Who am I?

Chapter 3.5

Thought the night he tossed and turned, unable to stay asleep. The moment he thought he was going to stay asleep, he woke up for the seventh time screaming in fear as he sat up. His breath was ragged, shaky, and erratic while he scanned the room. His eyes caught onto the door that opened quickly but gently, revealing Jasper. Gabriel quickly became ashamed, thinking he woke Jasper up.

"Hey, what's wrong? Are you okay?" Jasper asked quietly as he peaked through the door, sensing the boys panic. Gabriel took a few deep breaths, calming his nerves as he grew aware of his surroundings and watched as Jasper walked a bit closer. "It was... Just a nightmare. I was back at home, and never escaped." He whispered, saying the particular word with distaste.

"You're here now, you're safe. You have nothing to worry about. Me and my family will make sure you're protected." Jasper reassured, making Gabriel feel calmer. Just as he was about to leave after a few minutes of comforting silence, Gabriel spoke up hesitantly. "I... Can you, um, stay... Here? Until I fall asleep at least?" I feel better when you're next to me when I sleep. He wanted to add, averting his gaze, but couldn't out of embarrassment.

Jasper nodded, smiling slightly but the boy couldn't see it well in the darkness, and walked up to a chair next to the bed. He sat down next to the bed, his elbows propped on his knees. For the next half an hour, Gabriel tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep again despite it being the middle of the night, unable to find a comfortable position to lay in, unable to get the horrid nightmare out of his mind.

Eventually, Jasper asked Gabriel if everything was okay, and if he was still thinking about the nightmare, because Jasper sensed anxiety coming off of him. He couldn't believe what he was going to ask of the tall blonde. "Hey... Um, can I sleep next to you...? It's just that you're really cold... And it's really comforting." Gabriel asked tiredly, and nervously as he looked from the wall to the window to the cabinet on the other side of the room, anything to avoid making inevitable eye contact with Jasper.

The vampire couldn't help but chuckle at how awkward Gabriel was about it, but he didn't mind. While Gabriel shuffled a bit to make space for Jasper, he walked from the chair to the bed and sat on the mattress. Once both were sorted out, Jasper opened his arms and Gabriel shifted to lay on his cold chest, expecting to hear a heartbeat but to his suprise, there was none. It hadn't bothered him as much as he thought, and the strangely comforting coldness of Jasper calmed him down.

Gabriel found himself at peace, his breathing slowed and eyes fluttered close, eventually falling into a deep sleep. Like all the other -accidental- times Gabriel fell asleep on his shoulder, he wouldn't dare move until the tired boy woke up.