sdmn one sh~i~ts

Right Here /wroetosdmn

words: 1122
warnings: nightmares ⚠️

Harry awoke suddenly and sat up with a shout. He was drenched in sweat, heart pounding.

It was just a nightmare.

Another nightmare.

But although it wasn't real, it still elicited a physical response from him. And an emotional response; Harry realised his face was wet with tears.

Simon was there in an instant, sitting on the bed next to him and holding him close, despite how sweaty he was. "You're okay," He spoke, slowly rocking Harry back and forth. "You're safe." His voice was rough with sleep, and Harry felt a surge of guilt for having woken him up.

"I know. I'm fine," Harry said, but Simon could hear the lie in his voice. He always could.

"Tell me what happened this time," The elder gently suggested.

"It's nothing, you can go back to bed, really," Harry insisted.

It was still dark in the room, so Harry didn't realize Tobi was there until he felt someone sit at the foot of the bed, followed by his soft voice, "Sorry you had another nightmare, Bog." He grasped one of Harry's feet through the covers and squeezed it.

"I'm going to get the lights," Simon said, and got up.

"I'm really fine! Let's just go back to sleep," Harry said. "It's not a big deal."

The lights came on, and Simon and Tobi could see that it was a big deal. Harry looked like a mess, sweat and tears wetting the sides of his hair, his built frame trembling from the lingering fright.

Tobi frowned. "Let's get you in the shower."

"I don't want to shower," Harry groaned.

"Then you at least need to wipe down and change your clothes," Simon said, leaving the room.

Tobi crossed to Harry's dresser, picked out a fresh pair of boxers and a white t-shirt, and laid them on the foot of the bed. Harry's stomach rumbled loudly, earning a glance from Tobi.

Simon returned with a couple of towels. He pulled the covers off of Harry and found they were damp with sweat. He silently looked to Tobi, who nodded and left the room.

Simon gestured to Harry and gently ordered, "Up."

Harry stood up with a groan and tried to take the wet hand towel from Simon. "I can do this myself."

Simon didn't let him take it, and said, "I want to. Now, come on. Shirt."

With a sigh, Harry pulled his t-shirt off over his head and tossed it into his wash basket. Simon set to work wiping down his upper body, starting with his face and ending with his armpits. "You really should shower..." He muttered, but he wasn't going to push that point.

Tobi re-entered the room with a fresh set of bedsheets and silently stripped the bed of the dirty ones. While he was getting the new sheets on, Simon started toweling Harry dry. He asked softly, using just a hint of his stern voice, "What happened in the nightmare?"

Harry squeezed his eyes tightly shut and swallowed. "I- I disappeared." It was so abstract, and he knew it didn't really make sense, but that was what had scared him awake. "I couldn't- I couldn't breathe." Maybe he was telling it out of order.

Simon nodded thoughtfully. Tobi stood behind Harry with his fresh shirt, and the younger stuck out his arms so Tobi could help him into it, and then Simon kissed the top of his head.

"You're not going to disappear," Simon said softly, but firmly. "You're safe." He placed the fresh boxers in Harry's still shaking hand. "Go use the bathroom and finish getting changed."

He nodded and did just that, returning a minute later to find Simon and Tobi talking quietly together. As he climbed back into his bed, pulling the fresh sheets and cover over his lap, Simon left the room again, and Tobi slid into bed with the younger, forcing him to scoot over.

They sat in silence for a moment before Tobi spoke again, "I used to have a lot of nightmares when I was a kid. Stress really messes people up." He paused. "Have you been more stressed than usual?"

Harry was more stressed than usual. There was just- there was just so much going on. "I mean, yeah, I think we all are, but I'm the only one having nightmares."

Tobi looked thoughtful. "Stress can affect different people in very different ways."

Simon returned with a glass of water and a plate of sliced fruit and sat on the bed in front of the two. He held out the food to Harry. "Eat. It'll help you sleep better."

He frowned. "You know I'm dieting right now. I need to lose some weight, I told you."

Simon shook his head. "You really don't. And you aren't eating enough lately. Come on. This will help you sleep."

Harry reluctantly took the fruit that Simon had just prepared for him and wolfed it down. He was really hungry- wether he'd admit it or not.

"And some water," Simon said, holding out the glass. With a sigh, he drank some and set the glass down on his nightstand.

"I'm good now. You can go back to sleep," Harry said with a weak smile. "Sorry to wake you both."

Simon got up and turned off the light, but returned to the bed, squeezing in on Harry's other side. "Go on, lay down," He said, lying down himself.

He almost protested, but held his tongue. If he was being honest, he felt immeasurably safer with his friends next to him.

So they all settled down, Tobi snuggling up on Harry's arm with one hand draping across him. Simon snuggled up on Harry's other side, his forehead almost resting against his temple.

Tobi wiggled a hand and placed it on the younger's chest. "You can breathe," He whispered, bringing Harry's attention to the undeniable rise and fall of his chest with every breath he took.

"And you're not going to disappear. You're right here. We're right here. And we've got you," Simon said, voice firm. "We all do."

A warmth swelled in Harry's chest. "Thanks," He murmured lowly, already feeling sleep tugging at him. "For everything."

All three of them definitely didn't fit in the twin bed, so once Tobi and Harry were both asleep, Simon got up carefully so as not to wake them. He got a pillow and a blanket from his own bed and arranged them on the floor next to Harry's, not wanting to be any farther away, even in his own bed across the corridor, just in case Harry needed him again.

- - -
the ending for this one is kind of shite so
sorry about that lmaoo