Sleeping with James in his arms usually meant Steve could sleep, at least for a few hours. He was awake again long before the man needed help to the bathroom though, and he stayed awake afterwards to just comfort James as he struggled in his sleep, apparently having unhappy dreams. He did his best to soothe James, but it was only partly successful, and when the man finally woke for good he looked ragged. Steve stroked James' face as he heard the man's body slowly coming out of sleep, thumb running gently over the dark circles under his lover's eyes.

"Shhh it's ok baby. Take your time. I'm still here. No reason to open those pretty eyes before you're ready. Just rest James. There's no timetable, no obligations. Just rest."