Post by com05 on Apr 5, 2011 11:25:07 GMT 10
Title: Well-Rested
Rating: PG-13
Wordcount: 1,386
Pairing: Briar/Daja/Sandry/Tris
1/H
Summary: Briar and Sandry look for a way to end their nightmares. Mentions sex.
Briar awoke short of breath and with the room spinning in front of him. His hands were clammy. The sweat against his body was starting to feel cold. As the images of dead bodies started to fade from his mind, he clenched and unclenched his fists with frustration.
After spending a few minutes calming himself, he climbed out of bed and walked into the kitchen of the house on Cheeseman Street. To his surprise, he wasn’t the only one there.
“Sandry? Why are you up?”
“Couldn’t sleep,” she said.
“I thought you were sleeping better here than at the castle,” Briar said, as he opened the pantry and surveyed his snack options.
“Better, but not perfectly. Anyway, why are you awake?”
“Couldn’t sleep,” he said with a shrug.
Briar wasn’t sure he wanted to discuss his nightmares. The girls already wanted him to see a soul-healer. Sandry nagged him more than the others. Briar found this particularly vexing since he suspected Sandry needed a soul healer almost as much as he did. She had been having trouble sleeping since they left Namorn, though she said it was worse at the palace.
“Want an apple?” he asked. She nodded and he tossed her one from the pantry before biting into his own.
“You’re still getting nightmares aren’t you?” she said, starting to stick her mulish chin towards him.
“You still can’t fall asleep, can you?” Briar snapped. He was not in the mood for this discussion. He could tell it was going to be a discussion because Sandry had that stubborn look.
“You need to see a soul healer.”
“As much as you do?”
“It is not the same thing!” she said, knitting her brows together. “I just can’t fall asleep. It’s not like nightmares!”
“So you think it’s a coincidence that you stopped sleeping just after Shan kidnapped you in your sleep?”
“I-I-
“You really don’t think you’re staying awake because you’re afraid something bad will happen if you sleep? Just like something bad happened the last time you let yourself really sleep?”
Sandry looked frozen. She simply stood motionless and stared at Briar. Now, he was nervous. Perhaps he gone too far. He was irritable when he woke up from nightmares.
“But it can’t be that,” she said at last. “That’s silly. No one is going to drug my food and kidnap me here!”
“And there are no soldiers coming to kill me here either,” Briar said. He had told himself again and again how silly his nightmares were, but that never seemed to stop them.
“And I suppose that’s why I like it better here than at the palace? Because Fin kidnapped me a in a palace, so I feel even less safe there?”
“C’mon Duchess, I thought even you would have figured that one out already,” he said with a grin, as he came to lean beside her against the counter.
“I haven’t tried to figure it out, Briar,” she said quietly. “I’ve tried to pretend it’s not happening or convince myself it was anything other than in my head. I never tried to make sense of it that way.”
Briar studied Sandry for moment. Her stubborn chin was starting to quiver and her blue eyes were watering. Briar felt terrible. He hadn’t meant to cause her pain, just to avoid a discussion about his own problems.
Tentatively, he reached his arm around her and scooted close to her.
“It’s okay. It’s not like you could have stopped the sleeping trouble just by figuring out what caused it,” he said. “You can reason with yourself all you want about this sort of thing and it doesn’t matter. I know perfectly well what causes my nightmares, but that doesn’t help at all.”
“So what does help?”
She leaned into his chest and gazed up at him.
“Well, to tell you the truth, having someone else in bed with me seems to be the best help.”
Briar wasn’t sure if she would be irritated with him, but she didn’t seem to be. Instead, she just gave him a wry smile.
Neither of them spoke for a time. Sandry stayed close to him and Briar gently rubbed her back. He felt her shoulders relax and her head slump into his chest. She was almost asleep. Briar wasn’t sure if he ought to guide her back to bed, or keep standing there and see if she could sleep standing up.
He was grinning to himself about his predicament when Sandry lifted up her head and looked seriously at him.
“Will you sleep with me?” she asked.
Briar felt his eyes grow larger and his jaw start to drop.
“I was thinking about what you said, how that helps, and I think it does,” she said, refusing to look at him. “Just now I almost fell asleep, and I think it was because I felt safe with you here.”
She met his eyes quickly, nervously, and then looked down at the floor. Part of him wanted to tease her, but the urge was far overpowered by one to take care of her.
“Sure,” he said, keeping his tone casual. They moved away from the counter, with Briar keeping his arm around Sandry and steering her towards his room.
“Who knows, might help me sleep too,” he said.
“I assume you’ve never tried it without having sex first then?”
“Nope.”
They both stood in the doorway of his room for a moment. Then Sandry strode purposefully over to his bed and climbed under the blanket.
