Work Text:
Nightmares
The first time he woke her up from a nightmare she didn't know how to react. It's not like it was her first time laying with someone else in the same bed after Khalid's death, before Tav though, it was always just a one time thing and nothing serious.
She woke up with a sharp gasp. Her heart felt like it's beating out of her chest, panting and her eyes scanning panicky the entire tent like she expects to be attacked any second.
The shadows did leave quite a mark on her even when the shadow cursed lands are no more. All the people that lost their lives because of the curse. Or because of her orders. She doesn't want to think that way.
She did her best, she knows that but sometimes she doubts herself. What if she did things differently? Maybe it would have never ended this way. Maybe things would have ended up even worse. This isn't goin anywhere.
She sat up in the bed trying to slow down her breathing. She takes in her surroundings, she is in her tent, through the flaps of it she sees that it's still dark outside.
The gentle quietness of the night was a stark contrast to the chaos and screams in her nightmares.
Though that didn't quite silent her worries away.
She then notices that she wasn't alone. When the person lying next to her suddenly stirred gently her heart skipped a beat.
“Hey.” Tav said quietly. “You okay?” He asked. There was a bit of concern in his voice. She didn't know how to react right away. It tightened the feeling in her chest, being seen in that way.
“Ah, it's okay, go back to sleep.” Her voice betrayed her. She let out a shaky sigh. She hates this.
She needs to focus on their task ahead, on saving her friend and protecting her family. She doesn't have the capacity to deal with that too. Him.
He also sat up in her tent. They were sitting next to each other, though there was still a small gap between them. He knows she needs her space.
But he also knows that they are very similar in how they handle their feelings. He doesn't want her to be alone in this. He also doesn't want to overstep any of her boundaries.
She doesn't talk about what's troubling her. So he doesn't try to push her to talk with him about it. He instead offers her a hand laying between them.
A silent offer of support that has no need of words. She let out a long and shaky breath. She's unsure if she wants to go down this road. She doesn't give her trust and vulnerability to a lot of people, in fact she gives it to only a few selected people in her life.
She could never have guessed that someone she met just a few weeks ago had such an impact on her.
From the surface they don't share a lot of similarities.
Jaheira, a strong authority figure, knows her strength and doesn't make a secret about it.
Tav, still having a lot of authority, being the leader of their group, is a lot more subtle about his qualities. A quiet and unassuming man who ideally lets other people do the talking.
But they share the same moral compass, the same goals. Of course there were a few situations where they didn't share the same opinion on things, but the difference is how they resolved those indifferences.
They are on an eye to eye level, neither Jaheira nor Tav ever used their authority role to push some beliefs on the other.
They respect each other deeply and work together flawlessly.
She took a deep breath again. She wants his company, his support, maybe even his love. And she hates everything about it. It makes her furious.
She hates that she wants to be vulnerable, opening her heart to him, opening her heart for potential hurt and heartbreak.
Maybe she is weak. Maybe weak enough to let him into his heart.
She looks away. She looks out of her tent into the wilderness they are surrounded by.
She put her hand on his.
It was no big thing, she told herself. Just a short moment of vulnerability, nothing more.
His thumb caressed her own, gently soothing her, her heartbeat started to finally to slow down, the tightness in her chest fading.
They didn't talk for some time, a gentle, comfortable silence surrounded them, blending into the quietness of the outside of their tent.