One Direction | Preferences

Night Terrors

Night Terrors

A/N: This has been soooo long in the making, sorry! I hope you like it :) Feedback would be lovely! x

Niall: “Niall. Niall!” you shake him a bit harder, and he gasps as he wakes, immediately reaching to grab your shoulder, eyes wide and scared. “They - Run. You have to - You have to… oh my god.” He sighs, sinking back down onto the mattress, tense body relaxing, and you smile gently at him. “Hey, it’s okay.” He laughs weakly, but there’s an underlying tremor to it. “Yeah, yeah. What happened?” “You were yelling.” His cheeks flush, wincing slightly, “Oh god, what was I saying?” “You were calling for the boys, and your parents, and Greg a bit, but - but mostly me.” “I’m sorry.” “No, no.” You smile, “It’s okay, nice to feel needed.”

Harry: Harry wakes with a start, jolting up in bed, tears still dripping off his chin, silent sobs wracking his shaking body as the dream replays in his mind. “Babe?” Your voice is soft and sleepy, warm hand landing on his hip, and he glances down, sniffing and wiping his face, trying to smile. Your forehead creases, hands reaching up, wrapping around his broad shoulders and bringing him back down to you, Harry nuzzling into your neck, “Hey, what’s wrong?” “Bad dream.” Your fingertips drift over his body, slick with sweat, dipping over the bones of his spine, tracing over his shoulder muscles, soothing him, relaxing the jumpy nerves. You don’t need to speak, don’t need to assure him that everything’s okay, you simply being here, holding him, caressing him, is enough to send him back into a peaceful sleep. 

Liam: You wake gasping for air, throat thick and closed up from tears, and you’re already rubbing your eyes as you sit up, trying to suck in oxygen, ignoring the prickling feeling at the back of your neck that warns you of someone else in the bedroom. You jump as a warm hand slips onto the small of your back, and look down to find Liam blinking sleepily up at you, concerned, rubbing up and down your spine soothingly. “You okay, baby?” “Yep. Yeah.” He raises an eyebrow, and you shrug, looking around the dark room, just in case there’s a suspicious shadow anywhere. “I just… had a bad dream.” He’s quiet, but pulls you back down, tucking you up against his chest, arms wrapping tight around you, protecting you from whatever monster your mind has managed to come up with this time. 

Louis: You’re shaking in your sleep, unshed tears making your eyelashes sticking together, a few salty drops escaping and making their way down your cheeks from the heartbreaking dream playing through mind. You’re trembling, crying, and Louis has no idea why, immediately reaching for you, grabbing you, gently kneading your skin in the hopes of waking you up, and you eventually do, whimpering softly as he pulls you into his chest, stroking, caressing, rubbing, soothing. And you cling onto him, the warmth of his body resembling safety and comfort as he holds you, calming you, waiting for you to go back to sleep before allowing himself to succumb to the exhaustion. 

Zayn: Your brain slowly rises out of sleep and your eyelids flutter a few times before completely opening, taking in the dark bedroom. You yawn slightly, and then notice the black shadow to your side, an outline of someone sitting up, their back facing you, the duvet still covering their lap and legs. You rub your eyes before sitting up as well, placing a hand on Zayn’s warm shoulder blades, only now realizing he’s shaking. He glances back to you, eyes glittering with unshed tears. “Zee?” You murmur, shifting closer to wrap your arms around him, “What’s wrong?” He shakes his head against your neck, and you can feel him shudder as his breath comes in short gasps. “I - I -,” He swallows hard and lifts his own arms, pulling you tight against him, “Bad dream.” He finally chokes out and you sigh, lacing your fingers in his messy hair. “Aww, babe. It’s okay. I’m here. You’re okay. Everything’s okay.” You rock back and forth gently, soothing him. It only takes him a few minutes to calm down and you lie back on the mattress, holding him close, his face nuzzled into the crook of your neck.