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Everything was dark. He couldn’t see. He couldn’t feel. His heart thundered in his chest, the panic making him unable to think.
He was running. His legs were on fire, he needed to go faster. Faster!
A strangled cry escaped him as he felt rather than heard something behind him. Faster, faster, faster. They couldn’t catch him. He had to keep going.
A faint light in the the distance kept him focused as much as it could. That was his way out. He pushed through the pain in his chest, the burning of his legs, the throbbing of his skull. Faster, faster, faster.
The light seemed dimmer... it was moving away from him, he’d been running for so long without stopping, his very existence depending on reaching that light.
He wasn’t going to make it.
He could feel the darkness surround him, pulling him backwards. He forced his legs to keep moving, but the force holding onto him was too strong. It was stronger than he was.
“No.” He cried. “No, no let me go!” His hand shot out in front of him, if only he could make it. If only he could reach it. “No!”
He was yanked back so harshly that both feet left the ground, and he fell back into the darkness as he watched the light disappear.
“NO!”
Theo sat up with a gasp and strong familiar arms immediately wrapping around him.
“Theo, it’s okay.” Neville breathed against this neck. “Shh, it’s okay. It’s over.”
Theo tried to suck in huge lungfuls of air, he still felt the darkness all around him, despite the dim bedside lamp Neville had lit. This wasn’t his first nightmare, and it wouldn’t be his last. “Nev.”
“I’m here. I’m right here.”
Fingers laced into his hair, trying everything they could to calm him. Theo concentrated on Neville, and Neville only. His breathing, the feel of his fingers, the solidity of his form right next to him. Neville carefully reached over to put Theo’s hand on his chest, letting Theo feel the beat of his heart.
“I’m right here.” Neville whispered. “Feel it, feel me.”
After several long minutes, Theo felt the darkness fade. He shut his eyes as his tense shoulders finally relaxed, resting his forehead on Neville’s shoulder. “I’m sorry.”
“You have nothing to be sorry for.” Neville said simply, his fingers still carding through Theo’s hair. “Do you hear me? Nothing.”
“It’s been years. I shouldn’t have nightmares like this anymore.”
“And you shouldn’t have seen the things that you saw during that war. You shouldn’t have felt anything like what we were forced to feel. We were kids.”
Neville placed his hand on top of Theo’s long fingers, making his wedding band press into his skin. Neville always did this when Theo needed a reminder about who he was now. How far he’d come.
“I love you, Neville. I don’t tell you that nearly often enough.”
“You tell me every day, and I love you, too.”
Theo laid back down in bed, giving a soft smile when Neville followed him and let him bury his face into Neville’s shoulder. He hoped that it will always be like this... Neville comforting him and loving him and bringing him back from the darkness. He hoped that Neville would always be his light.