Chapter Text
Toby woke up with a rush of panic.
His body felt hot and cold at the same time—he was sweating yet it felt as if he was plunged into cold water. His lungs felt like they were closing in on themselves, the ability to breathe properly fleeting rapidly.
His mind raced with thoughts he could barely place, but all of them were aligned with fear.
A nightmare. They aren't unusual for Toby, in fact, a pleasant dream is more out-of-place. Apparently putting a child in environment like Schlatt's isn't good for their brain. But to be fair, neither is a firework to the face.
This nightmare felt worse than normal. He couldn't just stare at the ceiling for an hour in silence with nausea rolling over him like he often did. His brain unfortunately picked the flight response.
He scrambled back, hitting his spine against the headboard as he heard the door fling open. He couldn’t see well in the dark room, the figure only vaguely illuminated by the moonlight bleeding through his curtains. Of course, this didn’t help much, with it basically being a real life continuation of his dream.
“What’s wrong?”
Toby’s heart never stopped pounding despite clearly placing that the voice was not Schlatt’s. Instead his voice came out in a dry sob.
He squinted his eyes shut as the figure leaned over him. Swiftly, the curtains were pulled aside.
The moonlight illuminated Alex’s face, eyes wider in worry and messy hair free from its braid.
He must have just woken up. Because of him.
Toby nearly burst into tears in both guilt and relief, but managed to only let his eyes get bleary and lip wobble.
His shaking, clammy hand clung to his own neck, and he hid himself more with his blankets. For a moment, the only real noises in the room were his own shaky breaths, and the faint sound of crickets in the forest.
Then, the older teen sighed in only minor relief; no intruder, and Toby wasn't physically harmed. Slowly, like approaching a skittish animal, he sat next to where Toby was.
He placed his hand—skin rough yet warm—on the back of his brother’s head, and pulled him closer into his chest. Toby didn't fight it. “You screamed. Nightmare?”
Toby nodded. He logically knew it was a nightmare, as he’s awake right now and Schlatt is nowhere to be found. Yet his thoughts don’t seem to get the memo.
“H-he got in, and he came upstairs—” His voice wobbled, his throat constricting with resisting sobs. He didn’t even realize he was talking as the words spilled out along with his building tears.
“Yeah?” Alex urged him to continue, gently untangling knots in Toby’s hair. It seemed to be a way for both Toby and him to calm down.
Tears fell on Alex’s shirt, and the younger warbled, “He came upstairs and he tried to– to break the door open.”
Alex's grip tightened for just a moment, and wrapped an arm around Toby’s upper back. “Well, I can tell you: that’s not gonna happen.”
Toby sniffled, and curled closer to him.
“Schlatt, right?” A small nod from the younger. “Well, he’s not gonna make it upstairs, because we’ll hear him. Plus, uh– the stairs are pretty steep, so it’s easy to trip on them.”
He huffed out a laugh, the movement shaking Toby from where he was pressed tightly against him.
“He’d have to be drunk to have that dumb of an idea to hurt you, so he’d probably fall ‘n’ crack his head open if he tried to come upstairs.”
Toby bit his lip and turned to wipe his eyes. “Y-yeah.”
“Our address is kept a secret from him for that reason, and Schlatt's being watched pretty closely right now. Well, if he's not in jail.”
A pause. “And, c’mon kid, you think I would lose a fight against that guy? C’mon.”
Toby laughed wobbily, though the sound was lachrymose.
“So, you’re fine,” Alex insisted as he patted the smaller’s back.
Alex started to let go, but Toby grabbed on tighter. “Can you– um, can you stay?”
Toby could only barely hear a smile in Alex’s voice. “Sure.”
The sound of blankets being shifted filled the quiet, dim room. Toby clung right back on as Alex moved to sit on the bed, then leaning against the headboard, and squirmed to lay against the older teen’s side, his head now more on his shoulder.
Toby’s eyelids felt heavy, and his eyes burned from crying; it felt so simple to close them. His throat relaxed, and he sniffled one last time.
The anxious shivers stopped, and he was surrounded with the comforting heat of his brother. Toby hummed—pleased—as Alex’s hand continued running through his messy hair.
“G’night,” was the final thing Toby heard as he drifted off into a much, much more peaceful slumber.
Phil’s hand pushed open the door, which was left slightly open. He peeked inside, his worried expression being replaced with relief as he spotted his eldest and his youngest together.
Carefully, as he knew how light of a sleeper Alex was, he stepped into Toby’s bedroom. He walked up to the bed, and resisted the urge to coo and pinch their cheeks with how adorable they looked.
He removed his oldest son’s glasses, which he must have forgotten to take off before he fell asleep. He folded them and set them on the nearby desk for safety as he made a mental note to buy Toby a nightstand when he had the chance.
He shifted his attention to his youngest. He frowned as he wiped away the drying tear-tracks. His baby should never need to cry.
Prodding fingers checked the bandages, gentle despite Toby’s occasional shifting. Luckily, they didn’t need to be replaced, as he couldn’t bring himself to wake the boy up. He looked so sweet!
He pecked a small kiss on the top of both of their heads, his touch cautious and gentle. Alex stirred slightly, but fell right back asleep only a moment later.
Phil pulled a blanket—which had been kicked to the foot of the bed—up to them. He covered them with it to ease the chill of the room. If they got sick from his negligence, he could never forgive himself.
With one last glance over the two, he turned his back and stepped out of the scene.
He smiled fondly with a soft sigh as he shut the door with a quiet click, his boys undisturbed.