Thanks to Sonia for reviewing.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.

SingaLiet: Old Wounds

"Please, let me go!" Toris shouted, trying to free his wrists.

"Alright then," the other person said. "Have it your way."

The other pushed him against the window, and Toris screamed when the glass gave out behind him.

"Toris, wake up!"

Toris gasped as his eyes opened. He was helped into a seated position, after which two arms encircled him. He trembled as he clung to the other, and he could feel the other stroking his hair.

"It's okay," Simha whispered. "It was just a dream. You're safe. Nothing can hurt you now."

Toris clung to those words, and soon his trembling subsided. He pulled away, and Simha stroked his cheek. He hadn't even realised that he was crying.

"Are you better now?" Simha asked.

"Y-yeah," Toris said. "Thanks."

"It's the sixth time you've had a nightmare in two weeks. Something is going on. Are you stressed, or…?"

"It's fine. Thank you for worrying about me."

"…Does it have anything to do with your class reunion coming up?"

Toris felt his stomach drop. He had gotten the invitation almost two weeks ago, and he'd had the nightmares ever since. He hadn't even gotten around to replying to the invitation, since he didn't even know if he wanted to go. He hadn't exactly had friends in school.

He also felt guilty that he couldn't tell Simha more about it. He had tried, but the words always died in his throat. Simha knew that he had been bullied, but he didn't know about the severity of the bullying. And the idea of not only being in the same room as his former bullies, but also to have Simha in their presence, scared Toris more than anything.

"…We don't have to go," Simha said, resting his forehead against Toris. "If you don't want to see them, then you don't have to."

Toris breathed deeply and closed his eyes.

"Thank you," he whispered. "I'm so lucky to have met you."

They shared a kiss, before lying back down again. Toris snuggled against Simha, and he could feel the other rubbing his back. He tensed, and Simha pulled back, obviously having noticed it.

"Toris?" Simha asked.

"S-sorry," Toris stuttered. "I just… I'm sorry…"

Simha frowned, before he moved closer again. Toris felt Simha's hand against his back again, but this time, under his shirt. He trembled as the hand traced its way to the scars. Simha had known about them for a long time, of course, but Toris had never told him the story behind the scars.

"It's related, isn't it?" Simha asked.

"…Y-yes," Toris stammered. "I-I…"

Simha placed a gentle kiss on his lips.

"You don't have to tell me the story right now," Simha whispered. "You can tell me when you're good and ready."

"…They pushed me," Toris admitted. "Very hard. And the window behind me couldn't take the force. I-I fell two storeys. I spent three weeks in the hospital."

"I'm so sorry you had to go through something like that," Simha said, before he kissed his cheek. "You're safe now. You don't ever have to see them if you don't want to."

Toris breathed deeply, inhaling Simha's scent. Hopefully, the presence of something so positive will cancel out any negative memories. He didn't want to have any more dreams about his time in school, or the people he'd had to spend his time with. In the morning, he would RSVP that he wouldn't be going, and he and Simha would do something together, just the two of them.

The prompt is: 'Imagine person A of your OTP has begun having nightmares about an event that happened in their life – something they've been struggling to talk to Person B about but beyond that thought it was something they had successfully moved on from. B knows there's something serious going on and is getting very worried about A, and A knows they will have to face their fears and come clean to B if they ever wish to truly move on, though this is something easier said than done.'

I looked around for a name for Singapore, but couldn't find anything that I felt suited. So, I went with the Sanskrit word for 'lion', which is one of the original words that 'Singapore' comes from.

I'd also wanted to add this in the chapter, but it didn't fit: When Toris fell from the window, it truly was an accident, and even his bullies were freaked out about it. When Toris returned, they toned down the bullying, and pretty much stopped the physical bullying. But the damage was done.