Stockholm Syndrome

Stockholm Syndrome, Ch. 3

For how exhausted he was, and still is, sleep continued to escape him.

Still sitting against the wall, Rodan barely moved from his position, beak still tucked under his wing. His mind was a muddled mess, and his eyelids felt so heavy. Yet when he closed them for so much as a minute, a deep instinctive panic would grip hold of him and with a skip of a heartbeat, he found himself snapping back awake. It wasn't as if he was convinced the dragon would kill him in his sleep; it's been made clear by now that Ghidorah preferred him alive. Yet the thick blanket of fear surrounding him was too strong to let him drift off, seizing him whenever he dared venture towards unconsciousness. It was the telepathic waves Ghidorah was giving off, he was sure of it. Rodan couldn't even move further to lessen the intensity. It was torment, utter torment.

Ghidorah was still laying by the lava pit, washed with the orange glow that lit up two piercing eyes that would flash in his direction whenever he moved. Otherwise, the wyvern paid him no mind. No words were spoken, the silence broken only by the bubbling of the molten pool. Mostly, the lead head of the monstrous creature was focused on the sky above them, beyond the rim of their volcanic nest.

THEIR nest, Rodan hated that his mind had admitted to that so easily. Hated even more that this was the first time in millennia that he was sharing a nest with someone. Instinct wouldn't let it go, and the sheer awkwardness it brought only made him feel worse. He's been so lonely for thousands of years and when he FINALLY gets someone to accompany him in the volcano, it had to be THEM. It was like a cruel joke the universe was playing on him. He would have preferred the loneliness over this.

He shivered a bit, though he wasn't sure if it was from fear or feeling too cold. He was used to sleeping in the lava pool and he felt so vulnerable without it. Like a security blanket ripped away from him, like he risked death if he didn't sleep within its comforts. A primal instinct, he's sure, from back in the days where predators were a constant threat. Really, Ghidorah probably wouldn't care if he were to go into the pool, and maybe the comfort of the magma would outweigh the fear and let him sleep? But to fall asleep so close to the hydra made him shudder even more.

And so, after several more failed attempts to get some shut-eye, Rodan settled on busying himself with preening. He wasn't sure what else to do to pass the time; the alternative would be to try to make conversation, and he'd rather not. Even if the silence was only adding to his discomfort. Unfortunately, some exchange of words between them was inevitable, and he startled when the lead head spoke up in a hushed but firm voice.

"Go to sleep." There was an edge to his voice, like he thought that Rodan was keeping himself awake intentionally and was growing impatient with him. Rodan tried not to look at the dragon, trying to appear nonchalant as he preened his wing fingers.

"I'm not tired," he lied and he wondered if he sounded convincing enough. Either way, the hydra only gave a snort before returning his gaze back to the stars. The pterosaur almost let out a breath of relief, as he didn't want to talk and he certainly didn't want to admit that he was too afraid to go to sleep. Let Ghidorah think he's doing this on purpose, he didn't care.

Rodan wasn't sure how much time has passed since those words were spoken. It was around midnight if he had to wager a guess, when the lead head started nudging San awake. The left head seemed to have been close to stirring anyway, so it didn't take much for him open his eyes and yawn. The right head too seemed to have stirred a bit, but made no effort to rise and instead looked as though he was about to fall back asleep. The active two shared brief conversation that broke the silence, still speaking their odd alien language. Although Rodan couldn't make sense of it, he could tell they were speaking of him, for the lead head gave a pointed nod in his direction. Ni, still not rising, muttered something as if adding to the conversation. Whatever he said had the middle head grunt before shifting their left wing forward to settle his head upon it. He seemed to doze off almost instantly, something Rodan felt envious towards.