The Eye of the Storm

[Zander Brogthamon]

Zander often had nightmares. More or less they were memories he kept repressed that leaked in to his mind while he slept. Though he had found that he had less nightmares when he slept next to someone. Around his wrist was the bracelet his mother had given him as a child. It was a simple chain bracelet with three odd gems around it.

Zanders face twisted into pain and fear as he whined softly and began to toss and turn. "Tá brón orm." The sound of heavy thunder shook the walls as he began covering his head protectively. Suddenly it began pelting rain outside in a down pour. "I'll d-do better." Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes as his voice cracked with a bolt of lightening.

Tá brón orm=I'm sorry

Pearce Lockheed

[Pearce Lockheed]

Pearce slept like a baby by comparison. He had nightmares sometimes but normally he was a pretty deep sleeper.

While he had been tired, Zander was irresistible. The nobleman liked being able to show his affection for the young man. But now, the two where alseep together in Pearce's bed. His arm rested around the boy until he started shifting and moving.

Even the rolling against him and the thunder he managed to ignore. It was the peel of lightning and the flash of it that jerked him suddenly awake. He panicked for a moment, heart leaping into his throat before he coukd figure out what happened.

There had been no sign of a storm before. But that didn't sit at the forefront of his mind for cery long. Zander mumbling and twisting and the lained look on his sleeling face kept Pearce awake with concern. Clearly he was having a vwry vivid and terrible dream.

"Zander," he breathed softly. He rolled to his side so he could wrap both arounds around the boy and make soothing noises. "It's alright..."

[Zander Brogthamon]

Zander was usually a very light sleeper. He'd be startled awake at the slightest noise but when this deep in a nightmare he seemed trapped inside of it. The redhead whimpered as a few tears began slipping down his cheeks. "I-I didn't mean...please...I'm tr-trying." His sentences were broken as another crack of thunder echoed loudly.

Feeling the hands on him though made him jolt up almost out of the bed. "I'm sorry!" He cried as his eyes darted around the dark room. He was still fogged between the dream and the real world. His heart pounded in his chest as if it were trying to beat out of his chest. His whole body trembled violently as he curled in on himself and scratched at his wrist hard. If he could hear the rain outside he didn't seem to notice it.

[Pearce Lockheed]

He jumped when Zander started at his touch, feeling instantly guilty. He knew the young man was sensitive to that like he was. The storm and thunder and lightning had him even more on edge.

Pearce slide on hand around the boy's wrist, not wanting to pull at him and scare him but not wanting him to hurt himself. He tried to get his other hand to Zander cheek comfortiny. He could feel his own heart pounding, terrified in a worried way, wanting to pull the boy from his dream and the memories.

"It's alright, Zander. I'm here. I'm not going to hurt you," he said a bit more clearly but just as soft. He leaned over to kiss his cheek and neck hesitantly, enveloping the boy in a gentle hug.

[Zander Brogthamon]

It took a long moment for his mind to process what was happening or where he was. The boy whimpered and trembled violently until the nobles voice broke through. "Pearce?" Right, he wasn't back in Teronna. He wasn't fourteen anymore. He was safe. Briella was safe. Another whimper broke past his lips but the trembling calmed as he leaned into Pearces touch.

Zander all but crawled onto his lap as he wrapped his arms around the man. Something to anchor him back to reality. As his nerves calmed so did the storm outside. The rain suddenly stopped and the thunder rumbled quietly for just a moment before silencing completely. The redhead took a deep breath before biting his lip nervously. "I didn't mean to wake you up."

[Pearce Lockheed]

Hearing his name reassured him that Zander was here and not somewhere else still. "In the flesh," he confirmed gently, pulling the boy close and running his hands up and down against him.

