One by one as the night stretched on, each of the third floor residents of the VC37 student dormitory succumbed to the new sensation of tiredness, bringing their first night together to its natural end.


    After Lulu fell asleep on the sofa during a lull in the conversation, Aeon began to shoo his neighbours back to their own apartments calling the night to a close.


    Cecil and Yaeh said their goodbyes and returned home.


    The sun had long since sunk beneath the eternal clouds of Venus. The living area of their unlit apartment was bathed in a pale blue light from a twinkling starscape that Cecil could see on the other side of the room’s window.


    Uninhibited by the light pollution of a large moon or a surface based civilization, the heavens were fully visible in the night sky above Venus City.


    Cecil went to the window and gazed upwards.


    The Milky Way stretched from horizon to horizon above the city in all of its ancient and  uncharted majesty.


    Yaeh appeared at his side to share the view.


    Cecil stole a glance at her as she stared up at the heavens and in the dim light he could see the galaxy reflected in her violet eyes.


    Another wave of fatigue washed over him.


    The six of them had stayed up for hours together in Aeon and Lulu’s living room. Talking at first, then watching old Citypunk thriller media when voices grew strained.


    Beside him, he noticed that Yaeh was trembling slightly.


    He opened his mouth to ask if she was Ok, but the words caught in his throat and he found himself unable to break the silence.


    Heedless of her trembling and frail body, Yaeh seemed entranced by the night sky. Perhaps she wasn’t even aware of the tremor.


    Truth be told, Cecil could feel something similar within himself. Something hollow and cold. Something he would only be free of back inside of his tank.


    He swayed unconsciously to the side causing him to stagger and plant a foot to prevent a fall. He jolted back to his senses.


    As there was no tank to plug into, the next best option would be to find a comfortable place to fall asleep. That would be the bed’s purpose he supposed.


    Once again he found himself unable to breach the silence, so he retreated silently to the room at the back of the apartment.


    He found the bed waiting in the middle of the large room. Squat and solid.


    He knew how they worked. He’d even used one before a few times on the rare occasions that his parents had saved up enough credits for travelling.


    They stayed at a hotel on the central island of the City, Romulus, which was a popular destination for off-world tourists and home to various entertainment districts.


    He kicked off his slip-on shoes and then looked down at his white Venus City Academy jumpsuit. The garment had been provided to him by the coordinator who had collected him from his home in the morning.


    Underneath it, he was naked. Neither option, either sleeping in the bulky garment or naked out of it, was appealing. Especially as he was going to be sharing the bed.


    He looked around. There were several storage units on the far side of the room.


    Opening one drawer of the storage revealed an array of simple clothing. He held up a plain grey tank top that seemed too small for him.


    He unzipped his jumpsuit, freeing his upper half to try on the top. It was definitely too small.


    He opened another drawer and found several pairs of grey shorts. In the next one down, grey pants. All too small.


    He kept opening drawers and doors.


    In a tall storage unit with vertical doors he found spare jumpsuits, identical to the one he was wearing. Half in his size and half that were much smaller.


    Realising that the smaller clothes must be for Yaeh, he kept looking until he found the clothes in his own size. Including undergarments.


    The options presented by the selection of clothes were very limited. Cecil decided to change into one of the grey tank tops and a pair of boxers.


    Yaeh entered the room and looked at the array of open storage drawers and Cecil’s discarded jumpsuit on the floor.


    Cecil cleared his throat and quickly spoke before he lost the nerve. “I found some spare clothes. If you don’t want to sleep in your jumpsuit, those drawers are the ones with your sizes.”


    Yaeh walked over to the drawers and stooped down to pick through the grey inventory, looking unimpressed.


    “Yeah, they’ve not given us many choices, well over half of these drawers are empty. Same with the big one. I think it’s called a closet. Other than some spare jumpsuits it’s almost entirely empty.”


    Yaeh wrote on her tablet. “Do you think we will be able to get more?”


    “More clothes?” Cecil asked.


    Yaeh nodded.


    “Maybe? It depends on what the campus stores sell. I hope so.” He answered, then sat down on the other side of the bed from the storage.


    He sank deeply into the mattress. The fabric of the sheets felt wonderfully soft as he ran his hand across them. One of the few advantages that physical reality had over Plugnet was a significantly keener sense of touch.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    The bed suddenly seemed much more inviting.


    On the other side of the room, Yaeh had picked out some clothes and began to change out of her jumpsuit.


