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It was midnight, the darkness was taking the sky, the moon took the sun’s place and the stars were willing to make her company one more time, the time of dreams is here. The silence of the night fills that room once more, a tired captain rest in the muffled bed, but his dream is disrupted by the sudden sound of the door being knocked, the silence broke.
Neil still definitely wanted to sleep, but with the little energy that he accomplished to win during his sleep and got out of bet and with sleep steps he began to walk to the door. Normally someone would be mad if they got interrupted in their sleep, but he didn’t feel like that, Neil knew who was knocking his door at that hour and he definitely couldn’t be mad at him, not in a million years.
He opened the door, who was in front of him was the vice-captain, Brett Graves. If he was here it was for something, and that something worried him, his senses woke up completely.
He analyzed Brett for short seconds, even though the redhead wasn’t seeing him back for seeing the floor, Neil could have an idea of what that golden eyes would be transmitting, guilty for wake him up and sadness. With a sweet tone he told him to come in and to sit on the bed so they could talk, Brett just nodded and did what he told while the captain closed the door and then follow him from behind and sit at his side.
-… A nightmare again? - Neil asked.
-Yes, sir…- He took a couple of seconds before confirm his suspicion to the immortal dragon, it seemed like he was trying to not let his voice break.
- If you want to cry you can do it, I would never make fun of you for that – To the captain the idea of being a handkerchief to wipe off the tears, if cry would make the shadow dragon feel a little better, it was alright. With those words he wanted to transmit calm to this partner, even if he doubted he was going to show that side of him.
A time ago the vice-captain didn’t come to his room with that purpose, maybe it had been months or even a year? He really couldn’t remember, but he was always ready for that situation because it was something that happened a lot when Brett was little, during that time Neil would even stay up until late just to make sure the young dragon would be resting peacefully. Doing that made him feel peace, he maybe would feel a bit tired, but knowing that the redheaded slept without difficulties was a nice reward. Neil just wanted the children taken by the police force to be okay.
- The nightmare was about your past, wasn’t it, Brett? I’m here for you, you can tell me what you dreamed this time, you are not alone, you don’t have to endure the pain like before, I’ll listen to you, I’m here. – Soft words, sweet tone, he hoped all that would work – I want you to look at me, is that okay for you? – For a moment he thought he was rushing up, but he needed to see the eyes of the shadow dragon, he wanted to make visual contact to try to communicate him more things with the art of stares.
Brett did as he told, brushed away some hair that covered his face so the captain could see him better, he also tried to dry his cheeks, they were a little wet because of the tears, his eyes looked horrible, how long he were crying so they can be like that? He felt great sadness, at least he was grateful that in the end he decided to come to him. His eyes were a swirl of emotions, sadness, guilt and angriness were the dominant ones. Not without asking for permission, the captain put his hand in the redhead’s forehead, it was hot, the only good thing was that it wasn’t because of a fever, if he were sick it would be worse… The vice-captain opened his mouth.
- Thank you for your words, sir, but, please, don’t look at me that much… it’s a little uncomfortable.- He gently brushed away the hand of the captain from his forehead, he didn’t want to be rough with him, he just was worried, his actions were understandable. – I’m better now, there’s no need of you caring so much for me… - His tone was still low, even though, it was clearly that what Brett was saying was true, he was little better than before and he even let escape a little smile when he finished talking. That was good, that made him happy, he wanted the best to his partner.
Neil smiled back, asked him to stay where he was and that if he wanted he could get himself comfortable while he was going to the kitchen to make tea for the both of them. Something hot would make the still young dragon feel way better, that was something he learned from his master, Emilia. He what kind of tea he would pick… maybe berries? He tried it and it wasn’t bad.
When he went back to the room he saw the redheaded in the same place in the bed he sat before, just that now he was covered to the shoulders with one of his bed blankets. The tall dragon give one of the cups to Brett, he thanked him and took it, Brett uncover himself a little to tell the captain to sit nearly to him so they both could share the blanket. The captain understood the message, he sat down nest to his partner with his own cup of tea in hands y let the blanket wrap him.
