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The bed was cold when Aranea woke up. This, if nothing else was proof something was wrong. She rolled over, groaning, and found nothing.
"Cin?" It wouldn't be the first time Cindy had snuck out of bed to work, so Aranea sighed and resigned herself to once again fetching her wife. Her eyes burned as she opened them, so she mustn't have gotten much sleep. A quick glance at the clock confirmed her thoughts. One of them, at least.
"Half two..." Cindy'd never left that early. Her prosthetic lay beside the clock too, so she couldn't have been working. Aranea sat up now, a sense of foreboding starting to fill her. "Cin?" She called again, more urgently.
No voice answered her, but a loud clatter from the bathroom had her out of the bed instantly. "Cindy?"
"It's gone..." Cindy wailed, and Aranea dashed into the bathroom, the door crashing against the wall.
Cindy was curled up underneath the sink, shaking as her white-knuckled hand clasped her stump. Aranea fell to her knees immediately, and softened her tone. It wasn't the first time Cindy had had an incident like this; The nightmares were more frequent than Aranea liked and she'd never been much good at helping with them, despite her efforts, but they'd been on a good stretch recently.
"Cindy, it's okay, you're okay." Her voice was hushed, and though she tried her best to sound calm she could hear the barely restrained panic. She hated seeing Cindy like this. So upset, so vulnerable, while she could do hardly anything.
Cindy didn't look up, wide eyes fixed on the space where her left arm once was. Her bare shoulder had little red crescents all over it, a testament to how tightly she'd been holding on, and the vest top she was wearing was clinging to her body, drenched in sweat. It was Aranea's top, a little too large for her so she'd given it to Cindy, and her heart clenched at the sight. "It's gone...my arm...it's-"
Aranea shuffled closer, slowly so as to not startle the shivering blonde. "Cindy, you're safe here. You're alright." She stretched out a hand, and Cindy looked up at her now. Her eyes were wide with fear, and her face pale, sweat beading on her forehead. "Just...take a deep breath."
Cindy did no such thing, and her eyes ran up and down Aranea's figure several times, confusion joining the fear on her face. "I don't..."
"We're at home, Cin. Nothing's gonna hurt you." Aranea frowned when Cindy didn't respond. Was she saying the wrong things? Fuck.
The hand gripped her shoulder loosened slightly, but Cindy was still giving Aranea that strange look. Biting her lip, Aranea opened her arms to Cindy, and she shrunk back. She didn’t know what to do, dammit! "Cindy, it's okay. Cid gave you a prosthetic arm, and I got you out of there."
"Cid?"
Aranea nodded, humming a response and bit the inside of her cheek. "You want me to get him for you?"
"Yes..." Cindy's voice was hoarse, and Aranea felt her fists clench.
"I'll be right back. Try to...breathe better." She cursed herself thrice as she stood, and hurried out of the room. Cindy, in her post-nightmare panic attacks, had forgotten Aranea once or twice before, but it was rare, and though she knew Cindy could do nothing for it, it always stung just a little. She just wanted to help the woman she loved.
Knuckles rapped impatiently at Cid's door, and he was out within the minute. Cindy didn't knock, and he knew Aranea'd never bother him. "What?"
"Cindy had another nightmare-" He began walking immediately, and she trailed just behind him. "I tried to calm her down but I think she thinks she's still there, she didn't recognise me."
"I got it." Just for a second, Cid's warm hand was at her back, and her shoulders dropped some. "You go make some tea for her, alright?" His voice was hushed, not soft (it never could be honestly, the man's voice was as gravelly as a driveway) but there was kindness in it still. She just nodded, striding into the kitchen as Cid called Cindy's name, entering their room.
She couldn't hear them as she pulled out the box of tea, and she almost resented it. She wanted to help. Her hands shook as she took the kettle out, and she chastised herself immediately. Cindy was terrified in their bathroom, what did she have to upset about? Her hands moved seperate from her thoughts as she went through the well rehearsed practice.
They had tea every time one of them had a nightmare. It was hard to come by in the world of ruin, but she'd always liked tea, far more than coffee, and Ignis had a few tea plants growing in his and Prompto's apartment. She'd take some home with her whenever she was in Lestallum, a different type each time. She'd no idea where he kept getting different types, but they tasted good, so she didn’t ask. This time it was Lemongrass. Conveniently, her favourite. The coffee in Niflheim had been pisspoor, and everyone seemed to drink tea anyway, especially the higher ups in the army, so she'd gotten used to it. And she enjoyed their little ritual.
