Work Text:
The apartment was small. There was no distinguished smell to the place. Just the smell of a lived in apartment. The living room was always messy. Usually with school supplies from Hannah’s projects. Sometimes with throws if the three wanted to make a blanket fort. In the room closer to the living room down the long hallway, was Hannah’s. The door was always opened at least a crack. She lay asleep on her side, clutching a stuffed animal to her chest. Her hair was all over the bed. She was peaceful.
The room next to hers was the bathroom which lay unoccupied. There was a cup with three toothbrushes. A mint green one (Lex’s), a yellow one (Hannah’s), and an orange one (Ethan’s). It was dark with a dim night light so that if anyone needed it, the others could remain asleep. The bathroom was small. The sink right when you entered. The other side of the room was the shower, with the toilet beside it. There was a shower curtain hanging. The print of fish covers the curtain.
Across the hall and a bit further down was Ethan and Lex’s room. There wasn’t a lot to it. A queen size captain bed with many drawers. Lex was fast asleep and calm on the left side of the bed, farthest from the wall. She lay on her stomach, left arm under the pillow, right arm bent touching Ethan’s arm softly, her head turned towards Ethan and the window. Ethan was on his right side. His left arm on the bed next to him under Lex’s soft hand that rests lightly onto. Her right arm under his head, some fingers through the soft curl that was his hair. The couple’s legs were slightly entwined. Ethan, unlike the girl next to him and the one down the hall, was not fast asleep and looking peaceful. Sure he was asleep. His mind was clouded with thoughts of his past.
Vague flashes of vibrant green. Bright white light filled the room. The memory of being ten years old waiting for his uncle to return from behind the big doors. Suddenly everything was black. A memory that didn’t quite seem like his. Hannah was scared and curled into a ball and Lex was… where was Lex? The tall man looked for her everywhere. Everywhere? What did that even mean when all he could see was endless black and Hannah curled up in a red tube, the tunnel in the kids play place.
Suddenly, there was nothing again. A moment passed and he could see Lex. She was in the break room at Toy Zone. A room he knew all too well. Him and Lex made out in there quite a number of times. But, this wasn’t his memory. She was with some guy, quite older. He was trying to kill her? Ethan wanted to escape from here.
“Stop! Let her go!” he yelled out. There was no response. Not even a glance. They didn’t notice him. He continued to yell out. “Let me go! Lex!”
“You cannot escape this, Ethan.” a creepy child-like voice laughs.
“Who are you? Why do you know my name?”
“I’m your bestest friendy-wend, Ethan.”
“No. No. Stop it! Stop hurting, her.”
The voice repeated his name, changing. It was becoming Lex’s voice instead. Lex, his girlfriend of many years. She was yelling his name. Crying it even. Outside of his nightmare was Lex next to him. She was sitting up now, shaking her lover awake. Her face was filled with worry. He was startled awake. When he realized that Lex was next to him with an orange lamp on, he sat up and just squeezed her.
“Ethan, are you okay?”
“Lex. He was hurting you. I couldn’t find you and Hannah… she was so scared.”
“Ethan what are you talking about?”
“They were hurting you and I couldn’t help.”
Lex’s hand went softly through his hair and the other around to his back rubbing it lightly, “it’s okay, E. I’m right here. I’m okay. Hannah is in her room. We are in our flat.”
“But-”
“It was just a dream. It wasn’t real.”
Ethan wanted to believe that. Him and and Lex changed so they were sitting up leaning against the headboard, Lex just holding his still, trying to convince him everything was okay. Ethan knew everything was okay. He saw Lex in their bed. But deep down, something in his gut made him doubt her words.