Safety Blanket

🌿 Chapter Five 🌿

The soft blackness seeped away from the corners of Dennis's vision, leaving only the sunny kitchen of his childhood home. The quiet familiar hum of his mom's somewhat lopsided bedroom fan was buzzing in the distance, in its well known continuous whir. He felt he was truly there despite the old house having been torn down about 5 years ago.
He sat in what used to be his table spot, right between his mother and father's chairs on either side of the big wooden dining table. Across from him would usually be a centerpiece of flowers or a basket of bread, covering up the usually empty fourth side of the table. The center of the table was now vacant, but now the chair across from him that was usually filled with his mom's cross-stitch patterns and magazines was filled with someone that he was no stranger to.

"Well, you certainly got us both outta that prison." A familiar shape sat across from him at the table, a genuine yet apologetic grin on his face with his arms crossed over each other. He looked just like he did when he rolled into work late, blaming it on the traffic when he so obviously had been waiting in the drive thru for his chocolate milk shake. His favorite.

Dennis couldn't speak, trying to form some sort of comprehensible sound yet all that came out was a short sob. He was so happy to see his best friend, and before he knew it, he could feel his face get hot and tears roll down his own cheeks. "You- you're here-!"

"Course I am! You think I wouldn't come to see my favorite guy 'round these parts?" Boyd smiled and lifted a hand, leaning on his palm as if he just had all day and night to talk. Dennis sure hoped he did. Zalewski didn't care if this was a dream or not- Boyd was here and that meant it was all okay.

Zalewski was usually not one to cry infront of people, but when he did, he was always in search of a hug. Boyd knew this; hence why he was already getting up out of his seat. He was dressed in sweats instead of his guard uniform, which was alot more comfortable for Dennis to lean into. On the receiving end, the cloth was alot more absorbent, and within a few moments Boyd's broad shoulder was soggy with Dennis's sadness. Boyd was happy to hold his friend, giving him gentle pats on the back as if to say it was alright. It was gonna be okay, even if one of them was dead and the other wished he was. Zalewski had lost his best friend, possibly his job, and how was his wife going to react to this?

"We just gonna stand here and cry all day?" Boyd asked, which was apparently a stupid question to ask, as he felt Dennis slightly nod his head against his shoulder. Boyd let out a soft sigh from his nose, just letting Dennis get his brief closure. "I gotta tell ya somethin, Denny Boy." Boyd murmered softly, lightly leaning his head on Dennis's.

Dennis sniffed, face red from crying as he awkwardly pulled away from the hug. He wiped his face was his sleeve, one last soft sob coming as his shoulders shook. His voice cracked, not ready to be used so soon after crying, "..What..?"

"You gotta put 'em back Dennis..I've heard it from the big man himself. You have to put that Kid back in that box, okay?"

Dennis's frown tilted downward a bit, brows furrowing in confusion with his soft sniff. "How do I do that..?"

"Think outside the box." Boyd smiled one of his dumb grins at his joke, overjoyed as he watched Dennis crack a smile too. A sad laugh escaped his buddy, but it was better than crying.

Zalewski gave a soft laugh, pushing his hands in his pockets as it tampered off. Soon, the only thing that filled the air was his mom's old fan whirring in the distance. "It'd hurt?"

"What hurt? My knee? No- not no more-" Boyd shifted on his feet, grinning at Dennis and ignoring what he knew he meant. "..Not really. Can't really 'member it, really. Know you were there though. Glad you're okay."