I had no idea what the hell this was when I wrote it and still don't. That's what happens when I get ideas at 2AM when I'm supposed to be asleep ((shrug emoji))

"Neil, it's okay, it's me, Neil–"

She grasped his trembling shoulders, straddling his waist, but he still wouldn't stop shaking, gasps and half-words sneaking from his mouth.

"Jesus, you're freezing…" Heart slamming, she lay down against him, fumbling for the nearby blanket to pull over them.

"E-Eva, I'm–I'm sorry, I don't–"

His hands came up to press into her shoulder blades, press her closer to him, and even he as struggled to talk she could feel his pulse calm down.

"I've got you. I'm not going anywhere," she said into his shirt. You're mine.

Even the second it took to suppress that thought caused others to swirl through her brain, thoughts that were terrible and that she shouldn't be having. You're broken but I can fix you, I want to stay like this, I want you to need me, I want to give you what you need…

He sighed, and the tension left him, and she squeezed her eyes shut as her thoughts took an even more inappropriate turn–

But one of his hands moved to the back of her neck, the other to her lower back, and his fingers at her neck began to stroke and now she shivered.

"You're so warm." He sighed the words, hands gentle on her body.

God, she was in deep trouble. And also heaven. Maybe he was too.

Her mind started to feel fuzzy, but she had to ask…

"You're okay?" It sounded more like a statement.

He hummed a yes, still stroking. "Great, actually. This… This is…"

That was definitely his mouth against the top of her head. She swallowed a moan but couldn't prevent a tiny gasp, a little nudge up against him. She pressed fingerprints into his shoulder and hoped that would be enough.

"Thanks, Eva." His voice was husky with sleep (and something else? She didn't dare hope).

In response, she nuzzled her face into his chest.

When his breathing deepened, when she was about to drop off, she let the words out on the smallest of whispers. "I love you." She could pretend he heard it.

"Love you too."

But she didn't have to. And maybe that should have filled her with terror; maybe it would, in the morning. For now she pressed tighter still against him in silent elation, and his arms pulled more snugly around her in return, and they slept.