Eren x Reader - Nightmares (BB Special)

Run... keep running...

...run...

Run faster...

...faster...

You're running out of time...

...she's running out of time...

Amelia...!

"Amelia!"

You shot up with a strangled yell, tangling yourself in your bed sheets in alarm, feet still mimicking the movements of seconds earlier, when you were back in that alley in Stohess, running towards the ghost that kept inching further away from you the faster you ran.

You panted, feeling the cold sweat drip down your forehead. This hadn't happened in a over a year. You weren't sure why it was now... but it chilled you to the core, the same as it always did. "It's a dream... just a dream... a dream..." you reassured yourself, trying to rub some of the warmth back into your shaking, bare arms.

"[Name]?" you heard a soft, concerned voice from beneath you. "Are you alright?"

You took a moment to catch your breath and collect yourself before you answered. You noticed a suspicious silence around your dorm, signaling that several of the other girls had been awakened by your yell as well. Damn. The last thing you needed was for the other cadets to find out about this ridiculous weakness of yours.

A soldier. Afraid of her own dreams.

You took a deep breath. "Yes, I'm fine," you said, priding yourself on how strong your voice sounded. "Thank you, Mina. Go back to bed."

There was silence from beneath your bunk for a moment. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. Thank you."

You heard her slowly cover herself in her blanket again, rustling it very quietly. You sat in silence, still sitting upright, until you finally heard her breaths turn slow and deep, signaling that she'd fallen back asleep. There were the telltale signs of heavy breathing and soft snores from the other bunks as well.

You adored Mina, but she wasn't the one you needed to talk to right now.

You had to talk to him.

As quietly and calmly as possible, you disentangled yourself from your sheets, and jumped lightly from your bed, landing silently on your feet. You looked quickly at Mina to ensure she was really sleeping, and then snuck out the front door to the cabin you shared with the other girls.

You breathed in the nighttime air, letting it out in a soft sigh. The night was cool, but not cold. You hadn't put your shoes on, so you could feel the soft dirt beneath and between your toes. You'd never want to admit it out loud, but finally being able to walk outside without the suffocating boots on was refreshing. You'd spent the first fourteen years of your life never wearing a single pair of shoes, so for the longest time, it was your norm. Collecting yourself once again, you took a left at the stair and began to walk.

You weren't sure if doing what you were planning on doing was such a great idea, but there would be no more sleep for you tonight and you didn't want to be alone. There was only one person you needed to see right now. No one else would understand.

You soundlessly snuck into the boy's dorm. You made your way over to the bottom bunk on the far side of the room, where a lump was sleeping soundly. All you could see was a few tufts of dark, brown hair peeking out from the top of the covers.

Should I wake him up?

You knew it would be selfish to do so, considering you both had some pretty intensive conditioning in the morning. You should let him sleep, and suffer through the rest of the night by yourself. That's what you wanted to do.

You knew he'd be mad at you if he found out you had done that. He'd want you to wake him up. And you wanted to do that, too.

Struggling internally, you decided to make a deal with yourself to decide. If one of the boys said anything aloud in their sleep within the next ten seconds, you'd wake him up. If not, you'd just go back to your dorm and sit it out. You had heard nothing so far, you were moderately certain you'd... win. Lose. Whatever.

Okay, here goes.

...One...

Silence.

...Two... three... four...

You internally celebrated when you heard nothing but the sound of soft snores coming from all around. You didn't think you were brave enough to actually wake him, anyway.

...Five... six... seven... eight...

You heard a soft grunt from a bed nearby, but ignored it.

...Nine...

"...Marco..."

...Fuck  you, Jean.

Cursing both yourself and Jean, you knelt beside the brown-haired boy's bedside and took a deep breath, gently tapping his forehead with a dainty index finger.

Two green eyes opened and stared up at you blearily.

"Hi," you said shyly.

His eyes shot open in alarm, backing up so quickly he almost fell off the bed.

"No! No, Eren, it's just me. It's just me," you whispered frantically, holding your hands up in surrender.

It took him a moment to realize what was happening, before sighing heavily and falling back into his bed. "[Name]. Don't ever do that again. You almost gave me heart attack."

Your face fell guiltily. "I'm sorry."

He looked at you suspiciously for a few seconds, before sitting up and touching you arm gently. "Is everything alright? You're awfully quiet."

"You get nightmares, too, right?" you whispered.

He looked confused, but answered nonetheless. "Yes. Sometimes."

"What do you do when you have them?"

He looked thoughtful for a minute. "When I was little, I would ask Mikasa to sit with me until I fell back asleep."

You were ashamed of your weakness, but forced yourself to continue. "Can I... just sit with you? Please. I don't want to be alone."

His eyes softened considerably, and he scooted over in his bed, making a space for you beside him. "Sure. Of course."

You shot him a grateful, shy smile, sliding into the small twin-sized bed with him and under the covers. They were warm, far warmer than your own, but you knew Eren always ran a little hot so you weren't at all surprised by the temperature difference. You sat beside each other in awkward silence, until you decided to lay back rather than sit. He followed suit, and you both lay side-by-side, facing the underside of Armin's top bunk. You could hear his soft breathing from above you.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Eren asked quietly.

"No."

He nodded. "Do you want anything?"

"No."

You felt him take a deep breath. You froze when you felt his hand softly brush by your own.

"Can I... just hold you?"

"..."

When you didn't answer, Eren slowly rolled onto his side and wrapped his arms around your shaking torso, pulling you to his chest. He rested his chin atop of your head, rubbing soft, little designs onto the skin of your back with his fingertips. You went stiff as a board, at first; but after a few seconds, decided that you didn't mind letting him touch you and you relaxed into his embrace, raising your hands to grip onto his bed shirt, loving the feeling of his warmth beneath it.

"Thank you, Eren," you whispered.

He hummed in response, gently running his fingers through your hair and laying a soft kiss on your forehead. The motion was comforting, and slowly, you started to feel your eyes getting very heavy and start to droop.

You could have stayed here with him forever.

"Sleep. You'll be okay here. I'll wake you up if you start having another nightmare."

"You promise?"

"I promise."

You nuzzled into his shirt, wrapping your arms tightly around his waist. "Thank you... but no funny business," you warned mockingly, snuggling into his chest with a content sigh.

He laughed quietly, the sound rich and low. "Wouldn't dream of it."

You fell asleep with a soft smile, listening to the rhythmic sound of his heartbeat. You never slept so well in your life.

And you paid the price for it the next day when all the other boys awoke to find you snoring quietly, curled up against Eren, legs tangled with his.

You couldn't have cared less.