𝓛𝓮𝓸𝓷 𝓚𝓮𝓷𝓷𝓮𝓭𝔂| ɪᴍᴀɢɪɴᴇꜱ ʙᴏᴏᴋ 4

Best Sleep In Weeks

Leon's POV:

I slow my bike down as I reach the sleepy neighbourhood where I never thought I'd ever find myself living. Especially not with a wife waiting for me at home. I roll my shoulders as the bike's engine cuts through the night time suburban bliss, I fight off a yawn as I pull up at the curb, switch off the engine, then I stay there for a minute or so, letting the stress of my job and the regret from some of my decisions roll off of my back, I hate bringing work home with me, especially when it comes in the format of emotional baggage, panic attacks and the occasional nightmare. Both my therapist and Y/N tell me it's fine to come home in less than okay moods, but I've got a habit of letting the advice zoom from one ear and out of the other, I'd hate to be more of a burden than I already feel, it's bad enough having to leave my wife for weeks at a time with nothing but worry and our goldfish to keep her company. 

Once I'm assured that I probably won't stumble into the house and burst out into tears, I climb off of my bike and wince at every noise. Considering it's well past midnight, every footstep echoes around the neighbourhood, I half expect the elderly couple from across the street to swing open their curtains and raise their fists in my direction. I peek over my shoulder just in case, but I'm greeted by nothing but the silence and night. I sigh, breath huffing in front of me from the chill, then I resume my walk to the front door. I let the yawn escape me this time, eyes blurring as I unlock the door and step inside, I listen out for my wife or any signs of some kind of surprise, but there's nothing but silence- and the gentle hum of the goldish tank in the living room. I'm not disappointed, and I'm not selfish enough to demand that my wife stays up waiting for me, but I could really do with one of her infamous rib crushing cuddles. 

I pad through the house, rubbing my eyes with the backs of my hands until I reach the bedroom, where a faint light shines from a crack in the door. My brows knit together as I push it open, noticing my wife sitting up against the headboard with her face turning towards me, her eyes barely open as her lips tug upwards in a sleepy smile. She's awake, but barely. She blinks at me a few times, then suddenly remembers to speak. "Leon, you're back!" She exclaims. I take in the wrinkles in her clothes and the messy hair, I can imagine her sitting here for hours, waiting and waiting for me to come back as she fights off sleep. I release a heavy exhale, letting all the tension melt from me as she climbs to her knees and struggles to meet me at the edge of the bed, blankets and pillows tangle around her but she kicks them away, her arms wrap around me as I lean down and bury my face in her hair, inhaling her comforting scent as I shudder in delight. 

"Hey, you," I murmur into the crook of her neck, pressing a kiss to her cheek as she slumps against me, I end up holding her up as she hums, "I missed you too, honey. You should be asleep, it's late." I add, pulling away and noticing the dark circles under her eyes and the sleepy shine they've got, she's definitely had a few too many late nights, no doubt her overthinking and anxiousness is to blame, yet she's still stayed up for me. I reach out, skimming my knuckles down her cheek as she leans into me, eyes half closed as if she's falling asleep. She hums again, swaying as I hold her up, but then she suddenly tilts and rights herself, eyes widening as if she's found her energy reserve. 

"I didn't wanna sleep, I wanted to see you. I couldn't sleep anyway." She pouts like a kid, voice slurred together from how exhausted she must be. I smile despite feeling guilty, my heart flutters at her constant love for me, and how much she cares. She grins at me, obviously in that 'high' like state of mind, where everything seems funny and like you're floating on cloud nine. I chuckle as she keeps smiling at me, eyes occasionally closing until she blinks and they're wide open again. I raise my brows as she almost tilts off of the bed, I catch her and coax her to sit down in the middle of the bed, legs crossing as she obeys but frowns at me. 

"I'm home now, sweetheart," I softly say, patting down her bedhead, "so you should really try and get some sleep. You're practically sleepwalking." 

Y/N shakes her head, climbing off of the bed as she stumbles and almost knocks over a lamp in the process, I dart forwards and stop it from falling as my wife fights back a yawn and tries to pull off her sweatshirt, but her head gets caught somehow. I stifle a laugh, then walk over to her, helping her out until she looks like a little mole in a hole from how she's peeking out of the neckline. She laughs sheepishly, her giggles infectious until I find myself laughing too, helping her undress as she uses me for balance. Once she's mostly stripped, I take her hand to lead her back to bed, but instead she yanks me to her, arms wrapping around the back of my neck as she reaches up to kiss me. I press my lips to hers, loving the way she always feels like home, but she soon deepens it, a small moan escaping her as she presses her body to mine. I feel a heat wash over me, but I tame it down, knowing that even if we did take things further, she'd be asleep halfway through. We'll leave getting reacquainted until tomorrow morning. Gently, I push her away, lips curving into a sympathetic smile as I lean down and peck the tip of her nose, making her face scrunch up adorably. "Not tonight love bug, you need to get to bed." 

"Yeah, with you in me." She mumbles in a sing-song voice, wiggling her eyebrows as she closes her eyes, the tiredness now sinking claws into her. I snort, rolling my eyes as she continues to explain why we should keep going, and how it'll be so good. I nod, listening to her tone that's convincing to her and her only, it's as though she's really putting on a good speech, droning on and on until a massive yawn interrupts her. I glance at the bathroom, wondering how I'm going to get her to brush her teeth, but decide against it for tonight, since she'll probably end up poking her eye out. I grab some makeup wipes and guide her back to the bed, letting her lie down and think she's finally getting some, but instead I hover above her, leaning my weight onto my knees as I straddle her and carefully take off the minimal makeup she's wearing, I keep scrubbing at her lips until she swats me away with a frown. "I'm not wearing anything there." 

My lips part, then I kiss her lovingly. "I wouldn't have known, your lips are just that perfect." I whisper, she smiles as I climb off of her and quickly strip off my clothes. I'd usually do more to get ready for bed, but honestly it's been a long day and my girl needs me, so I climb under the covers, groaning at the familiar feel of my own bed underneath me, Y/N rolls towards me, snuggling close to me as she looks up at me expectantly, eyes half lidded but alert. She sighs, then thins her lips, I prepare myself for something important, but what comes out is far from what I'd anticipated. 

"Leon? Why do we have emperor penguins for boys, but not empress penguins for girls? It's a little sexist, really." She asks, voice barely above a whisper. She stares at me, as if genuinely concerned about the fact. I try to fight back my chuckle, but it escapes me as she frowns, not understanding what's funny. I shrug a shoulder, fingers finding the skin of her back as I lightly trace invisible patterns, I know the sensations make her sleep in no time, and clearly she needs the extra push tonight. 

"I'm not sure, sweetheart, I'll have a word with the President and find that out for you." I whisper, grin almost painful as I look down at my wife, the true wonder of the universe. She nods, accepting it until her eyes close and her breathing evens out, she twitches and shuffles a little, but after a few minutes she's snoring away. The bedroom goes silent apart from the sound of our breathing, a wave of contentment washes over me as I watch her, soaking in the sight of her healthy and happy, she's the reason I fight and the reward for coming home, every battle and sacrifice is worth it just for a whisper from this woman who's all mine. I kiss her forehead, then close my eyes as I finally relax for the first time in weeks. Everything's fine now, and there's nowhere else I'd rather be, and with that final thought, I let sleep take me, and I have the best sleep than I've had in weeks.