if you're sleeping are you dreaming? if you're dreaming are you dreaming of me?

[withoutasign]

Characters: Signless and Psiioniic
Location: Island Campground for Trolls Hiding from the Grand Highblood
Time: Night
Style: painfully bromantic
Status: Closed

Clouds. Clouds, and blue sky behind them, rays of sunlight arcing through their puffy undersides. Figures, dancing in those clouds, the visions slowly coming together and then breaking apart, like oil across the surface of water, or rainbows shimmering in misty rain. Figures, and voices, and joy, etching all the way across the sky, to everywhere the neverending light touches.

Miracles.

Signless shifts, moving one arm and curling it around the form beside him, nuzzling his face into warm, yielding flesh. He makes a scratchy, throaty purring sound, and squeezes a little tighter.

It feels like he's been sleeping for a week. Five more minutes won't hurt.

Comments

[p2iioniicii2t]

The Helmsman was not prepared to wake up. He had been exhausted by the recent events, so much so that being awake at any particular time seemed like a terrible idea. He could curl up against his unconscious friend, stay close to his side where he could pretend it was safe.

He doesn't connect movement to the fact that Signless is awake. It is probably accurate, given that he's just trying to go back to sleep once more.

So the Helmsman huffs under his breath plaintively, quiet and--

"Thignlesth!"

--sitting up bolt upright with a soft, startled exclamation.

[withoutasign]

The sudden motion of his pillow jerking upwards jolts Signless, and his head slides off, landing on the ground with a soft thump. It doesn't hurt--the ground is too soft here--but it wakes him up the rest of the way, and he props himself up on one elbow, rubbing his eyes with the other hand.

"Psii?"

He'd recognize that quiet lisp anywhere.

[p2iioniicii2t]

"You're awake."

His voice is very quiet now, much more so than it is usually. He isn't entirely sure he believes it, not at first, and the tent fills with a soft glow of psionics as he suddenly gathers the Signless up in all the humming light and pulls him close to himself as if checking him over and reaffirming this is, in fact, very real.

[withoutasign]

"Mmmmmm... yeah."

Signless lets Psii pick him up, limp and pliable with sleepiness, and when he's brought close to his friend, he reaches out and tries to burrow against him again.

"Was I asleep for long?"

[p2iioniicii2t]

This is real, and he's not just deadweight unconscious and he's talking! The Helmsman takes a shuddering breath and buries his face against the juncture of Signless' neck and shoulder.

When he manages to speak again, it's muffled and hardly understandable, "A quarter lunar thycle."

[withoutasign]

It takes Signless' sleepy mind a moment or two to process that time frame, but when he does...

"A week? I was asleep for a week?"

He's heard about that happening in Vatheon, of course, but he never thought it would happen to him! He wraps both arms around Psii and holds him tight, murmuring soft reassurances into his ear.

"Oh god, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to leave you alone, but I'm here now, it's going to be okay, Psii, I'm here for you now, shoooooosh..."

[p2iioniicii2t]

"I do not know if that ith true," the Helmsman admits, still muffled. His shoulders are shaking, breath hitching softly as he finally returns the hug. There's very little strength to his grip but his borderline desperation is obvious.

Even so, to hear his voice again--personally, not loading up conversations on his SFC to listen to again--is reassuring nonetheless.

[withoutasign]

"No, it is true, of course it's true!"

Still caught in the warm glow of psionics, Signless wraps his legs around Psii too, pulling on his cloak to wrap it around his friend too.

"You know I would never, ever leave you alone on purpose, right?" Signless starts stroking Psii's hair, and his fingers stutter a little when they touch the unfamiliar hardware he's wearing, but then smooth out almost immediately. "That if I had the choice, we'd always be together? Shhhhh, it's okay, Psii, I'm here now, and I'm not going anywhere."

[p2iioniicii2t]

The psionics stutter and fade after a moment, and then it is just the comforting warmth and weight of the Signless as he tries to soothe him. The words were all very nice, and he doesn't have the strength to point out the truth. He was much too tired, the stress of the situation getting to him. The Helmsman stays quiet for some time, reminding himself that this was reality and the future was nothing to consider.

Not even if the Signless could suddenly disappear then and there as if he were nothing more than an illusion.

[withoutasign]

Signless doesn't want to disappear, or leave Psii behind.

He cuddles closer to his friend, trying to gently push him backwards onto the nest of blankets and sleeping bags. He'll ask why they're in a tent later; right now, comforting Psii is far more important than worrying about where they are or how they got there.

"Psii? Why are you wearing Darkleer's glasses?"

[p2iioniicii2t]

He certainly doesn't fight the gesture, there was a reason there was a startling number of blankets and such in their tents, after all. It's safe and warm and quiet, and he doesn't quite process the question asked of him for a second. Why was he-- oh.

"It was his conthern that the thun would damage my eyeth."

And, well, he just hadn't taken them off since, pretty much. Probably missing the point somewhat, but that's quite alright. There's something calming about having them there, as strange at that idea might seem.

[withoutasign]

Nah, Signless gets it. He smiles, and smoothes Psii's hair around them.

"That was very kind of him."

Called it! Totally pale for each other! A shame that probably neither of them gets it, but that's not for him to meddle in. Not yet, anyway. Let them come to the realization by themselves.

Signless stays quiet for a few minutes, just rocking Psii back and forth and occasionally purring under his breath.

"What else happened while I was sleeping?"

[p2iioniicii2t]

It doesn't help that neither of them think themselves worthy of such an intimate relationship. Psii, in particular, but both suffered it. He snuggles close, not caring how foolish it probably looked. They were alone and if his friend wanted to rock him like a lusus with a distraught wiggler, well...

He wouldn't complain, that was for sure.

When he finally asked that question, there's a little hesitation, and then he speaks, "The Grand Highblood hath returned. Karkat Vantath arranged for uth to flee."

[withoutasign]

That is exactly what Signless wants to do, and he gives no damns about how silly it might look. It's what Psii needs, and it's what he needs, so by god, he's going to cradle his friend in his arms and rock him back and forth.

His ears perk forward at Psii's news, though.

"I see. I take it we're up on the island?"