someone.
We're all trying to forget someone. Prompt from the amazing LovelyInspiration.
He still wakes up in the middle of the night sometimes, covered in a cold sweat with a hand over his own mouth to stifle his screams.
It's a reflex to make sure no one hears him at this point.
His brother always makes sure to have the bedroom next to his, whether on the island or in Centium, and Douglas can't help but resent him. It just makes the night terrors that much harder to hide.
But when Donald is in Centium (and it becomes most of the time soon enough) and Douglas remains behind to help Leo and Adam (mostly Leo) run what remains of the Academy, the nightmares he represses come back in full force. Distractions help, though—they've been working on filling the bases all across the world with students, to spread out their resources so everyone receives help.
"So what location is up next?" he asks one day in the control room, about two months after the split of the team. "The algorithm picked a new base to fill?"
Leo, sitting quietly in a chair and staring at his sneakers, shakes his head. He doesn't say anything.
"Hey," Douglas prods, noticing the quiet boy. "Hey, Leo. Kid."
Leo bites his cheek but doesn't respond.
"Leo, you gotta talk at some point," Douglas sighs patiently. He knows how to handle this, but he is a little surprised. This isn't the first time one of the kids has gone nonverbal. They've all been through a lot. But it normally doesn't happen to Leo, and he hasn't gone into the field in weeks anyway.
Leo opens his mouth and closes it, fingers clenching into a fist and uncurling over and over again on top of the console. He finally looks up, meeting Douglas' eyes, but still doesn't say anything.
"Look, kid, we don't have to talk if you don't want to. But I think you would feel better if you told me what was wrong." When there was no answer, he sighed again. "Leo, I'm trying to be a good uncle here, alright? Come on."
Leo nodded robotically, eyes darting up and then back down. Douglas is about to resign himself to not getting an answer when Leo speaks. "I have dreams sometimes. About… well. A lot of things. People."
"Okay…?"
Leo meets his gaze and holds it for a moment. "I know you do, too."
"I… what?"
Leo shrugs, looking back down. "I don't sleep much. I hear you yelling sometimes." He stops, takes a breath. "Giselle. Krane. Your father. Marcus." The last name sounds strained, like there's something weighing it down in Leo's mind. There probably is.
Douglas struggles to come up with words for a moment. "Leo, why haven't you been sleeping?"
"I just told you," the boy says dully. "I dream, I wake up. Then I hear you. Don't dodge the question. I can hear you. Are you okay?"
Douglas lets out a short, ironic laugh. "Am I okay? Kid, you just told me you don't sleep. I think that's more of a cause for concern than a couple of nightmares."
"We're all trying to forget someone," Leo replies quietly. "I think I know better than anyone." He stands. "Sydney, Australia. You can pick the new team. Not Taylor, Logan, or any of the kids."
"I know the rules, Leo," Douglas responds, mouth corners tilting up slightly in amusement. Leo really is attached to his two best friends and all the kids. He would never send them off.
"You never answered my question, you know," Leo says, stopping in the door. "Are you okay?"
Douglas thinks about it. About Giselle, one of the few people he's ever loved as in thought about a future with, who turned on him right when she thought she could make a profit. About Krane, whose "bond" with him, if it could be called that, had been formed through hate. About his father, who he loved in blood. About Marcus, who he loved like a son—like family—but distanced himself from because he thought it would make the inevitable expiration date hurt so much worse.
They haunt him. They hover in the edges of his peripheral vision, in every corner of every single one of the rooms he walks into. Every good memory he has is tainted by the words and actions of at least one of them.
"No," he tells his nephew. "But soon enough." Leo smiles—a ghost of one, but it's there. Douglas has to ask. "And you? Are you okay?"
"No," Leo replies. His smile grows once more. "But I will be. Hopefully. Someday."
"Someday," Douglas echoes. It sounds about right. Someday.
I love Douglas and Leo. They're great and must be protected from their very-not-so-fun pasts. I think I'm going to write a story about Douglas and his father, because I can. Thoughts on whether I should or not? Suggestions?
Alright, well, that's a wrap for today, folks! I hope you enjoyed the double update, because it's not likely to happen ever again. Like, ever. But I'm going to try to update Simulation this weekend, and I might actually do another chapter for this because I feel so bad for abandoning it for so long.
Reviews are always welcome! Thanks for reading!