Briar suppressed a grin. He couldn’t remember the last time he saw Sandry this nervous. He took off his shirt and Sandry’s eyes widened.
“I don’t normally sleep fully clothed, you know,” he said with a smirk. “I’ll put it back on if it makes you more comfortable though.”
“I-no-I just-it’s fine Briar,” she mumbled.
“Okay, Duchess,” he said, raising his eyebrows slightly at her.
“Oh stop it and just come sleep already!”
Briar chuckled and climbed into the bed beside Sandry. They were both still for a moment, lying with just inches between them. Sandry rolled over on her side and scooted closer to Briar. He put his arm back around her. She wriggled against his body until she found a comfortable spot on his chest.
“How’s that?” he asked.
“Quite nice,” she said.
Briar grinned and drew the covers around them with his free hand. He gently rubbed Sandry’s back until her shoulders relaxed and her breath slowed into a steady rhythm. Then his own eyelids grew heavy and he drifted to sleep.
When Daja had dressed for the day and walked into the kitchen, Tris was already there. The redhead was stirring porridge as she watched the sky outside.
“Are Sandry and Briar awake?” Daja asked, eying the breakfast.
“Funny you should ask,” Tris said. The beginning of a smirk was starting to form on her mouth.
“Why?”
Tris just shrugged, so Daja felt her connections to her brother and sister. Both ties led to Briar’s room.
“Oh,” Daja said. “Are they…”
“I don’t know. They’re asleep right now, and that’s all I can tell,” Tris said.
Daja probed at her ties to Briar and Sandry again. They both seemed content.
What are you poking at? Briar grumbled through the magic.
You, and Sandry!
Oh, that.
Daja had a feeling that if she could see Briar, he would blushing.
Yes, that! What is that about? Tris came through the connection now, sounding every bit as irritable as Briar.
Relax, Coppercurls, we’ve just been sleeping. We both woke up last night-or she never fell asleep, I guess. So, we started talking in the kitchen about it. She thought she might be able to relax enough to sleep if someone stayed with her. I guess it worked.
Daja shrugged and broke off the connection. Tris kept feeling along her tie with her foster brother.
Are you going to do more than sleep with her? Tris asked. She felt Briar’s irritation, then she felt amusement.
Not unless she asks, in which case, I’d feel compelled to oblige.
Tris sent a light spark along their connection. She could almost see Briar laughing.
You’re the one that asked, he said. Now leave us alone, I haven’t slept this well in ages.
QC by PeroxidePirate
Rating: PG-13
Wordcount: 1,386
Pairing: Briar/Daja/Sandry/Tris
1/H
Summary: Briar and Sandry look for a way to end their nightmares. Mentions sex.
Briar awoke short of breath and with the room spinning in front of him. His hands were clammy. The sweat against his body was starting to feel cold. As the images of dead bodies started to fade from his mind, he clenched and unclenched his fists with frustration.
After spending a few minutes calming himself, he climbed out of bed and walked into the kitchen of the house on Cheeseman Street. To his surprise, he wasn’t the only one there.
“Sandry? Why are you up?”
“Couldn’t sleep,” she said.
“I thought you were sleeping better here than at the castle,” Briar said, as he opened the pantry and surveyed his snack options.
“Better, but not perfectly. Anyway, why are you awake?”
“Couldn’t sleep,” he said with a shrug.
Briar wasn’t sure he wanted to discuss his nightmares. The girls already wanted him to see a soul-healer. Sandry nagged him more than the others. Briar found this particularly vexing since he suspected Sandry needed a soul healer almost as much as he did. She had been having trouble sleeping since they left Namorn, though she said it was worse at the palace.
“Want an apple?” he asked. She nodded and he tossed her one from the pantry before biting into his own.
“You’re still getting nightmares aren’t you?” she said, starting to stick her mulish chin towards him.
“You still can’t fall asleep, can you?” Briar snapped. He was not in the mood for this discussion. He could tell it was going to be a discussion because Sandry had that stubborn look.
“You need to see a soul healer.”
“As much as you do?”
“It is not the same thing!” she said, knitting her brows together. “I just can’t fall asleep. It’s not like nightmares!”
“So you think it’s a coincidence that you stopped sleeping just after Shan kidnapped you in your sleep?”
“I-I-
“You really don’t think you’re staying awake because you’re afraid something bad will happen if you sleep? Just like something bad happened the last time you let yourself really sleep?”
Sandry looked frozen. She simply stood motionless and stared at Briar. Now, he was nervous. Perhaps he gone too far. He was irritable when he woke up from nightmares.
“But it can’t be that,” she said at last. “That’s silly. No one is going to drug my food and kidnap me here!”
“And there are no soldiers coming to kill me here either,” Briar said. He had told himself again and again how silly his nightmares were, but that never seemed to stop them.
