Explosion of Colors

Plum

A/N: This story doesn't have a lot chapters like the previous story Taming the Alpha. This story have 30 chapters, author's note not included.

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Mew hasn't seen Gulf in nearly a week, feeling too emotionally overwhelmed to be around him at the moment. He needs time to recover, as he currently feels even more of a wreck than before. Something has changed within him, within his grief, and he's unsure if it's a positive or negative shift. There's something that has been unleashed.

Perhaps the only way forward is to face it head-on.

There has been total silence between them, but when Mew jolts awake gasping for air five seconds after drifting off, haunted by nightmarish visions of Leo repeatedly dying, his dark eyes filled with terror and then empty with death, and the darkness closing in on him from all directions, it's Gulf's number that his trembling fingers manage to dial on his phone.

Gulf picks up on the second ring, his voice filled with concern. "Mew? Are you alright?"

Mew is unable to respond. Partly due to the horror lingering from the dream weighing on his chest, and partly due to the sudden rush of embarrassment. It's 10:30 pm, Gulf could have been asleep and here Mew is, calling him in a panic over a nightmare. He doesn't even realize he's starting to hyperventilate.

"Mew!" Gulf's tone turns urgent. "Please, talk to me. What's going on?"

"I..." He inhales deeply, forcing air into his lungs. "I had a dream..."

"About... Leo?" Gulf hesitates, unsure if he should even mention the name.

"He just... kept dying." Mew shuts his eyes tightly, trying to block out the image of Leo's lifeless face. "He died over and over again. I panicked, I'm sorry."

"No need to apologize. But hold on a second." There's a soft thud followed by the sound of rustling. "I'm back. I was just getting into bed." More rustling can be heard, strangely comforting to Mew. "Hey, stop that."

"What?" Mew asks, puzzled.

"Not you," Gulf replies. "It's my cat. She insists on sleeping on my face. I guess it's more comfortable for her than it is for me."

Mew chuckles, a brief moment of relief amidst the panic. He marvels at the sound for a moment - just five seconds ago, he was in complete distress, and now he's... not entirely calm, but close enough. The idea of going back to sleep still makes his stomach churn uncomfortably. "What's her name?" he asks. Let's focus on the cat, he thinks. Cats are comforting.

"Allie," Gulf says. "And she's the queen of the whole universe," he adds with an amused sigh.

I get what you're saying," Mew replies. "I have a similar issue with Pam." And then the realization hits him that Pam is no longer around, bringing back the weight on his chest.

Gulf must have picked up on his thoughts or maybe noticed him starting to hyperventilate again. "Mew?"

"Nothing. I just... Damn."

"Do you want to talk about it? The dream?" he gently prods when Mew falls silent.

"Not really." After a moment of contemplation, he adds, "Could you... Could you just talk to me for a bit?"

"Of course," Gulf responds softly.

Mew adjusts his position to lie more comfortably on his side and puts Gulf on speaker so he can place the phone beside him on the bed. He closes his eyes once more, and this time, he drifts off to sleep peacefully, comforted by Gulf's soothing voice.

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Somehow breakfast has turned into a regular thing. Gulf shows up every morning before work, usually with food in hand. One Friday, he walks in without even knocking, finding Mew cooking scrambled eggs and bacon on the stove. The aroma of coffee lures Gulf into the kitchen.