When she couldn't sleep, Sayaka was forced to think. It was a bad habit she'd never been able to crack, and on that particular restless night, Sayaka was thinking about love. She'd always figured that when she fell in love, she'd be the knight in shining armor, and her love the dainty, beautiful noble. Of course, she had also always figured that her love would be a boy, and the person snoring next to her was most assuredly not a boy. That alone probably said something about her talent for predictions. Still, Sayaka had always thought that she'd be the strong one, the one who'd be leaned on, the protector. That was what she'd expected it to be like with Kyouske – he had always been the more sensitive, artistic, less physical type even before his accident. Sayaka had been his rock, not the other way around.

If Sayaka had ever thought to admit that she liked girls too, she probably would've said her type was softer, more feminine – like Madoka. Sayaka'd always been there to protect Madoka - always there to ward off bullies, to listen, to offer Madoka a shoulder to cry on. And Madoka was always there to keep Sayaka from getting into too much trouble. To offer her a smile, and make her feel loved. Madoka would be the princess, and Sayaka her knight. That was what Sayaka had expected love to be like. But life'd always had a way of proving Sayaka wrong. Again and again and again.

Because her love wasn't demure or shy; she'd punch out anyone who messed with her or even thought about messing with Sayaka, and even with people she knew she wasn't that good about personal space. And she snored like a buzzsaw, too. Her love wasn't formal, wasn't classy - she chewed with her mouth open way too often, didn't see the point of societal conventions, and snored. Seriously, some nights she snored so loud Sayaka was surprised the sound hadn't driven her into insanity and despair. And she was strong, too. Sure as hell was she strong. When Sayaka thought of all the things her girlfriend had been through without giving up, she couldn't help but proud of her. So proud of her she didn't know what to do about it.

Because her girlfriend was none other than Sakura Kyoko, gritty street punk Magical Girl and self proclaimed total badass. And most of the time, Kyoko was Sayaka's knight. When she had almost lost herself to despair, convinced herself she was worthless, unneeded, unlovable, Kyoko had been there to drag her back from the brink. When she made rookie mistakes in the field, Kyoko would save her ass and teach her how to avoid making the same mistake again. Whenever she felt useless or pathetic, Kyoko was there to hold her, to reassure her. No matter how mean Sayaka was, how annoying she got or how much she whined, Kyoko stayed. Sayaka wished she could repay that somehow, be Kyoko's lifeline for a change, be-

The snoring stopped. Which, despite being a mercy to her ears, was not a good sign. Sayaka focused, listening closely for any noise. Sure enough, she could hear the shuffling. Then came the soft, scared murmurs and the crying. Kyoko was having a nightmare.

"Dad... Mami... Momo... I'm sorry! Don't go!" Kyoko sobbed, eyes snapping open. Sayaka turned and snuggled close to Kyoko, wrapping her in a gentle embrace.

"Shhhh, it's okay," she soothed.

"Sayaka..."

"I'm here."

"Don't leave me..."

"Never, Kyoko. I'm right here, always. It's okay." Kyoko whimpered, her body still shaking, and Sayaka held her closer. She knew that leaving Kyoko was unthinkable – the hard part trying to convey that feeling to Kyoko. "I'm here. The sun'll explode before I leave. Kyubey will frown before I leave. Heck, Madoka might even beat you at DDR before I leave you!" There was a small, choked laugh from Kyoko, and Sayaka smiled, just a little. "I'm here, ok?"

"Thank you..."

"Always."

Maybe... maybe Sayaka didn't always have to be either the knight or the princess. Maybe being in love was just about being there when the one you loved needed you and having someone to lean on when you needed them. So maybe, even if the only time she could really be there for Kyoko was on nights like these, nights she prayed would never come again... maybe that was good enough.

"God, I need you."

"I need you too."

A/N: Inspired by Day 2 of the OTP Challenge: Cuddling. Thanks to my editor, Professor-Piggy.