FPE: Do i deserve you?

Again?

Abbie didn’t even notice what was happening around him; he just closed his eyes and fell into a light sleep in Lana’s arms.

He started dreaming once again.

Abbie was walking down a dark hallway, like those days with heavy clouds when he felt alone. He began to remember how depressed he felt; the atmosphere was cold, with only the soft echo of his shoes against the floor.

Suddenly, he heard a harsh voice. Oh no, that horrible voice...

Miss Circle.

He felt his heart race, and he started walking faster. He began to hear footsteps behind him, so he started running. The footsteps behind him also sped up. Without realizing it, he was running with all his might.

Miss Circle: "Get back here, you useless idiot! Can’t you solve a single equation correctly? GET BACK HERE, WORM!"

Abbie just ran harder as tears streamed down his face. He was starting to run out of breath.

Meanwhile, Lana noticed Abbie was moving strangely in her arms and had a worried expression. She realized it was one of those nightmares again and hurried to try to wake him up.

Lana: "Abbie? Abbie, wake up..."

Claire: "What’s wrong with Abbie?..."

Engel: "Hmm?"

They both noticed Abbie moving, with small tears forming in his eyes while he breathed heavily and clung to Lana’s sweater.

Lana: "Abbie? Hey, wake up, wake up."

She shook him a little. Suddenly, Abbie woke up with teary eyes and a fearful look, desperately looking around as if to make sure nothing was going to hurt him.

Abbie: "W-What... You’re with me, right?"

He looked up and clung more tightly to Lana’s arms now that he was awake. Trembling a bit, he curled up in Lana’s embrace, sitting on her lap.

Claire: "What just happened?"

Engel set his food aside to listen to the conversation.

Lana: "What happens is that Abbie has pretty strong nightmares, since he was a kid. He had a... trauma that caused them, so he cries when the nightmare overwhelms him emotionally."

Abbie sighed as he listened to Lana explaining this. It was something he had admitted some time ago...

When Abbie was a child, he always slept with a stuffed animal he loved very much. A gray teddy bear with black eyes that he kept by his side every night.

His father always came home late and usually a bit drunk, and when he did, he ended up being aggressive with Abbie. He couldn’t see his mother often because they were separated, so every night, he had to go to bed early to avoid seeing his father.

It seems that night, he didn’t manage to avoid it.

His father caught him still awake and got angry, beating him and taking his gray teddy bear, burning it in front of him on the stove.

Since that day, Abbie had constant nightmares, not just from the insults and beatings but also from seeing one of his most cherished possessions burned before his eyes.

And although his father apologized later, he couldn’t forget that traumatic memory, which haunted him to this day, making him feel useless for not having been able to do anything at that moment.

Abbie: "S-Sorry... I didn’t mean to scare you, I umm..."

Abbie fell silent again, Lana wiping his tears, still a bit worried. He knew about the nightmares but had never witnessed one.

Lana: "Shh shh... It’s okay, calm down, Abbie."

Claire: "Aww, don’t worry, Abbie. We understand. Are you feeling better now?"

Abbie: "H-Hmm... I think so."

He mumbled, his eyes still a bit wet from the sensation and his chest still pounding. Lana sighed in relief but continued to gently stroke his hair, trying to comfort him at that moment.

Engel: "Changing the subject to lighten this tense moment, there’s a school fair tomorrow, so... Look, I was supposed to be at that boring stand with Lana handing out posters, but how about you go for me, Abbie?"

Abbie: "Really!? You’d let me, Engel? But you might lose extra points for that. I don’t think I can do that..."

Engel: "Don’t worry about it; my grades are good enough. Besides, I think it’ll be good for you to spend time with Lana tomorrow. The stand is at the entrance, so you won’t have to deal with all the noise in the gym..."

Claire: "Since you won’t be at your stand tomorrow, Engel, you could help me move the boxes for my stand."

Engel: "You have one?"

Claire: "Of course! I told you before... You’re so distracted. I’m presenting the class’s plant collection that I made with Bubble a month ago."

Engel: "Sure... Is that all? Then what are the boxes for?"

Claire: "They’re for giving out seeds to the other students. I want to promote having flowers and-"

Engel: "Alright, alright... Guess there goes my break tomorrow."

Abbie: "Hmm... So I can spend the rest of the morning with you, right?"

He whispered to Lana while playing with the puppets in his hands.

Lana: "Yes, we’ll meet at the gate tomorrow... You and me together."

She smiled and brought the puppet close to Abbie’s lips, making a gesture as if it gave him a little kiss. He immediately blushed once again.

Abbie: "H-Hey!... You caught me by surprise."

He laughed softly, giving the puppet a kiss on the head, playing along with Lana.

Lana: "Hehe, Miss Li wanted a kiss, didn’t she?"

The puppet (Lana’s voice): "Yes, I wanted a kiss from Abbie, hehe, come here~"

Abbie laughed a bit at the puppet, but instead of kissing it, he quickly kissed Lana on the cheek.

Lana smiled, blushing.

Lana: "Hey, hey! Stop it, hehe. Miss Li will get jealous."

She hugged Abbie by the waist and whispered again.

Lana: "Stop being so cute; my heart is going to run away because of you..."

Abbie just laughed and shyly looked away.

Claire (whispering to Engel): "Do they know we’re still here?"

Engel: "Meh, let them be..."

Thus continued the rest of the break in the cafeteria. We’ll see what happens tomorrow...