Chapter Text
“Priest!”
There was a weight against your abdomen, nudging you as it moved over you.
You blinked your eyes open, grumbling a little at the rude awakening. There was a light on somewhere, and you had to blink your eyes to adjust to the light.
After a few moments, you made out the form of Rhea, reaching over you. She had a hand on Damian’s sleeping form who was on the other side of you.
“Mami?” You questioned, voice weak with sleep, “What’s wrong?”
“He’s having a night terror. It used to happen a lot more but not in a few months,” She explained.
You noticed after a few moments that Damian began to twitch a little, his deep voice sounded as infantile as it ever had as he murmured something- it might’ve been real words, could’ve been sleep scrambled nonsense, but either way it was clear that he was afraid.
You’d never seen him afraid. You never wanted him to feel that way again.
Putting your hand beside Rhea’s on his shoulder, you shook him, your voice a little louder now at the urgency, “Damian, honey.”
He stirred a little, but was still mumbling. You could see his face now as you sat up a bit more. His eyebrows were drawn together in concern, or fear, or something. The feeling in your chest was one of the worst things you’ve ever felt.
“Priest!” Rhea tried again.
You squeezed his arm tighter, raising your voice even more, “Damian wake up!”
Damian jumped up suddenly, a gasp escaping his mouth like he was finally able to take a breath. The speed at which he sat up was unreal from someone who’d just been in a deep, troubled sleep.
Tearing his arm away from you like your touch was burning fire, he scrambled off of the bed and climbed to his feet. He nearly fell over, his feet heavily smacking against the ground as he caught himself.
“Priest,” Rhea said again, her voice firm, “It’s just us.”
You didn’t know what to say for a moment, watching as he stood there beside the bed, his shoulders moving with every heavy, confused breath. There was still fear plastered across his face, and you could now notice drops of sweat at his temples.
“Wha- Who-” He closed his eyes, shook his head, trying to piece together what was reality and what wasn’t.
“It was just a dream, honey,” You spoke up, and his eyes fell to you. You could see the realization finally come to his face as he looked over you, and he briefly covered his face with his hand.
He uncomfortably shifted his weight, looking at you one more time before speaking again, “I’ll be right back.”
With that, he turned around and stepped the few steps it took to get into the bathroom before shutting the door behind him.
It was strange. Never had you seen Damian look so scared, confused, or unsure. He was always… Damian. Strong, comforting. That man was safety in a human form. Your heart ached in your chest as you turned your head to Rhea for some sort of explanation.
Rhea had a frown on her face, looking at you like she knew you’d have questions. It only made you more worried.
“Is he okay?”
Rhea nodded and reached up to tuck some hair behind your ear, “He will be. Usually he just needs some time.”
“What does he dream about?” You looked back at the bathroom door, still closed. You could see Damian’s shadow move in the light that came from under the frame.
“Old memories,” Rhea explained, “You can’t heal from everything, Dove.”
You looked back at her, searching her face for any more of an explanation. You knew there were still a few things that all three of you haven’t shared yet… Only a few months into your relationship meant there were still things left to uncover, still walls and defenses that were left to be peeled back.
Your heart clenched as you looked back at the bathroom door. As if on cue, the doorknob turned and the door opened. Damian stepped back into the room and didn’t hesitate to climb back into the bed beside you.
You didn’t touch him right away, nervous after he pulled away from your touch as aggressively as he did previously.
Damian nibbled on his lip for a moment before speaking, “I didn’t hurt either of you, right?”
He didn’t look up from where he was picking at the skin of his thumbs.
“No, honey,” You answered. Your fingers ever so gently touched the skin of his upper arm. He didn’t flinch away, but finally he turned his head to look at you.
“I’m sorry I woke you.”
You couldn’t resist leaning forward to place a kiss against his shoulder as Rhea answered, “I tell you every time, Priest. It’s okay. I’ve had my fair share of nightmares too. You know that.”
“I just want you to be okay,” You told him honestly, meeting his beautiful brown eyes. There was some sadness in them, yes, but you could see something else behind his eyes as he studied your face, “I want you to feel safe here, you know.”
A smile pulled at his lips a little before he shook his head, “I feel perfectly safe with you, mi amor. With both of you. It's just a hard time of year, and I’ve had some things on my mind.”
Another vague explanation, insinuating that there was more of a story to tell. You didn’t mind not knowing, though. He’d tell you with time, you knew.
You leaned against him, head falling to his shoulder in an attempt at a small hug. Damian kissed your head in response.
“Are you gonna be able to get back to sleep?” You asked.
“Probably not,” He admitted, shrugging you off of his shoulder to look you in the eye, “But I’ll stay here and try.”
Rhea was already settling back against her pillow as you nodded in agreement with Damian. Once Rhea flicked off the lamp beside your bed, you settled your head against Damian’s chest. You grabbed his other arm with your hand, your thumb settling over the medusa tattoo that rested against his forearm.
“I love you,” You whispered to him. It was quiet enough with the air conditioning running, and you weren’t even sure that he heard you.
But his arm tightened around your shoulders briefly before he answered, “Te amo mucho, mi amor.”
You woke up that next morning with your head still against Damian’s chest and his arm still around you. He was snoring rhythmically, and when you tilted your head to look at his face, there was peace written across his features.
Rhea poked your back, and you turned slightly to acknowledge her.
“He never fell back asleep before,” She whispered.
“Hmm?”
“When he had night terrors,” Rhea explained, “In the hotels, he’d always get up and leave. No clue where he’d go most of the time. The one time I insisted on going with him, he didn’t speak to me until we were two blocks away from the hotel and he realized I didn’t bring a jacket outside.”
You looked back at Damian’s face. Still soundly asleep.
Rhea's hand rubbed your back and she spoke again, “You do so much for him, Dove. Whether you know it or not.”
You swallowed back the lump in your throat and blinked away the tears that threatened to come to your eyes as you settled back against Damian’s chest. You loved them more than they could ever begin to imagine.