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It took Norton a moment to figure out what had woken him up. He was roused from a deep sleep, and now he blinked up into the darkness of the room, waiting for his senses to come to him. It was only after a flash of light illuminated the window beside him that he was pulled from his subconscious.
Rain poured outside, tapping at his window in a way that was mildly comforting, lulling him back to sleep even as he tried to stay awake for another moment longer, if not for any reason than just to enjoy the sounds of the droplets falling outside and the whistle of the wind. The moonlight just barely highlighted the frame of the window, and it was overtaken once more by a second flash of lightning, followed by a clap of thunder.
Ah, so that had been what had stirred him. The thunder was loud, much louder than he was used to when it came to heavy storms considering there was no layer of earth to separate himself from the sky now that he lived in the manor. It probably didn’t help that his room was on one of the higher stories, and the building seemed to shake with the force of the deafening roar.
He didn’t mind it too much; it was what he heard after the rumble of thunder died down again that caught his attention.
He was lying on his back, but now he turned his head towards the noise coming from Naib lying next to him. His heart started to beat faster when he realized the sound was sniffling, and in the dim moonlight he could just barely make out the mercenary’s form on the darker side of the bed. Naib’s hand was over his ear, his back to Norton as his body trembled.
That woke Norton fully from his sleep-addled stupor.
“Naib?” he asked worriedly, his voice low and husky from sleep. He saw Naib stiffen, and when he didn’t respond after a moment Norton reached over and slid a hand over his waist, at the cusp of where his tank top was riding up to reveal a sliver of bare skin. Naib flinched at his touch, and Norton only nestled closer to him in response, spooning the smaller man against his chest. “I know you’re awake.”
For a long moment Naib did not respond, but then he rolled over towards Norton and another well-timed flash of lightning briefly illuminated his face. Norton felt his heart sink to see the unshed tears that clouded his eyes, to hear him sniffle again, to feel his body tremble beneath his palm. He moved his free hand between them up to cup his face, brushing over his cheek with his thumb to wipe away a stray tear threatening to fall. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m fine,” Naib answered weakly, and that’s how Norton knew he wasn’t. His voice was hoarse; he sounded spent, tired, and Norton wondered how long he’d been crying as he’d slept undisturbed beside him.
“No you’re not,” he gently argued, “What’s-”
He was cut off by another clap of thunder, and his question was answered before he’d even finished asking it. Naib cried out at the noise, his hands flying back up to cover his ears, his eyes squeezing shut as his body was wracked with a barely concealed sob.
“Woah, hey...” Norton said, and he wrapped his arms around him, pulling him closer to his chest. “The thunder won’t hurt you. You’re safe with me.”
It took Naib a moment to regain his composure again, and when he did he nestled himself in Norton’s arms, burying his face in the crook of his neck. Norton brushed his fingers through his hair soothingly, and he felt Naib exhale shakily against his skin.
“I know it’s just thunder…” he explained, sounding a bit more like himself but not without the subtle pain in his voice, muffled slightly by their close proximity. “It’s just that- loud noises-”
“I understand,” said Norton, and he did. He knew how easily Naib was affected by sudden, loud noises, had seen the way the cipher clicks and pops affected him in matches. It seemed that sound was one of his biggest triggers, and every now and then it would cause him to go into panic. Norton understood it well, as he too would break down at times, when his claustrophobia would kick in or he was subjected to total darkness to remind him of the mine. All he could really do for Naib at a time like this was hold him.
“Do you need anything from me?” he murmured, rubbing circles into Naib’s back in comfort.
“This,” Naib breathed, “Just this.”
For a long moment they stayed like that, with Norton holding him close against his chest, listening to the patter of rain and stroking Naib’s hair to soothe him. When at last another clap of thunder resounded throughout the room, Norton tensed up, concerned for Naib, but relaxed when he saw that the other man did not stir. He had fallen asleep.
Maybe someday, there would come a time when Naib would no longer fear the noises he knew couldn’t hurt him, would forget about all the things he’d seen and heard in the past which plagued his heart and kept him waking in the night. The scars that covered his body may have faded, but his emotional wounds had yet to heal. This wouldn’t be the first time, or even the last time he would be roused from his sleep, whether from thunder or the bad dreams he never seemed to remember, but all that mattered now was that Norton was there to support him through it.
Tomorrow, Naib would wake up, embarrassed and avoidant of the subject of the night before, but Norton would make sure to stop him. He’d sit him down on the bed, brush the hair out of his face, place a kiss to his temple, and assure him that he would be there as long as he needed him. The next time Naib would be pulled from his sleep, he could seek comfort in Norton.