the sunlight was strong and it sneaked out the window, heating daniel's room when he woke up. his eyes burned, and his face ached, it took a few seconds to remember everything that happened last night.
corbyn...
he jumped down and looked at the side of his bed. it was empty.
his heart clenched in his chest, did he leave? his eyes threatened to cry. what did you expect, daniel?
i have always been a dreamer.
slowly, the blonde boy went to the bathroom to fix his hair but when he saw himself in the mirror, he let out a shriek. "fuck!"
his face looked horrible, the entire right side was swollen and there was a bruise that rose from the middle of his cheek to his right eye. the corner of his mouth had a small cut. daniel had no idea that the man had hit him so hard. while inspecting his face, he noticed that he also had purple areas on his wrists and arms, he supposed that as much as these men were pulled from side to side.
a shiver invaded him as he remembered what happened. after taking a shower and brushing, he left the bathroom in his underwear, shaking his hair with the towel.
"pokemon boxers?"
daniel screamed when he saw corbyn sitting on his bed, and now there was a bag of food and two coffees on the nightstand. quick daniel covered himself with the towel. "i thought you've gone."
he smiled, that smile that always managed to melt daniel's heart in a matter of seconds. "i only went for breakfast, how do you feel?"
"i'm fine and thanks, that's very nice of you."
and kindness is not your thing, daniel thought about it but didn't say it.
"dress and come to eat, unless you want to do it like this without clothes. you know i wouldn't complain." the blonde boy murmured with a smirk.
daniel gave him a murderous look. "ha, ha, very funny. i'll be right back."
dressed and while devouring breakfast, daniel tried to ignore the beautiful creature in front of his eyes because otherwise there was no way he could eat in peace.
corbyn took a sip of his coffee. "i have to say it, i won't be able to live in peace if i don't say it."
"what?" daniel asked confused.
"pokemon? really? i didn't even know there were pokemon boxers."
daniel rolled his eyes. "it's my underwear, nobody is supposed to see it."
"i have seen it." his green eyes caught daniel's. "i've also touched it."
daniel almost got stuck with his breakfast. "corbyn ..."
"what?" the blonbe boy looked at him playfully. "oh, come on, you remember that very well, don't you?"
"of course not."
"so why are you blushing?"
"it's hot in here."
corbyn smiled mischievously but said nothing. daniel finished eating and took a sip of coffee, keeping his eyes anywhere but the blonde boy in front of him but he could feel corbyn's gaze on him. and that kept making him nervous, so daniel was aware of how he was dressed and every detail of himself that corbyn could see and disapprove, like his wet and rumpled hair.
daniel was so focused on finding out what corbyn thought about him that it took him some time to realize that yesterday was thursday and that implied that today was friday and he should be in class.
"shit." daniel murmured to see that it was twelve in the morning. "we should be in class, my parents are going to kill me. i don't understand why anna hasn't wake me up."
the blue-eyed boy put his hands on the table to push himself to get up but corbyn put a hand on top of his stopping him. "she tried."
"what?"
"we don't need to go, dani. your parents aren't going to get mad at you and anna has tried to get you up this morning but i've already talked to them. everything is fine, they know you should stay at home." corbyn explained.
daniel had remained with his mouth open. corbyn had talked to my parents? god i am more than dead. the blue-eyed boy knew that his mother hated corbyn after he beating up his son in front of the school two months ago.
he couldn't imagine his mother watching as corbyn left daniel's room in the morning to talk to them about how daniel liked to sleep beside him.
"what did you say to my parents?" daniel asked worriedly. corbyn was able to say any nasty thing and daniel would end up being punished and without dignity in his own home.
"don't worry about it, everything is already fixed," corbyn replied in a calmer tone when he saw the worry on the younger boy's face.
"i am worried." daniel was sincere.
"i am worried too." corbyn sighed. "what happened last night?"
the blue-eyed boy looked up and found the bright green of his eyes that disarmed him, and for some strange reason daniel felt he could tell him everything.
why do i trust him if he broke my heart?
daniel would never understand why. he ran a hand through his hair. "i left the library of the institute and decided to take the shortest path." corbyn gave him a disapproving look. "what? i was tired and i thought nothing would happen."
"you're a handsome boy, walking alone at night. the shortest and darkest roads are not something that you should consider."
"now i know." daniel ignored the handsome comment and took a break. "well, i went under the bridge and i found three men."
do you want something, pretty boy?
daniel clenched his hands on his lap. "they took my phone and one of them..."
you are very pretty, don't cry.
the words of that man chased him. corbyn put his hand on daniel's. "you are safe now."
