Archive of Our Own ^beta

It was too hot to sleep.

The night air in July was making him sweat through his shirt.

No, that’s a lie. Neil just didn’t want to admit the truth.

His nightmare had woken him up in a sweat.

It had felt so real. It still did. Neil shivered, pushing off his blankets. The sounds of laughter teased his ears. The incredulous gasps that had escaped his friends’ mouths, their looks of shock. Neil couldn’t get rid of the sight, no matter how tight he closed his eyes. Nor could he hide from the hurt on dream-Space Kid’s face.

But the disgust he had seen on Nikki and Max’s faces — in the dream, he reminded himself it was just a dream — had rocked him to his core. He didn’t like that feeling. He figured he wasn’t going back to sleep any time soon. He climbed out of his sleeping bag, crawled out of his tent, and just started walking.

A cricket chirped, causing him to startle. He groaned quietly, unable to believe how jumpy he was. It wasn’t that big of a deal – it was just a nightmare; he just had to keep reminding himself of that. He looked ahead, and realized he’d walked himself all the way to the pier. The moon was shining above him, a mirrored reflection in the water. It was only when he came up to the edge of the dock he realized he was not alone.

Space Kid was there.

Neil was debating going back. After his nightmare, he had very little patience for Space Kid’s unique way of dealing with things. It didn’t help that Space Kid was the reason he’d been mocked in his nightmare. In his dream, being caught hanging out with Space Kid had socially ruined him. Why was he even debating whether or not he wanted to risk that in real life?

He was just about to turn around when Space Kid noticed him. “You can’t sleep either?” Space Kid greeted him. His voice was soft - hesitant - like he was afraid to spook Neil. Neil hated the feeling of being babied.

“Nope. I had a – uh – an idea. Too busy thinking about it to sleep.” It wasn’t the whole truth, but it wasn’t exactly a lie either. Neil’s idea was just … an afterthought to the nightmare. But Space Kid did not need to know that. Neil sat down beside Space Kid on the pier, a reluctant look on his face.

“You see the stars up there?” Space Kid asked. Neil nodded. “That’s Perseus, my favourite constellation. What’s yours?” he gestured with his hand to show Neil the cluster of stars. “It’s called the Hero constellation.”

“I like the Big Dipper.” Neil pointed vaguely, his mind clouded by sleep. Space Kid gently moved his hand to the correct line of vision for the Big Dipper.

“The Big Dipper is cool.” Space Kid agreed good naturedly, not saying anything about the error Neil had made. “I have always loved coming out at night and looking at the stars.” Space Kid confessed.

“To be honest with you,” Neil knew he was sleepy. Neil knew he was talking too much. Neil still didn’t shut the fuck up. “The stars have always sounded more like home than anything here on Earth.”

“I get that.” Of course the guy named Space Kid would get it. Nevertheless, Neil scoffed. But it was a good natured scoff, like he was sharing the joke with Space Kid instead of laughing at his expense. Neil cleared his throat. “Tell me about the other constellations you know – a refresher for my memory.” Neil commanded. If it sounded soft, like a plea, that was on Space Kid. Neil was in complete control.

“You see those stars right there? That’s Orion’s Belt.” For his part, Space Kid seemed nonplussed by Neil’s gruff attitude. “Ursa Major is close beside that one, and have you heard of the constellation Lyra? So pretty.”

“I like stars.” Neil murmured, finding himself leaning his head on Space Kid’s shoulder. He wasn’t sure what gave him the courage to do such a stupid thing. It wasn’t like Neil liked Space Kid. That would be stupid. “Keep going.” He insisted.

With one hand still pointing at the sky, Space Kid dared to wrap the other arm around Neil to keep him close. Neil didn’t move a singular muscle, trying to forget that he liked the embrace. “Centaurus is next.” Space Kid continued, oblivious to Neil’s inner turmoil.

It was to the sound of Space Kid’s voice, talking about the stars and gesturing to each constellation, that Neil fell asleep. It was the most peaceful sleep he’d had all summer, and when he woke, he would have to forget how nice it was to be held by Space Kid. Until then, he would cherish it silently.