" Take care of my boy ."
Gary tossed and turned in bed as his breathing became uneasy, and unconsciously had his hands wrapped around himself, shaking.
His anxiety, everything around him had been elevated to a frightening degree. He wasn't really aware of what was going on around him, he could only focus on the nightmare that was engraved into his mind.
His stomach lurched in response to this anxiety, and he put a hand to his mouth.
He hadn't panicked like this in ages, last time at a frat party a few years back in college. He swallow the thick bile that rose is his throat, and he could feel the room beginning to spin around him.
The image of Avocato just kept replaying again and again in his mind, and he could feel his trauma choking him by the neck, breathing in his ear.
Gary covered his ears as his mind began to go haywire with past memories, tears falling from his eyes and hiccups erupting from his body.
Gary bolted from the bedroom and ran off, his vision blurred and his eyes darting across the halls as if he'd been drugged.
Little Cato shifted in his sleep, and Quinn pet his head as he began to relax.
For the past few days, Little Cato had been been suffering from frequent nightmares. He'd always be in the kitchen sobbing his eyes out, and in the end, it was Quinn who noticed this. Since Gary was a heavy sleeper and wasn't woken easily, Quinn would carry Little Cato to bed and watch him for some of the night.
But a few minutes into this, Quinn heard a noise.
The sound of coughing .
This wasn't a common cough, but rather, a rough and pained one.
Quinn slowly walked towards the direction of the cough.
"Hey, are you alright-"
Quinn's eyes widened.
It was a state she'd never seen Gary in before. He was shaking like a madman, vomit trickling from his chin as he gripped the rim of the toilet so hard his knuckles began to turn white.
Quinn took a rag, and wiped Gary's chin quickly. But as soon as Gary laid his eyes on Quinn, he pounced on her, grabbing her tight.
Quinn hugged him back, concerned.
"... mOm .."
".. dAd's cOming baCk, riGht ..?"
Quinn looked down at Gary as he muttered to himself.
Gary's eyes looked as if he were wasted, his mannerisms frantic as each breath he took was stilted and quick. The happy demeanor that Gary always wore was completely shattered.
Gary was experiencing a flashback .
He was dissociated from reality, thinking that Quinn was clearly someone else.
Gary began to sob into Quinn's chest, and Quinn shushed Gary gently.
"You're alright, Gary.." She said as she rubbed Gary's back.
She cupped Gary's cheeks and took deep breaths to help him calm down, and in a few minutes, it seemed as if Gary had come back to his senses.
"You alright, Gary?" Quinn asked quietly.
Suddenly, Gary jumped. He scooted away from her, and put his arms on his knees.
"I-I'm sorry." Gary said.
"It hasn't been this bad since... ages ago."
Gary realized his statement, and shook his head, knowing that Quinn was going to ask about everything.
"Do you want to... talk about it ?"
Quinn scooted up to Gary, and wrapped her arm around him. Gary could feel the warmth of Quinn radiating into him, and he took a deep breath. He shivered, and gripped Quinn's hand.
"My dad died a few years ago, as you probably already know."
"Everyone knows who my dad is, after all."
Quinn nodded, and pulled him close.
Gary sniffed a bit, and Quinn continued to rub his back.
"You don't have to tell me if you feel uncomfortable." Quinn said.
Gary had his eyes closed, trying to take collected breaths. He opened his mouth to speak again, his voice wavering.
"W-When he died, my mom didn't really know what to do." Gary said.
"She started to drink a lot, I guess from the weight she had on her back from taking care of me alone."
"I had to go see a therapist for a while, kept saying I had something called PTSD."
"It sounds like a huge load, but it's a thing."
"I know, Gary." Quinn replied.
"J-Just seeing Avocato explode right in front of everyone, I just can't help but-" Gary paused, and began to tear up.
" Everything just flowed back to me, you know ?"
Gary could feel Quinn wrap her arms around him, and he embraced her back. He could feel Quinn's heartbeat in her chest as her presence made Gary feel relaxed.
"You won't leave me, right?"
The question caught Quinn off guard as tears streamed down Gary's cheeks. His face was a tad pale, his body shaking a bit.
But it was as if instinct had taken over Quinn .
Quinn locked her lips with Gary's. She gently kissed him, and toyed with his hair.
"We're gonna beat the Lord Commander." Quinn said.
"We'll kick his ass and everything will be good again, as long as we try our hardest."
Gary wiped his tears with his hands, and chuckled.
"We'll throw that little raisin into the fabric of time itself!" Gary proclaimed.
Quinn sighed, and her heart skipped a beat.
" Yeah ."