It's a Hard life | Hardzello♡

28. I'll get you through the night

The song doesn't have that much to do with the chapter but it is definitely worth listening to!
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"So, did the tea work?" Ben asks when the end credits of the movie appears on the screen.
Joe yawns and shrugs. "I guess." He puts on a smile.
But still, Ben can see the nervous and anxious look in his eyes. "Enough to fall asleep?" He asks.
The ginger shrugs with a weak smile. "Let's hope so." Joe says.
Ben gives the boy a reassuring smile, and takes his hand. "I'm gonna get you through the night, Joey. Even if I have to stay awake the whole night." He says determined.
Without saying something, Joe lets his forehead rest against Ben. Both boys close their eyes, enjoying the moment.
"Let's go to bed ginger." Ben whispers.
Joe nods, and together the boys walk towards their bedroom.

Both boys brush their teeth, and finish their night routine.
While Ben is taking a quick shower, Joe is getting ready for bed. He has put on some sweatpants, and is now looking for a warm sweater in the closet. Normally he never sleeps in a sweater, just with some sweatpants and a bare chest. But right now he is pretty desperate, and he is willing to try everything.
After putting on a sweater, he lets himself sink onto the bed. Not even ten seconds later, Joe's eyes are starting to fall close. But then the bad feeling in the pit of his stomach is there again. What if Ben slips in the shower? Or something else happens?
And suddenly, the boy is wide awake again. Joe sits up straight, and is about to check on Ben, when he hears the shower being turned off. Which means Ben is okay. Slightly reassured, Joe lies down again.

When the blond returns from the bathroom, showered and well, he immediately smiles when he sees his boyfriend.
Joe is curled up on bed with his back to Ben, wearing the blond's red sweater. Joe's breathing is slow, which is why Ben assumes that he's asleep already.
The blond tiptoes over to his side of the bed, and crawls under the covers next to the ginger.
Joe opens his eyes, and shows the blond a weak smile. But the smile turns into a questioning look when he sees the big smile on the face of his boyfriend. "What are you smiling at?" The ginger mumbles.
Ben chuckles, and pulls the boy close to his chest. "You just look very cute in my sweater." Ben whispers while softly caressing Joe's cheek with his hand.
Joe's lips curl up into a small smile. "I didn't even notice that it's yours." He says with a chuckle. He closes his eyes again, and enjoys Ben's touch. "That feels nice." He mumbles while Ben continues caressing his cheek.
Ben smiles and gives the boy a kiss on the forehead. "Then I won't stop. Try to catch some sleep my love. I'll be by your side the whole night, okay? Nothing is going to happen, I promise." Ben whispers.
Joe nods before burying his head into Ben's neck. "Thank you. I love you." He whispers.
"I love you more." Ben whispers with a slight smirk. "I win."

***

And although it took him a while, Joe eventually managed to fall asleep under Ben's touch.
The blond kept gently caressing his cheek until Joe fell asleep.
Joe assured Ben a thousand times that he shouldn't stay awake just for him.
But Ben knows he won't be able to fall asleep knowing that his boyfriend could have a nightmare any minute. And so, the Brit just stares at the boy in his arms, admiring Joe's face.
Every time Joe mumbles something, stirs even, Ben starts to caress his cheek again, whispering sweet things to the boy.

But when it's around 4 Am, Ben's eyes fall close, no matter how hard he's fighting it. Fifteen minutes later he wakes up again though, because the boy next to him starts tossing and turning in bed.
Some whimpers roll off Joe's tongue, and a frightened expression is painting his face.
Ben puts his arms around the boy to stop him from tossing and turning. "Hey, hey, shhh. It's okay sweetheart. It's not real. Come on Joey, open your eyes." He says.
After shaking the boy back and forth a few times, Joe's eyes flutter open. He sits up straight with a loud gasp. Scared, he looks around, catching his breath. When his eyes meet Ben's, a lets out a shaky but relieved breath.
Without saying something, Ben sits up straight against the headboard, pulling Joe close to his chest. He puts his arm around the boy, and starts drawing figures with his finger on Joe's shoulder. "It's okay, I'm with you. Nothing has happened, it was just a dream." Ben whispers when he can feel Joe tremble a little.
The ginger nods, and buries his head into the fabric of Ben's hoodie. Tears are waiting to drop. The feeling of Ben's strong arms around him in combination with the blond's scent does calm him down though.
"Talk to me baby. I don't know how you feel if you don't talk to me." Ben says softly when he sees the tears sparkle in Joe's eyes.
"You left me." Joe whimpers, clearly still in shock. "You just left me...-"
Ben raises his eyebrow. "What do you mean I left you?" He asks softly.
Joe swallows, the first tears now running down his cheeks. "W-we got into a f-fight. And you left me. You- you said you would never come back. You hated me." The ginger sobs softly.
Ben doesn't say anything yet, and pulls the ginger sideways on his lap. "I would never leave you honey. I owe you so much. Everything good that happened in my life is because of you. Like I said to Roger, I'm happier than I ever was before. Do you believe me?" He says softly to calm the boy down.
Joe leans sideways so one side of his face is now pressed against Ben's chest.
"Do you believe me?" Ben repeats his question.
The ginger nods against his chest before closing his eyes. "I do." He whispers, barely audible.
"Good." The blond whispers with a small smile.
"Good." Joe mumbles.
A silence falls, but neither of the boys minds.

Ben slowly starts rocking the ginger, hoping it will make him feel safe and it will put him back to sleep. "Try to get some sleep my love." He whispers.
Joe nods, nuzzling his face into Ben's hoodie. He listens to the rhythm of the boy's heartbeat, while Ben is still slowly swaying back and forth.
And slowly, the rocking works. Joe's head gets heavier and heavier on Ben's chest, and after a while a very subtle snoring is heard.
Ben smiles in victory. He crooks his nose into Joe's hair, trying to get some sleep himself. "I told you I'd get you through the night Joey. I love you." He whispers before slowly drifting asleep, still sitting up straight against the headboard.

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Guess what guys..... I GRADUATED🥳
which means I'm officially done with highschool😁

And that means I have plenty of time to proof read and edit chapters. So you can count on more uploads a week from now on😙

Much love from me aka queenborhap_gifs💕