it wasnโt the first nightmare the two of them had shared. usually, though, sunny was on the receiving end of them. sleep did not come easily to him. his dreams were too often plagued by the anxiety that lived in his stomach, stretching through his skin at the worst possible times, turning rest into another thing he had to survive. with rue, though, those feelings were manageable. not gone, but softer and quieter. something he could breathe around when she was close.
he did his best to sit with her through every emotion the two of them carried into bed with them. hope, fear, depression, all of it tangled between their limbs like another blanket. he had never felt so much love for someone before. never wanted to try so hard, never wanted to be good at staying, at understanding, at being whatever someone needed without making it about himself. not until rue.
his sweet, pretty, sunshiney girl.
calloused hands pressed against her cheeks as he crawled over her, never really considering that personal space might be something other people valued in a crisis. rueโs eyes fluttered open, gasping breaths tearing through her, and sunnyโs thumbs brushed gently across her cheekbones. โbaby,โ he said softly, then again, like the word itself could tether her. โbaby, itโs okay.โ he pressed his forehead against hers, breathing slow, trying to give her something steady to follow. โyouโre here. iโve got you.โ
the kisses started gentle. soft little things peppered across her cheeks, her forehead, wherever he could reach, each one meant to pull her back into the room, into the warmth of him, into the fact that she wasnโt alone. his hand shifted slowly, dipping into her brown hair, and when he kissed her properly, it was deeper but still careful. still asking. he wanted to comfort her, and sometimes words felt too small for everything he felt. sometimes all he knew how to do was show her โ in the way he held her, in the way he touched her like she was precious, in the way he loved her without needing her to be okay first.
his hands moved with deliberate care, pausing before anything changed, his eyes searching her face for permission. a nod. a smile. anything that told him she wanted him there, that this was helping, that he wasnโt taking something she didnโt want to give. when he found it, his expression softened, and the smile that crossed his face was warm enough to ache.
he pressed another kiss to her skin before slowly moving lower. every touch stayed reverent, unhurried, one hand finding hers so he could lace their fingers together. he kept looking back up at her, checking, anchoring, loving her through the quiet aftermath of fear. by the time he settled between her thighs, his smile was still soft, still full of all the things he didnโt know how to say. โjust let me take care of you,โ he murmured. โyou donโt have to think about anything else.โ
