Harper bolted upright in bed, his heart pounding in his chest. It was hot, too hot, god he was burning up. Just a dream, just a dreamjustadream, he repeated over and over in his head. It was all just a bed dream. He pulled his knees into his chest, shaking. Something shifted beside him and there was a gentle hand on his shoulder.
“Hey, hey baby,” the voice was so soft and familiar. He gripped the hand tightly, pulling his boyfriend up and into his arms. Lyric didn’t protest. He let Harper pull him up. “Shhh,” Lyric murmured. Harper shuddered from the dream. It had been startlingly real. Fighting, struggling, blood, pain, loss. The vivid and undeniable image of Lyric on the ground gasping for air, blood pooling out around him.
Harper’s hands run up and down Lyric’s arms and back, trying to slow his breathing and assure himself that Lyric was safe and in his arms, there was no danger. “What happened?” Lyric said sleepily, his hand resting on Harper’s bare chest, his fingers stroking softly. The feeling helped Harper calm down a little more. He focused on nothing but Lyric’s touch for several long moments.
Lyric shifted in Harper’s hold, straddling his lap and pushing him gently back onto his pillows. Harper let him. Lyric’s weight on him settled the last of his panic and he was able to breathe easier. He ran his hands slowly down Lyric’s back, feeling Lyric’s fingers play across his chest and shoulders his warm brown eyes fixed on Harper’s tired blue ones. “Do you want to talk about it?” Lyric asked, reaching up to tuck a lock of blond hair behind Harper’s ear.
Harper sighed heavily. “Just a nightmare,” he said dismissively. “Sorry I woke you up.”
Lyric shook his head, pressing his lips to Harper’s bare chest. “Don’t be sorry.” He slowly trailed kisses up to Harper’s lips. “Please don’t be sorry.” he murmured against Harper’s lips. “What was it about?” he asked quietly, tucking his head in to the crook of Harper’s neck.
Harper shut his eyes hard. “Losing you,” he whispered, his hands fisting the back of Lyric’s sleep shirt. Lyric lay quiet and still for a moment.
“You aren’t going to lose me baby, I’m right here, I promise.” he whispered, kissing the underside of Harper’s jaw. He pushed up slowly, bracing his arms on either side of Harper’s head, staring down into Harper’s liquid blue eyes. “I love you.” he said, giving him a small smile.
“Love you too,” Harper said, returning the small smile with one of his own. Sleep was tugging at the back of his mind but it seemed impossible to close his eyes and get back to sleep with the images still so fresh in his mind. He glanced over at the bedside clock and groaned. It was only four in the morning.
“Go back to sleep.” Lyric dropped his forehead against Harper’s, letting their noses skim against one another.
“Can’t,” Harper said but the word dripped with tiredness. The closer Lyric pressed, the more the effect spread. “Not fair using your ability like this, you know.” Harper protested weakly.
“I beg to differ, my ability is perfect for times like this.” Lyric said, chuckling softly as Harper’s eyelids droop. Harper was so easy sometimes. Lyric knew just how to get him back to sleep. This wasn’t the first time a nightmare had woken him up, his ability to control emotion was perfect to get his boyfriend back to sleep. “Sleep baby, I’ll be right here when you wake up.”
“Promise?” Harper breathed sleepily, his breath stirring a few baby strands of Lyric’s hair.
“Promise.” Lyric replied, pushing just a little harder into Harper, forcing just a small amount more of his ability into his boyfriend. Harper’s breathing evened out and deepened. Lyric let his head rest against Harper’s chest and let himself drift back off to sleep.
Harper woke slowly later that morning, acutely aware of Lyric’s absence in bed. He reached out to Lyric’s side of the bed, it was still vaguely warm. He groaned and rolled out of bed, his feet hitting the cold wood floor. He scrubbed the back of his head, walking down the hall towards the smell of bacon and cinnamon and the sound of music playing.
He stepped into the kitchen, smiling at the scene that greeted him. Lyric was dressed in only one of Harper’s oversized t-shirts and a pair of boxers. The t-shirt hung off one shoulder. He swung hips to a pop song playing from the stereo, flipping over a piece of french toast on the stove. He let his eyes linger on Lyric’s legs and ass, feeling a familiar stir in his gut. Harper took a few strides forward, wrapping his arms around Lyric’s waist and pulling him in tight, planting kisses on his exposed shoulder. Lyric gasped a little in surprise but settled back into Harper. “Good lord Harp, don’t sneak up on me.”
“Mhmm, but the results are so delightful.” Harper said against Lyric’s ear, pressing his lips there, kissing the sensitive spot he knew would make Lyric squirm.
“I was trying to bring you breakfast in bed.” Lyric complained, turning in Harper’s grasp, winding his arms around his boyfriend's neck. He let his fingers thread gently through Harper’s hair. “Did you sleep okay?”
“Thanks to you I did. Sorry again about that.” Harper said.
Lyric rolled his eyes. “Stop that and eat, I’ve got to get to work.” Lyric said and started to pull away. Harper tugged him close and kissed him deeply. Lyric sighed into the kiss, holding himself close to Harper. “Love you,” he murmured against Harper’s lips.
“Love you too,” Harper said and Lyric pulled away, disentangling himself from Harper.
“See you tonight for dinner.” Lyric said. He slipped his shoes on, grabbed his wallet and keys and headed out the door.
That morning, while Harper was out doing errands, the call came. The dreaded one. The no-name number, the unfamiliar voice, and the words that everyone dreads. “Harper Ellis? There’s been an accident.”
That afternoon Harper lost everything. He had no family, no friends, only Lyric. Lyric who was hit by a distracted driver on an overpass, his car flew over the side and landed hood-side down on the road below. The emergency response team cut Lyric out of the car and rushed him to the hospital.
That evening Lyric’s life ended and with it, Harper’s sanity. Lyric, who’d been his one constant for two years, was gone and Harper had nothing left. Harper held his hand when Lyric flatlined. He’d lost too much blood, suffered too many injuries, his body couldn’t recover.
That night, Harper found himself standing on the roof of the hospital building staring out over the too-loud, too-bright city. It really was a beautiful sight. Beautiful and horrendous. Lyric had taught him to see nothing except for the beauty. Everything seemed so dark without Lyric beside him. “I love you,” He whispered into the light breeze.
“Hey!”
He froze, poised to take the final set off, prepared to plummet to his death.
“Wait! Please don’t!”
Wait? Wait for what? Lyric was gone. There was nothing worth waiting for anymore.
“Stop!”
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