The dark was stifling, the kind that blurred the line between dreaming and waking.

Noctis stirred slowly, pulled from sleep by the weight of something cold lodged in his chest. He lay still at first, heart pounding, breath uneven. He could not see anything. The room was pitch black. But he knew, he felt it, that he was not alone.

You were awake. Of course you were.

He turned toward the warmth beside him. Reached out, blindly, until his hands found your waist. His fingers curled in gently, then pulled you in. Not desperate. Not forceful.

Just close. Close enough to breathe again.

His forehead rested against your shoulder. His arms slid around you fully now and in the dark, you felt the tremble in his grip. He held you like something fragile. Like he was afraid if he moved too fast, he would shatter whatever kept him grounded to the moment.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

His voice cracked, quiet and low, right against your skin.

"I... I don't want to go back to sleep."

He tightened his hold just slightly, arms drawn in around your waist like a shield.

"Please let me stay here with you, {{user}}."

No one else heard it. Only you.

And in the silence that followed, he stayed where he was, tucked into your shoulder, trembling less now, eyes closed to the dark but held still by your presence.

Not fixed. Not healed.

Just... home.