( semi-closed ) sleep now in my arms

[gleans]

Who: Galen and PEOPLE!
What: Dreams, nightmares, nightmare-fighting, lucidity lessons!
When: Day 83-88
Where: ERRYWHER
Warnings: Nightmares, touchy subjects, will update. If you want to get in on this, see my OOC plotting thread here!

Current dream timeline: Day 83: Ned / Fortescue Day 84: Jesse / Kenzi / Anna Day 85: Jesse Day 86: Elizabeth / Pinkman

Comments

[rigging]

Galen sets his hand on his leg and it stops moving for a few moments, at least. He sort of just swallows hard and tries not to twitch, his chest all heavy like there's someone sitting on it. It's fucking stupid. He was fine, before, he was feeling good and now - a night full of nightmares and he can't even breathe right. They've always been a problem for him. More so now, because here, Jesse wouldn't put it past them being real.

"Nnghmk," is what Jesse manages as an answer to that, scrubbing at his face and sitting up, trying to pull his legs away the best he can without making Galen feel awful. He doesn't want to believe what Ned told him. Look - deep breath. Deep breath. You have to talk to him about it, you can nip it in the bud before it even starts to be a problem. Lead into it.

"Were you in Ned's dream last night?" ... Dammit, Jesse.

[gleans]

Of course he asks. And of course he's subtly trying to pull away; Galen does notice, and he moves his hand, choosing instead to wrap his arms around himself and turn to prop one leg on the couch. If Jesse wasn't so jumpy, he'd think it was an innocent question, but the way he asks... Galen knows that tone.

"Yeah," he says, but doesn't stop there. He can explain. "It was -- weird, I haven't let myself... y'know, out, since all that happened, and with Ned -- it just happened, and I tried to wake him up, or get out, but I couldn't. I don't think this was me." Especially not if it's affecting Jesse and other residents, too.

"You don't... think it is, do you?"

[rigging]

"I don't know," Jesse says miserably, voice breaking. "I don't know if it's you, I can't tell, it - other people're having nightmares too, s'not just me but I'm so f-fucking --"

Scared. He's so scared and it practically leaks out of him. He pulls his knees to his chest and tries to hide himself in the couch - feels like putty stretched too far. He doesn't want to believe Galen is the one who gave him awful nightmares, and the fact that Ghoul and Pinkman ended up in them - it's not how the nightmare works, not really.

But his experience has been awful so far, and he can barely string together words, let alone theories.

[gleans]

Something twists uncomfortably in Galen's chest, and he leans closer. Not too close, but it's the next best thing to holding Jesse without touching him or making him uncomfortable. He's a fucking wreck.

"It's not me," he says calmly, but firmly. "I promise. Anna helped me kill the snakes, I haven't touched anyone's dreams since I came back. This is happening to everyone." It's no coincidence.

"Jess, look at me?"

[rigging]

Anna helped. Galen's been so good about this, and Jesse's pretty much desperate to believe it, anyway. The scientists make more sense. It's not Galen, and he's already sorry, because some shitty boyfriend - fiance, even, really - he is to jump to that conclusion.

Jesse sucks in a breath and looks when Galen asks him to, eyes wet, slumped against the side of the couch.

[gleans]

When their eyes meet, Galen reaches his hand out again, but this time it's to offer to Jesse, should he want to take it.

"I love you. And if I thought something was happening again, I would fucking tell you." He means it. If something like that ever happens again, when he knows what's going on, can see it coming -- hell, even suspects it, he'd let Jesse know. He's not putting them through all of that again.

He scooches the tiniest bit closer. "What the hell happened?"

[rigging]

Jesse exhales slowly, and takes the hand offered to him, holding it tightly. He can tell Galen means it, he can hear it in his voice, and Jesse just sniffs, ignoring his head telling him not to. He wants to, so he's going to crawl across the couch and climb into Galen's lap, bury his face in Galen's shoulder. Hi, please hug your nervous wreck of a boyfriend until he can breathe again, Galen - he loves you too.

"I dreamt - about my dad," Jesse says shakily, sniffing again. "Pinkman saw it. And then I - died again. In my dream. And Ghoul was there." That's the short version, but obviously they had a big effect on him, considering how shaken he is.

[gleans]

Galen sighs, relieved, when Jesse appears to accept the explanation and curls close. Galen wraps his arms around him, presses his nose against Jesse's hair, rests a hand on the side of Jesse's warm neck protectively, and listens.

He's not expecting any good news, and he doesn't get any. Galen mutters a curse and keeps holding on, just -- wishing he could do something to make them go away. Something not fucked up, something that won't scare Jesse away, just something that could help.

"Did they do anything, or were they just watching?" He asks quietly.

[rigging]

Jesse pushes into the touch, gripping at the front of Galen's shirt like a kid. This feels better. This makes him feel less like his lungs are going to pop.

"They changed the dreams," Jesse mutters. "Pinkman, he - stood up t'my dad. Punched him. Ghoul, he - didn't leave me alone. When I died. Made 'em a little less shitty, but they still saw."

At least it was them and not complete strangers, but still.

[gleans]

It's good to hear, but he knows how private Jesse is about the things in his head. Having someone be there is likely half the reason Jesse is shaken up like this.

Galen kisses the side of his head. "I'm glad they made it better, at least," he mutters. "This is gonna be a long as fuck few days."

He falters for a moment, trying to decide whether he should ask what he's about to ask. If Jesse's going to keep having dreams like this with people who don't belong in them, it can't hurt to ask. Galen chews at his lip, then speaks.

"What if I, um." Just say it. "What if we... had somewhere calm to go. Next time we sleep. If -- you want, I can try it, I mean, if you keep having nightmares like this, you're gonna fall apart." Okay, leave that there, let him decide. The worst he can say is no.

[rigging]

It's not something he's expecting Galen to ask. Something tells him to be wary, the nasty voice in the back of his head, but he ignores it. Right now, somewhere calm to sleep sounds great. Sounds like something he wants - or rather, close to what he wants. What he wants is dreamless, relaxing sleep, but if he can be somewhere that there's no nightmares, that's okay.

"... Yeah," Jesse mumbles. "Yeah, okay." He doesn't have to say it, because Galen should know that Jesse's going to take this a step at a time, carefully. One wrong move and Jesse's out. No pressure.

[gleans]

Yeah, no pressure. Galen knows this, and it does worry him a little - he'd been unable to do much about Ned's dream, after all - but making an attempt would be worth it. Jesse needs the rest, if he can get it, and if Galen is being forced to use his ability, he wants to use it to help Jesse in a way that won't fucking terrify him.

"Then lemme know when you want to go to bed," he says, kissing the side of Jesse's head again. "I'm gonna do my best, okay?"

[rigging]

Jesse soaks it in, with a little sigh. This is nice. This is something he's missed, something he knows he can have if he wasn't blocked off by his stupid fuck of a head. He can't even begin to believe how patient his friends have been - how patient Galen has been - with him.

"Yeah, I know," Jesse sighs, pressing his face against Galen's neck. "... I love you. Even when I'm all fucked up, still love you."

[gleans]

Galen has missed it, too; he's missed Jesse being his regular self, being okay. He settles a little, one hand coming up to rest on Jesse's, the other staying against the side of his neck, protectively.

"Love you always," he replies quietly, cheek against Jesse's forehead. If he has to protect Jesse this time, then so be it.