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fandomweekly2026-03-07 11:20 am
soricel) wrote in fandomweekly2026-03-07 11:20 am
Entry tags:
[#291] hypnopompia (Sense8)
Theme Prompt: #291 – Safe Harbor
Title: hypnopompia
Fandom: Sense8
Rating/Warnings: T
Bonus: Yes
Word Count: 993
Riley jolted. Not enough to wake her, but enough to wake Will. He sprang out of sleep as he always did, ready to hurl himself at whatever had been lying in wait for him in the waking world while he'd been hunkered under his covers with his guard down.
Before he'd even unglued his eyes, his hand jumped for the gun he'd always kept within reach; just as he was surfacing from his sleep, though, he felt himself hit by a wave of panic, remembering he'd handed over the gun, along with his badge, a few months back.
But as his bleary vision adjusted to the dim light of what the clock on the nightstand told him was about 4:30 a.m., he realized that the bedroom was empty, but for him and Riley, silent, but for the soft murmurs spilling from her lips and the rustle of the blankets as she twitched.
Will lowered himself down from the elbow he'd propped himself up on and carefully brought his arm to rest on Riley's side. He inched his body closer to hers, until he could feel the clamminess of her skin against his belly, until he could burrow his nose into one of the loose plaits of her braid, until he could let his string of Sh-sh-sh's fall into her ear as gently as breath.
When she spasmed, he held her tighter, then softened when she stilled.
He'd visited her in her dreams, once, had suddenly found himself thrust into a car, hurtling down what had felt like a bobsled track, except somehow it was inside a hospital, a narrow hallway, the walls and doors and all the equipment covered in thick gobs of red ice, nurses staggering around and wailing like babies. When they woke up, sweaty and trembly, Riley had asked him not to follow her into her nightmares again.
So now he waited, as he so often did, for her to come up for air from whatever was threatening to drown her. She'd done the same for him so many times before. He wasn't sure what was worse--being stuck in the storm-tossed boat, or waiting in the harbor.
He didn't want Riley to suffer any longer than she had to, but he also wanted her to sleep as long as she could: her gig the night before technically hadn't started until well into the morning. But Will could feel the light in the small room beginning to shift; soon the Copenhagen seagulls would start squawking outside, and it would be harder and harder to keep the day at bay. He tried to give the blanket a little tug, to shield Riley's face from the encroaching light...and as he did so, he noticed something that he hadn't expected to see.
She was smiling.
A moment later, Riley's body quivered again, but Will could feel that the movement was different this time, as was the sound that accompanied it. Not a whimper or a moan but a...
Laugh?
With that last giggle, Will felt Riley's breathing hitch then shift, and he knew that in a few moments she'd be--
"Sorry," she said groggily, half-rolling onto her back to look down at Will. "Did I wake you up again?"
"No, it's fine," Will said, running his hand along her arm. "Another bad dream?"
Riley nodded, pressing the heel of her hand into her forehead. "But then...Capheus showed up." Will could hear the smile in her voice even without seeing her face.
"Seriously?"
"Yeah...I was in the car...like usual...but then all of a sudden, he was there, in the driver's seat."
Will huffed out an incredulous laugh. Riley's smile, and the thought of Capheus', beat back the vague jealousy he could feel forming at the edge of his consciousness. "And then what?"
Riley yawned and wriggled herself closer to Will, pulling his arm tighter around her. "I'll tell you in the morning," she said, her words faint and raspy. She already seemed to be dozing off again, and soon Will felt her breath deepen, her back rising and falling slowly against his chest.
Before he let himself join her in sleep, Will stumbled into a brightly-lit kitchen, his senses suddenly bombarded with stimuli: he smelt the spicy mug of chai and the cardamom-flavored mandazi on the counter, saw the vibrant colors of the cabinets, felt the coolness of the tile floor beneath his bare feet, heard the growl of motors and the hollers of passers-by drifting up from the streets below...and a woman humming in another room over the sound of water slapping against the bottom of a bathtub.
"That is Zakia," Capheus whispered, taking the plate of sugar-dusted doughnuts from the counter.
Will waved a hand to politely dismiss Capheus' offer. "I'm not staying long--I just wanted to say...thanks. For helping Riley."
"Of course," Capheus said. Will watched his smile fade, a cloud seemingly passing over his face. "I have nightmares too sometimes."
It took Will a moment to process Capheus' words.
"I'm sorry," he said, perching on the edge of the stool in front of the counter. "I tend to focus so much on what's going on with Riley...I forget that everybody else is struggling in their own way." It was true. He couldn't remember the last time he'd checked in on any of the others--especially Capheus and Sun, whose resilience he took for granted. He realized suddenly how unfair that was.
"Not always struggling," Capheus corrected him. He let Zakia's humming fill the brief silence between his words. "I love my life. But sometimes..."
"I know, Will said." He ran his hand over his mouth, his stubble scraping against his palm. "The next time you have a nightmare...let me know, okay?"
Capheus nodded. "I will," he said, his smile returning to his face and slowly spreading as his attention was drawn toward the bathroom. "But right now, I am living a dream."
