Their Marred Boy

Chapter 13

Head spinning and heart soaring, Bennett braced himself against the kitchen counter. He averted his blue eyes to the door of his bedroom, trying, yet failing to sneak a peek.

After a few hours of just getting to know each other, Harper's scarred hand had gone stiff and purple, alarming Bennett. After many frantic questions about the limb, the boy had explained it was normal and his hand wasn't broken, just poorly healed.

They'd overstayed their welcome at the small cafe, hence the irritated glances sent their way by the employees, before deciding it was best to call it a day and head home.

Though once they were at the point of separation of their routes, Harper had seemed hesitant, as if he didn't want to be apart from Bennett just yet. So Bennett had invited him to his apartment, wanting nothing more than to spend the night with his mate.

Now Harper was in the blonde's bedroom, putting on the comfortable pajamas that the latter had lent him, allowing Bennett a moment to revel in the mix of their scents that had filled his home.

"These are so comfortable." A giddy voice gushed from behind him, "And they smell just like you!"

Bennett's heart took another pleasant leap, making him mildly concerned for the happy organ.

"I'm glad you like them." Bennett stupidly replied. He pushed himself off the counter and approached his mate.

Seeing him bundled cozily in his clothes brought back the warmth in him that had been extinguished the last few days.

"Purple looks good on you." Bennett offered while he smoothed the cotton shirt that covered the upper half of Harper's body.

His hands brushed over very prominent ribs that brought uneasiness to him. He knew it wasn't his place to comment, so he wouldn't, however, he could very well persuade his mate to get a professional's opinion on his health.

"Really? I thought it made my skin look dull." Admittedly, the shade of pastel purple wasn't the most flattering on Harper's skin, however, if the critique in Bennett hadn't noticed, it probably didn't matter anyway.

"You look perfect."

"You're just saying that because you're my mate." Harper, unsuccessfully, tried to look annoyed.

"Maybe." Bennett grinned.

After Harper's random analogy of Elias' situation, their heavy conversation had all but been dismissed by him. Bennett couldn't lie and say he hadn't found it odd. It wasn't something easy to come up with on the spot, though he didn't want to dwell on it too much.

Bennett was hesitant yet decided to leave the more heavy stuff to discuss later on in their progressing relationship. Besides, he didn't want to look back on their first meeting and remember all the nonsense they'd had dealt with.

As the blonde reached to hold his mate's disfigured hand in his, he had to stop bile from spewing from his mouth. It wasn't necessarily the limb that was bothering him, it was the wonder of how it had gotten to that point.

"I know it's not broken, but I still think you should see a doctor." Bennett grimaced.

"I can't really afford that right now." Harper tried to keep his voice steady as he feigned nonchalance. He was ashamed to admit it but he needed to be honest with his mate. "Besides, Orion found these massages that I can do, and they help."

As Harper was getting accustomed to the world beyond the lab's walls, he was quickly catching on to the things he lacked, money for one.

He didn't have much money to spend aside from essentials, and the painful realization that he'd have to spend more than seven months' worth of government support checks to give something worthy to be Bennett's.