asleep! (Shrouded-Jed AND brinnygetsstabbed, because I am greedy today ;3)
send ย asleep for my museโs thoughts watching yours sleep
Sam rolled over, curling towards the warm body at her back, stirring slightly. She was a little disoriented, not used to being so deeply asleep. Not used to sleeping in a bed, either, or with someone else.
Bleary eyes blinked slowly, one eyelid dragging open. Her arms were huddled between them, clutching onto her shirt, her knees pulled up under the hem like a toddler in a dress, curled up into a ball. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the low light. No campfire nearby to cast shadows, just the faint ambient light through the windows of his bedroom.
Jed was a hell of a lot less scary when he was asleep. Then again, he hadnโt been particularly scary lately, had he?
Her gaze tried to trace out every detail she could define in the dark. From the beginning with him, sheโd maintained that he was unjustly attractive. It wasnโt threatening now, though. It was a sort of soft that was becoming increasingly familiar. She knew she was lucky for that, lucky that heโd kept up the affection for so long. Sheโd mess it up eventually. Sheโd fuck something up, the balance would be ruined, heโd snap back to psychopathic murderer again. Their truce didnโt feel tenuous, but it did feel impermanent. Good could only last for so long.
She took in a deep breath, swimming in the scent of him, her body still somehow managing to stay relaxed.
It was worth it. Having this - comfort, security, affection and warmth - must have made it worth all the struggle. Or, at least... at least that struggle had given her some kind of reward: him. He was soft for her, and strong and protective and nurturing... Sheโd never had someone so keen on taking care of her. It kinda made her want to do the same.
Samโs eyes dropped from the canopy, no longer tracing the sparks from the fire as they floated up. They fell to the kid nearby, looking troubled in her sleep. Sam didnโt like seeing Brinley scared, but there was a level of satisfaction she had at being in close proximity while it happened.
She leaned over, tugging the girlโs blanket back over the kid before adjusting her position to angle toward her. It was reassuring, knowing she could do something, she could be useful. Brin was the one person sheโd taken it on herself to put in effort for. Not for maintaining their friendship - though that too - but... she wanted to protect the girl. Sam wasnโt usually one to self-sacrifice, but Brinny was an exception.
From the first time theyโd met, Sam had felt that little tug of familiarity. There was some element of responsibility that came with it. Sure, sometimes that meant a little resentment, usually because she was so internally opposed to placing herself in danger for the sake of someone else, but Brin was the exception. She wasnโt sure why. Something about trying to make it up to her younger self, maybe. Something about blame and blamelessness.
