Hugo awoke the next morning to the sound of Renee's voice. "What do you mean 'he had a nightmare'? Did he wake you up?" she asked.

"No," Stefan rumbled above him. Hugo kept stock still, his breathing even. "I was already awake. I just heard him out here crying."

Renee cursed. "He looked fine last night," she muttered. And he had been, but his mind decided to screw him over while he slept. "Look, I have to go or I'm going to be late for work. Look after him, alright?"

"Of course." The door shut with a quiet click and the room was bathed in silence. "I know you're awake, Hugo."

Heat spread through his cheeks as he lifted his face from Stefan's chest to stare at him. His legs, which had been dangling off the edge of the couch for the last few hours, were completely numb. The rest of him was still pressed against Stefan, warm and comfortable, but the instant he met eyes with the other man, he pulled away with a jolt.

"Why didn't you wake me?" he asked, blinking away the sleep in his eyes.

"Because you seemed comfortable. I wanted to make sure you actually got some rest." Stefan sat up and stretched out on the couch. Hugo followed suit, his legs aching as the feeling finally came back in them.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep on you."

Stefan waved him away. "It's fine, you needed it."

"Did you at least get some sleep?"

"A couple of hours. I don't sleep much though."

Hugo ran a hand down his face and jumped when a hand grazed his leg. Stefan smiled at him, soft and tentative, his thumb making circles on his bare leg. "Thank you for being there for me last night," Hugo signed slowly, smiling back at him.

"It was the least I could do. I don't think I've ever seen you like that before," Stefan replied, slowly pulling his hand away. "Are you feeling better?"

Hugo frowned, his eyes locked on the carpet below them. His second attempt at sleep went better than the first. From what he could remember, he hadn't had any other nightmares, but the one from earlier in the night, from most nights for the past five years, still haunted him.

"A little, but I'll be fine. I'm used to it," he answered.

"The nightmares?" Stefan asked, wincing when Hugo nodded. "What were they about?" Hugo bit his lip, not meeting Stefan's eyes. He hadn't ever told anyone what they were about, or what happened to his mother five years ago. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have- You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

The thing was, he did want to tell him. Somewhere in the back of his mind, a voice begged him to finally say the words, to confide in someone. Stefan seemed like the right choice. He cared for him, looked after him like friends were meant to. But friends were also meant to be able to trust each other, with anything.

His stomach growled loudly, and it made up his mind for him. He stood from the couch, pushing all thoughts of telling Stefan out of his head. "I think I need to eat," he signed. Stefan sighed and smiled at him as he pushed himself to his feet.

"I'll fix you something. How do you feel about bacon and eggs?" he asked. He moved past him and into the kitchen when Hugo nodded. Something in the air changed and Hugo couldn't explain it. Maybe he should have told him, maybe he still had a chance.

He mulled it over the entire time Stefan cooked. He'd been so ready to spill everything. He'd known Stefan for a while now, months, but was that enough time to gather the trust to tell him? A voice in the back of his mind said yes, but there was another part, the part that controlled most of what he did, that screamed that Stefan wouldn't care.

He definitely wasn't ready to tell Renee. She and Stefan shared everything with each other. Hugo didn't know if telling Stefan meant also telling Renee. He'd known her longer, but after the lies about the dinner and the attempt at lying about the party, he wasn't sure if he could trust her completely. He liked her a lot, they were good friends, but he wasn't ready for her to know.

Stefan placed a plate piled with bacon and eggs on the bench in front of him. "Are you sure you're alright?" he asked, lips turned down in a concerned frown.

Hugo tapped his fingers against the bench. "Promise you won't tell Renee what I'm about to tell you?" he replied.

"This feels like the beginning of high school gossip, but alright," Stefan said. Hugo let out a huff of laughter at the words, a hint of relief washing over him. "What's going on?"

He took a deep breath, trying to steel himself. His stomach and chest ached, and he knew that at some point in the story, he was going to have to stop and take a break. If he didn't, he would have a panic attack.

"Five years ago, my mum came to pick me up from school," he signed, his hands trembling. "She was going to take me on a little holiday for the weekend because I'd been really stressed. It was year twelve. It was a few hours away and by the time we got there, it was dark.

"It was a good drive. I hadn't felt that relaxed in a long time. This wasn't long after all my friends left so I wasn't feeling so good. My mum knew that, so she tried to make me as happy as possible. She was a good driver too, always focused on the road." He sighed. "I swear everyone says that when they talk about car accidents, but it was the truth. It was the other driver that was in the wrong. He didn't have his headlights on, and he drove a black car. Speeding too. We didn't see him until the last second, driving in the wrong lane.

