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Five days, Pixl had laid in bed, staring at the ceiling, unable to get a wink of sleep thanks to his flaring instincts screaming that someone wasn't sleeping.
In a much earlier time of Pixl's life, this would have meant prime time to hunt down some unsuspecting player. Pixl had matured a lot since those days.
Maturing also meant all-nighters had the nasty side effect of wrecking his health a lot more than they did when he was only twenty-something. Which was more than unpleasant now that he was stuck spending the next few years in a world where his idiot friends didn't know what sleep was.
Instead of being content to suffer his fate as he had several times before, Pixl tonight decided to get up and do something about his predicament. Of course, murder wasn't exactly an option anymore (unless things got especially bad) so it would have to be a night of a more civilized approach.
*
FWhip came to a screeching halt as he passed the entrance to the forge while zipping around and hunting for his tools. He was more than a little surprised to have a visitor, especially so late, especially from so far away.
"Pix, what brings you out here?" he asked cheerfully, resting against the doorframe with a grin. Pixl didn't match his energy.
"I'm here to tell you to go to bed." Pixl said in near deadpan.
"Aww, you care about my wellbeing?" he teased in reply. Pixl clearly wasn't having any of it.
"How many nights in a row have you stayed up?" he asked.
"....four?" FWhip guessed.
"It's been five, actually."
"How do you know?"
"It's enough that you need to go to bed." Pixl argued, refusing to get sidetracked.
"That's no fun." FWhip retorted.
"What's no fun-" Pixl cut in, clearly unimpressed, is being kept up for five nights!!!"
"Jeesh, didn't know you were so sensitive to sound!"
"It's not the sound!!!"
"So you do care about me!!!"
"FWHIP I WILL MURDER YOU-"
Pixl forced himself to stop and breathe for a second, and to remember that FWhip was chronically stupid. Both his hands rested on FWhip's shoulders.
"FWhip, what am I?" he asked as calmly as he could muster.
"Mr. Sandman, here to tell me to go to bed?" FWhip tried.
"Try again." Pixl snapped.
"Really cool." FWhip replied.
"....Yes, but I meant biologically."
"Um....part phantom?"
"Yes. Good." Pixl replied, "And what do phantoms do?"
"Attack you when you haven't slept." FWhip replied automatically, "I hate when they do that, it's so unnecessary."
"Do you want to know why we do that?" Pixl asked, trying to manage his rising anger.
"Yes, why do you-"
"Because we can sense when you're awake and it keeps US awake!!!" Pixl snapped, grip tightening on FWhip's shoulders, "So while YOU have been here having fun, guess who hasn't gotten a wink of sleep in FIVE frickin days?!?!"
FWhip's eyes went wide, realizing the consequences of his actions for seemingly the first time.
"You?" he guessed, now scared of his fate.
"Yeah!!!" Pixl half-shouted, "And guess what else, FWhip?"
"What else?"
"I am not twenty anymore!!! I am too dang old to be putting up with this and pulling all-nighters!!!"
"I'm....sorry?"
"You can be sorry later. For now. Go. To. BED!!!"
FWhip thought for a second and a foolish and horrifically stupid idea popped into his head, as they often did.
"Sure, I'll go to bed....If you come with me." he decided, smug grin returning.
"What." Pixl nearly snarled.
"It's lonely in my bed.....I want someone to snuggle with."
Pixl stared at him for a second.
"Are you trying to imply-"
"No I just genuinely want cuddles!!!" FWhip interrupted.
Pixl's disgusted face turned to one of sheer flabberghastedness. It wasn't that Pixl didn't like FWhip or didn't enjoy snuggling, he more so was just too exhausted to want to do anything other than sleep.
"Will you sleep?" he asked, not willing to be up late bargaining with him.
"I promise I will." FWhip said.
"Fine." Pixl remarked, continuing with his absolute distaste for the idea, "As long as you go to bed, I don't care anymore. Let's go."
"Yippee!"
Hand in hand, they took off flying towards FWhip's castle. When they reached his room and both collapsed into his massive bed covered in pillows, FWhip was out light a light followed quickly by Pixl moments later. By dawn, FWhip conceded and admitted he had desperately needed sleep. In a way they both won.