Whumptober Day 12: “I haven’t slept in days, but who’s counting?” (Insomnia)
Amazing how when I write something short, I can finish it sooner. Who would have guessed...
Read on ao3
Warnings: mentions of injuries
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Wind pulled his knees up to his chest as he sat in the grass, drawing aimlessly in the dirt in front of him. A voice sighed, but Wind ignored it, same as he’d been doing for the past ten minutes.
He didn’t want to hear it.
“Sailor please, be reasonable,” Warriors said with a firm bent to his voice.
“I am being reasonable,” Wind replied, adding sails to his dirt drawing. “You’re the one arguing your head off with a thirteen year-old.”
Warriors crossed his arms.
“Look Sailor, you’ve got to sleep. It’s been nearly three days,” he said, voice more pleading than before, but Wind shook his head, crossing his own arms as he looked up at the captain.
“Time hasn’t slept either, and you’re not yelling at him,” he pointed out, and Warriors massaged the bridge of his nose.
“...he won’t listen to me.”
“Well I’m not listening either,” Wind snarked back, and Warriors let out another heavy sigh.
Wind felt a small prickle of guilt, but he shoved it aside, scrunching up his shoulders. He knew he was being obnoxious, and that Warriors didn’t need one more thing to stress about, but he was being so annoying!
“Look, Wind... not sleeping isn’t going to wake Twilight up any faster,” the captain said more softly, and Wind’s shoulders went up even more. “Please come to bed. One of us can wake you if anything changes.”
Wind closed his eyes. “I’m staying here.”
Warriors shifted where he stood like he wanted to continue, but he merely sighed again. Then his footsteps trailed away, and Wind lowered his shoulders.
As glad as he was to finally have gotten him to leave, Wind couldn’t help but feel guilty as he raised his head and watched Warriors walk off. But he shook it off, and looked back over at where Twilight lay in his bedroll, still and silent.
His hair was pushed out of his face, making room for the bandages that wound around his head and covered the gash Wind knew was right above his ear. The bandages were clean still, but there was a considerable bump swelling where Twilight had been hit, and Wind felt another surge of anger and worry all bundled up together crash over him.
Why did you have to take that hit for me, Twi? Wind thought miserably. You only just recovered, and now...
The cloth that they’d used to wipe the blood off of Twilight’s face caught his eye, and Wind swallowed.
I thought we were past this.
He sighed, and pressed his hands to his eyes, trying to alleviate the heavy feeling in them. He did feel tired, was the thing. Really tired. But having everybody constantly tell him he needed to go to bed was mushing with the frustration he was already feeling, and the stubborn part of him refused to do what they wanted.
They never listen to what I say, why should I listen to them?
Footsteps rustled behind him, and Wind growled, words to chase Warriors away again already on his tongue. But when he turned, he realized it was only Time returning from checking on the others.
“Oh. Hi,” he mumbled, and Time nodded in reply, settling himself on the grass next to Twilight again.
The silence stretched between them, and Wind carefully added a tiny head to his boat drawing, turned to talk to the stick figure riding it.
“How are you doing, sailor?” Time asked finally, and Wind shrugged, still poking at the dirt. “...the Captain’s worried about you.”
“I’m not who he should be worried about,” Wind muttered, and the silence came back.
He finished his tiny dirt portrait, the King of Red Lions smiling back at a tiny stick figure of himself. He hadn’t gotten all the details right, but it wasn’t bad really, and if you knew what you were looking at you could tell what it was for sure. Wind stared at it for a second, then scuffed the dirt away, erasing the image.
Then he looked over at Twilight, and swallowed.
“I just wish he would wake up already,” Wind whispered. “I still can’t believe he did that.”
“He didn’t want you to get hurt,” Time replied quietly. Another sigh escaped him. “He saw that club coming when you did not, and made a decision in the heat of battle.”
“I know! But I’m not the one who nearly died a week ago!” Wind suddenly yelled, feeling frustrated tears start to well in his eyes. “Why couldn’t he have just let me take that hit?! I could have taken it!”
He swiped an angry hand across his eyes, and felt Time’s hand gently rest on his shoulder, warming his back.
“Because it’s in his nature to protect those he cares for,” Time said quietly, “and you in particular, Sailor, remind him of his brother. Whom he once failed to save.”
Wind swallowed, and swiped away the tears trying to escape his eyes. He wasn’t going to cry in front of the Hero of Time. He wasn’t.
“You have a younger sister, yes?” Time said after a moment, and Wind nodded, not trusting his voice. “Then you know what it’s like to care for a younger sibling. Twilight... I believe has unconsciously placed you in that role.”
“Well that’s great,” Wind muttered, though a part of him warmed at the thought. “But how do I get him to stop doing things like... this?”
Time actually smiled, just a little. “You can’t.”
“What?!”
Time chuckled, then met Wind’s eyes. “You can’t make him do anything, Sailor. He’s stubborn as a mule. And truth be told, he would have jumped in front of that club if it had been any one of us— you or me, or our Veteran, or even the Captain.”
“So... so it wasn’t because he thinks I can’t handle myself?” Wind asked confusedly.
“...I believe he just has trouble separating you from his brother in his mind,” Time replied, smile fading as he looked back at Twilight again. “I can’t say for sure, of course. But his actions seem to point to it.”
He looked down at Wind again, and squeezed his shoulder.
“I understand it is frustrating to be underestimated. But try to give Twilight some grace. He only wants to keep you safe, just like you would do for your sister. It’s in his nature to protect.”
“I don’t need protecting though,” Wind said quietly, and Time hummed, looking up at the sky.
“Indeed. But Twilight protects regardless of ability. He does it out of love.”
Wind stared at Time for a moment, then looked over at Twilight again, watching his chest go up and down, his eyes remaining closed.
“...I wish he would save some of that love for himself,” Wind murmured.
Time sighed. “As do I.”
They both stayed silent as they watched Twilight breathe, and Wind blinked heavily, his eyes drooping against his will. Time gently steered him so he was resting against his shoulder, and Wind let him, not bothering to fight against it.
“...I’m not tired,” he murmured, biting back a yawn, and Time put an arm around him.
“Whether or not that’s true, you may as well be comfortable while we wait,” Time replied softly.
Wind squinted at him suspiciously, but he didn’t bother to muster up the energy to argue. Time’s shoulder was pretty comfortable after all... maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if he took a short nap.
He looked back at Twilight, still pale, still unmoving, and felt the lump come back in his throat.
Please wake up, Twilight. Don’t scare us again.
He rested his head on Time’s arm, closing his eyes against the tears that were trying to come back, and let out a shaky sigh.
“Wake me up if anything changes,” Wind whispered, and he felt Time nod, the older hero holding him a little tighter.
“You’ll be the first to know.”
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