Archive of Our Own ^beta

“Hey, wait a second, Maya-”

The soft grass stroked his legs as he ran along the riverbank, shivering as he felt the coolness from the dew. Maya sprinted ahead, not sparing a glance behind her, as her incessant giggling grew further away.

“Maya, wait, where are you going?”

Despite his attempt, he couldn’t keep up with her. She sped ahead; the long stems left parted in her wake. He heard her laughing faintly now.

“Maya! Why—”

Despite his serene environment, he felt stressed as she bound into the distance. She could take care of herself, of course, but where were they? Where were they going? Why were they here?

The river bubbled as it flowed, and birds chirped from somewhere ahead. The grass whipped him as he tried running faster, confusion weighing on him.

“Maya?”

He could no longer hear her, and she didn’t stop for him.

The birdsong was quieter than before, muffled by the loud rumbling of the water as its current crashed into the sides. Some of the water flicked up in violent droplets, raining down on the bank and muddying it. He slipped on the surface and struggled against the grass stems, which wrapped around his legs and dragged him down.

“No,” he gasped out, “Maya!”

Fumbling on the slick mud, he eyed the water - which viciously raced through its course - with a paralysing fear.

His muscles ached as he fought against the ground itself and the blades of grass that cut into his skin. Relenting for just a moment, he yelled out as he fell – calling out to someone, anyone. Where was Maya? Had she run off, forgetting all about him?

Closing his eyes, the drop felt much higher than he’d expected, and he found himself near-unconscious, his limbs unmoving and unresponsive but his mind racing as his senses were still aware. He could hear the water, feel it around him, but everything was so dark. Why couldn’t he move, open his eyes and try to survive? Wanting to scream and thrash and fight to get his head to the surface but unable, he felt his lungs bear the weight of the cold water.

Waking up in a cold sweat, his breathing was fast and heavy, panicked. Realising he was safe, he huffed and curled in on himself, bringing his knees to his chest and touching his forehead to them. He glanced over to his phone, which laid on the nightstand, and got the urge to call Maya. She was okay, right? It was just a dream.

Still, he picked it up and dialed her. It rang for a while, giving him the chance to think about giving up, before the ringing stopped.

Her groggy voice answered, “Ugh... Nick?”

“Maya?”

“It’s like... 2am. Why’re you calling me?”

“Are you okay?”

A beat passed, and he heard some shuffling from the other line, before she spoke again.

“Uh, yeah? Are you okay? In an emergency and need some Maya wisdom?”

He chuckled softly, closing his eyes before forcing them open again one second later, “No, I’m fine. I just... felt the urge to check on you. How’s Kurain Village?”

“Oh, it’s good. Pearls is doing great too - she sometimes watches me training.”

“Good to hear,” he sighed, worries alleviated, “Sorry to disturb you while you get your precious sleep.”

“Nah, it’s fine, Nick! We haven’t spoken in a while anyways. Oh, you wouldn’t guess what dream I was just having!”

Smiling, he teased, “Go on. I’m sure it's something incredibly spiritual and important, right?”

“Uh... does having a dream about burgers count?” She asked sheepishly.

He sighed, “Of course it was about burgers.”

“Hey! In my defense, I haven’t had a burger in a while... maybe I can come visit you tomorrow?”

“Are you just going to make me pay for burgers?”

“No. Well... yeah, but I’m not visiting just for that!”

He listened to her drawn-out explanation with relief, pushing his nightmare to the back of his mind. She was okay, so he was too.