“And I suppose that’s why I like it better here than at the palace? Because Fin kidnapped me a in a palace, so I feel even less safe there?”
“C’mon Duchess, I thought even you would have figured that one out already,” he said with a grin, as he came to lean beside her against the counter.
“I haven’t tried to figure it out, Briar,” she said quietly. “I’ve tried to pretend it’s not happening or convince myself it was anything other than in my head. I never tried to make sense of it that way.”
Briar studied Sandry for moment. Her stubborn chin was starting to quiver and her blue eyes were watering. Briar felt terrible. He hadn’t meant to cause her pain, just to avoid a discussion about his own problems.
Tentatively, he reached his arm around her and scooted close to her.
“It’s okay. It’s not like you could have stopped the sleeping trouble just by figuring out what caused it,” he said. “You can reason with yourself all you want about this sort of thing and it doesn’t matter. I know perfectly well what causes my nightmares, but that doesn’t help at all.”
“So what does help?”
She leaned into his chest and gazed up at him.
“Well, to tell you the truth, having someone else in bed with me seems to be the best help.”
Briar wasn’t sure if she would be irritated with him, but she didn’t seem to be. Instead, she just gave him a wry smile.
Neither of them spoke for a time. Sandry stayed close to him and Briar gently rubbed her back. He felt her shoulders relax and her head slump into his chest. She was almost asleep. Briar wasn’t sure if he ought to guide her back to bed, or keep standing there and see if she could sleep standing up.
He was grinning to himself about his predicament when Sandry lifted up her head and looked seriously at him.
“Will you sleep with me?” she asked.
Briar felt his eyes grow larger and his jaw start to drop.
“I was thinking about what you said, how that helps, and I think it does,” she said, refusing to look at him. “Just now I almost fell asleep, and I think it was because I felt safe with you here.”
She met his eyes quickly, nervously, and then looked down at the floor. Part of him wanted to tease her, but the urge was far overpowered by one to take care of her.
“Sure,” he said, keeping his tone casual. They moved away from the counter, with Briar keeping his arm around Sandry and steering her towards his room.
“Who knows, might help me sleep too,” he said.
“I assume you’ve never tried it without having sex first then?”
“Nope.”
They both stood in the doorway of his room for a moment. Then Sandry strode purposefully over to his bed and climbed under the blanket.
Briar suppressed a grin. He couldn’t remember the last time he saw Sandry this nervous. He took off his shirt and Sandry’s eyes widened.
“I don’t normally sleep fully clothed, you know,” he said with a smirk. “I’ll put it back on if it makes you more comfortable though.”
“I-no-I just-it’s fine Briar,” she mumbled.
“Okay, Duchess,” he said, raising his eyebrows slightly at her.
“Oh stop it and just come sleep already!”
Briar chuckled and climbed into the bed beside Sandry. They were both still for a moment, lying with just inches between them. Sandry rolled over on her side and scooted closer to Briar. He put his arm back around her. She wriggled against his body until she found a comfortable spot on his chest.
“How’s that?” he asked.
“Quite nice,” she said.
Briar grinned and drew the covers around them with his free hand. He gently rubbed Sandry’s back until her shoulders relaxed and her breath slowed into a steady rhythm. Then his own eyelids grew heavy and he drifted to sleep.
When Daja had dressed for the day and walked into the kitchen, Tris was already there. The redhead was stirring porridge as she watched the sky outside.
“Are Sandry and Briar awake?” Daja asked, eying the breakfast.
“Funny you should ask,” Tris said. The beginning of a smirk was starting to form on her mouth.
“Why?”
Tris just shrugged, so Daja felt her connections to her brother and sister. Both ties led to Briar’s room.
“Oh,” Daja said. “Are they…”
“I don’t know. They’re asleep right now, and that’s all I can tell,” Tris said.
Daja probed at her ties to Briar and Sandry again. They both seemed content.
What are you poking at? Briar grumbled through the magic.
You, and Sandry!
Oh, that.
Daja had a feeling that if she could see Briar, he would blushing.
Yes, that! What is that about? Tris came through the connection now, sounding every bit as irritable as Briar.
Relax, Coppercurls, we’ve just been sleeping. We both woke up last night-or she never fell asleep, I guess. So, we started talking in the kitchen about it. She thought she might be able to relax enough to sleep if someone stayed with her. I guess it worked.
Daja shrugged and broke off the connection. Tris kept feeling along her tie with her foster brother.
Are you going to do more than sleep with her? Tris asked. She felt Briar’s irritation, then she felt amusement.
Not unless she asks, in which case, I’d feel compelled to oblige.
Tris sent a light spark along their connection. She could almost see Briar laughing.
You’re the one that asked, he said. Now leave us alone, I haven’t slept this well in ages.
QC by PeroxidePirate