Us. (HIStory2 越界 - Crossing the Line: Zhen Wen x Zhen Wu)

The Dream (Zhen Wu)

Note: it'll get a little bit angsty here, so...

***

The clock showed 03.20 in the morning when I heard the voices. It was faint at first, and I thought I was dreaming. I try to go back to sleep but it's getting louder and clearer. It sounds anxious, and terribly sorrowful. I feel like I have heard this before...

Then I jolt awake. Zhen Wen.

I kick my blanket to the air and sprint to my door. Thankfully, Zhen Wen's door is not locked and I rush inside. The sight before me breaks my heart into a thousand pieces.

Zhen Wen is dreaming. His whole body is covered with sweat and he is writhing painfully beneath the covers. I know that he wants to wake himself up so desperately, but there seems like an unseen force of evil that's keeping his eyes shut. An agonizing cry slips out of his chapped pale lips.

I run to his side and kneel down. Why? What is it now Zhen Wen? What nightmare are you having that you let out a voice this gut-wrenching?

"Zhen Wen," I call, resting my palm firmly over his forehead and start stroking his hair slowly. He keeps on mumbling go away, leave me alone and no over and over again. He can't wake up.

I keep calling his name as I pat his face gently. He mutters something incomprehensible and his face is a combination of sorrow, worry and fear. Absolute fear. Tears are falling down, and he struggles to catch his breath. When he starts resisting my attempt to wake him (thinking I'm going to hurt him), I can't let this carry on any longer.

"Zhen Wen!" I shout his name, shaking his body. This whole sight is terribly traumatizing it ties my heart into a thousand knots.

His eyes open and he sits up that instant, looking disoriented while catching his breath. He looks around his dark room and finally finds my face. He seems unsure at first, thinking he's still dreaming. He believes he's still dreaming and I try my best to calm him down by calling his name gently. I assure him he's awake right now and all that was only a dream, and that he doesn't need to worry anymore.

"Zhen Wu..." he breathes out and throws his arms around me, clinging for dear life. He buries his face on the nook of my neck. I can feel his whole body shakes as if the room temperature's below zero.

"I'm here... it's over now... I'm here. Don't worry. It's only a nightmare. It's over now. I'm here," I whisper while stroking his back and hope that will somehow calm him down. He tries to say something but I stop him, letting him know I don't need any explanation of what just happened.

I don't know how long has passed. His trembling finally dissolves to occasional shiver and his heartbeat slows down to a calm rhythm. I keep uttering all those words to comfort him, make him feel safe, and to let him know he can fully depend on me. I nuzzle up against his head, breathing his scent in.

"Are you okay now?" I ask him quietly. He nods and finally let go of his embrace.

The look on his face sends pins and needles to my whole being. Ghastly hollows seem obvious now beneath his eyes, his face is drenched in sweat and tears, his baby hairs stick to his forehead because of the moisture, and his eyes... the sparkles are gone.

"Do you want to talk about it, Zhen Wen?" I say with the softest voice I can let out.

He looks at me, and seems to realize I am kneeling beside his bed this whole time. He shifts a little and pulls me up to sit beside him.

"Was it that dream?" I ask him again.

After a few heartbeats, he nods.

The kidnapping. He will have a nightmare about that sometimes, resurfacing suppressed memories, but not as often as the first whole year after the damned incident. The first several months after he was found, he would have the dream almost every night. Sometimes Mom or Dad will accompany him and calm him down, but I got to soothe him the most because I could get to his room the fastest. After all, it's my fault. After all, that's the only thing I can do.