The Treehouse [BxB]

fourteen

It was nearly four AM when they returned to their neighbourhood. Mickey had dragged River's broken body through the quiet shadowed streets of Axminster, his arm wrapped tightly around his waist, River's cheek resting on his shoulder. They walked in silence, both hopelessly trying to comprehend how something so awful could have happened in their boring little town.

"Can I stay at yours?" River mumbled sleepily as they neared their road. His eyes were drooping, and body slackening against Mickey's.

"Yeah, of course you can, River." Mickey readjusted his grip on his best friend, and trudged onwards.

Once they were finally through the front door, Mickey helped River up the stairs as quietly as he could, before pulling him into his bedroom and shutting the door softly behind them. The second he placed River on the bed, River curled up against Mickey's sheets, and buried his face in the pillows, "Th-Thanks, Mickey." He grumbled, his words still slurred as the drug still stubbornly worked its way through his system.

Mickey watched him for a moment, then leant forward to brush a stray curl out of River's face, "River." He said gently, "Let me help you change into something more comfortable before you fall asleep."

River groaned, but complied nonetheless, dizzily sitting up in Mickey's bed, his body limp like a doll's, "Okay." He whispered back.

As River shrugged out of Mickey's coat, Mickey leant down to untie River's laces, and pull his shoes off. Then, he instructed River to lift his arms up, and he peeled off his sweater. That was when the anger which Mickey had been suppressing the whole way home came bubbling up to the surface again, "Shit, River." He breathed out in shock, examining the deep bruises that covered River's hips, and wrapped around his wrists.

"Hm?" River drawled with lidded eyes.

Mickey gulped. He knew the facts; River was drugged, and then raped, by Casey Dawson. But the details? He couldn't bring himself to even think about them. It made him sick to his stomach. And seeing the bruises Casey had left behind on River's smooth flawless skin made him want to physically throw up. "Here." Mickey forced himself to look away as he handed his friend an oversized t-shirt - it was River's favourite; he wore it every time he stayed at Mickey's house.

After dropping the piece of soft fabric into River's lap, River merely stared down at it for a couple of moments, then tried to pick it up, but his grip was weak, and it fell again, "C-Can you help me?" He asked, his eyes full of hopeless pleading. He hated asking for help, and Mickey knew that.

Mickey knelt down in front of him, and pulled the t-shirt over his head, his fluffy hair getting messed up in the process. He helped River slip his arms through the sleeves, and after he collapsed back onto the bed, Mickey pulled his jeans off and set them aside. Within a couple of minutes, River's breath had levelled out, and he was fast asleep.

As Mickey tugged the covers over River's body, his gaze lingered on the healed cut that ran up his leg. Mickey touched his fingertips to it for a moment, remembering that day at the river on the first day of summer, when everything made sense. Mickey sighed, turning away before collecting River's clothes and folding them into a neat pile. If River ever changed his mind and decided to go to the police, his clothes would provide important evidence. They were probably covered in Casey's DNA. And so, Mickey resolved to keep his things safe, and unwashed, waiting for River whenever he was ready.

As Mickey watched his best friend sleep, he couldn't help but see something childlike in his soft expression. He looked tranquil, carefree, boyish. It was like they were kids again, and River had passed out from exhaustion after a long day in the treehouse, or playing video games under the glow of a lava lamp. Mickey wished it was that simple. That they were that happy, and that peaceful. But River hadn't passed out from exhaustion, he had passed out from a date rape drug, and the culprit wasn't staying up past his bedtime, it was Casey Dawson.