Leo Imagines - Tumblr Posts

Once Upon a Dream

Pairing: VIXX Leo x Female Reader

Type:  One Shot

Genre: Dream!AU, Fantasy

WC: 3K

Warning:  None.

Summary:  There are people that are deep dreamers. The kind that have the ability to spin their nightmares into something else. So what happens when the Dreamer is apart of someone else's dream?

A/N: This is one of those dream within a dream scenarios. You know? The one where you have a dream - wake up, only to realize your ass is still dreaming? Yeah. I maybe had Shangri-La on repeat one day while I slept. 

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She always dreamed in bright and vivid colors. Like a rainbow whirled in colors of deep space pulsating nebula. It was always like this, recently, that she could pick out each color blend. Every night as music drifted into her ears, and the calm settled over her mind - this dazzling display always seemed to be waiting.

One night something changed.

She didn't know the why or how of it - but something was different. The landscape of the dream had morphed into something...more. She could always see a tall figure looming ahead. A silhouette made more prominent by the shifting colors of the dreamscape.

She would always see him turn his head, ever so slightly, over his shoulder. It gave her pause after many nights of approaching this figure. Some nights she'd get closer, some nights it seemed as if she was walking in place. The distance between them grew - but she never gave up.

It never crossed her mind as anything but an overactive brain trying to settle after a hard day.

The next night came around and the day had been particularly difficult. Her emotions had swung from each end of the spectrum of good and bad. The stresses of family difficulties weighed heavily that night. She grabbed her earbuds with a heavy sigh. The music streaming app had paused on the last song she hadn't finished before waking for the day.

Music had always been an escape, a way to sway the torrent of emotions that she fought against daily. Music, next to writing, was a saving grace against the mental goblins of depression: a playlist created for each emotion, for the sadness, for the malaise, and the yearning of a lonely heart.

"For once, I just...want to sleep. No dreams." Her fingers curled around her phone as if negotiating with it. Like it held power to determine where her mind would take her tonight. Her fingers sunk into her blanket as she pulled it over her head. The music filtered into her ears as her breathing eased into a soft lull.

She could always remember when deep sleep started. It always started to blur the sound of the music, like she was traveling farther away from the melody. Like the connection between the waking world was playing through a layer of fabric.

Then she opened her eyes. "No." A hushed whisper as she stared up into the 'sky.' The whirling colors of the universe danced in front of her. An arm rose to cover her gaze, hiding from the intense display.

"What took you so long?" A surly voice echoed around her. For all that attitude, he spoke softly. Pushing to sit up, eyes wide, she looked around to find the source.

"You've got to be kidding me." Her gaze lifted upward. Of all the things, the places she could have had dancing through her dreams. Why...

Why HIM?

Draped in silk reflecting the colors above them, he was perched on a rock - staring down at her. "You really should stand up." A brow rose as she continued to stare up at him. The realization caused her to scramble to her feet.

She stared at him for a long moment before closing her eyes. "It's just a dream." An exhale as her hands pushed out in front of her. As if she could move the scowling vision from her sight. There was a swish of sound that tickled her ears before a strong grip caught her wrist.

"Don't do that." The tug was strong enough to throw her off balance. She stumbled forward into him and suddenly began to doubt her sanity. It was a dream.

It WAS a dream.

But, he felt too solid for her liking. "You're not real. I'm exhausted. I'm tired. This is a dream." He pulled her against him, staring down into her wide eyes.

"Is it?" He was so close to her. He was so very close. He was way too close! She wasn't a short woman by any means. He had enough inches on her to make that tilt of his head just enough to put them almost nose to nose.

"Is it a dream?" His breath felt hot against her face, against her cheek. So close to the corner of her lips.

"IT IS A DREAM!?" Her heart was beating furiously. She could feel a lump form in her throat. These physical reactions seemed too much. They were, in fact, too much.

Enough that she pulled away from him and the world seemed to open under her feet. She gasped as she fell into the darkness. The last thing she saw was the sudden darkening of his gaze and a look of silent rage as the muscle ticked in his jaw.

She woke up gasping, sweating, and clutching her blanket to her chest.

It was only 4 a.m.  

"Damnit." She hissed finally releasing the tension from her fingers. There was a thump as she slapped the edge of the bed, forcing herself upward. She shook her fingers as she padded toward the kitchen, followed by a trio of worried doggies.

The faucet rumbled as water filled her glass. It was raised to her lips before her gaze settled on the tilted heads of her pets.

"It's fine, guys. I promise." The glass was drained of its contents in almost two swallows. She set the glass in the sink with a sigh. Was it really fine? Another glance to the tilted heads caused her to shake her own.

If animals could speak? She was sure they would tell her - they didn't believe her.

Hell, she didn't believe herself.

