Work Text:
“-chirou! Wake up! Seiichirou!!”
Seiichirou woke up with a sharp gasp & he sat up abruptly. He clenched his chest & his breathing was a little faster than what could be considered normal breathing. He started to focus on his surroundings & senses & looked at the man beside him.
Aresh, sitting up beside him, had a hand on his shoulder & was looking at him with worry in his purple eyes. In the dark, they almost glowed. “Are you ok? You were squirming & mumbling in your sleep..”
Was he? Seiichirou recalled the dream he had - if he could consider it a dream & not a nightmare - & looked down, away from Aresh. His breathing had calmed down by this time. “I.. I think so.. it’s nothing..” His voice shook slightly, but Aresh caught it. He never commented on it, though, but he could tell he was lying.
“No, I doubt that. It can’t be nothing, not with the tears on your face.”
Tears? Was he crying? No way, he didn’t cry in his sleep, it’s not like him to-
Oh.
Shit.
He reached a hand up to his face & was taken aback with the wet, salty tears he felt lining his cheeks. “Oh.. uhm..”
Aresh shifted so that he was sat in front of Seiichirou & cupped his cheeks softly, being careful of his vulnerable state. “You’re not ok, Seiichirou. Do you want to talk about it?”
Not really. But he also knew that telling him might help. But at the same time, opening up was never something he was good at. He knew they were both stubborn, & it was only a matter of time before one of them caved. & it was typically him. The knight had a very stubborn front that was hard to break.
“.. Well..” he started, but grew hesitant quickly. He looked at Aresh again, & the man hadn’t budged a bit.
His hands were still on his face, gently wiping away the tears as he looked at him with genuine concern & a glint of gentle encouragement. It was enough to help Seiichirou push past his fear & allow himself to be vulnerable.
“It was about home.. my home, back in my world.”
“Yeah? I remember you told me about it. Your house is far smaller than any here.”
“Yeah.. it was also about my family.”
Aresh never commented on that. He moved one hand to his shoulder again & gave it a small squeeze. “Go on,” he encouraged him.
Seiichirou took a shaky breath & continued on. “You know how I miss them, right? & how we don’t know if the Holy Maiden & myself will ever be allowed back to our world safely?”
“You’ll work on it with the Royal Sorcery Department, right?”
“In time, but for now.. for now, I’m here, & my mother & father are there. Home. Alone. Without their only son..”
“Is this what the dream was about?” Aresh asked. He got a nod in response.
“I miss them so much… my dream kept spiralling different scenarios. All of them ended badly.”
Aresh listened carefully to the words said. “Do you remember any of them? & if so, do you want to talk about them?”
“I’m not sure..”
“That’s alright. I’m here if & when you feel like telling me.”
Seiichirou nodded again & let himself be pulled closer into a hug. It was tight but not crushing him. It was enough to ground him & allowed him to think about the dream with a clearer head. He reciprocated the hug & leaned his head against the knight’s chest, letting himself relax.
They stayed like that in silence for a while before Seiichirou broke it with a muffled sob. He clung tighter to Aresh & cried on his chest.
Aresh looked down at him & rubbed his back slowly. “Let it all out, you’ll feel better for it.”
“The-they were gone in one of them..” Seiichirou managed to say through broken cries.
Aresh knew what that meant. “As in..?”
He got a nod & a “Mhm” that squeaked. “I don’t want to say it.. it feels real if I do..”
“You don’t have to say it. I know what you mean, & I’m so sorry you’re worrying about them so much,” Aresh said. “I want you to know something, but I need you to look at me before I say it, ok?”
Seiichirou whined in protest but slowly raised his head to look at the taller man. The tears were back on his face & his usually dull eyes were puffy & shined with sadness.
While Seiichirou’s arms stayed around him, Aresh moved his hands to his face & wiped the tears again like last time. Gently, but this time, he did it reassuringly. He gave the older man a soft smile before he spoke. “They’re safe, I’m sure of it. They’re probably worried, sure, but I know that they know that you’re capable by yourself. As unhealthy as your life is-“ he got a groan in response to that. He chuckled, “Hey, I wasn’t going to focus on that. Anyways, I know they love you, & are anxiously awaiting your return. Most importantly, Seiichirou, they’re safe. They’re not in any danger, they’re not gone. They’re still in that cramped home, safe & sound, waiting for their only son to come home.”
Seiichirou was able to calm himself down slowly & steadily, thanks to Aresh’s reassuring words & calming actions. He took a deep breath before he spoke quietly. “Thank you, Aresh.”
“You’re welcome, Seiichirou. Do you feel ready to sleep now?”
“Yeah, I think so..” he nodded & yawned, the exhaustion from crying catching up to him now.
Aresh laid down, pulling Seiichirou down with him, & made sure he was pressed close to him, tucked against the crook of his neck. “We’ll take the morning easy, ok?”
“You know I have work tomorrow, right? & we’re really busy with all the different tasks to do.”
“They can wait, you come first. You need to realise that.”
“Agree to disagree..” he muttered & stayed close to Aresh, hugging his torso. Luckily, Aresh never pushed the subject further. It didn’t take long for sleep to pull them both under, undisturbed for the rest of the night.