As Carson settled in her lap, she shifted in the bed to accommodate him, her back against the headboard. Once he was comfortable, she bent down and pressed a kiss to the top of his head, her fingers carding through his short hair. She pulled one of the sheets up and around him, the fingers on her free hand running over his upper back as he fell asleep. She made sure to be careful with his arm, laying there with him. Once the rise and fall of his chest had slowed, she rested her hand on his shoulder, her thumb running circles over the clothed skin.<br/><br/>As he slept, her hand absentmindedly playing with his —surprisingly silky— hair, she had a lot to think about. Carson was right, the Runners weren’t trained to fight. They were trained to scout, to get messages and supplies between towns, but not many of them actually knew much about combat. Self defense was something that they did learn as they trained, but to use such weapons as a gun? No. And self defense wouldn’t be enough for this war. Especially considering how Carson had his hand nearly crushed to pieces, and that was only one mutant. If they fought, if they truly fought, there would no doubt be thousands. Her eyes flickered over his hand, then away again. She was glad that she only had to bandage his hand, but the thought of losing him entirely was fresh in her mind, and she hated it. However, she didn’t have any more time to remedy her fear, as Carson seemed to have one of his own.<br/><br/>As soon as he shot out of her lap, half her name falling from his lips, her eyes immediately widened. She flickered them over him quickly, as if trying to assess damage, but then she stopped. Her eyes softened, a soft sigh escaping her lips as she realized he was simply woken from a nightmare. One that had clearly effected him deeply. While he covered his eyes, she scooted over to him, one hand running across his back, the other holding his bicep. “Carson. Hey...hey, it was just a dream.” Her hand on his arm moved to his chest, she could feel his heart beating out of its place. She carefully moved that hand to his neck, rubbing around his collar gently. “Look at me, look. You’re okay, I’m here.” After leaning forward and pressing a kiss behind his ear, she rubbed his back and simply waited for him to calm down a considerable amount.<br/><br/>Once his breathing slowed, still sitting close to him as she comforted him with circles on his sweaty back, she leaned forward slightly. “You want to tell me about it?” Her voice was soft and silky, understanding. She had bad dreams, too, they could be devastating.