Tried my best at writing some fluff. It’s very short and quick, but it’s been a while since I’ve written anything</3
You can also find it here on Ao3!: Soothing Motions
You felt the bed creak and the covers shift around you, stirring you from your slumber. A soft murmur tumbled past your lips, eyes peeking open to peer into a warm darkness that suggested that it was late at night in the ship. Yet the movement didn’t stop. You propped yourself up, your mind hazy with sleep, your brows creased in confusion. Before you recalled who you were sharing a bed with. Your figure suddenly stiffened with realization, any trace of grogginess seeming to vanish as you flipped around to check on the male that rested at your side. Shiro. Even in the inky blackness, you could tell that his skin was covered with a cold sweat, his figure trembling and stirring in small, erratic movements. His lips parted, mumbling something before his teeth clenched together. You were more than aware of Shiro’s nightmares, something that plagued him every single night. That’s why you had offered to spend nights with him ever since you two confided in each other about your romantic feelings towards one another. For a while, your presence seemed to help, but some nights, the nightmares just came.
And this night seemed bad.
“Shiro,” you breathed, your voice a strained and worried mumble that seemed to echoed in the dead-silent abode. The paladin didn’t respond as his physique stiffened, his breathing becoming shallow and panicked. “Shiro. Please wake up,” you spoke again, this time louder. You were afraid of touching him, unsure on how he’d react to the sudden contact. Doing so was most likely stupid and dangerous, but how else were you going to snap him from this? You hesitantly reached forward, resting your palm against his shoulder and giving him a light shake. “Wake up, please… Shiro it’s only a nightmare. Wake u-” Suddenly, the male lurched forward, sitting upright with his eyes snapping wide open. You could tell his body was rigid with fear, his chest heaving with labored breaths and eyes downcast towards his lap in a glassy, unfocused stare. “Oh my god are you ok?,” You murmured, gingerly resting your hand against his arm to let him know you were there. It seemed to take him a few moments to realize where he was, lifting his head and drawing in a deep gulp of oxygen before releasing it in a long, drawn out sigh. “Y/n… I’m so sorry I-,” he began before he paused, dropping his head and pressing both his palms against his forehead. “Was… Was this one bad?,” you inquired softly, almost reluctant to bring it up. There was a long, silent pause before Shiro spoke up, his vocals sounding exhausted, “...Yeah. It was… It was pretty bad.” A frown tugged at the corners of your lips, pulling yourself up closer to his side and enveloping your arms around his broad shoulders. “It’s ok, I’m here,” you whispered softly, tilting your cranium to plant a gentle and warm kiss against the skin of his cheek. The paladin relaxed, his figure seeming to melt into you as his head rested against your forehead, another sigh whistling past his teeth.
“Here. What can I do to help you relax? There’s gotta be something?” Shiro lifted and dropped his shoulders in a shrug. “I just want to go back to sleep, but I-I don’t know if I can,” he murmured quietly. You pressed your lips together, giving him a slight squeeze before you wiggled back towards the head of the bed, resting all your weight against the wall. “Come here. I have an idea. I don’t expect it to put you to sleep, but I hope it helps,” you said, tapping your chest to signal for Shiro to join you. You could feel him gazing at you through the darkness, seeming hesitant to comply, but after a few moments he rested back to join you. His weight settled against your physique, his head resting upon your chest and you reached forward and took his arm, draping it across your waist so the position was more comfortable for the both of you. “Just… Relax, ok? I’ve got you now,” you murmured soothingly, your hand brushing up to run against his features before your nimble fingers glided slowly through his white forelock. You continued these motions in a rhythmic pattern, gingerly brushing his hair from his forehead before it fell back into place, your own head resting against the wall behind you. The two of you sat in completely silence, Shiro nuzzled against the fabric of your shirt and his body seemed to relax each time you drew your digits through his hair. Your other hand, which was resting against his back, snaked down to twiddle at the hem of his shirt before dipping underneath and your palm ghosted across his skin.You didn’t get much of a reaction from this, seeing that the paladin was almost immobilized by your grooming. However, you curled your fingers and applied a bit of pressure against his skin with your nails and began to softly scratch, earning you a half-hearted groan. A quiet chuckle bubbled up in your throat, continuing both motions and Shiro just seemed to… Melt, all signs of tension gone from his body. He shifted slightly, almost trying to direct you where to scratch exactly. “Up,” he mumbled groggily, your fingers moving upwards to scratch at his shoulder blade, the male once more groaning and slumping. “Down and to the left,” he said again after a few moments and you followed his instruction, a smile creeping along your lips. “Oh yeah that’s the spot,” Shiro breathed, his arm tightening around your body and his features nuzzling against the nape of your neck.
“Does that help a little bit?,” you chuckle, planting a kiss against the top of his head before once more drawing your fingers through his ivory locks. He lifted his head, pressing his lips gingerly against your jawline in a grateful gesture before his cranium rested back against your chest. “It helps a lot actually,” he answers gently, “Do… Do you think you could do this more often?” You pause what you were doing to drape your arms around his shoulders once more, pressing the male closer to you in a hug, resting your chin atop his cranium. “Of course I can, Shiro. Now how about we try going back to sleep. I can keep scratching your back if you want?” The paladin nods in response before he breaks away from the hug, propping himself up on his hands and he leaned forward, stealing a quick kiss against your lips while muttering a quiet and warm ‘thank you’. You shift in bed as he does, the male plopping over on his side and you do the same, reaching out to begin scratching at his back once more. Eventually, the two of you dozed back off.
At least for the rest of the night, the two of you slept soundly.
