Escape

Chapter 5: Unravel Me

"Bright!" Win lets out a stifled gasp almost sounded like a scream full of agony, as his frantic eyes are then welcomed by the darkness engulfing the room where he's in. His hand unconsciously grasps his chest tightly as beads of sweat traces his forehead— heart almost bursting out from his ribcage, lungs almost expanding in an indefinite range, while his face caught in distraught. He is breathing too fast, and the loud beats of his heart deafens his eardrums as a lump grows inside his throat.

"Win are you alright? What happened?" Gun nervously exclaims after he was also jolted out from his sleep but the other barely notices his friend beside him as he tries to calm himself down by shutting his eyes tight and still heaving a labored breathing. Win immediately notices his cheeks already dampened and to which he realized that he is already crying— tears out of horror. "Win, hey breathe with me. Alright?"

Win carefully opens his eyes as he briefly swayed every thought rushing upon his mind while obediently following his friend in front of him. He's now almost subdued with which brought a sigh of relief to Gun. Win's body finally looses tension as his breathing calms down into soft inhales of air filling his lungs while his hand's grip softens upon his already crumpled shirt. "Hey..."

"T-thank you..." Win whispers under his breath but almost got frightened from the coarseness of his voice. "I... I just had a nightmare."

Fear is an understatement when Gun hears Win's voice piercing the silence. He already knew this but still felt stunned and worried. "Win, your nightmares came back? When?"

"N-no." Win gasps but his hands started to tremble. "It just happened now, and I d-don't understand..."

"What is?" Gun lets out a nervous sigh as if almost holding his breath. "Do you mean...?"

"The butterflies are back." Win snorts, and clear irritation is evident upon his voice. "Their back to haunt me— the nightmares... They are back." His voice was too soft it almost sounded like a whisper, but it was more than enough for Gun to pull Win into an embrace as he pats the other's back to calm him down. He thought the nightmares before already left Win's dreams, but in this case, it surely hasn't.

Win's eyes close in a subconscious effort to block out the bad memories of his dreams, but the effort backfires— it seems to bring back vivid images into his mind as he hears the muffled screams upon its grasp. "Calm down Win. It will all be fine." Gun softly remarks which gave Win ripples of relief and assurance.

"What time is it?" He says gently out of nowhere as he closes his eyes in both exhaustion and drowsiness.

"It's 3 in the morning." Gun replies and with which silence once again consumes their surroundings.

But Win's mind deeply wanders upon Bright— his face, his calm yet captivating features, his warmth, his touch that's always soothing and almost brings electrical charges upon his skin— just by the thought of him made Win almost once again fall asleep into a peaceful slumber.

Everything about him keeps him at peace. He was the embodiment of home. A home he never thought he could find in his subconscious.

"Bright..." He murmurs softly that it even felt like a lullaby in his ears, a sweet hum that relieves his hoarse throat. He longs for something, and he wants Bright to once again hold him like he did in his dream as he feels secured and protected from the ravages of reality.

And after a few minutes, his mind drifts into nothingness— oblivion shackling its depths.

Gun didn't catch Win had just said as he's now busy calming the other until he felt Win's body loosening up while his weight shifts upon him, making Gun realize that the other is already fast asleep once again. Remnants of forgotten tears still hang upon his cheeks and to which he gently wipes it upon Win's peaceful facade.