Title. Sleeplessness
Summary. When she was honest with herself, she knew that she missed them, too. Her hesitant friendship with him consoled her just as much as it did him.
Spoilers. A brief mentioning of the events that take place during 'See Ya', but nothing major. None of the moments talked about in or taking place during this oneshot actually happen during Flight 29 Down.
A/N. A resubmission of my second oneshot. This was originally part of my 'Pictures of the Battle' collection, but it seemed silly to call it a collection of oneshots when, in truth, there were only two. That's why I've split them up, and made them seperate stories. Sorry about that. Feel free to review again, if you want, but I won't hold it against you if you don't.
Disclaimer. I do not own Flight 29 Down or any of the characters. I am not profiting from this in any way.
Sleeplessness
Set after 'See Ya'
For the second night in a row, Lex was crying. His sobs, though muffled by his small hands, sounded noticeably choked and hoarse, almost unbearably loud against the total silence of the wilderness outside their tent.
Beside him, Taylor listened breathlessly as he eventually succumbed to a fit of even louder cries. Afraid that he would wake Daley or Nathan, both of whom slept fitfully on either side of her, she stirred just enough to let him know that she was awake. As he struggled to swallow his sadness, probably wanting to be strong in front of her, she struggled to free herself from the tangled mass of her sleeping bag and crawled over Daley's legs to sit by his shoulder.
Taylor didn't have much experience with comforting—she was usually the one who needed the comfort—but she took a page from her father's book and scooted backwards until she was lying beside the child. Whenever Taylor had been worried into sleeplessness over her parent's divorce, her father would sit with her through the night. Sometimes he would hum to her, but they never spoke a word. It always seemed to help, though. Just the knowledge that he was willing to lay awake with her for hours, even when he had work early the next morning, and that he cared enough to even consider doing so was all that she had needed.
Biting her lip to balance the tightening of her throat and blinking the memories away, Taylor glanced a Lex, whose hands still covered his face. After a moment's hesitation, she began to coo quietly, uttering nothing but a wordless tune of slurred syllables and feeling him relax under her fingers as she stroked his hair. On a normal occasion, she supposed she would have been angry with him for waking her up, but this was as far from normal an occasion as any.
The ten-year-old had been different since their group had split. In mere hours he had become angry with Daley, tolerant of Nathan, and closer to Taylor then he'd even been. It had taken her days of meek—and baffled—acceptance to realize that he missed the others, but didn't know where to direct the emotion.
Of course, when she was honest with herself, Taylor knew that she missed them, too. Her hesitant friendship with Lex consoled her just as much as it did him.
Unsure of what else to do, but wanting to help him, Taylor pulled him into a hug and found herself strangely relieved when he accepted the movement and curled up against her. His form felt frailer then she'd originally thought it would. Even through the thick material of his sleeping bag, Lex's boney knees dug into her stomach as he tucked his head under her chin, hands suddenly feeling small in hers and his body shaking with noiseless sobs.
"It's okay…" She murmured into his hair, rubbing her free hand instinctively over his back. "I'm scared, too. All of us are. We all… need each other, don't we?"
Lex sniffed, his reply mangled by a fresh wave of tears and soft, pained gurgles. He remained silent after that, giving up on words for the time being as his body gradually grew still and his breath on her neck became more steady.
"We'll stick together, okay?"
"…Promise?" He managed to whisper, so softly that Taylor almost missed it between his teary yawns and hers. She couldn't help but smile as he closed his eyes, squeezing her hand sleepily before letting it drop. She faltered a moment, pulling the edge of the sleeping bag over his shoulders before letting her own eyelids fall shut.
"Promise," she breathed.
A/N 2. Lex and Taylor's friendship always kind of interested me. It's tentative, but there is something there. Any constructive criticism would be great, and please point out any mistakes you spot. I will edit them out when I get a chance.