The sudden ceasing of the violent weather struck him as odd. The noble had noticed that sometimes the weather seemed to correspond to Zander's mood. Cloudy whwn something bothered him, sunny when he was happy or excited or talking about Briella. It had seemed coincidence most of the time, subtle changes. Nothing like a storm just...stopping. The man glanced toward the window and even though it was early and still dark out, he could see that even the clouds were clearing up to let through moonlight. He was confused. But he was more worried about Zander than the weather. At least there was no more thunder and lightning to make him jumpy.

He grunted faintly as Zander crawled into his lap, a little surprised but not apposed. "It's alright," he said, tone soothing. He paused his comforting caresses to hug the young man. "You were...talking in your sleep. Do you have nightmares often?" He asked, concerned. Not for his own sleep but to know if there was something he could do to help. If he had to cope with this to sleep with the young man than so be it. He wanted to help.

[Zander Brogthamon]

Zander barely payed attention to the storm outisde, or now lack thereof. His mind was far too focused on regaining a semblance of safety and normality. Though hearing he had been talking in his sleep did make him tense. Of course he knew he spoke in his sleep on occasion. His sister had pointed that out a few times before, very concerned over what he'd been dreaming about.

His face flushed light pink in embarrassment as he wondered just what he'd been saying. The last remnants of the dream were leaving his mind and now he couldn't even remember what it had been about in the first place. Other than his father. That was never good though. "I...yeah. Just about every night." He admitted softly. "They aren't usually that bad though so I won't be waking you up all the time." He let out a slightly nervous chuckle before he bit his lip.

"What all...what all did I say?" He only asked to know what he might need to explain. If he had the heart to explain it.

[Pearce Lockheed]

"It's alright," he said firmly, simply. He didn't mind. "If that's my wake up call every morning then I want to be there to help." It was worth it, in his opinion. He didn't sleep with Zander out of convienence, after all. He cared about the boy. He'd rather be there, for anything.

He felt immediately awkward having mentioned talking in his sleep. Clearly it made Zander nervous. But Pearce had been worried and he wasn't about to hide something from the boy.

"You, ah...apologized a lot. S-said you were trying to be better." He had understood the foreign apology at least. Pearce wasn't sure what the boy felt he had to apologize for. He certainly had his own past he didn't like to talk about and he wasn't about to press Zander if he was so nervous.

Pearce continued to hold him, shifting to get a little more comfortable but not wanting to let go.

[Zander Brogthamon]

The idea that someone would be so willing to calm him down after a nightmare was strange. Normally he'd just wake up trembling or gasping then go for a run. He was used to dealing with his nightmares on his own. Still, it was nice to hear that Pearce would be there for him. The thought made his heart flutter in his chest.

Hearing that he'd only apologized and said he'd do better made him relax a bit more. That could have been any dream involving his father honestly. There'd been too many times he'd said that he'd try harder or do better when he was doing all he could. "Okay, that's not that bad." He said with another chuckle, though it was easier this time. He could at least still use humor to cover up his fear.

Zander still didn't want to let the other go either. Though he did feel bad about waking him up like that though. Not a fun a way of waking him as the boy usually had in mind. "Thank you." He said softly as he placed a kiss on his cheek.

[Pearce Lockheed]

Pesrce wouldn't begrudge the young man for wanting to deal with it his own way. But if he wanted someone else, he was here. He had his own nightmares. Not so much now, but when he was younger. He understood it wasn't fun to deal with alone.

"'Not that bad?'" Pearce's brow furrowed in a sleepy frown, misunderstanding what was 'bad.' "Zander, you were yelling..." Clearly it had not been a good dream, whatever it had been about. "Is...everything okay?" He wasn't sure if it was his past or something else going on now that bothered the boy but he couldn't help if he didn't know. "I want to help," he insisted. He did understand the boy used humor to cope. That wasn't not allowed, by any means. But at some point, a serious conversation, even a brief one, would help.

"S'fine," the noble mumbled. Future awake Pearce would be ashamed of his lacking enunciation. "Trade me breakfast in bed sometime," he joked, returning the kiss. "Or kisses. Preferably kisses."

