Asphodels For Your Thoughts | Akeshu

Night terrors

Akechi stepped through the inky blackness, gazing around in uncertainty as he went. With each step he took, ripples spread outward from his feet, almost like he was walking on top of water. He would be intrigued, if it weren't for the overwhelming dread that overtook him. It was dark... So terribly dark, and Akechi was so, so terribly afraid.

This simply wasn't right. He'd been in bed with Akira, hadn't he? The caramel-haired boy halted in his steps, placing his hand on his chin in thought. 'Well... let's see. I took my medication, and then talked to Akira while waiting for it to kick in. And then... I must've fallen asleep, right?' Akechi furrowed his eyebrows. That seemed reasonable, for there was simply no way for one to walk on water... and he'd never heard of such a dark place as this was.

"Hah!" Akechi beamed, feeling a temporary surge of confidence for having figured out that he was dreaming. "I know I'm dreaming, so now nothing can hurt me."

The confidence soon faltered, however. Behind him, the sound of footsteps rapidly approached, until he could practically feel the presence right against his back. And yet... Akechi felt frozen in place, unable to move an inch. Not even his eyes.

He flinched, feeling warm breath puff against his ear. "Feeling proud, aren't we? You forget that just because I can no longer control you in the real world... That means nothing here. Here, it's fair game. And right now, you're mine."

As desperately as he tried, Akechi's limbs simply refused to move. "W-Wait," he panted out, finding it harder and harder to breathe as his panic rose. Beneath him, there were arms-- arms that definitely weren't attached to any human form that he could see-- grabbing at his pantlegs. The ripples gave way as the hands slowly began to drag him beneath the ground... no, water. The solidity he'd been standing on was quickly dissipating into some sort of horrid liquid.

Suddenly, control over his body was back, and Akechi desperately writhed and kicked, trying to free himself. But as hard as he struggled, he continued to sink further and further. He gazed up in terror, his blood running cold as he realized who the voice had belonged to-- his... own father.

"Please-- Please, help me... help me.." Akechi cried out desperately to the man towering over him. His heart stopped as the man simply smirked, and, in response, whispered to him: "You've failed me, and everyone else... And you will continue to fail. Why should I help you?"

And then, he was pulled under.

Akechi awoke with a strangled scream of terror. There was something on him-- hands, the hands... He kicked desperately at his assailant, but soon froze as he heard his name being called. He slowly relaxed, his breath coming in short, shaky pants. As reality pieced itself back together, Akechi recognized that the one he'd assumed to be attacking him was, in fact, his own boyfriend. Akechi's heart sank.

"I-I'm.. sorry." Akechi forced out breathlessly, trying to quiet his pounding heartbeat. His skin crawled with the sensation of those hands gripping at his skin... as well as the face of that man. Akechi simply wanted nothing more than to disappear right then and there, but it wasn't that easy. He would know. Akira had stopped him plenty of times.

As Akechi slowly sat up, he flinched as the bed creaked; a sign that Akira was coming closer. He wanted nothing more than to scream "don't touch me!" or "get away!" and yet... nothing would come out. Nothing except for a whimper of despair as he felt arms wrap around him.

"It's okay. I've got you." The other murmured, his voice quiet. Warm. For a moment, he thought back to the way his father spoke into his ear like that, but the thought soon melted away as Akira hugged him tighter.

And suddenly, the dam broke loose. Before Akechi knew it, he was crying his heart out into Akira's shoulder while the other rubbed his back comfortingly. He confessed everything about his nightmare to his boyfriend. Every single detail that refused to leave his mind.

By the time Akechi was done, his eyes were red and his throat was positively raw. However, as much as it hurt physically, he felt a little bit lighter emotionally. Akira had been quiet throughout his entire vent, but he had obviously been listening. Akechi felt... gracious. Part of him wondered what he'd done to deserve Akira's attention, let alone his love.

A soft sigh passed Akechi's lips as he felt fingers threading through his hair, his entire body relaxing against his boyfriend's. He allowed the other to lay him back down and pull him into a tight embrace.

"...We defeated him. He's not going to come anywhere near you ever again. I promise."

"...It's... a promise, then"