Prompt: Saying "I love you" while they're sleeping/unconscious/in coma. You know well that they can't hear you, but a small part of you hopes they did

Riven laid awake in bed staring at the ceiling. Beside him, Musa slept soundly. He envied her and her ability to drift off so easily. Sleep had never come easily to him: As a kid, it was listening to his mother fight with whatever boyfriend she had that week that kept him up; After she'd abandoned him, it was the fear of something happening to him while he slept on the streets or in the orphanage; Once Saladin had come into his life, it was discomfort in being in a strange bed in such a grand home; His first year at Red Fountain, a mix of anxiety and Timmy's insufferable snoring; His second year at Red Fountain was plagued by guilt, nightmares and insomnia; Third year was more nightmares and insomnia, phantom chest pains and worry.

Tonight, it was different.

Since they'd joined the girls on Earth, his nights had been just as unbearable. Worry that the Black Circle would hurt Musa (and the others, he would add as an afterthought) had been the first problem to keep him up at night, but that was soon replaced by a demon – in his eyes, anyways – of far worse caliber. The demon came in the form of a forty-year-old man with shiny blond hair and far too friendly a face. Jason Queen. Mainly, Jason Queen and the way he looked at Musa. And maybe the way she responded to his attention.

Riven loathed to admit that maybe he had overreacted, but maybe he had. He couldn't help it. His relationship with Musa was one of the best things to happen to him, and Jason was a threat to it. His brilliant, beautiful girlfriend was a big dreamer – something he'd never dared to let himself be – and she wanted great things. If he could have, he would have given her the world – all of her dreams and desires, and so much more – but he couldn't; he was just one kid with no power or money to help her. All he could do was support her – and he'd let his jealousy get in the way of that.

Musa had been furious about his actions. He couldn't blame her for breaking up with him, he would have too. Her words – especially the break in her voice when she'd told him that if she didn't have his support, he didn't have her – replayed in his mind on an endless loop, haunting him.

Seeing her every day at work had been torture. He had always loved watching her sing. He had always loved watching her, period, but she was extra beautiful when she was doing what she loved. Before Jason Queen, he would meet her at the edge of the stage with a drink – water, tea, whatever she wanted – and kiss her, proudly showing the world that the magnificent woman that had graced their ears and eyes moments ago was his. He couldn't do that when she wanted him as far from her as physically possible.

But not anymore.

They'd made up once Riven started to get the over himself. And – with Nabu and Helia's help – he'd managed to get another chance, and this time he wasn't fucking it up. Having to open up and admit his fears to her had been the most terrifying thing he'd ever done, but it was worth it because she was now sleeping happily by his side in his bed.

Riven turned to his side to face her. She drooled when she slept soundly. She denied it, but she did. He'd been in this situation many times – him, wide awake, and her, fast asleep. Watching her had helped ease the worries and demons, so he'd ended up spending a lot of time admiring her, memorizing her. After two years, it still astounded him that she wanted him; that, to quote her, [he] was the only one for her.

No one will ever compare to you, Riven. That was what she'd said. The words he'd been holding back since the day of her concert at Red Fountain had almost come out. He'd gotten tripped up after the I, though, and the words eventually faded and gave way to I'm really happy to have you back. Musa had smiled and Riven had forgotten about it when her lips met his.

But now it was the middle of the night and even though he was happy, the moment still lingered at the back of his mind. He could have told her, and he was pretty sure that it wouldn't have scared her away. But what if she had, his insecurities shouted in his mind. He wouldn't say it; he couldn't risk it.

"I love you, Musa" Riven whispered as he brushed a stray hair out of her face, thankful that the night let him get the words out.

Musa mumbled something that he couldn't understand and, for a moment, Riven thought she had woken up and heard. After his heart stopped hammering in his chest, he found himself wishing that she had. If she knew, the pressure of saying it would be gone.

He whispered the words over and over again, learning the way they felt on his lips. He said them until words he'd never told anyone except his grandmother (and not since she passed when he was six) felt natural. And then, with the words lingering in the space between them, he fell asleep determined to tell her once morning came.