Chap-i-ter Three.
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If Kai closed his eyes he could still see it, hear it.
He could still see the flames licking at the older man's body. Could still see the crimson flare as it engulfed everything, burning every last bad memory he had.
He could still hear the scream of anguish. Could still hear the cracking of the wood as it snapped and burned.
It was no wonder he couldn't sleep.
The darkness brought nightmares.
Dreams of suffocation, of death. And dreams of the searing heat that he had created.
He had killed him.
He had killed his own grandfather.
His eyes were gritty with the residue that had built from long nights of remembrance. Long endless nights of reliving the same dream over and over.
Only it wasn't a dream.
And sometimes, reality was worse than the most horrible nightmare.
He shot back another glass and rubbed at his eyes furiously.
No. Sleep was not an option, neither was remembering.
...But what else could he do?
What else could he do but remember? Remember how he had felt such...satisfaction at his grandfather's pain. How he had laughed.
And how bitter and disgusted he had felt afterwards.
'What am I?'
If he could figure out that, he was set.
He ignored the knocking at his door, and poured another drink.
It wasn't until he heard the door creak open that he separated himself from his self-loathing to growl at the woman who had, yet again, decided to disturb him.
"Listen lady. I've told you before. No, I don't want you to clean. Nor do I need you to clean. I just honestly want to be left alone!"
"...Really? I think this place could do with a good clean-up myself."
He spun in his chair.
No.
"...Tyson." Was all he could manage to croak out.
"Wow Kai. You look like shit."
Chuckling harshly he shook his head. 'Always so tactless.' He sighed.
"What are you doing here Tyson?"
"Well, right now I think I'm going to stop you from drinking yourself into oblivion."
"Why?"
"Because drinking won't solve all you problems, you know. Kai you really should..."
"No. Why do you care? Why do you always come to help me? Why do you always, no matter what I do...forgive me?"
He had to be drunk, he could've sworn Tyson had just kissed him.
"Because I love you, you moron."
...Well, that was a shock.
But honestly? He knew he should have realized it.
Maybe his mask didn't just hide him from the world, but hid the world from him.
"Tyson..."
"C'mon. Let's get you to bed." Tyson tugged him up and led him to his epitome of evil.
"N...No. Tyson don't...I can't." He pulled almost pointlessly at his arm. He really had to be drunk to not be able to wrench his arm out of Tyson's grip.
Not that he completely wanted to...
But he couldn't go to bed.
Bed meant sleep.
And sleep meant the endless abyss of fire and nightmarish darkness, the feeling of being trapped with no escape.
Tyson stopped.
"Kai?"
"...I can't. I just can't. If I do...Tyson, the flames. They're always there. The darkness, it'll get me."
He didn't know if he was making any sense, but Tyson seemed to understand, he always did. He nodded and just stood there, holding him up.
"Kai. I won't let it hurt you. I won't, I promise. He's gone Kai. It doesn't matter if you killed him. He deserved it. We both know that. Kai...I won't let him hurt you. I won't let you be haunted by these memories anymore."
...He shook his head, but followed Tyson anyways, lying on his bed.
He waited for the nightmares to start.
But they never did.
Tyson was holding him close, as if he was trying to comfort him.
And he was doing more than he thought.
With Tyson's arms around him, the flames couldn't reach him. With Tyson's arms around him, the scream's disappeared, and all he heard was his rhythmic breathing.
"Tyson."
He lifted his head to stare at the bluenette.
"Why do you love me?"
He got a smile in return.
"Because you deserve it. Because with how much pain you've been in, you deserve a chance at happiness. Because even with the glares, and the mask, you're a good person. I dunno...I just do. I just love you for you."
Kai could feel himself smiling back, and burrowed himself back in the protectiveness of Tyson's arms.
"Tyson?" He could feel the pent-up exhaustion of four-days missed sleep pulling at him, but he resisted. Just a little longer...
"Mmm?"
"I love you too."
"...Good to know."
He chuckled again, and finally gave himself up to the utter emptiness of a dreamless sleep.
And that's all I got. Hope you liked it! And as I said before:
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Or I'll sick FireDrake, Neko AND Kat on you...Trust me, you don't wanna mess with Kat.