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The words were impossible to read. Every time you started a new sentence, you would go back and re-read it again. Your eyes burned, not from the strain at the small font, but from how exhausted you truly were.
You drop the book back against your thighs, the hard leather smacking the sheets. It startles Adrian awake, opening his golden eyes. His face immediately painted with concern, eyebrows raised. He raises his head from the pillow to meet your head level, blonde curls dangling over his bare chest and the shared comforter.
As he’s about to voice his worries to you, your mouth releases a sigh, and you throw your head back against the pillow that was propping you up. “I don’t know what I’m doing.”
He frowns at your words, understanding your frustrations. Using one of his hands he fluffs his pillow so it’s propped up like yours, the both of you laying parallel to each other. Under the sheets his leg presses against yours, a silent way to comfort you.
His golden eyes stare at the discarded book on your legs, then locked to yours.
“May I read to you? Your eyes need to rest too, my love.”
The lamp casts a soft hue in the room, even with your eyes shut, you can see the candlelight in the darkness. Keeping your eyes closed didn’t help. The front of your head ached, wrapping around the sides of your head. As much as your body was telling you to sleep; to close your eyelids and drift off, the burning sensation lingered, preventing you from relaxing.
The selfless part of you didn’t want to starve him of any rest either. You open your eyes, turning your head against the pillow so you’re facing him. “You don’t have to. You really should get some sleep.”
“Says you,” he teases, although his voice is absent of any humorous tone. “Please let me help you. Would a cup of tea help? A walk outside? Perhaps we could move to the guest bedroom – a different place might help.”
You close your eyes again, shaking your head slightly, the fluff of the pillow preventing you from exaggerating it more. You always appreciated how much Adrian cared for you, putting your wellbeing over his. But it wasn't his responsibility all the time. Not his problem that your mind cannot ever shut off the lights.
“Thank you but really, I promise you it’s okay.”
“It is not okay.”
Stuck in this situation, there’s nothing you can do. It would be a matter of time when your body would succumb to exhaustion, and you would wake up not more than a few hours later. The effects were obvious.There was no energy for you during the day, no interest in scouting the library for new books or adventuring the halls. Even at night, which is your favorite time to share with each other, you often sat in silence or made small talk instead of reading aloud to him. Your mind did not even let you read silently to yourself.
“I’ll fall asleep eventually. And we don’t have any major plans for tomorrow, right?” you smile softly at him, trying to look on the bright side. “As long as I’m with you, that’s all that matters.”
From this close, he can clearly see the darkness under your eyes. His eyebrows shift up, a small frown, his hand rubbing smooth circles on your skin. He moves his hand to your face, his palm gently cupping your face as his thumb massages your cheeks. He can feel the warmth radiate off it.
“I love you,” he says, and you swear you could get lost in his gaze forever.
“I love you too.”
His cold lips press to yours. You melt into it, closing your eyes and holding onto the side of his arms, a few strands of his blonde locks touching your fingers.
Before he can deepen the kiss even more, you pull back but instantly ask him a question. You didn’t want him to think you were uncomfortable or anything.
“Adrian,” you comb your fingers through the lower part of his curls. Sleeping beside him meant you would always get to mess around with his hair - but you choose to softly brush the locks. Such a small act that was incredibly intimate to him.
“Yes, my love?”
Taking an inhale of air through your lungs, you ask the one thing that could truly help you pass out. It’s not the healthiest method, but the both of you know it works. It will just take convincing him.
“Can– can you drink from me?”
His eyes widen for a brief second before relaxing, his face absent of any emotion. You expected an immediate disagreement, but you think he’s actually pondering.
“No.”
As expected; but you still feel the disappointment in your stomach. You didn’t get the chance to explain your reasoning, but his concern on your face makes you question if it's even worth trying.
“Adrian please-”
“Absoutely not.” He did not entertain the idea at all.
The lamp on the nightstand on his side of the bed suddenly becomes interesting to you. You couldn’t dare to stare him in the eye. You release a shaky breath, and pull away from him and return to laying on your back. The pillow felt relieving when you placed your head on it.
He joins you, laying back down, but he flips to his side so he directly faces you. He opens his mouth, and you were expecting another throwup of concern.
“Why?” he asks, and you meet his eyes, staring at how his eyebrows are clutched, truly curious on your reasoning for asking.
You swallow nervously. “A couple nights ago, it was right after we came home from the village. Remember when I got too lightheaded, and almost passed out?”
“I do,” he blinks, “is there a reason–” he stops mid sentence, realizing your intentions. “Y/N. This is not a good idea.”
“Please,” you were so eager for him to do this. “It’ll work. And you get too– you know. I owe you for keeping you up like this.”
“You do not need to repay me for taking care of you. I want none of that.”
You accept the defeat, your eyes staring down at the sheets. He notices your feelings, his hand placed on your arm to soothe you.
“We can think of something better. I am not drinking from you.” His voice was as gentle as ever and wrapped with concern. The both of you would end up talking until your body collapses from exhaustion, and you didn’t want that for him. It’s starting to affect him too, although he doesn’t require the same amount of rest as you, it still pains you to rob him of sleep. Perhaps you could open a window and watch the sunrise, like every other night; or maybe running off to the library.
