hope x light. "My nightmares are usually about losing you" have fun ;)
Neither of them had ever commented on the fact that they always seemed to hold onto each other a little too tightly as they drifted off to sleep. Lightning always assumed it was because they were just relieved that they were finally together.
Being in such close proximity, however, always alerted her to every little shift in sleep that Hope made. Sometimes it was just the normal sort, where he’d try to get comfortable, but often - especially lately - it was almost as though he was trying not to thrash around. The only reason he couldn’t was because of their arms around each other.
And increasingly, these jarring movements of his would often wake her up from a deep sleep, as sure as though he’d commanded her to do so.
“Hope?” Lightning murmured sleepily as her eyes fluttered open. He didn’t answer, but his brow was furrowed and sweat was forming on his temples. “Hope!”
“No...don’t - not now...”
“Hope!” She managed to wiggle out of his hold and shook him awake, breathing out a sigh of relief when his eyes fluttered open. He took a couple of quick, sharp breaths, his eyes darting around in confusion. “You’re okay,” she murmured, immediately moving close again. “You’re fine, Hope.”
“Light,” he gasped, hugging her tightly. “I - I’m sorry, I - it felt so real...”
“Shhh.” She reached up and gently stroked his hair. “You’re safe now. It’s okay.”
He let out a long, shaky breath. “It...it was about Bhunivelze and all those centuries...”
Though she couldn’t repress her shudder, Lightning continued to comfort him. “Hope, it’s okay. We’re safe here. You can talk about it.”
To her surprise, he laughed, though it was entirely devoid of humor. “That wasn’t even the worst thing I’ve had to deal with in sleep.”
“What?” She couldn’t imagine what was worse than dreaming about a manipulative god who had almost destroyed them all. “It’s not?”
“No. Usually it’s worse.” He let out another trembling breath. “My nightmares are usually about losing you.”
Lightning’s hand paused for a moment, but she soon continued to stroke his hair and pulled him close in reassurance. “Your nightmares are wrong,” she whispered in what she hoped was a comforting voice. “I’m here. You’ll never lose me again.”
