TW/ injury description, blood, major character death (for like a second), etc

“..E..Ethan..I can’t go on..f-for much longer..” Benny choked out, spewing and coughing up blood that dripped down his chin and splattered onto his disintegrated shirt. His whole side was burned and +

and bruised- charred beyond belief whilst he sustained other internal and external injuries that painted his body red and bloody. It was only moments after the explosion had set off and they dealt with the consequences. Not fast enough, not smart enough— these were the problems +

that got them where they were.

Being held by a sobbing and dirty Ethan, he felt the warmth radiate off the distraught seer. But no matter how much warmth he provided him, the spellcaster ran cold. His touch, his skin was absolutely freezing. Not being able to deal with what was+

going to happen, Ethan just tightened his grip around Benny’s fading body, his tears leaving a stain on his collared shirt. Ethan tried comforting himself with the slowing heartbeat, but it got less and less of a comfort and more of an inevitable sign of a boy’s end. It ran a +

through his body, growing unsettled by the minute.

“E..E l-look at me—“

Ethan felt a cold and burnt hand come into contact with his blotchy red face. It was an attempt of comfort, but it didn’t do much- and all Benny could offer in the end was a wobbly smile that he himself +

wasn’t even sure of. That just caused Ethan to cry harder. He was about to lose his best friend, his soulmate, his love. He didn’t know what he would do without the latter, and he never wanted to find out. Hiccuping and pressing his own hand up against the one on his cheek, +

Ethan’s lower half went numb from sitting on the Old Mason Lodge’s floor— how long had he been sitting there? How much time has passed ever since Benny got caught in the explosion, how much time did they have left to live? Ethan’s brain ran in circles, he knew one thing for sure.

There’s no way in hell Benny would survive this. But he opened his mouth like he wanted to say his final words before departing.

“..I love..y...o.....”

Not even finishing his thoughts, Benny’s hand went limp within Ethan’s grasp as the seer’s expression dropped to one of pure sorrow and loss. Eyes shaking and body trembling, he couldn’t even mutter out any words as he watched Benny’s head roll backwards +

This was just a hollow, meaningless end. And that’s what terrified Ethan awake.

Shooting straight up from his twin sized bed, Ethan’s chest panted, rising up and down at an abnormal rate. He felt the stickiness of his skin and the chills that ran down his spine. He didn’t even have enough time to ground himself before he was greeted with the sight of a +

concerned and shirtless Benny who had been woken up by Ethan’s rustling and shifting in his sleep. Brows furrowed and the lamp next to them being the only source of light, Benny’s tiredness seemed to be long gone— only to be replaced by endless worry and distress. +

“Babe, another nightmare?”

Ethan had a common theme whenever he slept throughout the whole supernatural fighting. It always left him with nightmares and anxiety about what the future could hold. And even after they confessed their feelings and together, the nightmares never +

but it never fully got rid of the trauma Ethan had experienced.

Breaths still uneven, Ethan glanced at his shaky hands, not being able to still them no matter what he did. His brain wouldn’t stop, it got kicked into overdrive and wouldn’t calm down. But as soon as Benny’s hands+

That Benny was still alive and with him.

Ethan felt Benny’s bare arms wrap around his scrawny frame and tug him back down on to the exceptionally small bed they were cuddled in. He felt the comforting body heat from Benny’s chest as he was pressed up against the spell caster’s body— limbs intertwined as his chin was +

settled on the top of Ethan’s head. Feeling the repetitive motion of words being spelled out with the faintest finger on his back, he felt the rumble of Benny’s voice against his head and finally let out a breathe he kept in for so long— letting himself relax slowly. +

“What was it now, E? That time you almost turned into a vampire? The time you did turn into a werewolf? Or was it the zombie apocalypse on Whitechapel? Ooo or was it—“

“Benny, please. It—“ Feeling his words choke him out and die on his tongue, Ethan just focused on the living +

presence who was cuddling him and attempting to calm him down. “I-It was about the..uhm..explosion..at the Old Mason Lodge.”

“I mean, I getcha dude, shit was terrifying but..what else happened happened?” Benny asked, nuzzling his face on top of Ethan’s hair. +

“..we weren’t successful in getting out..and you— and you-!”

Not being able to even finish his own sentence without his trembles coming back, Ethan’s hands scavenged for anything to hold— anything to distract himself with. Which let him to grasping pathetically at Benny’s back,+

hands looping around his torso and latching onto his shoulders. He buried his face in Benny’s chest as his body convulsed, tears welling up and burning his eyes. God, why did he have such fucked up nightmares?

It seemed like Benny had gotten the cue from the context clues, and+

part of Ethan was grateful for their ability to communicate without even needing to speak at all. Feeling the grasp around his body tighten almost protectively, his breath stilled when he felt a small kiss being placed at the top of his head. +

“Babe, do you hear that..?” Benny whispered.

“H-Hear what..?” Ethan’s voice trembled, not quite sure what Benny was hinting at.

But then he felt a hand to the back of his head with his ear flat against the area of where Benny’s heart would be. Ethan’s eyes slowly widened as he+

realized what Benny was hinting at. And Benny was there to vocalize his thoughts perfectly.

“No dumb explosion could wipe someone as great as me out. My heartbeat shows ya that I’m still alive and kickin’. Don’t feed into your dumb brain, it has a habit of making situations seem

worse then they actually are.”

Even with how blunt and unmannered Benny’s speaking was, it was a massive help. Unable to even form his gratitude into a coherent sentence, Ethan just turned his head to shove his face back into Benny’s chest and gave a weak nod. +

“I have no plans on leaving your side, E. So if I go, you’re comin’ with me.” Benny softly chuckled, Entangling their legs further as he settled back into bed himself, the blanket hung loosely over them a nice grounding factor to everything.

And even if Ethan continued to have such nightmares like this, he at least had a pillar to comfort him in trying times. And that comfort was known as Benny Weir himself.

—END OF THREAD—