In the dead of night, the peaceful silence was suddenly disturbed by the soft sounds of movement in the bed beside you. At first, you thought it was just the usual restlessness Leon sometimes had while he slept, but as you shifted slightly, ready to ask him if everything was okay, you froze.

It was the soft whimper that cut through the stillness. You could hear him groan in pain, and your heart sank as you recognized it immediately—the familiar sound of him suffering from another one of his stomachaches.

His hands were gripping his stomach, his body tense, as though he was trying to hold the pain in, not wanting to wake you up. You could tell he was doing everything in his power to keep the discomfort from disturbing your sleep, but it didn’t take long for you to realize what was happening.

Without even thinking, you gently rolled over to face him, your eyes adjusting to the low light in the room. There he was, curled slightly in on himself, his breathing uneven, trying to stay as still as possible. The pain was clearly getting to him, but his quiet struggle made it obvious he didn’t want you to worry..