Roxy sat wide awake in her bed.
Her back was pressed firmly back against the wall, body quivering with fearful tremors. She stared down at her comforter with her arms wound around her pillow, squeezing it tight in towards her chest with shaky uneven breaths as she tried to calm her running mind. A nightmare had startled her awake, just a few hours past midnight as rain pounded down on the roof of her house, distant thunder rumbling through the steady rainfall.
Any other night, she may have been able to handle a nightmare with no problem. But not tonight.
Her heart rate was still through the roof, painfully pounding against her ribs as it continued. Roxy squeezed her eyes shut for a moment with a strained breath, sniffling and looking around the quiet room with paranoia creeping a shiver up the back of her neck.
Usually when she had nightmares she had Artu by her side for comfort— except for this once, he was at the vet for the night. Her father had stayed the night with him after Roxy begged to not leave him there all alone. After a bad run in with the Wizards of the Black Circle, Artu had gotten hurt rather badly, and she didn’t cope well with that thought.
Roxy couldn’t make out much in the dark of her room, every shadowed corner and silhouette blurred by her tears looking like a figure… a menace coming to get her while she was home alone. It had happened before, she remembered it so clearly—
Alone and vulnerable.
Except this time, Roxy was startled by her phone tone ringing out of the blue, however, jumping with a sharp gasp as the sound blared out.
A call.. this late?
Roxy stared at it from her teary eyed state, in a frightened daze from how much it had shaken her from how eerily silent it had been besides the storm outside. But even still, she crawled slowly down across her bed to pick it up in a shaking hand. The second the flip phone had been flipped open, however, she made a soft hum in confusion seeing the familiar contact lighting the screen.
“Bloom..?” Roxy couldn’t help the hope that had lifted the weight on her chest just a little, voice trembling even in her soft tone.
Her girlfriend. Of course she’d be the one to call.
Roxy wasn’t so stable, here all on her own, clearly, rubbing her teary eyes with the back of her hand. She answered the call with the other and slowly sat back, her pillow to her chest to hold for comfort.
“Roxy?” Bloom’s voice was full of concern from the very start, even if she sounded as if she’d just woken up from the slow slur to her words. “Is everything okay? I just wanted to check on you… something didn’t feel right.” With her powers, Bloom’s intuition for her friends and Roxy was always on high alert. She felt how wrong something was with her girl that it woke her up, and not so pleasantly.
Her own chest was aching, body sympathizing with her intuition for her lover.
Roxy’s lips parted, eyes flickering down towards her lap unsurely as she tried to think of what to say. But the attempts fell short on her tongue. Denial? Yeah right.. here she was, crumpled into a ball on her bed, shaking and in tears with no one around. If she lied, she doubted Bloom would even believe her.
The silence was almost deafening, Bloom frowning and already reaching for her bag. “Roxy… talk to me. I’m here, okay?” She was being gentle, coaxing the girl to break her silence while she tried to grab a few things.
She was already on her way to the door, not needing to be told.
Roxy shut her eyes, a hiccup from crying slipping as she tried to quickly draw in a breath. The sound was anything but comforting… “It—I..” Words were coming out, but completing the sentences felt so hard at the moment, stumbling over them as the tears started to fall. Just from trying to make those emotions into words… “I had another nightmare.. It— it’s nothing really…”
Bloom frowned, sliding her bag over her shoulder and glancing at the rest of the Winx still sleeping soundly in their bed. This was for Roxy and her to deal with this time, and Bloom didn’t exactly mind that. Especially hearing how Roxy’s voice trembled just trying to explain and ease her mind.
“You don’t have to lie to me, Roxy...” Bloom could hardly scold the girl, even that sounding gentle. Roxy leaned her head against the phone as she shut her teary eyes and tried to steady her breathing. Bloom’s voice was helping ease her down. “I know how bad your nightmares can be. I’m on my way right now, okay?”
Roxy’s eyes widened, snapping them back open fast in alarm. “Wait- what..?” In this rain? She had to be crazy! “It’s way too bad out there— I can’t ask you to do that..!”
Bloom wasn’t going to take a no for an answer this time, however, already heading down the stairs into the main pet store. Roxy’s tired fairy pet Dachshund was waddling behind her every step, red cap cockeyed on his head. He whined softly and pawed at Bloom’s foot until she picked them up to sit on the top of her bag.
…
Only to sigh with a small smile as his Dalmation friend had come romping straight on over, and flew right in alongside his furry buddy with a cheeky expression on. Little rascals. “Don’t worry about that. Where’s your dad?”
Roxy just knew there was no fighting, shoulders sagging in defeat as she sighed slowly and gave up. “He stayed at the vet with Artu. He um..” Roxy hesitated, forcing herself to calm a bit despite how much it hurt to say. “Artu had to have surgery…”
Bloom couldn’t help the shock that hit her, scoffing softly in disbelief. Artu was hurt that badly? “What? Roxy, why didn’t you tell me?” Bloom had transformed just then, but she was distracted so fast by what she’d been told. Roxy hadn’t said anything to either of them, trying to not worry the girls all over again for her sake.
