Melancholy Love 3
Nightmares
Jadist
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A shrill scream filled the snowy, silent, night air.
Jade tried to pay it no mind, burring his face further into his pillow, he had put up with the painful moans and creaking mattress all night, he couldn't take it anymore, it was haunting. This had been going on for nights on end, with every fresh snowfall. Saphir would have dreams, terrible ones that would keep him turning and tossing all night, shouting and whining in terror at some unknown source. It had been a month now… ever since the professor's death…. It had been snowing that day too.
The noises paused, they always did when he woke up after the last shrill scream, things would be quiet until he fell back asleep and the cycle began again. His bonk and the boy's were right next to each other's in the orphanage, if no one else heard him he certainly did. Oddly the steady breathing of his sleep didn't come as it always did before the dreams returned. Instead he felt a tug on the edge of his blanket.
"Jade… are you awake?"
Don't turn over, he told himself, don't look, pretend you're asleep. The pulling didn't stop. "Jaaaaaaaaade."
He sighed heavily, would he ever get some sleep? "Saphir, it's the middle of the night." He rolled over, catching sight of the pathetic husk of a boy before him.
The ivory haired child was in a state of complete disarray, his hair sticking out in all directions and stiff from the cold sweat of horror. His pale peach colored pajamas, in ragged wrinkles, hung from the buttons that had been overworked from all of his turning and barely holding together. His face wasn't much better, eyes red and puffy, tear stains dark in his cheeks and his runny nose was highlighted by his constant sniffing.
"I… I can't sleep…" he whined in a hoarse voice.
"I think that's more then obvious. What do you expect me to do about it?"
The boy hesitated for a moment, "…Can… I sleep with you?"
Groaning he sat up on his elbow. "Can't you sleep with Nephry or someone else more tolerant of you?"
"Nooooooo!" he whined again, bouncing on the floor.
"Why in the name of Lorelei not?"
"No one else can protect me, she might come back…"
He glanced at his pathetic face again… it was his mistake that made this fear…
With heavy, frustrated sigh he lifted the sheets, "Get in…"
That made him brighten a bit. "R-really Jade?"
"Did I stutter? Now come one, I need a decent nights sleep for once."
The boy nodded, scuttling under the covers nervously, when Jade spoke, he listened. Quickly he curled up beside his friend, his only friend, he seemed at peace with him next to him, protected, it wasn't long before he fell right back to sleep. For the first time that night his breath was soft, no screaming, no tossing, it was a relief. As Jade watched him sleep, it was odd… seeing him so calm for once. He reached out a hand to stroke some of the scruffy hair out of his face, finding a smile on his own. He was almost… cute, like this. He wasn't talking, that was probably the reason. Staring at the soft features of his companion he slowly found sleep himself, with Saphir curled up at his side.
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The scream came again.
It had snowed in Grand Chokema, the last thing Jade had expected when he came to the city. It was the dead of winter and the temperature barely reached a low enough point, but it had succeeded. It was the lightest snowfall he had ever seen, though light or heavy it didn't matter, he had seen Saphir's face when it started, he knew this would start again.
When they were younger he had horrible nightmares when it snowed but as he grew it only came with the worst storms. The move to shore should have eliminated even the slightest chance of nightmares but after all that time without snow, even the lightest flakes brought terror into his soft eyes. Now there was no question, the dreams had returned.
Somehow fate had seen it to make Jade and Saphir's rooms at in the dorms right next to each other, their beds against the same wall. That made it all the worse when he tossed and kicked, attempting to run from the monster that was chasing him. It was their childhood all over again. This was insane, he was a student, he needed his sleep, he had a test in arts tomorrow for Lorelei's sake.
When there was a yet another scream he decided he wasn't going to put up with this anymore.
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Saphir shot up with a shout of terror, only to find the image of his beloved professor turned into a hideous beast had disappeared. He was once again in the pitch black abyss of his room instead of the cold snow of his home.
No, the snow he grew up with was white; pure… this snow was red with blood.
He choked on a sob as he buried his face in his hands, finding his brow cover in cold sweet. He thought he had finally rid himself of these visions, it wasn't fair. Why did it have to snow here of all places?
What made it worse was he knew Jade was in the next room, he must be keeping him up. He didn't want to imagine how angry he would be with him the next morning; it was probably twice as frightening as anything he could dream up. He couldn't sleep but he was too exhausted to stay awake, all this rolling around was making him nauseas and screaming was tearing up his throat. When he was little, at the orphanage sometimes he would go to Jade and… no, he couldn't do that, he was a teenager now, it would be pathetic an inappropriate. What was he to do?
As if to answer the door of his room creaked open. A figure was silhouetted in the light of the dorm hallways before the door was shut again. He heard footsteps in the darkness, but could see no one. A shiver ran down his spine when he felt the intruder's breath suddenly on his face.