- So, do you feel ready now? – That was his question, he didn’t want to force him anyway, if Brett didn’t want to share his nightmare he would understand and just make sure of making this a nice moment so at the end both of them could rest in peace.
- Ah, yes, captain. Now I can tell what happened better, thanks for all you have done until now – Yes, the tone of his voice was way better now. Brett took a sip of his berry tea and then cleared his throat – I dreamed… I dreamed again with them and especially with that one that disgust me to call master, that son of a bitch…- He stopped talking suddenly, why? Maybe he doubted if it was okay to use a rude language? Even though he never cared about his language before, uhm, a mystery. The thing is that he continued when he stopped – they were torturing me like they always had, whiplashes, gunshots, hits, kicks, if I was lucky they would just insult me, but there were some times when they would do that to just a couple days later abuse of me worse, in the end, I guess it wasn’t luck.-
Neil listened closely, he hated the evilness with some people could get to.
- I remembered the pain those mistreatments caused in me and they felt just as real as I suffered them in that moment, what scared me the most was remember the face of that thing that I had to call master and having his shitty voice in my mind…- He took a pause so drink some tea, he blow a little to avoid burn himself – When I woke up by the fear I tried to calm down, but… I couldn’t, I couldn’t do anything, captain, I didn’t mean it, but I touched one of the wounds I still have in my body and that was my worst mistake. They are evidence of me going through all that, they are mark I could never take off or forget. Normally people can erase any bad moment they have gone through of their memories, but I can’t, my scars are something that just won’t go away, there had been ten years and they haven’t gone off my skin… - His voice was breaking, speaking was harder, he was with his low spirits but it looked like he was going to cry with rage. Brett just drank his tea again to hold down his desires to break something, his eyes transmitted rage, it looked like if he gets to have a change he would kill his abusers again, again and again until the fatigue kill him.
Neil drank of the tea, he had it in the middle by now. He left the cup in the nightstand, clear his toughs and proceed to try to calm him down just like he did when he first meet him, he had to help him, he couldn’t let down someone who opened his heart to him in that way.
- Don’t look at your scars that way, Brett, they are entirely bad, you have to see them another way and rescue something good from them…- He wanted to continue, but his partner interrupted him.
- Excuse me, captain, but what other way can I see this shit those bastards left me? – He left his cup in the night stand like the tall dragon, the next thing he did was lift up his shirt a little and point at the scars that were in his abdomen – It’s impossible to see this things with another sense that isn’t absolute hate – His tone was a little pissed, it rarely happened, ah, it looks like he just screwed it up, but if he can return to the point he wanted to go maybe…
- Brett, calm down, please – Neil wasn’t giving up, he had to say what he thought, he couldn’t let Brett hate himself, he knew the other meaning of those scars, but the shadow dragon haven’t had noticed yet – Give me your hands, okay? – If he does this, maybe he could accomplish his goal.
-…- He doubted at the beginning, he was pissed, pissed by what the captain said and pissed of being in this situation with the captain. He couldn’t comprehend what he meant, there was really something good about those things? Seeing then even if it’s just a little gave him pain. Brett looked at his captain, then at his hands, they were extended so he could receive his. Finally the redheaded accepted, both of them felt the warmness of them colliding together, too much, too much gentleness.
Emilia taught him that even if there were walls, not speak the same language or be from different races, the persons when they hold hands could communicate perfectly and understand each other, definitely it was a lection he could never forget, that allowed him to help many kids that had gone through the same as the vice-captain, which allowed him to be by his side won, that was the reason of why their bond was very strong.
Neil lead Brett hands to his mouth, it looked tile he was a bit embarrassed? He noticed his cheeks were lightly red, even though he didn’t think about kissing them or anything… After that, he took those soft hands to his cheeks, both of them started to stare at each other intensely, the captain smiled lightly at his working partner and Brett, well, he didn’t know how he should react.
