A/N: I thought my next post would be in 2019, but then I was inspired by a few headcanons that I saw on lets-imagine-some-khr over at Tumblr! I wanted a break from studying, so I decided to write out this freestyle piece inspired by a sleeping headcanon about Lambo from the blog! He's my all time favorite character, and I have tons of personal headcanons regarding him and his relationship with the other characters. I figured why not, let's just write out what's on my mind!

I hope that this would be an enjoyable read!

Lambo jerks awake, limbs flailing, covers flying, heart beating like Dino-nii's namesake. He could still feel the remnants of the scream in his throat. Lambo forced himself to take in deep, steadying breaths to help ground him to reality. It took a few minutes, but eventually, the panic and adrenaline drained from his system.

It had just been a nightmare. A horrible, vivid and terrifying nightmare, but a conjecture of his mind regardless. Lambo doesn't have it as often as he used to, but the decline in quantity is made up with the quality of his dreams. They always felt so real that he's unable to go back to sleep, unless…

Climbing out of bed, Lambo smoothens his wrinkled pajamas before he exits his bedroom.

Lambo walks silently down the hallway, keeping himself close to the walls, gaze occasionally flickering to the shadows of rustling leaves that seeps in from the windows. It's an ingrained habit by now, and while logically he knows that Vongola Mansion is one of the most secure places he could be in, being cautious is never a bad thing. Keeps his neck attached to his shoulders, as experience tells him.

It doesn't take him long before he reaches the first room. He's not a novice at this, so he knows better than to just open the door. Some of his brothers can be, how you say, jumpy when they've just woken up. Lambo wants to return to his room later in one piece, thank you very much.

But with Ryo-nii, there's no need to. Lambo can practically hear his snores, even through the door. Once upon a time, he complains about it. Says that it's like a lawnmower revving in the middle of the night, back when he, I-Pin and Fuuta slept over at Kyoko-neechan's home. It always sucked sleeping in the same room as him, because he could barely get a wink of sleep that night.

Now, he thinks otherwise. Hearing Ryo-nii's loud snores meant that he's home, sound asleep and most importantly, alive. Even though he's the predominant healer, there's no denying that he's useful for missions where they needed to do the most amount of contained damage. Ryo-nii can move quickly, and his attacks are pretty silent. Lambo has personally seen how quickly a fully grown man crumples in the wake of one of Ryo-nii's punches.

His Sun flames helps heal him in the event that he gets injured, but he tends to sleep a little quieter, after such missions. Lambo comes to hate that silence, bearing the knowledge that it's like that because his big brother is hurt and he can't do anything about it. But this time, Ryo-nii is fine, and he can move on with a lighter step.

Just a couple of doors down, he comes to a stop in front of another room. Lambo fidgets for a moment, considering if he really should wake him up for his own peace of mind, before he breathes out a little sigh. That's what they promised on, after the first time he went into his room unannounced in the middle of the night.

Meekly, he gently raps on the door and waits, toying with the hem of his pajama sleeve. There's a few seconds of silence, before the door slowly swings open.

"Lambo?" Take-nii yawns, scratching his jaw. While he blinks sleepily, Lambo can see the alert gleam in them. He feels a little bad, but—

"Hey Take-nii," he greets softly. Green eyes flickers to his feet, then goes up to his brother's patient look. "I, um, had a nightmare…" he mumbles the last bit, but that's always enough for Take-nii's keen ears.

"Ah." A low hum. "So you're making a once over, then?"

Lambo nods. This is far from the first time, but only a handful of people knew about this particular tendency of his. Take-nii is one of them, though that's only because the first time he slowly peeks into his room unannounced, he almost got clobbered by a baseball. The Rain Guardian might be cheery and affable, but one must never forget that he's a natural born killer.

Take-nii had apologized profusely when he realized that he'd started to cry, and then they had a long talk with some warm milk over it. He shares with his big brother that after a nightmare, or on some odd nights, he just can't go back to sleep if he doesn't check over everyone. There's an indescribable heavy feeling in his chest that just won't go away until he feels assured that his family is alright.

Take-nii doesn't say anything, merely listening with an understanding air. Lambo feels a bit better knowing that he can share these feelings to one of his siblings without a shred of worry. Take-nii doesn't see it as something weird or childish. He merely tells him that, the next time he's making his round, to just wake him up. It's much safer all around.

"Well, I know that Hayato, Mukuro, Chrome and Kyouya haven't returned from their respective missions." Before his expression could instinctively twist into something downcast, slender fingers digs into his mess of curls, giving them a little ruffle.

Lambo's cheeks warms a little, lips wobbling into a tiny grin. These tender acts of affection never fails to make him ridiculously pleased, but he doesn't want to make it so obvious that he loves them. He doesn't think he has anyone fooled, but a guy can dream.

"Don't worry Lambo. They're strong in their own right," Take-nii assures him, still ruffling his hair. "I'm certain that they'll come back safe and sound." That's a pretty bold claim to make, given the nature of their world but the way that Take-nii says it so certainly makes it difficult to doubt his words.

He might butt heads with Haya-nii often, but he understands the strength that the Storm Guardian wields. Chrome-nee and Muku-nii has gotten out of plenty of scrapes with their illusions before, so they're likely to be fine.

And Kyo-nii… well, there's really not much else to say about him.

