"I would do the same if I experienced such"
I covered my face, tears threatening to spill.
"I want to kill whoever did this"
Aunt Dara settled beside me and pulled me into a hug, her palms stroking my back
"You can't take someone else's revenge upon yourself...unless they will you to"
"I don't care...he didn't deserve this"
"I agree"
I shook violently in her arms, spasms hitting me as I bawled my eyes into her shoulder
"He'll be alright, you'll be alright"
"No no, they hurt him"
"Now you're hurting yourself"
I spent the evening crying in my Aunt's arms. Once again I was sent back to the box if despair I thought I had finally escaped.
Dream recovered rather quickly. He was back on his feet, going about the cafe's decorations like nothing happened. I was content with this temporary happiness but it started to crack at some point.
Like when I grabbed his hand out of habit to show him a piece of decoration I made. He shrieked and scurried away from me, looking terrified and shaken.
Or when Aunt Dara tried to surprise him at the cafe by placing her hands over his eyes from behind. We had to close the cafe and comfort him til it was time to go home.
It got even more worse.
Nightmares.
More triggered panic attacks.
Hallucinations.
Sleepless nights.
I couldn't leave him alone in a room and I couldn't take him out of the house. It was terrible, I was tired. I felt horrible. For being tired.
"Dream"
He was hunched over his 'board of art', feeling around it and drawing. It was a large board where he drew.
"Yeah?"
"We have to talk"
"About?"
"You"
He stopped drawing and looked up at me
"What do you mean?"
I drew in a long breath "we can't continue like this"
He set the board aside, his attention fully on me
"Like what?"
"Dream-"
"Are you tired...of me?I'm sorry it's jus-"
"No, never!"
"..."
"Look, all of...these won't stop if you don't talk to someone"
It felt like my heart was being squeezed as I watched him shrink into himself
"It doesn't have to be me...anyone, whatever happened that day is still haunting you and it won't go away if you don't talk to someone about it"
"..."
"I'm really worried about you, I'm scared. I don't want to lose you, you're the only one I have left aside from Aunt Dara... it's just you Dream, it's just you I have"
He shook his head, tears lining his fair face, he was struggling to hold his tears in.
"No, you're lying...you have a family"
"...but it's you I'm with! You're my family"
"No no"
"Dream, I'm choosing you. Please"
I slowly got out of my chair and walked over to him, he was trembling
"It's you Dream, you're my one and only friend"
He latched onto me in a tight hug, I reciprocated. He cried for a long while before falling asleep.
This is okay. He's okay, I'll be okay. We'll be okay.