𝑯𝑨𝑳𝑪𝒀𝑶𝑵 𝑶𝑩𝑳𝑰𝑽𝑰𝑶𝑵 •𝒃𝒙𝒃•

Black Swan ~ Age 12

_

His previous nightmares were nothing like what he just went through.

His previous nightmares left nothing for him to remember.

This one? This one made him wake up with each second of it etched into the back of his mind.

This one? This one made him wake up in terror and cold sweat.

This one? This one made him wake up frozen, unable to move.

This one? This one made him wake up with damp cheeks.

This one? This one made him not want to ever fall asleep again.

_

A gasp, one loud enough to wake anyone up, snapped him out of dreamland. Hikaru blinked his eyes open and warily looked around, momentarily not recognising where he was.

It dawned on him that he slept over at Aizen's place a moment later.

A harsh breath drew his attention to the side, where the blond boy was sleeping. Furrowing his brows, he slowly sat up, trying to see what was going on. Judging by the light behind the closed curtains, morning had already come. The room was dimly lit up, allowing Hikaru to easily find where Aizen was.

The said boy was still in the futon, but he was sitting up. Hikaru couldn't see his expression, but he could see that his cheeks were damp. He blinked again, thinking he was just seeing things, but no, the scene didn't change.

Aizen had been crying.

"Are you all right?" The words left his lips unconsciously and it was too late to take them back.

It wasn't hard for someone who knew Aizen to realise that something was wrong.

Hikaru realised it the moment he met eyes with the blue-eyed boy.

_

Hearing Hikaru's voice, Aizen briefly glanced at him, before he stumbled out of his futon and into the bathroom without a word.

No. No. No. No. No.

He was seen. Hikaru certainly saw the tear marks on his cheeks. That wasn't supposed to happen. He had forgotten that he wasn't alone in the room. Something like that wasn't supposed to happen.

The sight that greeted him in the mirror wasn't a surprising one.

His face was a mess.

Tear-stained cheeks. Red-bitten lips. Hair sticking to his skin.

He was a mess.

A knock made him flinch, "Aizen? Are you all right?" Hikaru asked the same question as he previously did.

"I'm fine!" He answered, voice coming out croaky. Damn it... He couldn't keep it together. He couldn't act like nothing happened.

Hikaru didn't say anything for a few moments, "Did you have a bad dream?" Was the question that came.

A bad dream...?

Not hearing an answer, Hikaru continued, "A bad dream is just a bad dream. You shouldn't let it get to you."

That was easy for him to say.

The terror Aizen felt was still fresh.

"I know." He said, digging his fingers into the sink.

"Good. Well, it's morning already... Can you, uh, borrow me some clothes?" Hikaru asked from the other side of the door.

Clothes...? Ah, right. Hikaru's yesterday clothes were still wet, as were Aizen's.

"Sure." Taking a deep breath, Aizen stepped away from the mirror and wiped at his face, clearing away the proof that he even cried. He didn't wish to bother Minato with his problems, so he won't be telling him anything about what he dreamt.

There was no need for that.

Opening the door, Aizen was met with lavender eyes. Without a word, he walked past him and straight to his closet. He rummaged for a bit and pulled out a shirt and pants a moment later, "I think these should fit... I will lend you a jacket as well. Once everything dries, I will bring the clothes to you." He turned around and handed the clothes over to Hikaru.

"There's no need for you to bring them to me, I can come get them." Hikaru took the clothes from his hands and Aizen flinched back when their skin brushed.

He stepped away, averting his eyes.

Dread racked through his body and he clenched his fists at his sides, "Anything works." He tried to sound as nonchalant as possible, but he was positive his words came out more forced than planned.

"Uh, I'll go get changed and then I'll go home. Thank you for allowing me to stay." Hikaru didn't seem to notice his state of being, but nothing was for certain. With those words, Hikaru left for the bathroom to change.

_

The dark-haired boy came out a few minutes later. With heavy steps, Aizen led him to the hallway, "Are you sure you can't stay for breakfast?" Minato asked from behind them.

"I'd love to, but my parents are probably already freaking out, so I have to decline." Hikaru replied, reaching for his shoes.

At least those weren't wet.

Aizen took hold of a jacket he didn't use that often and held it out to Hikaru, "Here." He said, waiting for the other boy to take it.

"Thank you." Hikaru took hold of it and slowly slipped it on.

It didn't look quite as big on him as it did on Aizen.

Hikaru straightened up and looked at Aizen, "The dream you had, I don't know what it was about, but you should remember that it was only a dream. A dream and nothing more." He spoke, seemingly trying to assure Aizen with his words.

"I know." The blond boy said, yet again looking away from him.

It was as if though Hikaru noticed that Aizen wasn't in the mood to talk with him any longer. The pale-eyed boy nodded and opened the door. Casting one last look at Aizen, he stepped out and closed the door behind himself.

Aizen was left standing in the hallway, the dream repeating over and over in his head.