Sleep (Levi X Reader)

~A/N: Please Listen As You Read! It Sets The Mood Rather Well! www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDDYCT…







Exhaustion.

Restlessness.

The two were a dreadful combination.

To be weary and fatigued to the point of not being able to function at all, yet the constant worries and anxieties swirling in your mind would keep your head buzzing in an cognizant state. Despite longing for nothing more but to close your eyes and drift off into the peaceful wonderland of your dreams, you were left staring blankly at the dull ceiling looming above your head. Tossing and turning made no difference, even if you were the most comfortable you had been in years, you'd remain gazing blankly into the barren space around you.

Filled with envy, you were, of how your lover dozed so soundlessly by your side. Admittedly, he didn't sleep much either, but at least he had a moment of tranquility when his thoughts weren't chasing him down into a dark tunnel, or drowning him in a murky swamp of reflection and speculations. His dark onyx-raven locks sprawled over his forehead against his elegantly pale skin, and his thin brows had relaxed to a content state. All of the tension in his features had disappeared, there was nothing left but a teeming serenity. The moonlight filtering in through the window illuminated the shadowed contours of his visage ever so gracefully, and you couldn't help but silently stare in awe. Yet your jealousy of his complacency compelled you to slowly sit up from your position on the plush mattress, and swing your legs to the floor so your feet brushed over the chilled surface of the wood.

Quickly glancing over your shoulder to be sure your lover hadn't stirred during your movements, you swiftly grasped a thin blanket and draped in over your shoulders as you stood. A soft grunt left his form as he turned to the other side, burrowing himself deep inside the thick covers. Smiling at the action, you softly opened the door -making sure it didn't squeak- and stepped out from the bedroom. The main room contained more windows than the single one in the bedroom, something you personally found soothing, to see the stars illuminate the inky black sky with it's brilliance. With a soft sigh escaping your rosy lips, you wrapped the blanket tightly around yourself as you sat on the windowsill of one of the clear glass fixtures.

A few of your many thoughts muddled about in your mind. Worries, issues, memories, happy thoughts, sad thoughts, you name it. All of them tossed and turned in your head, in an everlasting cycle that forced your heart to beat at an erratic pace with all of the overwhelming emotions hitting you at once. Finally they began leaking out, trickling slowly down your smooth cheeks and staining the dark wood of the windowsill with its presence. A shaky breath poured from its imprisonment, escaping through your slightly agape mouth as your sparkling eyes rid themselves of everything they had kept pent up for so long. Your exhaustion and restlessness was finally getting to you.

Pulling the blanket closer to yourself, you clenched your jaw in attempt to stop the salty water droplets from trailing down your once content features. Although before you could will yourself to barricade your vulnerable heart, a touch ghosted over your shoulder, causing you to jolt before whipping around to meet a pair of ashen silver hues laced with concern despite the stoic features you had grown so accustomed to.

"Why're you crying?" his deep voice murmured, piercing the subtle silence and yet melting with it. His hands ran down your upper arms at a soothing methodical pace, brows slightly knitted together.

Eyes fleeting from his, they darted about the view outside of the glass. Your lips parted as you began to speak, but nothing came out except a few shaken breaths. Sensing your troubles, he bent down a bit to brush his lips over your temple as the pad of his thumb soothingly dragged across your tear-stained cheek. "You don't have to speak," he whispered, wrapping his strong arms about your shivering form.

You let out a serene sigh as you leaned back into his embrace, pinching your lips tightly together. "I don't know why..." you finally breathed against him. "I'm just... so tired, but I can't sleep... I feel oh so terribly confused and-and lonely and I don't know what to do with myself at this point. I'm just so exhausted," you said, shaking your head slowly as you shut your eyes.

Silence overcame the space around your huddled forms as he pondered on what to say next. "Well then... Let me help you sleep," he murmured. "And you can help me sleep too. It'll be a team effort," he added, sitting behind you on the windowsill so you could rest your back against his toned chest. "You don't have to be lonely or confused anymore."

"I don't know how to stop it," you whispered, resting your head against his shoulder as he encircled you into his embrace.

"Just sleep," he murmured. "Just sleep, I'll be here wide awake to help you if you wake up, alright?" You nodded slowly in agreement, allowing your eyelids to close.

And finally, after a few moments of doubt, you escaped into your peaceful wonderland of slumber while listening to the methodical pace of his heartbeat, the rising and falling of his chest, and the air he breathed out so steadily. He was your peace-maker, the only one that could calm you enough to take you to a secure place. And you knew he'd help you sleep whenever you asked.