Work Text:
Jeremiah moaned in his sleep, struggling against nothing. “Cassandra!”
She stirred in her sleep next to him, but did not wake. Jeremiah sat up, ripped from his nightmare, gasping for breath and drenched in sweat. The green light of the anchor bathed the room in a eerie, almost ethereal glow.
He sat against the headboard, panting and trying to calm himself from the feeling of panic locked up tight in his chest. He tried his best to stifle his noises, not wanting to disturb Cassandra further.
She had already sensed his movement, and heard his cries. Her eyes were open and she quickly shook herself awake, grasping instinctively for the sword she usually kept beneath her bed. It wasn’t there and she suddenly remembered where she was and who she was with. Once everything had registered, she turned her attention to Jeremiah, cradling him in her arms, reaching up to wipe the sweat from his brow. He feigned shaking her off, but gave up quickly and instead leaned into her embrace.
“I’m sorry to wake you,” he whispered hoarsely. He licked his lips and swallowed, trying to get moisture back in his mouth.
“Bad dream?” she asked, releasing him and lying back down beside him.
“Yes,” he said simply. There was no use in hiding it, she already knew.
“The same one?”
“Not exactly.”
“Do you wish to speak about it?”
“You were dead.” Jeremiah punctuated the sentence by flopping down on his back next to her.
She was always dead in his nightmares, and it was always his fault. Either by negligence or timing or pure bad luck. Once by his hand. And he had to endure it every time. Watch her die. Watch her draw her last breath and know that it was all because of him.
It felt so real. He could hear her screams, smell the blood, taste the sweat on his upper lip. He shuddered and tried to brush the memory from his mind.
“The nightmares are getting worse, getting more frequent.” Cassandra looked at him, concern coloring her features.
Once again, he had no interest in lying to her. She knew.
He nodded.
“We could do something to help you sleep. Ask the healer to create a potion, perhaps? Or we could speak to Solas on how to better control your dreams.”
“It’s the anchor,” he said, flexing his hand, watching the power ebb and flow. “I never dreamed this vividly before.”
He rolled over to his side to face her. “At least while I am awake I can do something to protect you.”
Cassandra rolled over to face him, a smile on her face. “I don’t need protecting.”
“That demon got you on the left side today. If Sera had been later with her arrow..”
“I recovered just fine,” Cassandra said, frowning. “I chopped off its head anyway.”
“I know,” he said, leaning over and running his hand over the soft skin of her forearm. She shivered due to his light touch on her bare skin. He curled up close to her for a moment.
“I love you,” he whispered into her neck, nuzzling his face into the crevice there. He couldn't let her see him say it, not now at least.
“I love you too,” she said as he rolled away and settled back into his pillow. She bent over him and placed a kiss on each of his closed eyelids, her lips cool against his skin. He felt himself relax under her touch.
Neither spoke again, but they continued touching each other, her hand on his head and his on her arm. Finally his hand went limp, and she watched him drift away, his troubles slowly dissipating from his brow.
She laid next to him, idly stroking his shaggy hair, listening to him snore softly and guarding his sleep until she too fell into a dreamless slumber.
Neither woke again until morning.