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Watching the Other Sleep…

Bolting up in a cold sweat he gasp desperately as he looked around wildly, the all too familiar terror of a nightmare pounding in his ears and body had him tense and on edge.

There was a muffled noise behind him which had him scrambling back, his hand grabbing the knife he kept under the pillow when he stopped.

The empath lay there, on her stomach, sound asleep, her tat was showing from the shirt which had ridden up and her legs were spread out, the blanket a tangled mess around her and she was shivering. He softened slightly as he rubbed his face over and sighed.

He wasn't wherever the nightmare had dragged him to, he was here, in her apartment, and safe. Dragging a shaky hand through his hair he set his knife aside and just trembled. One would think that after all these years he'd be over the nightmares, but nope. They came raging in on him when he least expected it and robbed him of his sleep. It was hell, a different hell from what he'd lived through, but a hell all the same. Getting out of the bed he walked to her kitchen, their dirty dishes were in the sink and he just started doing them, it kept his hands busy. Then he got the water he wanted before he walked back to the bed and sat down on the edge of it.

For a long time he just watched her, watched the rise and fall of her breathing and he counted her breaths too.

He and Raven hadn't been dating long, he'd only asked to stay the night because of a blizzard raging outside. Else he'd have taken the train back to Gotham and to his place. Instead he'd asked to stay, too tired to take the train at this hour, and Raven had said yes.

No, he hadn't had sex with her. Not that the thought hadn't crossed his mind, but he knew she hesitated with sex, her powers, and emotions. He found he could follow Raven's lead on intimacy in their relationship. He'd never dealt with a virgin, and he actually liked Raven's company. She was calming, he was always in a state of chaos and Raven was calm. Jason liked that about her, he could just be himself; no matter how dangerous, chaotic, or wild that was, he could just be himself and she accepted that. He, in turn, accepted that Raven was always calm, or worked at it, almost emotionless, and if given the choice between company and a book; the book won.

"Jay?" she mumbled as she turned her head to him.

"Sorry," he whispered.

"Nightmare?" she asked as she shifted onto her side.

"Yes," he admitted.

"Mmmm," she hummed. "You were thrashing, I could… calm you?" she said uncertainly.

"I'm fine," he lied as he set the glass aside and laid down.

"There's no shame in accepting help," she mumbled sleepily.

"Rae… I…" he couldn't scare her off. She, aside from being his girlfriend, was slowly becoming a real friend to him.

"I'm an empath, it's not going to scare me," she murmured as she pulled herself into his side.

"I'm sorry," he murmured and hugged her tight. She just nodded and he felt the cooling feel of calm flood his blood and sooth his frazzled nerves.

"It's alright," she yawned and was sound asleep again. He pulled the twisted covers over them again and he stared at her for a long while. He had never had anyone do that for him.

And it scared him how easily Raven had done it and slipped under his guard and he was letting her.

He needed to leave!

He just stared at her sleeping though, he didn't want to leave.

Busy few days, sorry.

That's all for now folks!

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