Work Text:
you woke up covered in sweat, sitting up slowly as your eyes filled with tears. another nightmare. you slumped over, burying your face in your hands as you trembled, reliving everything in your dream again. you were eternally grateful that it was only a dream and none of it really happened, but that didn't take away from the pain it had caused you.
it was nothing new. you've dealt with these nightmares for years; you just had to wait until you could fall asleep again.
but... as you took a shaky, deep breath and felt awareness return to your body a bit more, you realized you weren't home. you're not in your small, lonely apartment. you're at zayne's place. you wiped your eyes and sniffled, calming yourself a bit in order to clear your mind.
you've been dating zayne for a couple of months, but you haven't exactly gone to him for help with things like this before. sure, he's seen you in a bad state in the past, as he was somewhat there for you after the explosion. but you had never gone to him for emotional support before. it wasn't for a lack of trust; you have and would trust the doctor with your life. you just... didn't know how to go about it.
you had long since seen through his cold exterior, and you knew he would be kind to you. it's only that having someone there for you was a privilege you were unaccustomed to. but you knew he would want you to ask, and so you shoved any thoughts of burdening him out of your mind and shakily stood up from bed.
zayne was staying up late to finish some work for the hospital. he told you this before you decided to stay over, but you had asked if you could stay anyway. it just felt so much safer here. you padded your way through his apartment in socked feet, and took another shaky breath before timidly knocking on the door to his study. it didn't take long to hear a reply from his soft voice.
"come in,"
you felt a bit pitiful, and you knew you looked the part when zayne immediately put down his work and gazed at you with concern from his seat on the sofa.
"darling? what's the matter?"
you walked over to him on wobbly legs before he could get up himself, sitting down on the couch beside him and pressing your face against his shoulder. "i don't want to be alone," your voice wavered as you tried to hold back more tears. "please, can i stay?"
zayne was taken aback for a moment by your sudden vulnerability, but he quickly adjusted. "of course," he whispered, wrapping an arm around your back to guide you into his lap. "come here."
he gently pressed your head into the crook of his neck, taking care of the decision-making for you. grateful and exhausted, you went boneless in his lap, no longer restraining your tears. you felt them soak into his soft sweater as he started to slowly rub his hand up and down your back, his other arm wrapped securely around your waist.
"you're alright. i'm here." he murmured, your trembling slowly beginning to fade. "was it a nightmare?"
you nodded, wrapping your arms around him tightly. zayne didn't flinch, no matter how hard you squeezed him: unceasing and rock solid yet so warm, the perfect pillar of support.
"do you want to talk about it?" he prompted softly. you shook your head no.
"that's alright," he hummed, pressing a soft kiss to your neck. "do you want to stay here while i work, or do you need me in bed with you?"
your heart squeezed. the offer alone meant so much to you, for him to so easily prioritize you over his work. but you were perfectly happy staying in his lap, and you told him so. he nodded and reached to the side to grab a fluffy blanket, draping it over your back.
"sleep," zayne's hand returned to rubbing your back, even as he redirected his focus to his laptop. he had no qualms about typing with one hand for a little while. "i'll carry you to bed when i'm finished. you won't be alone tonight."
you tucked your face further into the crook of his neck, already starting to doze to the soothing, rhythmic sound of him typing. the nightmare is the furthest thing from your mind as you drift off; your mind, instead, consumed with how much love your boyfriend had for you. wrapped in your lover's warm embrace, you slept.