Vaughn breathed out slowly, smiling lightly as he held Kaz against his chest. This felt safer to have someone else he could count on. Well, as safe as it could get at the moment. The ache in his neck was still a constant reminder of the possibility of a mutation.
Kaz smiled softly. “Love you,” he mumbled sleepily before drifting off into a dreamless sleep
Vaughn tensed up, suddenly wide awake. Was he hearing Kaz right? They had barely even been together, how could Kaz already be saying that? He shook his head to himself, carefully letting go of Kaz and rolling over in bed. He breathed quietly and shakily, the whispers finally coming back to laugh at him.
Kaz made a small noise, frowning lightly as he woke up. “Vaughn?” he mumbled sleepily. “You okay? You want more pain pills or something?”
“Why did you say that?” Vaughn asked, tone quiet but firm. He still stayed facing away from Kaz, not wanting to look at him at the moment. He clenched his jaw tightly, half hugging onto his pillow.
"Isn't that something people say..?" Kaz mumbled, frowning slightly in confusion. "I'm sorry. I'm not very good at this," he added quietly, his confusion turning to something sad as he curled in on himself a little. Oh look at that, Kaz. You ruined everything, just like you always do. Too bad you don't have your razor blade, his mind snickered
Tenor wakes up alone. Always alone. Always alone. He doesn't want to be alone…
….he deserves to be alone…
“People say it all the time. Just not that quickly,” Vaughn said slowly, staying laid down like he was. He exhaled slowly, running a hand over his face.
"Sorry," Kaz mumbled, curling up on himself a little more. He suddenly wanted to dissolve into the sheets and through the floor, feeling absolutely horrible now. He scowled at the floor instead, resisting the urge to slide out of the bed and go sleep in the bathroom or something
“It’s fine, you didn’t know,” Vaughn mumbled. It was obvious that Kaz was upset by it. He was stubborn as hell and would usually want to stay mad, but the tone of Kaz’s voice just made him sad. So he rolled back over and wrapped an arm around Kaz’s middle.
Kaz tensed slightly as Vaughn's arm went around his middle. He wanted to keep apologizing, but he knew Vaughn was tired and probably didn't want to listen to him. So he bit his lip, forcing himself to be quiet as he tried to convince himself to relax
Vaughn sighed lightly, scooting a bit closer to Kaz’s cool body so his chest was pressed against his back. Things felt awkward. Should be just let go and roll away again? Should he assure Kaz that things were okay?
Kaz felt himself relax a little more as Vaughn held onto him. He took a few deep breaths, finally managing to calm himself enough to actually begin to fall asleep again
“Night,” Vaughn mumbled, his lips brushing against the back of Kaz’a neck. He hugged Kaz to him, drifting off into what would be a rare, dreamless sleep.
(aaand time skip)
Kaz woke with a start, his hands flying to grip at the bedsheets as he hyperventilated. He gripped the sheets tightly, eyes wide and flecked with violet as he tried to keep himself from shaking
Vaughn hummed when he felt Kaz shift next to him. He shifted slightly in bed, eyes squinting open to look at Kaz, a frown on his lips. “Kaz?” He mumbled sleepily.
"Y-Yeah?" Kaz asked softly, trying and failing to keep the stammer out of his voice. He ran a hand over his face, grateful for once that he had slept with his glasses on. His breathing was slowing slightly, but he still was clutching the bedsheets with a white-knuckle grip
“What’s wrong?” Vaughn asked, his voice slightly rough from, sleep. He frowned as he propped himself up against his elbow, looking down at Kaz. “Bad dream or something?”
Kaz nodded, not trusting himself to speak at the moment. He tugged one of the pillows closer to his chest, gripping it as he tried to calm himself. He was shaking slightly, but he was determined not to hint that anything was really wrong
Vaughn hugged Kaz against his chest, wrapping one of his legs over Kaz’s. “It’s alright. You’re okay,” he mumbled softly, a hand reaching up to run through Kaz’s curls.
Kaz nodded, still having difficulties finding words as he curled up slightly. He pressed himself further into Vaughn's hold, the comforting touch helping to relax slightly. "Sorry for waking you," he finally managed
“It’s fine, don’t worry about it,” Vaughn murmured softly. He rubbed at Kaz’s back slowly, resting his face in the crook of Kaz’s neck. “Do you want to talk about it?”
Kaz shook his head, letting his chin rest on top of Vaughn's head. It wasn't a fantastic nightmare, and after the night before, Vaughn probably wouldn't want to hear about how he had a nightmare featuring the other boy. He resolved to let his eyes close again, trying to convince himself to stop shaking
“If you’re sure…” Vaughn said slowly. He decided to just hold Kaz and stay quiet. Kaz seemed to calm down better with touching, so that’s what he would do. He sighed softly, pressing a kiss to the crook of Kaz’s neck.
Kaz smiled a little at the kiss. Vaughn didn't hate him. That was good. That was better than the night before. He wrapped an arm loosely around Vaughn, not trying to force anything on him accidentally