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It had been a while since you’d had a night like this. The darkness of the apartment felt oppressive, the quiet thick enough to cut through. Even your softest pajamas and a mug of tea wasn't enough to ease the anxiety roiling just beneath the surface.
You're not sure exactly what triggered it this time, the insomnia that had been eating at you the last few days. Work hadn't been any more difficult than usual, the bills were paid, your partner loved you. Yet that pit in your stomach didn't let up. It gnawed at the edges of your consciousness like a caged animal, and when you tried to sleep? It woke with a vengeance that refused to let you rest.
Part of you suspected it was, at least partially, due to Tokoyami's long hours. He'd worked almost every night for the last couple of weeks. Normally you could handle the empty bed, knowing that you'd wake in the morning to his arms wrapped around you. But it had been so long since you'd been able to spend any real time together that familiar old doubts had started reemerging from the prison you thought you'd locked them in.
He met you in college. Well, you were in college, he'd been invited by one of your professors to speak along with a couple other heroes your age. You were immediately drawn to him, not just because he was unnecessarily attractive, but he had this calming presence you'd never experienced from someone before.
Somehow, once the lecture concluded, you worked up the courage to talk to him - introducing yourself and thanking him for the work he did. His response was polite, measured in a way only people with media training managed. Despite the fluttering in your stomach, you continued, noting how impressive it was that he was able to work with his Quirk rather than just trying to control it.
That was got his attention. You'd just met, and somehow, you’d managed to reach straight to the heart of him without even trying. He gave you his number before he left, leaving the next move up to you.
It took a full week before you finally felt confident enough to message him. His response was immediate, and that alone was enough to ease the knot in your chest.
Texting turned to phone calls, phone calls to dates, and dates into a relationship that was as easy as breathing. You understood each other in a way that no one else had before. Sure, you had your fights, every couple does. But you worked through them, together.
It was only once you began spending the nights with one another that he learned the true extent of your struggles with sleep.
A night owl himself (pun intended), Tokoyami hadn't thought much of it when he would hear from you late into the night and early mornings. Until he remembered your schedule wasn't the same as his. When he would spend the night at your apartment, or you at his, he'd notice the when you had difficulty sleeping - how your body would exhaust itself but your mind ran in circles, never resting.
He'd asked about it eventually, curious and worried over your wellbeing. You tried your best to explain it, how sometimes your brain just wouldn't shut off, running through the list of everything real and imaginary you should be worried about. Or how sometimes, your body and mind were both exhausted, but the frantic beat of your heart made your throat feel tight and refused to let your eyes shut.
After that, he worked with you however he could to ease your worries. He helped you develop an evening routine, made sure to ask questions and check in when you'd been quiet for too long, and looked, really looked when you tried to say you were fine.
Slowly, you were finally managing to sleep better. Still not great, not always consistent, but better - enough that you could feel the difference in your mental health and motivation.
Yet here you were, huddled up on the couch with a blanket draped across your lap as steam drifted lazily from the mug clutched to your chest. You didn't cry, you weren't angry or upset, you felt numb, hollow. Exhaustion tugged at your eyelids, but your mind refused to let them close. Instead, you had your phone propped up on your leg, soft music drifted from the speaker under the tv as you scrolled.
One post after another - some made you chuckle, a few brought old friends to mind. But most of them felt too pointed, like somehow the late-night algorithm knew exactly what kinds of posts to show in order to feed that nagging beast in your mind. Your chest felt tight, your stomach doing little nauseating tumbles every time another post felt too much like a call out. It felt like you were underwater, the world around you slightly muffled and dull.
Maybe that was why you didn't notice when the door opened, or when he called your name softly into the dimly light apartment.
"Dove?"
A gentle hand on your shoulder brought you back to the present like a breath of fresh air.
"Fumikage? I didn't think you'd be home yet," your voice sounded tired, even to your own ears.
"It's been a long few weeks, I wanted to come home early..." he trailed off, sharp gaze taking in the darkness beneath your eyes and the tense set of your shoulders.
Turning with a short hum he disappeared down the hall.
"Wait! Fumikage, where are you going?" A confused scowl creased between your brows.
Just as you were setting your mug aside to follow him, he reappeared with looked to be every pillow and blanket the pair of you owned.
A muffled, "Wha-" is all you managed to get out before he dropped the armload half onto you and half onto the cushion beside you. Letting out a quiet chuckle, you pushed the blankets aside to see what he was doing.
Strong hands gripped the ottoman to pull it against the couch. He flipped up the cushions, quickly securing the stray seat to the couch frame before shutting them both and freeing you from the blankets still weighting you down.
"Love, what are you doing?"
"Hmm? I'm making a nap nest," there was no hesitation to his tone, like it should have been obvious from the beginning.
"A nap nest?" Another soft chuckle slipped from your lips while warmth filled your chest.
With a sharp nod, he finished arranging the final blanket and climbed into the middle of the cozy 'nest.'
A surprised squeak left you when one of his arms wrapped around your back and the other beneath your legs, easily hauling you into his lap.
"You haven't been sleeping, dove?"
The solid beat of his heart against your cheek quickly soothed the tension that still held tight in your chest. You shook your head before responding, taking the opportunity to snuggle deeper into his hold.
"Not really," the soft sound of defeat layered over every word. "I don't know what's wrong with me. I just can't see to be able to turn everything off long enough to get more than a couple hours of sleep."
Silence enveloped the two of you in a warm embrace. Just having him home again was enough to begin easing the anxiety plaguing your mind.
"I'm sorry," the words came out lower than a whisper, shame burning your cheeks.
You felt his head shake as his hold on you tightened, "Never apologize for this. There’s nothing wrong with you, the mind is a fickle beast."
His forehead fell to rest against your hair, warm breath tickling your face.
"I will be home the next few days," you opened your mouth to protest but he didn't give you the chance. "I already had the time off."
There was a pause - your eyelids felt heavy as sleep finally began to trickle in.
"I missed you." His words were quiet, full of love and adoration. Though your limbs felt like they weighed more than they should, you lifted one arm to rest against his chest.
"Missed you too."
He waited until your breathing evened out before he adjusted your positions into something a little more comfortable. In the process, one of the blankets fell to the floor.
Before he could even sigh about the inconvenience, a dark black-purple shadow extended from him to scoop it up - gently laying it over the two of you.
"Thank you, Dark Shadow," his own eyes drifted shut, falling into the sweet embrace of sleep.
Dark Shadow hovered for a moment, yellow eyes studying the scene before him. The shadow creature had always like you, he appreciated the respect you showed him and Fumikage. Seeing the two of you now just solidified that affection he always felt flowing from Tokoyami.
Without a word, Dark Shadow draped himself over the two of you, using his form as another layer of warmth to shield you both from the world beyond.