Fair Game One Shots (RWBY)

Terrible Dreams

Qrow's POV

For most of my adult life, I had been an alcoholic. It ruined my life and I have given it up. But the one good thing that came from that was sleep. I could sleep through anything if I was drunk enough. No dreams, no nightmares, just empty sleep. 

Now, I was sober. And that meant I struggled with sleeping. I would lie awake most nights, or have terrible nightmares that forced me to relive painful memories. I didn't know how I could make them go away, so I just suffered. 

For the past week, I had relived my fight with Tyrian through nightmares. I woke up, feeling phantom pain in my side where he poisoned me. Every night, I would be covered in sweat, hyperventilating. 

Many times, I thought about asking Clover for help a few times, but then I thought about how he was always putting up with my negativity. I didn't want to be that person, who always brought him down. So, I decided to just try and work through it myself. 

"Uncle Qrow? Did you sleep last night?" My niece, Ruby asked me at breakfast one morning. She noticed how I dragged my feet, and how big the bags under my eyes had become. A week of not sleeping had finally begun to take it's toll. 

"Yeah kiddo, I'm great," I lied. I had always made sure to be happier around my nieces, no matter what I was going through, especially around Ruby. She looked up to me, I don't know why, and I wanted to be the person she needed. 

"I don't know... Maybe you should take the day of and rest. Take a nap. You've been working really hard recently."

"No, really, I'm fine. We have a job to do. Don't worry about me. It's my job to worry about you." Ruby gave me one more worried glance before heading off to sit with her friends.

"She's right you know. You've been pushing yourself just a little too hard. Take the day off." I heard a new voice say. I would recognize that voice anywhere, it belonged to Clover. He wrapped an arm around my waist and kissed me. "No offense hun, but you don't look so great. Please, take a nap." 

"Sorry, I've gotten my mission for today. Nap time will have to wait, I said, throwing the rest of my breakfast away. I had barely touched it.

Clover's eyebrows furrowed. "You don't eat, you don't sleep. Qrow, this needs to stop. Tell me what's wrong and how I can help." 

"I told you, just like I told Ruby, nothing is wrong. Now, if you excuse me, I have to head out. Love you." I kissed him goodbye, but he didn't kiss me back.

                             ~

I got home late that night, sore and dead tired. I flopped on my bed and was out within seconds. But it didn't take long for the nightmare to come back. I woke up, feeling more hopeless than I had in a long time. A silent stream of tears made their way down my face. I was cracking. Too much pressure, too much pain. If I kept this up, I would be a broken mess. I couldn't let that happen. I had Ruby, and her friends, and Clover to worry about now. Maybe if it was just me, like the old days, I wouldn't feel this broken. 

I couldn't stay alone, I knew that my mind would go to it's dark place. I would get depressed again. So, without changing out of my pajamas, I headed off down the hallways. I didn't know exactly where I was going, I just knew there had to be people there.

Soon, I was standing in front of a door. Without realizing it, I had made my way to Clover's room. I knocked on the door, and I heard Clover tell me to come in. 

Clover was laying on his bed, scroll in hand. He was shirtless, about ready to go to sleep.

"Qrow, babe, what's up?" He said, sitting up.

I just walked over to the bed and sat next to him. The tears started up again and I found myself burying my face into his chest, sobbing. His arms wrapped around me, reassuring me. Telling me that I would be alright. Clover placed a kiss on the top of my head and pulled me in closer.

"Tell me what's wrong, please." He voice cracked, full of emotion. So I did, I told him everything. About how my drinking habit had affected my sleeping pattern, and how being sober ruined it. I told him about the nightmares, and how I would not be able to sleep in fear of those nightmares. I told him about how I refused to talk about it so that I wouldn't be a burden. I told him absolutely everything.

Once I was finished, he gently lifted my chin so that he could look me in the eyes. "You are not a burden, you will never be a burden. You understand? I love you and I never want you to think that. We can talk to a doctor about how to deal with your nightmares and sleeping patterns in the morning. Tonight, I think you should stay here, with me." He kissed me, not his usual passionate kiss, but one full of what I can only call hope. It was delicate and sweet, reassuring me that I was not alone. 

So I stayed there that night. I slept right next to Clover, his arms wrapped around me. With him there, the nightmare seemed to vanish from existence. Clover told me that whenever I had trouble with sleeping or nightmares, I should come to him. The doctor gave me sleeping pills to take until I had a regular sleeping pattern. It didn't take very long for me to get better. Thanks to Clover, I was recovering.

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A/N: There isn't that much to say about this one. I struggled to write it because I struggle with sleeping and feeling so alone, so there was a lot of emotion involved. It's so easy to put yourself in the character's situation and your heart just breaks into a million little pieces. 

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