"two of them left and left me with one. he dragged me into the darkness and told me not to shout and i did it and that's why he hit me. the boy who called you heard him and the man ran away."
"did he do something to you?" corbyn's eyes had a flash of rage that surprised daniel. "did he touch you?"
daniel shook his head. "no, thank god i was heard on time."
corbyn squeezed daniel's hand and the blue-eyed boy noticed that his palms were soft. "it's over, you'll be fine." and he smiled at daniel and for the first time daniel noticed that it was not a smirk or mischievous smile, it was a genuine smile, a real one, one that he had not shown before and was wreaking havoc on the younger boy's heart.
corbyn besson looked so honestly grateful that daniel was well, that the blue-eyed boy felt the stupid urge to kiss him.
and it was at that moment, daniel realized that corbyn and he had never kissed unless it was in a hot situation. it was clear what corbyn want him just for something.
but that didn't matter. corbyn had been gentle and kind, had behaved like a beautiful gentleman but that didn't mean that his way of seeing things had changed, nor for daniel.
corbyn stroked the back of daniel's hand with his big finger, tracing circles, and the boy felt the need to thank him. "thank you, really, you didn't have to do all this, thank you very much, corbyn."
"always at your service, little stalker."
always. that made daniel's stomach flutter and his heart beat faster.
corbyn came over and took daniel's chin "what are you doing?" daniel seavey asked nervously.
the blonde boy evaluated the beaten side of daniel's face. "i don't think you need to take anything, but if it hurts a lot, you could take a pain reliever, you'll be fine."
"are you a doctor now?"
corbyn laughed a little. "not yet."
daniel looked at him strangely. "not yet?"
"i want to study medicine when i finish high school."
that surprises him. "really?"
"why so surprised, dani?"
"i thought you would study management or laws like your father and your brother." everyone knew ray besson, the great businessman who had managed to make his company not only lead in the town but also reach the city.
"to work in my father's company?"
daniel nodded. "i have never imagined you as a doctor. although you would be a very handsome doctor."
"that's what will everyone thinks." corbyn twisted his lips. "i'm sure my parents and even jordan think the same."
"they don't know what you want to study medicine?"
"no, you are the first person to whom i say it."
"why? why me?" the question escaped from daniel's lips before he could stop it.
corbyn looked away. "i don't know." daniel bit his tongue to ask him nothing more. the blonde rose. "i should go, i promised ashley that i would take her to the kennel."
"to the kennel?"
"you ask a lot of questions, daniel." the blue-eyed boy noticed that corbyn didn't say it badly. "ashley adopts puppies when mom is in a good mood and lets her, if it were for her we would be invaded by dozens of dogs."
daniel smiled remembering to see the blond-haired girl smiling through the halls. she was two years younger than corbyn. "ashley is a very sweet girl."
corbyn didn't smile. "yes, she is." he let out a sigh and finally got up from the table. "i hope you get better soon. if you need anything, let me know."
"i'll be fine."
i don't have a phone to let you know, daniel thought. and he wanted to say it but he didn't want to sound needy, and maybe corbyn just said that for being kind and doesn't really expect daniel to let him know or anything.
corbyn came out the door and daniel dropped back in his chair. watching the ceiling he let out a sigh.
ΩΩΩ
zach was perplexed. he didn't blink, he didn't move, he didn't speak. daniel wasn't even sure if he was breathing.
is this because they attacked me? no. this is because daniel had just told him everything that had happened to corbyn.
daniel understood him, it was a lot of information to assimilate. to zach, daniel jumped from hating corbyn from harassing and fighting him in front of the school and suddenly doing things with him in bed.
margo simply listened to him in silence, assimilating the information calmly and laughing every time they talked about the night daniel took eben's phone.
daniel blushed as he remembered what he and corbyn had done that night.
the three of them were sitting in daniel's bed with their legs crossed with their pajamas, they had a bowl of popcorn in the center of the three. they decided to make a slumber party to catch up now that they had so many things to do separately.
"breathe, zach." margo said when she saw her friend's reaction. zach used to be in charge of all the rumors except those of his friends and that made him nervous.
zach breathed, letting out a large breath, and accommodates his brunette hair. "i must admit that i am impressed."
"impressed?" margo confused asked. "i am freaking out that he has fallen in love with his target of the cupid game." the freckled girl rolled her eyes. "and even more so if daniel used to called him corbyn asshole besson."
daniel blushed when he heard the name he used to talk about corbyn.
