Work Text:
Jester woke with a start, sweat beading on her forehead. Her breathing quick and hard. She looked around the room, taking in her surroundings. Beau, mouth open, snoring softly in her bed. The familiar room in the house that they were calling home. At least for now.
Jester slid out of bed, feet landing on the cold, hard wood. She could not sleep. Not after that nightmare. Not with Fjord and Yasha's cries still echoing around her mind.
Softly slinking out the room, trying not to disturb Beau, she made her way to the happy room. It still hadn't been decorated properly, the walls bare and sad. She would fix that. If she couldn't sleep, she could make the house pretty, like it should be. Like it needed to be. She snuck back into the room, grabbing the paints she kept in there. She carefully moved the chairs to the opposite wall, leaving the largest wall there for her. She needed something beautiful to draw. She sat on one of the chairs, crosslegged as she thought. She thought of the empire country side, of Nicodranas, of the bright queen's throne room, of the strange beauty in Xhorhas.
Then she remembered, and she knew what she would paint.
Hours past, but she did not notice, she was too engrossed in her work. She was almost done, her work almost complete when she heard a soft voice from behind her.
'Jester…'
Jester turned, seeing Fjords amazed face. Eyes wide and bright, studying the wall behind her
'Fjord no, it's not done!' Jester whispered back, eyes glancing to her bedroom, the door was still closed, Beau most likely still asleep.
'Jester, it's beautiful' Fjord stepped towards her, eyes flickering between Jester's face and the mural, a sea of pastel coloured jellyfish, softly glowing beneath waves.
'Oh, thank you Fjord'
'it looks just like-' he paused, looking at Jester now.
'It's that night. It's perfect' he was standing so close she could feel his warmth now. Her heart was beating out of her chest as he took her in his arms, hugging her close. In his grasp she felt safe as the tiredness start to take her again, yawning wide.
'Have you slept at all?' Fjord asked looking down at her.
She shook her head 'Not much'
'C'mon' he said, walking slowly toward her and Beau's room.
Jester resisted. She didn't want him to go.
Fjord stopped as well. 'I couldn't sleep alone tonight either.' he sighed 'Do you want to bunk with me?'
Jester nodded and followed Fjord to his room, her eyelids heavy and sluggish now that she let herself go, into the sleepiness she had been denying for hours. As she sat on the edge of the bed, already slowly starting to drift off, she felt him move away, and instinctually held on to his hand.
'Please' she heard herself whisper as she lay herself on the bed, curling up in his sheets 'don't leave me'. The bed shifted beside her as she felt Fjord sink into the bed, still holding hands as they drifted off to sleep together, dreaming of the jellyfish, and of each other.