[She can only hold him tighter, but when she feels him start to relax a little more, she lets herself do the same...
Exhausted is an understatement, especially after what they had already done before going into the dream, but she gets it. She still isn't sure she wants to sleep either, but she will stay awake as long as he does.
Even if it is just to make sure that he finally does get some rest.]
I won't. That wasn't exactly what I had in mind in the first place...
[He can't help but look at her with a complicated expression.]
Tifa, you...
[...Didn't, no, shouldn't have to do such a thing. And now he's not sure how to feel about the idea of her willingly letting some him...consume, absorb, whatever it is her nightmares.]
[She presses a gentle hand to his lips to stop him before he can voice the rest of that, and while she smiles, there is a touch of sadness edging it in her downcast gaze.]
How many times do I have to remind you that I'm your wife?
[That should imply all she means to say, but in case he needs that reminder, she will happily give it a hundred, thousand times over.]
Whatever you need... if it'll make that thing go away, or if it gets to be too much, then you can take whatever you need from me. That's what we promised, wasn't it? That no matter what, we would be there to support each other?
[He just has no idea how he'll he behave like this. If he can keep control, then he can deal with it. At least there's more control and understanding. But if he loses it? What then? If he hurts her again because of it—]
[Once more, she tries to stop that thought before it can manifest.]
You won't hurt me.
[He won't. Eustace won't ever hurt her, and she is sure of it, and now, it's her turn to pull him closer, her arms circling around him as tight as she can manage without choking the air out of either of them, and her legs lock around his to keep him there.]
But it's going to be okay. I know that. If it did come down to it, just... trust me, okay?
[While he won't resist her embrace, he still has difficulty accepting situation. Or perhaps deep down he knows this really is the only way, but he doesn't want to accept it. To put the one he loves most in such a situation...
He can only sigh bitterly before closing his eyes and pressing further into her.]
...All right.
[Even if he's not sure he can trust himself, he knows he can trust her.]
[She knows that it'll be difficult—he's as stubborn as she can be sometimes—but she is going to stand firmly by her belief. Better her than someone else in case it's dangerous, and better her because at least then, she could recognize the signs now and control the situation rather than letting it control him.
Just like the lindworm, she intends to face this thing head-on for his sake.]
[Ever the worrier. She wants to keep aware for just a little longer, to keep watch over him and their surroundings, but she does close her eyes anyway, smiling into him.]
I know. But you aren't going to get any rest if you do.
[At least he can take solace in the fact that they are here together? That if anything were to happen to either of them, they would be the first to know...
And slowly, to coax him a little into relaxing, a slow, languid hand slides up his back so that she can thread her fingers through his hair and reach for his ear. Is it cheating to start gently stroking and massaging it? Maybe, but if it will help...]
[It is, but he'll allow it, his body every so slowly relaxing more into her. A small, quiet sigh escapes him as he can feel that exhaustion settling in, knowing it won't be long before he succumbs to it and his consciousness fades.
He tries to keep in mind that now he at least knows what's happening to him and that if he does feel...that craving...he can at least try to keep it in better control. Perhaps being aware of it will help. And Tifa... He still doesn't like the idea that she's being dragged into this, but it's also true she's the best one to help him handle it. God forbid he dreamwalks into Lyria's dream, for instance.
So he'll hold onto her tighter as he cuddles closer to her warmth, her scent of starflowers soothing until he eventually drifts asleep, hoping that whatever happens, it won't be as his worst fears.]
[Tifa remains that way, running smooth circles over the base of his ears, carding gently through his hair with her nails, and lightly massaging every spot that she knows that he likes until she finally feels him start to relax.
Truth be told, she had been having a hard time easing the tension herself ever since she woke up, only because she knew that Eustace was holding onto so much of it, too. Not only for his sake, but for hers... She had said all of these things about getting rest, scolding him gently for not wanting to accept her help, and she had meant it all, but she had still been just as afraid. Just as scared as he was that if he did succumb to that sleep, that something might go terribly wrong...
So, when she finally feels him relax, the telltale steadiness of his breathing letting her know that he's drifted off to sleep at last, Tifa brings her arms around him and holds him tight. Tight as she can, until she can feel his heartbeat pressing to hers, without waking him. He may or may not sense it, or maybe he'll see it in his dreams, but slowly, surely, she lets her own dreamotion flow between them. Not fear, not anger, but love...
It's warm, and it smells of starflowers, and she hopes that if he does find himself tumbling into the dark, they can at least guide him back the way that they always have for her. That he's always done for her.
Should he need it, she hopes that he knows he can seek whatever it is he needs from her. But more than that, she hopes that she can offer him the same comforts that he has given. The same promise for safety and comfort...
Tears prick the corners of her eyes as she closes them, her face burying into his chest as she curls up, allowing the sweet scent and the gentle waves of warmth to send her off into a dreamless sleep alongside him...]
