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Dustin can't sleep.
It's Gardenia who notices first, of course. She tries all the little tricks her mother used whenever she or Rose couldn't sleep. She tries milk and honey, she tries stories, she tries soothing hot baths, she tries watching a really boring documentary with him, she tries taking him for a late-night walk. Every single time when she deposits him in his bed, he closes his eyes, but she can tell that he's faking. Sure enough, every single time, less than an hour later: "Gardenia, I c-can't sleep."
She takes him to Archer. Archer examines Dustin's mattress for loose springs, he checks Dustin's closet for monsters, he replaces Dustin's bed frame, he gets him an electric blanket, he installs a night-light. Every single time when Dustin says: "Y-yeah, that must've been it" Archer can tell that he's lying. Sure enough, every single time, less than an hour later: "Gardenia, I c-can't sleep." And Archer silently moves over so Dustin can lie down between himself and Gardenia.
They take him to Virgil. Virgil laughs, asks if they have tried hard liquor yet, and proceeds to throw a bottle of rum at Dustin who promptly squids.
They take him to Lonan. Lonan checks his blood pressure, he scans his brain, he asks him if anything hurts, he asks him if anything feels numb, he refuses to give him medicine. "That'd just upset him," he reasons. "It might interfere with his natural defense reflex, and we all know what happens then. He's perfectly healthy. It'll pass." Sure enough, that night Gardenia drags the doctor out of bed in her pyjamas, Dustin hanging onto her arm, Archer following her bleary-eyed. "Lonan, he can't sleep," she shouts, and Archer tries to calm her down, and Virgil slides into the room with a shit-eating grin on his face and a bottle of Jack in each hand, and Dustin quietly slips away while they're all distracted.
Kheema is asleep in her self-made nest, but wakes up when her motion sensor reports someone coming up to her crow's nest. She bares her teeth, ready to rip whoever it is to pieces for disturbing her.
It's Dustin.
"Vhat do you vant," she grimaces.
Dustin winces, but she can see how red-ringed his eyes are with fatigue, and how his hands are shaking, and how he is so very tired. "I... I used to have a p-plush-" he stammers, unable to finish his sentence.
But Kheema sighs. She understands. "Talk about dis and die," she remarks, and pulls him into her nest, curling around him like a cat.
"Looked just like you," he murmurs into her fur, and Kheema is much too comfortable to argue.
It's Gardenia who notices first, of course. She tries all the little tricks her mother used whenever she or Rose couldn't sleep. She tries milk and honey, she tries stories, she tries soothing hot baths, she tries watching a really boring documentary with him, she tries taking him for a late-night walk. Every single time when she deposits him in his bed, he closes his eyes, but she can tell that he's faking. Sure enough, every single time, less than an hour later: "Gardenia, I c-can't sleep."
She takes him to Archer. Archer examines Dustin's mattress for loose springs, he checks Dustin's closet for monsters, he replaces Dustin's bed frame, he gets him an electric blanket, he installs a night-light. Every single time when Dustin says: "Y-yeah, that must've been it" Archer can tell that he's lying. Sure enough, every single time, less than an hour later: "Gardenia, I c-can't sleep." And Archer silently moves over so Dustin can lie down between himself and Gardenia.
They take him to Virgil. Virgil laughs, asks if they have tried hard liquor yet, and proceeds to throw a bottle of rum at Dustin who promptly squids.
They take him to Lonan. Lonan checks his blood pressure, he scans his brain, he asks him if anything hurts, he asks him if anything feels numb, he refuses to give him medicine. "That'd just upset him," he reasons. "It might interfere with his natural defense reflex, and we all know what happens then. He's perfectly healthy. It'll pass." Sure enough, that night Gardenia drags the doctor out of bed in her pyjamas, Dustin hanging onto her arm, Archer following her bleary-eyed. "Lonan, he can't sleep," she shouts, and Archer tries to calm her down, and Virgil slides into the room with a shit-eating grin on his face and a bottle of Jack in each hand, and Dustin quietly slips away while they're all distracted.
Kheema is asleep in her self-made nest, but wakes up when her motion sensor reports someone coming up to her crow's nest. She bares her teeth, ready to rip whoever it is to pieces for disturbing her.
It's Dustin.
"Vhat do you vant," she grimaces.
Dustin winces, but she can see how red-ringed his eyes are with fatigue, and how his hands are shaking, and how he is so very tired. "I... I used to have a p-plush-" he stammers, unable to finish his sentence.
But Kheema sighs. She understands. "Talk about dis and die," she remarks, and pulls him into her nest, curling around him like a cat.
"Looked just like you," he murmurs into her fur, and Kheema is much too comfortable to argue.