I'm In Pieces, You Complete Me

one-shot

A/N: Since the writers are failing to acknowledge Cheryl's mental health and her implied mental illnesses, I decided to give her the development she deserves.

TRIGGER WARNING: mention of past abuse, night terrors/PTSD

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A piercing scream cut through the otherwise silent room, instantly starling Toni awake. She snapped her eyes open, letting out a groan as she sat up, trying to pinpoint her exact location. The moonlight was streaming through the small gap between the curtains and the windowsill, slightly illuminating the room. She quickly scanned her surroundings, the initial drowsiness wearing off, when she realized she was in Cheryl's room. Red hair was spread out all over the red silk sheets and Toni's heart sank when she realized, that her girlfriend was yet again shaking, squirming and whimpering in her sleep. She instantly knew what was happening. She was having a nightmare. Cheryl's nightmares had become a common occurrence and the pink haired girl absolutely hated seeing the redhead suffer. She just felt so fucking helpless.

The desperate whimpers soon turned into loud sobs and Toni started rubbing circles on Cheryl's back while softly caressing her forehead, simultaneously brushing her hair out of her face. "Cheryl, wake up!" she cooed, trying to get her shaking girlfriend to stir awake. She softly squeezed her shoulder, whispering sweet nothings. With a final loud scream, the redhead woke up gasping for air, instantly throwing the covers off of her, a pained and terrified expression evident on her face.

Fear and adrenaline were pumping through every fiber of her being. Her senses were playing games with her mind and her body, and she felt like she was about to combust and die right on the spot. Cheryl was completely disoriented and all she could hear, was a deafening ringing in her ears, crashing over her weak body in waves, violently dragging her under the tide. The taller girl instinctively pulled her knees up to her chest, rocking back and forth, while forceful cries wrecked her body.
She couldn't hear, feel or see much, as her breathing was becoming more and more unsteady and she was gasping for air.

Toni had to try her hardest to keep her tears at bay. She had to be strong for her girlfriend. Freaking out would only make the situation worse, so she scooted closer to her girlfriend, careful to avoid frantic movements.

"You're safe with me, babe." Toni softly tapped a pattern on Cheryl's hand, to make her aware of her presence. The redhead flinched at the sudden contact, squeezing her eyes shut, but when Toni kept whispering words of reassurance, she slightly relaxed and let the pink-haired girl grab her hands, lightly squeezing them. "I'm right here, right by your side." The former-serpent started running her fingers over the redhead's knee with her free hand, while drawing patterns on her knuckles with her other hand.

"If you can hear me, please squeeze my hand, babe. Can you do that for me?" she asked, continuing to caress Cheryl's soft ivory skin. She sighed in relief, when she felt the redhead slightly tightening the grip on her hand.

"Cheryl, can you try to mimic my breathing?" Toni gently took the redhead's shaking hands and placed them on her own ribcage. She started taking deep breaths in and out, while mumbling words of encouragement. "You're doing great, baby. Focus on me, I'm right here. You're safe."

She studied Cheryl intently, noticing an ever-so-slight change in her posture, grateful when she saw her girlfriend attempting to take deep breaths. "You're doing amazing! Keep breathing, love"

After a long while of them staying in this position, Cheryl finally managed to calm her racing heart down to a point where she could somewhat steady her breathing and open her brown eyes, which were immediately fixed on Toni's.

"I- I'm s-sorry" She immediately started sobbing again, and she ripped her hands out of Toni's firm grasp to cover her face. Rocking back and forth in an attempt to calm herself down, she hardly even felt the hot tears streaming down her face.