Nightmares🏠

16th part of Home.

Lots of things happen over the next month, including Blake getting sued by TJ’s parents. Daniel doesn’t ask much, and he doesn’t want to know. 

He still feels like it’s all his fault. He talks to Tasha, and offers to work for free, since TJ can’t. She tells him he can have the job, but she’s still paying him. After an accident, he’s not allowed in the kitchen, and just waits tables.

Catherine worries that after what Blake did to TJ, Daniel might need some type of therapy, but he insists he’s fine. Mostly.

He spends a lot of time with TJ and Angel. He worries about Blake trying to take him again. They distract him by trying to teach him how to cook. 

It doesn’t work.

“I don’t get how you can’t make anything.” TJ sighs, scraping burnt pizza dough into the trash. The three of them are at Catherine’s house, and she’s with Riley in the den. It’s almost eight p.m.

Daniel sighs, too, and sits on a chair. “I don’t know.”

Angel pulls a perfect looking pizza out of the oven, looking a little guilty. But Daniel doesn’t even notice. 

TJ frowns. “You okay?”

“What?” He looks up. “Yeah, sorry, I’m fine. I don’t think this is working.”

“Alright. Let’s eat Angel’s pizza, though.”

Catherine and Riley end up in the kitchen, and they all eat at the table, the pizza cut in squares so there’s lots for everyone. 

TJ stays over, which has been happening a lot. Daniel says good night to everyone, and him and TJ go up to Daniel’s room. 

“Danny, Are you sure you’re okay?” TJ asks, stopping him before he can go into the bathroom. “You’ve been really quiet lately.”

He nods. “I’m fine.”

TJ studies his face for a second, and he forces himself not to bite his lip. “Alright. If you say so.” 

Daniel gives him a smile before he goes into the bathroom.

🏠

“Danny! Danny, wake up. It’s okay.”

Daniel’s eyes fly open, and he gasps.

 He’s breathing heavily, nails digging into TJ’s arm. He closes his eyes again, trying to steady his breaths. 

“Are you okay? You were shaking.” 

“Sorry.” He mumbles finally, sitting up.

He wraps an arm around Daniel’s shoulder. “What happened?”

“Nightmare.”

He’s had nightmares a lot recently, but not this bad.

“What happened?”

He closes his eyes again. “I…”

 He had seen TJ lying on the floor again, blood surrounding his head. He was pale, and Daniel couldn’t tell if he was moving. He knew it wasn’t real, but the blood coming from the deep cuts in TJ’s forehead was terrifying. 

 In the dream he couldn’t move, couldn't cover his eyes, and he had to watch TJ as he lay there, losing more and more blood. Then his father showed up, and made him leave. On the way out, he saw Angel on the ground too. Then Catherine, and Riley, and- 

He shakes his head quickly. “I-I can’t.”

“Okay.” TJ says, shifting so Daniel is leaning on him comfortably. “Take your time.”

His breathing slows, and when he’s calm enough, he tells TJ about the dream, not looking at him. 

TJ is quiet for a moment, but just kisses his forehead. “It was just a dream, Danny. I’m fine. Angel’s fine. Catherine’s fine. Riley’s fine. You’re fine. It’s okay.”

“I know, but it felt so real.”

They sit in silence. Daniel doesn’t want to go back to sleep, afraid of having the same dream again. But he knows TJ won’t go to sleep if he won’t. 

It’s fine. He thinks. TJ’s right here in case it happens again. Go to sleep.

He curls to TJ’s side, closing his eyes. Slowly, he drifts off to sleep.

🏠

Blake shoves him out of the way, and TJ hits the bookshelf, hard, then crumbles to the ground. The shelf teeters, and books fall. Daniel pushes it back against the wall, but several heavy books hit TJ’s temple.

Wake up!

TJ lays limp on the ground, blood trickling from deep cuts. Angel runs over as Daniel drops to his knees beside him. 

Wake up, wake up, wake up!

Beep...beep...beep...beep…

TJ’s laying on the hospital bed, pale and still, bandages on his head, and machines and other things around the room, maybe the only things keeping him alive.

WAKE UP!

He sits up with a gasp. 

TJ is still asleep beside him. I don’t want to wake him.

Quietly, he gets up, and walks out into the hallway. He goes down the stairs, and into the dark living room. 

He hasn’t gone in the den for the whole month, since that would mean he’d have to go through the hallway, and he doesn’t think he could handle that.

He curls up on one of the armchairs, pulling a blanket over his legs. I don’t want to sleep. I can’t see that again.

He sighs quietly, and looks at the clock on the wall. It’s only three? I can’t stay awake that long.

Sure enough, he fell asleep again, but he was ready for a nightmare this time.