Double-Stuffed Leoreo's

Nightmares

You awake to your fiance tossing and turning in bed next to you. It's not completely unusual for him to have a bad dream and for you to have to wake him up and pull him out of it. Usually, it's a dream about something silly that bothers him and it doesn't take long for him to calm down and fall back asleep. You're distracted from your thoughts as he thrashes around in bed beside you.

"Leorio. Leorio, honey," You gently shake his shoulder, trying to wake him up without startling him too much. 

This proves fruitless as he continues to toss and turn more violently than before. You shake him a little bit harder, calling out to him in a louder voice, "Leorio, it's just a dream. Wake up."

No response, however, you can tell he's having a nightmare by the sweat dripping down his forehead and the tormented expression on his face.

"Wake up! Leorio, wake-!"

He shoots up in bed, panting loudly while he tries to catch his breath. He clutches his chest with his hand as his chest heaves up and down. Tears stream down his cheeks as he chokes out, "Was it-was it just a dream...?"

"Yes, it was just a nightmare," You watch him with concern as his body trembles violently, "Leorio, are you okay?"

"Y-yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry about me, (Y/N)," He flashes you a blinding smile that doesn't fully reach his eyes.

No matter what, Leorio always tries to put on a brave face to reassure everyone around him. You can't help but find this very selfless of him. You wrap your arm around his shoulder in a reassuring manner, "I always worry about you, Leorio, and nothing is going to change that."

"I'm fine. It wasn't real, anyway," He says through sniffles.

Your heart breaks at the sight of this, and you pull him into a soothing hug, allowing him to cry onto your chest. You run your hands through his hair calmingly, pressing a soft kiss to the top of his head, "It's okay, Leorio. You don't have to act tough for me. Cry it out. You know it will help."

He's still adamant about crying, but your soothing touch and hushed words of reassurance are enough for him to let all of his emotions out. He sobs, rather loudly, into your chest for a long time before his cries slowly die out, and you only hear a few sniffles instead. 

He finally lifts his head up so he can meet your eyes, his voice coming out hoarse, "Thank you, (Y/N). You really are the best."

"Don't thank me. You would do the same for me," You reply to him with a reassuring smile. You note the red tear stains on his cheeks and bloodshot eyes, "Do you want to talk about it?"

He looks away, hesitant to speak about it, "I don't know... I don't want to bother you."

You take his hand in yours and bring it up to your lips, pressing a soft kiss to the back of it, "It's no bother at all. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, but I do think it'll help. No matter what, I'm always here for you."

He lets out a deep breath before a small smile forms on his face, "You always know just what to say," He looks forward with a distant look in his eyes as he begins telling you about his nightmare, "I've told you about Pietro before, right?"

You nod, gently squeezing his hand, "Yes. He was your childhood friend that died of an illness, wasn't he?"

"Yeah, that's him. He could have been easily cured with surgery, but we couldn't afford it..." He clenches his other hand into a tight fist as he recalls this painful memory, "If only we had more money and time," He shakes off this awful thought as he gets back on topic, "In my dream, we could afford the surgery, but he didn't make it through it and he kept haunting me..."

"I'm so sorry, Leorio. That sounds awful," You pull him into a tight hug, trying your best to comfort him, "It was only a nightmare, so don't stress about it too much."

"I know it was, but that doesn't change the fact that he still died," He says through clenched teeth.

You rub small circles into his back as you speak in a soft tone, "Yes, but it's not your fault. You're doing everything in your power to keep others from going through the same pain he did. You're doing great, Leorio, and I'm sure Pietro would be proud of you. I know that I am."

"Do you really mean that?" He asks you in disbelief as he glances up to meet your eyes.

You nod, allowing a warm and loving smile to form on your face, "Of course I do. Don't let this nightmare get to you, my love."

He lets out a relieved sigh, the tension in his muscles disappearing, "You're too good to me babe. Thank you. I don't know what I did to deserve you, but I'll never complain."

"You didn't need to do anything," You explain to him in a soothing tone, "Just being you is enough."

"I must be the luckiest man alive..." He allows himself to lean into your chest and you instantly pull him closer to him, "I love you so much, (Y/N)."

"I love you more, Leorio," You press a soft kiss to his hair as you hold him close to you, "Do you feel any better?"

He nods to this, letting out an enthusiastic, "Mhm!" He lets out a long yawn, prompting you to lay back into bed, still holding him flush against you. In a tired voice he asks you, "(Y/N), can you sing that one song I like?"

"You mean the one that I sing all the time?"

"That's the one. I think it'll help me fall back asleep," He says as looks up at you with pleading eyes.

You think about it for a moment, before easily giving in, "Alright, but only because I love you so much."

"That's what I like to hear!" He exclaims in response, making himself comfortable in your warm embrace.

You clear your throat as you try to recall all of the words to the song. Your hushed singing voice meets his ears as you softly sing the lyrics to the song in question. Leorio has heard you singing this song a couple of times while you were in the shower and he always compliments you when he hears your singing voice.

As you're nearing the end of the song, you notice the soft snoring coming from the man beside you. You watch him with loving eyes as he still holds you tightly, even in his sleep. You can't help but think that you're the lucky one in this relationship. This incredibly loving and caring man devotes so much time to you and it never goes unnoticed. You find yourself incredibly excited to finally marry this man. Your voice comes out hushed as you finish singing the song for him, even if he is already fast asleep.

"My lover, please stay with me."