As she always did. She knew she worried them a lot.
“How could I?” Roxy heard the rain on Bloom’s side of the phone, knowing she was on her way already. No matter what she said by now, she wasn’t changing Bloom’s mind. “I’m the reason everyone is even in this mess— Artu shouldn’t have even been in the middle of it! He got involved because of me… just like all of you.” She couldn’t imagine having them all fight on her behalf, and then turning around the second something else goes wrong to go running for their help.
Bloom didn’t like the mental state Roxy was showing at all, instantly frowning and taking off with some haste.
“Forget about the others for once… Roxy, it's my job to worry.”
And she meant it, though Roxy went a bit quiet without much room to argue.
—
Bloom had stayed on that phone call right up until she’d reached Roxy’s house, not leaving Roxy alone through the flight over. She fluttered her wings slower as she lowered herself down, her feet reaching the stone tiles leading to the front door. She tested the doorknob with a deepening frown, hand faltering on the knob that had turned with too much ease for her liking. It wasn’t locked, sure enough, though she wouldn’t tell Roxy that.
For her sake… Roxy couldn’t handle any more stress on her plate right now.
And the girl in question had tensed hearing the front door creak and click back shut through the phone and faintly through the wall. Her eyes snapped to her bedroom door in reflex, swallowing nervously as she inched back just a bit further on her mattress. “Bloom..?” Roxy’s voice lowered down as she spoke into the phone, checking just to be safe.
Bloom hummed as she made her way to the stairs, trying to wring out her damp hair a bit with the jacket she’d thrown a bit messily into her shoulder bag, the fairy pets inside nudging it closer to her hand to help. She was pretty wet from the rain.
“It’s just me. I promise.”
Roxy released the breath she’d been holding, though the second her doorknob turned through the dark room she felt relief hit her harder than ever. The hall light lit up a strip through her dark room, Bloom’s softening expression being the first thing she could properly see within the past hour of sitting here.
Bloom let a soft smile lift up the corners of her mouth, pulling the phone away from her ear and flicking it shut.
“Oh, Roxy…” Pity swamped Bloom’s tone so fast.
Roxy hadn’t put her pillow down so fast before, watching with an aching heart as Bloom quickly crossed over to her bedside. She wasted no time for her girl... Roxy held her arms out, clinging to Bloom the second she’d lowered down on the edge of the bed to pull the younger girl quickly into her arms with a squeeze.
Roxy buried her face into Bloom’s shoulder in an instant, fingers digging into the material of Bloom’s shirt as she dropped her fairy transformation.
“You came..” Roxy whispered it with a broken tone, squeezing her eyes shut tightly as she held onto Bloom. She breathed as deeply as she could muster into the fabric, even just the girl’s faint perfume enough to help ground her.
Roxy didn’t want to let her go, not yet…
Bloom wrapped her arms around Roxy as she loosened her grip a bit, smoothing a slow hand over the girl’s back while pulling Roxy more forward and into her lap to cradle her close. “Of course I did.” Bloom sighed softly, pulling back just a bit. She carefully cupped Roxy’s cheek into her palm, taking in her lover’s expression with an aching heart.
Roxy paused, though slowly melted into the touch with a softening expression. She wasn’t so scared, not being here alone.
“You look exhausted…” Bloom of course knew why now, but the concern didn’t go away. She could see the dark circles beneath Roxy’s eyes clear as day, the dried tear trails that lingered down her face from whatever nightmare terrorized her tonight. And now, Bloom sat carefully rubbing them away as Roxy let her eyes flutter shut into the gentle touch.
It was exactly what she needed, and she didn’t dare stop her.
“I know.. I wanted to call you, I did… But I just—..” Roxy’s voice faltered, eyes having opened and met Bloom’s. Where she’d been expecting some kind of scold to be behind those words, there wasn’t. Only genuine worry.
Bloom took the falter in Roxy’s words as her turn, shaking her head and tilting Roxy’s face down a bit. She leaned forward, pressing a soft kiss to Roxy’s forehead.
The girl’s eyes widened a bit, a soft blush spreading across her cheeks as she stopped whatever nervous ramble had been about to come up with.
Kissing… still very new to her.
Bloom hummed when she pulled her head back, continuing from where Roxy left off. “I know you did. I know how it can get, I’ve been there too.”
But to Bloom, it was beyond different. Roxy was the one struggling again, and that took priority. Bloom traced her thumb over Roxy’s cheek, watching as she looked down and away almost shamefully while leaning into the touch more.
She sighed softly to herself, but rested her forehead down against Roxy’s and rested her eyes shut. “But none of it matters. I’m here, you don’t need to worry anymore. Especially the nightmares.. the darker thoughts.”
She knew it all.. that mental state that came with feelings so responsible for others. She saw herself so clearly in Roxy sometimes.
Roxy tensed at first, feeling and seeing Bloom so close to her face, though after a passing moment her eyes slowly eased shut with a shaky breath.
