章 13: Impossible Dreams

The room was flooded with the hazy neon glow of the city. All of it bathed in dreamy hues of pink, cyan and green, and yet the red star between Davi's shoulder wings looked more real than everything else.

It took Ivo some time to notice the chrome metal band that started below it and followed the deep curve of Davi's spine all the way to his lower back, where it disappeared under the waistband of his underwear.

Maybe Ivo made some noise that alerted him because Davi finally noticed his presence in the room and turned towards him with a glare.

Ivo was speaking before he could stop himself. "What's with the red star?"

Davi frowned. "None of your concern." He pulled down the thin sheet on the low bed below the window. "I guess you're sharing with me, so try not to get on my nerves."

Ivo chanced a look at the other side of the room, where a very similar bed took up much of the floor opposite. He could tell at a glance that it was Alina's bed, just from the amount of holographic posters of anime girls in a variety of activities -- from picking strawberries to cutting people in half.

By comparison, Davi's side of the room was relatively bare, most of the wall was taken up by the window, but he hadn't bothered to put anything up in the remaining space. Other than a bedside table holding a gun holster and scattered ammunition, and a little shelf below with some worn books, there was nothing much to it.

The wall between the two beds was taken up by rickety metal shelves with several plastic bins filled with carefully folded clothes. And the wall opposite was dominated by racks upon racks of weapons of all shapes and sizes.

"I can always sleep with Alina," Ivo said, after a prolonged silence.

Davi had already slipped into bed, his back to Ivo. "She kicks during her sleep, and she already made it plenty clear while you were showering that she isn't sharing."

There went Ivo's hope of getting through the night without feeling like he might get a knife through the eyeball if he sneezed.

"Also, don't make the mistake of thinking she likes you." He adjusted the pillow under his head by punching it. "Tomorrow we'll figure out what to do with you. This is a temporary arrangement."

Ivo took off his borrowed clothes and got into bed too. It was narrow, but Davi was laying on his side, close to the wall, there was enough space for Ivo to lie on his back if he wanted. Which was what he did. If Davi wanted to get a crick in the neck from making sure they didn't touch during the night then that was his fucking problem.

After the day he had, the least Ivo deserved was a good night's sleep.

"Stop fucking moving so much, how hard is it to get in bed and close your eyes?"

Ivo turned his face sideways on the pillow and glared at Davi's back. The red star was so close to him he could almost kiss it.

"I just don't get why all your tattoos are black and white except for the star."

Davi's shoulders drew up, as if he was trying to arrange his muscles in such a way they hid the star from view. "I guess that will have to remain as one of your life's greatest unanswered questions."

"Fuck you too," Ivo said, and turned around on the bed, turning his back to Davi.

Maybe there was some merit to the two of them interacting as little as humanly possible.

---

Ivo's dreams were plagued by dizzying shades of red, and in the horizon a star that kept growing more distant the more he reached for it.

He woke up feeling disconcerted and still tired. He sat up with a huge yawn to find Davi's side of the bed empty. Alina's bed was unmade so she must have gotten in at some point.

There was a stack of clothes folded over the bedside table, and Ivo understood they were meant for him. It was an ensemble in everything similar to what he had worn the night before. Loose jersey shorts and an equally loose cropped t-shirt that barely reached his midriff.

As soon as he bedroom door slid open he was assaulted with the scent of fresh food and the sound of conversation. Everyone else was already sitting at the counter eating breakfast.

"Hey, kid, we thought you had died in your sleep," said Thiago, from his place at the stove. He flipped a white pancake out of the skillet and into the plate Alina held out for him.

This time, Ivo took a seat on the living room side of the counter, but yet again, the only free stool was next to Davi's.

"Tapioca?" Alina asked, sliding a plate to Ivo.

"Uh, sure." He had no memories of ever eating it before, but it looked good, and dinner the night before had been great.

"You have to put stuff inside it and then fold it while it's hot." Alina took her fork and took several slices from small plastic containers and onto Ivo's plate. "There's processed cheese with absolutely no milk in it, synth meats of varied flavours, and fruit jam with no fruit but plenty of artificial flavour."

She grinned widely. "Enjoy."

The problem with Alina was that Ivo could never tell when her sarcasm was at his expense, or just part of her character.

Thiago took his seat next to Alina and smacked his lips for something to say. "So... you sleep well?"

Ivo shrugged. "Sort of, I had some weird dreams."

Davi's fork clattered to the plate, and everyone else grew deathly silent. He turned towards Ivo with a suspicious look. "That's impossible. No one dreams in the city."

Ivo let out an incredulous snort. This motherfucker would argue with him over the colour of the sky.

"No, he's saying the truth," Alina said, her cat eyes boring into Ivo. Any moment now he expected them to start glowing. "It's all the lights, the noise, the electrical signals, and what have you. No one dreams anymore, not for a long time."