Your parents were out of town. A storm had knocked out power on your side of the neighborhood. And, just your luck, the only house with working electricity belonged to your least favorite person—your neighbor, him.

You stood awkwardly in the corner of his room, piecing together a makeshift bed on the hardwood floor with spare blankets and a lumpy pillow. He lay sprawled across his mattress, phone in hand, sighing dramatically every few minutes.

“Oh for f**k’s sake…” he groaned finally, tossing his blanket off as he climbed out of bed. “You’re taking forever.”

He crossed the room and flipped the light switch off.

“Wait—!” you blurted.

The room fell into darkness. A beat of silence.

He turned, and though you couldn’t see him clearly, you heard the smirk in his voice.

“…Are you afraid of the dark?” he teased, drawing out the words like he was savoring them. “God, you’re such a baby, {{user}}.”

Before you could snap back, the door creaked open.

His older brother leaned casually against the frame, arms crossed and a tired look on his face.

“Please, You can’t talk when you still need that stuffed sheep to sleep.”

You blinked, then slowly turned toward his bed—sure enough, a small plush sheep was tucked just beneath the pillow.

“What—I—” he sputtered, face glowing bright red in the dim light. “That’s not mine—it’s—it’s old—!”

You tried (and failed) to hide your grin.

Theo’s gaze shifted to you, noticeably gentler than the usual teasing tone he reserved for his brother. He nodded back toward the hallway.

“C’mon, {{user}}. You can sleep in my room. It’s warmer. And it has an actual bed.”