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Zeno woke up screaming.
It wasn't an uncommon occurrence for him. Actually getting a full night of dreamless sleep was something almost foreign. He couldn't remember the last time he'd slept peacefully, perhaps when he was a child, less burdened with what he was.
What was new was the fact that there was someone else in his bed. Someone who he'd wake up with his thrashing.
You.
He'd nearly forgotten you were there when he'd woken so suddenly.
If he had the presence of mind, guilt would have washed over him like a waterfall. He hated waking you, but there were things that were beyond even his control, as much as he hated to admit it.
The nightmares were something that had haunted him since his creation. As he'd grown up, his fitful sleep, and following exhaustion the next morning, was yet another thing wrong with him, but it was something he never grew out of. He'd learned to work through the tiredness though, no one was the wiser to his unrestful nights.
Phantom memories chased him into his dreams, not content to only haunt him during his waking hours.
He felt the pain of a childhood he didn't live, the heartache of loneliness. These were things he understood himself, but they were often doubled, and he was only so strong.
He had sat up quickly, hands rubbing across his face as he tried to calm him breathing. It was coming in sharp, short pants, and he felt dizzy despite still being sat in bed. His eyes took forever to adjust when he finally opened them, the darkness of the room was nearly oppressive.
He blindly reached for the lamp on his bedside table, a soft thud letting him know he'd knocked something else on the floor, probably his glasses, he didn’t have the presence of mind to care yet. He let out a long sigh of absolute relief when the warm light bathed the room.
He looked around the room, cataloging each piece of furniture, the doors were still closed, everything was alright. It was normal.
His eyes finally fell on you, you were sitting up, facing him. You were rubbing your eyes, concern clouded your gaze when you looked at him.
Your eyes met, and a sharp pang of guilt shot through him.
He had woken you, and now you were worried about him.
He broke away from your gaze and he examined you completely, searching for any trace of anger, any possible annoyance that you were trying to hide.
He found none.
He was surprised by that. He was used to his shortcomings causing anger in those around him, but they never did with you.
You were filled with the utmost patience when it came to him, even in the dark of the night, shocked awake by his screams.
He was more grateful for that, for you, than he would ever be able to express. He wasn't sure words even existed to describe how indebted he was to you.
“Zeno?”
Your voice breaking the silence pulled his eyes back to your face. He didn't have the voice to respond, but he made a small noise of assent, to let you know he'd heard you.
“Are you ok?”
He furrowed his brows at you, and that sparked a tired laugh from you.
“Yeah, silly question.”
He nodded, almost imperceptibly, it was a silly question. He was the farthest from okay that he'd been in a while.
“You're not okay, that's alright,” you said around a yawn, “can I hold you? Would that help?”
He was silent for a long moment, head tilted in thought. Could you hold him? Would it really help, or would it just send him spiraling even further?
“It's alright if not, I understand-”
“Please?” His choked out whisper cut you off.
You nodded, trying your best to hide your surprise. He didn't usually want affection after a nightmare, he'd usually grab a pillow and spend the rest of the night in the guest room, or on the couch.
“yeah, sweetheart, of course,” you agreed quickly.
The endearment made his heart skip a beat, it was a pleasant feeling this time. You called him the sweetest things, and they never failed to color his pale cheeks and cause his heart to flutter. He didn't think he'd ever get used to the love you treated him with daily.
He watched you recline back on the bed, getting comfortable, with absolute adoration on his face.
Once you were settled you raised the blanket with one arm, and held the other out to him.
No words were spoken as he all but collapsed into you, his face pillowed on your chest. He pushed one hand underneath you to pull you closer, the other draped over your abdomen, feeling the rise and fall of your breathing.
He was using you as a glorified teddy bear, holding you close to give himself comfort.
You didn't mind, one arm wrapped around his shoulders, the other laced into his hair, gently running your fingers through it. It was soft, and you enjoyed the way it felt against your hands. You preferred when he kept it like this, but he insisted on sticking it back harshly during the day. All the more reason to take advantage of the opportunity at night.
Zeno huffed a small breath, and nestled even closer to you, if that was at all possible. He slowly relaxed, letting the weight of his upper body rest on you, knowing you could handle it. One leg hooked over yours, further trapping you in his embrace.
You would never complain, you were warm, and comfortable. He was the perfect weighted blanket.
You were just as exhausted as he was, but you started to speak quietly. He hadn't gotten home early enough to listen to you tell him about your day, so you took advantage of the chance.
Your work was much simpler than his, but that didn't mean your coworkers didn't drive you absolutely insane, and you appreciated the ability to just talk about all the things that frustrated you. You made sure to include the good parts of your day as well, not wanting to fully dwell on the bad.
Zeno was as attentive as one could be when half asleep, he hummed his responses, nodding against you when he needed to. Your voice soothed him in a way that nothing else could, so you ranting about your nearly incompetent coworkers had him nearly falling asleep again.
As he dozed off, your voice got quieter, longer pauses between words. Sleep was claiming you both.
You didn't allow your eyes to fall closed before you leaned down enough to press a kiss to the top of his head, the gentle affection caused him to smile.
It was the last thing he remembered before he finally allowed himself to rest.
Wrapped completely in your arms and your love, he trusted that the ghosts of a life that wasn't his would be kept at bay. If they weren't, he trusted that you would be there to help him through it.
Zeno had suffered through nightmares his whole life, but maybe he wouldn't have to keep doing it alone.