Night Terrors - Jay and Mel
Mar. 21st, 2024 07:34 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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xp_logsMel seeks Jay out after a nightmare.
Jay was surprised to find himself waking in the middle of the night- he'd never had trouble staying asleep unless you counted feeling like he was a butterfly or a hummingbird being pinned to a board sometimes when he tried to wake back up. But he'd hardly been asleep in the first place and whoever was walking around outside his door didn't sound like Sam's heavy steps.
He moved to the door, ready to tell Sam's beau to be quieter (never mind the footfalls were quieter than Sam's), but he opened the door to his baby sister's face.
"Mel?"
Mel stopped her pacing outside his door with a jump. She hadn’t meant to wake him. “Can I- can I sleep in here tonight?” Her voice was raspy like it was after crying and she wouldn’t meet his eyes.
"Oh sweetheart," Jay said, pulling Mel into his room and rubbing one hand on her shoulder. This... There were many reasons Mel might be crying, but he knew if it was a nightmare with any merit, it was probably his fault. "You get in here.”
Mel immediately clung onto him and buried her face in his shoulder. She breathed a small breath of relief. Jay was fine. Alive alive alive.
Jay led her to the bed and settled in, using a wing to hit back the covers enough Mel could crawl in after him. He didn't ask her to talk about it. He knew well enough she'd say something when she was good and ready.
Mel curled up against him and made herself small so he could cuddle her like she knew he wanted. They were practically the same size now- and when had that happened? His breath was steady and his heartbeat was there.
Jay laid one arm and one wing over her, tucking his other hand under his pillow to place his palm on the familiar leather of his Bible, other wing tucked against his back.
He hadn't gotten to sleep in the same bed as Mel, at least not without the twinges of pain of sleeping with his wings bound, in years. Having someone else there always made him feel less stuck on waking.
"You all set for the night?" He asked, voice low and quiet- just enough to say she could talk about whatever it was. If she wanted.
“Mhm.” The wing holding her was soft, she hadn’t realized how soft they were. Mel ran a hand along the edges of the feathers. Crimson in the low light of the room. Crimson crimson crimson.
“I- it was jus’ a bad dream.. It was the woods, with the Cabots. But you were there and they-“ She cut off with a hitch of breath.
"I'm right here," Jay assured her and held her tighter to remind himself that Mel was alright too. She was safe. And he could call and check in on the kids in the morning.
“I know.” There had been so much blood. Crimson crimson crimson. Mel felt like it was on her but it wasn’t even real. She stroked his feathers and tried to let the image fade. Jay was fine. Jay was alive.
Jay shifted his wing a little to better allow Mel to pet him. He didn't feel the tips of her fingers on the tips of his feathers much. "You're safe."
“I love you,” she whispered, because she didn’t think he heard it enough. The soft slip of his feathers beneath her fingers was grounding. Like one of God’s own angels. She’d missed him, missed him so much- and yet a pang of betrayal thrummed through her. How could he have not told her about them? She would’ve helped.
It was entirely for his own benefit that Jay held Mel tighter after she told him she loved him. It was a pause before he responded. "I love you too. Get some sleep."
Mel didn’t respond for a while, just continued to pet Jay’s wing and listen to his heartbeat. When she finally spoke it was barely a whisper. “Jay?”
"Mm?" He made a noise of acknowledgement, having started to fall asleep.
“You know yer my best friend, right?”
"Yer my best friend too Mel."
She paused a moment, trying to find the right words to say it. “An’… an’ you know that means you can tell me anything, right? Anything.”
"What's brought this up?" Jay asked, still in that lazy space of falling asleep. "Something wrong?"
“I- um.. it’s nothing. Jus’ wanted you t’know.” Mentally, wheels were turning in Mel’s head. He’d had his wings how long… and hadn’t someone said they’d been hurting him back home cause he had to hide them…
Guilt rushed towards her stomach. God, was that why Jeb started getting all angry with her? Cause every time she’d needed Jay to calm down after a nightmare he’d been hurting?
Mel slid her hand off his wing and wrapped it around him tightly. “Goodnight Jay.”
"Night Mellie," he mumbled into his pillow.
Mel was now wide awake and kind of felt like throwing up. Her mind raced through every time in the past 6 years she’d slept in Jay’s room. God, how could she not have noticed? Was she really that selfish? She wanted to run away and cry again, but didn’t want to tell Jay why, especially so soon after their fight.