She stared at her bed for a few minutes, as if contemplating whether it was worth it to try and sleep any more. "I think I'll just..catch up on some writing." Yeah, that was safe.

This continued for the next few days. She always woke up in that 'realm' greeted by colors and HE was always nearby. No longer a distance silhouette, no longer a mystery. Always waiting, scowling and surly, for her to arrive.

Always getting closer and closer to her. Always seething when she forced herself awake.

Today was no different. The day progressed faster than she realized. Before she knew it? Her phone screen blinked at 7 pm. Her hands stretched upward as her eyelids began to droop. These extended hours weren't new to her, but it had been a while since it had been consecutive in this fashion.

"Ugh. What's the point of eating now?" The heel of her palms dug into her eye sockets as she tried to blink the sleep away. It wasn't working. A nap would solve all of this. Just a short nap, to knock the haze off.

She didn't remember getting in the bed or bothering with the blanket. She didn't even remember if she put on the playlist. She just remembered the cool softness of a pillow - and then nothing.

She had achieved the nothingness she wanted, finally.

Or so she thought.

The vivid intensity of color was gone. There were lights like stars dotting the blackness beyond. She moved her from one end of the display to the other. And there he was, again.

She blinked, and he was suddenly closer.

"You're a strong  dreamer." His long fingers curled against her cheek. She could feel the metal of his rings against her skin. "...but that won't work tonight. You know that, right?" There was still that slight surly, scowl in his tone. Normally expressionless, you'd almost think that he..smiled? Smirked? There was a twitch in his lip that gave away to some emotion. His fingers unfurled as they tucked under her chin. He was right; tonight would be different. There's a difference between dreaming in a controlled state - and dreaming in an exhausted state. And she was in a state of utter exhaustion. Her body was running on fumes and had every intention of resetting its energy levels.

Which meant she would sleep like a log until someone or something woke her. How did he know? How did he know that?! Infuriating! He was absolutely infuriating.

He loomed over her, their faces close. She could feel the fingers sliding down the side of her neck. The fingers were cool as they put a possessive pressure against her throat. She made an unexpected sound, covering her mouth in embarrassment. A smile spread across his face as he pulled the hand away, pinning it above her head. "Who am I?" His voice was low, moderately as if he was mustering every ounce of menace in his very being.

"You're a dream."

There was that possessive pressure that sent shivers from head to toe. That sound escaped her again; he looked pleased. "Who am I?" His face was too close again. He straddled her knees pinning her to the floor.

"This is impossible." She spoke between clenched teeth.

"And yet here we are. Say my name." He urged again pushing her free hand into the ground harder.

It was stress. That's all this was. This was some music-induced stress dream. And maybe, if she just went along? It would end. Sometimes you have to go with the flow. She was constantly in the business of controlling the flow.

Fine. She'd let this go wherever it was heading. This fighting, this strange battle was becoming too deep nightly. It was causing fitful sleep. So, she willed herself to relax. She became soft and yielded beneath him. He sucked in a sharp breath through his teeth. "Say my name." There was a huskiness to his voice.

She took a deep breath, exhaled softly as she closed her eyes. And she said it. She said the name that linked him to the waking world. She said the name she had screamed at the computer during live broadcasts. She said the name she yelled in her car as her favorite songs came on. It was strange to feel the flutter of her lashes against her cheek as her eyes opened. He looked satisfied, hungry almost. He was too close.

His lips brushed against hers. Her eyes flew opened wide on a gasp - and he took advantage. He tilted her chin upward locking his lips to her own. It felt too real! The slide of their lips together, the teasing tip of a tongue daring entry. He went from straddling her legs to covering her body with his own. He still held the one arm captive above her head. She had forgotten all about it. Beads of sweat formed, her heart began to run a derby in her ears. It was too hot; she couldn't breathe. The weight of him was too real. And when the panic was growing? He finally let up allowing her to breathe uninterrupted.

"I've been waiting for you." He said. Her brow furrowed in confusion. This is a dream. His fingers slid through her hair as he searched the planes of her face. It was too hot. He frowned, recognizing external stimuli was starting to interfere. Pushing to stand he pulled her up with him. That weird blurring of the world caused a strange static in her ears.

Wait, no. I don't want to wake up yet! He was saying something. His hand was on her tight, for dear life. As if he could somehow hold her there. He was talking as she shook her head. She was waking up; a panicked look up at him as his lips moved.

"I..I can't  understand what you're saying!" Her voice rose in pitch as the world fell away. She could have sworn she heard a faint echo — something reverberating in the walls of her mind as she fell into the dreamless state. Maybe it was her imagination. Because the last thing she heard?

Soon.

