Now Theo knew exactly how he appeared the first night Alleya noticed his lack of sleep and tried to fix him. He had woken up in a panic state, thinking he was back in his father's house. He didn't remember much from his panic but it must have been alarming for Alleya.

After all, seeing Nike like this was a bit alarming and concerning for the gang leader. He didn't know how to help the other man or what to do. He kind of just sat there, trying to talk to him but yet feeling helpless at the same time.

But his words must have been effective and must have helped a little. Just a little was better than nothing, he supposed.

He waited patiently, his eyes slightly betraying his shock. Never before had he seen what he went through every night on the opposite end. He wondered how Alleya did it, how in the entire world did she continue to see it over and over again. This was his first time and it was terrifying.

"Fuck…”

Well a word was a good sign. Something to indicate something different from panic. Nike had also calmed down, his behavior much more calming. He had depicted the man as a calm, level-headed guy from when they first met. Seeing how the man was torn to pieces by his own dreams made his heart feel like it had been shattered in a million different pieces.

"Theo, I..."

This was when he noticed he was still staring at the man with the same shocked and slightly terrified expression he bore before. Most of the time he masked his emotions and hid them but he had been too shocked to evven bother.

During Nike's panic attack, a few of the gang members woke up and a few night guards were watching them. However, after seeing the situation was being handled,the gang members went back to sleep and the night guards back to their positions.

"I'm sorry..."

Theo did a quick glance around, finally taking his gaze off the other man. After making sure nobody was paying attention to them, he moved against the wall. He made sure to sit shoulder-to-shoulder and thigh-to-thigh with the man to show him that what he had seen didn't change anything between them.

He remembered the first time Alleya saw him and the humilation from it. The first time, he had been left wondering if the woman would still be his friend. He didn't want Nike to be filled with those same questions so he tried to make it obvious.

"It's okay," Theo slid an arm around him,"You have nothing to apologize for."

He wouldn't dare ask him about his dreams. He wouldn't ask him about what he said either. He didn't need to know about anything. Dreams like that were personal.

"You don't have to say anything or do anything either. Just know that I've been in your shoes many times," He whispered this part, not wanting any gang members that were awake to overhear what was being said,"And I'm here for you-anytime you need me."

Nike flinching away made him worry a bit more. On one hand he wanted to know what the dream was about and on the other he didn't. He just wanted to know so he could better help Nike overcome it. Whatever it was, it had to be serious to tear him apart like this.

The gang leader was just starting to get to know him personally but he normally had a good judgement in character. He had picked up on Nike's personality rather quickly. Seeing him jumpy and showing that emotion of fear was a sign that it was pretty bad. Some things were just better off to not talk about. He didn't want the other man saying a word until he was ready.

He was about to pull away when he felt Nike lean into him just a little bit. He took that as progress and just waited for him to calm down. After a little bit, he leaned his head against his shoulder. More progress. The gang leader gave a faint smile and gave him the faintest squeeze, kind of like a side hug.

"I’m not a good person Theo…Everything that's happened is my own fault…”

Theo raised an eyebrow. He had a few thoughts about that statement. He was an excellent judge of character and "not a good person" sure wasn't how he would describe the man beside him. He didn't say anything though, he wanted Nike to elaborate on that.

"I’ve done such shitty things…”

Another statement that really didn't clarify too much to why he was saying these things. Of course he knew they had to be connected to his dream. Why else would he be saying that?

"I guarantee you everyone in this room has done something they regret. However, nobody here is a bad person. Do you want to go somewhere more private and talk about this?" He whispered into the other man's ear.

He was a little worried about him, he wasn't going to lie. He also thought this conversation might be best to talk about behind closed doors, with less ears to overhear. That is, if Nike wanted to talk about the things he had done. Maybe those things were connected to his dreams, it would explain him waking up and screaming that he was sorry.

"I know a really good place, not far from here," He ran his freehand through his soft gray hair, letting some of the strands get stuck in between his fingers,"That is, if you want to."

Theo waited for Nike to respond. He wasn't sure if the man would feel comfortable somewhere else or still want to tell him whatever was on his mind before they got to a more private spot. Normally, he would have just invited him into his bedroom but he knew Alleya was in there. That lead to plan b and hoping Nike still wanted to tell him after they got to where they needed to go.

He continued to play with his hair, sighing softly. He was exhausted and wanted nothing more to sleep but couldn't. This would be night 4 of no sleep. He just knew the number one thing he couldn't do was tell Alleya that he couldn't sleep without her. That would give her the wrong idea and worry her more than necessary.

After a few more moments, Nike told him that he did want to go somewhere else. Shortly after he felt the warmth of the other man's body leave his side. After being close to the man almost all night, it felt weird to feel the somewhat chilly room. He made a mental note to turn the heat up for his gang. He was still learning the best temperature for them speaking that they never had heat before.

"Just give me one second," He told Nike, moving to stand up as well. He stood up more slowly and stiffly, his burns were burning. It was almost dawn, he could see the room slowly becoming lighter. Soon early patrols would head out. That meant it was safe to have more Tylenol,"I have to use the bathroom."

He didn't want Nike to know that he had Tylenol specifically for himself and his burns. It had been helping him walk and perform his duties well. It was also an antiflammatory which would help with the more severe ones. Between aloe vera and the Tylenol, he was getting better though. He just knew that he was probably going to have a few more scars to accompany the ones he already had.

