"God, I feel terrible," Peter mumbled to himself, sitting up. It took him a lot of effort because of the aching pain that pinched at his sides.
"Oh, don't worry. It's just the after-effects of being a dumbass kicking in. Stupidity hurts, you know?"
Peter looked around the dark room. His hazy vision didn't allow him to see much, but he could trace the outline of a form slumped in a chair at the other side of the room.
He heard the flick of a switch and instantly, the room was doused with light.
It looked faint to Peter but he could make out Colin's face. His teeth were clenched, making his square jaw move slightly. Peter could also very much see that Colin's sock-covered feet tapped on the floor quietly while he rubbed at his straight-edged nose.
"You can't talk to me like- " Peter started to say but cut himself off, cradling his face in his hands. He noticed that his hands were wrapped in white gauze and smelled strongly of antiseptic. "Like... that." There was a sharp pounding in his head that felt like a giant chisel was being drilled into his skull.
Colin moved from the chair and reached for the glass of water and pack of Tylenol that had been sitting on top of the bedside drawer for a while.
Amy had instructed him to give them to Peter when he had awoken but those wildly luminous, fierce dark eyes had closed again when he had returned from the kitchen with the glass.
Colin had then retreated to the chair and had fallen asleep until a few moments ago, when he had been jolted awake by the vibration of his phone which he had left in his pocket.
There, at the top of the list on his lockscreen, had been a notification of a text.
Kiara: Hey, you alright? Waited for you with Ruben but you never came :(
Colin had shut off the screen and put his phone on the table face-down. He'd promised himself he'd reply to it in the morning. He had been about to fall asleep again when he had heard Peter mumbling.
Peter was now fully awake- five hours after he showed signs that he was still very much alive- and he was already taking up his usual role of being a pain in the backside. Colin chose not to answer him as he held out the water and tablets.
"What is that?" Peter asked looking from Colin's outstretched hands to his shadowed face.
"Damn, have you gone blind too?" Colin commented.
Peter's face went blank as his eyes remained on Colin. His mouth fell agape and his skin colour paled even more- this time, it wasn't the result of being cold.
"Shit, I'm sorry. I know it's a sensitive subject for you... " Colin let out a breath, wishing he could take back his words. "It's Tylenol, to help with the fever."
Peter took the glass but his hand trembled and water spilled onto the fitted bedsheets.
Colin waited for Peter to take the medication and hand him the glass but the boy just stared at the water, eyes blinking rapidly.
"You know that's for ingesting right? Or do I need to teach you how to swallow using another... tool?"
"I know that," Peter snapped- an action that wasn't a surprise to Colin. His remark was the spark to Peter Chu's flame.
"I just... I can't swallow capsules. Or tablets or anything like that. And with how you're looking at me... it's making it harder."
"Harder?" Colin rubbed at the nape of his neck, smiling. "How so?"
Peter closed his eyes, wondering how he had ever ended up in this situation, having this conversation.
"Just look away."
Colin turned his back on Peter and tried not to let his mind run when Peter gagged on the capsules.
With a deep breath, Peter downed the water and shuddered with a moan.
Don't turn. Don't look at him. Colin's hand formed a fist and he closed his eyes, willing that Peter would hurry up with things.
The capsules were swallowed and Peter told Colin he could turn around.
"Are you sure you didn't chuck them under the bed or anything?" Colin asked when he faced Peter again.
"I'm pretty sure... I know where my own mouth is." Peter suppressed a burp with his hand.
As he handed Colin the glass and lifted the covers so he could wrap them around himself, he noticed the clothes he was in. An oversized T-shirt and black basketball shorts. Definitely not what I was wearing.
"Um..." Peter started to say, swallowing hard as his face heat up. "Did you change my clothes?"
From across the room, Colin replied. "Uh huh."
He turned to see Peter wide-eyed and face flushing red. Colin couldn't tell whether it was from anger or embarrasment. Either way he told Peter, "Don't look so scared, I didn't touch your Spongebob boxers. I'm just gay, not a sexual predator."
Peter's face reddened even more. Colin had stripped him down to his underwear- the ones he had specifically put on for Kayla. She was quite fond of them and him putting them on clearly showed how far he had thought he'd get with the redhead. That fucking blew up in my face. Instead of getting some sweet loving, I'm bruised and battered and a gay guy took off my clothes.
