Cloud

The first night after they find each other is wonderful and terrifying all at once. Utena wakes up long before rosy-fingered dawn arrives to find Anthy's eyes wide open, staring desperately into her own.

"Have you been awake this whole time?" she asks. Anthy's silence is the only answer she needs.

Utena reaches out with her free hand-they fell asleep with their hands clasped, but nothing more-and cups the side of Anthy's face as gently as if she were cradling a baby bird, which had escaped its shell mere seconds ago.

"What's wrong?" she tries again, her voice as soft as down.

"Utena..." Anthy whispers, as she covers Utena's hand with her own, pressing it into her cheek, "The truth is, I-" she stops, her breath hitching, and her grip on Utena's hand tightens.

Utena says nothing, but she brushes the single tear that had fought its way out of Anthy's eye away with her thumb, and offers a comforting half-smile.

After a moment's pause, Anthy closes her eyes, breathes in deeply. "I'm afraid," she says. She opens her eyes again, and takes in Utena's silent encouragement. "I'm afraid that... that I'm going to wake up and you won't be here anymore. That I dreamed you into existence, and I'm still searching... or worse, that I'm still there, that we never left at all."

"Oh, Anthy... " Utena murmurs, "I-" You'll what? Protect her? From what? "I-" And now it is Anthy's turn to offer support. With her thumb, she strokes Utena's hand gently, patiently. "I'm scared too," Utena admits.

The weight of these truths hangs heavy in the air above them, a suffocating shadow that they contemplate together in silence.

"...How about this," Utena says, and lifts her hand from Anthy's face. Anthy flinches almost imperceptibly when Utena's hand is pulled away from her own, but lets her former champion go. Utena holds her pinky finger out towards Anthy. "Pinky promise that we'll both be here when we wake up?"

Anthy blinks, confusion momentarily overtaking the fear permeating her form. "What?"

"You know, a pinky promise! It's like a normal promise, but you lock pinkies, and that makes it, uh, stronger I guess." Utena glares, disgruntled, as silent laughter blooms across Anthy's eyes. "Don't look at me like that! I wasn't the one who came up with it!"

Anthy closes her eyes for a moment as she shakes with barely-contained giggles. Her mirth is infectious, and soon they're both laughing as quietly as they can, desperately attempting to not wake Chu-Chu, who is snoring like a chainsaw on the bedpost above Utena's head.

At last, they calm down enough to breathe evenly again. Anthy reaches out to take Utena's pinky in her own. "I swear that I will be here when you wake up," she promises.

Utena smiles. "And I swear that I'll be here when you wake up."

"The pact is sealed," Anthy says, her voice suddenly solemn and ominous.

Utena eyes her warily. "...I didn't just commit myself to a cross-timeline ghost pepper-eating competition on the moon, did I?"

Anthy grins sheepishly. "...Not this time," she says. She reaches out to wrap her arm around Utena's waist, then hesitates. "May I?" she asks, her voice nervous and hopeful at once.

"Of course," Utena says, and as Anthy tucks her head in the crook of her neck, she pulls Anthy's body against her own with her free arm. Anthy makes a small noise of contentment, and tightens her own grip with her hand reaching up to Utena's shoulder blade.

They both sleep peacefully after that.