Ramsival Oneshots

Nightmares

"Ramsey?"

He was immediately awake. "P-P-Percy?! Oh, crap, I—this, uh, it isn't—I didn't mean to—I'm really sorry!" Words were spilling out of Ramsey's mouth without his control, falling from his lips like a waterfall as he desperately tried to explain what he was doing in bed with his parole officer.

Percy let out a small chuckle as she watched the flustered male babble while trying to untangle himself from the blankets. "Ramsey, it's fine," she soothed as she tugged him back down towards the bed. "I don't mind if you want to cuddle."

"I-I don't wanna cuddle!" He protested, but stopped as he found himself suddenly laying on top of the blonde, his face somehow turning even redder as his brain whirred trying to figure out what had just happened.

"Nonsense," Percy chided. "Cuddling and other forms of positive physical interaction are beneficial for one's mental health."

"Did you look that up?"

"...Perhaps."

Ramsey refused to admit it, but deep down, he was touched. She really cared that much about him? Before he could wonder about this much longer, however, Percy gently pulled his hair out of its ponytail and started running her fingers through his hair, and the majority of his brain immediately shut down.

"Ghhhhhh Percy..." He tried to ask the cop what was going on, but her calming ministrations were making it hard to think. "Wha... what're you...?"

"Shh," she said in a soft, calming voice. "It's alright, Ramsey. I merely would like to ask you a few questions. Can you answer them honestly for me?"

"Shhurre..." At this point, Ramsey was willing to do anything if it would keep the warm, fuzzy feeling from going away. His tense muscles loosened more and more with each stroke, and soon he became putty in Percy's hands, feeling more relaxed than he had in years.

"Ramsey, have you been experiencing nightmares?" She questioned. "And are they the reason for the sleep-depriving habits you've formed?"

The male nodded slowly, his head heavy. He knew he should feel ashamed, or embarrassed, but he couldn't find it in himself to care.

"Alright, thank you for being honest with me. You're doing great." Her voice was so sweet, like honey, making his sluggish thoughts turn at an even slower pace. "Can you tell me what your nightmares are about?"

A cold shiver ran down his spine, and his thoughts were suddenly whirring again. What should he say? Should he lie? What would she say if she knew the truth?

Sensing his discomfort, the blonde backpedaled a bit: "Ramsey, I am only trying to assist you. Harming anyone is not in my nature, least of all you." She trailed her fingers up and down his spine, rubbing his back in a way that she hoped was comforting; it had always worked when her mother had done it for her after a nightmare. Ramsey let out a contented sigh, and taking that as her cue to continue, Percy carefully pressed onward: "Please, can you tell me?"

"You." The cop swore she could feel her heart tear in two at the single-word answer.

"Me?" What did I do?

"In the woods, or the hospital," the male in her arms confirmed. "Hurt, or..." He couldn't say it. The words tasted bitter in his mouth, he couldn't bring himself to say them aloud. Instead, he settled on saying, "Or worse..." Terror curled around his heart in an icy grip as bits and pieces of his dreams flashed behind his closed eyelids: Percy laying on the ground with a huge gash in her side, Percy bleeding through the bandages no matter how fast he replaced them, Percy laying in a hospital bed, Percy's heart monitor flatlining...

Ramsey felt the real-world version of the cop gently brush her thumb over his cheek, wiping away his tears. When had he started crying?

Deciding that now was probably a good time to leave, Ramsey opened his eyes and began to get up, but immediately relaxed again as Percy resumed running her fingers through his hair and gently massaged his scalp. Why had he wanted to get away from this again?

"It's alright, Ramsey," Percy cooed, her voice back to sweet and soft. "I'm sure that, were our roles reversed, I would be having similar experiences." While she did genuinely mean that, the blonde felt bad for taking advantage of Ramsey's obviously dazed state; but she simply couldn't think of any other way to keep him from running away. Stopping him had been surprisingly easy, however...

A thought suddenly hit her: "Ramsey, how long has it been since you last experienced positive physical interaction?"

At first, she thought he had fallen asleep, but then she heard his muffled answer: "I dunno. A long time. Not since I was nine or ten, I think." He fell silent, not particularly wanting to relive the memories of his youth.

Percy was shocked by his declaration, but what truly made her worried was the way he had said it. It was so casual, so uninterested, as if he was merely stating the weather. How can he be so nonchalant about not having had so much as a hug in nearly the past two decades?

"To be honest, I never really expected that to start back up again..." His voice was so soft, so hesitant, that she almost missed it. But she didn't miss it. She had heard it, and now she was even more horrified than before.

"Is that because you don't enjoy being touched this way?" She asked him, concerned, ready to move her hands away if he said yes.

"Nah, I don't mind." Percy felt relief flood through her systems at his simple answer. So she hadn't been making it worse, then. "'S kinda nice, actually," Ramsey added, and the cop decided that they would have to do this more often. Much, much more often.

"Thank you for answering all of my questions, Ramsey. You did very well." The former criminal felt his face flush red at the praise. As Percy began to hum softly, the realization of just how much he liked this adorable, oblivious blonde cop struck him.

No, not like. Like wasn't strong enough. It felt more like... love.

Ramsey's mind screeched to a halt. He loved her? Really? No, that couldn't be right! She was just his parole officer!

But... her smile brightened up his day, and her laugh filled his heart with warmth. He loved the sound of her voice, he could listen to her talk for hours, about anything. He couldn't stand to see her upset, and he panicked whenever she used her epithet, thinking she was going to pass out. She was always on his mind, constantly invading his thoughts, no matter where he was or what he was doing. He just couldn't stop thinking about her.

...Shit. He really did love her.