16: Date Day

7.8K 171 182
                                    

You sat in silence, your eyes closed. This wasn't quite falling asleep, as you were fully aware of the empty room around you, of the wind blowing outside. But at the same time, you were dreaming.

  You couldn't quite remember what you were dreaming about, that was something dreams just did. All you could remember was the sense of tension from it, and the all too familiar piercing roar of the Reaper.

  You jerked your body, eyes open. Adrenaline started pumping through your veins as you looked around, the fear still fresh in your heart. Just a dream, as always.

  Breathing heavily, you stood up, looking out the window, at the dark night sky. You couldn't even tell what time it was. Either way, it was probably too early even for you to actually get up.

  You wanted to close your eyes, to lay down and go to sleep. But whenever you let darkness overcome your vision, the echoes would bounce around your head.

  I can hear it, it can see me. It almost sounded like a tagline, but it was actually what scared you the most about Reapers. Not the mandibles, or the serpentine body, not even the fact that one took a bite of your side. The screeches of the Reaper Leviathan acted as a super effective echolocation, meaning it's roars were to track you down, not just scare you.

You eventually gave in to your fright, getting out of bed, and walking downstairs, into the kitchen. The fridge light nearly blinded you, but you blinked through it, grabbing the milk and pouring yourself a glass.

  You drank it in light sips, looking for something to eat while you were at it. You settled for a granola bar, taking it and closing the cupboard it resided in.

  You placed the snack on the counter, taking slow sips of milk, and the occasional bite of granola bar, letting your nerves cool themselves down. No matter how much you tried, your sleep was constantly plagued by nightmares.

  You eventually finished your items, discarding the wrapper, and putting the glass in the sink, before walking back towards the steps. You took a moment to stop by the recording room, resting a hand on the doorknob.

  After a moment of careful consideration, you left the room untouched, walking back to your own room. You needed the rest, as much as your mind would disagree.

You stopped at the room, hand resting on the doorknob. You didn't want to admit it, but your hand was beginning to tremble. Every night, when you tried to sleep, you would wake up in a cold sweat, barely repressing the urge to scream. You finally twisted the knob, entering the room again. Maybe this time would be different. Maybe.

  You reached the bed, and grabbed one of the covers, beginning to lift it. You stopped for a moment, dropping the blanket and backing away. Even closing your eyes brought back terrible memories, ones you wanted gone. You sat down on the ground, holding your head in your hands, your whole body beginning to shake.

  You shouldn't be this scared. You stared death in the eye and spat on its face, yet simple nightmares were getting the best of you. You killed and ate the worst of the worst, you turned off a gun that would've killed you if you tried to leave, you spent months drifting through space, and you made the change in the Aurora's course that killed so many people.

  Yet, despite all this, primal fear kept you awake. You hated it. You stood up, walking back out the door, down the stairs, into the living room. You sat yourself down, groaning in complaint.

Your eyes were temporarily blasted out when someone turned on the light.

"Um... Y/n?" You looked up, squinting, at Marina.

A World Once Familiar (Splatoon/Subnautica x Male Reader)Where stories live. Discover now