Disclaimer: I don't own this pairing or this fandom. I own the story. That's all.

Pain, pain, water pressing down, cold steel through his chest. What had happened? Oh right. He had taken the blade for Bro. The flames and lava, once burning so brightly, suffocated by endless amounts of blue. Even though he took the sword, Bro died anyway.

Water was pressing down on him, pushing him up, crushing him. Pain, pain, indescribable pain, his senses enveloped by water. He was going to die. His chest would cave in! He needed air! His eyes could only see the dark blue, his ears not able to register anything but the constant rushing of liquid. He couldn't breathe. He clawed at his chest, trying to make the pain go away.

Help.

He couldn't scream. Everything was deafening, his body feeling like lead. Why couldn't he die? He wanted to die. He wanted air. The water kept at its torturous game. The pain- his chest- pain- why?!

Help me, please!

"-ve-"

He could barely hear it, a sound from his imagination, no doubt. Help! Please, someone, anyone! The pain roamed his body like claws, dragging him deep.

"Da-"

Please…

Kill me.

"DAVE!" John shook his friend, freaked out. He nearly had a heart attack when Dave's eyes popped wide open, red irises glassed over as he thrashed wildly, gasping. His chest-the pain-blood staining blue water, why did it hurt?! A violent scream shook from Dave's throat as the boy seemed unable to escape his nightmare.

"Dave, listen to me!" That's when Dave started to calm down. He looked around, seeing the familiar shadows a room and hearing the familiar hum of technology. He took some more ragged gasps, trying to savor the precious, life giving air. He stared at his ceiling, mind drugged with sleep. It took him a moment to realize that he was in a bed and that beside him was a shadow- no, it was a person.

John lay beside his friend, looking at him worriedly. "Dave, you're safe. Okay? There's no more game." It took a while for Dave to recognize what the words meant. He gave a small sound, one that he couldn't identify. Dave just sleepily looked at the other boy's eyes, a beautiful blue that made him feel so light that he could swear that he could fly into them.

John squeezed his hand before taking it away, blushing a bit. Hesitantly, he started to pet the Strider's hair. Dave sighed, nuzzling his head into the soft touch. He barely remembered what had him so spooked now, too engrossed in his friend's eyes. He wrapped his arms around the heir's shoulders, bringing him down with him. John yelped, not expecting to pulled in.

Dave pulled the covers over the two and sleepily asked, "Could you be the big spoon?" John wasn't sure that he could deny the childishly lost voice in which Dave spoke in. He opened his arms, allowing the red eyed boy to move to him. Dave pressed to the other boy, curling up as John enveloped him.

John was silent, petting Dave's hair as the boy relaxed into him. Then he asked, "What was it about?"

Dave was quiet for a long while before saying, "No. I was scared." John was startled by this. Dave must have been only half awake. How else could the confident cool kid sound so lost?

Meanwhile, Dave teetered between consciousness and sleep. He felt dizzy and his head was swimming, but he was perfectly okay with it. He was safe, after all, relaxing in his own personal little piece of the sky. John noticed the dreamy look in Dave's eyes and smiled, whispering one thing, "Sleep."

Dave's eyes slipped closed at the soft and compelling voice. As sleep pulled him in, he whispered, "I love you."

John smiled, kissing his forehead, "I love you too."

Dave flew through his dreams, letting the wind shelter him and the sky fill him. He had an heir to breathe life into him with the gentle brushing of their lips. John protected his knight even in their dreams.

After all, there was no place in the world where Dave felt safer than in John's arms.

When I'm bored, I am fluffy as hell. ._. Why. You know what? Why not. This killed me.