Extra- Nightmare
That night, I slept peacefully until my body woke me, although I didn't know exactly what woke me up.
Perhaps it was the subtle, barely perceptible shift of weight on the mattress beside me. Perhaps it was the sudden, alarming absence of the blistering heat that had been pressed flush against my chest for the last few hours, or perhaps it was simply that primal, deeply ingrained instinct that whispers into your subconscious when something isn't right, pulling you from even the most profound depths of sleep.
I opened my eyes into the dark.
My bedroom was still submerged in that murky, milky-grey shadow that hovers just before the morning breaks.
As soon as I realized where I was, I noticed that Akane was no longer curled securely against my side.
She had pushed the heavy duvet away and was sitting on the very edge of the mattress.
Her spine was curved, her shoulders hunched forward, and her bare feet were resting flat on the cold carpet as if she were desperately trying to ground herself.
Her breathing was erratic, shallow, rapid, and incredibly heavy. I could feel that something was off.
"You're awake already?" I murmured, my voice thick and raspy, heavy with sleep.
In the moment I spoke, Akane went completely rigid. She flinched as if I had struck her, turning her head just a fraction over her shoulder, clearly startled that she wasn't the only one awake.
"Shin... I..."
She didn't finish the sentence as the words caught in her throat, choking off into a ragged, trembling breath.
Instead of asking what was happening, I pushed myself up from the mattress, ignoring the cold air on my bare skin, and shifted across the bed.
Without a single second of hesitation, I reached my arms out and wrapped them securely around her waist, pulling her backward.
Her bare back hit my chest, and I could feel the violent, uncontrollable tremors racking her entire body.
She didn't resist the contact; she let out a choked sound, letting her head fall heavily backward until it rested against my shoulder.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice fractured and incredibly small—a sound I had never, ever heard from the fearless lone wolf. "I just... I just had a bad dream."
I didn't ask her what she had dreamed about; it wasn't the time.
Instead, I bowed my head and pressed my lips firmly against her forehead. Her skin was incredibly hot, slightly damp with a cold sweat.
"It's okay," I whispered directly against her skin, my arms tightening around her, pulling her flush against my chest to act as a physical shield. "I'm right here."
I didn't know why I said those words. They came out naturally.
Akane then turned in my arms, curling her body entirely against mine, and buried her face deep into the crook of my neck, hiding from the shadows of the room.
Her arms wrapped fiercely around my torso, her fingernails digging slightly into my back, and her bare legs instantly tangled with mine, seeking every possible point of physical contact.
She was seeking comfort; I could feel it. And I gave her everything I had.
I brought my hand up, sinking my fingers into the chaotic, sweaty mass of her dark hair, and began the slow, rhythmic, circular motion that had calmed her on the roof.
My fingers slid through the dark locks, gently detangling the knots, massaging her scalp with a steady, reassuring pressure.
We didn't speak, since words would have ruined the fragile sanctuary we were building in the dark.
Slowly, agonizingly slowly, the frantic, ragged rhythm of her breathing began to steady, and the violent tremors that had been shaking her frame subsided into smaller, infrequent shivers.
Her shoulders, which had been hiked up to her ears in tension, finally dropped, and her body, which had been as tight and rigid as a violin string, melted against mine.
Minutes passed in the grey silence. Maybe five. Maybe ten. I lost track of time since I just focused entirely on the girl in my arms.
"Thank you, I needed this..." she finally murmured, her voice still rough and raspy against my collarbone. "S-Sorry... it just happens sometimes."
I held her tighter, she needed to feel my presence.
"I'm not going anywhere," I said into the dark.
The words slipped out of my mouth entirely on their own accord.
I hadn't planned them, but as they hung in the air, I felt the absolute, undeniable truth behind them.
They were just there, resting on my tongue, ready to be spoken as a vow.
Akane lifted her head from my neck, looking up at me.
In the dim, pre-dawn light, her golden eyes were shining, wide and glassy with unshed moisture.
"I know. Now... at least," she whispered back, her voice thick with emotion.
She curled back against me, resting her head on my chest, but this time, there was absolutely no tension left in her body: only surrender and absolute, terrifying trust.
We stayed exactly like that, wrapped securely around each other, acting as a barricade against the dark, while the grey shadows outside the window slowly began to lighten as the approaching dawn broke.
We eventually tried to go back to sleep, but the position we had ended up in was... highly complicated.
Her bare body was pressed entirely against mine. Her back was flush against my chest, our legs were intimately tangled together beneath the duvet, and the soft curve of her bottom was resting directly, heavily against my groin.
It was absolutely not a position conducive to innocent rest.
Within minutes, I felt the heat begin to rise as my blood abruptly changed its trajectory, abandoning my brain entirely, and the familiar, tightening grip of raw desire returned to twist in my stomach.
The memories of a few hours ago—the taste of her skin, the sound of my name on her lips—flooded my mind, making the physical contact almost unbearable.
But... I didn't move an inch.
I wanted her with an intensity that made my teeth ache, but because that specific moment—the profound silence, the deep peace, the absolute privilege of holding her and making her feel safe after a nightmare—was vastly more important than satisfying my own physical hunger. I could endure the sweet torture if it meant she could rest.
Akane must have felt the exact same tension, or perhaps she was just hyper-aware of the physical reaction her proximity was causing me, because she didn't move either.
She remained perfectly still, her breathing slow and calm, her fingers lazily tracing random, invisible patterns against the back of my hand.
"Shin," she whispered, her voice a low, raspy hum in the quiet room.
"Yes?" I said, gently caressing her.
"D-Don't move. Please..." Akane said, gently grabbing my hand and squeezing it.
"I'm not moving," I replied, squeezing her hand back.
"I want to stay exactly like this for a little while longer," Akane whispered-
"Then we'll stay," I replied, landing a small kiss on the back of her neck.
I felt her body twitching as she then turned toward me.
I couldn't see her face, but I knew that she smiled. I felt the soft curve of her cheek pressing more firmly against my chest.
And so, we stayed. We lay tangled together in the quiet morning, enduring the beautiful, agonizing tension, until exhaustion finally overtook us and pulled us both back into a dreamless, peaceful sleep.