group
"Simon, Simon," Mia continued. She had to get the man up. If he was close to doing so, it would be good. And if it wasn't even close to over… she needed to stop it before he was too far in.
"Wake up, S-Simon…"
After another moment, Simon finally jolted awake, looking appropriately distressed, his eyes wide and breathing in and out much too quickly. He wasn’t entirely sure yet if he was safe or not. It’d take a moment for everything to begin to make sense again.
group
Mia let Simon out of her hold some so he wouldn't freak out too much.
"You're safe, Simon, I promise…"
He didn’t say anything for a moment, his eyes doing a quick sweep of the room, reassuring himself that he was actually safe. He put a hand on his face, as if checking for any injuries, his hand dropping back down to his side when he didn’t find any. He looked over at Mia, offering a sad smile. “I’m sorry…”
group
"There's nothing to be sorry for, Simon." Mia spoke softly, offering her hands to Simon again.
"You didn't have any control over it. I'm just glad was able to wake you up…"
He nodded quietly in agreement, nestling back into Mia’s arms as soon as it was offered. “Thank you for waking me up then…”
group
"You're welcome, dear…" Mia wrapped her arms lightly around Simon, pulling him close to herself. She ran her fingers through the man's hair, letting out a breath.
He tried to let himself relax but he was more afraid of drifting off now. He hated that he still acted like this. That he felt an overwhelming need to cling to someone else for comfort as soon as anything happened. He sighed softly. He was an adult, and he hated how he still acted like a child.
group
Mia figured there was no way Simon was going to go back to sleep, and she didn't blame him. So, instead, she held him to herself, fingers still gently combing through his hair. She knew Simon needed comfort, and that it would never bother her to give it. The man had been hurt so much, by so many. It was no wonder he took any comfort he was offered.
Simon stayed pressed against her side, letting her run her fingers through his hair. It did help him relax but he still couldn’t help but feel bad for disturbing her. He didn’t know how to make the nightmares stop, or if they ever would.
group
Mia stayed calm for Simon's sake, a soft expression on her face. She didn't break the silence, but she did shift some, pulling the blankets up around them. It must be getting later in the day, because it was getting cooler in the palace.
Simon had noticed the change, beginning to grow colder as the room did. He was grateful when Mia pulled the blankets around them. “Hey Mia?” He asked softly. “What do you think Astral’s going to do to us?”
group
Mia thought a moment over the question, and what her response would be.
"I'm not sure on everything," she finally said, softly. "But I think he's going to leave us alone."
“You think so?” He asked, looking up at her. “I really hope so…but I don’t see why he would leave us alone.” He truly didn’t understand what Astral’s plan was here. Maybe he’d leave them alone until the baby was born but after that, well, Simon was about 80% certain that Astral was going to murder them.
group
"I… I don't know, for certain, but… you're different, with him. That he's giving space at all is strange. I think he's not going to hurt you." Mia said nothing for herself. After all… he'd already proven his willingness to do so. She held back a shudder as she remembered when he decided to seal her inside her own mind.
“I don’t know…I don’t trust it.” He was definitely aware of the high risk of Astral hurting Mia. He was scared that after awhile, Astral would get bored of leaving them alone, and then things would get bad again.
group
"Right. Even if I think it, we should still be careful." Mia ran her fingers through Simon's hair again after her pause.
He nodded in agreement. Even if Astral wouldn’t hurt them, Simon was in no hurry to see the god.
group
Mia lightly patted Simon's back, letting out a breath.
"I'm sure we'll be able to make it through this," the woman promised.
“I hope so…but I honestly don’t know. And even if we do make it through, what then?” He wasn’t trying to be so negative, he just was trying to find answers.
group
"Well… We'll find a way to live our own lives. Not being dependent on what Astral wants." Mia was doing her best to be positive.
“That would be really nice.” He smiled a little thinking about it. That really would be the best case scenario for them at the moment.
group
"It would be," Mia agreed. She rested her head on Simon's, a faint smile coming to her face at the thought.
“We could do anything we wanted…that would be fun.” He mumbled, his smile growing just a bit as he let his imagination run wild.
group
"It would be," Mia agreed. She let out a soft breath, just letting the thought wash over her. She might… even be able to be with her love again.
Of course Simon didn’t know exactly what Mia was thinking. If he did though, he’d want that for her just as badly as she did. He would love to see his friend that happy.
group
Mia would love to see Simon that happy too, even if just a moment.
"I'd love to have that…"
And maybe someday, they both would be. Simon nodded in agreement, the soft smile remaining on his face as he let himself consider all of the possibilities.
group
Mia hummed softly, an absentminded thing as she thought. It was calm, here, with just the two of them.
Simon hugged her tightly, listening to her hum. For right now, the future seemed bright and hopeful. Maybe there could be a better tomorrow for them after all.