“I understand. I’m sorry,” Your hands find the book again, which was abandoned somewhere on the sheets. Flipping to the page with the bent corner,, your eyes linger on the words, trying to absorb yourself from the story. Your eyes skim each sentence, making a mental picture of what's going on, but your brain stops, and you go back to reading the sentence. Again and again, just like before.
Adrian studies you. He always loves watching you do small things, although it breaks his heart the way your eyes glare at the page. He wishes he could take that frustration away from you. He thinks about stealing the book away and reading to you, but you give up shortly. You slam the book together and place it on your nightstand, hiding your face with your palms. Tears begin to prick at the corners of your eyes, not providing any relief to the pain in your eyes, and the pounding migraine.
“I’m just so tired,” a desperate plea, your voice squeaking. He instantly wraps his arms around you while you vent. “All I want is just a few hours– god, I’ll take just one,” you stop to catch a hiccup in your throat, the tears threatening to spill.
“Please don’t cry,” how tender his voice was could make you cry alone. One of his hands rubbed against your shoulder, while the other one slithered under your chest so he could spoon you. “Take a few deep breaths for me. Crying is going to keep you up longer.”
With your breath shakily you try to inhale, but it all comes out when your headache begins to throb even more. The lack of sleep is catching up not physically but mentally now; your mind just as tired as your body.
He holds you as you sob. At some point, you’ve shifted to clinging onto him with your face buried into his chest, his long curls providing cover from the soft hue of light in the room. He whispers sweet words of comfort to you with one of his hands rubbing your back. His chest is stained with your tears, but he pays no mind.
He gently shushes you, massaging your skin. “Shh, you’re safe. I have you.”
Slowly the tears stop, your sniffling coming to a pause. You continue to cling onto him as if letting go would kill you. Your breathing slowly levels, and for a short second, Adrian thinks you’ve succumbed to sleep – until you move your head and rest it on his shoulder.
“I’m sorry,” he says, “It truly hurts seeing you like this.” His finger goes and swipes a tear underneath your eye, and you close your eyes at the feeling of his touch. You stare into the darkness in your closed eyes, how nice it is to rest them, only unable to sleep. “I wish I could take it all away for you.”
You focus on his touch on your face, but your eyes dart open when he pulls away.
“Lay down for me,” he shifts so he’s on his side again, body creeping over yours, “Please.”
A little confused but you obliged, you rest your body completely straight flat on the bed. Using his arms he props himself up on his elbows so he’s sitting on his side.
“If this will help you rest,” his palm is on your shoulder, but fingers drag to the bottom of your neck, making you shiver, “Allow me to do this for you.”
Your stomach tingles with a mixture of nervousness and excitement– but you brush the feeling off, eagerly nodding. From how indifferent he was before, you check in one more time to make sure this was what he wanted. “Are you sure you’re okay with doing this?”
“Yes, my dear. I will do anything for you.”
You lean up to press your lips to his, your arms propping you up the best it can. He meets your kiss, lips still pressing as he lays you back down on the sheets, making you comfortable. As he pulls away, you're left catching your breath as his body cages you onto the mattress.
A gasp leaves your mouth as you feel his fangs tickle the side of your neck, making your heart pound. His touch on your skin suddenly became too hot. He presses a gentle kiss to your skin, his breath hot against the large vein in your neck. Your hands wrap around his shoulder, holding onto him for leverage.
His eyes meet yours one final time, his way of asking if you’re really comfortable doing this, and you give him a soft smile, your cheeks bunching up in the corner of your lips.
You close your eyes as his fangs sink into you, hands squeezing onto him as the sharp pain shoots through your neck. He drinks slowly, humming every time he swallows a mouthful of your blood. The pricking pain was strong, your eyes threatening to leak again, but the dizziness in your head was stronger. You leaned into it, feeling your mind get fuzzy as more and more blood leaves your veins. He was drinking from you as if he was starving.
Your eyes were heavy– you had to fight to keep them open, to stare at the ceiling and the small glimpse of your lover from the corner of your vision. Your body way too exhausted to move, let alone shift your eyes to him.
He finally retracts, pulling back so he's sitting on his knees now, but still leaning over you. His tongue swipes under his lips, licking the remaining crimson off them. He whispers your name, and his fingers rub the puncture woods on your neck to soothe the pain. It’s ineffective at grabbing your attention. You lost just enough blood.
His arms slip under your torso, pulling you flush against his chest, holding you securely against him. His head rests right besides you on the pillow, and he nuzzles his cheek into yours. Nothing could hurt you when you’re like this, not when he is here.
“Thank you,” his voice gentle as ever, “I love you so much.”
You try to whisper the words back to him, but your body doesn’t allow you to. As you surrender the fight with your eyes, you close them and feel the darkness slowly overtake you.
Adrian watches you. Watches how your breathing slowly evens out as you finally sleep for the first time in a while. The thought of the morning didn’t matter much to him, and he’d gladly stay in bed as long as you wanted to.
With you still in his arms, flush against his chest, he shuts his eyes too. His mind focuses on your warm body, how much he loves you, how happy he truly is to be able to call you his lover.
In a matter of minutes he’s following right behind you.