Phan - Lygophobia

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I wasn't afraid of many things, but darkness was an exception. It was a common fear to have as a little kid, but not many grown men suffered from it. Lygophobia, that's what they called it. 

I hated the dark. I hated not being aware of my surroundings. The horrible feeling of uneasiness that came with dark. The many, many possibilities to trip or bang your head or break a bone. Dark was scary and dangerous.

I had no particular reason to hate the dark as much as I did. No childhood experience, no repressed memory, nothing. It started out when I was young and it just kind of stayed with me.

My parents knew, of course. Phil probably suspected something, but he never made an issue over it, something I was really thankful for. He was my best friend and I loved him with all my heart, but I just couldn't bring myself to tell him.

"Are you okay now, Dan?" He asked from the foot of my bed. I had woken up crying and screaming, which had caused Phil to come running in. I had had a nightmare, which consisted of me being swallowed into a dark abyss.

"Y-yeah." I said, but even I could hear the lie. My answer was too forced, my reply too enthusiastic. Phil scooted closer to me and leaned down to pick up something from under my bed. He was wearing a red t-shirt and a pair of plaid pajama pants. I felt bad for having caused him to get up.

He came up moments later, a storybook in hand. I smiled; it was Winnie the Pooh. He always knew what to do to make me feel better.

"Are you gonna read me a story?" I asked, genuinely a bit happier. The gesture of him even considering reading me a story was enough to make me almost forget about the darkness of the abyss. Almost.

"If you tell me what's been getting you up. What's the bad dream been, Dan?"

That was the question I'd been fearing. I would've answered literally anything else but that. I just...I felt so embarrassed. Having to come out to Phil about my lygophobia. What a childish phobia to have.

"I'm afraid of the dark. And that's what I've been dreaming about." It came out in a rush. I didn't want to dwell on the subject, I just wanted to get it over with. It did, admittedly, feel slightly better than keeping it all locked up inside. I was kind of glad that I told him.

"Oh, Dan..." He whispered, looking at me with those beautiful blue eyes. He got up off of my bed, and for a second, I feared he'd leave me. But then he motioned for me to push in, so I did. He followed me in after, wrapping his arms around my chest.

"P-Phil?" I asked, my voice shaking slightly. We were in a very...compromising position. One that could seem slightly suggestive if taken out of context, if you catch my drift.

"It's alright. I'll make sure that you're never afraid again, okay?" He whispered to me, the tiredness obvious in his voice. He'd left the door open a crack when he came in so it wasn't quite so dark.

I was beginning to feel tired too. With his arms wrapped around me and my head snuggled into his chest, it was hard to keep my eyes open.

"Don't you want your story, Dan?" He asked me quietly.

"Can we just stay like this? Cuddled up?" 

"Forever and longer, Pooh bear."