Thump, thump, thump.
Pidge stirred slightly, slumber falling out of her reach as the knocking on her door woke her. Lifting herself out of bed, she unlocked the door, coming face to face with a round tummy in the loveliest shade of yellow.
"Hunk, why are you awake right now? It's the middle of the night." Groaning, she rubbed her tired eyes, glasses abandoned on her bedside table. She never really needs them, but they reminded her of the home she swore to return to.
"I-I had a bad dream, and I didn't wanna wake Shiro because he never really gets enough sleep, and I know Lance went to bed early so he definitely wouldn't wake up now. Keith and I never really talked about this, but it's not like I could wake him up anyway, especially when he worked himself overboard in today's training, and I still don't know where Coran is sleeping, so I figured it would be okay to just-" Pidge grabbed his sleeve, turning on her heel as she made her way back towards her bed, Hunk trailing behind. The door slid shut behind them, letting the silence of the night drown them slowly.
"U-um, Pidge, I can make myself comfortable on the floor if you want, I don't have to-" Wordlessly, Pidge pointed to the bed, knowing Hunk would take the hint. Hunk sighed, obliging as he moved to take a seat on the edge of her bed. He left enough room beside him for the smaller paladin to figure out what to do with him.
"Lay down, and put your head on my lap." Leaving no room for questions, Hunk tried to make himself as comfortable as possible, squirming around slightly as he tried to position himself in a way that wouldn't be completely uncomfortable, while also not letting himself completely crush Pidge under him. Pidge on the other hand, yawned into her hand without a care, realizing the quicker Hunk made himself comfy, the quicker she'd get him to sleep.
When he finally finished adjusting himself, she stroked his hair gently, watching his eyelids flutter slightly. 'Good, he's calmed down.' Sighing gently, she repeated the words that had tainted her dreams, deep in her memories of when she was a small girl, afraid of the world and only the warmth of her brothers words could build her strength again.
"You're in my arms, and there's no where safer in the world. Nothing can hurt you here. Nothing can ever hurt you here."
Hunk let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding, and let himself get lost in the soothing sensation of Pidge's fingers running through his hair, her gentle words lulling him to slumber. Soon, Pidge lost herself in her dreams, too.
"H-hey, stay back! I-I'm warning you-u!"
The dark enveloped Katie as tall shadows loomed over her, surrounding her until she was backed into a corner. Terrified, she lifted her hands, covering her face as she felt one of the shadows grab her. Screaming, she clawed and scratched away at the shadow, as it suddenly began calling out her name, which ironically sounded a lot like-
"MATT!" Gasping, Katie sat upright in her bed, her throat feeling rather hoarse and the remains of tears she had unknowingly cried were staining her cheeks as she felt the grip on her wrists tighten. Glancing up, she met her brothers eyes, wide and concerned, as he sat on the edge of her bed, his glasses askew on his face, as though he barely remembered he needed them to find his crying sister.
"Katie, breathe, I'm right here." He loosened his grip on her wrists, tiny in comparison to his own, and watched the color return to her face, pink lightly dusting her cheeks as she realized she had another nightmare. It hadn't been the first time she encountered a restless sleep, though this one was her fault.
"I knew you shouldn't have watched that movie with us tonight. I told you it would give you nightmares, Kat." She felt the tears well up in her eyes again, the lump in her throat reforming as she watched the concern in his eyes flicker to a taunting glare. "Do you need a teddy bear to get back to bed?"
"No!" Pulling her hands from his grasp, Katie scrubbed at her eyes, hoping the tears would be mistaken for remnants of sleep. They weren't.
"Aww, Katie, don't cry any more. I was only kidding." Matt pulled his sister close, ignoring her shoves and 'get off me', instead stroking her hair gently. "It's alright, I'm right here."
Sighing, she felt the last scenes of her nightmare replay in her head, and allowed herself to melt in her brothers arms. "It was scary, Matt, the things were trying to get me. I couldn't get out, I-I had no where to run."
"Don't worry, it's alright now." He kissed the top of her head as she clutched his shirt tightly, letting her tears fall with only small choked sobs revealing their existence. "Nothing can get you now, you wanna know why?"
Lifting her head slightly, she met his eyes with a curious gaze. With tears still making their way down her face, she nodded slightly, a smile forming on his face.
"Because you're in my arms, and there's no where safer in the world. Nothing will ever hurt you here. Nothing can ever hurt you here."