I blinked awake further and tensed.
Those weren’t arms. I could feel Sonny’s arms pressed against my chest, hard and still.
As I grabbed the blankets with my free hand, I felt the things slide over my thigh and my stomach and chest, retreating, and then when I managed to yank the blanket back and look down at my own form, I couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary.
That was my body. Those were my clothes. The only weird thing was that I’d fallen asleep with my prosthetic on, which I shouldn’t do.
And of course, the weirdness of Sonny being pressed naked against me. That was unusual.
He twitched again and whimpered, and I realised he was probably cold as I let the cool air in under the blanket, and I dropped it down again. I slid my hand underneath the blankets and gently rubbed Sonny’s arm.
“It’s okay,” I whispered. “You’re safe now. We’ve got you.”
Behind Sonny, Erik stirred. I felt bad for waking him.
“Sorry,” I said softly.
Erik faced me over Sonny’s shoulder, but I couldn’t make out his expression since the only dim light came from the window behind him, casting his face into shadow.
“You’ve nothing to be sorry about,” he said. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I just thought I felt—” I broke off. I didn’t want to sound mad. “I was just dreaming.”
“A bad dream?”
“No. Just a dream.”
“Do you want something? I can get you a drink.”
I hesitated. I didn’t want to make a fuss.
Erik read my answer in that hesitation. In one fluid movement, he slipped out of the bed, barely disturbing the mattress and leaving the blankets over me and Sonny. The light behind him lit up his form as he circled the bed.
“What would you like?”
“Could I have a glass of water, please?”
“Of course.”
Erik left the bedroom for a minute and came back with two bottles of water.
“I thought they were less likely to spill.” He put one down on the bedside table and said, “For Sonny, when he wakes up.”
His voice was so soft and smooth, I wanted to drink it in. Or float in the sound waves. I wanted Erik to wrap me in his surprisingly strong arms and hold me, because I suddenly felt like I was floundering, bobbing at sea with no anchor.
As I managed to drink some of the water, Erik studied me. He was standing on my side of the bed, which meant the grey light from the window managed to reach his face. It was indistinct but I could feel his eyes on me. I was sure, somehow, that he saw me perfectly clearly.
“Would you like some help taking off your prosthetic?”
I swallowed. I’d never asked him to do that before. He’d never had to touch me there.
His voice, so gentle, said, “I want you to be comfortable. I wouldn’t offer if I didn’t want to do it.”
“Yes please.”
Erik did it with such sure movements that I knew he’d removed prosthetics before. Still, it had been a first time for us and I felt hot and weird by the time he was finished.
“Are you comfortable?”
