Big Book of Writing

Lavender Lullaby (Whitrei, DRDT)

Prompt: https://otpprompts.tumblr.com/post/167573621200/imagine-person-a-craling-into-perosn-bs-bed-in/amp

"Imagine Person A crawling into Person B's bed in the middle of the night because they couldn't sleep and Person B being totally okay with it."

For the people of the future, this was written before chapter 2 has come out. This was also an art trade for KofukuMizu on twitter! Go check him out!

Spoilers for chapter 1 of Danganronpa: Despair Time!

***

It had been months after the killing game had ended. Most of the survivors went their separate ways after the hell they went through on that insane reality show, but they still kept in touch with each other.

For Whit Young and Arei Nageishi, they agreed to share a small apartment after the killing game so they could split the rent and try to readapt into living normal lives after what they've seen. So many of their friends and allies had died brutally, and though they pretended to be fine on the outside, they were still changed by the game.

Whit had nightmares now, terrifying ones that always had him shaking as soon as he woke up. His reactions to traumatic events were blunt at first, but slowly chipped at him as the game went on. And even in a time of peace, he couldn't help but keep his guard up.

After a dream of seeing Min being eaten alive by wolves again, Whit woke up and pulled the blankets closer to him. He looked around his room and saw only the posters he put up on the walls, the plant he took care of, and the prize money from winning the show with the others - untouched since the day he moved in and put it there.

There were no wolves, no corpses, nobody begging for their lives anymore. Whit slowly rested his body back against his bed's headboard, taking deep breaths in order to calm himself. He stared up at the ceiling as he tried to keep himself calm. But with his adrenaline spiked and his body weak and shaking, he couldn't find the will in him to go to sleep.

He remembered that his mother once told him as a child that a warm glass of milk at night would help him sleep, so he forced himself out of bed on shaky legs to go to their kitchen. The feeling of the ground beneath his feet reminded him that he was still alive and not dreaming, calming him slightly as he left his bedroom.

When he exited and went to the kitchen, he found Arei putting something in the microwave. "Hey, Arei. What are you doing up so late?" he asked, wearing a smile and a friendly tone.

"Hm, I just couldn't sleep. It's waaaay too hot in my room!" the bowler exaggerated her sentences dramatically, then giggled a bit. "And then I realized that I was hungry, so I came to reheat some leftovers."

"Damn, that mac and cheese looks pretty good," Whit remarked and went to the fridge, pulling out the milk and getting a glass. "Oh, I've been meaning to ask, did you get in contact with that therapist I recommended yet?"

"Oh, them? Nah, I don't need a damn therapist. What, you think I'm a little crybaby like the others? Get real!" Arei laughed. "I'm not as weak or stupid as that! A therapist, really? Hahaha!"

Despite her words, the matchmaker wasn't fully convinced. But he knew that everyone had their own ways of coping, and he decided to not press the matter. After her macaroni and cheese was done, Whit put his cup of milk in. "Alright, so if a therapist isn't your forte, what about a job? The money we got for surviving isn't going to last forever, you know."

"I...haven't really thought about that. But maybe I can go somewhere nice with my fame, I could be a professional makeup tester!" she exclaimed. Without warning, Arei took her food and went back to her room, humming a happy little tune all the while.

When Whit's milk finished warming up, he drank it down and went back into his room. He relaxed himself under his blankets and closed his eyes, but he couldn't go to sleep. Even when he turned on some calming music, his mind wouldn't let him finally sleep.

All of a sudden, he felt the covers being lifted and someone slipping into bed with him. Whit didn't bother opening his eyes, he already knew who showed up. "You alright, Arei?" he quietly asked.

"Shut up," was her immediate reply before burying her face into his chest. He decided to turn up the calm music before draping his arm over her.

A couple minutes later, he felt her quietly cry into his chest, her body giving the occasional tremor as another sob wracked her body. Whit knew that even Arei wasn't immune to seeing the executions, her reaction upon seeing the first one happen was to cry out Min's name in horror. But she would never admit to having any weaknesses, regardless of the trauma she suffered.

But Whit knew what she was going through and offered silent comfort to her, the kind of comfort that she could accept without any snarky remarks or comments. The matchmaker had a feeling that she abhorred being pitied for legitimate reasons, which was why he had let her live with him in the first place. He knew how to help her like this.

As the music continued to play, Whit felt Arei fall asleep on top of his chest. From the way she suddenly came in, cried, then fell asleep, he guessed that she was lying about her room being hot and actually had a nightmare. He didn't know when he was going to finally fall asleep, but feeling her peaceful and even breathing on top of his chest was soothing to him.

***

Art credit: KofukuMizu on twitter