Work Text:
Jim felt himself drifting awake. Keeping his eyes closed, he stretched, enjoying the warmth, limbs still heavy with sleep.
There was a soft sigh from the man next to him. With the small part of his brain that was online, Jim realized that Khan not only still was in bed; he also seemed to be still asleep.
This was a rare occurrence; Jim immediately was a little more awake. Experience had taught him not to lie still and feign sleep when it happened, though. For some reason, that always woke the Augment right up. And so, Jim made a small sound and shifted closer, opening his eyes briefly to take in the sight of Khan at rest.
Which was when he noticed that he was witnessing an even rarer event: Not only was Khan asleep when Jim was not, he also was dreaming. His limbs were pulled up protectively against his body, hands curled into fists and crossed in front of him. A nightmare, then.
As rarely as that happened, Jim knew by now that Khan had nightmares of three things: his early childhood, his time with Admiral Marcus, and his time as a captive of Section 31 and the deaths of his family.
While Jim watched, Khan made another small sound in the back of his throat. A scream? Of pain, or of horror?
It didn't matter which it was. This was no doubt a nightmare, and the instinct to help was strong. Jim responded to it by shifting close, spooning the Augment and putting one arm across his chest.
Again, this did not wake Khan, even though the smallest sound and the slightest movement this close to him normally would have. One of those dreams, then, where the sleeping brain tries to resist waking so much that everything that happens in the real world gets incorporated into the dream.
Seeing his chance, Jim took hold of one clenched hand, stroking it, worming his other arm around the Augment, slowly working his way toward a full-body hug. At last, he had Khan in a secure hold, as close to him as he could be, feeling the Augment's chest expand with each breath, still slightly too fast.
Then Khan curled up further, pulling Jim's hand against his face. Jim could feel the warmth of lips and nose against the back of his hand, knew that this was what the Augment had been missing, the thing that best helped him to calm down - the familiar smell of Jim's skin.
The tense muscles Jim could feel all along his front slowly relaxed while Jim silently seethed at the cruelty of fate. All these centuries ago, whether they had intended it or not, twentieth-century scientists had created beings for whom family was everything. And now, thanks to Section 31, Khan was the only one left. With a need for physical closeness this strong, he was alone.
With Khan holding Jim's hand, taking in Jim's smell with fast, desperate breaths, Jim wondered if he, watered-down, normal human that he was, would ever be enough to replace the family Khan had lost.