Deryn feels her stomach tighten at every noise the blasted airbeast makes.

Blisters, this is insane! she thinks. Almost mutters it, but she doesn't dare disturb Alek. Though he's not sleeping well anyways, which is the reason she's here at all.

Somehow, Alek has convinced her to sleep in his cabin. Not publicly, obviously, that'd be barking mad. After lights out she had snuck out of her cabin (not the first time she had done so) and into Alek's (the first time as Deryn, not Dylan).

"I've been having night terrors as of late," Alek had told her, privately, at breakfast. She had said he looked awful - bags under his eyes, barely comprehending his food, "I don't sleep most nights," She had immediately (or, as soon as Newkirk left the table) offered to spend the night. So he hadn't convinced her so much as she'd had to convince him.

"I'll sleep on the floor or something, just so long as I'm there,"

Now she's laying in a much too small cot with one of Alek's arms around her and the other jutting out from under her neck. And because she's slightly taller, he doesn't quite fit against her right. Every time she drifts off to sleep, Alek sleepily jumps or yelps or there's another damn noise from outside and her heart leaps into her throat. If she's caught, there's no explaining this.

At least I'm not barking naked,

"No!" Alek jerks up, panting. His arm whips out from under Deryn, who collides lightly with the fab-wood frame of the cot.

"Blisters, Alek, Alek!" She does her best to keep her voice down as she pulls him close. He buries his face into her neck, hands scrabbling at her back.

"Gods wounds, Deryn. I can't do this anymore," she can barely hear him, but she can feel his body tense as he tries not to cry.

"It's alright. Come here, dummkopf," Deryn kisses his head, rather nervously and awkwardly - much as she enjoys it, they haven't had much chances for kissing onboard.

"I-I keep seeing him, Deryn. I see him burn and by God, I can smell him as he burns," Alek's voice wavers and when he glances up at her all she can see are his eyes, shaky and afraid. This must have what it had been like for Jasper when their Da died.

"I know, lad," she kisses him, properly this time. She feels his lips contort under hers, trying not to twist into some awful look of sadness. But his lips settle as she holds him and they rest in each other's arms.

"Have you slept at all?" Alek asks.

"No, you keep moving around in your sleep, you daft prince," Deryn grins slightly, teeth shining in the near darkness.

"Sorry,"

"It's alright. Here, let me try this,"

She slides out of the embrace and moves behind Alek. The cot creaks under her movements as she lays down, one arm splayed out.

"What on earth are you doing?"

"Lay down. Come on, dumpkoff!" She pulls at him with her other hand.

Alek obeys, laying down slightly away from Deryn (a princely distance, she supposed). As soon as he does, she tugs him close with her one arm and wriggles the other under his neck.

"Wha-"

"Shut up!"

Much better, she thinks, with her arm sticking out and their knees locking together.

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