Random Writings Of A Random Writer

Nightmare: Tessaiden

Nightmare: (aka best trope in existence)

I really wish I could fall asleep normally. It's rather annoying.
I toy with a wire in one of my legs as I sit up in the dark. I can't see it, so I can't fix it right now. My prosthetic legs are detached, and one lays across my lap, the other at my side. Something felt off about it when we walked out here, but it's too dark for me to fix, so I'm probably just messing it up more.
Me, Tess, and Calmar all decided to go overnight camping today, or should I say yesterday with how late, or early, it is now. They are sleeping happily on their roll outs while I stay up, my mind unable to shut off. I've tried my usual methods, closing my eyes and ignoring my alertness until I fall asleep, and imagining Tess singing lullabies to me. Neither worked.
I take back what I said earlier, only Calmar is sleeping happily. Tessa keeps moving in her sleep and whining. I'm worried, she must be haveing a very unpleasant dream. I look over at her as she whimpers again and I frown. I want to go comfort her, but I don't want to sneak up on her in her sleep. Tessa rolls to the side facing away from me and curls up with a yelp. My heart aches. Her nightmare must be terrifying her, I need to go wake up her up. I want to hold her and make it go away. Unable to resist, I shuffle forward, dragging myself by the arms until a reach her. She's shaking, her face twisted into a grimace. What could be scaring her so bad? I reach out, grab her shoulder and shake it carefully. She jolts up and gasps in surprise as she's pulled from the nightmare. Her eyes are wide and fearful, she's panting, nearly hyperventilating, as she tries to calm herself down.

"It's ok, it's ok, Tessa. You're safe." I whisper to her. She looks too spooked to register that it's me.

"Tess, you're alright, you're ok." I continue to reassure her. She finally turns her head to me, her eyes still wide.

"Kaiden?" She asks in a high, panicked voice. She's still scared, that had to have been a bad one.

"I'm right here." I confirm her, shuffling a little closer and giving her shoulder a light squeeze. She closes her eyes tight and takes a deep breath, then opens them a bit calmer. She's still quietly panting. She rolls onto her side and faces me, reaching out to touch my cheek.

"Sorry, did I wake you up?" She asks in concern. She just had a horrible nightmare and she's worried about me?  I almost laugh. She's so selfless, but she's the one who needs care right now.

"You didn't, I was still awake. And we're talking about you right now." I gently grasp the hand on my face and hold it in mine. Her face is wet with tears, so I use my sleeve to gently dry them. Tessa closes her eyes and sighs as I do. The fact that she's still breathing heavy and seems panicked concerns me. I gently offer my arms to her.

"Can I hold you?" I ask. She nods and I wrap my arms around her, but don't pull her towards me, still being respectful. I cradle her head with one arm, letting her use my bicep as a pillow. The other arm I lay loosely over her waist so my hand can rub up and down her back to sooth her. Tessa leans into me, resting her face against my chest and placing a hand there too. My heart flutters and warms at that. My hand from the arm she's laying on gently tucks her hair behind her ear, and strokes it rhythmatically.

"Hey, focus on my breathing, can you feel it?" I instruct her, taking a slow, deep breath and letting it out. She nods again and works to copy me. We stay like this for a few minutes until her breathing returns to normal. She closes her eyes and her lips form a calm smile. I kiss the top of her head, happy that she's back to normal.

"Would you like to talk about your nightmare? Or do you want to keep doing this?" Tessa says that all the time for me. Asks whether I want comfort or a listening ear. It's one of the many, many things I love about her.

"I don't really want to talk about it right now." Tessa cringes. I kiss her head again.

"That's ok. I won't push you, Tresure."

I continue stroking her hair and back. Occasionally tracing my fingers over her cheek as well. I call out soft 'I love you's every few minutes. She nuzzles into my chest, I like that. After a while she speaks up again.

"I, um," She stumbles, I rest my cheek against the top of her head in encouragement.

"It was about my family. It was at night, there was a big storm and someone broke into the palace. My parents fought them and my father told me to go get Faltose and get to safety just in case. When I went to get him, he was just a baby. So I must have been 6, maybe 7? I ran out but the intruder had already killed-" She pauses, tears welling in her eyes. "My mom. And he was standing over my dad with a sword pointed at him. I yelled and tried to help him. But father told me to take Fal and run and I... I could only watch as the guy drove the sword through his heart. I couldn't run, any move I made was in slow motion. I couldn't stop him when he tore Faltose out of my hands and-" A sob breaks through her voice. I cradle her head as she hides her face in my chest.

"Aw Tess, that sounds terrifying. I'm so sorry you dreamt about that." I sooth her as she sobs. "It didn't happen. You're safe, they're safe. It's ok."

She sniffles. "You woke me up before I could see what he did to Fal, thank you." She whimpered.

"You're welcome. It's alright, I know you were scared but it's alright." I kiss her temple and use my sleeve again to wipe away the fresh tears. Eventually she calms down again.

"Thanks Kay, you didn't have stay up with me. Thanks for being so good to me mo corri." She says with a smile. She reaches up and kisses my cheek, I beam down at her.

"Of course Tess, I'm always going to be here for you. I love you." I tell her.

"I love you too." She echoes. I wonder if since she's calm she'll want to go back to sleep on her roll out, but she doesn't move. And I'm reluctant to end the embrace too.

"Hey Kay? Can we stay like this, or at least stay until I fall asleep." She asks. I press my lips to her head yet again.

"Of course I'll stay." It's a promise and a truth. She smiles and leans against me, asleep within minutes. I rest my cheek against her head again and let myself drift off.

I wake up slowly,  feeling peaceful. Except for the fact that my back is sore from sleeping on the hard ground all night. And my arm is completely numb. I feel something on my face and let my eyes flutter open. The first thing I see is the most beautiful pools of bluish green ever. Tessa grins softly at me, staring straight into my eyes. Her finger draws endless circles on my cheek, it feels nice.

"Good Morning." She whispers.

"Morning. How do you feel?" I respond to her.

"Fine. I didn't have any more nightmares. Thank you for being with me last night. I must have been a mess." She blushes slightly.

"I didn't mind it." I assure her, tucking her hair behind her ear again.

"I love you." She kisses the tip of my nose. She likes doing that for some reason, it kind of tickles. I repeat her sentiment. Tessa rolls onto her back and takes her head from my arm. I cringe as the blood flow returns to it, making it tingle.

"Sorry about that." She says.

"It's fine. I already don't have legs, what's the problem with a limp arm too?" I joke, she chuckles. She laughs at my jokes. Everyone else just looks uncomfortable and saddened. Hey, it's my disability, I can joke about it. The sunrise starts and Tessa looks up at the sky. I watch the reflection of the sunrise in her eyes, and it's way more stunning that way. After the sun rises she sits up, and I copy her. She leans over and brushes some of the dirt from my side with an apologetic look.

"I'm fine, Tessa." I tell her again. She's too used to being the one caring for, and not cared for. "I enjoyed last night because I was with you. It doesn't matter why." I smile at her. The guilt in her eyes lessons slightly, and she moves over to my side. She loops an arm around my waist and leans against me.

"You're amazing, you know that?" She says, staring up at me with love in her eyes.

"I've heard it said, once or twice." I shrug and smirk at her. We watch the sky together, completely content. Until her brother wakes up with a loud yawn and demands food.