Chapter Text
Quiet. That was all Chase needed. Quiet room, quiet mind, quiet dreams, but of course he couldn’t have that. Sure, his room was dead silent save for his heavy breathing and sniffles, but that wasn’t helping. Another sob tore from his chest, and he curled up once more. His heart had been pierced with a knife that was twisting, twisting so hard it hurt even more than the nightmare did. He clawed at his chest to stop the pain inside, but nothing happened. Chase ran a frantic hand through his hair, stumbling to his feet.
“G-gotta..” He mumbled weakly, “Gotta find R-Ri…” he sobbed again. Why was this nightmare so much worse? He made it to the door before his balance wavered, and he collapsed to the floor. “R-Riley..” He whimpered, tears streaming down his cheeks. He needed Riley. He needed someone.
Images from the nightmare flashed in his mind, and a fresh round of sobs took over. One image remained branded into his brain, the image of Riley on the ground, bleeding…because of him. He hurt Riley, the boy he loved more than anything. If he hadn’t been so distracted, if he hadn’t been so stupid, he never would’ve gotten mind controlled, never would’ve almost hurt his friends. Maybe then he wouldn’t have nightmares.
But of course, I had to be that stupid, he thought angrily. The image flashed again, and he shook his head rapidly to try and get it out. Slowly, he got back to his feet, looking around for his phone.
He had to get to Riley.
Chase stumbled through his apartment, not bothering to turn on the lights. He silently wished he was able to keep track of his possessions easier, because it was like trying to find a needle in a haystack. The only thing he knew is that it was somewhere charging, but that didn’t give much of a lead.
“Come on you stupid thing…” He muttered. He nervously tapped his fingers against his thumb as he searched, starting to become more desperate. “Where the hell IS it?!” He shouted in frustration, the finger tapping increasing in speed. His eyes began to fill with tears again, and despite how much he fought them, they spilled out anyway. He flopped onto the couch in defeat, wrapping himself in the blanket he left there. If he couldn’t contact Riley, then he’d try to get more sleep…
That was a horrid mistake.
It started out fine, him and Riley hanging out and walking through the woods together, but it slowly got worse.
The feeling began in his legs. They stopped obeying him and brought him to a complete stop. Riley turned to him, his mouth about to form a question, but that was when Chase’s arms lurched forward and grabbed him by the throat.
Riley sputtered and struggled, but Chase’s grip was too strong. Chase could only watch as he choked his own boyfriend until his lips were blue. Again, tears spilled down his cheeks, and his hands finally released Riley’s neck. Was it too late? He checked Riley’s pulse, but there was nothing. He sobbed and cradled Riley in his arms.
“I-I’m sorry…I’m so sorry..” He whimpered, pressing his forehead against Riley’s. The green ranger’s lifeless eyes stared at Chase, his face twisted into an expression of hurt. Chase couldn’t bear to look at it. “Don’t leave me…Ri…” He quietly begged, though he knew it was fruitless. Riley was gone, because of him. Because he wasn’t strong enough to prevent something else from taking control. And now Riley was dead. He looked down once more at his lover, and closed his eyes.
When he opened them, he was staring at the ceiling of his apartment, but that did nothing to ease the pain.
I need to be stronger, I need to keep Ri safe. I can’t let that happen to him. He ran a hand through his hair. Judging from the faint sunlight, he had managed to sleep until morning, whether it was an enjoyable sleep or not. He rolled over onto his side, and immediately let out a frustrated groan.
His phone had been on the coffee table the whole time, tucked underneath a comic book. He snatched it up and quickly dialed Riley’s number, one of the few things engraved into his mind. The younger ranger answered immediately, his voice warm and gentle.
“Morning Chase! Wasn’t expecting you to call so early,” Riley chuckled, filling Chase with a much-needed warmth. He had to make sure that laugh never went away.
“Yeah..just woke up earlier today.” He didn’t feel like mentioning that the thought of sleep made him shiver. Riley made an inquisitive noise.
“Can we switch to video?”
“Oh, sure.” Chase clicked the FaceTime button and soon the face of his boyfriend was plastered over his phone screen. But instead of a smile, his face was creased with worry.
“Chase…” Riley began, and Chase’s palms began to sweat. What was wrong? Why was Riley worried? “Your eyes are red. Have you been crying?”
He completely forgot about that. “Oh…uh,” What was the point in lying? “Yeah, I have.” Riley’s eyes widened and his camera began to shake like he was moving. “Ri?”
“I’m coming over,” He said with such finality that Chase couldn’t find the will to argue. “I’ll see you in a few, love you.” Then Riley hung up. Chase sighed, but he was also relieved. Riley was coming over to comfort him, and make him feel better. How was he blessed with such an amazing boyfriend? He chuckled, finally feeling a little better just from knowing he’d see Riley soon.
Now all he had to do was wait.