Sherazade found herself stirred awake by the feeling the bed shifting due to Abequa suddenly sitting up. At first the Stegosaurus didn't think much of it, figuring the Pteryx had simply gotten up to get water, or use the bathroom...

... at least, until Sherazade recognized the sounds of heavy, shaky breathing.

"... Abby?" Sherazade said, still sleepy to some extent.

No reply came. Only the sound of hands slapping against a face, or rather a beak, followed by a forceful, frustrated-sounding exhale... and then, what Sherazade dreaded to hear the most... a sniffle.

Sherazade immediately rolled off the bed and stood up, lumbering around the perimeter of a floor-level bed, large enough to hold both of them despite their size, and by virtue of this, the size of a large parade float to most. She made her way around to the other side, able to see that Abequa had her beak buried in her wings. "...A... Abby...?" Sherazade spoke again, softer this time, and with much worry in her voice.

At last, the Pteryx acknowledged her, though not with words, but by simply lifting her head and finally turning to look at the Stego... and it wasn't pretty. Abequa's eyes were wet with tears, which had dampened her wings and beak. She also breathed rather hard, as if stressed. But that wasn't the worst thing. Sherazade studied her, and noticed many small movements across her body. Twitching claws, shaking legs, the sides of her mouth quivering. Sherazade then realized with horror...

Abequa was, in fact, trembling, shivering, eyes wide open, and with an absolutely mortified look on her face, something Sherazade hadn't seen happen in a long time.

Sherazade didn't need to see more to know exactly what Abequa needed. Without another word, she extended her hand to her.

Abequa raised a shaky arm towards Sherazade's offered hand and took it. Sherazade then took her other hand, and slowly helped her up. Abequa's legs, thick and sturdy as they were, still shook slightly as she willed herself to stand to her feet. Once Abequa had stood up, Sherazade immediately, but gently, pulled her into a hug, as best as she could with her large belly in front of her.

Fortunately, their different body shapes complimented them quite well in these situations. Sherazade's belly slid nicely underneath Abequa's comparatively large breasts, lifting them up, and in the process, pushing Sherazade's own breasts higher, making for a neat cushion for Abequa's face to lie on as Sherazade pulled her fully into the embrace.

Once Sherazade held Abequa close, she could fill her trembling body vibrating intermittently against her. It had been a while since she had last seen Abequa this shaken... In fact, this was all too reminiscent of the early stages of their life together after Abequa had been first relocated from the small scale districts due to being far too big. She could remember how nervous and on edge she was before, from the relocation, to the long (and still ongoing) period of time she spent without seeing her parents, to the many, MANY unkind remarks launched at her from various others about her unusual giantism.

While Abequa had gotten more used to things as time went on, she still had tendencies to be bothered by these things sometimes. For the most part, though, she had always been able to remain relatively calm and control her anxieties. ... Even so, there still was one area of her thoughts that neither she, nor anyone else, could regulate...

... Her dreams...

As a result of the many feelings that lurked in the back of her mind, she was prone to having some of the worst dreams, disturbingly often.

Sherazade knew this, and every time, she would follow the appropriate procedure for consoling a stressed sister.

The first step was the hug, the second was the silence to allow Abequa to let it all out, and the third was the most important...

Sincere reassurance...

"...Abby... I can't promise that everything will get better... but remember, you don't have to face all of these things alone... I'm right here with you, no matter what happens. I don't know what's next, but I'll endure it with you, or FOR you, if I can..."

Momentary silence followed. Abequa's body trembled a little less now, but her face still wore a look of anguish. Finally, though, came a verbal answer. "... Is it... is it worth it to make you worry... just because I can't keep it together...?"

Step four, listen.

And step five, respond to doubt with a firm, positive answer. "It's worth it to me..." Sherazade held the Pteryx just a little more snugly, to emphasize her next point. "... I love you, Abby..."

Abequa's body finally stopped shivering. Her breathing became less tense. Strangely, though, her tears began flowing like a river now, more so then earlier... but not out of sadness.

"... I love you too, Sherry..."

Sherazade smiled slightly as she gently stroked Abequa's feathers. Abequa didn't smile back, but she didn't need to as far as the Stego was concerned. The fact that her trembling had stopped was all she needed to know that Abequa had at least calmed down.

Even so, she proceeded on to step six: extending the hug for as long as Abequa needed. She didn't know how long, but she was willing to hold her close until morning if she needed to, or even beyond.

... Besides, it felt cozy, a sentiment she knew Abequa shared.

---

So uh... the inspiration for this was literally me waking up from a dream last night that, for some reason, actually left me in tears. I... don't really know how to explain. My subconscious is... not sunshine and roses, I'll put it that way.

Every so often, Abequa will have one of these specific kind of dreams that are an amalgamation of some of her worst experiences and biggest ongoing worries, even if she was feeling fine the day before. Fortunately for her, it's happened enough times in front of Sherazade that her big Stego-sis (even though Abequa's older) knows exactly how to soothe her.

Also, first time drawing Abequa without her sun visor. Plus, she has an open-sleeve hoodie, which I thought made sense due to her wings.

Enjoy!

Abequa and Sherazade ©  blaze_koopa

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