Ryan had never been able to sleep very well. One of the first things Gavin noticed when they first moved in together was the way Ryan would always sit up in bed with his laptop or phone instead of trying to get to sleep. He hadn't assumed it was a great deal. Well, that was until one night he woke up at five AM needing a drink, only to find his sleepy-looking boyfriend curled up with a blanket and his laptop on the couch.
"Ry, what're you doin' awake?" Gavin asked, his voice slurring a little bit as he fought back a yawn.
"Just finishing off editing this video." Ryan replied without taking his eyes off the luminous screen perched on his lap.
"How long've you been up?" He asked as he rubbed at his eyes, shuffling over to where Ryan was sat cross-legged on the couch and sitting down next to him.
"Uh… Not long." Ryan said, ducking his head when even he noticed how obvious his lie was.
"You haven't even slept, have you?" Gavin asked, his brow furrowing slightly as he observed the lethargic look on his boyfriend's face. His hair was disheveled, his eyes looked tired and he was slouched over at his computer. Ryan shook his head, letting the blanket slip down from where he had it wrapped around his shoulders as Gavin took Ryan's laptop from him, setting it down carefully on the ground and pulling Ryan into a warm hug.
"I couldn't sleep." Ryan admitted finally, the confession almost painful as he forced the words out.
"Why not?" Gavin asked quietly, letting Ryan curl into his side as he rested his head on Gavin's bare chest.
"I've got insomnia. I'm almost out of meds and I wanted to save them for when it's really bad then I can get my prescription renewed." Ryan confessed, his voice even quieter than before. Gavin just hugged him tighter and rubbed a hand up and down his back comfortingly.
"You should have told me, love. I would have stayed up with you." Gavin said and Ryan relaxed a bit upon hearing the words.
Two weeks after that conversation, Gavin had accompanied Ryan on his trip to the doctor's to get some more medication for his insomnia. The pills definitely worked because instead of sleeping two or three hours a night (sometimes even forgoing sleep altogether), he'd actually manage to get a decent six or seven hours, sometimes he'd even get a solid eight hours of rest. Even if it did take him a while to fall asleep, he wasn't waking up as frequently as he used to which was a good sign.
But one night when Ryan and Gavin had fallen into bed, completely shattered after a long day at work, Ryan just knew that tonight was going to be one of those nights. No matter how comfortable he got or how tired he felt, he just wasn't going to fall asleep.
He tried to move quietly as he began to slip out of bed, intent on sitting down on the couch downstairs and getting some extra editing done. He was stopped suddenly, however, when he heard Gavin shuffling in the bed next to him.
"Can't sleep?" Gavin asked, his soft gaze comforting even in the dim light of the bedroom. Ryan shook his head, slightly embarrassed, but he smiled when Gavin shifted so he could sit up in the bed, patting the spot next to him in invitation for Ryan to sit next to him. "I'll keep you company."
"Sure." Ryan replied and he smiled as he crawled over the bed so he could sit next to Gavin, leaning into him comfortably and resting one arm over Gavin's shoulders.
"Wanna play some Halo?" Gavin asked, reaching over to the bedside table for the TV remote and Xbox controller when Ryan nodded in agreement.
They played online against strangers for at least an hour or so, Ryan kicking ass and taking names with his sniper rifle while Gavin manned the Warthog he drove the pair of them around in. Well, that was until he accidentally blew it up, killing both of them with a stray grenade Gavin didn't throw far enough.
They chatted and entertained each other as they played, only putting the controllers down and switching off the TV when Gavin was beginning to struggle to concentrate on the screen for he was so tired. Instead, Ryan pulled Gavin close, pressing soft kisses along the exposed skin of his neck and cheek until he smothered his face in the mess of Gavin's hair.
Gavin snuggled into the warm embrace of Ryan's arms, finding himself content to talk endlessly to keep himself awake. The conversation shifted from something normal, like the next arcade game coming out next month that they were both looking forward to, to something slightly more obscure, like why the colour of a cat didn't actually depend on what the parents looked like, until it was just Ryan chuckling softly and attempting to answer and explain the oddities Gavin's tired mind was curious about.
Ryan was half way through explaining the purpose of toes and why it would be a poor decision to have them removed when he caught a glance at the clock. It was 3:45 and Gavin had done something that no one else had done; he'd actually stayed awake just to keep Ryan company whilst his insomnia prevented him from sleeping.
Fuck, he was so lucky to have Gavin, he may act like an asshole occasionally, but he really was a big softie when it came to the two of them and their relationship. Ryan was extremely proud of him, he knew Gavin wasn't going to last much longer, no matter how hard he tried to keep himself from slipping into sleep. But just the sheer fact that he had tried purely because he wanted to make Ryan happy was what left Ryan with a feeling of being the luckiest person to ever live.
Ryan continued to run a hand through Gavin's hair, feeling the temptation of sleep finally take Gavin at about 4am, leaving Ryan tired but unable to sleep.
He stayed awake, contemplating what good things he must have done in a previous life to deserve a boyfriend as loving as Gavin, for another hour and forty-five minutes until he finally fell asleep, his hand stilling in Gavin's hair but their bodies still comfortably curled up against one another.