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flamekthunder) wrote2025-04-07 09:12 pm
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Exhausted is an understatement, especially after what they had already done before going into the dream, but she gets it. She still isn't sure she wants to sleep either, but she will stay awake as long as he does.
Even if it is just to make sure that he finally does get some rest.]
I won't. That wasn't exactly what I had in mind in the first place...
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[Closing his eyes as he continues to let her scent and warmth soothe him.]
What were you thinking?
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I just meant that... well, I like it when... you know...
[She just nuzzles right into and plants a quick kiss on his neck, hoping that that will be sufficient enough for him to understand—]
The fangs were just a bonus, I guess. It's nice when it isn't too hard.
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...
His eyes pop open and he pulls back slightly.]
Wait. Were you just going to let me...
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[If he means what she thinks he means, which is actually biting her.]
I meant... more lightly, is what I had in mind.
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So if I was having...whatever, "craving" for your nightmares, you'd just let me have it.
[However that would be. Sans biting.]
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[Are they talking about the same things anymore?
Her brow furrows a bit in confusion before they pinch with a little more seriousness, and she'll look him straight in the eye with her answer.]
I said I would, didn't I? That hasn't changed.
[She was prepared to do it and had started to try when he stopped her.]
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Tifa, you...
[...Didn't, no, shouldn't have to do such a thing. And now he's not sure how to feel about the idea of her willingly letting some him...consume, absorb, whatever it is her nightmares.]
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How many times do I have to remind you that I'm your wife?
[That should imply all she means to say, but in case he needs that reminder, she will happily give it a hundred, thousand times over.]
Whatever you need... if it'll make that thing go away, or if it gets to be too much, then you can take whatever you need from me. That's what we promised, wasn't it? That no matter what, we would be there to support each other?
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[He just has no idea how he'll he behave like this. If he can keep control, then he can deal with it. At least there's more control and understanding. But if he loses it? What then? If he hurts her again because of it—]
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You won't hurt me.
[He won't. Eustace won't ever hurt her, and she is sure of it, and now, it's her turn to pull him closer, her arms circling around him as tight as she can manage without choking the air out of either of them, and her legs lock around his to keep him there.]
But it's going to be okay. I know that. If it did come down to it, just... trust me, okay?
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He can only sigh bitterly before closing his eyes and pressing further into her.]
...All right.
[Even if he's not sure he can trust himself, he knows he can trust her.]
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Just like the lindworm, she intends to face this thing head-on for his sake.]
If you want to sleep... you can.
[She'll be right here is the silent implication.]
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I don't want to... But I do fear it would only be worse if I don't.
[No proper rest means he can't properly handle things or miss the signs. Maybe if he's alert and aware, he can at least keep himself in control.]
But you, too. I don't want you to wear yourself thin.
[Like she did before—]
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Don't worry about me.
[Ever the worrier. She wants to keep aware for just a little longer, to keep watch over him and their surroundings, but she does close her eyes anyway, smiling into him.]
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You know that's impossible.
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[At least he can take solace in the fact that they are here together? That if anything were to happen to either of them, they would be the first to know...
And slowly, to coax him a little into relaxing, a slow, languid hand slides up his back so that she can thread her fingers through his hair and reach for his ear. Is it cheating to start gently stroking and massaging it? Maybe, but if it will help...]
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He tries to keep in mind that now he at least knows what's happening to him and that if he does feel...that craving...he can at least try to keep it in better control. Perhaps being aware of it will help. And Tifa... He still doesn't like the idea that she's being dragged into this, but it's also true she's the best one to help him handle it. God forbid he dreamwalks into Lyria's dream, for instance.
So he'll hold onto her tighter as he cuddles closer to her warmth, her scent of starflowers soothing until he eventually drifts asleep, hoping that whatever happens, it won't be as his worst fears.]
🎀 fin.
Truth be told, she had been having a hard time easing the tension herself ever since she woke up, only because she knew that Eustace was holding onto so much of it, too. Not only for his sake, but for hers... She had said all of these things about getting rest, scolding him gently for not wanting to accept her help, and she had meant it all, but she had still been just as afraid. Just as scared as he was that if he did succumb to that sleep, that something might go terribly wrong...
So, when she finally feels him relax, the telltale steadiness of his breathing letting her know that he's drifted off to sleep at last, Tifa brings her arms around him and holds him tight. Tight as she can, until she can feel his heartbeat pressing to hers, without waking him. He may or may not sense it, or maybe he'll see it in his dreams, but slowly, surely, she lets her own dreamotion flow between them. Not fear, not anger, but love...
It's warm, and it smells of starflowers, and she hopes that if he does find himself tumbling into the dark, they can at least guide him back the way that they always have for her. That he's always done for her.
Should he need it, she hopes that he knows he can seek whatever it is he needs from her. But more than that, she hopes that she can offer him the same comforts that he has given. The same promise for safety and comfort...
Tears prick the corners of her eyes as she closes them, her face burying into his chest as she curls up, allowing the sweet scent and the gentle waves of warmth to send her off into a dreamless sleep alongside him...]