(For @winterwritten)
Galo gasps for air, covered in cold sweat as consciousness slaps him in the face, a cry for his parents on the tip of his tongue. He sits up slowly, careful not to wake the body next to him as he focuses on regulating his breathing.
He looks at his bedmate and tears threaten to break through. He wants nothing more than to shake his partner awake and throw himself into his comforting arms...But Lio’s had a long day. He needs the rest. He doesn’t know the details exactly, just that the meeting with the city’s new councilmen hadn’t gone great.
Lio’s been through so much...Far more than Galo could imagine, so he has no right to complain.
He makes his way to the bathroom on wobbly legs and gets into the bathtub. It’s an old coping mechanism, one he’s had for years. Whenever he’d have a nightmare, he’d sit in the empty tub and wait until he felt he was ready to go back to bed...or he’d just fall back asleep and wake up with a nasty crick in his neck. Whichever came first.
He curls up into a fetal position and wraps his arms around his legs, burying his face into the space between his knees before letting out a long sigh that trails off into a small sob.
Lio deserves so much better than him.
