With that, Logan shut the door. There was a distinct absence of the lock clicking into place. Aden attempted to keep his hopes within the proper expectations.

By the time he’d moved from dinner to studying, he realized the giddy smile on his lips. It would seem he failed.

Thoughts of progression and what the next days would bring plagued his mind. It wasn’t surprising they so easily invaded his headspace. The material for tomorrow’s exam wasn’t exactly interesting. For Aden, it bordered on the offensive.

As night ticked closer to morning, Aden gave in and set his textbook to the side. Honestly, he likely hadn’t even needed to study. He’d done more than enough in Logan’s absence. He only did it because he worried his hate for the subject would hurt his chances. And even though the exam wouldn’t take place until later the next morning, the more sleep he got, the better.

Sleep even came easily, Aden’s eyes fluttering shut and his consciousness easily whisked away when he remembered the progress he’d made. Logan no longer felt the need to lock the door. A small win, but it felt like a good step forward.

But, what seemed like only a few moments later, Aden’s eyes flew back open, blinking rapidly as he scrambled to figure out what pulled him so abruptly from his slumber.

At first, he wondered irritably if the bird had done something in his dreams, but Aden hadn’t had any. He usually remembered his meetings with the bird. They usually ended so bitter the taste followed Aden into the waking world.

Night still draped its velvet blanket over the sky, thin winter clouds blocking out the stars. Some were bright enough to shine through, and they reminded Aden of that mirthful glimmer Logan had in his eyes last night. Aden’s lack of night lights seemed to draw even darker shadows, rich and inky around every corner. Everything laid still.

Without warning, a loud thud immediately drew Aden’s attention to the bedroom.

“Logan?” Aden called out tentatively. When several minutes had passed without a reply, Aden wondered if he’d just heard things. He hadn’t had the chance to lay back down when another, sharper sound reverberated through his skull.

Any hesitation to simply enter the room evaporated at Logan’s muffled wail. Aden knew the layout of his apartment with meticulous obsession, though he did find himself tripping over what he could only assume was Logan’s bag. Aden’s was by the couch. Regardless, it didn’t slow him down much as he quietly burst into Logan’s—well, his—room.

Squirming, brows furrowed in discomfort, Logan’s eyes remained tightly sealed in sleep. Waking him from his nightmare seemed like the appropriate thing to do, but an unlocked door was hardly enough evidence to believe Logan trusted him completely. Suddenly waking up with Aden leaning over him would do irreparable damage.

But the aching sounds coming from Logan’s shivering frame had Aden covering the distance without really thinking of repercussions. He maintained his stealth, walking carefully toward the bed and clarity hit him like a freight train.

Glimmering tears had forged streams down each of his cheeks, his knuckles white from gripping his pillow with the intensity of someone about to drop off a cliff. Trembling lips muttered blurred words and overall nonsense. And the stuttering from every shaky exhale, every sharp sob didn’t help in making sense of the gibberish.

It’s Thomas, a comforting voice murmured. Warmth encased the voice that spoke and the only incarnate Aden actually liked appeared at Aden’s side.

He could never see them if he looked straight at them. Only in his peripherals. Only when they let him.

This happens on occasion. Go to ‘im. The flames—I know you don’t like ‘em, but they help. Christopher’s voice rather quickly turned sharp as he chided Aden’s immediate frown. Don’t let ‘im suffer.

And that was all it took. Aden almost gasped at the shock of Logan’s cold hands. The last time Aden had felt this sensation, Logan had nearly drowned.

Shaking his head of the memory, Aden pulled the flames from within to the surface, ignoring Shroahrohel's snicker at the action. The bird knew how averse Aden was to using its power. It probably realized he didn’t even have a choice.

After a few, torturous minutes, Logan’s brows relaxed, his other hand’s grip on the pillow relenting. A calm sigh overtook him, slightly parting his lips as something cold seemed to melt away, brushing Aden with a cool breeze. His arm hairs stood up at the strange sensation, but Logan quickly regained his attention.

His breaths had become deeper, each new inhale riding a rumbling exhale in an even rhythm. Shroahrohel's flames had engulfed him, their soft amber light visible only to those it wished to see. Beneath that light, it even seemed like Logan’s complexion mirrored the warmth of the fire, a soft bronze melting the otherwise pale moon complexion. If only that were the case, maybe Logan could hold the warmth longer.

“I’m sorry,” Aden blurted the whisper before he could think. But he knew he did it for a reason. “First night you trust me enough to…to not lock the door and I barge in while you’re asleep.”

But that wasn’t the reason Aden apologized.

He tightly closed his eyes and bit his lip. As his resolve slowly built up, he said just a decibel louder, “You shouldn’t have…been left alone. I should have…I could have found you. But I…” he trailed off thinking of the incarnates and their demises. Arthur and William’s were blurry, but the others were clear enough that Aden had always felt as though he needed to keep Logan as far away from this curse as he could.

It’d backfired. Badly.

“I never should have stopped looking,” Aden admitted with a weary sigh.

Sight blurring with oncoming emotion, Aden gave Logan’s hand one last squeeze, fully intending on leaving the room as though he’d never been there. He didn’t want to be caught, and being caught crying seemed like a nightmare best avoided.

“Don’t…. Don’t leave me.”

His words caught Aden off guard and he came to an abrupt stop, his eyes widening in disbelief. Atop those eyes was a glimmering sheen, and below across his lids sat dewdrop tears. Aden huffed a breath and swiped them away as he adjusted his seat on the floor. He’d have to stay sitting up—an ordeal he really didn’t look forward to—but decided it was worth it as he held Logan’s hand with all the tenderness of those lost years.

“I…I’m here, now. I won’t—I’m not going anywhere. Not ever again,” Aden said, resolve thick in his voice.

Logan smiled in his sleep, only the faintest tilt of his lips giving it away. It didn’t smooth out the deep furrows in his brows, nor did it erase the remnants of his fear from whatever hellscape he’d been in, but his breathing had now completely evened out into deep, slow breaths.

Aden debated leaving, but the single twitch of his fingers had Logan grasping at them again so he remained where he sat. “You’re safe,” Aden said, tentatively bringing his hand up to stroke Logan’s hair only to think better of it and stop himself before it was too late. “I promise. I…I’ll keep you safe. Whatever it takes, I swear. I’ll keep you safe.”

Pieces of a Shattered Dream