His cheeks were burning, he was definitely red, if dying for embarrassment were possible he would pass to a better life in that moment. The fact that they were staring at each other didn’t help at all, when he looked better at the face of the captain he noticed the facial expression he had, it was the same face he had at that time, it was the same soft expression of ten years ago of that dragon who he almost saw like some kind of goodness, a goodness that bewitched him.
- You remembered our first meeting, right? – He smiled again, a smile just for him – I think that it’s not good for you to hate your scars, I know what they represent to you in this moments, I know the kind of memories they bring you. They make you go back to your past witch you want to forget because you went through a lot. But try to see something good about them, your scars show that you survived to all that you had to live through – He took off the redheaded hands from his face, now his hands were in the other’s face. Wow, not only Brett hands were soft, but his face too. – Those “things” show how strong you were and how strong you are now, don’t hate your past, in the end, your own past it’s a motivations now, isn’t it? You are the only one how knows what it’s like go through what you lived, you work hard to help kids to go out of ambiences like those. Brett, you are an admirable person, your desires to help those who needs it are also admirable, you are strong. If there’s something I didn’t do wrong, was asking you to be vice-captain, you do your job perfectly. Don’t hate yourself, the kids and Iris like you, and so do I – the forehead of the tall dragon meet his head, near to the zone of his own forehead. More sweet words keep coming out from the captain’s mouth, he also used his fingers to play with his hair, all that love will make him overflow, having the captain with him was the best thing that ever happened to him.
If one of the captain goal was to make him feel loved, he accomplished it.
-… Tha-thanks you, sir… - Form those words of gratitude took work, he was already bad at showing any emotion that wasn’t anger, but those things the captain was saying had make him even more clumsy, how the captain could be so good? To him before would be impossible to believe someone like him existed, but the police show him wrong. He couldn’t say it, it was hard, he moved away from the captain so both of them could see each other again. If he was lucky, the message he wanted to say could be understood. Brett wanted to say he was really grateful for everything, that he was happy for have meeting him, that because of him his life stopped being in the gray shades it had been since the day he was born, that the captain Neil was the painter of his life, Neil Masefield showed him another colors, different colors, kind, charming and warm besides of gray- I don’t know what to say beside thanks, really, thanks for all, captain.
Even if dragons live much longer than humans, Brett wasn’t immortal like the captain, being in this kind of job he could even die before, while the most especial person for him would only be able to die for natural causes. His only wish in that moment was being able to live a long life beside the captain, if the death of the shadow dragon is natural he would be happy, but if it wasn’t… at least let him live a big part of his life with the immortal dragon, his savior.
A wish of that kind was so much? He hopes not.
They fall apart from each other, took they cups and finished their tea. They talked about different things, what they will do later at work, they tried to guess what would be the lunch that afternoon, Brett talked about his books, Neil told one of his long stories that were dignified of an old man. It was 2:00 AM when they finally decided go to sleep, he remembers that the last time was when Brett was still a kid. Kids always use to go to the people they just the most when they want to sleep but are too afraid for different things that don’t let them sleep.
- Are you sure, sir? I have interrupted your sleep once, if I do it another time I couldn’t forgive myself it I see you tired during work – It was sudden, he tried to answer normally and with a relaxed tone, even thought that he needed relaxing in that precise moment because the question have disconcerted him.
- If you have another nightmare it will be faster for to help you if you are by my side when that happens than if you are a far from me, I think it is more appropriate – He answered calmly.
- Well, I can’t discuss against that logic… I accept – Really Brett couldn’t argue against that, the captain was right, if he was at his side while one of his nightmares it would be easier for the immortal dragon to calm him down than if they were far from each other.
Brett stood up and turns off the lights, Neil make him a space in his bed, the shadow dragon doubted before lying next to his captain, it was strange to sleep with him again like in that time. When he finally lay in bed, the immortal dragon covered him with the blanket, Brett was lying watching at the captain y Neil was watching him back. This last one starts talking almost whispering.
