I carefully watched the sleeping boy on the couch with tired eyes and wished I was the one asleep.

My body ached from sitting so long on the small couch but I guess it was worth it knowing Royce was finally sleeping.

Lately we've all been taking turns watching Royce sleep since the strange injuries on his body started to appear more frequently after he woke up from his nightmares.

The marks seemed to get worse every night from large cuts to even bite marks..

It didn't make sense to any of us which is why Mark took Royce to the doctor to get him examined.

I guess it turns out Royce was hurting himself while sleeping and didn't realize it.

However, I don't think that was the case.

I think something was happening to Royce that we didn't understand. His strange behavior and lack of appetite was really starting to worry me.

Even when I tried to give him a quick kiss he always turned his head the other way. He didn't even want to be touched by me or anybody else in the house..

When he was actually awake he always had a blank stare like he wasn't sure where he was. I tried to comfort him as much as possible and tried to get him to tell me about his nightmares.

But he ignored me every time I asked.

I rubbed my tired eyes and decided to get some milk from the fridge. I walked to the dark kitchen and turned on the light before grabbing a glass cup.

I poured myself some milk then turned off the kitchen light before returning back to the livingroom with my filled cup of milk.

As I took a sip I looked over at Royce and realized he wasn't there anymore.

His blankets were all over the floor and it seems he left in a rush. I put my glass cup by the lamp and started to look around for him.

Did he have to use the restroom?

He wasn't in the kitchen since I was just there so where did he run off to?

I made my way upstairs and kept stumbling on things since it was dark. I didn't want to turn on the lights and worry everybody.

This felt like a horror film as I slowly walked to Royce's room. It was darker than usual which scared me even more.

"Royce?" I called out in a low voice and stood quiet to hear a reply.

It was so calm it made a shiver run up my spine.

I stepped inside the room and checked the bathroom but couldn't find Royce anywhere. I felt like something was going to pop out at me with every step that I took.

I went back downstairs and I swear my heart almost stopped when I saw Royce back on the couch.

He was in the same sleeping position I saw him in when I left to the kitchen to get some milk.

It was like he never left in the first place...

My heart started to beat faster as I slowly approached Royce on the couch. His chest rose up and down in a normal speed which showed he was in a deep sleep.

What the hell was going on?..

A part of me no longer wanted to be alone with Royce.

Something was very wrong.

And it was malicious..

"Chris? What's wrong?" Royce mumbled in a hoarse voice.

I looked down at him and didn't know what to do or say.

Royce removed the blankets from his body and got up to stand in front of me.

"D-Did uh you have a nightmare?" I nervously stuttered out and tried to clear my throat.

"I didn't." was his monotone reply.

I tried to step away from Royce, but was grabbed by the arm before I could move.

"Where are you going?" Royce questioned in such a serious voice I started to panic inside.

"To the bathroom.." I lied and pulled my arm away.

I rushed upstairs and locked myself in the bathroom to try and control my rapid breathing.

I paced back and forth just trying to assure myself there was nothing wrong with Royce and it was all in my head.

The door knob started to shake causing me to stare at it with wide eyes.

"Chris? Are you alright in there honey?" my mom's worried voice immediately calmed me.

I opened the door and almost embraced her in a hug but I didn't want to frighten her.

"Sorry, I had to use the bathroom. Where's Royce?" I questioned and ran my fingers through my hair to control my trembling hands.

My mom fixed her pink night robe and stared at me with a raised eyebrow. "He's downstairs sleeping. Is something wrong? Did you see Royce trying to hurt himself in his sleep?" she replied.

"No, I was just wondering since I left him alone for a bit." I defended.

"Okay well you can go to sleep in your own bed now. Pablo offered to watch Royce for the rest of the night. Goodnight honey." my mom stated and kissed my cheek before leaving.

I rubbed my tired eyes and just imagining being in my own bed made me happy.

I walked back downstairs and saw Pablo on the small couch I was in not too long ago. He had some blankets with him and was trying his hardest to stay awake.

Royce on the other hand was sleeping peacefully once more on the wider couch.

"Call me if you need anything. Goodnight." I told Pablo as he yawned into his hand.

