Chlerek One Shots ~ Derek Souza x Chloe Saunders

night terrors

Chloe and Derek are asleep in a safe house of their own when Chloe has a nightmare.
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Chloe awoke covered in sweat, her body shivering from the cold. A screeching groan sounded from the rafters and she winced, sitting up. She looked above but saw nothing.

For a moment, she convinced herself that it had been a dream and that she hadn't accidentally reanimated a dead animal. Then, she heard a loud screech and something dropped from the rafters, landed with a gruesome crunch, and slowly started sliding towards her.

She reached for the flashlight beside her bed and flipped it on, but soon wished she hadn't. A  white, skeletal mound was gliding towards her. It's rear leg was dragging behind it and little pouches of fur were still clinging to the bony body.

Chloe whimpered and cut off the light, unable to bear staring it down anymore. She clenched her eyes shut and tried to concentrate on releasing it. The animal's shrieks were distracting and soon she could feel it trying to climb up the side of her bed. She swallowed loudly and thought hard about releasing the poor animal with a heartfelt apology and pushing it back to the void.

Her harsh breathing was the only thing she could hear and she relaxed with a sigh. The animal's spirit was gone, released back to the afterlife.

She shoved the covers off of her sweaty body and stepped to the floor. Her toe touched something hard and she shrieked before slapping her hand over her mouth. She didn't bother to look to see what it was. She fled the room.

She was guided by memory through the hallway, counting her steps until she reached his door. A year ago, she would have knocked or made some noise to alert Derek of her presence. But, they had been on the run for a while now, and she was confident of her friendship with Derek and in herself.

No longer was she the shy, scared little necromancer. She had matured into a headstrong and confident young lady.

She cracked open the door and slipped inside, quietly shutting it behind her. Derek's room was lit by moonlight coming in through his window. She made her way to his bed and slipped in beside of him.

"Nightmare?" Derek mumbled sleepily.

"Sort of. I accidentally brought some dead animal in my room back to life," Chloe replied, lying down beside of him and getting situated under the covers.

"It's okay. Accidents happen, and you're still improving a lot every day." Derek reached over and wrapped an arm around her, pulling her flush against him. He felt her tiny bottom press against him and he had to physically make himself calm down. No matter how many times they'd slept together, she still made him feel like a kid. Just the knowledge that she was that close to him in only a camisole and panties lit him on fire.

He breathed evenly through his nose for several seconds before wrapping his other arm around her and pressing a soft kiss to the back of her head.

Chloe grabbed the hand that was rubbing circles on her abdomen and slipped her fingers between his.

He was big and warm and safe. Nothing would happen to her. She pressed into him and relaxed, eyes closing as she drifted to sleep in his arms.