[It's only when his aunt holds him and kisses his head that he's comforted a little. It reminds him of when he was little, when he had nightmares. Or got hurt.]
[Like that time he fell out of a tree while playing with his friends in the neighborhood and gouged his face very, very badly, the cause of his scar. He'd run home bleeding and crying and she'd held him at home while pressing gauze against his face to slow the bleeding. And later at the hospital when he'd gotten the stitches. She'd held him in her arm, and kissed his head, and joked until he reluctantly laughed.]
[It hadn't hurt after they put the pain stuff on his face and injected even more into his skin. But it'd been scary at first, seeing the needle.]
[Until he just closed his eyes and took refuge in being held.]
[Her holding him like she did when he was little is grounding. Away from the horrible unreality of - of someone. Someone throwing him away. Drowning him in the dark.]
[In a place where the only comfort is the echo of a girl's desperate, empathetic voice. The voice of someone trying to save him.]
["Hunter! Nonono! You're gonna be okay! You're gonna be okay! Just hang on! Just hang on!"]
[But he's not there. He's here. With his aunt who'll murder anyone that tries to hurt him.]
[He eventually stops crying, wipes at his eyes. His panicky breathing evens out.]
Where are we going to go now?
[The dreams and echos aren't stopping. And something definitely strange has altered her without them knowing why.]
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[Like that time he fell out of a tree while playing with his friends in the neighborhood and gouged his face very, very badly, the cause of his scar. He'd run home bleeding and crying and she'd held him at home while pressing gauze against his face to slow the bleeding. And later at the hospital when he'd gotten the stitches. She'd held him in her arm, and kissed his head, and joked until he reluctantly laughed.]
[It hadn't hurt after they put the pain stuff on his face and injected even more into his skin. But it'd been scary at first, seeing the needle.]
[Until he just closed his eyes and took refuge in being held.]
[Her holding him like she did when he was little is grounding. Away from the horrible unreality of - of someone. Someone throwing him away. Drowning him in the dark.]
[In a place where the only comfort is the echo of a girl's desperate, empathetic voice. The voice of someone trying to save him.]
["Hunter! Nonono! You're gonna be okay! You're gonna be okay! Just hang on! Just hang on!"]
[But he's not there. He's here. With his aunt who'll murder anyone that tries to hurt him.]
[He eventually stops crying, wipes at his eyes. His panicky breathing evens out.]
Where are we going to go now?
[The dreams and echos aren't stopping. And something definitely strange has altered her without them knowing why.]