"W-who's there?" he squeaked in fright.
"It's me you little idiot."
Despite the insult he felt a wave of relief; he had been worried maybe one of the more boorish male students had taking an interest in his more feminine nature. Damn Peony putting ideas in his head. "Jade, you frightened me half to death, aren't you capable of knocking? Or do you just enjoy watching me withering in terror."
"Both." The brunet's voice floated in the darkness. He could feel the edge of the bed sink under his weight when he sat down. "Besides, you are the one who's been screaming bloody murder this whole time."
The boy whined softly, "I-I know, I'm sorry… I'm trying to stop, I promise, I just can't stay up…"
"I know… it's not your fault. I'm the one who caused these nightmares in the first place."
He was struck by the statement, "N-no, Jade, its not you're fault, I-" Two finger's found his lips and silenced him.
"Quiet, I know what I've done."
And the room was quiet, uncomfortably quiet for some time. It was Jade who broke it for once.
"We both know you, and as a result, I am not getting any sleep alone… so move over."
Saphir blinked, heat rising to his face, "I-its alright Jade, I can just-"
He paused when he herd a chuckle, "Did I stutter? I said move over."
The boy didn't hesitate, when Jade spoke, he listened, but that didn't halt the nervous butterflies that took flight in his stomach. They weren't exactly children any more…
The bed sunk even more when the brunet put all his weight on it. He felt the pull of the blankets and the sudden warmth of another body next to his. He swallowed hard, trying not to make any sound that would express the utter confusion as well as excitement he felt inside. Jade seemed as calm as ever, never shaking or uttering a word, the exact opposite of his companion, Saphir couldn't sit still, he felt he had to voice his concern.
"J-Jade, is this really proper, at our age-"
"Its fine, Saphir," he heard him yawn, and he gasped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. "after all, we're togther aren't we? This is perfectly normal for young adults; at least we are doing this for a functional purpose. Now go to sleep, I have a test tomorrow."
The boy nodded, taking a slow breath, he made sense, like he always did, but he still felt odd. At least his mind wasn't on his nightmares any more. It was nice… having the person he trust more then anyone else next to him, it made him feel safe and at peace. After all, what could be more frightening then Jade himself. When his companion's breath evened out, signaling his slumber, he stretched a hesitant arm around his torso, snuggling close to him. His eyes were beginning to adjust to the light so that he might gaze on the peaceful face of his lifelong crush. He was a beautiful child and he had grown into a handsome young man, no wonder he pulled so many hearts after him when he left a room, though Saphir personally loved his mind more then anything else.
He often wondered what Jade would say if he ever revealed that he loved him. Of course he often dreamed of him sweeping him off his feet, but the possible out come of him laughing in his face kept his heart quiet. Still, as he ran his fingers through his soft chestnut hair, he held on to hope. Jade was growing more affectionate and comfortable every meeting. Maybe one day he could tell him… after all, they had the rest of their lives, didn't they?
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Jade was the first to awaken. The sky was still dark but the song birds that even the snow couldn't turn decided to all perch out his companion's window and greet the day about hour earlier then he wanted to. Grumbling, eyes still clamped shut he was about to call forth a few Fonons to make sure their cheerful little beaks never uttered another sound when he noticed an unfamiliar grip around his waist. It took him a while, with the mess that had happened the night before and the early morning wake up call but he finally managed to open his heavy eyes. In the dim morning light he was able to make out the figure clinging to him… and oddly he smiled.
Saphir had cuddled up to him like a young cub in the night, face pressed to his chest and hands gripping his sides, it was probably closer then he would have ever had the courage to do were he awake. Had they been in the presence of others he would have had to shove him to the floor but since they were alone he might as well enjoy it. He played with his ivory locks, for once out of their tight, flawless pony tail for the night, then followed them to the back of his neck, which he found soft under his fingers. Saphir purred lightly in his sleep, the actions probably giving him much nicer dreams then he'd had before.
That sparked Jade's ever spiteful curiosity. The boy was asleep… helpless. A rather evil smile tugged at his lips, oh the things he could do to him, and spared the annoying whining at that. He decided to satisfy one curiosity that had been lingering in his head for a while. With a careful, controlled hand he began to undo the button's of his companion's pajama shirt, pausing every once in a while, as if the other might protest, but he was far to lost to sleep to do any thing. After such a harsh night who can blame him?
