Work Text:
Something brought down the might of God on Kenji’s jaw. He didn’t know where he was for a second, or what had hit him, until he noticed Brooklynn stirring under the blanket right next to him. She was mumbling incoherent words, things he didn’t quite understand, but the urgency and desperation in her tone were familiar. She was having a nightmare, quite a bad one, as it seemed. Her tank top was already drenched with sweat.
“Hey,” Kenji gently tapped her shoulder, “Brooklynn.”
Brooklynn didn’t wake up. He tapped her again, repeated her name, but she wouldn’t budge. She did start mumbling his name though, along with a barely audible, “don’t listen to him, I love you, stay here with us.”
Hearing the pain in her voice broke his heart. He never expected any of them to overcome all the shit they went through. But still, knowing that even after seven years, the nightmares they survived would come back to haunt his loved ones in their sleep infuriated him to no end.
“I’m right here,” Kenji said, pushing the blanket off the both of them to let the built-up heat dissipate in the air. He turned to her; her beautiful face was scrunched up, strands of hair escaped the bun she had made before laying down. Kenji brushed them away. “I’m not going anywhere, Brooke. I’m right here with you.”
“Don’t listen to him.” Brooklynn mumbled. “Promise me.”
“Of course,” Kenji promised her. He wrapped his arms around her, moved her so that her head rested on his chest, on top of his heart, so she could listen to its beat. That calmed her down, like always. She nestled herself right in. Her breath slowed, and her features softened.
“Even if you don’t hear me, I love you,” he whispered and kissed her forehead. Only once her nightmare had passed, once she was at ease, did Kenji let his eyelids grow heavy.