"I was mostly alright, a broken arm and few cracked ribs, but other than that I was uninjured. My mum swerved and the car hit her side. She didn't die until right before the ambulance arrived. We were both stuck. I'd been able to get my phone and call the ambulance, but I wasn't able to get out of the car. I think that was the last time I spoke."

Hugo stopped, staring down at the table with tear-filled eyes. His food sat uneaten, slowly going cold, but neither man seemed to mind. His breathed in a shaky breath and reached for Stefan, who moved with lightning speed to wrap his arms around him. His breaths came out in short, sharp pants and his chest ached with the effort of it.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," Stefan whispered, his hands making circles on Hugo's back.

"I want to," Hugo replied and closed his eyes, his head moving to lean on Stefan's shoulder. "I don't remember what exactly it was that killed my mum, all I could see was the blood. The other driver never even came to check on us, but he couldn't exactly drive off either. He did time for it, but I think he's out now.

"I don't know how long I was trapped in the car with mum after she died. It took them a while to get us out because the car was a wreck. I couldn't answer anything they asked me, I just remember staring at the car as they pulled my mum out. I haven't said a word since. The doctors say I can if I really want to, but I don't. That's what I have the nightmares about and why I panic and why I can't speak."

As expected, silence washed over them when he finished. Stefan stared at him and it was then that Hugo realised just how much baggage he carried with him. It would be too much for him to handle. He should never have told him. Why did he ever think it would be a good idea? One look at Stefan's face told him it wasn't.

With a heaving chest and tears in his eyes, Hugo picked at the food Stefan had cooked for them. He felt like he was going to vomit, but he needed to keep his hands busy and his eyes focused on something that wasn't Stefan's face. He couldn't look him in the eye. He'd been so stupid, thinking it was a good idea, but it was out in the open now. He couldn't take it back.

"Hugo," Stefan's voice whispered in his ear. "I'm so sorry. I don't know what to say." His arms tightened around Hugo's body and he leaned into it involuntarily.

"You don't have to say anything," he replied.

Stefan sighed. "I'm here for you. I've never- never been through what you have, but I know what it's like to have panic attacks. I can help you," he said, one hand reaching up to run through Hugo's hair. "If you ever need to talk, just let me know. And I won't say a word to Renee. This is your thing to tell."

Hugo closed his eye, head pressed against the other man's shoulder. "Thank you. But are you sure it's not too much to handle?"

There was a moment of silence in which Hugo was sure Stefan would pull away and he would be left to grow cold in the middle of the small apartment. "It's a lot, if I'm being honest. But we're friends, Hugo, part of that means being there for you no matter what. I will never fully understand what you went through, but that's not going to stop me from supporting and helping you."

Before he could stop them, tears spilt down Hugo's cheeks again. Everything was so overwhelming. For the first time in his life, he told someone why he was mute, and they didn't pull away from him. He didn't even care that Stefan saw them only as friends. The fact that Stefan would stick by him and help him was far more important.

"Hey, hey, I got you. It's alright," Stefan whispered to him, pulling away for a second to turn Hugo in his seat. The tears only got worse when the other man tried to wipe them away with his thumb. Something fluttered within him, something he knew the meaning of but wasn't going to address. It wasn't the right time and he'd only mess it up. Instead, he just allowed himself to be looked after.

He didn't know how long they stood there in the middle of the apartment, holding each other while he cried. By the time he pulled away and tried to eat more than a tiny morsel of his breakfast, it was stone cold. Stefan moved away from him to eat his food, but never far enough that Hugo couldn't reach for him if he needed to.

"Do you have anywhere you need to be today?" Stefan asked when they finished, dumping their plates in the sink.

"No," Hugo replied. He'd send his father a text to let him know he'd be home later than he originally planned if Stefan wanted him to stay longer.

"Well, how about we have a lazy day?" Stefan suggested with a shrug. "We don't need to change out of our pyjamas. We can just lie around on the couch and do whatever. I'll order a pizza for lunch or something. How does that sound?"

Hugo gave him a small smile, his eyes trailing over the details of Stefan's face. The worried tilt of his eyebrows, the stubble slowly growing in on his chin and jaw, the way his teeth bit down on his thin lips. "I'd like that," he replied, not even bothering to stop the wave of affection that came over him. It was better than how he'd been feeling earlier, even if it was pointless. He'd deal with it later. For now, he'd allow himself to have a good day.