A Pretty Girl Next To A Pretty Girl

14. Nightmare (Jeongmo)

Jeongyeon sat up in bed with a strangled gasp. She had woken up from a nightmare--just a nightmare--and she whispered to herself over and over "it's just a nightmare" as she laid back down and tried to catch her breath, hoping that she hadn't woken up Momo.

"Jeongyeon?"

Oh no, Jeongyeon thought to herself. She quickly tried to wipe her tears away, but a warm hand was quicker to touch her wet cheeks.

"You're crying," Momo murmured gently, her voice full of concern.

Jeongyeon thought about denying the truth for a moment, but there was no point in doing so when Momo was already brushing away her tears, already lacing her hand into Jeongyeon's, already sidling up to her with soothing butterfly kisses down the length of her chin.

Momo, who Jeongyeon always cared for outside of their bedroom, was always her protector when they slept. Because Jeongyeon could do nothing to shield herself against the intense nightmares that invaded her sleep, and it was only Momo who could soothe her when the nightmares came.

When the nightmares weren't bad, when Jeongyeon only woke with a small jump and could easily return to sleep, they called this situation "green". Momo would gently intertwine their fingers and provide a steady reassurance against Jeongyeon's hand until the older girl fell back asleep.

When the nightmares were a little worse, when Jeongyeon awoke with a startled cry, her breathing shallow and fast, they called this situation "yellow". Momo would sidle up to Jeongyeon, their fingers intertwined, and she would hold Jeongyeon tightly in a hug until the older girl was relaxed enough to sleep.

When the nightmares were intense, when they sent Jeongyeon into a turbulent fit in the real world, when Momo awoke to the sounds of Jeongyeon thrashing around in a half-asleep state, those situations were called "amber". The first amber night had scared Momo when it happened. It was before she knew how intense Jeongyeon's nightmares could get and before she had learned how to comfort Jeongyeon during the aftermath, but Momo instinctively hugged Jeongyeon until the thrashing stopped, until Jeongyeon woke up fully and her heart stopped racing. And then Momo proceeded to press gentle kisses into the side of Jeongyeon's face, tender and soft, causing her heart to race in a different way--a better way--until Jeongyeon's was comforted enough to fall back asleep.

And then there were "red" situations, nights where Jeongyeon dreamed so terribly that she woke up from her nightmare in tears. Sometimes she woke up screaming at the top of her lungs. Sometimes she woke up in a tamer manner than "amber", but the tears were the key. They were the signal that told Momo that Jeongyeon had experienced a nightmare so disturbing and traumatic that Jeongyeon would find it difficult to get back to sleep at all.

Before Momo, there was no remedy for a "red" nightmare. If Jeongyeon woke up in tears, she used to stay huddled under the covers, alert and distressed, waiting for morning to come so that someone could distract her from the images she saw. But after coming to sleep with Momo, Jeongyeon learned that Momo was like magic. Momo had no way of making the nightmares stop, but Momo was the only person who had ever saved her from a "red" nightmare.

"I-it's not 'red,'" Jeongyeon said shakily as she felt Momo sit up beside her. She tugged Momo's arm, urging her to lie back down. She hated troubling Momo as they slept, forcing Momo to comfort her. "It's just 'yellow.'"

"No it's not," Momo, insisted. "You're crying."

And without listening to another word of protest, Momo rolled over and climbed onto Jeongyeon's hips, settling down gently on top of the older girl like a human blanket, like a shield to protect her from all the bad thoughts that tried to invade her mind. With a soft caress of Momo's warm hand against her cheek, Momo leaned down and kissed Jeongyeon gently on the lips.

The wasn't the first time that Momo had saved Jeongyeon from a "red" nightmare in this manner, effectively ridding her of troubling thoughts with a kiss bright enough to end the night, but it was the first time that the kiss was almost more troubling that the nightmares.

"What's wrong?" Momo asked, seeing Jeongyeon's tension remain even after the kiss. "Is this not good enough tonight?"

Jeongyeon shook her head and tried to gather up her courage. "...would you ever kiss me like this if I wasn't having a nightmare?"

"Yes," Momo said simply, the answer coming more easily than Jeongyeon thought it would. She leaned down and kissed Jeongyeon again, slowly and languidly, smiling as she felt Jeongyeon reciprocate. "Will you be able to go back to sleep Jeongyeon-ah?"

"No," Jeongyeon admitted. "But it's for a good reason, not bad one."

"What's the reason?"

There was an embarrassed pause before Jeongyeon spoke. "Because I love you."

And Momo giggled softly, touched but still amused because the words were very unlike Jeongyeon. She placed another kiss to Jeongyeon's lips, gentle and soft, eyes crinkling with affection at the blush that colored the older girls cheeks.

"I love you, too."

Jeongyeon smiled as Momo settled back comfortably against her, fingers intertwined, bodies pressed into each other, gentle kisses down the side of her face, and her thoughts full of Momo.

A nightmare turned into a dream.