Coping
She looks so peaceful when she's sleeping, so sweet and innocent and unfazed by all the chaos that's going on around her. Her soft, pale skin glows in the desert moonlight and glistens with a thin sheen of sweat caused by the hot, humid evening air. Dirty-blonde hair spills over the makeshift pillow she's made using her jacket and backpack. A long streak of dirt stains her left cheek and disappears into her hairline. Her dirty white tank top has inched up her stomach from earlier failed attempts to get comfortable enough to fall asleep, exposing a pierced navel and tight muscles. She shifts slightly, an unexpected movement in the stillness of the hotel room, and brings an arm up to drape it over her eyes.
Across the room, Alice turns her head slightly and sits up straight, eyeing the other woman carefully. When she is confident that Claire has not awakened, she settles down again, leaning against the wall and bringing her knees up slightly. She leans her head back and closes her eyes, only to open them again when she hears a soft grunt escape soft lips on the other side of the room. There is another grunt, followed by the sounds of Claire thrashing about, and Alice is on her feet in an instant, inching toward the bed.
She gently settles her weight on the bed next to Claire and leans over the sleeping woman. For a brief moment, Alice wonders how someone so peaceful could suddenly become so fitful, so frightened. All of a sudden, Claire bolts upright and cries out into the dark. She clutches at her chest, gasping for breaths as she surveys her surroundings. It doesn't take long for her to realize that Alice is beside her, clutching her hand, running a soothing thumb over her whitened knuckles. Slowly, her breathing returns to normal, and she turns to face the woman next to her.
"Alice?" Claire asks softly.
"It's okay, I'm here," Alice whispers back, the calming words sounding just as foreign to her own ears as they do to Claire's.
Claire leans her head against Alice's shoulder and lets out a heavy sigh. "Stupid nightmares," she grumbles.
"Comes with the territory," Alice says. It's a solemn attempt at humor that makes Claire scoff. "You've seen so many horrible things in such a short amount of time. It's only natural that it would have an effect on you," she continues.
"Yeah, well, I just wish they would go away."
"They will eventually."
"Yours haven't yet, have they?"
"No."
"We have a long way to go still."
Alice slowly nods her understanding. She wraps an arm around Claire's shivering body to pull her closer, and, in turn, Claire's arms slip around Alice's slender waist as she buries her face further into the crook of Alice's neck.
Alice tenses when she feels the softness of Claire's lips against her neck. The contact isn't a complete surprise, but it sends a jolt of electricity through her body, leaving her fingertips tingling, her heart fluttering with misdirected energy. She tries to pull away, but Claire's embrace only tightens around her, refusing to let her leave. The blonde's lips connect with her skin once more, and Alice is powerless to stop them. She can only whimper in the dark and tilt her head to one side slightly, exposing the gentle arch of her neck to Claire.
It isn't long before Claire is hovering above Alice, settling her weight gently between creamy thighs, and kissing a hot trail down the equally heated skin of Alice's chest. Soft, skillful hands find their way down Alice's sides, up her legs, and eventually to her breasts where they stop to rest for a while. Claire pushes herself up to capture soft lips with her own, allowing her tongue to seek out and explore Alice's.
Alice's hands splay across Claire's back, gripping the younger woman to her. Not content to let Claire have all the fun, she pushes herself up, and, in one swift motion, switches their positions so that she is on top. Claire giggles and squirms beneath Alice.
"Do you think the others will hear us?" Claire asks, although it's pretty clear that she doesn't care.
"They're all exhausted. I don't think a mob of angry infected would wake them," Alice answers with a smirk. She leans down to place a soft kiss to the corner of Claire's lips. "It's been a while since I've done this," she admits.
"Don't worry. I'll steer you around the curves," Claire says with a sexy smile, before pulling Alice down and kissing her passionately.