Tales Across the MultiBurst

Pain Under Wraps

In which someone's tapestry of lies about his past is about to come completely unraveled, all because the one woman he never wanted to see again comes looking for him.

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Sheer, unbridled panic and terror, boiling over and spilling out in short, weak breaths that puffed out at a rate almost as fast as the thundering of his heart. 

He wasn't thinking straight at all. Nothing his brain was saying was making sense. Was he thinking, really? It was hard to tell, all he could really hear was an unholy, deafening whine. Could that have possibly been him making that noise? Or was it his imagination?

Gods, he felt like he was going to throw up. Or faint. Probably both. Was the air always so thin? Is that why he felt so dizzy?

He just wanted everything to stop. He wanted to stop breathing, stop feeling, and stop thinking. He wanted it all to stop even if he had to pass out or even die. Either one would work, but the latter seemed far more appealing at the moment.

Anywhere but here. Dear gods, he wanted to be anywhere but here.

I shouldn't have left the Snake Pit. Why did I leave the Snake Pit? I wish Norman were here. Please, please, please just let this all go away!

His eyes were hurting now, too. It was like acid or hot magma was burning in them, and he wanted that to stop, too. He reached up with a hand that was trembling uncontrollably, brushing away what he found were only tears.

No, no, no, I can't cry in front of her! No, no, no, stop... I don't want her to hurt me again- someone, anyone, make it all stop, PLEASE.

The pleading in his thoughts was so, so painful, looping over and over so loudly he wanted to kill himself-

But then the sound of knocking broke through the noise, and a voice calling through the door made it all fall silent. "Theodore, are you okay in there?..."

And suddenly, Theodore didn't even know what to say. No was the correct answer, but was it the right answer? All those years of training himself to lie and deceive when it came to her were coming back to him in a flash, making his throat tighten around the truth.

"If you're not, then let me in and I can help you." The speaker continued, sounding very worried for the teal-eyed man.

"I... I-I'm fine." Theodore lied, slowly wrapping his arms around himself. "R-Really, I am... I just- I-I just need a moment..."

This time, it was the speaker who didn't reply. Theodore hoped he had simply accepted his words and tried to correct his breathing pattern, as he was still breathing quickly and shallowly. He still felt dizzy, too. And sick. Overall, he felt like he was dying.

"I don't know if I believe you..." The speaker suddenly said, eliciting a soft breath of surprise from the teal-eyed man. "Can you please let me in? If something's wrong, we can work it out together."

He didn't know what to say. At one time he so desperately just wanted some positive company, but at the other time he couldn't let anyone know.

"Theodore, I saw your face out there... And I can hear your hyperventilating now. I just want to help you."

"Joshua, I-I promise there's- there's nothing wrong..." Theodore squeezed his eyes shut, shivering when he could only see her in his mind. He could only see her anger, her wrath, his blood...

Joshua fell silent outside of the door again, seeming to consider something for a few minutes before asking softly. "Would you swear it on your Bey?"