The Sacrificial Bride (Diavolo x Fem!OC)

Chapter 20 - Fever dream

"What..? Did I fall asleep..?" Lea muttered under her breath, rubbing sleepydust from her eyes. She must've been asleep for no more than a couple of hours, so she was still more or less half asleep.

But, tired or not, she could sense that something was off, and it took her a short moment to remember where she was.

"Damn it..!" Her eyes shot open at instant. "Of course I go and fall asleep in his bed!"

Since Diavolo hadn't woken her up, he probably didn't have a problem with it... But that didn't make the situation any less awkward. She didn't have time to swell in embarrassment, though, when she felt movement next to her; Diavolo was moving restlessly, tossing and turning in his sleep. That was probably what had woken her up in the first place..! When he turned onto his back, Lea realized something was wrong— Even though he was asleep, he had a deep frown painted onto his face, and he was taking fast, shallow breaths. He was sweating, his hair sticking onto his forehead, and his body was trembling.

"Diavolo..?" Lea whispered his name, now concerned. Was he having a nightmare, or had his condition worsened during the night? "Diavolo, are you alright?" She called for him again, touching his shoulder to see if he'd wake up. No reaction. Growing increasingly worried, Lea reached over to place her hand on his forehead. He wasn't burning up, but his fever had definitely spiked. The fact that she couldn't get him awake was what worried Lea the most.

"Oh no... Should I go and get Barbatos, just in case..?" She agonized, not sure what to do. She was just about to get out of the bed, but couldn't even sit up when Diavolo prevented her intentions by grabbing her hand. "Diavolo?" Lea blinked surprised, inching back closer to him. "Are you awake?"

"...Lea..?" Diavolo whispered her name, his voice barely above a murmur, slightly opening his eyes for a mere second as if to make sure it really was her. His eyes fell shut again, but he still refused to let go of her hand.

"Yes, it's me..!" Lea confirmed, her relief evident in her voice. Diavolo appeared to be caught between the realms of dream and reality, but she felt relieved just to hear his voice. "Your fever has gone up, I was just about to-" Lea had been planning on getting out of the bed, but Diavolo seemed to be against the idea; Without a warning, he pulled her into his embrace.

"D-Diavolo..?!" Lea stuttered in shock, completely caught off guard by his actions. She had found herself trapped, unable to move as he held her against his chest. "What is going on?! Is he having a fever dream or something?! I'm on top of him, for god's sake!" If this situation wasn't enough to make her sweat, the heat radiating from his body surely did the trick. Having her face glued onto his pajama shirt wasn't exactly the most comfortable experience either..! "What am I supposed to do..?" Lea sighed to herself. Diavolo was hugging her tightly, so trying to forcefully break free from his grasp didn't feel like a good idea.

She was in his bedroom. In his bed. On top of him. At night. Her face was burning, and her heart was racing in her chest. It didn't take long before her thoughts turned sinful, imagining all the things they could do, tangled in bed like this. She could feel his muscular arms around her, his strong chest pressed against her.

"No, no, no..!" Lea felt a cold sweat run down her back. She had to get out of this situation before she would completely lose it! "Uhm... Diavolo?" She called his name again, trying to see if talking to him might wake him up. "Could you please let go of me? I need to go-" She ended her request with a squeal when Diavolo only tightened his grip instead. "Nevermind, talking is just making things worse!"

Trying to wake him up didn't work... Breaking free from his embrace by force wasn't an option either... Only thing Lea could do was hope he might loosen his grip eventually.