[Zander Brogthamon]

Hearing that he'd been yelling did made him inwardly groan. The corners of his eyes also felt wet making him wonder if he'd been crying as well. That thought was annoying. "I didn't kick you or anything did I?" Zander had woken up face down on the floor covered in bruises enough times to know he could be very...active when he had a nightmare. Though so long as he hadn't been sobbing or screaming and he hadn't hurt Pearce he thought everything was fine.

Hearing the way the normally well spoken noble muttered and slurred his words was almost enough to make Zander laugh. "Why not both?" The boy doubted he'd be going back to sleep any time soon, if at all. Usually once he was awake he stayed that way. But he didn't want to leave the bed or Pearces arms just yet. Idly he began toying with the bracelet as he nuzzled his face in the crook of the mans neck.

[Pearce Lockheed]

In the dark and still not awake, Pearce hadn't noticed tears. There had been some distress in the boy's tone for most of words.

Pearce frowned again as Zander seemed more worried about his sleeping companion than himself. That was all well and good, but one of them had been screaming a few minutes ago while the other had not. "And if I said you did?" He hadn't. This time. The way Zander spoke suggested it would happen eventually. But he accepted that too. It all served to make him more worried.

He pulled himself up in the bed, leaning against the headboard so he was nearly sitting, rubbing sleep from his eyes. He tugged Zander with him and rested a tentative hand on Zander's hair. "Screaming is b-bad," Pearce noted, regardless.

"Both?" he chuckled. "That's up to you."

[Zander Brogthamon]

For a moment he worried that he had actually hurt Pearce. Zander didn't particularly care for his own sleep or well being, so long as he knew the people he cared about were safe that was all that really mattered to him. If he was still breathing and could mostly function he didn't care what happened to himself. "If I did I'd have to kiss everywhere I hurt you and make everything all better."

When Pearce suddenly sat up Zander was a bit confused. He'd expected to man to fall back asleep, given the few times the redhead had had to keep him awake once he got him up. "Screaming is bad." He agreed with a frown. The boy had been screamed at so often by his father he'd been determined to never raise his voice to his sister. Certainly he had a tendency to get explosive when he was angry but never to her or Pearce. He couldn't bring himself to scare either of them like that. "I don't like screaming." Both from himself or others.

[Pearce Lockheed]

"You didn't," the noble confirmed gently. Not physically, at least. "But I am worried." It wasn't a major emotional hurt but it wasn't something a few kisses could fix.

Pearce would ha e liked to go back to sleep. He was tired enough. But he wanted to talk and he had a feeling Zander wasn't going to go back to sleep. "I don't either." Pearce didn't yell often. Didn't even raise his voice. It happened occassionally, of course but he hated it

"So..." he wasn't sure how best to ask. It was all tol familiar, however, yelling apologies. Pearce had done the same when his own father confronted him. He had learned quickly apologies meant nothig to the man. "Who were you screaming at? Did...someone hurt you?" Because in his experience, people were terrible. Pearce worried he'd guessed too much based on his own problems. But if Zander wouldn't share...well, Pearce would share if it meant helping the boy to open up.

[Zander Brogthamon]

Zander didn't like talking about his past. Leaving Teronna he'd wanted to put it behind him and just start fresh. Still, he didn't want to hide things from Pearce. He trusted the man enough that he didn't feel the need to hide things. When asked who he was yelling at the boy took a deep breath and swallowed a hard lump of emotions in his throat.

"My father...he wasn't a nice man." That was putting it lightly. He knew that he and Pearce had a lot of the same sensitivities when it came to touch and loud noises. He'd often times wondered if Pearces father had hurt him as well. "I was sick a lot as a child and he didn't like that. He thought I was weak and wanted to make me stronger so he...trained me." At least that had been what the man called it. Training. Now that he was in the military he was realizing what what his father did to him wasn't training.

"No matter what I did, how hard I pushed, how much I bled he didn't stop." Talking about him made him start to tremble again.