Chapter Text
Hamza shot up in his bed, breath catching in his throat as he tried to breathe. He gave a harsh cough, bringing an arm up to his face then coughing into it. Hamza thought he would lose his voice from the harsh coughing fit, thankfully he didn’t as his coughs eased till he was breathing heavily. As the adrenaline in his veins settled, reality dropped into his consciousness like a rock as the last flashes of the nightmare faded into the void. “Thank everything it was just a nightmare,” the boy said in relief, burying his face into his hands. A crooked grin spread across the boy’s face as he let out a broken relieved laugh, a single tear slipping from his shut eye down his cheek.
Hamza perked up at the feeling of wetness on his face, offended at the drop of weakness on his cheek and slapped a hand against his skin. “Stupid fucking emotions of mine,” the boy muttered furiously, grinding his frustration then slapping his own face again. A low groan from a familiar boy caught his attention, one that he recognized in an instant. Hamza cursed under his breath, gathering up the blankets that had covered his body, apparently he had forgotten he wasn’t alone. Beside him, Mono shifted his body beneath the soft blankets the Thin Man had tucked him, Hamza and Six into when he tucked the trio into bed for the night, each getting a kiss on the forehead, his beloved Six cuddled against his chest.
Both were sleeping peacefully, happy in their bliss and sleeping far better then he was at the moment. Hamza felt a pang of jealousy at the sight but he forced it down, knowing that it would do him no good to cause a fuss in the middle of the night. Instead, Hamza threw himself out of the bed, deciding that getting a drink of water would be a better idea. He hadn’t noticed it before as his body was trying to wake from his nightmare or rather, escape the long ago memory that had tried to claim him, but his throat was as dry as sandpaper.
He gave a cough, bringing a closed fist up to his mouth to muffle the sound of his voice so he didn’t wake Mono. As jealous as he was to see his two companions sleeping so peacefully, it didn’t seem right to Hamza to wake either Mono or Six from their sleep even if he secretly wanted the former’s comfort. The sound of his little feet hitting the cold floor beneath him barely reached his ears, something that relieved the boy as he moved like a shadow through the dark. Hamza cursed under his breath as the door made a soft creaking sound to signal it opening, his head whipping around what was once a living room to ensure no one heard him as he truly wasn’t alone in this place.
Littering the floor and leftover couches all under blankets were children of all shapes and sizes, some younger than others. No doubt these were all the stray children the Thin Man, Mono’s father, had managed to rescue while the trio of children were busy. Hamza had no idea what the tall man was doing with these children, but he shook the thoughts aside for they weren’t important. The little pitter patter of his feet filled the air, if barely, as Hamza continued his slow careful pace so he didn’t wake anyone. Though he could hear some snoring from some of the children, he’d rather not make too much noise.
One child, a young girl with dark skin and dark hair, shifted beneath her blankets as she let out a low groan making Lez slightly panic before she pulled her blankets over her chin, head relaxing on her pillow as she fell back asleep. Hamza sighed in relief, slapping a hand against his face then continuing to the remains of the apartment kitchen. The kitchen didn’t look as bad as the other rooms he had visited before in the Pale City but it was still in the state of falling apart, earlier stages of decay from what Hamza could see.
However he ignored it as he walked over to the fridge, jumping onto the counters near the somehow working fridge then grabbing the handles before almost taking them down with him as he opened the fridge. For a falling apart fridge, Hamza was surprised to find it stocked with things that one would take for granted and if he was being honest, they were something he himself took for granted till the Pale City fell. He heaved a sigh through his nose, rubbing one side of his face before reaching into the fridge to grab a water bottle.
Half his body weight in water was drunk before the raven child nearly fell off the counter, but Hamza managed to land on his feet. His movements were a little quicker than before as he passed the living room of sleeping children, almost swearing that he heard the Thin Man snoring from somewhere in the apartments. Such thoughts were pushed aside for the exhaustion of sleep was catching up to him, making his pace slacken. If Hamza would allow himself to, he would’ve allowed himself to pass out on the spot.
However he shook the tiredness from his eyes for the bed he was sharing with Mono and Six was far more comfortable even as a little yawn escaped his lips. Hamza wasn’t someone who could find his room while tired, but somehow he managed to not bump into a wall and found where the bed was. The bed creaked as Hamza landed on his previous spot, gathering the blankets then covering himself in them, finally allowing sleep to overtake him with hopefully no nightmares in sight.