When he was done he paused again, questioning his moral authority to do this while the boy slept, but quickly ignored his conscious and rolled Saphir on his back, letting his shirt naturally fall from his form and quickly perched himself on all fours over him, taking the sight in. He chuckled softly to himself, the boy, it seemed, was a bit behind, as usual. He still had the body of a twelve year old, even in his later teens. It was cute though, rather pail like the rest of him, he wondered if it was as soft. He ran a single finger down his stomach and got a surprising reaction, the boy giggled. So he was ticklish, that was even better. Teasing his side with dancing hands the boy wiggled under his grasp, giggling and laughing until his eyes finally shot open. The lavender pupils were fogged and drowsy, staring off at nothing until they zeroed in on the figure above him. They blinked, the situation was probably so foreign to even his wildest dreamed he couldn't process it right away, when he finally did it was signaled by a sharp gasp and a blush so deep the brunet could even catch it in the dim light.
"J-Jade! W-what are you…" he stuttered, franticly trying to cover himself, "W-why am I… are… a-a-are we…?"
"What?" he chuckled playfully, "No good morning after I came over here last night?"
"Y-you took of my…" he still didn't seem to understand everything, eyes darting to the other, everywhere else and back again.
"I was curious, is that a crime?" giving him a devious smile he leaned down to lay a quick peck on his forehead, an oddly affectionate action for someone like him. "You're rather sweet Saphir, I could eat you up."
The boy cooed softly in enjoyment, but he had an odd expression. "You don't mean… literally, right?"
"Maybe, you decide." Jade kissed him softly, nibbling on his lower lip to tease him. The boy whimpered and tugged at the collar of his companion's pajama shirt as well, shyly communicating he wanted to satisfy his curiosity as well. He was surprised the boy would be so forward, most likely still foggy from sleep. Still, it was only fair.
Slipping off his shirt over his head and quickly discarding it on the floor he leaned back over the other, who pouted a bit that he didn't do it slow enough so that he might enjoy it. Still, when he came down on him, a smile stretching across his lips, and captured him in a kiss, Saphir wrapped his bare arms round him and returned it passionately. Their mouths locked, along with their limbs, Jade pressing him down on the bed, his smaller body reacted to the heat of skin on skin and arched up to him with a soft moan vibrating through his chest. The brunet loved the way he seemed to melt in his arms, his weak, shy noises of enjoyment, he felt he really could devour him. His hands traced down his sides, noticing that while he wasn't fully underdeveloped, he had the beginnings of curves. Jade faintly wondered if the fact that he found all this wildly attractive meant he would one day be a pedophile, but for now his world was Saphir and nothing else. He wanted to hear more noises, louder ones, even if it did awaken the rest of the dorm he was too lost in his companion's sweet mouth to even care. His finger's explored further, lower, until their found the rim of his baggy pajama pants, a single ribbon of string keeping him away from the prize below. He felt the other gasp and tense, tightening his grip on his back two fold as he pulled at the knot, seeming to be frozen in either fear or excitement, perhaps both. In the back of his mind he noticed a soft patch of ivory fuzz that led down into his undergarments as he finally pulled the last string free.
Then there was a loud knock on the door that shot through the room like a thunder clap, breaking their little fantasy. They both jumped so suddenly they slipped and fell off the bed. Jade tumbled first with a painful thud, followed by Saphir with a softer noise when he landed on the other. Jade had never ground his teeth as hard as he had that moment, his jaw was screaming in pain. Who the HELL would be disturbing them NOW of all times?
"Saphir! You have to get up man, didn't you want to get to class early for some extra study time with Nephry? You shouldn't keep such a lovely lady waiting, and no I don't mean you, dweeb." He continued on with his senseless babble but the brunet didn't hear a word, all he could hear was his brain demanding him to kill the damned prince!
No, no, he couldn't rightly do that, they had no other heir since his siblings all killed each other. Still, as he shot to his feet, taking no noticed that it caused his smaller companion to be tossed on the floor, and grabbing his shirt from the pile, buttoning it while he walked, he was certain to give him a piece of his mind.
He threw open the door in mid nock, leaving the prince staring in surprise at him, blue eyes blinking at the sudden lack of wood in such a short instant. He beamed his usual smile for a second when he saw the other boy's face, then it dropped for some strange reason. "Jade…?"
"Yes it's me, you idiot" he growled, his hand that held the door was practically shattering the wood. He was far too angry to pay attention to the other's expression. "I'm very busy at the moment and you should thank Lorelei I haven't killed you yet, what do you WANT?"
"Uh… Dude… why are you in Saphir's room and…" he looked him over, expression completely blank, "why are you wearing… pink pajamas?"
Jade's entire vocabulary of cruel and hateful words seemed to disappear. … He WAS in Saphir's room wasn't he, he'd been so blinded by anger and lack of sleep he had forgotten. And what was with the pink comment… oh hell…
Looking down he saw he wasn't in his usual blue shirt he wore to bed, it was Saphir's pink one. Why hadn't he noticed the buttons were so hard to fix, he was half a foot taller then the boy and defiantly better built, he barely fit in the thing, the buttons pulling as hard as they could and exposing the skin underneath.
