Not As It Seems (Huntbastian) [Discontinued]

XXIII

Sebastian blearily blinked himself awake, the shooting pain in his leg the first thing registering. He winced, rolling over.

Then he remembered what had happened. What he had just told everyone.

He swore under his breath, wishing it had just been a terrible dream.

"Sebastian? Are you awake?"

He sighed, rolling onto his back. "Yeah," he said quietly.

He could hear Hunter move over to him. "You know they don't care, right? They're just worried about you."

Sebastian looked over at him, not daring to let himself become hopeful. "They don't care?"

Hunter half-smiled, nodding. "They don't care, Sebastian, they don't hate you or whatever you're afraid of. They're your friends."

"I just..." he sighed. "I'm supposed to be strong, you know? It's who I am, how people see me."

"Sebastian, if you think for a minute that any of this makes you weak, or anything other than stronger than you already are, you're wrong. I mean, you just gathered the courage to tell your friends about one of the most traumatic experiences in your life. In my book, that makes you the strongest person I know."

He smiled softly. "You mean that?"

"Of course I do. I could never lie to you."