Darkness was fast approaching. Already the stars were preparing for their midnight ball when you decided to head to bed for the night. The events of today—running away from a crazed cult, hiding out in the middle of nowhere, planning the fall of a major political figure—had left you in such a tired state and it was only going to get more chaotic from here on out. Might as well try to get some rest for the obstacles soon to come.

It was all but silent in the cabin that you were staying in for the time being, save for the rapid fire clicking of keyboard keys that bounced off the walls. You frowned; he was still hard at work, it seemed. You're not even sure if he moved from that spot ever since dinner. Which was, like, five hours ago.

You leaned against the back of his chair, looking over his shoulder at the monitor that lit up in neon greens and reds. Half of the screen didn't even make sense to you and you were sure you couldn't fathom just how much practice and intelligence hacking could take.

But it was then that you saw what reflected off the computer screen that tore your heart in two. Through the hazy screen, you could see the slight jerks of his head attempting to hold himself up, glazed over mint irises reflecting back at you.

It was time to take action.

He was startled by the sudden feeling of arms being wrapped around him from behind, his anxiety and paranoia kicking in and telling him that they were possibly found or worse. But the faint smell of your perfume brought him back to reality and he instinctively leaned into your arms, reveling in your warmth and comfort.

"Saeran," you said gently, tilting your head so you were staring down at him, "it's late. You need to sleep."

"I can't, my angel," was his reply. "I need to get this done for tomorrow." His eyes never left his screen, fingers never ceasing that incessant typing.

Your lips pulled down into a frown. "I know you do, but you've been working on it nonstop ever since we got here." You leaned down a little more to press a light, albeit awkward, kiss to his forehead. "You need to take care of yourself too, and that means allowing yourself to rest."

"Actually…it doesn't matter whether I sleep or not."

That response caught you by surprise and you pulled away from the chair to give him a questioning look. Not that he noticed; his eyes still remained glued to his laptop. "I keep having these annoying dreams," he sighed, reaching up to rub at his tired eyes before continuing, still typing away, "so in the end, I'm just more exhausted by the time I wake up—if I sleep at all, that is. Besides, I've never needed much sleep before in the past. But you do. So please, don't worry about me and go ahead to bed, my love."

You could only stare at the back of the chair in awe, not sure which emotion registered first: heartbreak…or heartbreak. You were pretty sure it was heartbreak. But you knew there wasn't much you could do; this man had been through hell and back—literally—and it wasn't like you could magically poof his troubles away. No matter how badly you wanted to. Yet, at the same time, you also wanted to give him even a slice of solace if you were able to.

Saeran was still typing away at his laptop and codes when he felt his chair spin around. He was met with your eyes falling on his figure, studying him intently. It was even worse than you thought. He looked paler than normal, deep, dark circles outlining his hazy eyes. And when you tried to hold eye contact, you found that his eyes flitted around a lot, almost as if he was trying to avoid your gaze. Or just trying to keep himself awake.

The poor boy looked like he was about to fall apart any second now from over exhaustion.

This needed to stop.

"Saeran," you said, more firmly this time. Your hand wrapped around his wrist, pulling it away from the keyboard. He froze, turning to finally meet your eyes, and gave you a bewildered expression. Even then you could tell that he was still having trouble focusing on you. You only gave a sweet smile in return and lifted his wrist up to your lips, pressing a soft kiss there before continuing. "Come to bed with me tonight."

"What?"

"You heard me. Come to bed with me tonight." You gently tugged on his wrist and he instinctively followed your movements, rising from his seat and trailing after you as you guided him towards the bedroom.

"Wait, wait, MC—" he stuttered, clearly embarrassed. "You really don't have to care for me…you don't…!" But before he could continue that thought, he was staring into your eyes, your hands resting gently gripping his forearms as you looked him in the eye.

"Saeran…though we left Mint Eye, you still haven't gotten a wink of sleep, have you?" He was stunned into silence. How did you know?

Wait. It was you, he was talking about. Of course you'd notice.

He continued to only stare, watching as you moved closer to him and rested your head against his chest, again embracing him like earlier. You were so soft, so warm to the touch. But it was your next words that cause his whole body to be enveloped in that warmth, spreading from the tips of his toes to the blush that gradually grew on his face.

"Listen, Saeran," you mumbled into his chest, snuggling him, "If…if you had a bad dream, if you're scared, or if you ever want to be comforted…please, never hesitate to wake me up." You squeezed your arms around him in reassurance, pulling back to look into his eyes, nothing but worry and concern for this man. But Saeran also noted how your eyes were sparkling like the stars outside, radiating that gentle hearth of love and kindness that he always associated with you. "It's okay if you can't sleep at first. It's okay if you need someone. But just know that I will always be here for you, forever and always. So please, feel free to rely on me too, okay?"

You watched him closely, heart dropping as tears began to glisten at the corner of his eyes. You briefly wondered if you pushed him a little too much for his comfort. That was the last you ever wanted to do, after all. But that thought was immediately dismissed by the way that he cradled you back against his chest, resting his head against your shoulder as he enveloped you tightly in his arms. You noted the way he was trembling slightly, along with what you were pretty sure were tears falling against your skin. You reached a hand up and carded it through his hair, pressing a kiss to the side of his head as you returned his embrace.

You two stayed like this, him holding onto you and you running your hand gently through his hair. After a while, he spoke up. "Is that…" His voice was a whisper; you almost had to strain yourself to hear him. "Is that…really okay? With you?" You felt him shift a little as he clutched onto you more tightly than before. If that was even possible.

"Of course," was your immediate answer. There was no room for debate on this matter. You would always stay by his side. "Of course it's okay. I love you so much."

You pulled away from him to again grab his arm and lead him the rest of the way to the bedroom. The both of you sat on the mattress, you moving first to lay down and settle under the covers. You then opened your arms wide, looking at him with a patient and encouraging smile, as he slowly but surely shuffled towards you and laid down next to you. It was then that you pulled him closer, resting his head against your chest as you pressed your cheek against the top of his hair. You began to stroke those fluffy white locks of his, humming a soft tune in hopes of it helping to lure him to sleep.

He was tense at first, but after a while, he began to relax in your embrace. And before you knew it, you could faintly hear his soft, rhythmic breathing against you. You gave him a soft smile, pressing a kiss to his forehead. This only earned you an unconscious nuzzle on his part, and you almost had to stop yourself from giggling or melting from how adorable he was.

The minutes ticked by, the stars continuing their waltz across the sky. You felt your eyelids grow heavier and heavier, subconsciously drifting shut. Your last thoughts before you finally joined your sweet ice cream prince in Dreamland were filled with nothing but wishes to the universe for him to one day be able to rest without the darkness threatening him.

'I hope that someday, you'll be able to finally rest well, Saeran. Because you truly deserve it…'

And with that final hope, your eyes drifted shut and all was serene in the galaxy.