Fleeting Moments

By Dan'yu

Drabble #11: Heartbeat

From the time she was a young child, she had always been plagued by nightmares. It was frightening even at seventeen to still be awoken suddenly in the night from the horror of the dream, left disoriented and gasping for breath, smothered by the thick darkness of the night as she tried to calm her body and mind.

When she was older, and Haru began to spend the nights through in her bed, it was always a comfort to find him there beside her. He would wrap his arms around her, holding her close against the solid reassurance of his body, softly kiss her forehead and her temple, stroke her hair and whisper to her, assuring her of his presence, waiting patiently as she finally calmed and sank back against him.

Lullabies, storybooks, and mother's embrace was nothing but a distant, intangible memory, a whisper of recollection chased away by the very real presence of Haru's warmth and love and comfort.

Resting safely in his embrace, she could trace her hands over the contours of his body, knowing every mark and crevice like the pages of a book, every inch of skin maintaining its own story. His heartbeat served as her lullaby, never failing her in its constant, steady rhythm.

Strong and constant as Haru himself, she was lulled into a dreamless sleep by the sound of his heartbeat.