𝐌𝐘 𝐅𝐀𝐕𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐄 𝐒𝐈𝐍.

𝐅𝐈𝐅𝐓𝐘 𝐓𝐖𝐎.

⌖ NIGHTMARES NO MORE DREAMS | O52. ‹ ⚜ ›
❝ i been losing so many battles without you. ❞

— AUGUST TENTH
2:OO A.M. ᐟ

Iris's body jerked in her sleep, her face contorting with terror as her eyes moved rapidly beneath her eyelids. Jasiah stirred out of his sleep beside her, hearing the faint sounds of her crying.

He sat up, his gaze narrowing as he watched her, her tears leaking through her closed eyelids, streaking down her cheeks. He frowned, his voice quiet, trying to coax her from whatever nightmare she was caught in. "Aye, Iris..." He nudged her lightly, his hand grazing her shoulder.

Without warning, Iris's eyes shot open, her body jerking upright as she screamed—loud, desperate, & full of fear. Her hands flailed out in wild defense, her mind disoriented, unable to grasp that she wasn't in danger anymore, that it was Jasiah next to her, not Emery.

"No! Get off me!" She cried, her voice panicked, tears clouding her vision as she pushed at him, frantic & lost in her jagged memories.

Jasiah barely dodged a fist aimed at his lip, "Woah—" he managed, catching her hands gently but firmly. "It's me, Jasiah, Iris." He said softly, his voice laced with concern, trying to calm her.

Her chest heaved with each breath, her body still shaking with the remnants of the nightmare that gripped her. For a moment, she didn't recognize him. The fear still clawed at her mind, but when the haze began to clear & she realized who it was, her eyes softened, & her body collapsed into his arms, the fight draining from her as the fatigue hit her.

"I got you." Jasiah nodded, reassuring her as he wrapped his arms around her. He pulled her close, her body fitting against his as if she belonged there. Her head rested against his chest, & he felt the faint tremor in her breath, the way her fingers clutched the fabric of his shirt with a desperate grip, like she feared she might be ripped away from him at any moment. That unspoken fear hit him hard, & in response, he held her even tighter, his embrace firm. He could feel the rapid thud of her heartbeat against his ribs, syncing with his own, as if silently pleading for safety, for reassurance, & for him.

"I'm sorry." She whispered, her voice barely audible against his chest, trembling as the panic still clung to her.

"Don't apologize. It's all good." Jasiah said, his hand smoothing over her back.

Iris didn't know what was real & what was the nightmare. Her mind was a blur of fragmented images—flashes of those few days, the torment Emery put her through. The memories flickered in & out, like a broken film reel, the details slipping from her grasp before she could fully make sense of them.

He gently rocked her, his arms still wrapped around her. "What happened though? Why you wake up swinging onna' nigga?"

Iris's eyes drifted, unfocused, staring at nothing in particular as she thought. "I don't know." She mumbled. "I see Emery... hitting me. Dragging me by my hair, knocking me in the head, kicking me, punching me." Her eyebrows furrowed, confusion in every word. Her voice wavered, teetering between fear & uncertainty. "Did that happen for real? Is that why I'm here?" She pulled away just enough to search his face, desperate for an answer that made sense.