Her nightmares were far less often than Cindy's, and about different kinds of fears too, but they always helped each other through it. Hers were always based on more hypothetical fears; Her coming back from a visit to Lestallum to find Hammerhead overrun by daemons, Cindy and Cid gone, for example. Cindy's focused more on the past. Her arm, her parents, that couple she once watched die, or any hunts of hers or Aranea's that hadn't gone well, they all plagued her mind. Cindy was a strong girl, she'd been through a lot, but she hadn't been fighting as long as Aranea and Cid, and that was all there was to it. She was strong in her own, beautiful way, and Aranea loved her for it. The way she kept persevering, when outpost after outpost fell, the way she kept her guard up around those who wanted her, but was never rude to them, the way she'd help Aranea tend to her wounds after a fight without batting an eye. Cindy was always doing that; Helping Aranea.
"Just wish I could do the same." She muttered, sighing as the water came to a boil. The bubbling brought her out of her thoughts, and she dropped the bags in, a spoon of sugar for all of them before she poured the water. Cid sat with them on nights like these. He'd always comfort Aranea too, in his own way, and she adored him. Cid's own dreams were few and far between, usually of his younger days, and his regrets from them. He'd complain when the two girls fussed about him, but she knew it made him happy.
She gave each brew a quick stir, and exhaled deeply as she loaded them onto a tray. "Cid?" She gently tapped the door with her foot, not wanting to shout or alarm Cindy.
Hushed whispers, then-
"Yeah." She pushed the door open, turning around as she walked into the room. Cindy and Cid were sat on the bed now; Cid's arm was around her shoulders and Cindy's prosthetic had been re-attached. She looked up when Aranea entered, and jumped up immediately.
"'Nea!" She let out a breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding, and walked over to the bed. "I'm so-"
"Careful Cin, I'm holding tea." She said, as Cindy rushed up to her, eyes apologetic, and still slightly reddened. "Sit." Cindy's face fell, but she sat back down, and Aranea seated herself on Cid's other side. He took the tea from her, and passed it onto Cindy, who took it in her left arm. It wobbled, and it looked as though she'd spill it for a moment, but she steadied it with the other arm. Aranea smiled at her, and she perked up a little.
They sat quietly, drinking their tea, but not uncomfortably. Cid commented on the flavour, asked if Ignis had a specific type he liked and Cindy chastised him a shaky smile on her face, and she told him not to be picky in a time like this. Aranea just laughed, and said she'd enquire about it next time. Her eyelids fluttered shut a few times, and she realised how tired she felt. The tea made her drowsy, she supposed. Once they'd all finished, he took the cups and the trays and headed out, half-heartedly complaining about his lack of sleep. He left the door ajar.
Aranea yawned loudly, and rolled her shoulders back. "Come on you. Let's get back to bed." She nudged Cindy gently, and pulled herself up onto the bed properly, sticking her legs under the duvet.
Cindy did the same, but hesitantly, a sad look on her face.
"You alright?" Asked Aranea, voice thick with concern as she faced hee wife.
"I'm sorry." Aranea held back the urge to roll her eyes, and instead threw an arm about Cindy's waist, pulling her close.
"I'm not the one who spent the last fifteen minutes hyperventilating." She said, resting her chin on the top of Cindy's head. It was a little inconvenient, Cindy was taller than her, so usually she was chief cuddler. "Are you okay?"
Cindy exhaled, and curled into Aranea's warmth. "I'm good. Guess I just needed to see Cid, know I was really here, an' not somewhere else." She paused. "I'm good, 'Nea. You're here. I'm safe."
Aranea smiled, pulling Cindy even closer, and kissed the top of her head. "Darn right. I'm not gonna let anything hurt you. Not to my favourite wife."
"I'm your only wife, 'Nea." Cindy laughed, quietly, rolling her eyes.
"Good. I wouldn't want anyone else." She grinned, shutting her eyes, and Cindy huffed amusedly.
"Good night 'Nea."
"Night Cin."
"Love ya." Aranea's slow breaths were her only answer, and Cindy smiled, before closing her eyes, joining her.
In the kitchen, empty cups sat in the sink and Cid smiled.
They'd be alright.