Work Text:
Laios awoke with a jump as a small foot kicked out, connecting sharply with his ribs. He sat up, prepared for a reprimand from Chilchuck for rolling into his space, snoring or sleep talking. Instead, in the darkness, he heard a frightened gasp and a softly whispered, “Mei... no...”
“Mei?” the tallman murmured and as his eyes adjusted, he saw Chilchuck tangled in his blanket, tiny body heaving fitfully. Laios reached out carefully,placing his hand on Chilchuck’s shoulder and frowning when the usually hyper aware half foot didn’t wake. This wasn’t a usual bad dream. This was the work of Nightmares.
Shuro had fallen victim to them a few days before and Laios realized the ones in Chilchuck’s pillow probably hadn’t been mature then. Now, fully grown, they were tormenting him fiercely. Laios looked around, thinking. Shuro was just outside the door on watch. Falin was low on mana after their last encounter so he didn’t want to bother her. Besides, he knew Chilchuck likely wouldn’t want so much attention on him if he could avoid it.
Laios chewed his knuckle as he thought through it, trying to make his decision on what to do next. As he watched, a sheen of sweat appeared on Chilchuck’s skin and he whimpered out more names, “Fler... Puck...no, no....” A small sob hiccuped out of Chilchuck and Laios knew he couldn’t hesitate anymore. Carefully, he shifted, laying his head on Chilchuck’s thighs and counting his breaths until he fell asleep.
-=-
Laios found himself walking on a road in a neighborhood of small houses. One house in particular drew his attention and he jogged toward it. Oddly, though his long stride should have gotten him there in a few steps, Laios noticed that he felt slower in this dream, even compared to his own dreams. When he was in front of the house he felt his stomach sink.
From inside, he could hear someone sobbing. The kind of desperate cries that seized your throat and made your diaphragm spasm
It was a cute little house, made of irregularly shaped stones with a thatched roof. The window in the front, however, was shattered and the flower bed beneath it was destroyed; flowers uprooted and crushed. The front door was ajar and Laios gathered himself before he ducked into the short doorway. Immediately, he cringed at the thick smell of blood in the air, fighting down the urge to gag.
It was dark inside and Laios had to stay hunched over slightly to keep from brushing the ceiling. In the low light from the windows, he noticed that all the furniture, too, was half-sized. As he made his way through the house, he could feel his shoes sticking slightly to the hardwood floor. He passed through the living room, following the sobs until he found Chilchuck in one of the bedrooms hunched over three tiny bodies.
Three little girls, Laios realized with a lurch.
“Ch-Chilchuck are those-” Laios’s question fizzled as Chilchuck’s devastated face snapped up to look at him. His cheeks were streaked with tears and he scrambled to his feet, careful not to jostle the bodies as he ran up to the tallman.
“Laios! Thank the gods you’re here!” he gripped Laios’s hand tightly as he spoke, “I-I just left for a bit to get food and when I came home they- I-” Chilchuck sobbed again, then shook his head roughly, “You have to help me!”
“Who are they, Chilchuck?” he asked, taking a hesitant step toward the girls. He winced as he saw that all of their eyes were still open, staring lifelessly around the room. Reaching out, he closed them each gently in turn.
“My girls, Laios, they’re my girls! I raised them all and wanted them to be happy,” he fell to his knees in front of them again, reaching out a shaking hand to touch auburn hair so like his own. “Meijack,” he turned to the girl with short dark hair, “Flertom,” he touched the cheek of the last girl who had long auburn hair a shade lighter than his own, “and Puckpatti...” He hiccupped again and twisted around to Laios, “Please! You- you can fix this right?”
Laios glanced uneasily at the girls and then looked back to Chilchuck. He slowly went down on one knee, trying to ignore the sensation of blood seeping through his pants. Everything in Chilchuck’s dream was sharp and so realistic. Every detail was magnified and made so much worse. I wonder if this is because of his heightened senses, Laios wondered to himself.
