In the dim light of the early morning, Ash stirred awake in the expansive mansion he shared with his sister, Astrid. The soft rustle of sheets and the faint sound of his own breathing filled the silence, but something felt off. As he turned to his side, he found Astrid curled up against him, her long dirty blonde curls spilling over his arm, her caramel skin glistening with tears that stained her cheeks.
Astrid, usually the fierce protector, looked vulnerable in this moment. Her big ocean blue eyes were puffy, and he could see the remnants of a panic attack etched across her face. Ash's heart ached for her; he knew today was one of those days—days when the weight of her trauma felt heavier than usual, and the shadows of her anxiety loomed large.
“Hey, Azzie,” he murmured, his voice low and soothing, trying to break through the fog of her distress. “You okay?”
She clung to him tighter, her grip like a lifeline. “I... I had a nightmare,” she whispered, her voice barely audible. The admission hung in the air, heavy with the unspoken fears that plagued her.
Ash wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer, feeling the warmth of her body against his. “I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere,” he reassured her, his own heart racing as he felt her tremors. He knew that his presence was a balm for her anxiety, a steady anchor in the storm of her emotions.
Astrid's breathing began to steady as she nestled deeper into his side, finding solace in the familiarity of his scent and the rhythm of his heartbeat. “I hate this,” she admitted, her voice muffled against his shirt. “I just want to be okay.”
“You will be,” he promised, though he knew the road to healing was long and fraught with challenges. “Just breathe with me, okay? In and out.”
As they sat together in the quiet of the mansion, Ash felt the weight of their shared history—their estrangement from their parents, the burdens of their pasts, and the unbreakable bond that tied them together. He was her protector, her confidant, and today, her comforter.
Outside, the world continued to wake, but within the walls of their family home, it was just the two of them, navigating the complexities of life, love, and the shadows that lingered in the corners of their minds. In this moment, Ash was determined to be the ray of sunshine for his sister, just as she had always been for him.
