Teen Wolf Imagines

A dream within a dream

Summary: Stiles has a nightmare

A scream of terror pulled you from your sleep. Your heart was beating fast behind your chest, startled. You quickly looked at your surroundings to understand what was going on.

Stiles.

He was awake, sitting upright on his bed, but his screams kept going. It was disturbing to watch - and frightening.

Realizing what was happening, you wrapped your arms around Stiles, trying to ground him and pull him out of his nightmare, but he was utterly inconsolable.

''Stiles! Stiles, it's okay.''

Having heard his son's screams from his bedroom, Noah scurried down the hallway and to Stiles' room, flashbacks of past nights flowing in. He had heard those familiar - and heart wrenching - screams too many times after Claudia's death.

Stiles was thrashing in your hold, his mind still caught in his dream.

''You're okay. Stiles-''

You knew about his anxiety and ADHD, but he had never mentioned nightmares.

You glanced up at his father in the doorway, but Noah didn't say anything. He just nodded, encouraging you to keep doing what you were doing. It felt reassuring to know that he was there, to know that he'd tell you what to do if needed or that he'd intervene if Stiles accidently hurted you. He might be small, but fear releases a strength you never had before.

You felt him clutch onto your arm, confirming that he had come back to himself and that he was awake - fully awake.

Sheriff Stilinski let out a sigh from the doorway, relieved that it was over. He hated to see Stiles suffer through night terrors or nightmares. Parents want to help and protect their children when they are suffering, but there isn't much to do during a night terror. You feel helpless. It's the worst feeling.

Stiles' weight fell against you, his aching heart was pounding like crazy. You rubbed his shoulder comfortingly and he calmed down under your touch, his breathing slowly slowing to a normal pacing.

Then, Stiles detached himself from you, embarrassment flowing in. He thought he would be fine if you were there. That he wouldn't have night terrors if you were sleeping beside him, but he turned out to be wrong.

''Stiles,'' Noah started, but Stiles interrupted him.

''I'm fine, Dad.''

The latter opened his mouth, about to say something, but instead nodded and left. You and Stiles had things to talk about.

''Night terrors,'' he explained after a few minutes, breaking the ice. ''I started having them after my mom's death. It was bad for a while, but they became less frequent as I grew up and eventually went away. I was free of them for years...until they came back recently.''

The night terrors were a part of him which Stiles didn't like talking about. Even Scott, his best friend since primary school, didn't know about his night terrors.

You reached out and held his hand. ''Is it about your mom?'' you asked, tip-toeing into the subject.

Stiles shook his head. ''No.'' He took a moment to think, searching for the right words to explain it to you. ''I'm having these dreams where I lose consciousness of what's real and what's not. A dream within a dream. Sort of false awakenings. I wake up and go to school or talk to you, but I'm not really awake. It's strange and frightening because it's confusing. Like, I don't even know if I'm awake now.'' Stiles bit his lip, a habit he did when he was stressed or anxious.

Your heart was aching as you listened to your boyfriend. What he was experiencing sounded terrifying.

''Count your fingers.''

Stiles gave you a puzzled look. ''What?''

''When you're dreaming, you can't count,'' you explained.

Nodding, Stiles looked down at his hands, raising his thumb. ''One.'' Then, his index. ''Two.'' Middle. ''Three.'' Ring. ''Four.'' Pinky. ''Five.'' Stiles sighed, relieved and exhausted. Who would’ve thought dreaming could be so tiring. ''I'm awake.''

''Do you want to try going back to sleep?'' you asked, fighting back a yawn.

It was still pitch black outside Stiles' window so it was still nighttime. You had school in the morning, but you wouldn’t mind staying up with him.

''I don't think I can,'' Stiles admitted, scared that if he fell back asleep, he'd get stuck in a false awakenings loop again.

''Okay.'' You hooked your chin on his shoulder and kissed it through his shirt. ''Wanna lay down, then?''

He nodded and laid down beside you, facing you.

You eventually fell asleep as the sky was beginning to lighten, but Stiles remained awake, haunted by his sleeping troubles and fighting tiredness.

Word count: 774