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You were laying in bed next to your boyfriend, Billy. He was fast asleep, his chest rose and fell steadily as he rested. You watched his movements closely and listened to the sound of his faint heartbeat as you tried to steady your own breath. Ever since the night in the pumpkin patch, you had been struggling to sleep. No matter how hard you tried, your body just would not rest. You knew that the terror of the upside down was gone– the fight was over and you lot had won. It didn’t matter how many times you told yourself that though; your brain just wouldn’t sleep. You swore up and down that you could see the tiny particles floating through the air and could hear the roar of the demodogs in the distance every time you closed your eyes. Billy was still quietly sleeping the night away, but he curled his head into your shoulder. It made his heart beat harder to hear, but you could still feel the gentle pulse with the hand you had resting on his chest. This new sleeping-Billy position did give you the opportunity to smell his shampoo– a slight dusting of coconut that he tried to cover with some kind of forest-scented cologne. It helped to ground you a little bit, but you still couldn’t close your eyes comfortably.
You looked around at the shadows of your bedroom for a moment; everything looked normal. All of your things were just as you left them before Billy turned your bedside lamp off. You breathed out a small sigh of relief and attempted to close your eyes again. The howling came back the second your eyes fluttered shut, so you annoyedly opened them again. You checked over the shadows of your room once more, but you felt like something was off this time. This time, you felt like the beady little eyes of a demodog were staring back at you. You squeaked in surprise and held your boyfriend a little bit tighter. Of course, Billy is not a heavy sleeper. The small sound that had escaped your throat awoke him from his slumber.
Billy was never the type to be annoyed when he was woken up suddenly. His heart always just twinged in fear, thanks to his dad. He used one of his arms to pull you into his chest and used his free hand to pop on your bedside lamp again. Your room was full of color again in an instant. You didn’t look around, but Billy did out of habit. When he was sure it was your visions again and not a physical threat he started playing with your hair. “It’s okay; you’re safe, I promise.”
“I saw–”
He hushed you quietly. “You don’t have to talk about it, baby, not unless you want to.” You sighed in relief. You had already opened up to Billy about your struggles with sleeping and what was causing them. He always gave you the space to talk about it, but he never forced you.
“Thank you, Billy.”
“Of course, love,” his voice was breathy and coarse. You felt his eyes shut against your scalp. He placed a gentle kiss on your hair and held you close.
“I’m sorry.”
“For what?” He mumbled.
“Waking you,” you replied.
He shushed you again. “Never apologize for that. You went through something real bad, and I’m here to make you feel safe. Whatever you need, Darling, I’m here– sleeping or not.”
You sighed and closed your eyes; the many hours of being awake seemed to finally be catching up to you. “I love you.”
“I love you too, endlessly.”