Chapter Text
Sun jolts awake with a heavy gasp, chest expanding so quickly it hurts, but as he scans the darkened room he realizes the nightmare isn’t over yet. He’s still surrounded by concrete, built to keep him locked in, the bulb above blown to plunge him into darkness until one of his captors realizes. The very thought of staying like this has him choking on a sob, but the terror of alerting one of them has him covering his mouth to muffle the sounds. Tears roll down his face as he curls into a tighter ball, smothering himself under his own coils in hopes that it will somehow stop him from crying, but all it does is make it even harder to breathe. His chest burns from the repeated attempts at inhaling, chest stuttering as it starts the motion only for him to cut it off before he can gasp for air.
“Breathe, Sun, breathe.” A voice calls behind him, startling him enough to accidentally gasp, gulping down air before he can stop it. “That’s it, good job, now again.”
Sun curls himself even tighter, both hands now pulling at his head as though it would protect him from whoever’s outside.
“Sunlight, listen to me. You need to breathe.” The voice calls again, and he can barely make out an almost desperate quality to it. “Please, Sunny, breathe for me.”
He chokes as a hand runs down his back, air forcing its way into his lungs as he becomes momentarily distracted by its path up and down his skin.
“Just like that, deep breaths in.” They speak softly to him, praising his shallow intakes.
For a moment, the hand on his back leaves, and he’s scared that the only nice person has abandoned him, however, that fear increases tenfold when the room is suddenly drowned in light. He flinches away from it, squeezing his eyes tight to block it out. A quiet sob manages to force its way out as he realizes he must have been too loud, the humans coming in now to shut him up. He doesn’t want it, not again, he’ll be quiet, he will!
“Sunny! There’s no one here but me.” The nice voice calls out, their cold hand sliding down his back once more.
Sun gasps in surprise, eyes snapping open to finally see them. However, he’s not met with the dim concrete room or a steel door locking him in, he’s met with rough rock formations and starry lights, with soft blankets and pillows, and the worried eyes of Moon. The realization hits him hard, and every held back sob comes spilling out without restraint. He launches himself at his mate, who instantly wraps around him, cradling him to his chest as they coil tightly around each other.
“It-It’s over..” Sun manages through his tears. “S-safe.. I’m safe..”
“That’s right, Sunlight. You’re safe now. Nothing can hurt you when you’re with me.” Moon soothes, confirming the reassurances Sun tells himself.
They lay there for a long time, Sun’s broken sobs filling the space, and all Moon can do is hold him and remind him he’s alright now. Eventually, those sobs taper off, leaving behind nothing more than sniffles and exhaustion, the yellow naga overheated and feeling worse for wear, but unwilling to part from the comfort of his mates embrace.
“Feeling a bit better?” Moon whispers softly, nuzzling his face against the top of Sun’s head.
Sun sniffles, pressing into the touch. “Y-yeah.. Sorry…”
“Shush now, I’m not taking apologies for things like this.”
“But.. but I woke you up.” He tears up again, fingers wiping at the wetness on Moon’s chest. “And I got tears on you.”
“I’d rather you wake me up than go through that alone.” He kisses one of the spikes around his head. “You never have to go through that by yourself again. / Never /.”
“Mmn, I’ll.. try to remember that. It’s just hard.” Sun nuzzles his face back into his chest, tail tightening just a bit more as he whispers. “...I thought I was back there…”
Moon holds him closer, his own chest aching at the admission. If he could go back and change what happened, if he could save Sun from ever having to go through that, he would, no matter the consequences. He’ll never understand how his mate can still be such a bright soul after going through any of that, be so positive and forgiving. It just makes every smile and look of pure joy something precious, something that Moon vows to protect with every fiber of his being, he’ll do anything and everything to make his life easier, starting by taking care of him now.
“No matter how many times you’re sent back there, I’ll always be here to pull you back to me. You’re stuck with me, remember?”
Sun laughs, finally pulling back to stare at him with those watery blues, his hand reaching up to cup Moon’s face and trace his thumb over his cheek. “Yeah.. Yeah, I am.”
