( closed; ) all she wants is a little piece of his dreams

[metalist]

Who: Sweet Valley High's favourite starcrossed lovers (Jaune Arc beaconed and Pyrrha Nikos metalist)
When: 8/10 and beyond; late night
Where: Residential district, a familiar apartment
What: FEELINGS
Rating/Warning: Jaune



[ It had been deceptively easy to get her feet to move in time with the routine she so well remembered. Once home, she had gravitated to what she had known; had reclaimed a measure of normalcy. His room, her room. The common area, the kitchen. The balcony where she had used to sit and do her take-home work, overlooking the route where she had used to take her twenty kilometre runs after dinner.

The days are almost easy, because even though she had declined all the instant-offer jobs and has yet to find anything else, she has some semblance of life and routine. As long as she's in this city, she's determined to live as part of it.

The nights are a little tougher, because sleep still eludes her. She lies awake for hours, either eventually giving up or nodding off for a fitful, restless few hours of dream-filled sleep. It's enough to function, but not enough to function well.

Tonight is one of the former! So, guess what she's doing.

Dressed in her favourite pajamas, she's playing Kill or be Killed Gaiden 3: The Vacation on Sunset Island.

At two in the morning.

With the volume at "rudely high for two in the goddamn morning". Whoops? - In her defense, it was 10pm only five minutes ago! Honest! ]

Comments

[beaconed]

[ Jaune, in all his onesie glory, clumsily charges out of his room until he trips and recovers with a barrel roll. He has Crocea Mors with him, but thankfully it's sheathed. Don't run with swords, kids! ]

Pyrrha--!! We're under atta--

[ Oh. She's... awake? ]

...ck.

[metalist]

[ She is, in fact, awake. And looking like a deer in the headlights, eyes wide as a rabbit's. So, you know. Animals. ]

... Jaune?

[ What the hell, man. Slowly, she puts down her controller. Jiggling happens on screen. ]

Did you have a bad dream?

[beaconed]

Did I have a bad dream?

[ Jaune sets his weapon aside and approaches the couch, reflecting Pyrrha's concern back at her. ]

Pyrrha, it's two in the morning. What are you doing?

[metalist]

[ Her eyes drop, somewhat chastised by his curiosity. In the relative darkness of the apartment, the TV screen blasts harsh light at both of them.

The volleyball game continues without Pyrrha's participation. ]

Couldn't sleep, I suppose.

[beaconed]

Are you okay? I just... I heard the noise and I thought... well, you know where we are.

[ It's perfectly reasonable to assume you're being attacked in your sleep in Cerealia.

...It's not the weirdest thing that would have happened. ]

[metalist]

... [ Yeah, she really messed this up, didn't she? More than anything, she feels embarrassed at having woken him up, and upset at herself for being so intrusive. What if he's not used to her being here anymore? -- Without looking, Pyrrha reaches over to turn the television set off. Without it, the only light in the room now come from the timer on the DVR and the fluorescent lights beaming in from outside their window. ]

I'm sorry, [ she says, and it sounds like a mere shade of her former chirped apologies. ] You should go back to sleep. I'm - alright.

[beaconed]

[ As if it's that simple to just close his eyes and convince himself that Pyrrha isn't going to disappear by the time the sun goes up again. Well, he can, eventually, but he would be a lousy teammate if he just left Pyrrha awake and all by herself. ]

Oh? [ Jaune pauses, thinking of a reason why he would refuse to go back - besides the obvious, that is. ] But I wanted to play, too.

[metalist]

Oh...

[ It's unexpected but far from unwelcome. For a moment, brief but unmistakable, Pyrrha's face brightens.

She moves over to give him room on the couch. ]

Well, the more, the merrier.

[ Pyrrha's glad. Even if she doesn't seem like it. ]

8/21; part two.

[metalist]

[ Three weeks is far too long to fight for sleep. Some days, it's fine: she's able to get at least five hours of unbroken sleep before something in her startles and she's jolted awake, forced to address the day before she's ready. Some days - some nights, really - she lies awake from the moment her head hits the pillow to the moment she gives up and tries to distract herself. She's learned to adjust, somewhat, able to mask the signs and rouse herself to a smile in the daylight even when her nights are plagued.

The worst nights are where she keeps Jaune up on accident. He's been too willing to sit with her in the early hours of the morning; once in a while, she's forced to send him away with concern for his workday. He's been such a bright spot through this misery, but when it's dark out, it's easier for guilt and doubts to gnaw at her. To look at her place in his life and realise how unfair it is, how much more he deserves.

It's just shy of 1am when she decides to put away the dishes, because why not? There's absolutely no way this could go wrong.

Except they own this. And it's super slippery.

Countdown to cliche sitcom misadventure plot device in four, three, two...

There is one clear difference, though. Stainless steel falls under the purview of metal, which means Pyrrha's immediate inclination isn't to use her hands to stop it, but her semblance. For a moment, faint power rouses clear to her command, but her wrists tremble with the effort and after that hopeful moment?

CLANG.

Everything is the worst. ]

[beaconed]

UGHH.

[ The groan of someone who was just having a great dream can be heard from Jaune's room. ]

Pyyyrrrrhhaaaaaaaaaaaa... [ SNIFFLE. ]

Aaaare youuuu doing the dishes at...

[ Pause. He's likely checking the actual time before finishing the question. ]

...1 AM? --Wait, is it really?

[metalist]

[ Guilt is swift striking. As the bowl continues to spin noisily on the floor, her shoulders pinch. Everything is even more the worst. ]

Uh, yeah. I'm sorry.

[ That bowl is so getting thrown out the window. ]

Go back to sleep!

