Aaah this is so cute! Thank you for this anon! ^^
Summary: You convince Rollo to get some well needed sleep. Cuddles ensue.
(Pls reblog and leave a comment ❤)
In Your Grasp
The first thing that came to your mind when you laid eyes on Rollo Flamme was "wow, he needs some sleep."
It wasn't an unusual conclusion. Many people thought the same. The intense gaze of his dark green eyes were just as tired as it was intense. His posture and mannerisms, slow and lethargic as they were prim and proper.
Now, the both of you were dating. It was many months after the events of the masquerade and that thought hasn't changed.
Still, after all this time, the large bags under Rollo's eyes remained.
Rollo was a hard worker and a busybody who rarely gave himself a break. He often stayed up late or even all night in order to get whatever he wanted done, whether it be studying, homework, paperwork for his fellow students or chores.
You knew that he avoided going to bed because he struggled to sleep. He had told you once, during a quiet moment together, that simply laying there alone with his thoughts and nothing to distract him led to thinking about his brother, which in turn led to nightmares plaguing the few moments of sleep he did experience.
While you did sympathise with this, sitting on the edge of his bed watching him fight to stay awake and complete his work made you decide it was time to stop him.
"Rollo," You said softly, taking the paper from his hands. "Rollo you need to go to bed. It's late."
Your words were met with a huff and a dismissive hand wave. "I'm not tired. You should go to bed now, though."
"Not tired? Rollo, look at yourself. You're about to keel over. You drifted off at least twice."
At Rollo's silent, almost disbelieving stare, you sighed. "Let me stay here with you tonight. We can lie together until you fall asleep."
There was a moment were Rollo didn't react, his tired brain taking a pause to process your words. When it did, his eyes widened and his cheeks turned pink.
"T-Together?" He stammered. "My flame, I-I am not sure about that."
"Don't worry about it," You assured him smiling. "It'll be nice. Besides." You gestured to his large bed tucked into the corner of the room. "There's plenty of space so we won't annoy each other."
Rollo, still pink, looked at you, then at the bed, then his work and then at you again. He gazed at the paper in your hands, squinting.
The words looked blurry. His head was fuzzy. His eyes hurt. He felt heavy.
"Alright," He relented with a sigh. "Let me get ready and I'll... I'll join you in a few minutes."
You, already in your pajamas, sighed in relief and gently kissed his cheek. "I'll be waiting for you." You said, moving to nestle under the blankets.
Rollo set his work aside and and began to get ready for bed, his cheeks burning a much brighter red at the thought of sharing a bed with you.
He blinked, staring to the mirror as he removed his make up, a million flustered thoughts whirling through his mind.
Sleeping... together? In the same bed? Next to you and your warm soft self? You, likely to sleep far more fitfully than he ever would?
Surely, you would rather sleep in your own bed? The one you were familiar with in feeling, scent and comfort? Your room wasn't far from his, it wasn't a long trip and he could walk with you.
Rollo was standing next to his bed in his pajamas before his mind caught up with him and the flustered thoughts began to dissipate.
Still red and unsure, he simply stood there with his hands at his sides and his eyebrows furrowed, looking between you and his bed.
After two excruciating minutes, Rollo carefully lifted the black, royal purple and wine red covers and climbed in next to you. He was stiff and awkward in his movement, biting his lip almost as if he was embarrassed.
He lay in his back, and stared at the dark ceiling with exhausted dark green eyes. Stubbornly, they refused to shut long enough to let him sleep, flying open at the images that would flash behind his eyelids.
Alone, in the oppressive silence of his room, images of his brother and Rollo's own failure to rip magic from the world dominated his psyche, making his breath catch in his throat and his mouth open in a silent gasp.
No... no that wasn't quite right. He wasn't alone. You were right next to him, huddled under the blankets and facing towards.
"Mon chéri," Rollo began before he could stop himself. "May we... talk? Please?"
Please. Anything to fill the dreadful silence weighing down on him, suffocating him. Please please please please please-
"Sure," You said, and he could hear the smile in your voice. "What do you want to talk about?"
"Anything." It took every bit of willpower Rollo had to avoid sounding as desperate as he felt. "I don't mind."
He could feel your gaze, brimming with concern, burning into you.
"Why don't you tell me about your day?" You asked after a pause. "I remember you looked like you wanted to throttle someone earlier. Who was the poor fool this time?"
Rollo let out a breath and rolled his eyes. "Today was... fine. Things were going smoothly despite that idiot Solomon's best efforts. It's impossible to get anything done when he's always glued to his phone..."
His voice flowed into the silence and was soon joined by yours. You shifted from one topic to another, talking about anything and everything. Rollo hung onto your every word, and you returned the gesture.
Slowly, Rollo shifted closer to you, pressing against you and taking hold of your hand in a tight grip. You wrapped your arm around him and his stiff body relaxed a little, comforted by your touch.
It was late when you realised Rollo had stopped speaking. You looked to your side to find him resting his head on your shoulder, eyes closed and chest gently rising and falling.
You smiled at the sight and gently kissed the top of his head.
"Goodnight, Rollo." You murmured. Your own eyes slid shut and slowly the world began to fade away.
Gentle golden beams of sunlight filtering through the curtains caused your eyes to flutter open and blink away the sleep.
Stiff and uncomfortable, you tried to turn over and stretch, only to find you couldn't move. Something heavy was weighing you down.
It took a few moments, but your tired mind eventually registered that it was in fact Rollo keeping you pinned on your side.
Rollo had his face buried in your neck and his arms wrapped around you as tightly as possible. His legs were tangled with yours, the position ensuring he was pressed as tightly against you as possible, holding you as if he were afraid you would disappear.
Despite your discomfort, you hadn't the heart to move him. He looked serene, a rare expression to see on his face. You chuckled and gently threaded your fingers through his short white hair, kissing his temple.
......................................
A/N: I hope you enjoyed! I got excited writing this, so it'd about 1k words in length urugututur
