"Kevin?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you scared?"

"About what?"

"Tomorrow."

"Oh. No, not really."

"Oh." A pause. "Why not?"

"Cause we're gonna win."

"Are you sure?"

"Uh-huh."

"How do you know?"

"It's what we do."

"But what if we don't?"

"We will."

"Okay. But what if we /don't/?"

"Look, kid. We're gonna win. We always win. Don't worry about it."

"Promise?"

"Uh-huh."

"Okay."

Silence for another five minutes.

"Kevin?"

"...yeah?"

"Do you think I'm whiny?"

"Sometimes. Why? You been reading the Globe again? I told you to ignore that shit."

"No. I was playing pick up with DJ and he called me a whiny bitch."

"Huh."

"But Kevin, he kicked me in the ankle! On purpose!"

"You want me to beat him up for you?"

"You'd do that?"

"No. We need him tomorrow. But it was a nice gesture, wasn't it?"

"You suck."

"I'm tired. Go to sleep."

"Okay. Night, Kev."

"Night, kid."

Silence for another ten minutes.

"Kevin? Are you still awake?"

"I swear to god, kid..."

"I'm sorry. I just can't sleep."

"What is it now?"

"I keep thinking about tomorrow. And if we're gonna win. And how cool it's gonna be."

"Well, stop thinking about it."

"But I can't."

"Count sheep, or something."

"That doesn't work."

A frustrated groan. "Well, what do you want me to do about it?"

"I don't know."

"Then for God's sake, kid, let me go to sleep. If we lose tomorrow because you've kept me up all night, I'm gonna beat your ass."

Two slow, heavy knocks sound against their wall. It's Robert, telling them to shut up or there'll be hell to pay. He doesn't even have to speak.

"Sorry, Chief." Softer. "Sorry, Kev."

A sigh. "Me too. I didn't mean to yell. I'm just tired."

"It's okay. I'll shut up."

"No, it's all right. I'm awake now, we might as well be awake together."

"Okay." A pause. "You wanna watch TV?"

"Sure. Why not."

A moment's fumbling, then the TV flickers to life. Its eery bluish glow dimly illuminates the room, throwing light and shadows over the two young men laying awake in their separate beds. As one of them, a tall, pale man with a shock of wild black hair flips through chanels, the other, slightly younger and boyishly handsome, trudges across the room and flops down on the dark-haired man's bed. The pale man glances at him, his brow knit in consideration; then he grudgingly throws the covers back and allows the younger man to crawl inside, to his obvious delight. The older man settles on a cheesy action flick, and they lay side-by-side in companionable silence watching the gory fight scenes, the volume turned down low so as not to rouse their neighbor's wrath.

"Kevin?"

The dark-haired man turns at the sound of his name to see the younger boy watching him with almost frightening intensity. He blinks, shivers, and turns back to the screen before answering.

"Yeah?"

There's a long pause. Kevin sneaks another look at the boy from the corner of his eyes; he's fidgeting nervously as he thinks, biting at his fingernails. It's annoying and strangely unnerving.

"What, Danny?"

Danny sighs and drops his hands back to the bed, staring at them as he speaks. "Can I sleep here tonight?"

Kevin blinks dark lashes rapidly, the information processing slowly in his sleepy brain. "In my..."

"It's just that it's cold," Danny blurts out, interrupting him before he can finish the sentence. "And I sleep better when there's someone, you know, near." He stumbles to a stop and bites his lip nervously, holding his breath as he awaits the other man's verdict.

Kevin considers it for a moment, then shrugs carelessly, turning dark eyes on his companion. "I guess so."

Danny's smile is so brilliant it hurts to look at. "Thanks, Kev," he sighs happily, burrowing deeper under the covers. He lays his head down on the pillow and watches the movie with drowsy eyes that droop lower and lower, until he begins to snore and Kevin is sure he is asleep. He turns off the TV and wriggles slowly beneath the covers, careful not to wake the boy now that he's finally asleep.

Kevin watches the younger man, as his own eyes grow tired and heavy. The young face is unguarded and innocent in sleep, the smooth brow free of worry, the full mouth slack with exhaustion. On impulse Kevin edges a little closer to the center of the bed, and he smiles in surprise as he feels his teammate roll nearer. A lanky arm is thrown around his waist, heavy with sleep, and he allows himself to be pulled into a loose embrace. His eyes close softly; warm breath flutters against his cheek, tickling his skin. And he thinks that tomorrow they'll win the first game of the Championship, and Danny will be great, because he always is. But tonight; tonight is almost perfect all by itself.