"yes, impressed." zach said attracting the attention of his friends. "you put him in his place when it was necessary, you are brave, i am very proud of you."
"well, it was hard.."
"of course it was, i never thought you would have anything with him and much less that you would put him in his place, bravo!" zach raised his hand and clasped his hand with daniel's.
the blue-eyed boy hit the five insecure ones. "it wasn't easy, zach." magician looked at him grimacing. "i like him very much."
"and now i know it wasn't easy for that reason i am congratulating you, fool."
margo grabbed a fist of popcorn just watching and wondering if corbyn could like daniel too. and if he did, what would happen with the cupid game.
"sometimes i can't believe i had anything with him, he has always been so out of my reach." daniel said.
"i can't believe it either, who would say it? life is unpredictable." margo replied without being able to avoid thinking about eben. she would never have believed that eben and she striated so comfortable spending time with each other.
daniel ate popcorn slowly. "although iI think he's still out of my reach." he sighed. "cupid knows it too, that's why he put me with him."
"maybe cupid chose you because you and corbyn could complement each other." zach said nervously. he had not told his friends about jonah and he wasn't going to do it.
"no, that would never happen. cupid is cruel. "daniel replied. "he isn't interested in me for something serious, he just wants to have fun. i don't even know if he likes me. "
zach rolled his eyes. "he must like you to be involved with you, at least he is physically attracted. the boys don't mess with people they don't like, that wouldn't make sense. "
"but he told me, with his stupid, beautiful face,'because you like me, but i don't like you." daniel repeated bitterly, trying to imitate his voice.
"if he didn't like you, he wouldn't have tried anything with you." margo muttered, trying to cheer up her friend. "remember that he is not playing anything, he comes here because he wants to."
"yes, you should be interested a little at least." zach supported her.
"enough." daniel intervened.
"enough what?" asked the freckled girl.
"don't say those things, you make me believe it can happen." answered daniel.
"i'm sorry." the blonde girl said looking down at the popcorn bowl.
zach put his fingers together and closed his mouth like a closure. "well, i'll shut up, then."
daniel threw them a few popcorn. "please don't get mad." margo smiled at him to show him that she wasn't upset but zach didn't answer and signaled as if he were mute. "are you serious, zach?" daniel threw another popcorn and zach grabbed it and ate it but didn't speak to him. "zach, zach, talk to me."
the brown-haired boy crossed his arms over his chest. "i only tell the truth and that bothers you. corbyn is great, has money, passes subjects, can have anyone on his knees. and yet, do you come to tell me that he would be with someone that he doesn't like? yes, maybe he doesn't want anything serious but he does like you, daniel. "
"all right! you're right. "at daniel's response the three laughed.
zach smiled arrogantly. "i am always right. now let's sleep, i'm exhausted. it was a busy day." he said thinking about his morning with jonah.
"yes, i'm a little tired too." margo said lying on one of the beds and hiding under the covers to unlock his phone and send a message to eben without his friends seeing it.
zach got up and put the popcorn cup on the floor and then threw himself on the other mattress. daniel settled on the bed and wrapped himself in the sheets. he accommodate and get inside the sheets. turning off the bedside lamp, he let out a sigh. a moment of silence passed, and corbyn's beautiful genuine smile invaded daniel's mind.
"stop thinking about him, daniel." zach said when he heard his friend sigh for the second time.
"no one had ever made me feel this way."
"we know." margo said, although she really wanted to say i'm feeling it too.
"and it hurts." daniel spoke again in the darkness of the room. "it hurts that he doesn't want to take me seriously, it makes me feel like i'm not good enough."
"but you are, don't let him make you doubt that. you did well at gettiong away from him. dani, later it would have been much more painful. "zach murmured.
daniel took a lock of his hair and started playing with it. "i like him a lot. what i feel for him makes me want to hold on to any flash of hope that appears."
"don't complicate your life thinking so much, you're young. if he doesn't know how to value you, someone will come and he will. "zach said again. margo was only listening.
"do you really believe it?" asked daniel curiously. "sounds so impossible to find someone like corbyn."
"maybe not someone like him, but someone who makes you feel like he does." i doubt so, daniel thought. "well, it's time to sleep." zach murmured.
"good night, idiots." whispered margo.
"good night," daniel said before closing his eyes.
===
word count: 2861
should i make a chapter or the morning corbyn talked to daniel's parents and anna and about zach's and margo's morning?
𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚔𝚜, 𝚌𝚞𝚙𝚒𝚍