The night air was filled with a tension so thick you could cut it. Taph and Guest 1337 were huddled together against a wall, subspace tripmines and tripwires forming a nest around the two. Taph's breathing quickened, his mind racing. "I can't lose him. He means everything...I can't lose him..." he thought as he heard the far-off footfalls of Jason in the distance. Guest could sense his nervousness, even without words. He had always been able to tell how Taph felt through their bond. Guest moved over to Taph and pulled him into a tight hug. He felt Taph relax into the embrace, his heart rate and breathing slowing to normal. He sighed quietly, leaning into Guest. Just then, the loud wail of an exploding tripmine sounded into the cool air. Taph had set up an alarm of sorts, successfully triggered by a murderous Jason approaching. The two broke the hug, looking at each other. Taph pulled Guest to his feet and pointed towards a rock the two could hide behind. Guest did a military roll, taking Taph along with him. The two crouched behind the boulder, fear coursing through their veins. They held hands, praying to remain unseen. Their efforts were in vain. Jason ran over, his guess that someone was hiding proving to be correct. He leaned over, staring into Taph's eyes behind his hood and Guest trying to maintain his composure. Something about this struck a nerve with Guest. His eyes widened, his breathing and pulse quickened. This level of terror was like nothing he'd ever experienced. His vision wavered, his mind's eye playing back memories of the war, the red and white face mask of his mortal enemy who took everyone from him and the hockey mask of Jason seemingly blurring together in the rushing panic. He didn't even notice Taph pushing him aside, dodging the blade. As he hit the ground, they were instantly transported to the lobby. The round had ended. The fear did not subside. Guest couldn't think straight, everything leaving an afterimage when he so much as looked somewhere else. His mind screamed danger, hide, run. Escape. Live. Taph saw him sitting there, staring into the distance, breathing shaky and shallow. His hands were shaking, unable to stop. Taph quickly walked to him, pulling him onto his feet, making sure he didn't fall. He guided him out the door, to the survivors' cabins. Taph unlocked the door to his and had Guest sit down on the bed. He seemed to be in a totally different world. His breathing was irregular, his throat seeming to close and only letting him gasp for air right before he passed out. He could barely stay still, his arms quivering violently. His eyes roved around, pupils dilated, as if he was watching every corner of the room for danger. He had no way to tell himself he was safe. Everything seemed dangerous, he needed to run, but he couldn't move, couldn't breathe. Taph lowered himself onto the bed and slowly moved next to Guest, and he could see a spark of recognition through the hell he was going through. Taph wrapped his arms around Guest. The demolitionist pulled him closer, silently comforting him with his presence. Guest's breathing slowly steadied, still unstable, but less suffocation. His arms stopped shaking, and he leaned into Taph, closing his eyes. Taph let Guest rest on him, his face buried in Taph's robe. He was able to tell that he was safe. He was exhausted from the adrenaline dissipating, his mind slowing down. He loved Taph. That was all he comprehended. Taph felt him let go of the fear, and he smiled beneath his hood. "Taphhhhh...I love youu..." he muttered. Taph held him a little tighter. "Cooo..." "You can coo? Aw. Birdie. You're so cute...I feel a lot better...thank you." "Coooo...cooo..." "I love you too."
It's my fanfiction. I will project all I want. Guest has PTSD. I said so. Wrote by Taph and p.AI.nter (partially) NOTE: I myself have PTSD. The depiction of flashbacks here are based off of the ones I have and may not be accurate to everyone's experiences. Let me write my projecting selfship boy yuri.