Author's Note: For the Open Category 2 Competition, category "FemmeSlash", and for the Midnight Challenge, prompt "sneaking out to see the stars". Also, for the If You Dare Challenge, prompt 572. Starlight.

Sneaking Stars

(Rowena has hypnophobia. Helga takes her out to see the stars after midnight.)

Rowena and Helga laid in bed together in the late ours of the night, the early hours of the morning. Helga was peacefully asleep, and Rowena was wrapped around her tightly, protectively, terrified.

Helga's breathing was slow, deep, even; Rowena's was rapid, shallow, unsteady, along with her heart rate.

Helga had peaceful dreams, and Rowena had waking nightmares of what would happen if she, like Helga, fell asleep.

Rowena was terrified of sleeping.

Hypnophobia, they called it.

Sleeping was like death but temporary and you had no control and it wasn't logical and what happened if you had nightmares, what happened if you didn't wake up, what happened if you slept through something important?

Rowena had no death wish, for herself or Helga. And so she tried her best not to sleep. But Helga slept. She tried to comfort Rowena, forcing her into bed each night, coaxing her into lying down, and staying up with her until she was too tired and drifted off.

Some nights, Rowena would be so terrified for her that she would shriek when Helga stopped answering her and shake her awake right away.

Helga dealt with this.

"Nothing bad is going to happen," she'd say. Rowena didn't believe her. She hated the night, hated the anxiety it brought her.

She clutched Helga a little bit tighter to make sure she could still feel her breathing. It woke Helga, who rolled over to look at Rowena. "Have you not fallen asleep yet?" she asked.

Rowena shook her head, her hair swaying in front of her eyes.

Helga sighed, and rolled onto her back, staring up at the ceiling. Rowena watched her anxiously. "I have an idea," Helga said finally, and peeled Rowena off of her. "Come on." She slipped out of the bed and Rowena followed her, taking Helga's outstretched hand. Helga led her outside, to where it was quiet, dark except for the moon and stars, and the cool night air drifted over them.

"Look up," Helga said gently, and Rowena did. "Aren't the stars beautiful?"

"They are," agreed Rowena. "I can see Ursa Major…."

Helga tapped Rowena's nose. "Stop thinking so much. Just look at the lights."

They were quiet for a few moments, looking. "The moon is waning…" Rowena tried again.

"Shush," said Helga. "The moon is just beautiful."

Rowena was quiet. Helga looked over at her. "Just like you."

"What?"

"The moon, it's beautiful, almost as beautiful as you."

"Oh," said Rowena, and looked away. "Thank you."

Helga leant on Rowena's shoulder in response. "They watch over you, you know," said Helga. "While your sleeping. The stars do."

Rowena shook her head. "Stars can't do anything."

"They light up the night," Helga said. "Make it less frightening. They look out for you like that."

Rowena shrugged, displacing Helga's head. "Maybe."

A few more minutes passed. "Are you ready to go back inside?" Helga asked Rowena.

Rowena's eyes widened a little. But she knew that Helga wanted to go back in, so she nodded. Helga squeezed her hand and led her back inside, back into the warmth of the bed. She faced Rowena this time, reaching out and stroking some of her hair back from her face. "Nothing bad will happen," she said. "Just try to rest. Think of the stars."

Rowena did.

And soon, she was fast asleep.

END