He reached out, intending to place his hands on Chilchuck’s shoulders, but the half-foot threw himself at Laios, wrapping his arms around his neck and burying his face against his shoulder. Sobs wracked his body again as he clung to Laios who hesitated for only a second before he held tightly to the older man. Without thinking about it, Laios found himself rocking back and forth on his knees, soothing himself and Chilchuck at the same time.
“It’s gonna be okay,” Laios whispered, “I know it doesn’t seem like it now, but I promise it’s okay, Chilchuck.”
Chilchuck shook his head and choked out, “Laios, I- I didn’t mean to- I thought that-” he sobbed again and held on tighter to the tallman.
“This isn’t your fault, Chilchuck,” he murmured, “This isn’t what you think it is. Your girls aren’t here.”
“What are you talking about?” Chilchuck sounded incredulous and nearly offended at the comment.
“I mean- Chilchuck, how did I get here? I’ve never been to your home before and you never told me where you’re from.” He hoped gently poking holes in the illusion would help and, sure enough, Chilchuck stilled for a moment in his arms.
“Laios you’re... I...” His fingers closed and opened, gripping Laios’s shirt as he slowly raised his head to face the other man again. Suddenly the walls around them began to warp, cozy wooden paneling shifting and becoming larger than life brickwork similar to the dungeon walls. “We’re still in the dungeon?” Chilchuck whispered, an edge of hope in his voice. Laios nodded.
“Then that means-” Chilchuck twisted around in Laios’s arms and together they watched as the blood that had coated the floor receded, bringing color back to the girls’ faces. One by one, they gasped awake. First Meijack, then Flertom and Puckpatti. They sat up and looked around, confused for a moment before they noticed their dad. Chilchuck scrambled away from Laios, pulling them all into a hug.
Relieved, the tallman sat on the ground, watching the reunion with a smile. After a few moments, Chilchuck turned back to Laios and smiled, “Thank you,” he said, and Laios nodded. He closed his eyes, and, distantly he thought he could feel a small hand cupping his cheek as the dream faded away.
-=-
When they woke up, Chilchuck’s hand was in Laois’s hair, scratching gently at the tallman’s scalp. His eyes were wide open, staring down at Laios who gave him a sheepish smile in return. Already, the details of the dream were fading fast no matter how hard Laios tried to hold onto them. Something about a very small house and three.... Something. He sat up and Chilchuck did as well, taking a deep breath as he rubbed at his legs where Laios had been.
“What are you doing? I’m not a pillow, Laios.” he whisper-hissed, mindful of their sleeping party members. He tried to sound frustrated, but there was no edge to it. Laios had the decency to look embarrassed at least as he pointed to Chilchuck’s pillow and then the door. Without waiting for a reply, the tallman stood and tiptoed across the room.
Chilchuck sat, staring, as Laios whispered something to Shuro. If he wanted to , he could have made out their conversation but the picklock was distracted. Tallmen usually forgot their dreams, but it was more common for a half-foot to remember.
He had brought dinner home to Meijack, Flertom and Puckpatti. A feast from their favorite restaurant; when Laios had unexpectedly knocked at their door. What followed was a haze of good wine, funny conversation and abundant food. He remembered the image of Laios tossing a glittering coin bug into his mouth with that ear to ear grin he only ever had for monsters and-
The door opened again and a very tired looking Shuro shuffled to his bedroll, asleep in moments. Before the door closed, Laios poked his head out and gestured to Chilchuck to follow him, pointing at his pillow as well. Confused, the half-foot picked up the pillow and made his way out of the room. In the candlelight, Chilchuck could see the dark circles still under Laios’s eyes.
“So what the hell was that?”
Laios wordlessly, took the pillow from him and unlaced it. Together, they watched as a few feathers and a handful of what looked like small stones fell out of the pillow. Chilchuck’s eyes widened and Laios began gathering them up, cupping them in one palm and holding them near the candle so he could inspect them.
