Zeke had fallen fast and hard into a dream, but it also could have been called a nightmare. It was easy for a nightmare to begin with a warm, gentle facade for him, and it happened more often than he'd like. 

Running. He was running faster than he ever had through a field of flowers, and wasn't bothered once by his severe allergies. He'd always wanted to stop and smell flowers, to simply lay in a bed of them, but his sinuses had other plans for him. Gradually, the field gave way to thick darkness. Darkness that seemed to call his name. 

He tried to tell his legs to stop, to turn around, to go any other way, but they wouldn't listen. It was as if his legs were no longer his own, like he was just along for the ride. 

Finally, the darkness was upon him, and he'd gained control of his legs once more. It didn't matter, however, because once he turned around, the flowers were gone. He was alone in the darkness. All alone. Zeke looked down to where his hands should've been, only seeing darkness. The voice he'd heard before, whispering to him, was now getting closer.

Closer and closer until it was near his left ear, "Zeke, wake up." That was when he obeyed, jolting awake. The lights practically screamed into his groggy eyes as he glanced around, only to see a tall figure to his left, looking thoroughly spooked. "Z-Zeke? I'm sorry to wake you." They whispered out, barely audible. Zeke blinked lamely, squinting at the figure.

"Maria?" He finally croaked, rubbing his drool-covered cheek. The person smiled and nodded, their eyes transfixed on his lips, reading his words. They were deaf, after all, and it wasn't exactly common to come across someone else who knew sign language. "I went by your house, and uhm.. you weren't there? I was worried and all, so I thought I'd check h...here." They stumbled over their words, fiddling with the soft sleeves of their green sweater. 

Zeke nodded, sniffing softly, still half-asleep. "You know I'm at work at this time," He murmured.

Maria winced, "Zeke, it's Saturday.."

At that, his eyes snapped wide open and he glanced at his computer. Sure enough, it was Saturday, a little past noon. He'd slept that long? Good lord. At least he was still at work, so he could try to continue working on his little project. Finally, he turned back to Maria with the tiniest smile.

"I have something for you."