You and Ryan, your boyfriend of four months, were in the living room, watching a film on the tele. You were both laying on the couch and Ryan was slumped against you, his head on your chest while you ran your fingers through his short brown hair, which eventually put him to sleep. You smiled when you noticed, giggling quietly at how cute he looked before getting back to the movie. About ten minutes later, however, Ryan suddenly sat up, his eyes wide and his breathing heavy.

"Ry?" You sat up with him, concern evident on your face and in the way you spoke.

"Nightmare?" You asked after a few seconds of silence. He'd been having a lot of those lately so it was your first guess. They were usually about the horrible accident that happened with his little sister, Chloe when they were little.

Ryan nodded meekly and it wasn't until then that you noticed that his eyes were shimmering with unshed tears.

"Hey, it's okay," You cooed, reaching out to take his hand, gently rubbing the pad of your thumb over the back of it.

"I-It's just... Living it once in...in real life was bad enough, w-why am I being forced to relive it i-in my sleep a-as well?" He asked no one in particular, choking back a sob. You said nothing as you wrapped your arms tightly around him while Ryan wrapped his arms around your waist and buried his face in your neck. When you felt the way his shoulders shook and heard the silent sobs leaving his body, you found yourself holding back tears of your own. You weren't used to seeing Ryan like this; he was always so good at putting on a front and acting mean and manipulative to hide how he truly felt, but only with you did he show his real emotions, and even then it was rare.

"I'm sorry," Ryan pulled away after a few minutes, wiping his eyes and trying to hide his pain as if he suddenly realised he wasn't supposed to be acting so vulnerable.

"You have nothing to be sorry for, Ry, it's okay to cry sometimes." You said, placing your hand on his bicep and giving it an affectionate squeeze. He managed to give you a sad smile before he noticed the dampness on your cheeks and his face fell again.

"Shit, did I make you cry?" He was suddenly the overly concerned one as he gently wiped away your tears with the sleeve of his flannel.

"Only because I hate seeing you so upset. Now, stop that, I'm supposed to be the one taking care of you." You playfully slapped his arm away, making Ryan chuckle lightly. You smiled slightly, glad you were able to make him laugh.

"How about we take care of each other?" He suggested, raising his eyebrows and smirking ever so slightly.

"I like that idea." You grinned despite yourself, leaning forward to peck his lips.