It had been months since she had last laid in his bed. There had always been some sort of intimate undertone, but it was nothing compared to the way her heart pounded in loud controlled pulses. The mattress still remembers her weight, just as Keith seemed to recall which side of the bed she often slept on. Ophelia is facing him, her hand outstretched yet hesitant in the way her digits twitch against his pillow, barely ghosting against his hair. They had been awake for quite some time now, as if he would wake up alone as he had for the past few months. "I won't leave, not anymore." Her voice rasps out in the dark, carrying a sense of regret and longing. She had missed this. She owed him this promise. Even as she believed herself to be a shell of her former self, he still allowed her to remain. "I'll be here when you wake up."
UNPROMPTED ┊always accepting.
This moment felt unreal. It felt like he was dreaming, but the way his pulse echoed in his ears and how he could clearly tell he wasn't the only one putting weight against the mattress made it hard to dismiss this as a dream. For so long, Keith had wanted this kind of moment again, to be able to roll over and see Ophelia next to him like the old days. Yet he kept thinking that the girl beside him was a vivid figment of his imagination—that if he blinked enough times, she'd disappear into thin air. Even though he knew Ophelia would keep her word, he still hesitated to close his eyes despite how sleepy he was.
There he was, resting on his side with his head against his usual pillow. His left arm was resting underneath it, the cool side of the pillow ensuring he would stay mostly comfortable and less at risk of an attack. Going to sleep with Ophelia next to him was not new, but after so many months apart, he was afraid of this being a one time thing before he had to deal with a long absence again—in fact, his heart pounded restlessly with the anxiety that thought gave him. Would it be wrong to cling to her right now? He... really wanted to make sure she would still be there later.
The boy savored the ghost of her touch against his bangs despite her fingers being long gone from there. With the sky dark, curtains closed, and the lights off, it was hard to make out the face beside him, but he knew she was there. Gingerly reaching out his braced right hand—he had moved his wrist guard over for the night—Keith tenderly lined up their fingers and palms and pressed their hands together with utmost gentleness.
His eyes narrowing and opening forcibly as he fought the urge to fall asleep, he loosely interlocked their fingers, ❝ Don't leave, ❞ he murmured quietly, his voice quivering in a way that sounded like he was nearly begging. Even still, the sleepiness was evident in his words as he folded his fingers between hers. As much as he wanted to stay awake and catch up—say anything more than this—it was hard for him to stay awake at this point.
The need to sleep finally getting past his stubbornness, the boy's fingers slackened their hold, and his eyelids finally resigned themselves to staying shut.
