Breakdown (HIATUS)

*4 - Wrong

Huey felt like he was losing it. He was tired but was afraid. He was afraid of sleeping. Well, not the action itself, but maybe the darkness. He was afraid of the dark. It was a new paranoia he had developed who-knows-when that led him to borrow glow-in-the-dark stickers from Webby and pasting it on his wall. It was silly, he knows. Sometimes, he wouldn't even sleep. When it was bedtime, he would excuse himself and go to the library, and there, he would read all night, making sure every corner was bright and there were no areas that reminded him of the unconscious abyss.

His folks started to notice the bags he has under his eyes and how much intake he has of coffee. "Huey, are you alright?" his Uncle Donald asked, surprising the young red-cladded duck. It was the fact that his uncle could walk so silently that he found it surprising. It also worries him. What if he wasn't as attentive as he was before? What if he was never attentive? Did he miss details? What important life-changing details did he miss because he wasn't attentive enough?!

Huey didn't realize a hand was put on his shoulder until it's gripped tightened on his shoulder. "Huey, what's wrong?" Donald asked, kneeling down to meet his nephew's onyx orbs. He saw fear and distress. What was he afraid of? "Huey, you're shaking," Donald informed, trying to get the boy's attention on him and only him. "Tell me, what's wrong, please Huey," Donald said, begging him, shaking him trying to get his head back in the present.

Huey stopped shaking. His breath evened and he finally looked at his uncle's eyes. His beautiful blue eyes were like the ocean, where his heart belonged, and right now, his ocean was in a storm, clouds pouring their hearts out as the sea shakes, dancing with the strong wind, ignoring the chaos around them. But he isn't ignoring Huey's chaos. He wanted to be in the chaos; help calm the chaos.

"But you shouldn't," the voice said. And it wasn't any random voice, it was Scrooge's voice. He felt cold arms wrap around him, or maybe it was just the air, but whatever it was, it was the cold. Cold, like the depths of the ocean.

"You couldn't," the voice said, and it was right. He couldn't tell Uncle Donald. Even if he wanted, the words would be stuck in his mouth and all would come out would be choked sobs and incoherent words, making him look weak, and pathetic, and unworthy.

"Nothing," Huey replied as he removed his uncle's hand off of him, "nothing's wrong." Huey forced a smile, trying to show he was fine, but he knew it was in vain. His uncle knows. Normally, he would more than love it for his uncle to help him, but in this situation, he can't. In his mind, Uncle Donald would make him worse; would make him too dependent, and he wants to build an image for himself, step away from anyone's shadow and be his own person. And relying on someone else to fix his inner problems would break the small process he made for himself.

Donald frowned. He did not like it when his nephew would lie to him. He would make a pass if it was for a good reason, but this was no good reason. Huey just had a panic attack, he's losing sleep, and he suspects that he has some addiction to caffeine. "This is not nothing," Donald said. His voice was firm but he didn't shout.

Huey starred, terrified as his Uncle rose from his kneeling position and frowned at him. Images of what will happen next flashed through Huey's mind and most of them involved physical contact. He shielded his face, hoping it would lessen the impact he'll be receiving.

Donald watched as his nephew cowers before him. He was cowering because of him. He fears him. Donald could hear his heart shatter. It hurt. Someone you had raised, cared for, and loved for was now fearing you, afraid of what you'll do to him. He would never do anything to Huey, or to any of his kids. He never raised a hand to them. Never. So why would Huey think he would start now?

Donald knelt again. He slowly reached out to gently grab Huey's hands and slowly intertwined them with his. The boy was shaking again.

"Huey..." He started, trying to be as gentle as possible, and trying not to cry because seeing his boy like this broke his heart. "I'm not going to hurt you."