No more tears, though her heart wasn’t slowing much.
She was okay with Bloom, but somehow that made it that much harder. Actually feeling safe… Bloom held Roxy carefully still with one arm, neither moving for a while. Calm and quiet didn’t come easily anymore.
Bloom smiled slowly to herself, taking a breath as she helped Roxy turn a bit in her lap, sitting sideways but able to lay to the side against her chest. Running her hand through Roxy’s hair while letting her relax out. “Do you want to talk about it?” Bloom kept her voice soft, watching Roxy the whole time. Roxy may be strong for everything she’d gone through, but everyone had their downfalls.
Roxy thought on it, head against Bloom’s chest as she let herself lower her walls down bit by bit. Talking about her nightmares before had been easy when it was about another fairy-related mission, about the white circle and the mystery photos— but now it was all in her head, nightmares made from nothing but fears. It didn’t mean anything.. and yet it shook her to her core.
Roxy gave a small nod, pulling her knees in a little closer to her chest as a small frown settled onto her face. “Maybe a little..”
It was hard to not think about anyways.
Bloom hummed, though didn’t interrupt. She wanted Roxy to speak, say what was on her mind. So she did, nodding her head. “Go on.. I’ll listen.”
“It was actually about.. you.” Roxy admitted, biting her lip for a second before sighing and shaking her head. This really did sound stupid out loud, she regretted it already. “Maybe it was because of what happened to Artu, but.. you got really hurt. The wizards were there— and you tried to protect me. But— they got you..!” Roxy felt Bloom cup the side of her head a bit more when she’d accidentally raised her voice, holding her a bit more securely.
Roxy took a few breaths, hiding her face against Bloom for a few moments. Calming down, she knew what it was for. “I’m okay.. just— seeing you down on the ground after so long— covered in all of that blood.. It just made me realize how scared I am all over again.”
Scared, but not for herself all the time. “Scared that if I don’t get hurt.. the next time something happens it’ll be you— or my dad.. anyone else. It already happened to Artu, Bloom, it could be anyone next.” Roxy’s voice was a bit shaky, however she wasn’t panicking.
Just feeling helpless.
“I can’t lose you.. you just found me.” Roxy whispered it, her last words almost passing as a quiet breath. If she lost Bloom.. she may as well have lost everything.
Bloom’s jaw was a bit tense, squeezing Roxy with a quick exhale. She didn’t want the comment to get to her, but it did. They really did just find each other.. how could she imagine not being there for Roxy? All of this danger, she could see just why Roxy hadn’t wanted to call her out here.
She didn’t want her in danger for her sake.
“I won’t be going anywhere.” Bloom promised it, kissing Roxy’s head as she felt a few tears stinging at her own eyes. “I won’t let anything take me away from you, and I won’t let anyone take you away either, Roxy…” Roxy shut her eyes with a weak smile, laughing breathily as she was hugged in.
“Now look who’s crying...” She could hear the break in Bloom’s tone, and yet it only made her appreciate the words more. Knowing she meant them.
“Oh hush..” Bloom snickered, laying her head against Roxy’s with a shake of her head. “But I have to admit, I didn’t come completely alone..”
Roxy blinked a few times, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion. “What do you mean?” And instantly.. a sharp yip interrupted the moment, the cue taken. Roxy’s eyes widened, head turning away from Bloom’s chest with a soft gasp. She knew instantly who it was.
“Pip?”
But the noise didn’t match the face that greeted her first, the Dalmatian hopping up first with a wagging tail. That was Spot. He glanced back to the edge with a bark, the Dachshund known as Pip flying up right beside him with a beaming smile and wagging tail.
Roxy cracked a wide smile, rubbing her eyes self consciously before opening her arms. “You guys-!” And they’d wasted no time flying into her arms, licking her face with happy whines as she laughed and hugged them in.
Bloom watched it all with a sweet smile, happy to see them cheering her up. It’s what she’d hoped to do when she’d first taken them with her, but hadn’t known when was the right time to let them have their fun. “I hope they’re not too much for right now, but they insisted.” Bloom lifted her head a bit when she felt Roxy move to look up at her, this time bearing the same smile as her.
Thank goodness, the tears were over…
“Thank you, Bloom… You always know what to do.”
Roxy hesitated, before pressing her lips carefully against Bloom’s. Startled? A little, but Bloom shut her eyes for a moment and returned it without much hesitation, smiling into it when the kiss had started to part. She peeked her eyes back open, curiously staring back at Roxy.
Roxy who now had a rather flushed face, avoiding eye contact with a nervous laugh. “Okay.. um— forget that happened?”
Now the girl was all shy, after going right for it.
Bloom rolled her eyes with a smile, kissing Roxy’s cheek a little playfully in response. “I don’t think I’ll ever forget that.”
Pip and Spot blinked a few times, cocking their heads at each other in confusion. People were weird, kissing in a thunderstorm like this…
But they certainly knew how to be there for one another.. fairy to fairy.
From Bloom to Roxy.