Inspired by art by YuriAndTea ( Tumblr )

Max woke up suddenly.

She had no idea what time it was, but to her surprise she wasn't tired at all.

She looked to her side and saw Chloe sleeping, her face silent and distant, but with a tone of worry to it she's been seeing a lot lately.

Max knew Chloe wasn't sleeping well; she was constantly tired and had dark spots under her eyes. Max suspected it had something to do with her own constant nightmares, that perhaps she was talking or moving in her sleep and keeping Chloe awake, but Chloe wouldn't admit to any of it. Still, Max knew.

She vaguely remembered waking up from a nightmare in Chloe's arms, being comforted gently and kissed on top of her head as she drifted back into sleep, but she only seemed to be aware of it for a short while before it completely escaped her mind.

Poor Chloe. She's suffered so much, and now Max was making her lose sleep over her, literally. She usually forgot about it by morning, but Max knew somehow that her nightmares must have been constant, and yet there was Chloe; every night, her arms held tight around her, not wavering until Max was safely calm again… Max never loved her more than she did as she realized that. In Max's mind, Chloe's arms were like an angel's wings, wrapped protectively around her, holding her when she trembled and calming her back to sleep.

But tonight was different.

Tonight was the first time in a long while that Max was nightmare-free. She suddenly realized that's why it felt so different - why she felt rested, and relieved. She looked at her Chloe again, who was sleeping like a rock, but with one arm still around Max's waist, probably so she could feel if Max was having a nightmare. Max grabbed Chloe's arm and wrapped it closer around her, turning to face her nighttime guardian; tonight it was her turn to sleep all through the night, safe from harm and without a worry.

She kissed her Chloe's forehead, wishing she could convey to her just how thankful she was to be under her wing. Chloe was still tense, though, so Max just wrapped herself around her, and gently caressed her soft and colorful skin.

It seemed to have worked, as Chloe – still sleeping, took in a deep breath and suddenly her entire body just loosened up, sinking back into the bed as she slowly let go and her tense muscles became relaxed. She even seemed to be smiling a bit, Max thought – so she kissed her gently and held on to her tight.

Tonight was a good night, she thought as she drifted back to sleep as well, and just as her mind was about to let go of its last little bit of awakened consciousness, she realized how lucky they were to have each other – and how strong and determined their love was. They were entangled and bonded forever, she realized, and with that she fell asleep, fulfilled and content.