Chapter Text
The bright neon glow of the old clock on your bedside table stung your eyes at first. You blinked, letting yourself adjust, before recognizing the digits 12:02. You’d gotten accustomed to waking up at this time. Yawning, you turned towards the middle of the bed to face Shadow, also awake, his eyes wide and body trembling from the recurring nightmare he’d just experienced.
“It happened again,” he said, out of breath, “… I saw her. She was… she was right in front of me, just like she always is… I banged my fists on the glass as hard as I could, Y/N, please believe me… I didn’t want to leave her there…”
Maria, you thought to yourself. Shadow was dreaming about the day he lost her all those years ago. This was one of the worst nightmares he had, owing to how powerful and painful the memory was, and it usually meant he wouldn’t be going back to sleep that night. Therefore, neither were you.
But you loved Shadow too much to care.
You coaxed him to lie down on you, his body just large enough to cover yours. He immediately buried his face in your neck, seeking a place to hide. You could still hear him panting, feeling his rapid little breaths against your collarbone, and decided to focus on getting his breathing in order first. As you always did, you inhaled deep through your nose and out your mouth, mentally counting as you did so, and Shadow did his best to follow. He was breathing normally again a few minutes later.
“There we go,” you whispered, rubbing up and down his back, “That memory can’t get you anymore, Shadow. You’re safe here.”
Shadow whimpered a little as your hand ran along his fur. He still struggled with being touched, despite knowing your touch would never result in pain. Even as you continued to lay there with him, even though he found your hand to be soothing, he still felt a knee-jerk reaction to fight it in the same way he would an invasive force. A relic of his past that still plagued him.
“White noise…” he mumbled against your neck.
You reached over to the bedside table and turned on your trusted white noise machine. Shadow loved the sounds it made, so much in fact he often cycled through them, depending on his mood. His favourite, the current setting, was the sound of a gentle thunderstorm. It was common to have the machine playing in your bedroom most nights.
Shadow actually groaned when your hand ventured into his quills to stroke the back of his head, no longer on edge, “Thank… thank you…”
“You’re welcome,” you said softly, smiling a little, but trying not to feel so sad. As much as you enjoyed holding him like this, you didn’t like seeing how much these nightmares scared him. Lately they were happening more often, wickedly vivid, and each time seemed to take a considerable toll on Shadow.
“...I’m sorry,” you heard him whisper.
“No need to be sorry,” you responded, “You know I love it when you keep me warm.”
As if instructed, Shadow’s arms wrapped around your shoulders, snuggling up close to envelope you in a radiating cocoon. You pulled the duvet over you both for that extra insurance, all the while the sounds of a storm made you feel even safer. It was easily the cosiest, most wonderful nest in the entire house.
“See? If you hadn’t woken up, I’d have to rely on just my blanket,” you said, trying to make him feel better. “You’re exactly what I need.”
The dark-haired hedgehog didn’t respond, his body draped over yours. You figured he was too exhausted to suggest you were just trying to make him feel better, as he often did. You closed your eyes, the two of you enjoying each other’s company within the comfort of your bed. The sound of rain and thunder rolling had put you both in a complete state of relaxation. Even if he was going to wake up again in an hour or so, you didn’t mind. It was worth it for these moments alone, when Shadow felt safe and loved.