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You were sound asleep in your own bed on Erid, curled up in the coziness of your crochet blanket that you had brought from Earth. It was one of the only things that stuck with you through everything, since your mom had made it for your birthday right before you left for Project Hail Mary.
Even the sound of your bedroom door opening didn’t wake you up.
Ryland Grace walked in slowly, clutching his Earth-made quilt around his shoulders. This is stupid, he thought. I’m a grown man. I should be able to handle a nightmare without bothering them.
He hovered near the foot of your bed, twisting his fingers into the fabric as he spotted your face buried into the comfortable bedding. He knew he shouldn’t wake you, but the image of your lifeless face was still vivid in his head.
Nightmares were common for both of you, of course, but they frequented his mind more than yours. The traumatic moments before his forced shipment aboard the Hail Mary was the most common sequence, but lately you started appearing in them too.
Specifically, his mind decided to attack his worries about not being able to save you.
The thoughts had plagued him before he was safe and sound on Erid. Scenarios where the oxygen failed on the ship and you fell asleep and never woke up. Where your tether broke during a spacewalk and you drifted helplessly away into the endless void of space.
He’d be alone. Even though he had Rocky, there were some things about being human that the Eridian wouldn’t understand or relate to.
Tonight was the worst by far, though.
His mind had supplied him with images of you becoming trapped during that awful ship spin before Rocky had saved you both. You were slowly suffocating while the gravity slowly increased in that cockpit. He couldn’t even call your name with his chest compressed against the ship’s console.
He awoke with a start, and hadn’t been able to sleep for hours.
Now, here he was, about to wake you up because of his own worries. Ryland wandered slowly to the side of your bed with sweaty palms, and carefully reached out a hand. He settled it on your blanket covered shoulder, and shook it gently.
He whispered your name, hesitating when you didn’t wake up immediately. This was a bad idea, he thought, but before he could retreat, he heard the distinct sound of that deep breath you took. A sure sign that you were waking up.
“Ryland?” You mumbled as you rubbed your eyes. “You okay? Somethin’ wrong?” You sat up, the blanket slipping down your form as you reached for the small light on your bedside table.
When you flicked it on, you recognized the familiar post-nightmare expression on his face. Ryland’s hair was sticking up in all sorts of directions from running his hands through it. His blue eyes were slightly puffy, possibly from crying, and underlined with tired circles behind his glasses. His blanket was wrapped around his shoulders, like a protection from the horrible dream.
“I just…” He hesitated, looking down at his hands for a moment. “It sounds stupid but…I had a nightmare, and I couldn’t really fall asleep?” He huffed, running a hand through his already mussed hair. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”
“Oh,” You smiled at him. You didn’t mind. You never really did when it came to him. “You wanna talk about it?” You suggested, patting the bed next to you.
Ryland took the offered spot next to you without another word. He settled into the pillows, laying down right next to you as he stared at the ceiling. “Can I just…stay? Just for a little bit?” He murmured.
He couldn’t even meet your eye.
“Of course,” You laid down right next to him, and turned to your side to face him. “You can stay.”
“Thanks,” Ryland sighed, and you felt his body relax next to you.
“Anytime,” You muttered. You reached up and took the frames off of his face, setting them gently on the bedside table before turning off the light. The room sank into darkness. “Get some rest. I’m not going anywhere.”
“Good plan,” He responded, stifling a yawn beside you as you settled back into the blankets. His hand brushed against yours, like he was trying to prove that you were here, that you were alive and well right there next to him.
You didn’t pull away. Instead, you threaded your fingers through his. You heard his breath hitch in the dark room as you tugged him closer.
“Uh…what are you doing?” He whispered.
“Shhh,” You hushed him, slowly threading your fingers through his hair. He practically melted against you, and a small contented sound escaped his throat before he could stop it.
“That’s…nice…” Ryland muttered, sinking into your arms without resistance. His breathing slowed against your collarbones and you both drifted off, closer than you expected to be tonight.
The artificial dawn light creeped in through the curtains of your Eridian bedroom. You blinked your eyes open slowly, breathing in a deep breath through your nose as your senses slowly came back to you.
The first thing you felt was a warm arm curled snugly around your waist. Followed by the feeling of long legs tangled with your own.
The final thing you noticed was the steady sound of Ryland’s breathing. Small puffs of warm air brushed your collarbones as he slept soundly in the crook of your neck.
Right. The nightmare.
You shifted the smallest bit, just enough to catch a glimpse of his sleeping face. His expression was calm, his eyes closed and his mouth parted just slightly in the early morning light. The wrinkles that usually accompanied his every expression were nearly invisible, just faint lines near his eyes and brows.
You reached down and brushed the hair away from his forehead, only stopping when his brows furrowed softly in confusion.
“Mmm…” He groaned as his eyes looked blearily up at you. “Wh’time is it?”
“Too early,” You said softly.
“Definitely,” He grumbled as he nestled back into the crook of your neck, sending a cozy warmth through your chest. Without thinking, you pressed a kiss to his hairline.
He hummed when he felt your lips meet his forehead, smiling against the soft skin of your neck. “Do that again,”
“You are demanding in the morning, aren’t you?” You mumbled before pressing another kiss against his forehead.
He huffed out a small laugh, and you felt his smile spread wider. “I’m not demanding…” he mumbled “Y’just really warm. Coulda been doin’ this months ago. Just gotta make up for lost time.” He sighed in contentment and tightened his hold on your waist, hugging you closer just to hear you breathe.
“Is that so?” You asked him, and you watched as he tilted his head back just enough to meet your eye.
“Absolutely.” He murmured, his voice still rough from sleep. He looked up at you with those sleepy blue eyes, and that soft smile on his face.
“Hi,” You whispered.
“Hey,” He whispered back.
You just couldn’t resist it.
You slid a hand to his jaw and leaned down, pressing a soft, lingering kiss to his lips. He hummed against you, returning it just as softly, like he had all the time in the world. A cozy heat spread from where your lips met all the way to your chest and down your spine.
When you parted, he let out a small, giddy laugh.
“Oh, geez,” he whispered, and when you looked at him, his eyes were still closed. He cleared his throat, and finally looked up at you with a sheepish smile. “Shoulda been doing that months ago too.”
“Guess we should make up for lost time,” You teased as you spotted the light blush dusting his cheeks.
“Guess we should,” Ryland agreed, before tugging you down into another kiss in the early morning light.