[beaconed]

[ Yeah, like that's gonna happen now. Still groggy, Jaune slowly drags himself out of his room. ]

Pyrrha, I know we agreed on taking care of the dishes first thing in the morning, but I didn't think it would be that literally...

[metalist]

[ She picks up the bowl and sets it back into the sink. After falling on the floor, it's going to need to be rewashed, which is fine. Pyrrha doesn't mind chores nearly as much as she minds disturbing his sleep for the millionth time. ]

Yeah... I guess I wasn't thinking clearly.

[ In comparison to him, she looks wide awake, but clearly tired. Please don't say anything, partner. ]

[beaconed]

Oh. What... are you thinking about?

[ He can likely guess what's plaguing her mind, but asking directly is also an opportunity to see if Pyrrha is still insisting that everything is fine. ]

[metalist]

[ A lot of things, in truth. Too many things, with a mind that wanders on its own, forcing her to confront at night what she sets aside during the day. Her mouth opens with a click, but it's another moment before she actually answers him. ]

- my mother, actually.

[beaconed]

[ Her answer is perfectly understandable, even moreso for Pyrrha who never really mentioned any other family members. After everything that happened in Remnant, Jaune would dread the day he meets Mrs. Nikos, to be the one to tell her that he failed her daughter. Her only family.

In some ways, he's still going to have to have that conversation, he feels. ]

Yeah... I guess that would keep me up at night, too.

[ ....... ]

I mean-- n-not your mom, that would be-- my mom! Okay, no, that still sounds weird. What am I doing? Forget everything I just said in the past ten seconds! [ He pulls out his CereVice, activating the strobe light feature as he flashes it in front of Pyrrha. ] Forgeeeeet.

[ ........You're being Men In Black'd. ]

8/23; part three.

[metalist]

[ It had been his idea, in the beginning, to make things a little more like they had been in Beacon. To help her shattered sleeping patterns, ostensibly. Back when they had all shared one single room and it had been awkward and sometimes inconvenient, but it had forced them to bond as teammates, as comrades and dear friends. Pyrrha had never struggled for sleep then, but she had also never had to remember dying. It hadn't been a bad idea, either. Unlike their overly practical single beds back at Beacon, the apartment beds are broad enough to fit two people comfortably and leave a margin of space between. Even if Jaune had handled the implied intimacy of sleeping in the same bed with as much aplomb as one could expect from him... it had made her laugh, if nothing else, and made her solicitous with affection besides.

Pyrrha hadn't drifted off immediately, but the shadows of unpleasant memories were done away with -- by the sound of his faint breathing, or the way his body heat emanated toward her under their shared comforter.

She ends up with seven hours of unbroken, dreamless sleep, which is better than she's had in weeks. In fact, Pyrrha's still sleeping when his alarm goes off, distinct and solemn music causing her to rouse slowly, blinking up at the ceiling with a yawn.

And, she hasn't even noticed Jaune's... condition yet. ]

[beaconed]

[ And hopefully she won't notice it at all!!!

What she will definitely notice is Jaune reaching over to hit the snooze button, only he's reaching for the wrong side, and his hand is tapping something entirely else.

Huh. The alarm still hasn't stopped, that's weird.

As Jaune slowly opens his eyes, blurry vision becoming clearer but not quite there yet, he realizes that he's actually groping Pyrrha's boob. Cool. Cool-cool-cool.

...
Wait, what. ]

[metalist]

[ It's way too early for this for Pyrrha, who is still a bit groggy from her first real good sleep in weeks. The second time he nudges her breast, Pyrrha gently grabs his hand and sets it flat on the bed between them. The faint flush high up on her cheekbones brought about by the accidental feeling up dissipates fairly quickly. ]

... can you hit the snooze button?

[ Her voice is still a bit relaxed with sleep. Turns out, resting properly feels awesome, and she closes her eyes again. Ten more minutes, please. ]

[beaconed]

[ WHAT THE F-- he's so used to waking up alone that he entirely forgot they shared a bed. Jaune pulls his hand back and stares at it, then at Pyrrha, then beneath his sheets, then at the ceiling. This is fine.

Oh yeah, the alarm. ]

I-I'm on it!!!

[ In a weird state of panic, he grabs the alarm and throws it against the wall. THIS IS FINE. ]

1 / 2

[metalist]

[ She had almost drifted of again when the alarm shatters loudly against the wall, and her eyes fly open anew. She sits up with all the abrupt grace of a springing piece of plywood, staring at the bits of alarm now embedded in the wall.

And then -- ]

2 / 2

[metalist]

[ She starts laughing uncontrollably, collapsing back into a laid position as her shoulders shake with mirth. ]

Jaune —

[ oh, you moron. :'D ]

[beaconed]

[ Yeah, that was a bit excessive. Jaune, still sitting upright, just observes Pyrrha as she laughs. (jfc she's a bae even in the morning) ]

L-Look, technically you used the word "hit"! [ He's about to flail around, but quickly catches himself before his hands can go rogue again. G'ah, what a wreck. ] Now go back to sleep, everything is fine!

[metalist]

[ How is she supposed to go back to sleep after that? Pyrrha's wide awake now, having been startled out of the lingering vestiges of sleepiness by the alarm clock's untimely end. She hadn't been bothered by the accidental groping, but Jaune's taken embarrassed awkwardness to a whole new level.

Sitting up, she notices a tent in the sheets near his hips and, oh. Yeah. Okay.

That's why.

...

A little too resolutely, Pyrrha keeps her eyes on his face. ]

Uh, Jaune?

[beaconed]

[ FFFFF-- WHY DID SHE GET UP ]

...
I can explain.

[ Just... just breathe... ]