Just when things didn't seem like they could get any worse he herd a familiar voice.
"It's not pink, it's ROSE!" the little mechanic protested, slipping under his companion's arm and giving the prince a stern glare. "Of course you wouldn't know that no matter how many times I've told you, there's a difference!" he, of course was dressed in the other's blue shirt which he was swimming in at the moment, the sleeves hiding his hands and the collar hanging off his shoulders.
Jade slapped a hand on his face, groaning at the situation, it truly was hell. Lorelei, how did all this happen… then he heard Peony chuckle…. That was just the icing on the cake, now wasn't it.
"So, this is why you two have been acting so weird lately." He had to hold a palm over his mouth to silent the constant snickers that tried to escape. "That explains a lot."
"No, no," Jade objected, "there is a perfectly good explanation for this."
"Yeah, you're shacking up with the dweeb." His ocean blue eyes narrowed smugly at the brunet. "I didn't know you of all people swung that way, Jade, I'm surprised. Then again can Saphir really be considered a guy on that note?"
"S-shut up, idiot!" the smallest boy whined, tugging at the overly long sleeves.
"Yes, Peony, please do." Jade was getting another migraine, why did he have to socialize with these people. "This is a very personal issue and now that you're… aware of our situation you need to keep quiet about it, alright?" He didn't want to state that they were, in fact, not "shacking up" as he put it, at least not since he interrupted him. The less he knew the better.
But Peony had other ideas. "Are you kidding? Gossip like this? I'm telling everyone in Malkuth, heck, I may even make a royal announcement. Come on! Jade Curtis, DATING? And Saphir off all people? This is going to make my year."
The blonde was just about to leave, swinging around, until Jade caught his arm. Even Saphir could tell by the twitch in his expression that his grip was terribly painful. "You're Majesty." He said in a more hauntingly cheerful tone, smiling, "I must beseech you, if you please, you will tell no one."
"Oh?" he challenged his smile with one of his own, "And what will you do if I do?"
"I'm afraid I'll have to mention to Nephry about your own your own little escapades with Naomi, Jamie, and Melody?"
Peony's face fell, his jaw hanging open, Jade knew his weak point all to well "Y-you wouldn't do that…"
"I'm hurt, you obviously don't know me well, do you?"
The blonde hesitated, holding on for a moment longer, then sighed in defeat. "Fiiiiine, you win, I won't tell. Just… don't go making out in front of me or anything. I don't mind two guys getting together, but a guy and Saphir?" he shivered overdramatically, "Gross."
The young mechanic scowled, but his gaze with the prince was broke when he let out a high pitched squeak. Jade had leaned down to nuzzle into his neck, an evil smirk beaming at the blonde. "Gross? Are you sure you're not jealous I have this sweet little pet all to myself?" He gave him a playful peck on the sensitive skin before blowing into his ear. Saphir's face flushed as red as the other's eyes and Peony groaned and covered his face, turning to rush out of the dorm hallway.
"Jade, you're so gross!" he called just as he disappeared from sight.
The boy pulled away from his blushing companion, though the moment had been utterly ruined, at least he had managed to tease Peony and Saphir at the same time. Ah well, the fun was over, he needed to get out of these clothes, it was humiliating. "Come Saphir."
"Aw, already?" he whined softly. Jade noticed he was nuzzling the blue sleeves that were hanging over his hands as if it were Jade himself.
"What are you doing?" he questioned with a cock of the eyebrow.
This pink cheeks darkened but he smiled shyly up at the other. "I… I'm in my boyfriend's pajama's." he stated with a sheepish sigh as he hugged himself. "They even smell like you."
The brunet stared at him as he snuggled into the fabric, he couldn't help but chuckle, the boy was love sick, no argument. It was sweet, how much the shirt of his meant to him, foolish and idiotic, but cute.
"Why don't you keep it?"
The mechanic's eyes lit up, "Really? You don't mind?"
"I have more and it seems so important to you… go ahead."
"A-alright" he might as well just given him a bar of gold, he seemed so happy, burring his face in the shirt sleeves, sighing deeply to take in the sent. "You… you can keep mine too, if you want…"
Jade laughed, undoing some of the strained buttons for the shirt's sake, "I can't see wearing it but it might come in handy for late at night when I think of you." Giving him a smirk he slung the shirt over his shoulder and walked back to his room.
"At night… what do you… OH!" the realization finally came to the boy, who covered his mouth in shock, his face glowing as red as ever. Jade didn't give him a second look, opening his door as casually as ever. This new form of taunting was so much fun.
