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You woke up to the feeling of your dead dry throat. Opening your eyes, the first thing you met was a small glass of water, the one your boyfriend always insisted for you to prepare before going to sleep. You frowned your eyebrow as you reached for it, not believing you were actually about to make use of it.
The water felt divine as it fell through your throat, sadly taking some of your sleep away. And, only then, you noticed the faint light illuminating your room. You turned your tired body to your side, holding your breath at the sight before you.
There he was. Laying beside you and wearing a tight black shirt, with the yellow light beside his head revealing his fine lines, Dennis quietly read a thick book with a frown adorning his features. His retangular glasses contrasted with his severe look and made him look cute in your eyes, like an angry baby with a pout. He breathed deeply, absorbed into the words he was reading and flipped a page, the mere movement making you sigh in contemplation.
That’s when he noticed you. Dennis placed his finger on the page he stopped his reading before closing the book, loking at you right after. His light blue eyes were intense and you felt the blood rising to your face as you endured it. He shifted uncomfortably at his position, probably not enjoying being watched by you in the middle of the night.
“Are you okay?”
You nodded at his question and bit your lower lip to hide a smile. It was actually quite embarrassing that you got this excited from just having his eyes on you.
Dennis looked back at his book and was about to open it when he stopped again. “Did I wake you up?” He quietly asked, not looking at you directly.
“No, I just woke up thirsty.” You saw relief calming his eternal frown.
Dennis went back to his reading with a low “okay” and you watched as he clenched his jaw. It was already past midnight and he couldn’t sleep. And you knew the reason.
Many unpleasant memories kept him awake at night, his OCD acting up whenever he saw something out of place. He wouldn’t talk about it, not wanting to bother you, but you already knew enough: Kevin’s abusive mother and his want to protect him.
Your heart ached whenever you saw Dennis like that, so stressed he couldn’t even rest. The other personalities were more optimistic about life but not him. He had a mission: to guide and protect the others, even though he wasn’t really sure how he was supposed to do it.
A soft yawn could be heard from your part and you moved towards him. Passing one arm around his middle, you rested your face against his strong chest and breathed into his scent. He smelled of soap and cologne, a mix to which you grew addicted.
You heard his heartbeats increasing and his muscles tensing up at your sudden closeness, and prayed it wouldn’t be too much. Dennis wasn’t the kind of person who showed lots of affection. Of course, he hugged and kissed you just like any other boyfriend would, but he almost never took the initiative to touch you in bed. Even if it was just for cuddling, he always waited for you to ask.
But he didn’t push you away. Dennis cleared his throat and readjusted his position underneath you, his heartbeats slowing down a little. He flipped another page and you felt his left arm falling to your side, his hand lightly rubbing your waist. Your own heart felt like bursting out of your chest as his thumb drew circles on the fabric under your left breast.
You closed your eyes and enjoyed the quiet moment. You loved how you felt safe on his arms, how his presence always calmed you down. Long, lovely minutes passed as you two laid like that and sleep finally got back to you. You had to let go of him before you started drooling over his shirt, it makes him go crazy.
With a long yawn, you looked up at your boyfriend. He had the same focused expression as before, but this time his eyes looked tired and you could see he was fighting his sleep. A gentle smile appeared over your lips as rested your chin on his chest.
“Dennis?” The word danced on your tongue and caught his attention immediately.
The man looked at you with curious eyes, his hand laying still just above your bum in a intimate way. Maybe you were too sleepy, distracted by the beautiful blue orbes looking deep inside your soul. Maybe it was the feeling of his gentle, attentive touch on you as he gave you his full attention.
But the next thing you heard was you own voice saying — in the softest tone you could ever make — the three words “I love you”.
Dennis arm froze still and his eyes widened a little, his mouth opening slightly. “Wha-What?”
It took everything you had not to facepalm yourself. God, you were so stupid. You just said you love him for the first time and at the worst possible time. You should apologize and go back to sleep already.
But his eyes were still on you.
“I love you, Dennis.” You bit your lower lip and mentally cursed yourself for repeating the words. Why couldn’t you just shut up?
