"I want you." With a touch as light as a feather, Cillian hooked a thick finger under her chin to get a better look at her face. "Look at me."
Slowly, her eyes cracked open, but she didn't dare meet his eyes. His grip tightened ever so slightly, a w...
"But you are not a picture, I can't cut you up and hide you."
~ Ariana Grande, R.E.M.
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Sophie groaned as she turned on her opposite side for probably the millionth time that night. She had hardly slept, and when she did, it wasn't the deep REM sleep she needed.
Cillian was the same, only sleeping for short amounts of time, but each time his sleep was riddled with night terrors. He was normally a light sleeper. Being held captive and abused for so many years, he always had to be on high alert, ears perked and ready to make out any threats that could be looming.
Sophie knew this about him. She always felt bad when she unintentionally woke him in the night. Whether she shifted on her side or something as small as itching her nose, Cillian would always have at least one eye open to check on her before falling back to sleep. He never seemed to mind if it was her that accidentally woke him. He told her he would rather know she was safe than to sleep through something.
That's why she was shocked when she made her way to his bedside this morning to find him still asleep. He didn't wake to the door opening or even the padding of her feet. Once she was at his side, she immediately knew why. He was having a night terror.
Risking her safety, she placed her palm to his chest to lightly shake him awake. "Cillian?" She gently called.
He flinched, his eyes scrunched in pain, and his jaw tightly clenched.
"Baby, it's okay. It's just a dream. Wake up." She spoke again, a little louder than the last.
Her hands shifted upward towards his face and he startled awake, his chest heaving, a thin layer of sweat coating his skin.
She immediately withdrew her hand. "Cillian, it's okay! You're safe." She felt if she could touch him, he would calm down like he had in the past before. However, in fear of being hurt, she refrained.
He thrashed and clawed to get away, still in a daze. He panted, his eyes red from lack of a peaceful night's sleep. "Not you - gosh, not you." He snapped, his glazed over eyes glaring daggers at her.
"You're safe here, baby. It was just a dream," she whispered, remaining calm.
She noticed the blank look on his face and wanted to make sure he wasn't still actively having a night terror. Though she hesitated, she reached out to cup his jaw. At her small movement, he flinched violently, moving away. She tried again, this time successful.
"Hey," she cooed, softly. "Where are you right now?"
The pure shock of her being there seemed to shake him out of it - just not enough to keep her from looking haunted in his mind, some ravaged excuse of a terrible thing.
