Not long after they turned in for the night, Ellie woke from another nightmare. She got up and went outside to cool down for a moment and collect herself.

'Will I ever be free of these dreams...?' she wondered as she stared up at the stars peeking through the canopy above their camp.

She stood outside for a few more moments, then headed back inside. Nozel was still sound asleep, resting peacefully, which brought her a sense of relief.

'I envy you, Nozel, you've had a fairly easy life without many worries.'

She lay down next to him, reaching up to stroke his hair gently until she fell back asleep.

Nozel stirred at the added warmth beside him and sleepily looked over to find Ellie passed out next to him- much closer than she had been earlier.

'She must have had another nightmare...' He turned on his side and reached up to stroke her cheek.

Ellie stirred at his touch and nuzzled into his hand. "Mmm... Nozel..?"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."

She offered him a small, sleepy smile. "It's OK. I'd rather it be you than anything else."

Nozel chuckled softly at that, but then his smile faded and his brow furrowed. "Nightmares again?"

Ellie sighed and nodded. "They just won't end..."

Nozel pulled her into his arms and held her. "I wish there was something that I could do to help..."

Ellie settled into his arms, wrapping one of them around him. "Just being here with me, like this, is enough."

Nozel felt touched by that and kissed her forehead. 'She smells nice...' he thought, then turned beet red when his mind returned to that one night.

Ellie could hear Nozel's heartbeat get a bit faster and looked up at him. "Are you alright, Nozel?"

Nozel glanced down at her and nodded. "Y-Yes, I'm fine."

Ellie couldn't see his flushed face, but she knew that look and giggled.

"W-What?"

"You're cute when you're flustered."

Nozel groaned, his embarrassment growing. "If anyone else were to call me that..."

"Oh, so I'm a special case?"

Nozel looked down at her and leaned closer. "And what if you are?"

It was Ellie's turn to start blushing. "Then I would be honoured."

"The honor is all mine," Nozel replied, closing the distance between them and kissing her.

They lay there kissing for a few moments before Nozel began to move his hand down to the small of her back- drawing her in closer. Ellie's body began running hot as she pressed into him, a small gasp slipping through the kiss as Nozel's hand continued down until it slid along her thigh- slipping beneath the skirt of her dress to find how soft and warm her skin was. Ellie felt another wave of heat rush through her at his touch, the familiarity of it coming back to her.

Nozel felt his desire for her growing, but before he lost himself to it, he pulled away for a moment- ignoring his own blushing- to say, "We can stop if you'd like."

Ellie shook her head as the heat spread from her cheeks to her ears and neck. She leaned forward to kiss him, catching him by surprise at first. She didn't want to stop, she wanted to be with him, and after a few moments Nozel gently rolled her onto her back.

Nozel allowed himself become immersed in the moment, then leaned on one elbow and reached up with his free hand to caress her breast- earning himself a soft moan. He moved his hand from her breast down to her loins, slipping beneath the fabric of her panties. Ellie gasped as he rubbed her loins, feeling the heat coursing through her body grow stronger- her desire for him with it. The more aroused Ellie seemed to become, the more Nozel was in turn.

Ellie broke free from the kiss, panting lightly. "N-Nozel..."

Picking up on what she was unable to say in that moment, Nozel undid the ties on his trousers and positioned himself between her legs. He placed his hands on either side of Ellie, pressing his forehead to hers as she wrapped her arms around him. Ellie gasped when Nozel slid himself inside of her and hit a really sensitive spot, arching her back slightly. Nozel grunted at the sudden tightness squeezing around his hardened member and leaned down to kiss her, one hand reaching up and cupping her cheek as he began to rock his hips back and forth. He deepened their kiss as Ellie responded to his movements and quickened in his pace in response to her.

Ellie pulled away from the kiss to catch her breath, but the more Nozel hit that sensitive spot the more she moaned- which only aroused Nozel more. In that moment, she didn't care about anything else other than how Nozel was making her feel- from his touch, to the feeling of him inside of her, to his gentleness. She was loving every bit of it and was ready to lose herself in the moment.

It wasn't long after that Nozel felt himself nearing his climax and pressed his forehead to hers. "Ellie..."

Ellie was nearing her own climax and understood that he was, too. She acknowledged his warning and kissed him urgently, gasping as she felt the warm rush of his seed filling her. She gripped his shoulders- pulling him closer as she reached her own climax- and as Nozel thrust a final time, Ellie felt her body shaking and shivering as she tensing around him. They stayed embracing each other for a moment, their bodies heaving against each other as they tried to catch their breaths. Nozel pulled out and collapsed next to her, pulling Ellie into his chest and wrapping his arm around her. She settled in against him, feeling his heart beginning to slow.

After a few minutes, Ellie could hear Nozel's subtle snores and knew he had already fallen asleep- a soft smile growing upon her lips. She kissed his chest and closed her eyes, letting sleep take her as well.