But you were so intrigued by his reactions. Dennis was taken back by your sudden confession, opening and closing his mouth several times as he tried to speak. When nothing came out, he averted his eyes from you, quickly adjusting his glasses on the top of his nose.
You felt butterflies in your belly as you sat beside him, placing one hand on his chest to catch his attention. For a moment, when his gaze fell upon you again, you felt like you couldn’t breath. Were those tears in his eyes?
“I love being by your side, Dennis.” His heart beated loudly under your palm. “I love the way you care and protect not only me, but all the other personalities too.”
You felt his trembling hand slowly going on top of yours as he listened carefully to each word you were saying. You licked your lips before continuing.
“I know you sometimes care too much about dirty and is really harsh about it…” You chuckled lightly. “But I don’t blame you. You’re fighting your OCD everyday, little by little, and I love you for that.”
You raised your hand to his cheek and he closed his eyes at your touch, leaning against your palm with a deep sigh. A tear fell from between his eyelids and your thumb brushed it away in an instant.
“(Y/N)…” He whispered weakly.
“I want you to believe me when I say you’re good.” He looks back at you with red eyes. “You’re the best man I’ve ever met and I don’t care about what others will say. I love my boyfriend. I love you, Dennis.”
You felt your cheeks burning and sweat forming on your palms. It was so embarrassing saying all of this, opening your heart to him like never before. But it was so, so relieving as well.
Dennis looked down at your connected hands. His whole body was trembling and he avoided eye contact, tears trailing down his cheeks. “I… (Y/N), I…” he stuttered as he searched for words.
“It’s okay, Dennis.” You placed a finger on his lips and gave him a small smile. You ignored the pain in your heart as you formed the next words. “You don’t have to say anything, I just wanted you to know. That’s all.”
The man nodded quietly and you felt like you were about to cry. It was really hard not hearing a “I love you too” from your own boyfriend, and you didn’t notice you wanted it until now. But you couldn’t just ask him to do it, all you could do was wait for the day he’d be able to say it himself. It was sad and you wished it wasn’t so difficult for neither of you, but it just was.
And that’s okay.
You lowered your head so he couldn’t see the tears in your eyes as you swiped them away. When you looked back at him, he had already placed his book and glasses on the nightstand. He rubbed a trembling hand over his shaved head nervously and sighed deeply. His light blue eyes avoiding yours as he tried to look at you.
“Can we… C-Can we go to sleep now?” You never heard his voice this soft.
You managed to smile at the question and looked at the clock on his nightstand. It was 00:56 am. It was time.
You laid down next to him one more time and he turned off his light. The darkness engulfed you two and you felt anxious. Your back was facing Dennis, since you were too embarrassed to look at him after all you said. You were scared of your own words, scared of never hearing them from his mouth. Well, that’s just part of it, right?
Your heart jumped as you felt one strong arm embracing your waist. Dennis’s warm body slowly approached yours from behind as his fingers caressed your belly. You closed your eyes at the feeling, enjoy his rare bravery moment.
“I’m sorry, (Y/N)…” He whispers against the back of your neck. “I love you too.”
Maybe it was just your tired muscles screaming for sleep, but you felt your whole body melting at the words. A shiver ran down your spine as he buried his face in the crook of your neck, placing soft kisses on the skin.
“No one… ever told me that. I think I panicked a little.” He paused for a moment and you felt his wet cheek against your neck. “But I really, really love you.”
You couldn’t suppress the joyful giggle that escaped your lips. You turned around to face him and, despite all the darkness around you two, you could distinguish his unique silhouette. You could feel his intense stare on you and suddenly your body felt hot.
It was the first time he ever heard someone confessing their love for him. It was the first time he tgenuinely felt loved. You assumed it was also the first time he said those three words too, and you were so happy to hear them.
Your hands cupped his face in a gentle, protective way and you felt his cheeks curving as he gave you a small smile. You pulled him in for a kiss you had been longing for; a passionate, loving one that took your breath away. His hands gripping your waist and bringing you even closer to him.
He pulled away to catch his breath and his forehead touched yours in a sweet gesture.
“Can you say it again?” You can only smile at innocent his request, your heart feeling content.
“I love you, Dennis.”