He woke up with a fearful cry.

The room around him wasnt the calming familiar he had grown used to- but the same nightmarish room that haunted him. Leo bolted awake at Vns wail, throwing his blankets off in a panic. Vn!" #re you okay!"$ Vn locked eyes with his, and they were distant, lost in another world. # hand wo%en in front of him would go unnoticed by the young man, nothing could enter the memory he was trapped inside. Leos inherent understanding of emotions kicked in instantly. He was well aware of Vns &T'(, well before Vn had informed him of his condition himself- the degree he had in &sychology wasnt )ust words on a fancy paper. Vn spoke enough Vietnamese for Leo to get a good grasp on the language, he additionally spent time with *mily to learn more, earning a blush and slap from Vn, who told him not to dirty his nati%e tongue. +ut he knew enough to understand Vns terrified whines. <Get away get away get away GET AWAY FROM ME!> Vn, its okay- Leo mo%ed to comfort him, but the action caused panic to spring in Vns eyes and he shrieked, striking Leo with his elbow directly on his face. ,ow, Vn wasnt the strongest man around, but he practice Tai -hi regularly. Leo was always aware that Vn didnt truly hate him, but at that moment, he understood )ust how lightly Vn had been hitting him. +ut at the moment, Vn wasnt seeing Leo. He saw .(addy. +right whiteness e/ploded and filled Leos %ision. 0ellow and red stars danced in front of his eyes and he was pushed off the bed, landing on his back and knocking the wind out of him. &ain e/ploded in his face, and for once he was thankful that he had o%aries- females had a higher pain tolerance than males. The stars performance drew to a stop, and the lights faded away, pulsing and flashing. Leo sat up, peering at Vn through blurry eyes. The smaller man was curled up in a ball, his breathing sporadic. His body trembled dangerously as he whimpered to himself, <No no no no no no no no no no no no no no no> His %oice was small and desperate 'uddenly aware of a warm li1uid dripping down his face and a throbbing in his left eye, Leo touched his face and looked at his finger to see blood dripping from his nose. He took a 1uick mental assessment of his in)uries- e%en though his left eye was throbbing painfully he could tell his nose was at a bad angle- without a doubt broken. +lack eye, too, but the worst of it was his nose. (espite the medicine of the world they were in, itd take a good four days at the least to heal, but that wasnt important. Leo wasnt a %irgin to physical pain, far from it- his adopti%e parents werent %ery rich and li%ed in a bad part of town- and he didnt keep his thoughts on his in)uries for long. Vn began to hyper%entilate, sending Leo into a panic, and his %oice rose to a wail and he began raking his fingernails on the wall. Leo struggled to stand, despite the %ertigo coursing through his head with each stab of his heart. He stood up, and adrenaline shot through him instead as he saw the bloody lines from Vns nails as he clawed at the wall. The wall was keeping him from escaping whate%er terror he could see- or so he thought, and he clawed so hard broken bits of his nails were stuck on the wall. Leos pain %anished and his stomach dropped to his feet- then, like a slingshot it shot up to his mouth, and he mo%ed faster than he had e%er mo%ed in his life, yanking Vn away from the wall

and pinning his arms to his side. Vn screeched in terror, struggling desperately as Leo turned him around and put Vns head on his shoulder, whispering in his ear. 'hhhhhh. +reathe.$ <STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT!> Vn punched and kicked, but Leo didnt let him go, only rubbing his back gently. Leo felt his heart twist up at the terror in Vns eyes- terror directed at him, and it hurt more than his face. He swallowed the broken-glass ball of pain and whispered gently. 'hhhhhh. 2ts okay3$ <NO>! Vn screamed. +reathe3$ Leo whispered. <No No NONONONONONO !!"o !> Vn took se%eral deep breaths, his breathing shaky and tearful as his %oice grew 1uiet and 1uieter into a soft whine. He stopped trying to escape, and wept softly, clutching the fabric of Leos shirt tightly, for letting go would drop him back into the nightmare. Leo continued to rub his back gently. 2ts okay3.its all okay now3$ He was surprised to find Vn change from fierce and deadly to someone so delicate in his arms in a matter of seconds- it was shocking. 2 wont let anyone touch you again3$ He breathed into Vns ear as the young man sobbed into his shoulder. # creak alerted Leo to *milys presence at the door. He had e/pected her to wake up, and ga%e her a glance. 'he had come to find out what was making the noise, but her eyes fi/ed on Leo and Vn. 'he recogni4ed the soft, wet-sounding whimpers as crying, an image of a cartoonish drawn sad face dripping with tears, and connected crying with sadness. 'he disappeared before Leo could say anything. Vn took se%eral deep breaths, tears still rolling down his face and soaking Leos shoulder. 'hh3$ He whispered. They remained this way for se%eral minutes as Vns crying grew softer. How are you!$ Leo murmured in a gentle %oice. 5hat do yo# fucking think!$ Vns %oice was hoarse, slightly muffled, but Leo was relie%ed to hear him speak at all. 0oure okay. Thank god.$ Leo sighed deeply in relief. Let me go.$ Vn grumbled, still appearing as a tiny and weak being. Leo rela/ed his hold, and Vn pulled away, rubbing his eyes and s1uinting in the light. His eyes were %ery red, and looking at them alerted Leo to the fact that he was also crying. He coughed on his sobs as he caught sight of Leos nose, shame darkly gracing his features. Leo took Vns blood hands, looking at the bloody nails, and entwined his fingers with them. 2m so glad you didnt hurt yourself more.$ He smiled, the sweet, kind smile that made Vn more confused and twisted up inside than anything he had e%er encountered. Vn a%oided making eye contact with Leo, reaching for a first-aid kit. 'tay there.$ +ut0oull get blood on the carpet.$ Vn shakily stood up, putting his glasses. He fi/ed Leos nose in silence, struggling to hold his sobs inside, but being unable to stop a few of them from escaping

