#omniheim

( * dark matter starters | @omniheim​ )

‘ is everything okay? ’

     SHE HAD BEEN far too quiet, she knew, & yet any attempt at conversation died on her tongue before it reached her lips. she had tried to seem distracted instead of quiet, flipping through pictures on the sheikah slate from her latest excursion, but eventually she had forgotten to tell her fingers to keep moving through the pictures, & her illusion of focus had fallen.

     MOST WOULD NOT have noticed–––– would have considered her lost in thought or simply tired–––– but, the camaraderie she had built with the knight in training had long since allowed him to view sides of her that she normally fought to keep hidden. & yet, even knowing he could see through her, she nodded her head, though zelda was smart enough not to look his way.

     ❝ yes, everything’s fine. ❞

     WITH THAT STARK reminder that she wasn’t alone, zelda turned back to the slate, attempting to move through her pictures once again. but, she found them a reminder of her father’s latest lecture & the pressure she had been attempting to flee, & so the slate was set aside. her head rested gently against the side of the stables of the outer court, where she'd initially run to have some time alone.

     JUDGING BY THE burn of tears in her eyes, she needed a distraction. & quickly.

     SUDDENLY, HER GAZE was on cloud, 

    ❝ shall we work on your accent? ❞

     IT SEEMED AS good a distraction as any. it had been a while since they had last attempted such a lesson, & with her notebook tucked safely into the pouch at her side, there was nothing stopping them from their impromptu exercise.

     ❝ we’re completely alone here, so there’s no need to worry about sounding foolish. ❞ 

     BECAUSE ANYONE WHO was attempting to use a different accent could stumble upon foolish now & again, cloud included.

     HER HAND REACHED for her pouch, but she paused. necessary distraction or not, she didn’t want him to think that she was forcing him into an improvised class. instead, she rose on her knees, watching him closely to listen for his answer & watch for any sign of uncertainty on his face.

( ❥     𝐓𝐎  𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐒𝐄  𝐖𝐄  𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄  ,  𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐓𝐒  𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌  𝐏𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐓  . | @omniheim​​ )

❛ i’m always tired but never of you . ❜

     ❛ well, aren’t i lucky? ❜ the tone of her voice way playful, tinged with the laughter she was attempting to hold back, but her words were more than honest. she felt lucky. to gain cloud’s favor was rare enough, but for him to VOICE that favor was almost unheard of–––– though, she wouldn’t have expected him to phrase it any other way. she laughed as she sat next to him, shaking her head.

      ❛ if you had been sick of me, i would have told you that you’d done an awful job of showing it. ❜ he finally allowed herself to laugh, a soft, breathy sound. her hand reached out to brush gently through his hair. as SWEET as she had found his words, there was something in his tone that she couldn’t quite shake, & she found herself lingering on it.

      ❛ now, ❜ she wasn’t sure what his reaction to her PRYING, no matter how gentle, would be. but she decided it was worth the try–––– the effort–––– even if she only got avoidance in return.  ❛ what’s got you so tired today, hm? ❜

( injury/hurt prompts bc reasons  | @omniheim​​ )

[ scream ] for one muse to wake up because the other is having a nightmare

    she was up in an INSTANT, heart pounding in her ears at the sudden awakening. it took a few moments for her to realize what had woken her. sounds from next door—— mumbling, shouting—— in the voice of an old friend. she didn’t have to think for a moment before she was on her feet, rushing to her door to get t cloud’s, where she hesitated. her fingers brushed against the door before she gave a soft knock. if she was wrong, & he was awake, she didn’t want to barge right in.

    ❛ cloud? are you awake? ❜

    the almost frantic mumbling she received in return was enough of an answer, & she found herself stepping inside without calling out again. her gaze didn’t linger on the bareness of the room—— almost IDENTICAL to her own—— & instead focused on cloud.

    his movements were minuscule, small & quick, almost like a twitch, & it looked so foreign from when he was awake, & all of his movement were DELIBERATE & strong. even when he wasn’t moving, the way his brow furrowed & his lips pressed together was sign enough that something was wrong. she found herself reaching forward to shake him awake, & then paused.

    it was far from the first time she’d woken someone up from a nightmare—— she’d woken marlene from nightly FITS before, & had quickly come up with the best way to do it. 

    but, waking a toddler & waking an EX——SOLDIER were two completely different tasks.

    she shifted, keeping her distance & focusing on his hand, instead. she reached out to give it a SHAKE, going so far to take it in her own.

    ❛ cloud? cloud——? ❜

    the end of her call was taken by her own gasp as cloud sat up, & she found herself taking a few steps back. watching him reach for his sword in his panic, she knew she had made the right decision—— the last thing she wanted was to cause him more fear when he woke up. she waited for his eyes to meet hers, for recognition to flash across his face, before she closed the DISTANCE again, kneeling by his bedside & reaching out for his hand.

    ❛ hey, are you okay? i could hear you from next door. ❜

    her thumb moved over his knuckles in a movement that she hoped was comforting. she wouldn’t ask what his nightmare had been about, she knew BETTER than that.

    ❛ do you need anything? ❜ but, she made that decision herself, giving his hand a squeeze before standing up.