#dreamdox

There’d been one close call that morning, down in the lab. J’onn had been going over the details of their latest alien convict case when Nia had felt it. That dream-like gut punch that told her something was about to go very wrong.

Brainy had been stood at her side, arms tensely folded across his chest, all but smothering the Brainiac insignia on his shirt. To anyone else, he would’ve looked focused on the task at hand, but Nia could read between the lines.

He’d had maybe one solid thought track reserved for J’onn’s briefing, and that was being generous. It was no secret that their lack of leads over the last few weeks had been grating on everyone’s nerves, but none more than Brainy’s. She was pretty sure he’d manipulated his image inducer just to hide the extent of it from everyone. His eyes had been far too bright ever since they’d left the apartment that morning, the heavy shadows she’d seen lurking beneath them conveniently absent.

It was only when Brainy started to tilt in her periphery that Nia had realised what that gut punch had meant. She hadn't needed a vision to fill in the gaps, not when Brainy’s eyes flickered shut and he'd tipped abruptly towards her.

Fortunately, Nia was quick. Before he'd had a chance to fall, she'd caught his shoulder with her own, gently bumping him back into place. To his credit, Brainy recovered in record time, blinking quickly to recalibrate his surroundings.

The whole thing had lasted maybe two seconds, tops, and if any of the Super Friends had noticed, they didn't say a word.

So, Nia hadn’t mentioned it either.

She really regretted making that decision now. If she’d just called him out on it that morning, maybe she wouldn’t have found Brainy at his desk just a few hours later, head cushioned across folded arms, all but dead to the world.

The research Brainy had been working through was still visible on the Tower’s television screens, though the only sign of activity came from the steady flash of the stationary cursor. Brainy’s own computer screen had gone dark some time ago, which at least gave Nia a good place to start in terms of figuring out exactly how long he’d been like this.  

It wasn’t too late, just past lunchtime, and while any other member of the Super Friends might have been alarmed by Brainy’s impromptu nap, Nia knew what the others didn’t.

Brainy hadn’t slept that night. And it wasn’t the first time, either.

Some nights, she’d rolled over to find his side of the bed empty by 3am. Others, Brainy had tossed and turned so restlessly that Nia had been forced to grumble out half lucid complaints just to get him to quit it. By the time she came-to, she’d find him flat on his back, perfectly still at her side - eyes closed but flickering fitfully behind his lids, never quite unconscious.   

In the early days of their relationship, Nia wouldn’t have known what that had meant. Now, though? Now, she was very well acquainted with the stages of a Coluan sleep cycle.  

First, there was the short but succinct restorative process that lasted anywhere between one to three hours. The Coluan equivalent of a human sleep pattern, she supposed. In that time, he’d shut down all thought tracks, all non-essential processes, and allow his body and mind the total freedom to recuperate uninterrupted. His eyes never moved in that state, there was no REM cycle going on, no dreams at all. His mind retreated somewhere far beyond the realm Nia might catch glimpses of in her own dreams, a state of being linked solely with his life core, a shared space within the Big Brain. Wherever it was, wherever it took him, Nia knew he always found peace there.

The other sleep state – the one Brainy often fell into now he shared his nights with her – was something akin to a light doze. He was freer with his choice of positioning during that time, often cosying up to her instead of lying Nosferatu-style on his back. Those were the hours Nia liked best, where she could curl up into his chest or wind herself around him, feeling his breath in her hair, his hands on her waist or tracing patterns across her spine. His mind was open to her in that state, so much that the edges of their dreams would often blur and coalesce into one still life portrait that they could share.

She couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen him inhabit either of those states.

As she watched Brainy’s back rise and fall with each heavy exhale, she knew that this was more of a light doze situation than anything else. His fingers were curled tightly against the table, a level of strain pulling his shoulders taut. Nia couldn’t see her boyfriend’s face beneath his folded arms, but she could imagine the pinched expression that might’ve greeted her. She knew this nap wouldn’t bring him any peace, not when it hadn’t been preceded by the restorative process he clearly needed.

Her skin prickled at the thought.

She should’ve said something sooner. She’d felt it in her gut, why hadn’t she just…?

“He’s not okay, is he?”

Nia turned sharply at the sound of Alex’s voice. She hadn’t even noticed her come up from the elevator, let alone sneak up behind her.

Nia tightened her arms around herself, ducking her head. “He’s not been sleeping,” she said carefully, trying to hide the strain in her own voice.

“Again?” Alex asked. She took a step closer, peering over Nia’s shoulder, reviewing Brainy with a doctor’s eye. She frowned her concern. “I don’t think I’ve seen him this bad since he first started working at the DEO.”

Nia smiled grimly. “That tracks.” When Alex looked at her in confusion, she sighed. “Brainy used to tell me how difficult it was in the early days adjusting to this time,” she explained. “It really used to stress him out. And that’s the thing— he’s been stressing a lot worse since he took off his inhibitors, especially after…” Nia shuddered, gritting her teeth at the memory. She closed her eyes. “While he was working for Lex, I mean, he hardly slept. In fact, he would’ve done anything to avoid it. So now, any time he starts stressing over something…”

“The pattern repeats,” Alex finished. She watched Brainy sympathetically, worry lines etched into her brow. “I really don’t want to wake him, but he deserves to be resting properly. This—” she waved her hand over his head, “isn’t exactly ideal.”

