There's something safe about the darkness, despite the unknown possibilities within it. There's nothing to fear about the darkness, when you learn to embrace it.

"Brendon?"

A familiar voice calls out from the dark, deep and soft. He found comfort in that voice, and the person who owns the voice. His solid, tall frame was easy to lean on, his eyes are cloudy as the storm but its warmth is as bright as the sun. Who knows how many times he's been itching to write lyrics about the man with the storm in his eyes.

"Brendon?" The voice changed, a child's pleading voice spoke in his often dreamless sleep. "Brendon, help me, please."

A sense of dread falls upon him as he hears the child's voice laced with fear and helplessness. "Dallon?"

Ringing echoes around him, becoming louder and louder, breaking the notable silence that comes from the darkness.

°°°°°

Brendon opens his eyes, his heart thudding loudly in his chest. He looks down at the small body beside him. Dallon sleeps soundly, his small hand holding on his shirt. He sighs in relief at the sight of him sleeping well.

He heard a ring on the bedside table. Someone's been calling him for the past minute. He noticed the time. 7: 27 PM.

Shit.

"Hello?" He answers his phone groggily, hoping it didn't wake Dallon beside him.

"You haven't forgotten that we're suppose to perform, right? I hope you're not drunk somewhere."Dan's amused voice speaks on the receiver. Brendon groans, carefully detaching himself from Dallon's grip on his shirt, placing his pillow in exchange and stood from his bed.

"N-no. I just waited for Dal-- Darren to fall asleep. I fell asleep beside him."

Dan hums in thought. "Huh. That's cute. Didn't expect it from you though." He hears a joke in there but he has no time to muse on it as he shrugs on his jacket.

"Shut it, Dan. I'm on my way." Brendon drops the call, successfully putting on his shoes without any casualty.

He puts his phone in his pocket, and turns his gaze at the sleeping child on his bed. He carefully tucks Dallon, brushing off the hair that fell on his face.

His gaze softens at the image of this younger Dallon. He looks at peace. The dark shade under his eyes didn't even seem to exist anymore. Any signs of tiredness on his youthful face were barely even there.

Brendon can't help but smile at the sight of innocence. It's been a long time since he saw one.

He looks back at the sleeping figure one last time before closing the door behind him.

°°°°°

The concert ended well. The crowd was amazing as always, but it still didn't feel the same without Dallon playing bass. He was like his sidekick in their tour. He knows what to say to keep the fans alive, adding the fuel to the fire.

Being a one-man front man is actually kinda sad.

Some fans were asking where he is, and he had to give the same excuse he used for Kenny and Dan.

"He had an emergency this morning, so he's not here today."

The crowd expresses a tone of disappointment and he felt like doing the same. Dallon's been with him since Vices & Virtues and people have already considered him being part of the band.

Demoting him as a tour member again was probably a bad decision but he felt like he needed to work alone. Dallon easily understood, he always does, but he must have been hurt by the sudden change.

And that probably explains Dallon's change of mood during the tour. He always seems so tired. Brendon is reminded of the smile he gave him when Zack insulted him. He's seen that often and always laughs it off as a joke.

"It's okay, Brendon!"

"I'm used to it!"

There's that heavy feeling in his chest after that encounter and it keeps nagging in his mind like a hammer.

"That idiot... never fighting for himself." Brendon mutters to himself. It sometimes makes Brendon's blood boil. Because all it reminds him is his naivete when he was younger.

"You said something, B?" Kenny apparently heard his little mutter and he sometimes forgets that his tour mates are older and sharper than him.

Brendon shook his head, excusing himself to go check on Darren.

It was already late when he got back to his room. Dallon must probably be still asleep. Being a kid probably changed his body clock or something.

When he entered the room, everything seems in order. He still sees the little lump on his bed, and he's relieved that Dallon's still there.

When he approached the bed, he can hear sniffles under the blanket.

'Is he crying?'

"Dal? Are you awake?" Brendon called out softly as he sat at the edge of the bed, hoping not to scare the kid that seems to be hiding under the blanket. The blanket shifts, Dallon's little head poking out of it. The light of moon helps him see the tears in the corner of Dallon's eyes.

"B-Bren?" Dallon says shakily. He sounds terrified and Brendon has the urge to hug him.

Dallon does it for him when he pushes the blanket away and hugs Brendon tightly, nuzzling his tear stained face into his chest.

"Y-You left me! I was so scared. Are you mad at me? I'm sorry for making you mad! Please don't leave me! I'm sorry, I'm sorry--"

He sounded hysterical and desperate. It sounds so heart breaking in Brendon's ears.

He puts his arms around the shaking body of the child. "Dallon! Calm down, okay? I'm not mad at you, and I'm not gonna leave you. Why do you always apologize?"

Dallon sniffs again. He can feel his chest getting wet by Dallon's tears but he doesn't mind at all if this would help the little guy.

"Ma and Pa said I should say sorry when I-I've done something wrong." He hiccups through his speech and Brendon can't help but wince.

"I-I always do things wrong. Y-You a-a-always said I c-can't do th-things right and Z-Zack said you don't n-need me..."

"Dallon, no, no--" Dallon nuzzles closer to Brendon's chest, and he's probably hearing how his chest is beating loudly and feels like exploding at Dallon's words.

"I'm-I'm doin' things w-wrong again. S'rry Bren. 'M s'rry I can't be b'tter"

Brendon couldn't stop himself from hugging Dallon tighter, as if to secure him from anything that might hurt him. He feels like a monster.

"Dallon, no. Please, no. Don't say that. You've done good! You did nothing wrong. Stop blaming yourself. Stop saying sorry, please." Brendon pleads as he whispers on Dallon's ear. He doesn't want to hear this. He can't take it if he hears more of this.

Dallon muffles on 'okay' to him and stays silent. It gave Brendon time to blink away that wetness that started to appear in his eyes.

"Bren, I think... I wanna stay as a kid." Dallon says a moment later. Brendon thought he fell asleep while tightly secured around his chest.

Brendon looks at him, clearly shocked at the confession. "W-Why?"

Dallon yawns and cuddles against him. He didn't get an answer because Dallon was already breathing deeply, and has fallen asleep in his arms.

°°°°°

Brendon tucks him in bed few minutes later after making sure he was truly asleep, wiping away the tears that stained his little face.

He already feels like a terrible parent. Making a child feel that way is not a good example of parenting.

And not a good example of being a friend.

Brendon wants to apologize. He wants to apologize for making Dallon feel like that. He wants to apologize for breaking him. He wants to apologize to all the shit he's said to Dallon. He wants to apologize for always putting his anger on him when he's in a terrible mood. No one deserves that. Dallon doesn't deserve that.

And he's sure as hell know he doesn't deserve someone like Dallon.

Brendon lies beside the sleeping child. He looks a bit better now, even when he cried his eyes out. It's a bittersweet image, but it doesn't make him feel any better about it.

"I'm sorry." Brendon says quietly to the sleeping figure, hoping that his apology can be heard, even if he knows it wouldn't.

He leans in and kisses the top of his forehead. The gesture isn't enough to be forgiven , but he hopes it's enough of a gesture to say thank you to Dallon for always putting up with him.

And if Brendon looked closely at Dallon's face before he fell asleep, he would have seen the little smile that graced Dallon's lips.