    Out of consideration, Cecil turned away.


    It seemed like the right thing to do. In old media, nudity was often seen as private and scandalous. A sentiment that Cecil couldn’t relate to. One of the many vestigial aspects of human existence that plugnet had overwritten.


    There was no nudity in Plugnet. You couldn’t even be nude in the virtual space, which Cecil found ironic as one didn’t wear clothes inside a Plugtank.


    Growing up inside a virtual society without any concept of nudity had detached Cecil’s generation from the social concept.


    In truth, Cecil had no desire whatsoever to see Yaeh without her clothes on. He was certain she would look as gaunt and brittle as he did. A stark and humbling contrast to the vibrant and curvaceous peacockery of Plugnet avatars.


    Not to mention, everyone who grew up inside Plugtanks and expected to spend their entire lifespan inside of one, such as those in Cecil generation, had their hormonal development suppressed. It was optional, but almost nobody opted out.


    Hormonal development could cause medical complications for those who lived in a Plugtank, and none of the biological benefits of the changes carried over to Plugnet.


    It was a risk without reward and seen by many as just another of the many inevitable steps in the journey of human progress beyond its own nature.


    As such, Cecil did not have the desire, and Yaeh did not have the features.


    Yet? Cecil wondered.


    Would three years away from a tank and its suppressants be enough to restart that biological process?


    It was a question to ask Ms Amelie when they saw her again on Monday.


    Footsteps, and the shifting of the mattress as a new weight sat down on the opposite side told Cecil that Yaeh had finished changing. She wore plain grey t-shirt and shorts and was looking at him uncertainly.


    Was she following his lead?


    “Um, are you tired?” Cecil asked nervously.


    Yaeh cocked her head, and reached to a pocket for her tablet before jumping slightly when she realised that she had jettisoned her pockets when she had taken off her jumpsuit. She retrieved the device from the garment that was now on the floor next to Cecil’s.


    “How can you tell if you are tired?” She asked with the tablet.


    “I- I don’t really know how to explain it. How do you feel?” He asked, feeling unhelpful.


    She paused a moment before answering. “Bad.” The tablet read.


    Well that could mean tired. Cecil wondered, noticing that the small girl was still trembling slightly.


    “Do your eyes feel like they want to close?” He asked.


    She nodded.


    “That’s part of what tiredness feels like. Kind of.” He explained. “You will learn to tell all the different feelings apart eventually.”


    Cecil considered for a moment, then asked, “Do you know what pain feels like?”


    Yaeh wrote her answer. “I’m not sure. Maybe?”


    “Pain is very important. It means something is wrong with your body, or that you are hurt.”


    Cecil explained.


    “Sorry, I’m going to pinch you slightly so that you can feel it. It won’t be that bad I promise.”


    He learned forwards, reaching out a hand to Yaeh’s skinny arm.


    She pulled away instinctively, then reluctantly offered Cecil the arm.


    He pinched her hard using his nails. Not hard enough to draw blood but enough that he could see white marks left behind on her skin as he pulled away.


    A long time ago, his mother had demonstrated pain to him in the exact same way.


    “That feels bad huh?” He asked softly.


    Yaeh was rubbing her arm where he had hurt her, her expression shocked. She nodded.


    “It can feel like a sharp pang, like that pinch, or it can feel dull and hot. Sometimes you will feel it throbbing depending on what’s wrong. But pain will always hurt and once you know the feeling you will always be able to recognise it. If you feel something like that anywhere on or inside of your body, let me know. Ok?” He explained.


    Yaeh nodded again, slower.


    “Ok, I’m going to turn the lights off now. Try to get some sleep Ok?”


    He accessed the room''s lights using his tablet and turned them off, then lay down onto the soft bed and pulled the sheets over himself.


    He felt Yaeh follow his lead and lay her head down onto the pillows.


    The room was completely dark other than the gentle light of the Milky Way that washed in through the window.


    Cecil closed his eyes and sleep found him almost immediately.


    <hr>


    Weak limbs rocked him awake.


    Cecil looked around the dark room feeling nauseous and disoriented. Panic jump-started his system at the unfamiliar surroundings and sensations. He flailed around, trying to pull the sheets off of himself and his hand hit something soft.


    As clarity slowly found him, he remembered where he was and the panic subsided.


    Yaeh knelt on the bed next to him, slowly rubbing her side.


