Creep

He wasn't being creepy at all. Really, he wasn't.

Watching a comatose patient in a mental ward shouldn't be all that peculiar or alarming. Harry imagined much more disturbing things he could do to worry the disapproving nurses and doctors – they weren't exactly being discreet with their gossiping whispers and unguarded thoughts.

"Unethical" and "violation of privacy" were usually thrown around in correspondence with his name. Despite their evident objections, they never directly confronted him about his habit. As it were, he humored himself by… tormenting them lightly for his troubles. He hadn't gone on vacation to be judged, after all.

Harry re-focused his attention on the Sleeping Man with a scrutinizing look, in a vain attempt to understand.

Stretching his senses, he brushed across an odd feeling… one that brought Harry into the Sleeping Man's room since the first day of his admission. He didn't recognize the sensation (though it was achingly familiar) and he couldn't very well ask the stranger what it was. From what he could gather, it seemed very light and warm… although he sensed it should be blinding and burning instead of the dim ambiance that filtered through.

It was bad enough having to deal with this niggling curiosity, but he also managed to misplace some fragments of his sanity upon arriving in this world. But it wouldn't be too difficult to find the missing bits... at some point in his extended life, Harry had grown tired of keeping track of it. He preferred to let his sanity roam as it pleased, since it had a tendency to do so regardless. Besides, it rarely hindered his ability to complete his responsibilities (few as there were).

His wandering thoughts were drawn to the Sleeping Man's twitching index finger. He stared at the appendage with a rather... unsettling intensity, if any bystander were watching. It was the first real sign that the stranger was alert while away in the land of dreams, contrary to the doctor's diagnosis.

This rose his interest sufficiently enough.

Closing his eyes in concentration, Harry mentally reached for the other man's consciousness and pulled.

A/N: Please review, so that I know how well this story is received. I'll update when I'm able, since life is predictably unpredictable.