- What if we sleep holding hands? Some say that of two people sleep that way they can even share the same dream – The way he was speaking sounded like a kid telling another a secret, like to defeat an enemy you need to do this certain thing o that the lady of the house on the corner turns into a witch in the night.
- Sir, I didn’t know you were so desperate for having a nightmare – The sarcasm was evident, but he didn’t say it in a bad way, he tried to say it like some kind of joke.
-If it’s one of yours its fine for me, Brett, I could defend you of the persons that had hurt you, it’s not a bad idea – He smiled, Neil Masefield should go to jail for saying things like that and smile that way. He must be the worst criminal in the world.
-… Ah, okay, you win again, captain – His face was red, how many times it had been now? He was getting tired of it, he just hoped the captain couldn’t see the red shade on his face, he wished the patch on his face make it really hard, he wished Neil couldn’t be able to see through the absolute darkness, if he noticed the color of his cheeks that would be even more embarrassing. This should be what they call “want the earth to eat you”.
They both hold hands again, softly but with certain strength. If they squeezed their hands more maybe they would ensure the effect of sharing the same dream, that was the last thing they thought about when the sleep finally defeated them and they slept with an envious calmness.
•☆•
It was morning, probably 10:27. Iris Ashbery, captain of the unity of investigation of the police force, had gone in a mission looking for the captain Neil Masefield and the vice-captain Brett Graves, dragons which she admires a lot and considers are people to look up to. She found it strange to not find either of them in their respective offices, they never got late, always at time or even they could be there before the rest of the people that works in the police force.
She knocked the door, nothing, and she had knocked really hard! Maybe they were sleeping? In that case, even if she had a certain sadness for doing that because she knows that both of them works a lot and that even they should take a day off, she wanted to avoid letting them accumulate work so she decided to go inside and wake them up.
The windows were closed, she flew to the roof and thought about getting into the house like Santa Claus, but if she got stuck she would do a mess even bigger trying to get out… Her head was aching for thinking where she could get into the house, it was the only left option to kick down the door.
- Sorry for this… Sorry for this captain Neil and vice-captain Brett! – She shouted while she kicked the door down and it fell to the floor, she could see later how she would make it up to both of them, probably the vice-captain would be the angrier one at her…
Before stepping in, she looked around to make sure no one was seeing and lay against the wall, the blond dragon looked in the stairs and go upstairs, she knew the rooms were in the second floor, she had analized the house. First she went to the room of the shadow dragon, for her surprise he wasn’t on his bed… It was weird, she felt fear, what if he woke up? He could be hiding to later sermon her, how scary! She didn’t want to face the rage of the vice-captain.
The captain Neil room was the only one left.
She walked with steps that simulated a ninja being quiet until she got to the door of the immortal dragon’s room, she opened it the most silent way she could and what she saw surprised her much more than she was when she didn’t find anyone in the shadow dragon’s bed.
The reason was because the vice-captain was sleeping next to the captain. She got closer to the bed, they both were holding hands and even were pretty close to each other, maybe not close enough to say they were hugging, but close either way…
Iris didn’t know what to think, Iris didn’t know what to do. She had arrived with the idea of waking them up no matter what, but she didn’t expect this situation… She really should wake them up!? Should she just go!? What will be their reactions when they see she saw them this way!? She didn’t know what do or think and she was freaking out!! And the work of the two of them!!!
The best idea was just leave and just play this all off, yeas, it was definitely the right choice, She could figure something out for the work of the captains. She didn’t know what they have done during night and she refused to let curiosity got her enough to analyze them… this would be a secret between she and the captains, secret which they had no idea. Iris promise herself to support completely the relationship between them two, yes! She will support them at everything!!!
She got out of captain Neil’s room and made her way downstairs, when she was two steps out of the house she asked suddenly why they didn’t have doors… She remembered she was the one that kicked it down, well, it seemed like she’d stay a little longer to fix it, but, how do you fix a door? She would have to discover that in light-speed if she wanted to avoid problems with the… love birds.
In that moment, Iris wished being a shadow dragon like the vice-captain so she hasn’t had to do that.