as soft whines, deep in his throat. Leo tried to say something, but Vn told him that hed gi%e him a second black eye if he said one more word. Leo actually remained 1uiet, though, not because of his words, but because his %oice was dangerously close to cracking. Tears still rolled down Leos own face, silent, large drops that left single tear tracks down his tanned skin. Leo ga4ed at Vns face, and when their eyes made contact Vn )erked his ga4e elsewhere. He suddenly ga%e Leos nose a twist, and Leo yelped, but reali4ed Vn had twisted his nose back into its proper shape, at least roughly. He placed a splint and pressed a cold compress on Leos eye. 5ell go to the hospital when it opens.$ Leo heard Vns %oice crack, and opened both eyes to see Vn gi%ing into the sobs, shuddering hea%ily. Leo tried to hug him, but Vn scrambled away. (ont fucking touch me3.$ He blubbered, but Leo would ha%e none of that, and di%ed, wrapping his arms around Vns waist, his head on his lap. 2m fine as long as youre fine.$ He felt his %oice lapse into the tone that he had spent years trying to hammer out, but he reco%ered himself 1uickly. #n 2 know youre not stupid enough to belie%e that anything you did was really your fault.$ He crossed his eyes and pouted, making a face up at Vn. (umbass.$ Vn choked out. &robably, but thats beside the point.$ Leo smiled. He took Vns hands and pulled the first aid kit o%er. 0our turn, Vnny-boy.$ Vn )erked when he touched him, but didnt pull away, so Leo began cleaning and bandaging the bleeding stumps of nails as Vns crying grew soft once more. He pressed Vns hand to his lips when he finished the last finger, and Vn flicked his forehead painfully. Thats my Vn.$ He grinned, rubbing his eyes. 6ust shut the fuck up,$ Vn growled, looking like he had something important to say but couldnt bring himself to do so. 'lowly, he put his shaking hands on Leos shoulders, his breathing 1uickening as he s1uee4ed his eyes shut and swallowed. He was crying again- poor thing- and forced himself close to Leo, so close Leo could hear his heart pounding and feel the heat radiating from him. 7or the first time, Vn kissed him first. He was trembling and angry and weeping, but he kissed Leo on the lips, completely on his own. 2t was chaste, unskilled, but a kiss nonetheless, and something $e%y hard for him to do. Vns lips tasted salty from his tears, but the bitter taste was lost to Leo, who began to cry again. The rustle at their door pulled them apart. *mily had been standing there e%er since Vn finished patching up Leo, but didnt do anything to alert them of her presence- rather, watching them curiously. 'he had her trademark blank stare on them, but in her hands she held her stuffed &inkie &ie. 'he lo%ed that toy, and would refuse to go to sleep without it- #8# throw fits if it was lost. 'he also held something else, and took se%eral cautious steps towards the boys. 'he held the ob)ect out to Vn, who made a choking sound as he recogni4ed his belo%ed laptop case. 'he placed the case on the bed, pushing it towards Vn with her same dull look, peering o%er the edge of the mattress at them. 9nly her eyes and messy hair were %isible. Vn and Leo stared at the offering in silence, and Vn, catching sight of something, pulled his laptop out of its case. 'hocked ga4es were e/changed between the two men.

*mily had taken all of her &inkie &ie stickers, ones she had refused to us-, instead opting to stare at them on the sticker sheet and en)oy the harmony, and stuck them all o%er the top of Vns sleek black laptop. The room was silent for a few heartbeats. Vn broke into tearful laughter, tears rolling down his cheeks as he laughed hard, freely, unconstrained. *mily cringed at the noise, but Leo ga%e her a reassuring smile. (ont worry, hes laughing. 0ou made him happy. 0oud make &inkie proud,$ He glanced at her toy, and she looked at it as though she had )ust reali4ed it e/isted. The sounds of Vns laughter got to Leo, and soon he was laughing with tears rolling down his face, rubbing his eyes and trying to regain his composure. *milys eyes darted between them, bewildered, and images connected in her hyper intelligent brain. 'he rela/ed her face muscles, and a smile un%eiled itself. 'mall, but without a doubt there.

*mily drew, carefully making sure her colors didnt o%erlap or go outside the lines in her coloring book. 'he turned her head as a %oice spoke to her- Leos. 0ou did a really good )ob. Thank you, *mily. 0oure such a good girl.$ Leo softly whispered. He held out his pointer finger, and she stood up, wrapping her finger around his delicately. 7inger hugs. *mily pulled away, returning to her coloring. Leo nestled his face in Vns hair. He sat in Vns chair, holding the smaller man in his arms as he slept, clutching Leos :new, he had gotten cleaned up; shirt and leaning against him. His eyes were red, but he slept peacefully and deeply. Leo focused on the warmth the fire pro)ected and the warmth of the man in his arms, and drifted easily to sleep.