He headed toward his room and slipped inside. The sound of his footsteps must have woke up Alleya because she was sitting up and rubbing her eyes.

"Morning," She yawned,"What was that scream I heard earlier? Are you still having nightmares?"

He went into the bathroom, grabbing the Tylenol and swishing just one pill down. He was going to take light amounts today to ease himself off of them. He had to start learning how to manage this pain without help.

"Yes, I had an awful one a few minutes ago. I tried sleeping out there but now I think everyone is mad at me," Theo lied. He figured that Alleya didn't know about Nike's nightmares and he probably didn't want to,"Nike took the blame for me though."

"See? Isn't he such a gentleman?" Alleya had a teasing tone to her voice. He frowned a little in the mirror. What was that supposed to mean?

"Yeah sure," He headed out of the bathroom, pausing,"Why don't you join early morning patrol? I want to make sure the Rebels aren't going to try anything after what happened on the trip."

She gave a nod and he headed out. Early morning patrol would keep Alleya occupied and away from him and Nike. It would allow them to talk in silence without fear that she would go looking for them.

He didn't want Alleya to know about what happened between him and Nike. He didn't really want the gang to know either. He wasn't ready to face whatever his feelings were for the gray-haired man.

"Ready?" He questioned as he rejoined the other man. He briefly studied his face before dropping his gaze down,"We should go before early morning patrol heads out."

Theo wished he could tell Nike just how much he related to his dreams. He wanted to tell Nike the truth about how he couldn't sleep to this day, how he woke up screaming every night when he didn't have Alleya beside him, and about his own nightmares. He just couldn't find the words to tell the other man about that. He wasn't comfortable with that. He wasn't even comfortable with Alleya knowing but one day she had came into his room and witnessed everything. So she knew. It was difficult to talk about whenever he wasn't protecting her from knowing that Nike was going through his own nightmares.

When he returned, he felt gazes of awake gang members turn to him. He knew when somebody was watching him. It felt like a burning sensation. However, when he looked up the burning sensation of somebody watching him faded. They must have looked away. What a coward.

"Sure, let's go…”

Theo gave a faint nod and lead the way to the door. He didn't attempt to take Nike's hand or anything Too many gang members were awake and he didn't want them thinking anything about possible relations between him and the newcomer. He opened the door and headed out, holding it open for Nike.

"Are you doing alright now?" He asked once Nike was out the door and the door closed behind them. Now they were free from the gang. He was a little worried about the other man, speaking what he screamed out and what he said earlier.

He wasn't a bad person, despite him thinking that. Theo couldn't help but think of possible things he could have done to cause the horrifying nightmares and guilt he was feeling. It must have been pretty bad, speaking that Nike still looked a little shaken up.

After a moment of thought, he headed away from the house and toward the "secret spot" for talking. It was actually a little stream clearing that Flynn took him to on their first date. It was a hidden spot that only he knew about so he knew that they would be safe from all patrols just to talk.

He lead Nike to it, the bushes and trees getting thicker as they got closer to the spot. It was only maybe a 5 minute walk from the house. Just far enough that nobody would find them. He walked through the narrow path until the stream came into sight. The stream was frozen, indicating that winter was approaching.

"Nobody can find us here," He told Nike, a small glimmer in his eyes. It felt kind of strange to be here with somebody else besides Flynn but it was a place he wanted to share with Nike as well,"The only people that know about this spot are...well me and now you."

"Uh yeah… I just… This always happens, don't worry."

He knew the nightmares must be a regular thing for Nike. After all, they were a regular occurrence for him. It had made it slightly easier to sleep at night when he told Alleya. She provided an extra comfort for when he had one and encouraged him to keep on trying. She wasn't sure what exactly the nightmares were about, he hadn't told her. It just helped to know he had somebody there for him when he needed it. That's why he was checking in on Nike, he knew how those nightmares felt.

"I’ve had this dream for years, still messes me up for a bit after each time…”

He gave a nod toward that statement. He was starting to realize that he needed to tell Nike the truth. He tried before-telling the man that he had nightmares but he didn't think the other man realized they were more than nightmares. They were the exact thing he was dealing with. PTSD, trauma, whatever you wanted to call it...his past keeps revisiting him every night and he cant escape it.

Theo fell silent after telling the other man nobody knew about this location. He was trying to think of where to start with the conversation. He knew that if Nike wanted to be honest with him that he first had to be honest with Nike. Honesty was the first step to helping Nike feel more comfortable to tell him what was going on with his own nightmares.

"You really don't have to worry about me. I can deal with it…”

The gang leader drew his attention back to the man beside him. He studied his face for a moment and looked away. Then glanced back up.

"I know you can. You're very strong," He muttered and then cleared his throat,"I-um-I actually wanted to talk to you....in private."

He moved over by the stream and sat down with his knees tucked underneath him. The movement was a lot easier to handle with the Tylenol he took. He was able to sit with just a little more ease.

"Come sit by me," He whispered, glancing at his hands sitting on his lap. He started nervously fiddling with his thumbs. He wasn't sure where to start or what to say. Never before had he ever considered telling somebody else about his nightmares.