Title: Be Still
Fandom: Red vs. Blue
Rating: 13+
Characters: York, Carolina, Delta, mentions of Eta, Iota and Alison
Pairing: Yorkalina (York/Carolina)
Summary: Carolina's been having trouble sleeping lately and York knows this all too well. Inspired by this watch?v=Vtp-p7qFI2I
Excerpt: Nothing would ever happen when they reached his mattress, nothing like what they used to do together when one of them snuck to the other's room before the AIs. Now it was only sleep and gentle murmurs and holding her like she was the most precious thing in the world to him. Because she was.
It was the worst at night.
York knew this all too well, by the way that her breathing was shallow and eratic, by the way she'd let out a faint whimper every now and again, by the way she woke up in a cold sweat, screaming. She could never sleep in her own bunk alone and she hadn't for a long time. She'd sneak to his room when the ship was shadowed over and everyone was asleep.
It was always the same two knocks at the same door at the same time every night. He'd always just stripped down into his boxers when she arrived, opening the door as soon as he could hear her. She'd press herself against him and he wrapped his arms around her, soothing her with a gentle voice as he led her to the bed, closing the door behind them.
Be still and know that I am with you
Nothing would ever happen when they reached his mattress, nothing like what they used to do together when one of them snuck to the other's room before the AIs. Now it was only sleep and gentle murmurs and holding her like she was the most precious thing in the world to him. Because she was.
Be still and know that I am here
She'd curl into the warmth of his chest, the back of her neck free of the AIs that tortured her mind, but the damage had already been done. She still received nightmares, night after night. Every night, he'd hold her and whisper to her and wished her pain and suffering away.
Be still and know that I am with you
He remembered a song that his mother once sang to him when he had nightmares, a simple song memorised in the darkness of his childhood. He, of course, couldn't sing, but he did his best to replicate the gentle notes. Humming into her ear as they rocked back and forth on the bed, he ran a hand through her hair and shushed her when she made a whimper or cry mid-dream.
And I will say your name
Her hands curled into fists on his chest and her leg shifted. They were sitting on his bed, leaning against the headboard as she sat in between his legs. Her eyes were clenched shut and her breathing was frighteningly shallow. She trembled in his arms, muttering pleas and curses about a nightmare not seen by anyone but her. He guessed they were given to her by the AI, visions imprinted onto her brain as a permanent reminder of the other minds her head once housed.
When terror falls apon your bed and sleep no longer comes
He'd get nightmares too, occasionally, the AI induced ones. Delta left night terrors that York could never seem to forget, but they didn't seem as bad as hers. The nightmares he had were clouded with green about a woman lost to him, blond and beautiful and there was nothing Delta could do to save her. He'd wake up in the middle of the night as well, hugging the other freelancer that shared his bed and pushing the dream to the back of his mind. He had to be strong now, for her. He had to be there for her. For Carolina.
Remember all the words I said, be still, be still and know.