@artiificed asked: ∗ o5﹕ sender comforts receiver in the aftermath of a nightmare . / from basil.
Sleep was hard.
It was like cutting cold turkey, but if you needed at least a little turkey to survive. It was moderation over addiction. Despite how much he wanted to stay in bed, to fall back into Headspace and wrap his arms around idealized younger friends. That’s not what was good for him. That was not healthy.
However, dreams were split between that idealistic and terrifying. The harsh gripping nails of terror. Eyes staring down at him, accusatory in their gaze. However, he is trapped. He looks down at his hands, and blood covers them. His skin turning horrendous. He’s turning into a beast. No, a monster. No. He already was. The outside was just matching the inside.
A shout, and he’s being squeezed. Mari is killing him, she’s getting her revenge finally. It’s what he deserves, it’s what his punishment is.
However, it is not death that meets him. Only consciousness. Eyes shoot open, and he fights for a moment before the familiar smell of floral and grass float around him. Basil. Of course it was Basil. He was staying over. He wasn’t in Black Space, he wasn’t in the grips of guilt.
Things were getting better. Exhaustion grips him, despite having just woken up, and he stops fighting. He wraps his arms around in the warming hug and relaxes – just a fraction.