The world was pain and darkness. He could neither see nor hear what was happening around him. A deep rumbling he felt all the way down to his bones kept his mind from straying outside of his own body. Soon, the recollection of a fight and his mind's refusal to let him think on it pushed him back under.
The next time he came to it was to a gentle touch. First his side, then his shoulder. Finally his face. Reluctance. A hand carded through his undoubtedly messy hair.
A dream then.
Nobody would touch him like this. Not anymore.











