@mieczlw: this is real, i’m real. look at me.
jason's  panic  is  palpable  ,  if  not  from  the  panicked  breaths  then  from  the  way  that  the  room  is  quickly  getting  warmer  ,  heat  quickly  beginning  to  radiate  off  of  the  boy.     he's  gotten  better  at  controlling  his  powers  over  the  years  ,  but  when  those  intense  moments  hit  it's  impossible  to  completely  control  them.     eyes  are  squeezed  shut  ,  mind  racing  through  images  of  past  trauma  ,  digging  up  things  he'd  rather  forget.     small  body  trembles  ,  curled  into  a  ball  and  doing  all  he  can  to  avoid  existing  in  reality.     he'd  always  been  traumatized  ,  but  his  time  on  the  streets  had  only  made  it  worse  ,  had  only  given  him  more  trauma.     the  smallest  of  things  can  be  enormous  triggers  ,  fear  and  panic  so  quick  to  rise  at  the  sight  or  sound  of  anything  that  reminds  him  of  his  past.  Â
he  whimpers  ,  shakes  his  head  ,  as  if  his  father's  words  couldn't  possibly  be  true.     but  he  can  feel  the  desperation  ,  the  sincerity  ,  in  miecz's  tone.     it's  enough  to  make  him  risk  it  ,  to  make  him  slowly  and  timidly  open  his  eyes  ,  cautiously  looking  up  at  the  man  in  front  of  him.     there's  no  doubt  that  it's  his  dad  ,  but  still  jason  has  to  stare  for  a  while  before  he  processes  it  ,  tears  streaking  down  his  cheeks  as  he  takes  in  every  feature  on  his  father's  face.     the  heat  in  the  room  slowly  starts  to  settle  ,  or  at  the  very  least  stops  rising  ,  as  jason  starts  to  come  to  terms  with  the  reality  of  it  all  ,  with  the  fact  that  his  father  is  there  and  he's  safe  and  none  of  that  stuff  from  his  past  can  hurt  him.     he  still  shakes  ,  still  cries  ,  his  feelings  far  too  big  for  him  to  be  able  to  control  them  that  much.     he  looks  around  the  room  ,  further  confirmation  of  his  own  safety  ,  of  what's  real.     "  teddy.  "     quiet  voice  is  shaky  with  fear  ,  the  desire  for  comfort  fighting  hard  with  the  fear  of  being  touched.     he  wants  to  hold  his  father  ,  to  be  cradled  in  his  arms  and  feel  safe  ,  but  for  now  all  he  can  do  is  ask  for  his  teddy  bear  ,  pray  that  that's  enough.
