Disclaimer: I don't know the people first-handedly or otherwise, and do not intend these to be a realistic representation of their characteristics, personal lives, etc. I may use a great deal of artistic license to make my stories seem far removed from any true facts.

Security blankets were a literal item, for Nicky. He'd pull his own blanket he took from his mam's house over his head, and the whole world went away. It may as well have been a few universes apart. Nicky knew that in the few moments that separated him from oblivion, the moments his mind slipped from a conscious state into deep sleep, his whole face untensed - letting go of real and imagined worrying wrinkles. Eyelids drop heavily over weary eyes, protecting them from seeing. His mind uncovers rare beauty within itself, a hidden fortress. His childhood playgrounds and possibilities of the future were sealed off, even from him, but they waited for him whenever he went to sleep, and carried him onto the next day.

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