Work Text:
Teo is awoken in an unholy time of night by his phone ringing. He grabs the phone from his desk and picks the call up, his vision too blurry from sleep that has not yet left his eyes to see who is calling. “Hi?” he murmurs sleepily.
Niya’s voice is shaky on the other side, high-pitched and she is crying. “Teo! I… You were… I couldn’t…” Her breaths are uneven, messy. She’s crying harder.
”Niya,” he says softly, “I need you to breathe for me, okay? One deep breath in, hold, okay, it’s alright, one deep breath out, hold. Inhale, two, three, four, hold, two, three, four, exhale, two, three, four, hold, two, three, four. You’re doing amazing. One more time, okay? Inhale, hold, exhale.” When Niya has calmed down enough, Teo speaks gently. “Now I need you to slowly tell me what happened, okay?”
”I dreamt you were dead, Teo,” Niya says, her voice still not quite her usual. “You died and I couldn’t save you.”
”I’m sure you did everything you could. You always do.”
”It wasn’t enough!” she yelled, her voice high-pitched like tears building up again. “It wasn’t enough and you died and I couldn’t save you! I wasn’t enough!”
”Niya, of course you’re enough. You’re extremely caring, you’re funny, you remember literally everything I tell you, you always, always, have my back, you show up on my bad days and you bring fucking amazing snacks. That’s more than I ever asked from my best friend. Who cares if you couldn’t save me in a stupid nightmare?”
”I do. If I can’t save you in a nightmare, how can I save you for real?”
”But you have save me, so many times and in so many ways, Niya. You saved my life during our saving-the-world roadtrip more times than I can count. You saved my life during the trials, too. But you also saved my life when we were nine and you were my friend when Aurelio was avoiding me like the plague. You saved my life when I was dysphoric and depressed and you were still my friend. You saved my life every day you were my friend. You saved my life by simply reaching out, even if you aren’t aware of it, and I love you for it.”
”Teo…” Niya whispers. “I— I don’t know what to say.”
“Maybe admit you’re enough?” Teo asks tentatively. “And promise to talk to your therapist about this as a must.”
”I will tell them, yes. And… I… I am enough, to you.”
Teo smiles. ”Well, that’s a start.”
”Just for the record, I love you too.”
”Awww. You’re such a sappy dork.”
”And you’re an even sappier dork.”
They both laugh and it almost feels like they’re kids again, fifteen and laughing about who knows what. Like the events of the last ever Sunbearer trials and their aftermath never happened.