, Gilbert couldn’t tell if he was seeing something or his eyes were playing tricks on him. It was red, or appeared red. The static of the night grew louder in his ears, owls in the distance called back and forth. He moved slightly and suddenly the noise of the bed seemed so loud.
"Me too."
Gilbert blinked, he missed something.
"Young Master? Did you-"
Oz stretched his arms and groaned at the strain.
"I think after all that panic I’m finally getting tired, my eyes are starting to hurt.” He stopped, arms mid-air.
"Do you want to sleep here tonight?“
"What?! Y-young Master I don’t think Mrs. Kate would approve of that at all.”
Gilbert immediately scrambled off the bed. He was already edging toward the farthest point of the bed, away from Oz’s reach in case he tried something.
“Exactly! Wouldn’t it be fun to surprise her in the morning? Besides we did it all the time when we were younger."
"You used to bully me into it! Besides, we’re older now, the adults wouldn’t want a servant sleeping with you."
Oz pulled his legs close, Gilbert couldn’t see him but he could tell the boy was pouting. With mock drama he pulled the blanket over his shoulders and flopped onto his side facing away from his servant.
"Fine then, I’m going to sleep before you get a chance to~"
Gilbert edged his way to the door, bumping into numerous things and listening to Oz’s quiet giggles. He finally reached the door and before walking through it he turned around.
"Well, good night, Young Master.”
He heard the bed shift, Oz was facing him and he could tell from his voice the blond was smiling.
"Good night, Gil.“
Unconsciously he smiled back. It remained there until Gilbert heard the door click. He was alone again in the hall, and this time felt worse than the last. He clutched the door handle, suddenly regretting not staying with Oz, a part of him was pushing to open the door again. He let go, turning stiffly, he started to walk down the halls of the Vessalius mansion.
Oz flipped again on his side. The terror he felt earlier had fully subsided, leaving him drained and tired. His eyes started to flutter shut, but it wasn’t a peaceful feeling. He heard Gilbert’s footsteps echo off into the dark, a loneliness gripped him. He tried to fight going to sleep, maybe out of sheer rebellion, but it would claim him all the same. He had a feeling he wouldn’t sleep peacefully, his last thought was wishing Gil had stayed, just for a little while.
The mansion creaked under its own weight, anticipating a long night.