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You sat in bed, wide awake, unable to get your mind to shut up and turn off. Hyper-aware of your surroundings, every little sound caused you to jump or flinch, anxiety and paranoia itching at you incessantly.
You tried not to look out the window, or focus too much on the darker parts of your room, knowing it would only serve to make your thoughts louder and fears worse. Instead, you grabbed your phone, turning it on and opening your messenger. You opened a familiar blue turtle's contact, sending a few messages.
hey
i cant sleep
can u come over?
You stared at the messages, waiting for a reply. Sure, it was late, but you knew Leo well enough to know he was probably still awake.
It didn't take long for you to get a reply.
yup, on my way
Not long after that, you saw a blue flash outside of your window and heard a quiet yet familiar pattern of tapping on the glass.
You got out of bed, walked over to the aperture, unlocked it, and pushed it open to let the blue-clad mutant turtle inside.
"Hey." He greeted.
"Hi..." You greeted back.
"You alright?" He asked, putting a gentle hand on the side of your arm.
"Yeah, just... tense, I guess..." You replied, your voice almost a whisper. "Could you—I dunno... stay here for the night?" You asked.
"Yeah, of course." He patted you on the arm and gave you a smile, that same dashing, charming smile you grew to love. You found yourself smiling back at him.
You walked back over to your bed, lying down and leaving room for Leo to lie beside you. The two cuddled up close, your face smooshed against the solid, slightly curved firmness of Leo's plastron. You sat there quietly for a moment, listening to the soft beat of Leo's heart, already feeling calmer than you were before.
"So..." Leo started, his voice a soft rumble in his chest that reverberated through your skull. "Why couldn't you sleep? Bad dreams, or...?"
You shook your head. "No... just..." You sighed, shifting your position slightly. "I dunno... just– like– ugh..." You gently banged your head against Leo's chest.
"Words hard?" He asked, running a three-fingered hand through your hair.
You nodded against him, sighing in exasperation. "Yeah..." You mumbled, your voice muffled slightly due to your face being pressed against Leo as it was. "I'm just... paranoid, I guess..."
"Ah..." Leo hummed in acknowledgement, continuing the gentle motion of petting your head. "So you needed your extraordinarily handsome and incredibly brave boyfriend to come and save you from your fears! I see, I see, hermose~" He teased, lightly poking your cheek.
You chuckled, gently swatting his hand away and rolling your eyes. "Yeah, yeah... whatever you wanna tell yourself..." You remarked, snide yet teasing and lighthearted, the words having no real bite behind them.
Leo snickered, leaning down to nuzzle his beak against the top of your head, pressing a kiss there. He cupped your face, tapping his thumbs against your cheeks. You let your eyes flutter shut. The gesture was soothing, calming. It smoothed out your frayed nerves and evened out your thoughts into a blissful, serene path.
It was nice, just being here in his arms, not having to think or worry about anything… Of course, you were still a little bit on edge, but you felt a lot better just having him here. A little bit of calm in the wake of the storm. It was so easy to just let go. He was magic like that.
The two of you sat in silence for what felt like an eternity, the only sound being the quiet, rhythmic wisping of your breaths. You felt yourself drift in and out of consciousness, Leo’s hands found their way back to the back of your head and the nape of your neck, petting gently. The soft brushes of his fingers against your hair and skin both relaxed and roused you, each caress slowly shooing away more and more of your fears and dread.
You felt safe.
You were safe. With him. Always.
You didn’t have to worry so much. At least not now.
After all…
Leon’s got you.