𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐘: he's lost too many people he's loved, he can't lose you too
𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐒: diaries!laurance, hurt/comfort, laurance and reader aren't explicitly said to have a relationship or feelings for each other but it's implied, reader and laurance are travelling for a mission together
𝐂𝐖: nightmare, descriptions of blood but no specific description of injuries or violence, mentions of character death
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before he could ever see anything, he could smell it.
that familiar metallic scent of blood soaking into the ground. he smelled it when joh was shot right under his nose. he smelled it when he was in the nether and the scent of his own blood was his only reminder that he was still alive. when he was barely conscious but felt the life of ungrth draining next to him, that same sickening smell invaded all of his senses.
it can't be happening again. his chest fills uncomfortably with panic, his rib cage feeling like it could break at the seams and burst through his skin. not again.
one second you were right in front of him, that sweet smile on your lips and that certain sparkle in your eyes that you seemed to reserve just for him. he must have blinked, or turned for only a slight second, but that was enough for you to slip from his fingers and out of his sight.
for a moment he froze. the sight of blood trailing into the dark forest ahead replacing the warm image he had of you just a moment ago. it's deafeningly silent, before a scream echoes ahead. your scream. his feet carried him forward before he even realized he was moving. wind rushed past his ears and twigs snapped under his feet, your name frantically falling from his lips. he usually ran faster than this. why couldn't he run any faster?
and the smell. it nearly staggers him to a halt as it hits him like a tidal wave.
he finds you, sprawled in an uncomfortable heap on the forest ground. your chest heaves unevenly, every gasp of air was followed by a pained whimper. and your blood. it was everywhere. smeared across your skin. seeping into the moss below you. there was so much he couldn't even tell where it was coming from.
he drops to his knees next to you, lifting you up to hold you in his arms. he moves your hair out of your face, cupping your cheek and rubbing it like it would put more life into the paled, blood-drained color.
"come on. don't do this to me." he says through clenched teeth, hoping for some sort of response but getting none.
not you. not you. not you.
he repeats your name, his voice strangled and desperate. he feels your blood staining into his clothes, that metallic scent seeping into his skin.
he lightly shakes you as he's once again met with silence. complete silence. your chest doesn't heave for air, and your body now lays completely limp in his arms.
it feels like suddenly his own blood has been drained, all feeling in his limbs numb as he cradles your body to his chest as you go cold.
no, no, no.
"laurance...? ...up..."
no. no. no.
"...wake up. laurance, wake up!"
he shoots up from his bedroll in a panic, barely giving you enough time to move back as he nearly bashes his head into yours. his panicked breaths fill your shared tent as you contemplate reaching out to him.
"woah, woah. it's okay," you try to reassure him, leaning over to catch his gaze.
frantic eyes meet yours, and before anything could be said, you're yanked forward into an almost crushing hug. laurance's hands grip on to you like you could disappear at any moment. fingers thread through your hair as he holds the back of your head, tucking you into the crook of his neck as his other arm wraps around your waist.
"you were having a nightmare... it's okay." you whisper to him, voice slightly unsteady.
you'd never seen him so shaken. not since he thought hayden died, or ungrth sacrificed himself. even then, he managed to keep some sort of composure. now, his muscles tremble and tense weakly, the adrenaline from his dream dissipating and wearing him down.
"...laur-"
"just. stay here. for a moment." his voice hoarsely strains out.
you go quiet, hugging him back. a few minutes pass like this. with your chest pressed against his, you feel his rapid heartbeat eventually slow to a less panicked pace. he regains some control of his breathing, each breath in your ear shaky and stuttered.
"what did you dream about?" you ask tentatively.
he doesn't respond at first, but you feel his breathing and hesitate pick up for a moment.
"stay with me." his voice is muffled in your hair.
"...what?"
"don't leave my side. don't go out of my sight for the rest of the journey."
"we're only two days away from phoenix drop, i'll be-"
his arms tighten around you, squeezing some of the air out of your lungs. you try to squirm to get a better look at his face, but you can't budge even an inch.
"...okay." you agree, hoping to calm whatever anxiety had been caused by his dream.
"promise."
"i promise."
his grip slowly relaxes again, but he still doesn't let go. instead, he leans back into his bed roll, taking you down with him. you make a small noise of surprise as he does, grasping into his linen shirt to steady yourself as you practically lay on top of him.
"...do you want to stay like this till morning?" you ask hesitantly, moving your head to finally get a look at his face.
there's a light sheen of cold sweat across his face, his eyes shut tight as he seemingly tried to focus on his breathing. slowly, he nods, exhaustedly extending his arm out to grab the blanket from your bed roll. he yanks it over you, respectably keeping contact with you while using your blankets as a barrier.
"try to go back to sleep and get some rest."
you wrap your arms around his neck, running your fingers through his hair and shifting up to tuck your chin over his head. laurance releases a shaky breath, steadying himself as he relaxes further into you. soon you hear nothing but the crickets outside of the tent and his deepened breaths.
"i'll be here when you wake up."
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𝐀/𝐍: why is it so hard to write endings >:( anyways kind of short drabble but i needed to get this idea out