Just one last cuddle, and then she would take care of herself.
Jay was surprised to find himself waking in the middle of the night- he'd never had trouble staying asleep unless you counted feeling like he was a butterfly or a hummingbird being pinned to a board sometimes when he tried to wake back up. But he'd hardly been asleep in the first place and whoever was walking around outside his door didn't sound like Sam's heavy steps.
He moved to the door, ready to tell Sam's beau to be quieter (never mind the footfalls were quieter than Sam's), but he opened the door to his baby sister's face.
"Mel?"
Mel stopped her pacing outside his door with a jump. She hadn’t meant to wake him. “Can I- can I sleep in here tonight?” Her voice was raspy like it was after crying and she wouldn’t meet his eyes.
"Oh sweetheart," Jay said, pulling Mel into his room and rubbing one hand on her shoulder. This... There were many reasons Mel might be crying, but he knew if it was a nightmare with any merit, it was probably his fault. "You get in here.”
Mel immediately clung onto him and buried her face in his shoulder. She breathed a small breath of relief. Jay was fine. Alive alive alive.
Jay led her to the bed and settled in, using a wing to hit back the covers enough Mel could crawl in after him. He didn't ask her to talk about it. He knew well enough she'd say something when she was good and ready.
Mel curled up against him and made herself small so he could cuddle her like she knew he wanted. They were practically the same size now- and when had that happened? His breath was steady and his heartbeat was there.
Jay laid one arm and one wing over her, tucking his other hand under his pillow to place his palm on the familiar leather of his Bible, other wing tucked against his back.
He hadn't gotten to sleep in the same bed as Mel, at least not without the twinges of pain of sleeping with his wings bound, in years. Having someone else there always made him feel less stuck on waking.
"You all set for the night?" He asked, voice low and quiet- just enough to say she could talk about whatever it was. If she wanted.
“Mhm.” The wing holding her was soft, she hadn’t realized how soft they were. Mel ran a hand along the edges of the feathers. Crimson in the low light of the room. Crimson crimson crimson.
“I- it was jus’ a bad dream.. It was the woods, with the Cabots. But you were there and they-“ She cut off with a hitch of breath.
"I'm right here," Jay assured her and held her tighter to remind himself that Mel was alright too. She was safe. And he could call and check in on the kids in the morning.
“I know.” There had been so much blood. Crimson crimson crimson. Mel felt like it was on her but it wasn’t even real. She stroked his feathers and tried to let the image fade. Jay was fine. Jay was alive.
Jay shifted his wing a little to better allow Mel to pet him. He didn't feel the tips of her fingers on the tips of his feathers much. "You're safe."
“I love you,” she whispered, because she didn’t think he heard it enough. The soft slip of his feathers beneath her fingers was grounding. Like one of God’s own angels. She’d missed him, missed him so much- and yet a pang of betrayal thrummed through her. How could he have not told her about them? She would’ve helped.
It was entirely for his own benefit that Jay held Mel tighter after she told him she loved him. It was a pause before he responded. "I love you too. Get some sleep."
Mel didn’t respond for a while, just continued to pet Jay’s wing and listen to his heartbeat. When she finally spoke it was barely a whisper. “Jay?”
"Mm?" He made a noise of acknowledgement, having started to fall asleep.
“You know yer my best friend, right?”
"Yer my best friend too Mel."
She paused a moment, trying to find the right words to say it. “An’… an’ you know that means you can tell me anything, right? Anything.”
"What's brought this up?" Jay asked, still in that lazy space of falling asleep. "Something wrong?"
“I- um.. it’s nothing. Jus’ wanted you t’know.” Mentally, wheels were turning in Mel’s head. He’d had his wings how long… and hadn’t someone said they’d been hurting him back home cause he had to hide them…
Guilt rushed towards her stomach. God, was that why Jeb started getting all angry with her? Cause every time she’d needed Jay to calm down after a nightmare he’d been hurting?
Mel slid her hand off his wing and wrapped it around him tightly. “Goodnight Jay.”
"Night Mellie," he mumbled into his pillow.
Mel was now wide awake and kind of felt like throwing up. Her mind raced through every time in the past 6 years she’d slept in Jay’s room. God, how could she not have noticed? Was she really that selfish? She wanted to run away and cry again, but didn’t want to tell Jay why, especially so soon after their fight.
Just one last cuddle, and then she would take care of herself.