The dreams became more infrequent, more irregular as time passed on. Then they stopped altogether. She found herself sad, oddly, that nothing greeted her but that vivid nebula of colors. It was time to settle into the normality of things. Because she was sure it was just stress, right?

A friend called, out of the blue, with strange, yet fortuitous news. "So, I know you've been in a slump. I'm going to KCON and I think you should come with me. It would do you some good to get out of the state." Her friend sounded chipper, hopeful.

There was every excuse, and story of why she couldn't go - why she shouldn't go. And finally, a good fat excuse dinged in her brain. Like the sound of a microwave done zapping a meal. "You're right. Let's go." Wait, what? She shocked herself! And before she could change her mind? Her friend squealed with joy, rushed that she would figure everything out and hung up. Shit.

Barely a week had passed and she was on a plane, headed to L.A. Her friend rambled about all the things they would do. All the food they would eat. All the hi-touch, autograph and photo opportunities. It went into one ear and out of the other. She promised to not ruin this good time for her friend. They landed in California, it was bright and sunny. It was warm and loud. It was different from home and it invigorated her, just a little. They checked in, had dinner, and passed out. Tomorrow would be a long, packed day. She dreamed that night, but couldn't remember anything but fragments. Vivid colors. The sound of water. That distant silhouette.

Soon

She didn't dwell too long on it as they rushed to dress comfortably and leave. There were so many people! It was a sensory overload of scents and sounds. Her friend was rambling on about..something or the other. A word, a name caught her attention causing her to stop. Her friend turned to look at her, concerned. "What?"

"You - I'm sorry, where did you say we were going first?" Her friend laughed. "I thought I'd surprise you! You like that one group, right? VIXX?" The friend reached back and grabbed her arm to tug her along. "We're going to the fan event! Come on or we'll be in the back!"

It felt like the world went in double-time. They maneuvered through the throng of people to get, decent spots, in line for the fan event. Sure, she'd missed them when they were on the East Coast. But, this too advantageous.

Then it happened - the lights dimmed. The host came on the stage to mild applause. Everything seemed muffled like she was trying to listen with water in her ears. She could feel her nails digging into her palms. Using it as an anchor to keep her grounded, she watched as the group flood onto the stage. The applause, screams, and tears of fans rumbled the walls. They introduced themselves in typical fashion. Each stating their name and position, adding a smile, a wink or some type of aegyo at the end.

"They're doing a concert tonight!" Her friend nudged her excitedly. "We've got great seats for it!" She could only nod as they began their Q&A. The crowd yelled answers to questions. Laughed at jokes and silly antics, and then with the last chunk of time left? There was an opportunity to high-touch. Her friend dragged her to line squeezing in just at the cut-off. She turned to face her friend who gave her two thumbs up as she approached the stairs. I'm definitely going to kill her later.

The rough sound was louder than she realized, the girl in front of her turned with a questioning look. A small cough left her as she went up the stairs. She was the last one. Pictures really didn't do them any justice. They were really like mystical creatures.

The Leader smiled in that way that causes everybody to scream - it was intense.

The Rapper was charming, in a boyish way! It was a stark comparison to his bad boy rap persona in videos.

The Cute Main Vocal reminded her of a cherub. The slightly pudgy-faced, rosy-cheek messenger angels.

The Visual was stunning - what more could you say? The nickname Artwork fit him perfectly. You felt a sudden warmth at the width of his smile. He rightfully earned his title as bias wrecker supreme.

The Evil Maknae had grown so well! He was reaching the point where his height was starting to crest over the other members. She couldn't help but laugh as they high-five. This was good! This wasn't too bad, at all. She managed to get in words of thanks for their hard work in with each high-five.

There was a lopsided smile on her face as she continued on to the last member - her bias. She felt the smile begin to waver a tad but held up as she raised her hand to complete the line. A calming inhale as her eyes lifted to meet his. Her hand connected with his, "Thank you for your hard work. Good luck tonight."

His fingers interlocked with hers with that intense stare. "You."  

She knew that stare from her dreams. Her nostrils flared as the grip on her hand increased. "Impossible!" She was frozen in place.

He leaned down those few inches. The others members turned to look confused, shocked and stunned at Leo’s behavior. The sound of murmurs, gasps, and squeals flooded the room. There was that look on his face. He was pleased with her response. Their noses brushed as she stumbled into him again. "I told you I would see you soon." His lips brushed against hers again. The same strange heat and intensity. In front of everyone! In front of these cell phones and staff!

He broke their contact, releasing her hand causing her to stumble. Her arms pinwheeled as she fell backward. The world opened up beneath her as he watched her fall. He smirked as the world began to fizzle. "You're not the only strong dreamer."

Her eyes went wide as she fell into darkness...

....and woke up in her bed.

Gasping.

Sweating.

...and clutching her blanket to her chest.