"I'll be fine, thanks Chris. Get some rest now." he replied and patted my shoulder then got comfty on the small couch.

I looked over at Royce as I started to make my way upstairs and prayed he wouldn't have another nightmare.

Everything about this just wasn't normal.

As I entered my room I took off my shirt and pants. I just wanted to get in my bed so bad.

I was beyond exhausted and I could barely keep my heavy eyelids open. I stumbled through my room until I reached my bed and crawled under the covers.

My aching body immediately relaxed on the soft bed making me almost moan in delight.

I closed my eyes and slowly waited for sleep to take over.

However, the sound of my door knob twisting open quickly took that away. I opened my eyes and tried to recognize the figure standing by the door.

I soon realized it was Royce since he came inside my room and decided to share my bed.

He didn't say anything as he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me close to his chest.

He buried his face into the crook of my neck and seemed to be content when he released a heavy sigh.

"I thought Pablo was watching you downstairs?" I questioned in a quiet voice as I played with his hands around my waist.

"He fell asleep so I took the opportunity to sneak up here." Royce replied in a sleepy tone.

I don't know why but my fear of Royce that I had seemed to vanish.

It was like I was talking to Royce again since he was finally being like himself. His delicate touch and tone of talking was back to normal.

"But what if you get a nightmare?" I questioned a bit worried.

Royce stayed silent and a couple of seconds passed before he replied.

"Then I'll just wake up and kiss you until your lips are the only thing on my mind..."

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^

I lazily walked downstairs after taking a long hot shower and decided some food sounded good.

As I made my way to the kitchen I was surprised to see Luis and Royce arguing.

Royce had a fist full of Luis's orange hair and kept teasing him about it while Luis tried his best to push him away.

"Touch my food one more time you little Ron Weasley and I will cut your hair and sell it on Ebay." Royce warned and grabbed his plate of pizza away from Luis.

Luis glared at him in return and got his own slice of pizza from the box. "You knew I wanted that slice you jerk face!" he replied.

Royce smirked and ate his cheese pizza without a care. "Leprechauns don't even eat pizza. Go look for your lucky charms."

I chuckled at Royce's teasing and grabbed a plate to get my own slice of cheese pizza.

"Finally you're out of the shower! I've been waiting here with the spawn of satan for almost two hours!" Luis complained and pointed at Royce once he saw me.

I sat in between Royce and Luis so they could stop their fighting.

"Sorry, I was really tired since school finals are going on and I just needed a hot shower after a stressful day." I replied.

Luis nodded in understanding and took a bite out of his pizza while I did the same.

"You know what else gets rid of stress?" Royce whispered in my ear in a seductive voice, causing goosebumps to form on my skin.

"What?" I questioned and tried to hide my arousal.

We were obviously thinking the same thing...

Royce smirked and shrugged. "Why are you asking me? I'm not a doctor. I thought you knew." he replied.

or not...

"Royce how are you feeling today?" Pablo questioned as he entered the kitchen with a brown box in his hands.

Royce looked at Pablo then at the box with a confused stare before replying. "Better...what's up with the box?"

"It's a gift for you. I know you've been suffering a lot lately so maybe this will help..." Pablo sheepishly stated with a kind smile towards his brother.

Luis and I watched in admiration as Royce took the gift from Pablo.

"I hope it's a cat." Royce said as he started to open the box.

I laughed knowing it wasn't possible for a poor animal to be able to breath in a small box like that. Plus, a white ribbon was securely wrapped around it.

"Wow...I've always wanted a uhh..wait, what is it?" Royce questioned and held up a white dream catcher with beautiful feathers.

"It's a dream catcher! Just hang it above your bed and it'll help with your nightmares. They say that the good dreams pass through the center while the bad dreams flow down the feathers and dissolve." Pablo informed and pointed to each spot on the dream catcher.

Royce looked at his gift with a blank stare and didn't say a single word.

That wasn't good...

I glanced at Pablo who was noticing the same thing.

"You don't like it?" Pablo questioned with a frown.

Royce forced a smile on his face that obviously tricked Pablo and Luis into believing it was a sincere one.

"I like it. Thanks bro." Royce replied and gave Pablo a quick hug before walking away with his gift.

