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Alessia shot upright in her bed, heart racing, her pajamas — which were really just shorts and a tank top — sticking to her skin with sweat, breathing heavy, the clock reading 4:04 AM.
She had another one.
Another dream of that moment where she couldn't protect her little brother from that blasted cyclops. No, not dream, nightmare.
Though, this one was worse, because it was in full detail this time. The blood, the crunch, that monsters laughter.
Alessia clutched her chest, trying to get her breathing under control with the tactics Poppy showed her. Why wasn't it working? It always worked before, so why not now?
The metallic taste on her tongue, the crimson staining her shirt, the pain of a large hand wrapping around her, the feeling of warm, salty tears sliding down her cheeks—
Oh, that sensation was real.
—, the scratchy burn in her throat from screaming, the metal pole clutched in her hand, the satisfaction as she beat the monsters head in and watched it crumble to dust, then the grief that came after as she stared at her little brother's lifeless, crumpled body..
And then the arms wrapping around her in an embrace—..
Wait, that didn't happen back then.
Alessia blinked, looking up through blurry eyes at the face in front of her, the person currently holding her in their arms.
Icee.
Or, rather, her Ciara.
Frosty blue eyes stared back at her, outlined by that thick, smudged eyeliner that always made the daughter of Khione resemble a badge. Strands of messy, pure white hair fell over her forehead, the very strands the daughter of Ares loved to run her hands through to calm down.
Ciara's mouth moved, but Alessia couldn't hear her. Everything was muffled, as if she were underwater. She only saw the worry peaking through Ciara's usually composed expression.
And then, she was being pulled down, right into Ciara's lap. Under any other circumstances, Alessia would be embarrassed. But right now, she couldn't think of anything but the cold body against hers, a rather grounding feeling.
Her girlfriends gentle hands guided Alessia's face to the crook of her neck, which the daughter of Ares instantly nuzzled into. A soft hum filled her head, the sound directly in her ear, somehow blocking out all other thoughts.
"Breathe with me.." A quiet whisper, then a hand on her chest, followed by Ciara's exaggerated breaths.
Alessia followed the pattern, eyes slipping shut as slender fingers ran carefully through her messy black locks.
"In.."
"And out.."
"In.."
"And out."
After what felt like forever, Alessia finally felt her mind clear up more. Enough that she could lift her head, blinking the last remnants of tears from her eyes. Icy blue irises met chocolate brown, and all her worries seemed to melt away.
"You back with me, Sia?" The daughter of Khione asked softly, pressing a kiss to Alessia's forehead.
The daughter of Ares nodded, wrapping her arms around her girlfriend. Ciara hummed in response, shifting her beloveds weight in her lap.
"Good. You feel better?"
Alessia found the courage to verbally answer, "Yeah.." She paused. "Thank you, Icee.."
Ciara felt her lips twitch up slightly, and leaned down to brush them against Alessia's cheek in a chaste kiss.
"Anytime, Sia. Anytime."