Broken
Summary: Peppino sleeps better with you. Even his night terrors are -slightly- more manageable. Today isn't one of those days. Fortunately you're here to remind him everything will be ok.
Contents: Established relationship, waking up from a nightmare, Angst, Self doubt, Comfort and Fluff end, Kissing.
Peppino didn't know why you bothered with him.
This was the third time this week. Currently he had his face buried into your neck. His breathing turned ragged. In response you pull him tighter into your arms, shielding him from the rest of the world. You whisper reassuring words and phrases while gently stroking his back.
"It's going to be okay. Deep breaths. You’re with me. You're safe." You comfort him, feeling a dampness against your skin. Both arms wrap around you in a shaky embrace.
Peppino didn't want to think, let alone talk about it. Everything felt real. Too real. Horrific visuals burned into his memory. It was like he had been forced back to that place, to that time. He drew in a sharp breath in an attempt to get his breathing under control. Focus on you. Listen to your voice.
He felt guilty for always waking you up when this happened. If he could help it, Peppino would rather suffer in silence than you see him like this. Despite ruining your sleep (again), you always remained by his side.
Peppino slept much better with you, and the amount of nightmares he had lessened since you had moved in together. Granted, today was not one of those days.
In some ways, this was the same sick feeling he used to get before you came into his life. He would snap awake in a cold sweat, a mixture of fear and grief gnawing at his mind. Now those feelings had mingled with guilt and shame.
Wouldn't you get worn down from this routine eventually? He didn't know why you'd want to stick around and deal with this for, realistically, the rest of your life.
He felt broken.
Hearing him whisper that, it made your heart hurt. You wished he could see himself the way you did.
As Peppino pulls his face away from your neck, you can feel the sadness radiating off of him. You touch your forehead to his as silence hangs in the air. Your fingers comb tenderly through the hair on the back of his head. Everyone is broken in some way, that doesn't mean they're unworthy of love. While you don't know what happened in his past, and you know it must've been awful, you still love him.
You tell Peppino you love him for who he is, not some idealized version. Not your idea of who he could be. You love him as the person before you, right here.
He grabbed your face with both hands to kiss you, pouring his entire being into it. The kiss felt like every word he wasn't able bring himself to vocalize.
It was a “Please don’t leave me. Please don’t let me be alone again. Please tell me you'll stay. That you'll love me forever. And I promise that I’ll love you forever. No matter what”. It was a silent plea, begging you to stay.
You clasp the nape of his neck, tugging his head forward to reciprocate that passion with your own kiss, your reply.
(This was my first attempt at a more angsty theme, I've never done one, apologies if it flows weird or out of place🙏)
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