Nia’s lips twitched. “I’ll handle it.”

“Are you sure?” Alex asked, turning towards her. “Do you need any help?”

“It’s fine. Trust me, I got this.”

Alex hesitated. It was weird, seeing that protective older sister instinct take over in real time. It practically glued her to the spot. Nia tried not to smile at Alex’s expense. She knew it couldn’t have been easy handing her duty of care over to someone else, especially if this had become her area of expertise in the early days of Brainy’s career.

She wondered if his sleep cycle had ever come up with Alex before. It was probably on his medical file somewhere, but Nia sincerely doubted Brainy had given up that information lightly. It had taken her weeks of sleeping in the same bed as him just to broach the subject casually.

Eventually, Alex cleared her throat. “Well then, take him home,” she told her, holding Nia’s eye for an uncomfortable beat. “And tell him he won’t be fit for duty until he’s had a proper Coluan-fit sleep. Doctor’s orders.”

Oh yeah, she definitely knew what was up. Nia felt bad for ever doubting her.

“Noted,” Nia said, saluting with two fingers as Alex headed back down to the lab, but not before giving Brainy’s hair an affectionate ruffle. Surprising neither of them, he didn’t so much as stir.  

Once she and Brainy were alone in the loft again, Nia bit her lip, shuffling a little closer to the table. She took up Alex’s old position, watching Brainy’s posture for any change, any reason to think he might have been aware of his surroundings at all.

When Brainy remained unresponsive, she took his shoulder with one hand, ignoring the tension knotted there, and brushed her fingers across his forehead with the other, knocking a few feathery strands of golden hair across his nose.

“Querl?” she asked softly.

On Brainy’s more difficult days, Nia always found it easier to reach her boyfriend by using his given name. Just as she’d anticipated, he shifted slightly, making a muffled sound into his arms. As he lifted his head, Nia tried not to smile at the imprint left behind on his cheek by his sleeve. His lashes flickered slowly as he tried to blink his eyes open. They were dark and bloodshot and extremely heavy lidded, but he was awake. He was with her.

Nia let her fingers travel up to the roots of his hair, scratching his scalp in the way she knew he liked. Brainy responded immediately, an appreciative hum rumbling somewhere in his chest. Nia did smile then. “Hey Wildcat, how’re you doing?”

“Nia?” his voice was a little dry, crackling heavily around his modulator as he became reacquainted with those muscles. He raised his head towards her, the first tell-tale flicker of acknowledgement whirring behind his eyes. “Apologies, I—I must’ve--” At that, something inside of him snapped to life and he straightened so quickly that Nia’s hand slipped from his shoulder. “I—don’t know why I—” He cleared his throat, and while obviously disoriented, his hand still found the keyboard reflexively, gripping it for purchase. Immediately, his screen turned on, although Nia didn’t miss the way he shied away from the bright light. “I assure you, it won’t happen again.”

“Oh, I can bet it won’t.” Nia took his elbow, leaning in towards his ear. “Because you’ve just been benched.”

It was adorable watching those cogs start to turn again as Brainy tried to figure out what she meant. She rarely caught him out like this, which really spoke volumes as to how exhausted he must’ve been. Brainy opened his mouth as though to refute her, only to close it again when he took further stock of the room. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “Alex was here, wasn’t she?”

Nia snorted. “Doctor’s orders,” she repeated, rubbing his shoulder sympathetically.

Brainy’s quick burst of energy was already beginning to wane. He leant into her touch without hesitation, his eyes flickering shut again.

“Hey,” Nia said quickly, cupping the side of his face. “Listen, you’re exhausted, Brainy. Can you honestly tell me when you last slept?” She gripped his arm tighter, just for emphasis. “And not just cat naps, I mean your last restorative cycle.”

No more secrets, it had been both their promise and mantra to one another ever since Nia had saved Brainy from Leviathan’s ship. It wasn’t always perfect, and she could tell that Brainy was uncomfortable admitting to it now, but his exhaustion was clearly winning out.

After a few seconds to process, Brainy lowered his head in defeat. “Seven days, fourteen hours.”

Nia’s mouth fell open in surprise. “A week? You haven’t slept for a whole week?”

Brainy’s shoulders drew together defensively. “I have gone far longer without sleep before, my species are—”

She lifted her hand in front of him, stopping him in his tracks. “Querl Dox, Colaun or not, nearly eight days is a push and you know it.” When Brainy failed to meet her eye, she sighed, rubbing circles into his back with her thumb. “If there’s something on your mind, you can tell me.”

Brainy made a derisive sound at the back of his throat “That’s the problem,” he muttered irritably. “Everything is on my mind. I- normally, I can compartmentalise, control and distribute any thought or calculation I wish to hone my focus on. But, but right now?” He laughed through his teeth, baring them into a tight smile. “I can’t.”

