Chapter Text
Sleep wasn’t usually something Poppy had trouble with. She was one of those trolls who’d hit the pillow and be out like a light. It wasn’t until she started going to Volcano Rock City for sleepovers that she discovered that temperature was a huge factor in that. The heat felt suffocating, hugging against her skin like a heavy blanket. She couldn’t fathom how rock trolls dealt with it. The den did trap cooler air, yeah, but it still felt too hot.
She’d probably grow accustomed to it one day. Probably.
Poppy stared at the lights, drumming her fingers against the pillow. It was raining outside. She could hear it drumming against the window, the sound of thunder rumbling in the distance. The rain helped things cool down some more, but sleep continued to elude her. At least Barb kept decorations in her den. Having things to look at always made not being able to sleep more tolerable.
Speaking of Barb. She couldn’t deny that falling asleep could be a little difficult because of her. She moved around a lot in her sleep, like, a lot. Let’s see...she’s woken up to: Barb having pushed her against the wall, Barb laying on top of her face, Barb kicking her in the face...she could go on. Hm. She should talk about that with her sometime.
Poppy rolled onto her side to face her. Right now, Barb was moving a lot; she’d roll onto her side, her leg would drag against the mattress, and then she’d roll onto her back, her brow furrowed. Not only that, but she was making a lot of sounds. Sometimes, she’d almost form words, but it’d always dissolve into a peep. A groan. It’d be cute if it wasn’t for the fact she sounded so pained.
Wait.
Poppy closed her eyes instinctively as Barb jolted awake. She could feel the blanket tense around her grip. Her breaths were heavy, shaky. There was shuffling. Footsteps. Quieter footsteps. The sound of a door opening and closing. Debbie gurgled, gnawing loudly at whatever was in her roost. Poppy opened her eyes, sitting up with a frown.
She was all too familiar with the telltale signs of a nightmare.
Poppy waited. She heard the sound of a faucet being turned on. Some splashing. The faucet being turned off. Her fingers tightened around the blanket, staring at the bathroom door through an opening between the curtains. She hated waiting. Hated waiting more and more with each passing second that the silence continued.
She should go and check on her.
Poppy stood by the door, her knuckles posed to knock. It was a tough decision. Barb’s still new to being emotionally vulnerable. The last thing she wanted to do was push her past her limits, especially after having a nightmare. However...she couldn’t just...try to go to sleep knowing what happened. What was happening right now. What kind of friend would she be?
Taking a deep breath, she knocked on the door.
“Hey, Barb?” her voice was groggy. Hopefully she could make out what she was saying. “You okay in there?” There was the sound of shower curtains being drawn. Other than that...no response. “I’m gonna come in, okay?” She tried the door. Locked. No matter. Kneeling down, she used her hair, sliding it beneath the door and turning the lock. Click! Poppy opened the door.
The first thing she noticed were the clothes on the floor. It was just her fleece and her pajama pants, but it was still something worth taking note of. Then there were the closed shower curtains. She could hear Barb behind them. She didn’t like how her breathing had picked up.
“I’m going to move the curtains on the count of three, okay?” No response. “One...two...three.” Poppy pulled one side. Seated in the tub was Barb, wearing only her boxers. Her face was buried in her knees. Her shoulders shook, stuttering with each breath. She needed some serious TLC. “Barb?” Her ear flicked. “I’m not going to leave you. I’m just going to turn out the light, okay?” No sign of recognition.
Poppy turned off the light.
“There...a bit better, see?” She leaned against the edge of the tub, watching her. “I’m going to climb in, okay?” She waited. “Climbing in riiiiight now.” And she climbed in. “I’m going to lean against you.” She leaned. “Gonna wrap my arm around you, if that’s okay?” Still nothing. So she cautiously wrapped her arm around her shoulder. It took a few seconds, but eventually Barb leaned against her. “Can you unwrap yourself? Not all the way, just...a little. I want to see you.” Seconds. A minute. Two minutes. There’s a sharp gasp as she pulls herself out of her ball. Her chest heaved with each rapid breath.
Carefully, Poppy slid her hand into hers, pulling her close.
“I’m going to help you breathe, okay?” She brushed her thumb across her knuckles. “On the count of three, we’re going to breathe in slowly through our noses. After holding it for three seconds, we’re going to exhale through our mouths. Ready? One, two, three, in!” Poppy breathed in. Barb tried. They held it. “And out.” Poppy rested her chin atop her head, cuddling her. “In.” A trembling gasp. “And out. In...and out. In...and out. You’re doing great! In…”
Poppy didn’t know how long they were doing that for, but, eventually, Barb’s breathing evened out. Occasionally her breath would stutter, but that was okay. “Feeling any better?” No response. Again. “Can you talk?” Nothing.
But then she shook her head.
“That’s okay.” Poppy rubbed her back. “Do you wanna stay here?”
A shrug.
“It might be good to get back into the den. Is that okay with you?”
Another shrug. A pause. A nod.
Slowly, carefully, Poppy navigated them back to the den. Oh, how she really wished she had a rock troll’s night vision right now; stepping through Barb’s room while supporting said Barb was not an easy task. She did it, but man! She could’ve tripped.
They settled down back into bed, Poppy wrapping her arms around her in a tight snuggle. She could feel Barb semi-reciprocate, her hands against her back in a semi-hug. It was nice. Poppy hummed, waving her feet back and forth. It felt like they should do something. She needed to think of questions that could be answered with just “Yes” and “No”.
“Does it rain often?”
Barb shook her head.
“Do you like the rain?”
She shrugged.
“I like the rain. It’s fun to jump around in puddles and catch the raindrops on your tongue. It’s like the world is happy-crying because of how joyful it is to just...exist. It really makes me appreciate being alive.” There was a flash of lightning, and then a loud rumble of thunder. The rain was falling harder now, pattering against the window in sheets.
“Do you think thunder is scary?”
No.
“I think it’s a little scary. We don’t get thunderstorms too often in Pop Village.” Poppy squeezed her tighter. “Hmm...I should take you to Hug Fest sometime. It’s so fun! There’s rides, games, food, m—” Barb slapped a hand over her mouth. She pulled it away slowly, glaring at her with tired eyes. “Ooooh, okay!” Poppy whispered. “Bedtime it is. Night!” Barb closed her eyes. “Love you!” She opened one eye.
With a quiet sigh, Barb reached for her hand, nudging it open with her thumb. Gently, she traced letters into her palm, giving it a squeeze with each completed word.
Love you too.