context! this is a sequel to this fic of v's nightmare, so i suggest you read that if you haven't. this fic is basically v venting to obie lmao. hope you enjoy!
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it was the middle of the night.
v tumbled out of bed, landing on the floor with a loud thump. they scrambled to sit up as their eyes darted around the room.
they were in the antique store. they were nowhere to be seen. v hugged themself tight. their heart was racing and their breathing was heavy.
they were so caught up in their own emotions that they didn't notice the person they were sleeping with had gotten out of bed too. obie kneeled down and placed a hand on their shoulder.
"V... Ya alright? That was a mighty violent wake up ya had there..."
their head snapped to look at him. obie could only see fear in their eyes and... were those tears? he cupped v's face gently with his other hand and spoke in a much quieter voice than before.
"Hey, hey... I'm here for you. Nothing's gonna happen to ya while I'm around..."
v stared at obie. he could feel their heartbeat gradually slow down to a still high, yet more normal tempo as their staring continued. they seemed a little less on edge, a bit more relaxed.
"...D'you wanna talk about it?"
...
they didn't say anything, instead they hugged obie tightly and buried their face in his shoulder, sobbing into it. he had almost immediately returned the hug.
"I getcha. Just take your time, sugar... We've got all night."
so they sat there in each other's embrace for a long while. obie had began tracing little patterns into v's back to comfort them. they had an unrelenting grip on his shirt for a time. eventually, their sobbing had calmed to just little hiccups and sniffles. v's grip had loosened as they finally spoke, though they were very meek.
"sniff- I had a- a nightmare... It's one I used to- hic- used to have a l-lot... 't had to do with-.. with my... 'imaginary friend'..."
"Hmph- Well, they don't sound real friendly-like if this is how they make ya feel."
they nodded into his shoulder with a soft 'mmhm'. the two stayed like that for a moment longer before v pulled away. they looked off into the dark corners of the room.
"... You... You haven't seen the shadows... looking back at you.. H-have you?"
he shook his head in the darkness.
"Can't say I have. Is that somethin' that you see?"
...
"... Yeah."
v floated to their feet and held a hand out to help obie off the floor.
"Get up and I'll tell you about it. I really need to get this off my chest anyways."
he took their hand and was yanked up to his feet, stumbling a little due to the very sudden change in altitude. v went to turn on the lights and sat back on the bed, patting the spot next to them for him to sit. he did.
"Ugh- Where to start with this..."
they took a moment to collect their thoughts and sighed.
"Well, as far back as I can remember I've been able to see this thing following me around in the darkness. It was almost like my shadow came to life and for a while I considered it my imaginary friend since, y'know, no one else could see it. It wasn't 'til midway through grade school or so that it got... aggressive. They wouldn't leave me alone. I would have that same nightmare night after night... God, it made me such a messed up kid. I was so stressed all the time..."
v looked down at their hands, they were shaking. the more they remembered, the more tense they grew. they took a deep breath and continued on.
"They eventually stopped showing their face--or eye I guess--and that was that, or so I THOUGHT-"
their apparent anxiety had melted into frustration. v's hands had balled up into fists.
"Ever since I got here its been rearing it's ugly head around every dark corner I've seen and it's complete bushwa. I have absolutely zero clue what beef this thing has with me and to be frank? I'm sick and tired of it. I'm tired of it telling me I'm not strong enough, that I'm weak. I've already got so much on my plate that this is the rancid cherry on top!-"
v snapped. they shot up from their sitting position and began pacing around the room, gesturing wildly along with their speech. they were almost yelling at this point.
"First my uncle goes missing and I get called in to save him, but uh oh! Turns out I've made enemies with the damn shadow government! Now they've sent their most powerful accountant to balance my books or some bushwa like that-"
"Not only that but I found my mom's brother who's been been working on finding her since she's been missing for some 20-odd years. Which is good! It really is. But I'm worried that I'm gonna mess up some part of his weird science plan to locate her and he's gonna go missing too!"
"Also, this whole adventure has been stressful and confusing- like, why are there so many gangs in this city? What the hell happened at Crystaldream Lake to make those time anomalies?? What the HELL was Mudhenge???"
their pacing landed them by the odd faerie sculpture, which v socked in the head as they were so worked up. there was a loud crunch as their fist made contact with the wood. obie stared at them with surprise. this was the first time he's seen v get genuinely pissed off at something and it was a bit scary... they had a look in their eyes that was telling him that they'd break more things if he didn't step in. obie rummaged through their nightstand and snatched a handful of pencils.
"V, wouldja c'mere? I got somethin' for you."
v's head snapped back to look at obie in a way that shouldn't be possible for someone with bones. they dismissed their anger with a shake of the head and now had a curious look.
"Huh? What's it?"
they floated over to him.
obie was taken aback by the sudden shift in tone. there wasn't a drop of anger in their demeanor anymore, just intrigue. he just pulled them in to sit back down.
"You never fail to give me whiplash, V. It ain't a big thing but it is quite odd seein' you flip from one emotion to another like a coin."
he gives them a little squish and a kiss on the forehead. they giggle, leaning into him more.
"Glad to see you're doin' better, hun."
obie stands. he sets the pencils back down on the nightstand and goes to the light switch.
"I think it's 'bout time to flop again, so lights out. Ya follow?"
"Mhmm... Sounds ducky to me."
with a click the lights were shut off. obie made his way back to the bed to cuddle with v, v making grabby hands at him until he got there.
and so, they both drifted off to sleep peacefully... no night terrors to be seen.