"Me too," Will said, and pulled Riley closer.
Title: hypnopompia
Fandom: Sense8
Rating/Warnings: T
Bonus: Yes
Word Count: 993
Riley jolted. Not enough to wake her, but enough to wake Will. He sprang out of sleep as he always did, ready to hurl himself at whatever had been lying in wait for him in the waking world while he'd been hunkered under his covers with his guard down.
Before he'd even unglued his eyes, his hand jumped for the gun he'd always kept within reach; just as he was surfacing from his sleep, though, he felt himself hit by a wave of panic, remembering he'd handed over the gun, along with his badge, a few months back.
But as his bleary vision adjusted to the dim light of what the clock on the nightstand told him was about 4:30 a.m., he realized that the bedroom was empty, but for him and Riley, silent, but for the soft murmurs spilling from her lips and the rustle of the blankets as she twitched.
Will lowered himself down from the elbow he'd propped himself up on and carefully brought his arm to rest on Riley's side. He inched his body closer to hers, until he could feel the clamminess of her skin against his belly, until he could burrow his nose into one of the loose plaits of her braid, until he could let his string of Sh-sh-sh's fall into her ear as gently as breath.
When she spasmed, he held her tighter, then softened when she stilled.
He'd visited her in her dreams, once, had suddenly found himself thrust into a car, hurtling down what had felt like a bobsled track, except somehow it was inside a hospital, a narrow hallway, the walls and doors and all the equipment covered in thick gobs of red ice, nurses staggering around and wailing like babies. When they woke up, sweaty and trembly, Riley had asked him not to follow her into her nightmares again.
So now he waited, as he so often did, for her to come up for air from whatever was threatening to drown her. She'd done the same for him so many times before. He wasn't sure what was worse--being stuck in the storm-tossed boat, or waiting in the harbor.
He didn't want Riley to suffer any longer than she had to, but he also wanted her to sleep as long as she could: her gig the night before technically hadn't started until well into the morning. But Will could feel the light in the small room beginning to shift; soon the Copenhagen seagulls would start squawking outside, and it would be harder and harder to keep the day at bay. He tried to give the blanket a little tug, to shield Riley's face from the encroaching light...and as he did so, he noticed something that he hadn't expected to see.
She was smiling.
A moment later, Riley's body quivered again, but Will could feel that the movement was different this time, as was the sound that accompanied it. Not a whimper or a moan but a...
Laugh?
With that last giggle, Will felt Riley's breathing hitch then shift, and he knew that in a few moments she'd be--
"Sorry," she said groggily, half-rolling onto her back to look down at Will. "Did I wake you up again?"
"No, it's fine," Will said, running his hand along her arm. "Another bad dream?"
Riley nodded, pressing the heel of her hand into her forehead. "But then...Capheus showed up." Will could hear the smile in her voice even without seeing her face.
"Seriously?"
"Yeah...I was in the car...like usual...but then all of a sudden, he was there, in the driver's seat."
Will huffed out an incredulous laugh. Riley's smile, and the thought of Capheus', beat back the vague jealousy he could feel forming at the edge of his consciousness. "And then what?"
Riley yawned and wriggled herself closer to Will, pulling his arm tighter around her. "I'll tell you in the morning," she said, her words faint and raspy. She already seemed to be dozing off again, and soon Will felt her breath deepen, her back rising and falling slowly against his chest.
Before he let himself join her in sleep, Will stumbled into a brightly-lit kitchen, his senses suddenly bombarded with stimuli: he smelt the spicy mug of chai and the cardamom-flavored mandazi on the counter, saw the vibrant colors of the cabinets, felt the coolness of the tile floor beneath his bare feet, heard the growl of motors and the hollers of passers-by drifting up from the streets below...and a woman humming in another room over the sound of water slapping against the bottom of a bathtub.
"That is Zakia," Capheus whispered, taking the plate of sugar-dusted doughnuts from the counter.
Will waved a hand to politely dismiss Capheus' offer. "I'm not staying long--I just wanted to say...thanks. For helping Riley."
"Of course," Capheus said. Will watched his smile fade, a cloud seemingly passing over his face. "I have nightmares too sometimes."
It took Will a moment to process Capheus' words.
"I'm sorry," he said, perching on the edge of the stool in front of the counter. "I tend to focus so much on what's going on with Riley...I forget that everybody else is struggling in their own way." It was true. He couldn't remember the last time he'd checked in on any of the others--especially Capheus and Sun, whose resilience he took for granted. He realized suddenly how unfair that was.
"Not always struggling," Capheus corrected him. He let Zakia's humming fill the brief silence between his words. "I love my life. But sometimes..."
"I know, Will said." He ran his hand over his mouth, his stubble scraping against his palm. "The next time you have a nightmare...let me know, okay?"
Capheus nodded. "I will," he said, his smile returning to his face and slowly spreading as his attention was drawn toward the bathroom. "But right now, I am living a dream."
"Me too," Will said, and pulled Riley closer.