While at the back of his mind, there are dark whispers that spoke of horrible, awful things that can happen to them, in the face of Take-nii's confidence, Lambo easily chooses who to believe. The heaviness dislodges from his chest, and he breathes a little easier, shoulders loosening.

"Feeling better?" The Rain Guardian asks, even as he knows the answer.

Lambo nods. The pressure lifts from his head and he looks up to Take-nii's smile. "I'm pretty sure that he's still in his office." He briefly shakes his head. "Maybe you can convince him to sleep a little earlier." There's an indulgent way in which the Rain Guardian says it, a velvety layer of surety underlining his tone.

It's absolutely no secret that, for all that the Sky adores his Guardians, his heart is a bit tenderer when it comes to their youngest.

"Oh. I'll try." Takeshi knows that if anyone could pull him away from his desk, it'll be Lambo. He knows that he doesn't even need to convince him. Just being the way he is – being their affectionate little brother – is enough.

The teen shyly smiles at his big brother. "Sorry for waking you up but—thanks, Take-nii."

Takeshi easily accepts the pair of arms that wraps around his middle, giving Lambo a little squeeze in return before he dips down to press a kiss on his forehead. With one last ruffle, he gently nudges Lambo's back. "Good night Lambo."

"Good night, Take-nii." And with that, he's off down a familiar hallway.

The mansion is silent, but Lambo thinks that he can hear the sound of pen scribbling over paper even from here. Within minutes, he's standing in front of Tsuna-nii's office. He sees the light streaming from the door, knows that familiar figure would be hunched over his desk. While his eyes are on his documents, Lambo knows his Intuition is elsewhere, and it's only a matter of time before-

"Come in," Tsuna-nii's voice filters through, confirming his own guess. Lambo straightens his pajamas for no real reason other than to buy a few seconds before he opens the door.

The Tenth Vongola boss looks up with tired eyes at his late night guest, not entirely surprised that it's his youngest Guardian. Tsuna-nii straightens, placing down his pen to clasp his hands together. He wears a soft smile.

"Good evening Lambo. It's rather late, isn't it?" The question carries a hidden meaning. Why are you up at this hour? Is something the matter? Lambo finishes in his mind. Even at fifteen years old, it's difficult to grasp for words when Tsuna-nii's worries bleeds into him.

He went through an odd adjusting period. His younger self initially relishes under the attention, but once he grew and matures a little, he discovers that he doesn't like it when his big brother worries about him. Little Lambo comes to understand that Tsuna-nii carries an invisible weight on his shoulders, and he doesn't want to contribute to it, if he can.

Lambo then made a silent pact that didn't last very long. Being the emotional child that he is, after having tasted the relief of expressing himself freely, suddenly bottling up what he feels proves to be detrimental to his physical health. He feels ill, like he's struck by an actual sickness that saps at his energy and tilts his world on its axis. Tsuna-nii quickly zeroes in on this, which led to a private crying session that lasted for hours as Lambo spills everything about it.

He didn't want to worry Tsuna-nii, but hiding his feelings still worries him. They've come to an understanding, but the Lightning Guardian is still hesitant to a certain extent. That mental block is not too much of a leap to overcome, though. Just one look at that concerned honey brown eyes and his defenses crumble like wet paper.

"I had a nightmare," he admits simply.

Tsuna-nii gestures for him to come closer as he rises from his seat. They met halfway at the couch and it merely takes seconds before Lambo is pressing his face against his big brother's chest. Lithe arms wraps itself around his frame, and he feels safe.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Tsuna-nii asks.

"No," Lambo replies succinctly.

"Alright then." This is what he loves about Tsuna-nii. He doesn't prod, merely accepts things as it is, like the all-encompassing Sky that he is. Lambo doesn't need to justify his feelings. Tsuna-nii understands, and he gives what he wants without question.

Lambo remains glued to his side for a good few minutes, sighing at the fingers that finds purchase in his curls. With all of his senses focused on Tsuna-nii, the remnants of his nightmare dissolves from his mind. He feels comforted and safe. With his stress fading away, it doesn't take long before he starts to feel tired again.

"You want to try and go back to sleep?" Tsuna-nii always seems to know that tipping point. Lambo chalks it up to his Intuition.

"Mmm…" The teen buries his face into the elder's chest, his hair tickling the underside of his chin. He's quiet for a moment, but he thinks that Tsuna-nii can guess what he wants.

"Hmm… I suppose it's time I turn in for the night." Lambo grins into his shirt. The fingers dips from his hair and onto his lower back. He can picture that soft, loving smile. "Would you like to sleep with me?"

Lambo's gentle tug of his wrist is his answer.

Within twenty minutes, the teen finds himself in Tsuna-nii's private quarters, laying on the massive king sized bed. There's plenty of wiggle room for him, but he wastes no time in closing the distance, tucking himself into the space beside Tsuna-nii.

Those arms, that has held him many times before, that never fails to make him feel warm and loved, finds their way around Lambo- like it's always meant to be.

It doesn't take long before slumber pulls him under once more. His dreams doesn't interrupt him this time, content with the knowledge that now, his Tsuna-nii is here to protect him from his nightmares.

"Good night Lambo."

A/N: In the end, this fic is pretty self indulgent for me as it was a good stress reliever and good practice to just write freely! What a way to wrap up this year, haha! Thank you for reading, and I wish all of you a Happy New Year!