“Nightmares?” Chilchuck breathed, confused, and Laios nodded, eyes still locked on the small monsters
“You were thrashing in your sleep and... talking. I figured you wouldn’t want the whole party to know so....”
“So you snuck into my dream?”
“Well, your nightmare,” Laios corrected, finally looking up. He stood, walking over to a more distant corner to dispose of them before making his way back, “And I don’t remember it, for what it’s worth.” he shrugged, scooping the feathers back in and making sure there were no hard spots left in Chilchuck’s pillow.
Chilchuck felt some relief at that idea. He remembered so clearly how he was drawn to Laios in that dream. Gazing at him across a bountiful table with his family around him... it had all felt so natural. It was the kind of dream he treasured these days, when seeing his daughters was so rare. He sat beside the tallman, sighing as he crossed his legs.
“Well... thank you.” Laios nodded and silence stretched out between them, not tense or awkward but rather peaceful actually. Chilchuck stared into the candle’s flame, thinking back on the dream and trying to hold onto those pleasant details. Laios had looked comically huge at the half-foot’s table, sitting cross-legged on the floor the same way Chilchuck was now on the floor of the dungeon.
After a few moments, Chilchuck glanced up and saw Laios’s eyes were closed and his chin was tilted forward. He wasn’t quite asleep, but Chilchuck could tell it was inevitable. He allowed himself a smile, admiring how the candlelight played across his features. As quietly as he could, he stood and reached out, cupping his cheek.
Laios blinked back to awareness at the touch and smiled at Chilchuck after a beat. The half-foot felt something flutter in his chest at that expression, all half-lidded eyes and open adoration. Laios didn’t have any energy left for masking his emotions and so they shone through clear as day, making Chilchuck want to do something he’d regret before they reached the surface again.
Instead, he turned the gentle touch into a soft pat-pat and cleared his throat before he spoke, “Go back to sleep, Laios. I’ve got watch until we have to continue, okay?” He wouldn't be able to sleep again after this anyway, too many thoughts vying for his attention.
Laios tilted his head, “Are you sure?” he asked, voice rough with sleep, “I can doze out here with you if you’d like the company.” He smiled at Chilchuck again with that sleepy, honest expression. Unable to help himself, Chilchuck smiled back and shook his head. While it did sound nice...
“You need the sleep, Laios. We still have a ways to go, and you and I both know that armor is heavy as hell.” Laios nodded before he stood, stretching his back briefly before he looked back down at the half-foot. Giving in to one of his tamer impulses, Chilchuck reached out before he could leave, grasping the tallman’s hand.
Laios closed his fingers around Chilchuck’s on reflex and tilted his head again, this time the other way. Chilchuck snorted softly, thinking of a somewhat dim dog he had known in his childhood. “Thank you, Laios,” he said after a beat when he was sure he wouldn’t laugh, “I don’t know what my nightmare might have been but I know I had a good dream.”
“I’m glad to hear it, Chilchuck,” Laios responded, feeling warmth blooming in his chest.
Chilchuck stroked his thumb over two of Laios’s knuckles and gave into another impulse, “You can call me Chil,” he murmured and, for a moment, he worried he had spoken too softly. When he looked up at Laois though, he was staring back with those intense golden eyes, emotions unreadable to the half-foot.
“Okay...” he said, slowly, “Thank you... Chil.” he tested the first name on his lips and Chilchuck hoped that Laios missed the way it made him shiver to hear his name in that rough voice. He swallowed hard and let his hand slide out of Laios’s.
“Don’t mention it. Goodnight, Laios.”
With one final nod, Laios ducked through the door and laid down in his own bedroll. Chilchuck listened as he fell asleep within a minute and then let himself sigh and sit back down in front of the candle. If he wasn’t careful, this was going to complicate things.
Instead of thinking about Laios, Chilchuck tried to think about his daughters but again and again he kept thinking about glittering golden eyes and shimmering coinbugs arcing through the air into a smiling, waiting mouth.