“Can’t- compartmentalise?”

“Can’t think.” He rubbed at his eyes in frustration. “Recent stressors have been a factor, of course, but I find now that the simplest answer to a problem feels like a mile long task.”

“Lack of sleep can do that to a person,” Nia considered. She dug her knuckles into some of the more compacted areas of Brainy’s back as she spoke, watching his jaw tighten as he struggled to remain functional. “Why don’t we head home for the day?”

Brainy scoffed at that, rolling his shoulder away from her. He scowled down at the table. “Do I have a choice in the matter? I suspect you will remove me either way.”

Nia shrugged. “Well, it is the logical choice, unless you wanna take it up with Alex.”

Brainy only groaned in answer.

She stroked his hair, flattening out the top of his head before planting a kiss against his scalp. His skin was warm against her lips, not quite feverish, but a little more than a Coluan’s natural heat signature. She had her suspicions that he’d been dipping into power reserves normally meant for his doppelgangers just to keep himself on his feet.

But, that was a conversation for later.

“We’ll figure it out,” Nia promised, resting her chin on his head, letting that warmth bleed into her jaw. She wrapped her arms around his front, grinning when Brainy began to relax against her again. “If my mom taught me anything, it’s that things always look a little brighter after a good night’s sleep.”

Brainy perked up curiously at that, his dark eyes flickering up to meet her. “It’s two thirty in the afternoon.”

“Semantics.” She drew back, giving his shoulders one final squeeze. “Come on, ready to go?”

Brainy’s response was a grumbled mixture of Coluan and English, but he pushed himself onto his feet regardless. Nia untangled herself from his shoulders before heading out in front of him. She was halfway to the elevator when she sensed what he was about to do.

“Don’t even think about it,” she warned.

Behind her, Brainy dropped the tablet he’d been trying to surreptitiously stow inside his backpack. “Your precognitive abilities are growing stronger, I see,” he commended with a dry smile. “It’s annoying.”

Nia laughed. “Let’s go, sleepy head, before Alex kicks us both outta here.”

Once they were home and Nia had finally managed to coax Brainy to bed, she could tell he was still too restless to sleep. He eventually agreed to let her douse him with a little extra dream energy, lulling him into a part of his unconscious mind where any unruly thoughts would have trouble following.

She stayed close to his side as he struggled to get comfortable on the bed, keeping an eye on the ever-present tension in his arms as he folded them over his chest. He’d lifted any illusions from his image inducer the second they’d stepped foot inside the apartment, and now Nia could see the deep shadows beneath Brainy’s eyes, sinking like sallow bruises into his cheekbones.

It must have felt impossible at times to sleep with a mind as crowded as Brainy’s. The restorative process was meant to be an escape from that, a total surrender to the Big Brain, but that escape didn’t come naturally to Brainy, not after so many years without it, especially when he’d worked himself up like this.

Nia knew this would be a bigger conversation somewhere down the line, but Brainy was still hesitant to share his anxieties with her, especially anything that related to his time working for Lex. Kelly had offered her office to him if he ever wanted a professional ear, but he still had a way to go before he’d feel comfortable sharing like that.

Still, every step was progress.

For right now, Nia knelt by his side, stroking her hand through his hair, across his forehead. She let her other drift over Brainy’s chest and stomach, feeding lazy swirls of dream energy into his projectors. After a while, Brainy’s eyes fell closed, a stuttered breath passing uneasily through his teeth.

She knew he was starting to slip towards the restorative process when he began muttering things in Coluan. The words were disjointed, his accent far too thick and heavy with sleep for her to pick up exactly what he was saying. Eventually, even those words mellowed into a purr-like hum courtesy of his relaxing modulator. His fingers loosened across his front and – just like that – he was totally out, the Big Brain sweeping any latent concerns away as it pulled him safely inside, his projectors pulsing brighter as a result.

Nia maintained her dream energy for a while longer, although the more she leaned into that power, the more she felt her own consciousness begin to slip away. It wasn’t abnormal for a Dreamer to get pulled under by her own energy, and while she’d fought it for a long time, she knew now that it was as natural and welcoming of an entity as the Big Brain was to Brainy.

Before she gave in completely, Nia quickly tucked herself into Brainy’s side, resting her head against his shoulder. She kept her hand poised over his central life core, holding their connection until the very last moment.

Her power washed over her like a calming tide of seafoam, turning the darkness behind her eyes into a familiar shade of blue.

Brainy would need to rest under his restorative process longer than normal to get the full effect, which gave her just enough time to paint the perfect picture inside her dreams. Like watercolour on canvas, she willed a series of soft oranges, yellows and blues to spill forth onto the page, bleeding into each other like the hazy landscape of a liminal space. From there, she began to build, turning ink blots into hilltops, marking stars around every empty spot the paint left dry.

It kept her mind at work, her body at peace and, most importantly, it gave her the perfect dream destination to take Brainy once the restorative process was complete. Somewhere that rest on any level would come easily for them both.