[His name jolts him out of sleep with a violent start, a split second before his aunt's arms are around him; he only hopes she can't feel his heart hammering in his chest. It's no way to greet her, but even exhausted and out of it, he's still on edge, afraid the next person who says his name is going to follow it with bad news. It's instinct. He can't help it.]
Aunt Cass...
[He settles down by degrees, hesitating, but finally wrapping his arms around her in turn with a wince. He's okay, but he didn't make it out completely unscathed, and his hands hurt. But that's not stopping him. He needs a hug right now more than anything.
And then he's trembling, struck by a fresh wave of nausea and guilt and everything else, burying his face in her shoulder. They've kept so much from her, and maybe it's his fault, maybe all of this is his fault, maybe if he'd done things differently—]
no subject
Aunt Cass...
[He settles down by degrees, hesitating, but finally wrapping his arms around her in turn with a wince. He's okay, but he didn't make it out completely unscathed, and his hands hurt. But that's not stopping him. He needs a hug right now more than anything.
And then he's trembling, struck by a fresh wave of nausea and guilt and everything else, burying his face in her shoulder. They've kept so much from her, and maybe it's his fault, maybe all of this is his fault, maybe if he'd done things differently—]
I'm sorry. I'm so sorry—