Sofia wakes with a scream, a cold sweat on her forehead and tears clinging to her eyes and cheeks. A ten-year-old James runs in not even five minutes later, eyes wide and searching for danger. When he finds none, he moves over and sits beside her.
"Are you okay?" he asks, wrapping her in a one-armed hug.
She swallows her tears and shakily nods. Okay, yes. She would live. She looks over at Clover on his soft purple pillow and carefully picks him up, running her fingers through his short gray fur.
"Are you sure, Sof?" James asks, voice full of worry for his little sister.
She goes to nod again, then moves a little closer to him. "I think so?" she offers.
He frowns, then brushes her hair from her forehead. He's silent for a moment as he thinks on what could help.
"Come on, let's see if we can get you some tea," he says softly, moving off the bed and offering her his hand.
Sofia sets Clover back on his pillow and takes the offered hand. "Thanks, James," she says quietly.
He smiles, a warm, comforting gesture. "Anything for my beautiful sister," he answers with a very light blush that would have gone unnoticed if she hadn't been fully alert from her nightmare.
She blushes as well, starting out of the room. They would go to the kitchen and she would make them both tea, and then... And then she would try her hardest not to wake James again. Once the nightmares came, they wouldn't stop the rest of the night. He needed his sleep more.
The tea was very soothing, surprisingly, but she was still on high alert. Just very, very tired. James leads her to her room afterwards, watching her carefully. Then they go into her room and he tucks her in. As he goes to leave, she catches his hand.
"Would you stay with me?" she asks softly, blushing again.
He looks confused for a moment before he nods and climbs into bed beside her. "I'll stay right here until morning," he promises, wrapping his arms around her in a loose embrace like her mother used to when she had nightmares.
She smiles and moves a little closer. "Thanks, James," she whispers, kissing his cheek before closing her eyes and going back to sleep.
He smiles. "You're welcome, Sof," he murmurs, kissing her forehead before doing the same.