Wings Of Despair - Prologue

Chapter 9 - The Calm Before The Storm

After the commotion with Allan, Yuto couldn't bear the burden to talk to anyone in his state of despair. Yuto took the rest of the day off to himself; he tried to compose himself at the botanic gardens, then returned to Greg's apartment an hour from midnight. When Yuto locked the front door, he was eternally grateful for the dead lights within the complex.

Everyone was asleep, which meant no one to bother him. He crept towards Greg's bedroom and carefully turned the handle, a gentle creak sung out. Yuto didn't dare look at Greg's unconscious state, as he settled in his corner of the room.

Yuto perked when Greg mumbled to himself, his body shifted across the mattress. Yuto didn't think anything of it, until Greg muttered against his pillow. "No, don't go."

Yuto couldn't help but feel curious. What kind of dream is he having?

Greg shifted along the bed once more, his body faced Yuto. That's when he noticed it. Greg's face wore the same distressed expression as Allan that morning.

Greg shifted once more, which Yuto now recognised as discomfort. Yuto cautiously approached the side of the bed; he contemplated how he could help Greg whilst he slept. What would Aki do as a Guardian? Yuto wondered to himself, then experimentally placed his palm upon Greg's forehead. He felt him instantly relax under his hand, his face more content.

"You came back..." Greg muttered with such affection and care, almost relieved as he slept away. "Don't die like that again."

Yuto's heart dropped to his stomach, he knew he shouldn't have heard that. He did his best to forget about Greg's disclosure. Yuto ripped his hand away from the guilt-ridden sting. He sat down and awkwardly got settled in his corner once more. Snab slithered from his bag and curled around Yuto's neck, they both fell asleep together.

Morning soon arrived, the sun slowly trickled into the bedroom window. Yuto felt an abrupt, sharp pain along his leg. He jolted awake with a yelp. He tried to find the source of the pain, when he noticed Greg stumble a bit in front of him. Yuto glanced towards his outstretched leg in the walkway, then realised Greg must've tripped on it.

"Shit, sorry." Greg apologised. "Didn't mean to kick you."

"It's okay, it didn't hurt anyway." Yuto merely shrugged. He absentmindedly rubbed where Greg kicked his leg.

"That's good, at least." Greg nodded, then sat on the edge of his bed. "How was your outing yesterday? You weren't home when I finished work."

Oh. Yuto thought back to what happened with Allan yesterday, his chest tightened. He swallowed heavily, then tried to think of a response on the spot. "It was pretty good, I didn't come back until midnight – I think anyway. I didn't know you slept-talked."

Greg's face paled. "I what?"

"I- I-" Shit! Yuto internally panicked. Why did I say that?! "W-When I got home, you were just mumbling, nothing interesting and important at all!" He poorly lied, his words a blurb.

"What did I say?" Greg demanded, as he thought back to the touchy nightmare he had last night. I hope I didn't say anything about them... Greg prayed to any sort of god that he wasn't exposed as vulnerable.

Yuto was backed in a corner, as he ignorantly blurted out the truth. "You said for someone to come back, a-and when they did, you said for them to not 'die like that again'."

Grief flashed through Greg's eyes, before he adverted them from Yuto's sight. His facial expression once again resembled Allan's.

Greg gestured towards his bedroom door. "Get out."