“Don’t sound so happy, I’ll be annoying you for the rest of your life you know.” He teases, turning his head to press a kiss on Sun’s palm.
“But what if I annoy you first?” Sun counters, fingers twitching as Moon places a kiss to his wrist.
“Then I’ll annoy you back.” He states simply, continuing to take his time pressing little pecks over Sun’s hand and wrist.
Sun sighs, his face full of unsaid adoration as he looks over his mates face. “...you’re the best thing to happen to me..” He mumbles, more to himself than to Moon, but it’s clear it was heard with how his mate’s eyes snap to him.
“I can say the same about you.” He counters, nuzzling their faces together. “Come on, you deserve a hot soak.”
He nearly whines as Moon pulls away, but the idea of soaking in the pool of hot water sounds nice. Moon gently guides him towards the other room, his hands never straying from Sun even as they both sink into the warm water. Sun hums as Moon settles behind him, arms wrapping around his waist as he presses a kiss to the back of his neck. For a while they sit there, enjoying the calm that settles around them, the rippling water the only sounds in the entire cave, however, eventually Moon’s hands start to wander, up Sun’s sides in soothing glides then around his back and over his shoulder blades, before settling on his shoulders and giving a light squeeze. He kisses his neck again as his thumbs start to massage into the muscles, slow but firm circles that have Sun closing his eyes.
“That feels good.” Sun sighs, his head tilting forwards to give Moon more access.
Moon chuckles, his hands slowly working over the muscles with a gentle pressure. As he goes, he slowly feels the tension leaving his mate, the muscles loosening until he’s starting to lean completely back against Moon’s chest. The position makes it a bit harder to keep up the massage, but Moon simply adjusts his focus on Sun’s arms instead. Working one arm at a time, he slides his thumbs against the scarred skin, up his forearm and over his wrist, until he’s massaging the palm of his hand. He pulls it up and presses a kiss to his fingers before moving to the next arm, repeating the process.
The gentle care soothes the last of Sun’s nerves, his head tilting back to rest on Moon’s shoulder as he lets himself enjoy the soft affection. He’s nearly fallen asleep by the time Moon’s pressing a kiss to the tips of his fingers.
“Come on, Sunlight.” Moon purrs, nuzzling against the side of his head to wake him.
“Mmn, comfy though.” Sun mumbles, returning the nuzzle with one of his own.
“Our nest is more comfortable. You can curl up with the blue blanket you like, the very soft, fuzzy one.” He tempts with a kiss to Sun’s neck.
“Can we curl up together under it?”
“You know I won’t say no to that.” He chuckles, gently nudging his mate to get up.
With a large sigh, Sun manages to lean forwards, stretching his arms over his head. Moon doesn’t waste much time pulling himself out of the water. The yellow naga reaches his arms out for him, silently asking to be pulled out, and much to his delight, Moon indulges him. As soon as he’s out of the water, Sun wraps himself around the other, pressing small pecks to his cheek and nuzzling against him, wanting to give back some of the affection Moon showered on him. To his surprise, Moon scoops him up, raising him high enough to force him to wrap his tail around the other to keep himself stable. The action surprises him enough to force a small gasp out of him, tightening his arms around Moon’s neck. He’s never been carried before, well not since a child, and the show of strength makes his face heat up.
“Too much?” Moon questions, and the concern in his voice has Sun melting, nuzzling his face against his once again.
“No, just surprised.” He reassures, letting his head fall over the other’s shoulder. “Feels nice to be cared for.”
“You’re always cared for.” He states, placing another kiss to his shoulder as he starts for their nest.
“You know what I mean.” Sun laughs, the sound cutting off with a yawn.
Moon simply hums in response, staying quiet as he carries him. He sets Sun down just long enough to grab the small blanket they’ve been using to dry off with, gently drying his mate off before himself. As soon as he’s tossed the blanket aside, Sun’s grabbing at him, pulling him back into their nest until they’re surrounded by the various blankets and pillows. He pulls the blue blanket over them that Sun loves, earning a content hum as the yellow naga nuzzles under his chin to cuddle up.
“Thank you.” Sun whispers softly.
“Always.” Moon whispers back, holding him tighter.