The Dream That Wouldn't Stop

Ere'ana burst through the dorm door, tossing her bag onto the floor. Kikidori, who was lying on the bed scrolling through his phone, barely glanced up.

"Yo. You're back early," he said.

Ere'ana plopped onto the bed next to him, staring at the ceiling. "Broke up with Renji."

Kikidori blinked. "Already? It hasn't even been a full day."

Ere'ana groaned, covering her face with a pillow. "Yeah, yeah. He just… wasn't my style, I guess?"

Kikidori snorted. "What does that even mean?"

Ere'ana sighed. "I don't know, man. He was just too… I dunno. He was *trying* too hard. Kept flexing his abs, called me 'babe' like fifty times in an hour, and at one point, I think he tried to *slow-motion* flip his hair like in a drama."

Kikidori burst out laughing. "Holy shit, are you serious?"

Ere'ana groaned again. "Dead serious. It was like dating a cologne ad. I had to get outta there before I suffocated on his ego."

Kikidori clutched his stomach, wheezing. "Damn, dude. You had a *boyfriend* for less time than it takes me to finish a game level."

Ere'ana shoved him. "Shut up."

Kikidori kept laughing. "No, for real, I *told* you this was gonna happen. You don't do the whole 'romantic' thing."

Ere'ana sat up. "I *could* if I wanted to."

Kikidori smirked. "Yeah? Tell that to Renji. Oh wait, *you dumped his ass.*"

Ere'ana groaned, falling back onto the bed. "Ugh, whatever. I don't need a boyfriend anyway."

Kikidori shrugged. "Duh. You got me."

Ere'ana turned her head to look at him. "Facts."

They sat in comfortable silence for a while before Kikidori yawned. "Alright, I'm crashing."

Ere'ana stretched. "Same."

They both got under the covers, getting into their usual sleeping positions. They'd been sharing a bed for years, so this was nothing new.

Or at least, it *should've* been nothing new.

Because then… **it happened.**

Again.

Ere'ana started sleep-talking.

At first, Kikidori ignored it. He was *not* dealing with this shit tonight. But then, it kept going.

And this time, it sounded **way** worse.

Ere'ana mumbled something, her voice low and weirdly… soft? Then—

"Kiki…"

Kikidori froze.

Oh **hell no.**

He pulled the blanket over his head, trying to pretend this wasn't happening.

But it **kept going.**

Ere'ana shifted slightly, her breathing slow. "Mmm… close…" she murmured. "So… close…"

Kikidori clenched his eyes shut. **Nope. Nope. NOPE.**

Ere'ana made a quiet noise, shifting again. "*Mmm… Kiki…*"

Kikidori turned onto his side, *facing away from her* like that would somehow help. **If he doesn't acknowledge it, it doesn't exist.**

Ere'ana let out a tiny sigh.

Then whispered—

"More…"

Kikidori *internally* screamed.

This was *hell.*

He squeezed his eyes shut, mentally chanting *I'm not hearing this. I'm not hearing this. I'm not hearing this.*

But Ere'ana just kept dreaming.

And it lasted.

The. Entire. Damn. Night.