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Mornings had always been hard for William. He'd wake up and immediately feel exhausted, wanting nothing more than to wrap his blankets tightly around himself and fall back asleep, acting as if the world outside of his warm bed didn't even exist at all.
It got particularly difficult to fight that want as it began to get colder outside. Deadwood had been far enough south that it never really got that cold, but the same couldn't be said for New Haven. It was only November, and yet the mornings were freezing cold, and more than once Will had woken up to see snow falling down onto the ground below. All it took to melt it was the temperature rising slightly during the day, so so far the snow hadn't actually stayed for long, but it was only a matter of time before the world outside was blanketed in a thick layer of snow.
William shuddered at the thought of it, hiding his face further within his blanket. He'd never done well with cold, and ever since he got his powers, it was even worse. He felt cold constantly, and the cold made his joints want to lock up and freeze in place, which made moving difficult and painful, and it felt like there was something icy within him that wouldn't go away no matter how many blankets and sweaters he hid underneath.
It made sense, he supposed. He was technically dead, after all. Or undead, he didn't know, but he sure as hell wasn't alive anymore. Being a walking and talking dead body, it made sense that he'd get cold more easily. But it making sense didn't really help anything at all.
There was suddenly a knock on his bedroom door, the sound far too loud when he'd gotten used to the quiet of his own thoughts. "William? Breakfast is ready, come get it while it's hot!"
Tide sounded way too energetic for so early in the morning, and all Will could do was shudder, wrapping his blankets tighter around himself. He really wasn't feeling up to another breakfast of beef stroganoff, or really to breakfast in general. That would mean getting up, and having to be in the cold, and… he just really didn't want to do that. Do anything. He'd much rather stay in bed until it got warmer again in a few months.
Not a realistic course of action, sure, but whatever. He listened to the sound of Tide's footsteps getting further down the hall, grateful to the man for not trying to force him like his parents would have. Maybe he could stay in bed for a little while longer, take a nap and sleep until the early hours of the evening… it was the weekend, after all, so he didn't need to worry about school.
He closed his eyes with a sigh, letting himself slowly drift off into the gentle embrace of sleep. His bed was warm and soft, the weighted blanket on top of him pressing him against his mattress almost like a hug. His body was so heavy, so tired, he just needed an hour or two more of sleep…
A knock on the door jolted him back awake. Will let out a quiet sigh, it hadn't even been that long and Tide was already back bothering him? So much so for him not trying to force William up, apparently, would it really be the end of the world if he stayed in bed this one day? This one horrible and cold day…
Another knock. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Will forced himself to sit up slightly, wrapping his blankets tighter around himself to stop the cold air from getting to him.
"Yeah?" The door swung open, then, and before William had a chance to react a flash of red had rushed over to him from the doorway and had jumped up onto the bed with him. The wind got knocked out of his lungs in an instant, not that it really did much—he barely breathed at all these days.
Dakota's face was right above his, grinning wide, his tongue falling out and causing his expression to resemble an overly excited dog. The comparison was even more accurate than he'd thought, he realized as he saw the thick dog collar around Dakota's neck, the bone-shaped dog-tag dangling back and forth.
"…dog day?" Dakota yipped in response, nuzzling his face to Will's cheek—a much more preferable alternative to the licking Dakota had tried the first time he got like this around Will. He brought his hand up to pat his friend's head, trying not to shudder as his arm was left exposed to the cool air. Dakota was, even in this weather, only wearing a tank top and shorts inside. Will couldn't understand how he managed.
But, well, then again, Dakota did run really warm. Much warmer than Will had even before he got his powers, warmer than anyone else he'd ever known. His body was like a furnace, not that he would ever complain about it. With how fucking cold it was, it was practically a blessing.
Dakota bounced up slightly—knocking the air that had now returned out of Will's lungs again—and yipped again, looking down at Will expectantly. God, he probably wanted to go play in the snow or something, didn't he? It probably would have done him some good, to get up and go outside, but… it was so, so cold. And he was tired. He didn't want to let Dakota down, but even just standing up sounded horrible right now.
"I'm sorry, Kota, I can't- I can't play right now, I feel like shit. You should go ask Vince or Tide, I'm sure one of them is free to spend some time with you." Dakota stared down at him, tilting his head to the side and shutting his eyes tight like he was struggling to internalize the words. Will waited patiently, expecting Dakota to nod once he understood, maybe nuzzle him quickly again, and then go off to find someone more fun to hang out with.
That wasn't what happened, though. The first part was right, after a ten or so seconds Dakota opened his eyes again and nodded, just as was to be expected. He didn't get off of Will, though, or leave the room, or anything else of the sort. No, instead he collapsed into a laying position on his stomach, still on top of Will, smiling up at him gently.
"I… what are you..?" Dakota didn't respond, obviously. He never spoke when he was like this. Instead he simply yipped again and shut his eyes, resting his face against the crook of William's neck.
…oh. Seemed that Dakota was content to just… lay here. With Will. Huh. Slowly, a little nervously William brought his hand up again to pet his hair, earning a satisfied huff from him.
This was… nice. Will let his own eyes fall closed, his legs tangling with Dakota's even through the blanket between them. He hadn't really slept next to anyone since joining the Prime Defenders, he hadn't even realized how much he'd missed it, honestly.
He sighed, feeling himself slowly relaxing as he allowed Dakota's warmth to seep into him and finally make him feel a little less cold.