    She looked dreadful.


    In the dark light of the room, her eyes looked like the sunken sockets of a skull and her skin looked so pallid it was almost translucent.


    She was trembling uncontrollably, her breath ragged.


    “Yaeh! Ah, sorry for hitting you. What’s wrong, why did you wake me up? Are you Ok?” He asked nervously, feeling a pit of dread in his stomach.


    He realised that she was crying as the light from the window reflected off of the liquid that stained her frail cheeks.


    She wrote on her tablet with shaking fingers. “Sorry for waking you up. I didn’t know what to do. I feel worse and worse and I don’t know how to sleep? What do I do?”


    Her eyes pleaded for help.


    Upon seeing that expression, he found a well of resolve that spurred him to motion.


    “Ok, follow me.” He instructed, holding out his hand.


    She took it.


    Her hand was icy cold, but Cecil grasped it firmly and led the girl into the kitchen, turning on the lights as he went.


    He looked through the medicine cupboard and found a thermometer.


    “Ok, you’re not running a fever.” Cecil announced taking the device from Yaeh’s mouth. “You’re not sweating either which is a good sign I think. Do you still feel tired?”


    She nodded.


    “Do you feel any pain?” He asked.


    She shook her head after a moment’s consideration.


    “Hungry?” He suggested.


    Again, she shook her head.


    That left the answer that Cecil had come to earlier. The one that he was pretty sure he was experiencing himself to a degree.


    “I think it’s probably withdrawal. They did say it could get bad.” He explained, as he looked through the medical supplies for the withdrawal meds and the sleeping tablets.


    He emptied one tablet out of each blister pack onto his palm and offered them to Yaeh.


    “Put these on top of your tongue, then wash them down with a drink of water.” Cecil instructed.


    He poured a glass from the dispenser and handed it to Yaeh who obliged, swallowing both pills.


    “Hopefully those will help. But if it feels worse or you still can’t sleep, take another pill Ok. Just one more of each though.”


    Yaeh nodded again to express her understanding. She was still shaking.


    Cecil offered his hand again and she took it immediately. “C’mon, let’s get some sleep.”


    <hr>


    When Cecil woke for the second time, it was significantly more peaceful.


    Daylight poured in through the window illuminating the bedroom in gold.


    He felt a warmth next to him and realised that Yaeh was pressed up against his side. She was sleeping heavily.


    Cecil smiled, feeling a sense of relief.


    He noticed that she must have kicked the sheets off of her as she slept so he bundled up the heavy fabrics and threw them over her.


    He was also pleased to see that her trembling had improved. Not completely, but the shaking was nowhere near as worrying as it had been when she had woken him in the night.


    He didn’t want to move and disturb her so he tried and succeeded in falling back to sleep.


    He awoke again an hour later.


    Yaeh still pressed against him and he found comfort in the warmth of her small frame.


    This wasn’t so bad. Sleeping really was the best part of being out of the tank.


    This time however, he decided to rise for the day and after leaving the bed, spent the next few moments navigating the shower in the bathroom.


    He was eating breakfast and watching the City News on the entertainment console when Yaeh finally awoke. She joined him in the living space with bleary eyes.


    “Good Morning.” He greeted her as naturally as he could.


    “Go-” She started to reply before jumping and clasping her hands over her mouth. Her voice had been high pitched and pleasant.


    Cecil found himself feeling a sense of disappointment, but dismissed it. Yaeh would speak when she was ready, which it seemed, wasn’t this morning.


    “Um, if you’re hungry there are more pouches for you in the food storage and um, oh, you probably should have a shower too when you’re ready!” He blurted out in an effort to distract from Yaeh’s blunder.


    Yaeh nodded, her face flushing very slightly with embarrassment. She retreated into the bathroom and after a few minutes Cecil heard the sounds of the shower.


    He placed a glass of water, a small cup of the digestion medicine and a pouch of liquid food onto the kitchen island while he waited for Yaeh to finish her shower.


    When she emerged again half an hour later with wet hair and fresh clothing, he gestured warmly at the arranged items.


    “Breakfast!” He announced, trying to sound welcoming despite his ever present anxiety.


    Yaeh looked at the meager breakfast then back to Cecil. She smiled.


    “Thank you.” She mouthed at him silently, mimicking the way she had seen Isla say it to Aeon the night before.


    Cecil felt his breath catch. He looked away. “You’re welcome.” He replied bashfully.