Drabble: Nightmares

[bk_forever]

Title: Nightmares

Author: badly_knitted

Characters: Jack and Ianto

Rating: G

Spoilers: Nothing specific.

Summary: He’s haunted by nightmares every time he closes his eyes.

Disclaimer: I don’t own Torchwood, or the characters.

A/N: For the prompt ‘Wake Me Up’, one of the prompts I didn’t get around to using for tw100’s challenge 292: Billboard Hot 100 last year. I’ve dug them out again to supplement the prompts I got from my f-list, just because there are still loads I wanted to use.

He’d witnessed so much horror in his life, only to relive it every night in his dreams. He’d seen friends and loved ones die while he continued on, fought aliens whose only goal was to destroy humanity, seen the very worst things humans could do to each other. It was bitter irony that he couldn’t even escape the memories in sleep.

As horrific visions woke him, wild-eyed in the darkness, heart racing, he found himself wrapped in a warm embrace.

“Just a bad dream. You’re safe, go back to sleep.”

In his lover’s arms, he found sanctuary from his nightmares.

The End

Comments

[too-beauty.livejournal.com]

I'm sure that Ianto does exactlky the same when Jack suffers his.

[bk_forever]

What makes you think it's Jack comforting Ianto? It could be either way around... ;)

Thank you!

[too-beauty.livejournal.com]

ohhhh that's true, you wrote it quite ambiguous ....

[bk_forever]

Lol! It'll be interesting to see how many think it's Jack having the nightmare and how many think it's Ianto. I left it up to readers to decide, but tried to write it so it fits both.

[bluelilacs.livejournal.com]

It's funny. I thought exactly the opposite the first time I read it. I thought it was Ianto comforting Jack, then reread it to try to figure out for sure which one was having the nightmare and realized it fits either of them perfectly. Well done.

[milady-dragon.livejournal.com]

I loved that, because it could have been either Jack with the nightmares or Ianto. Because you both know they have nightmares like that and the other will comfort the other. It could apply to either of the boys.

[bk_forever]

*grins* Thank you! I think that's one for each version so far, lol! I enjoyed the challenge of wording it so it could fit either one. =)

[bk_forever]

*grins* That's what I was aiming for! On any given night, one is probably having nightmares while the other comforts him. Thank you!

[owensheart.livejournal.com]

This was beautiful, I am glad Jack has Ianto to hold him through the nightmares.

great drabble.

[bk_forever]

Another vote for Jack being the one with the nightmares, I've lost count of how many on each side, lol!

Thank you!

[duochan-maxwell.livejournal.com]

Interesting :) And the best part is that it can be either from Ianto's or Jack's PoV. Nice and short too, just what I needed.

[tardisjournal.livejournal.com]

Ha, ha! You got me. I assumed it was Jack having the nightmares at first--only to realize at the end you'd made it very ambiguous. I read it over from Ianto's perspective and it also fits! I guess the important thing is that they are both there for each other. <3<3

[bk_forever]

Thank you!

It took a while to get it so it could read from either POV, glad you think it works!

[bk_forever]

Heehee! Thank you! It was a deliberate choice to write it so it could be either of them, so I had to work at the phrasing a bit to make sure it fit them both.

I like that they can both be there for each other. They understand, because they both suffer nightmares.

[maldeluxx.livejournal.com]

*nods* Not naming who comforts who is a good thing about this fic, as is the comforting - I like that :) <3<3

[bk_forever]

*grins* Thank you! When you think about it, Jack and Ianto have a lot in common. They can each understand and empathise with what the other is going through, so they're there for each other.

Thank you!

[jsks.livejournal.com]

A warm heart and two arms will always help keep the nightmares at bay.

[bk_forever]

That's a lovely way of putting it!

Thank you!

[jedi-harkness.livejournal.com]

I love how you did this here. It really could apply to either one of them.

[bk_forever]

It took some effort to get the phrasing just right, so it could be either, but I got there. I wanted it to apply to both of them because they're really in very similar positions. They are opposites in a lot of ways, but in this respect they can each empathise completely with what the other is going through.

Thank you!

[black59.livejournal.com]

the best refuges

[bk_forever]

They comfort each other.

Thank you!

[timelordshines.livejournal.com]

I assumed it was Jack having the nightmare but it does work both ways.
Clever.

[bk_forever]

It wasn't easy to phrase it so it could be either of them, but I think they're both probably plagued by nightmares, so I'm sure they comfort each other.

Thank you!