👁 Wake my muse up during a nightmare//willa and zari
A fellow student of theirs had an art show tonight over in Oakland that seemed to have dragged on. There was supposed to be a group of them going to it, but most of their friends backed out at the last second, leaving it just the two of them. Things has been a little awkward over the last month or so since Willa was still dating Bennette. Zari and Willa didn’t spend as much time together, so in her mind this was the perfect night to kind of reconnect as friends.
The art show was super boring and long. Every time Zari and Willa tried to sneak out after their courtesy hour of attending, someone--including the classmate--would run into one or both of them and start to talk their ears off, somehow guilting them into staying longer. By the third time they tried to leave, it had turned into a strange game for them. Eventually, after the sixth or so time, they gave up and decided to enjoy some of the complimentary wine. Once the initial awkwardness had worn off, it felt just like old times. For Willa, it felt like them again.
Since Willa lived so close, she told Zari she didn’t have to go all the way back to San Francisco tonight, so she could just there. They were both wine drunk. Wine made Willa sleepy so she knew it wouldn’t be long until she fell asleep. Willa wanted to smoke a little before she went to bed to avoid being hung over. Zari tried her best to stay awake but eventually fell asleep in Willa’s bed. Not that Willa minded at all. Once she took a few hits from her bowl, without even thinking about it, Willa joined Zari in the bedroom.
Zari had to have been asleep for at least 45 minutes before Willa got in there. She made sure not to be too noisy so she wouldn’t wake her. Willa was checking a few things on social media and writing back to her boss about coming in later. In the middle of a text, Zari started to whimper and whine in her sleep. Willa went back to what she was doing, thinking it was just Zari’s cute way of sleeping. A few minutes later, she started to breathe heavy in her sleep, tossing and turning. Shit, she was having a nightmare.
Willa set her phone down immediately, Zari’s nightmare obviously getting worse because her thrashing and desperate whimpers for help got worse and little louder. “Z... Hey... wake up...” She said, nudging her a little, hoping she would wake right up. It seemed like she was deep in her nightmare, because her breathing got heavier. Willa moved closer to Zari, an arm going around her torso keep her from rocking around so much. “Z...Zari!... Zari wake up!” she said a bit louder, hoping to knock her out of it.
Eventually, Zari’s eyes opened. She looked confused, panicked, and sad. “Hey...” she said quietly to her, offering her a smile in hopes it would calm her down. She gently moved some of her hair out of her face. Her forehead was damp with sweat. “You were having a bad dream... I didn’t mean to wake you... You just sounded really scared and I just wanted to make sure you were okay,” she told her in a quiet, calming voice. She hugged Zari a little closer to her. Willa was practically cradling her, even though they were both on their sides. Willa gave Zari a soft kiss to her forehead before pulling her closer to her to hug. “It’s alright Zari. I got you. I’m here...”
