Theo hesitated, lifting his hand to the glass container, leaning just a bit closer, to see deeper within the swirling depths of the stone. He touched the edge of the glass, almost imaging he could feel a gentle warmth from the stone. Or, was it actually warmer? Theo frowned, and squinted as he leaned in closer, careful that his breath didn’t fog up the glass. He was exhausted, and it was late. His mind was just playing tricks on him. But there- in the center, did he just see something moving? Theo blinked rapidly, the hairs on the back of his neck standing tall, frame going rigid.

He stood completely still for one second, and the moment passed. Nothing else happened, and Theo just let out a loud groan, lifting a hand to his chest, where his heart fluttered rapidly. Nobody –including himself- would ever called Theo brave.

“Oi, seriously, stop that,” he muttered to himself, shaking his head rapidly. His eyes burned from the strain of staring so hard at the pendant. He gave a great yawn, and rubbed at his eyes, which watered from the force of his yawn. It was getting too late to wake himself up with coffee. Really, it was getting too late to be awake. He kept his eyes closed, and rubbed at his temples, seeing stars behind his lids for a moment. It was like looking at a Facebook post for too long, and then looking away and seeing Jesus burned into your retina. This was just a bit less cool than that. But it didn’t mean he needed to go to bed any less.

Groaning slightly, Theo slumped back in his chair, the force of his movement making it creak and swivel slightly. He grasped onto the arms of the death trap, eyes snapping open, panting softly at the jolt of fear it sent through him. “Okay. Next time I go anywhere, I’m getting a new chair,” he huffed out, squeezing his eyes shut, as he gathered himself together. It was pathetic how startled he’d gotten just from the chair rocking like that. How many times had that happened in the past? He snorted softly, but then opened his eyes again, and swiveled the chair carefully. Like a death throe, the chair gave an ear shattering squeak as he moved it.

Quickly checking on the sleeping dragon, Theo was relieved that at least its slumber wasn’t broken. His body desperately ached to lay in his bed, but the side of him that had manners hammered into it from a small age protested. The dragon looked so comfortable, and if he crawled into bed, he might disturb his sleep. Or roll over and suffocate the thing. Or reopen the wounds. Or countless other scenarios in which the dragon was minorly inconvenienced.

Sighing, Theo squinted at the sleeping figure, and then gave in to his more compassionate side. He would get a chance to nurse his exerted and exercised body later. Really, the shower had taken the worst of the ache away, and he had spent more than one night in his chair. Mostly due to him staying up late working on a new composition- or simply browsing the web until the neighbor’s rooster started crowing. The closest house was a mile or two away- such was the life in this country area- but that Rooster had a set of lungs the size of Texas. Probably.

Resigning himself to more aches and pains upon awakening, Theo grabbed his extra fuzzy blanket from the table nearby. It had seen many uses over his lifetime, and no doubt this wouldn’t be the last time he slept in his computer chair. All the more reason to break down and purchase a new one. Maybe a fancy one that laid back- like a gamer chair. It was a wonder he hadn’t broken down yet. Mainly because he forgot how much he hated this chair, until he was forced to sleep in it. Every. Single. Time.

He grabbed his phone from nearby, and plugged in the earbuds, pulling up his music. He always slept with music on- if he tried going without it, more often than not he’d suffer from some sort of nightmare. It drowned everything out, and helped put him into a trance that made sleep easier. He let out a soft sigh, propping his legs up on the bottom ledge of his desk. Once again the chair gave an awful groan as he leaned back slightly in it his body slowly relaxing. Out of habit more than anything, though the extreme fatigue of climbing a friggin’ mountain certainly had a great deal to do with it.

Curling the blanket around him, Theo leaned back in the death trap of a chair, eyelids closing with some relish. He imagined he could hear his body’s desperate sobbing as he finally gave in to its needs. Settling from the aches and anxieties of the day, Theo slowly let his mind work through him. Chopin’s melancholic piano swept through him, and washed away the pain of the past and present. It was easier to deal with things when the world seemed far away.

Maybe tomorrow he would wake up and make breakfast for himself and the dragon….