the familiar cries of a young child woke pure vanilla almost immediately. the need to silently complain about his recent lack of sleep was there, it was never easy to wake up almost every day at three in the morning because a certain pink haired child woke up screaming again. however, he wouldn't do it. the fact that he was tired was not crepe's fault in any way or form, they were just a child going through a rough time in their life, and once he took the responsibility of taking care of them, the nights of tears and sorrow were to be expected.
he couldn't blame crepe, as it wasn't their fault they were so deeply hurt to the point that even in the most peaceful time of the day they endured such pain.
vanilla slowly sat on the bed, making sure to not make too much noise to avoid startling the little one as he was searching for his slippers, the cold wood under his feet making his body shiver uncomfortably from time to time. he had to be quiet and careful if he wanted crepe to stay calm, the poor kid already had enough with the whole nightmare thing, didn't they? the last thing they probably needed was to get scared because he accidentally tripped on his shoes.
his hands and the soft noise of his steps lead the way to crepe's bed, as it was too dark for vanilla to use his -already limited.- sight. once he got close enough, he finally called the younger's name. "hey, strawberry crepe ... is everything alr-"
"ah!" he was quickly interrupted as realization hit the vanillian. their little body now shaking in fear, the bed shaking under it too. "it's fine, just go back to sleep." they ordered roughly, but the older didn't listen.
"whatever dream you had, i want you to know you're safe, my child." he stated in such a calm tone that crepe felt in danger, would he snap at them without realizing? that couldn't be, vanilla wasn't that much of an asshole ... after a while of searching, he finally found the kid's hands ... and held them dearly. trying to transmit some warmth and care to crepe, avoiding the use of words. "it's okay to cry ... it's okay to feel upset, it's he-"
"JUST GO AWAY!" they screamed with audible panic in their voice. "didn't she leave? well, you can do that shit too. leave me alone." crepe insisted on that, letting their hands go and immediately hugging themselves, tears starting to scroll through their pale freckled cheeks. "i hate you ..." they babbled, feeling like their heart was about to get out of their chest.
the quick raising and lowering of their chest made crepe feel even worse. were they dying? were they under the debris again? was everything just a dream and they were actually dead?
"whatever she did was wrong." vanilla finally spoke, still maintaining the calm tone on his voice and slowly getting closer to the infant, as if he was awkwardly trying to make them feel safer. he knew a hug could help and make thing better, but grabbing them now could result in a bite. and if crepe actually wanted a hug they would've asked for one. "you must not put unnecessary burdens on yourself, little one. aren't you just ... eight? you're thinking too many things that are meant for adults, you're just hurting yourself more than you realize ..."
"shut up."
"kid, please ..." he almost begged them to try and calm down a little, he thought there could be other ways to help. heck! vanilla would even carry them to the garden to watch the flowers just so they would be finally able to calm down. pure vanilla sighed and opened his arms, hoping to carry crepe "try and calm down, you can do that right? can you breathe in and out slowly?" and now he backed up, trying to give them some space.
crepe's cries suddenly stopped for a short while, just so they could regulate their breathing a little. "you seem to be feeling some ... big things. do you need to talk about it?" he suggested, in hopes that maybe crepe would open up and talk about how they felt. as a child, that could be difficult ... sure. but there was nothing to lose in trying. was vanilla tired? sure, but he wasn't as tired as the little one. they were the one dealing with the nightmares and pain, after all.
"i don't know." the pink haired child whispered, looking at their hands for a moment. "can i sleep with you tonight? please?" they asked. "pretty please? yes? can i?" they kept begging, desperation now installed in their voice as they looked at the blonde man. it was starting to sound painful, and it was breaking.
"do you think that could help?" he asked with genuine doubt. maybe that COULD help! maybe the warmth of someone else's body could comfort them.
"i don't know ..."
"do you want to try?" he asked patiently, this time opening his arms again so he could carry crepe, if necessary. "maybe it could work and you will be able to have a better night of rest ... where do you want to sleep?"
"wherever you like." they answered, now in a more distant manner, gently wrapping their thin arms around vanilla's neck. "it's cold, don't take off my blanket."
a soft laugh came out of vanilla's lips as he nodded, maneuvering with crepe's limp body and the blanket to avoid dropping either of them. "well, we can go to my bed, yours is a bit too small and we will be uncomfortable." not really, but vanilla just thought a bigger bed with more sheets could be more helpful. "do you need a tissue?"
"no, i can clean myself with my clothes."
"that's not the point though ..."
"well, then why did you ask?"
"just checking, little bird."
