Ka-BOOM
Brent jolted awake at the sudden thunderclap, "Jesus-!"
There was snort to his right, and he looked down to see Manny curled up into a fetal position and asleep... but his respirations were fast and shallow, his eyebrows were furrowed, and he was tensed up. Sighing, Brent grabbed his phone from the nightstand to check the time, "Only 2:25...?," before opening the FruiTube app, popping one earbud into his right ear and the other into Manny's left, typing in 'Theta Binaural Beats', and hitting the 'PLAY' button on the second video that popped up. Almost immediately, he could see Manny's tiny body relax, smiled gently, and nodded off once more...
"... Hey, Brent?"
"Mm?"
"I can't sleep..."
"Having a nightmare?"
"I don't know if I should call it that," Manny yawned, and rubbed a tired eye. "It started off sweet, and eventually became bittersweet."
"It woke you up, so I'd still consider it a nightmare," Brent replied lightheartedly. "What was it about?"
"... My childhood..."
Brent continued to wear a smile though his overall expression grew more concerned, "How frequently do you have nightmares?"
"... Almost every night... Most of them are about my childhood, but some are about my life as a doctor in my home country, Sam, Flint, you, Earl, Tim, Barb, and Steve. Especially after that whole fiasco with Chester V..."
"... Are some of those nightmares about his death, too?"
Manny started to shake uncontrollably, and his pupils became dilated.
"Oh- Oh, no. I'm so sorry..."
"No. I- it's fine... Can we change the subject, though? Please?"
"S- sure. What would you like to talk about?"
Manny blushed lightly, and started to fidget, "You know I've never been much of a talker since we've met, and that I tend to show my feelings through my actions."
"Oh... So, erm, what would you like to do?"
"What time is it?"
"Lemme check- It's almost 6..."
"Well then-"
Manny grabbed his hat and car keys from his dresser, "What would you say to breakfast with a friend?"
"Fine by me, but I'm driving-"
Manny gave an indignant, "Heeeeey...," as his keys were stolen out of his hand, though he sounded more amused than upset.
"Where would you like to go?"
"Hmm... How about we get some crepes, eggs, and hash browns from Flappy's?"
"Ooooooh...! Good idea!"
"Heh... Thank you for driving, by the way... Maybe it's best that I don't given my current state."
"Hey-"
Brent put a hand on his shoulder, "We all need a break sometimes. Even you. You literally do so much for us, and I know you may feel like we take you for granted. But the truth is... we love you, Manny."
Manny gave a wan smile, "I know you guys do. And I love each and every one of you back. It's just... so hard for me to express it given my past... I also am on the Autism spectrum which is often co-morbid with Sensory Processing Disorder, so I don't enjoy physical contact like hugging and kissing too much unless I'm the one to initiate it."
"Oh!"
Brent quickly took his hand off his shoulder, "I'm so sorry! I wouldn't have done that had I known!"
Manny surprised him by laughing, "You're fine, Brent! I... actually like that kind of touch. It's comforting in a way..."
'I don't think... I've ever heard him laugh like that before. That was a real laugh...'
"Brent? Are you alright?"
The blond noticed that his face was feeling hot, and was probably red based on Manny's bemused expression, "Y- YES! I'M PERFECTLY FINE!"
"Let's get a move on then, shall we?"
"... Yes, sir..."