Home is Here, with You in my Arms
Tags: Emma/Ray, Sharing a Bed, Fluff, Spoilers, Sleepy Cuddles
Published: 23/05/21
Words: 1291
Summary: There was no logical reason for Ray to have this need to sleep in Emma's bed. Ray had a perfectly comfortable bed of his own, full of warm blankets and decidedly lacking in a loud red head who slept diagonally across the entire bed and cocooned in all the blankets.
It started at Gracefield.
There was no logical reason for Ray to have this need to sleep in Emma's bed. Ray had a perfectly comfortable bed of his own, full of warm blankets and decidedly lacking in a loud red head who slept diagonally across the entire bed and cocooned in all the blankets.
But for some reason, despite the blankets, he was cold. And if he was cold, then she must be cold. He sat up and looked over at where she was sleeping peacefully, buried up to her nose in her covers. There was no way she would be so curled up if she wasn't cold.
He slipped out of his covers and padded his feet over to her bed. He looked down at her sleeping form, wondering how to do this, if perhaps he should just go back to bed.
She stirred and blinked up at him, sleepily. "Ray?"
He rubbed the back of his neck. "You look cold," he said before he could chicken out, "I could... I mean..."
She threw back the blankets and shuffled over. "It is pretty chilly tonight. You're shivering."
He hesitated, and climbed in. The bed was warm from where she had been laying. She closed her eyes and fell back asleep almost immediately. He was a little scared to move, but he reached out and brushed her hair out of her face. He fell asleep listening to the sound of her breathing.
The next time was after Norman was shipped out.
Emma stayed up for hours, crying softly and trying not to let anyone else hear. Ray heard. Even if he hadn't, he knew how she felt. He felt it too. Norman... His insides clenched.
He walked over to Emma's bed, sitting in the hollow that she was curled around. He touched her shoulder, rubbing gently. He couldn't say it was going to be alright, or anything comforting at all. He could just be there. He stroked her hair and stood to head back to his own bed. She grabbed at his wrist, pleading with her eyes for him to stay.
How could he do anything else?
They slept in shifts as they trekked through the strange woods. Ray watched over everyone as they slept, then woke Emma up to do the same as he slept. He felt a loss that wasn't entirely caused by their escape from home.
The bunker was strange to sleep in. It felt oddly empty, lonely though it was now filled with his siblings and that one weird old man. It felt echoing. He couldn't sleep.
Emma couldn't either, apparently, since she kept tossing and turning, her eyes not even closed.
"It helps if you close your eyes, you dolt," he said, affectionately.
He knew she felt pretty bad when she didn't fling an insult back at him. She didn't even look offended. She just looked at him with those big green eyes that had no right to ever look so sad.
"Can't you sleep either?" she asked, quietly.
He shook his head. "My body doesn't realise I don't need to keep watch anymore," he lied.
She nodded, "That makes sense," she muttered. She turned over again.
He slipped into her sleeping blanket behind her.
"Ray, what-?"
"If you don't want me here, I'll go," he said, hoping to whatever god was listening that she wouldn't send him away. She needed the company, he told himself.
"No, you should stay," she said, "I think I'll manage to sleep if you stay."
He smiled and pressed his forehead into her hair. "Any time you need me."
She was cold. She was scared. She was lonely. She was sad.
He gave every excuse under the sun except the one he refused to admit was the actual reason: He wanted her company.
The forest was too quiet.
He couldn't sleep behind her, not tonight. Not with Yuugo watching. He looked at her sleeping form, so quiet and peaceful. She had a slight smile in her sleep, like she was dreaming about something nice. It was good, he was glad that some part of her day could be pleasant. He wanted her to be happy. More than that, he wanted her to be safe. She brightened his world in ways she didn't even know, in ways he couldn't properly express.
He watched her for a while, the rise and fall of her breathing, the wind tousling her wild hair ever so gently. How her lips curled into a contented smile.
He looked away before Yuugo could catch him being moon-eyed over her.
Yuugo did, in fact, catch him. He just didn't say anything.
Norman was alive. Norman was William Minerva, leader of the resistance, mastermind of plans to free everyone. He was alive, after all this time. Ray was thrilled, ecstatic even. Emma was too, but, she was also holding back. She was reserved, her smiles seemed forced. There was something wrong.
Tomorrow he would confront her, see if he couldn't get her to tell him what it was. Tonight all three of them had exhausted themselves talking and laughing until late into the night. He woke up on Emma's shoulder, Norman leaning on her from the other side.
As nice as it felt, if they all stayed leaning on each other sitting up on the floor like this they'd all wake up sore. He gently roused them both, and ushered them into the bed they were leaning against. They dropped asleep again the second their heads touched the pillows.
He should leave, find his own room. But the bed was big enough for three, and he was just as exhausted as they were. He climbed in behind them, leaning against Emma's back.
Ray hovered anxiously. Tonight was probably their last chance to rest, tomorrow he and Emma set out to find the Seven Walls. Who even knew what would happen? So he needed to rest, but he couldn't sleep. He was worried and restless and now he was standing in front of Emma's bed awkwardly, not wanting to wake her and ask, but not wanting to leave either.
She must have sensed him, for she frowned and twitched, stirring awake. She blinked up at him, sleepily. "Ray?"
He rubbed the back of his neck, trying to ready some excuse.
"Just come here, Ray," she said rolling her eyes and throwing back the blanket for him to crawl under.
He complied. She buried her head in his chest and cuddled into him, sighing contentedly. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close and curling around her protectively. Despite everything, despite the demons and the traitors, despite fighting for their lives every day, this felt right.
He could stay like this forever.
The room was dark and quiet, with only the gentle whirring of a fan and the soft rise and fall of Ray’s breath punctuating the silence.
Emma stretched out, draping her arm across him and pressing her face into his side.
They’d done it. Everyone was alive, they’d escaped the demon world. More than that, demons no longer had to eat humans to live. The human world was clean and safe, and surprisingly noisy. She hadn’t realised that victory would feel so… homey. So soft.
Ray turned over, eyes bleary and half open. He mumbled indistinctly, then pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her and leaning into her hair.
She loved nights like this, nights where the world was calm. Where Ray forgot that he didn’t need excuses to cuddle her and just let himself be, wrapping himself around her like he could protect her from the world. He didn’t need to, and he knew that. But it still felt nice.
She loved this.
She loved him.