"So why exactly does he need a dream catcher?" Luis spoke up, confused out of his mind.

"I'll tell you later, let's go upstairs and watch a movie before we go to sleep." I replied and got up from my chair.

Pablo threw away the now empty box and looked happy with himself for thinking he helped his brother.

I didn't want to tell him that Royce wasn't very happy with his present so instead I said goodnight and headed to my room with Luis.

We passed by Royce's room so I told Luis to meet me in my room while I checked up on Royce before I went to bed.

I opened Royce's door and saw him talking on the phone with somebody.

"I'll only go for a couple of hours, but that's it." Royce spoke into his phone then hung up right after, making me wonder where the hell he was going.

It was almost twelve at night now so I had a feeling it was a party. Which meant drinking and that was even worse..

I trusted Royce wouldn't drink but I wasn't so sure he could quit right away.

"Goodnight, Royce." I said to get his attention.

He turned around once hearing my voice and walked towards me. "Is little Ed Sheeran staying the night with you?" he questioned.

I nodded and licked my lips. "Yeah, I have school tomorrow so he's leaving in the morning." I replied.

"Alright then, I'm going out so I won't be back until maybe three in the morning." Royce said with a smile.

Just the fact that he was suddenly feeling better after all the nightmares and strange marks on his body made me uneasy...

Royce was acting like there was no nightmares to begin with.

"Uhm..okay but be careful please." I told him seriously.

"I will." was his reply before he leaned down and quickly kissed the corner of my mouth.

I nibbled on my bottom lip and was expecting a real goodnight kiss like we always shared right before we went to bed.

The kiss was too quick and it didn't feel genuine at all..

I sighed and just expected it from Royce since he's been acting very strange lately.

I left his room and went to mine where I found Luis watching a movie on Netflix. He was half asleep with the lights off but was still able to keep an eye open.

I took off my shirt and got in bed next to him. I turned off the t.v causing Luis to groan in protest.

"Hey! It was getting good!" he blamed.

"We'll watch it some other time. Your eyes are barely open and I'm tired so lets go to sleep." I replied and adjusted the blankets on top of us.

Luis right away fell asleep and started to snore. I on the otherhand couldn't sleep no matter how hard I tried.

Was it because I knew Royce was out partying?

Or was it because I missed him next to me?

I forced my eyes closed and was finally able to fall asleep.

However, I ended up waking up from a frightening nightmare. I glanced at the clock and it read 2:45 a.m.

I wiped the sweat from my forehead and took in deep breaths to control my shaking hands and fast beating heart.

Luis slept like a baby unaware of my presence and even hit me in the face with his arm as he turned.

I got out of bed and decided to sneak into Royce's room. He was probably still not home yet so I would wait for him in his bed.

Plus, I would sleep more comfortably in his bed since it smelled like his cologne and natural smell.

I crawled under his sheets and immediately relaxed once inhaling his scent.

Sleep was quickly taking over my body until I heard the door open. Royce stumbled in and didn't bother to turn on the lights.

The moonlight shinning through the window was enough to let me see him taking off his clothes.

Once he was down to his boxers he slipped into bed with me and seemed to know I was here without me having to say anything.

"Move over a bit." he ordered and fixed the blankets to his liking.

I stayed silent which turned into an awkward silence that made me regret sneaking in here in the first place.

Maybe Royce wanted to be alone..

I turned my body away from him and instead faced the window. I tried to look for the dream catcher Pablo gave him, but I didn't see it anywhere.

It was still pretty dark so he probably placed it somewhere I just couldn't see it.

I closed my eyes with a heavy sigh escaping my lips and just wanted to sleep.

I turned around to face Royce again and smiled when he was sleeping face down. He looked comfortable with his pillow tucked closely to his face.

I started to poke his soft cheek several times then lightly poked his nose. I held in a laugh as he scrunched up his nose in an adorable way that made me want to kiss him.

"Sweet dreams.." I whispered and kissed his parted lips.

I cuddled closer to him to feel some of his warmth and didn't expect him to place his arm around my hip.

Royce firmly tightened his hold and pressed me closer to his naked body.

"I love you my annoying little brat." was all he said before he completely fell asleep causing both of us to smile...