Trainwreck |✔️

CHAPTER 20

Above is the picture Ant took of Dec on his birthday, he (the character) keeps the picture in his wallet. 💜

Dec's POV

It was a Saturday morning so my Dad had go to work... as always I'd stayed in bed waiting, but this morning, there was no Anth.

I decided he must have over slept, he had started to seem very tired lately. I quickly climbed out of bed and padded along the empty landing towards Ants room. I grinned as the light was still off so he was definitely still asleep. I opened the door very slowly with the intention of surprising him, without getting my shoulder dislocated this time, obviously.

My plan to enter sneakily like a sneaky thing was spoiled though when I opened the door and Anth's distress was clear as day in the darkness of the room. He had kicked his sheets off the bed and was thrashing around in the dampness of his own sweat. His T-shirt was drenched and his brow was furrowed as his head frantically lashed from side to side, trying to fight off the imaginary demons.

"Please don't hurt him... don't hurt him." Ants mumbling wasn't incoherent, I could just about make it out, through the whimpers of discomfort, as I got closer.

"D-don't hurt him."

"Anth? It's me, Declan... you need to wake up." As I approached his bed my green orbs shot to the vein that pulsed rapidly in his neck.

I very cautiously placed a hand on his shoulder. As soon as my fingertips made contact with his skin, which was burning up; his whole body jerked, sending him straight into a sitting position. I winced at his grip on my arm but I didn't care one bit.

My concerned eyes were fix to Ant who seemed to take a moment to work out where he was. He turned to me with wide, panicked eyes and, before I had time to protest, I was pulled tightly into his lap and against his body, as he stroked a shaky hand through my hair. I let myself be held as he seemed to recover his erratic breathing.

"Anth? Are you okay?" I looked at him with wide eyes. He didn't reply at first only moved his hand to nudge a strand of hair out of my face.

"Yeah... I'm fine... bad dream."

"You wanna talk about it?"

"No." I frowned and looked down at my hands. "I mean I'm not ready yet... maybe another time."

"Okie..." I didn't say anything for a moment, I liked being held by Anth. His embrace was the most warm, safe and comfortable place I'd ever want to be. But I didn't like the idea of him suffering without telling me.

"Has it happed before?"

"What?"

"The nightmare?"

"Once or twice..."

"A week?"

"A night." My eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"It's my burden to bare Dec... I don't want you worry."

"I always worry about you. It's my job... having you keep things from me is way worse."

"I'm sorry." He mumbled and hid his face in my shoulder. Suddenly I felt a tinge of cool droplets hit my bare skin. I felt him try to push me off and turn his head but I wasn't having any of it. I grabbed either side of his face and turned his teary eyes to me.