Sweet Dreams

                                    

                                          
Usually Corpse didn't mind when the lobby was loud. It was nothing new afterall. Every game was expected to end in ear ringing laughter and shocked yelling. Nothing to be bothered about. 
But tonight was different. He kept slipping into his little headspace, involuntarily. And no matter how hard he tried to stop it, he kept finding himself in these moments where his emotions were all out of wack and all he wanted to do was  crawl in bed with his black goat stuffie and the baby blanket he's had since he could remember. Trying to stay calm amongst all the noise blaring through his headphones was difficult, especially since he was already worried about slipping in front of his friends. Terrified even. 
Sucking your thumb and muttering in "baby language" wasn't exactly a normal thing to a lot of people. No one but himself knew about it. And he preferred to keep it that way. 
"Coorrrrrpse!" Someone shouted. 
Corpse was brought out of his daze and blinked at the small colorful among us characters running around on his computer screen. "Oh, sorry, what's happening?" 
The lobby erupted into laughter. Usually he would be laughing with them. But this time it just felt like they were laughing at him. He already felt bad for not being fully present throughout the past few games. He stayed quiet as everyone around him laughed and said things like "we were literally just saying how you haven't been listening!" And "Earth to Corpse! Do you read?!" 
He chewed at his bottom lip and still remained silent even after the laughter had died down. His character remained motionless as well. It was at this point did his fiends start to become concerned. 
"Corpse, you doing okay?" Toast asked him. 
"Yeah" He lied. "Sorry, just a little tired I guess". 
"Oh, did you wanna hop off for now?" Poki asked him sounding concerned. Fuck. He hated people worrying about him. 
"No, no. I'm fine" he lied. "Let's just start the next round". 
"Alright" Toast said before pressing start.
A moment later Corpses screen became red as the words "Imposter" stared back at him. Corpse bit down on his thumbnail. His nerves started to get the better of him. Usually he didn't mind being the imposter all that much. It was always a little nerve racking, as part of the fun. But this time it wasn't enjoyable at all. It only peaked his growing anxiety. He walked around the map for a bit not knowing what to do next. Eventually he had to come to a stop. He pushed away from his desk a little as his breathing became heavier. He went from biting his thumbnail to pressing his thumb against his lip. He knew it was risky, but not a moment later he was sucking his thumb. He felt his anxiety immediately start to melt away. 
Meanwhile Sykuno was walking around nearby when he noticed Corpses character remaining still. 
"Psst, Corpse" he whispered. They were all using proximity chat for this round. 
"Hm?" Corpse hummed around his thumb. He started to rock himself as his other hand made its way to his black curls. He played around with his hair as he further slipped. 
"You're not the imposter are you?" Sykuno asked.
Corpse remained quiet. "Uhh, Corpse?" Sykuno asked now getting nervous. "Coooorrpse?" He asked again. A moment later his nerves started to shift into concern for his friend. He hadnt been himself tonight. "Hey, you okay buddy?" He asked softly. 
Corpse pulled his thumb out of his mouth slightly, just enough to be audible. "No" he mumbled as tears started to blur his vision. 
"Do you need to step away from the game?" 
Sykuno waited for a response but was only met with more silence. Corpse didn't know how to answer, or if he even wanted to. A part of him did want to stop playing. But another overwhelming part of him said that he needed to push through so as not to let everyone down. 
"Alright, one sec" Sykunno said when Corps couldn't give a response. Corpse watched as Sykunnos little green character bounced off screen. A few moments later an emergency meeting was called. 
"Hey guys" Sykunno greeted. "Uh Corpse and I are gonna log off for now". 
The chat was filled with reply's like "oh okay" and "alright see ya later!". After the emergency meeting had ended Sykunno logged off, followed by Corpse. The dark haired boy then got a call from Sykunno. He picked up his phone with a shaky hand and answered. 
"Hey Corpse, what's going on?" 
"I dunno" Corpse mumbled trying to sound "big". 
"You feeling alright?"
"No"
"What do you need right now?" 
The first thing Corpse thought of was a hug. Someone to hold him and tell him it's going to be okay. But, even if was physically possible for Sykunno to hug him, he didn't think he'd be able to ask for one. So he settled for a more reasonable answer. 
"Sleep" he mumbled. 
"Alright" Sykunno spoke softly. "Are you in something comfortable?" 
Corpse looked down at his button up shirt and black skinny jeans. "Mm, no" 
"Go ahead and do that, I think I'm gonna do that myself" Sykunno replied. 
"Okay" Corpse said in an almost whisper. He walked over to his dresser and changed into an over-sized T and boxers. After he was changed he went back to his computer desk. "I'm back" he said quietly. 
"Are you in bed?" Sykunno asked. 
"Um, one sec" he grabbed his phone and took it with him to his bed. He got comfy under the covers and let Sykunno know he was in bed. 
"Good boy" Sykunno praised with a giggle, unaware that he had just turned Corpses face as red as a tomato. Corpse pulled the blanket up to his nose as he further slipped. "Now then" Sykunno said, "did you wanna talk about anything before you go to sleep?" 
"Um, I...I dunno" Corpse mumbled. 
"Anything at all? I promise you can tell me anything Corpse. You haven't been yourself lately. I just wanna make sure my little buddy is okay". 
Corpse had to hold back an embarrassed whine from the nickname. "Umm, well...I have this thing...I can't tell anyone about it but...I use it as a coping mechanism. Only thing is, I do kind of wish I could...share it with someone I guess. But it's a bit...odd". 
"Try me" Sykunno said with a shrug even though Corpse couldn't see him. 
"I don't know...something like this isn't...normal....sometimes I feel like a freak because of it". 
"Does it help you feel better?"
Corpse thought about it only for a moment. "...Yeah"
"Does it hurt anyone?" 
"No" 
"Then it's okay, Corpse. Even if it might be 'unusual' It's okay" Sykunno said sweetly. "I know you go through...a lot" he sighed. "So if you've found something that helps then I am happy for you". 
A small smile appeared on Corpse face. This was the first time someone has said something nice about his age regression, even if Sykunno didn't know it.
"Thanks Sykunno" he spoke softly. 
"Anytime, Corpse" The sweet lad in green said. "Now then, are you lying down?" 
"Mm-hm" 
"Alright, get comfy. I'll stay on the phone with you until you fall asleep if you want".
Corpse smiled. "I'd like that". 
"Maybe I can bore you to sleep with one of my grandmas famous stories about 'the good ole days" he giggled. Corpse chuckled as he shook his head in amusement. The two went back and forth talking about whatever popped up in their heads until Corpse started to reply less and less, and eventually all Sykunno got in response were his soft snores. Sykunno smiled knowing his friend was getting what he needed. "Sweet dreams, Corpse" he whispered. Corpse meanwhile was in a deep and peaceful sleep for once, with his fingers still tangled into his curls and his thumb in his mouth as he cuddled his goat plushie close to his chest. That night he had a good dream for once. One where Sykunno held him in his embrace and told him everything would be alright.