Absolute Smokeshow

Demons In Her Dreams

Something made you startle awake. You weren't sure what, or when you had fallen asleep, but one thing was undeniable, even in the darkness: Dom had somehow migrated away from Rhea when the three of you had been cuddling and was currently latched onto your arm like a koala.
On your other side, your girlfriend had one hand resting on your hair and the other arm swung loosely over your midsection.
Then, you heard what must have woken you up in the first place: Rhea mumbling in her sleep.
It was incoherent at first, muttered against the pillow. Then, she shifted her head suddenly and her fingers twitched, grabbing at the empty air.
"Leave 'er 'lone," she huffed, shifting onto her other side with a heavy slump.
Then silence.

Just when you were starting to drift off to sleep again, Rhea yelled out your name and sprang up to a sitting position. You tried to sit up as well, to soothe her, but you were tethered to the bed as Dom kept holding onto you tightly.
"Rhe, I'm right here, it's okay!" you tried to reassure her.
"Where did they go?" she asked, putting an arm in front of you to block an invisible foe, "I'm going to get them. I'll get all of them if it means keeping you safe."
"It was a nightmare, babe," you told her gently, putting your free hand on her tense defending arm.
The realization seemed to hit Rhea gradually as she slowly relaxed her muscles.
"So you're okay?" she checked, sounding less disoriented.
"I'm okay! We're all safe; it's just you, me, and Dom here. I would turn on the light and show you, but he doesn't seem to want to part with my arm."

The mattress shifted and a second later, Rhea was turning on her nightstand light with a click. Despite the raised voices and sudden light, Dominik was still fast asleep.
"Awww," she cooed, stress dissipating from her face as she looked down at the two of you, "Yeah, he's my sweet little koala when he gets tired."
"Does he always sleep so heavily?" you asked, trying to slowly pull your arm from his grasp with more and more effort - and no results.
"Usually, no," Rhea explained, "But after a show, a chase sequence, getting stoned, and having a threeway..."
You give an understanding nod, but your arm was asleep at this point and your girlfriend noticed your discomfort.

"I might have a way to get him to let go of you," she began, standing up, "But I can't promise he won't start grabbing some other parts of you instead."
"I just want my circulation back," you groan, watching her move over to where Dom was.
Stretching and cracking her knuckles, Rhea looked as though she was preparing to do hard manual labor. Cozying up behind Dom, a mischievous look on her face, Rhea moved his shoulder and head to expose his neck. Then she bit down hard, keeping a hold on his hair as he started moaning - softly at first, until she started sucking on his skin and growling.
"Mami?" Dom whimpered, slowly releasing you to reach for her instead.
You winced as your arm felt the blood return like far too many pinpricks, the pain passing over you.

"How did you wander away from me, hm?" Rhea pulled away to ask Dom, "You were my cute little koala on the other side of the bed when I fell asleep."
"Dunno," he mumbled, touching a hand to his new hickey, "Sorry, Mami."
"I'm not the one you should apologize to," she said, nodding her head in your direction. You were currently trying to speed up the process of your arm waking up by curling your fingers into a fist and letting go, over and over.
"'M sorry," he said to you, rubbing his eyes, "Are you both awake 'cause of me?"
"No, love, don't worry," Rhea muttered, giving his shoulder a gentle squeeze, "Just relax - Mami's here."
It worried you that she hadn't mentioned whatever nightmare she had woken up from, but rather than saying anything, you watched Rhea pick up Dom as if he didn't weigh a thing and set him down on the other side of the bed again. She tucked him in, sat between the two of you, and stroked his hair until he fell back asleep.

"There," Rhea whispered with finality, turning to look at you. Then, seeing the worry on your face, she asked, "What is it, gorgeous?"
"You woke up from a nightmare," you said gently, watching her expression change, "It sounded like a lot. Do you want to talk about it?"
When she hesitated, you put your hand between the two of you, palm facing up. Giving you a small smile, Rhea took it and sighed.
"People were running after us. Trying to hurt you. Every time I looked back there were more of them and they kept getting faster," she didn't look at you as she spoke, but you could tell recalling the nightmare still scared her.
"You're safe," you told her, giving her hand a squeeze before pulling her into a hug, "I'm safe. No one is coming after us."
Rhea hugged back tighter and you made a mental note to offer her a joint if and when she let go.