You woke up facing Fredâs upper arm. Everything was blurred and soaked in darkness before your vision finally became clearer, revealing what seemed to be your small bedroom. You dared to let your head sink into your pillow with a thud. It was uncomfortably hot around your head and neck, and as the heat was making its way to your legs and chest, you jerkily pulled away the sheets in hope of cooling down. It made you angry. What kind of dream had that one been? Strange, terrifying things had happened, some of which were simply absurd, and yet you could not deny you were feeling somewhat afraid. Quickly, your glimpse wandered to Fred â or, more precisely, his back â to find out whether he was asleep. His breathing was steady; he was slightly curled up, most likely dreaming of better things than you. Your eyes rested on his figure for a moment, his hair that you could only see from behind, his arm, his upper body. It was calming to see him, but it nevertheless felt odd laying inside this bed in the darkness that surrounded you. âItâs all about falling asleep again, itâll be less scary tomorrow morningâ you kept thinking to yourself. If only it was that easy: You turned and twisted, but you could never be comfortable â either it was too hot or you just opened your eyes, somehow fearing that there was something in the dark.
By now, it felt as if you had been awake for hours. Perhaps the thought of missing sleep worried you, for you remained uneasy and thus started to move and fidget noisily as if there was a fly bugging you. But when you turned once more and curled up, you heard a little snort from beside: Fred seemed to have woken up. Hoping he would fall back asleep as quickly as possible, you forced yourself to remain still and waited for him to calm down again. However, you found it quite surprising to see him suddenly turning to you and looking into your eyes in the darkness. âAre we comfortable now?â he asked, his voice a bit raspy, and smirked. If the vision had been clear enough, he would have seen how you were blushing â for a moment, you remained silent before you desperately smiled at him and shook your head. âSorry, Fred. I didnât mean to wake you upâ you said softly. Fredâs glimpse wandered over your body since the heat had caused you to push away the sheets. âWell, youâve been quite⌠fidgety, (Y/N), so-â â You smiled, not knowing what to say. Making Fred miss out on sleep was something you tried to avoid, but then again, you couldnât help it. âWhich is why I reckon thereâs something wrongâ he then continued. Surprisingly, he straightened up to get his wand from his nightstand and with a quick âLumosâ, a soft glow was brightening up his face. âWhatâs wrong?â he asked. His question didnât seem to be filled with subtle disinterest, though; he seemed genuinely concerned and suddenly wide-awake, especially when he saw how hot you were. Looking into your eyes, he leaned on to the pillow while you moved a bit closer. âHad a bad dream.â you said softly and sighed. âThat mustâve been one hell of a dream if you canât fall back asleep anymore, (Y/N)â â âIâve forgotten most of it, to be honest, but do you know that feeling when youâre in this kind of odd leftover trance from what youâve dreamt? That feeling that just lingers on and you canât get rid of?â â âYesâ Fred said thoughtfully, âI reckon I know what youâre talking about. No doubt that feels strange. I guess weâll have to make you fall asleep again, right?â A quick smirk traced his face while his hands were softly stroking your hips, whereupon he gave you a gesture, probably to ask whether you felt the need to talk about the dream in detail. To respond, you brought your hands to his and gently brushed it with your fingers before taking it, making him understand. âWell, I canât guarantee anything, (Y/N), but I guess weâll try and get some sleep again.â he suddenly whispered. âAnd how are we going to do that, Fred?â â âWell, first of all, I reckon you should come a bit closer.â He smiled teasingly and moved aside to offer you space, whereupon you buried your head in his neck for a moment, taking in his scent.
It could barely be heard as he sighed out, but you felt goose bumps on the same spot you were so close to touching his skin. Fred could be very sensitive here and there, which was rather delightful to you, whereas he did not feel like this was a feature he should be highlighting too much. Nevertheless, he couldnât help but smile as well before softly bringing his hands to your hair, brushing it back lightly as you started to put gentle kisses on his neck. Something about him laying awake provided safety to you, as if it proved that what you had dreamt hadnât been real. The sweat had dried off, as it seemed, and your legs were calming down â only now you realized how heavily you must have breathed before. Fred took a pillow, pressing it against the rest of your bed before straightening up slightly until he was almost upright. âYou look a bit paleâ he said jokingly, his gaze wandering over your figure. âThank you, Fred.â â âNo, I was only trying to point out that your dream mustâve been quiteâŚâ â âLousy?â Fred chuckled, bringing his hands to your waist. There were dark bags underneath his eyes which looked rather glassy and puffy, and yet, he gave you a most mindful smile before pulling you closer again. âTime to get back to sleep again, right? How do you feel?â â âA lot better. Good thing I woke you upâ you replied cheekily. âWell, I wonât be like this next time. You know what Iâm like whenever someone tries to take away my precious slumberingâŚâ You tiredly rolled your eyes and before he could counteract, you had pressed your lips onto his. It all felt a bit softer when you were tired; the sheets between you, his warm skin, his lips. It was a slow, sleepy kiss, and yet, it felt more intense than ever. His eyes met yours when you let go of him. Once again you had to point out how much the sleepiness that was tracing his face appealed to you. As much as you would have loved to repeat, you started to feel tired and thus put your hands on his chest, slowly drawing nearer. âI guess thatâs a good night, then?â â âMhm, Fred.â â âWake me up if the feeling comes back. Iâll keep an eye on you.â You smiled against his chest, slowly closing your eyes. Maybe there was a bit of anxiety left, but what had engraved in your mind was Fredâs gaze. And as he uttered a soft âNoxâ, you believed you would have better dreams this night.
