The Beast roared. Eris woke up screaming.

Fuck. Okay. It was just the nightmare. Her heart pounded in the darkness.

She punched her bed in frustration. This fucking sucked. That was like the third time this week. She sighed, unplugging her phone and rolling out of bed. At least it meant she got to spend the night with Valie, though.

She had a thought. Maybe there was a way she could prevent these nightmares for a while. Temporarily, at least. If Valie agreed.

Eris stepped over some discarded clothes—gym clothes that she’d been wearing while doing combat training with Valie—and exited her room. She crossed the hall and knocked on Valie’s door.

“Mm? Come in,” came the sleepy reply.

Eris smiled as she walked into Valie’s room, laying down on her side of the bed, putting her phone on the bedside table. She felt a tingle of butterflies as Valie’s arms wrapped comfily around her.

“Nightmares again?” asked Valie, who sounded concerned despite the sleep in her voice.

“Yeah,” Eris nodded.

Valie cuddled up close behind her. She rubbed Valie’s forearm as her warm body pressed against Eris’s back. “I’m sorry, sis. That sucks,” Valie said.

“Yeah…” Eris sighed peacefully, Valie’s comforting touches making her feel loved and cozy. “I, uhm. I had a thought, actually. About that.”

“Hmm? About what?” Valie asked.

“About, like. A way to stop my nightmares.”

“Oh?” A tinge of excitement crept into Valie’s voice. “How? Can I help?”

“Well. Yes, actually. Uhm. I was thinking, like. I could just. Y’know.” Eris cut off, embarrassed.

“Mm?”

“I could. Just… Sleep in here. Every night.” Ugh, if she wanted Valie to not suspect her crush, this was really not helping her case.

“… Oh. That… Makes sense,” Valie said, sounding cautious. Yeah, it made sense to be hesitant about that.

Eris rushed out, “I mean, not like forever. Just. Like. As long as we’re both living together, and, y’know… Don’t want to spend the night with other people or whatever.”

“Oh. Yeah, I mean, that’s fair. Sorry, I didn’t mean to worry you. I, uh. I think it’s a good idea. Yeah.” Valie still sounded hesitant.

“You sure?” Eris cuddled closer to Valie, seeking reassurance.

“I… Yeah. I like sleeping with you. Maybe I’m just worried I’ll get too used to it or something silly like that. Eheh.” Valie giggled, then kissed the back of Eris’s head, nuzzling into her hair.

“Too used to it? Really?” Eris somehow managed not to make a joke about the phrasing of ‘sleeping with you’.

“I mean, yeah. It’s cozy. But probably not… Something we could actually do forever. Like you said.” As Valie said it, Eris felt her warm breath filtering through her hair, brushing the back of her neck. It made her heart flutter. As Valie inhaled, Eris thought she felt her squirm a bit.

What if we could do it forever? That was what Eris wanted to say. Eris wanted this every single night, for the rest of her life. But she didn’t want to scare Valie away. And she could settle on every single night for the foreseeable future. That was pretty good.

“Anyway. Yeah. You can come sleep with me from now on. In fact, I… It’d make me happy if you did. Okay?” Valie said.

Eris smiled brightly, wiggling happily as she squirmed back against Valie, her tail swishing against Valie’s belly. “Thank you, Valie.”

Valie giggled, “Of course. I love you, you know.”

Gods, the butterflies Eris felt as Valie said that. “I know. I love you too,” she said. She loved Valie in so many ways. If only she could say that out loud. Instead, she interlaced her fingers with Valie’s, giving her hand a tender squeeze. Valie squeezed back with her thumb.

Softly, Valie rubbed Eris’s belly, then pulled her closer to give her a kiss on her cat-ear. It was so sensual, yet so relaxing. Eris felt herself melting back into her sister. Then, instinctively, she started to purr.

As she did, Valie’s hand froze on her belly. “Are… you purring?” Valie asked in wonder.

Eris cringed. “Shit. Sorry. Didn’t mean to.”

“What? Wait, what do you mean? You don’t have to be sorry,” Valie said soothingly, nuzzling her head.

“I… It’s not, like. Weird?”

“Not at all. It’s precious,” Valie said. Eris’s heart melted slightly.

“Really? Mother always told me not to do it. She said other people would find it weird. Because like. Obviously most humans don’t… do that.” Eris’s ears drooped as she said it.

Valie hugged Eris closer. “Aww, Eris. I think your purr is beautiful. I think most decent people would like it too. She shouldn’t have told you that.”

“You mean it?”

“A thousand percent, yes,” Valie said as she cuddled Eris tighter.

Eris found herself smiling. Why was her sister so… wonderful? It wasn’t just the unconditional acceptance Valie showed her, but also the fact that Valie made her feel safe enough to express that part of herself in the first place. She let out a long and content purr, grinning, feeling so safe in her sister’s arms.

Valie let out an adoring, “Awwwww,” as she squeezed Eris tighter.

Eris rolled over in Valie’s arms, pressing her face into Valie’s upper chest and shoulder. She nuzzled into up her sister’s neck, wrapping her arm around Valie. Her leg wrapped over Valie’s knee, hooking it in possessively. As she did, she tenderly rubbed Valie’s back and side. She let her fingers feel Valie’s shape through the shirt she was wearing. Should she do that? This was supposed to be a wholesome moment, but gods, she wanted to know what it would be like to feel Valie’s skin

Valie seemed a little surprised by the sudden movement, but her hands re-wrapped around Eris, softly petting her down back. “You okay?”

“Yeah. You’re amazing. Thank you.” Eris punctuated the words with a gentle kiss to Valie’s collarbone. She almost thought she heard Valie gasp slightly as she did. Hopefully she wasn’t being too much, but sleep was slowly overtaking her senses. She almost wanted to say more. To tell Valie just how much she meant to her. How deep Eris’s love for her ran.

“You’re amazing, too.” One of Valie’s hands wandered up Eris’s back to her neck, scratching deeply at the base of her skull. The sensation drew a sleepy and satisfied groan from Eris.

“Thank you,” Eris breathed out. “‘m tired. G’night.”

“Good night,” Valie whispered back, hugging her closer. Eris snuggled into Valie’s arms, slowly giving herself over to sleep.