Peter knew it was necessary that Colin changed him out of his old clothes, but the fact that he was knocked out when it happened... that made it much more deep-seated.
"Besides, I like it when my partner's responsive when I'm fucking him. I like hearing him beg me to go faster. Where's the fun when he doesn't even know you're rearranging his guts?"
Peter disregarded the last couple of sentences, they had made his stomach roll in a way he couldn't describe. He tried hard not to picture the scene in his mind and succeeded. "You could have just left me the way I was," he muttered with a roll of his eyes
"Bloody, a moaning mess and helpless? What a fucking brilliant idea, next you'll be saying that I should have never bothered to save you."
Peter looked at Colin sternly. "I didn't need saving."
"Listen here, you should really learn to be fucking grateful when someone goes through the pain of helping your delusional ass," Colin said leaning forward. "You should be grateful I didn't just dump you in a creek. You should be grateful my sister is a nurse and took the time to tend to your wounds. Hell, you should be grateful she's letting you stay here."
He was beginning to consider the strangle-this-dumbass option and Peter kicked that option another level higher when he spoke.
"It's not like I asked you to bring me here." Peter turned on his side and immediately bit down on his lip to hold back a cry. His body hurt and there was pain with every move.
Kyle hadn't taken it easy on Peter the moment he overpowered him. He beat him till his nose started bleeding, till one eye only saw white spots dancing and the other could hardly open.
But all that pain hadn't hurt half as much as seeing Kayla just standing by, hand on her mouth and eyes watering. She hadn't even tried to stop Kyle's assault on him. She just stood by and cried.
And oh, had that crushed Peter. He had fallen limp and keeled over, subjecting himself to more punches from a very angry Kyle. When he aroused, he was lying on the hard ground outside- in the front lawn of Kayla's neighbour.
Colin spoke and it cut Peter from his train of thought.
"You're absolutely right. Go ahead and leave."
Peter didn't want to leave. For one thing, this bed was one of the most comfortable he's ever been in. For another, he didn't know where he was yet.
But would he admit that to Colin's face? Hell to the no.
He sat up again and his feet landed on the soft carpet. "What's the time?"
"You're seriously going out? Alright then." Colin checked his phone's screen. "It's 2:47."
"Which street am I on?"
"Wisteria lane. And since you're desperate to get out of here, I suggest you move now."
Peter sat with his hands on either side of him. He chewed on his lip as he racked his brain to see if he had ever heard of the street, and whether he could get to his house from there on foot.
He facepalmed when he realized Colin was being a smart ass with him.
"It's not funny, just tell me where I am and-" Peter paused, looking around the room. He ran his hands over the bed and searched the top of the drawer. "Hey, where's my phone?"
"You mean the phone that looks like it just went through an apocalypse? Yeah, you're not getting that back."
Shit. He had hurled the phone back at the park. And he had probably stomped on it in addition. Peter realised how stupid of an idea it had been.
"Doesn't matter," Peter said making sweeping motions in the air with his hand. "Tell me where I am and I'll be on my way."
Peter stood on legs that felt as stable as jelly. He had to grab onto the wall to keep himself from dropping like a sack of potatoes.
"You're a health hazard to yourself, you know?"
I know. Peter straightened himself. The shorts were well past his knees and the arm holes of the shirt, well he could fit a head in there. He glared at Colin when he snickered.
"You can't even stand on your own two feet and you want to go out by yourself in your condition, at this time of night." Colin said lifting himself out of the chair. He picked up his phone and stretched, long arms almost reaching the ceiling. "You have far surpassed the level of stupidity I thought you could reach."
Colin started to walk towards the door and Peter stilled. What is he going to do?
"Hey, what are you doing?" Peter asked, leaning against the wall. His ribs rubbed the wall a little too hard and he winced.
"Leaving. Or do you want to share a bed with me tonight?"
Peter shook his head so hard he felt things move in there.
"Exactly." Colin stood in the doorway and studied Peter with his head cocked at an angle. "Don't crawl out the window or anything. I'll see you in the morning."
Colin left.
Peter sat back down with a heart overwhelmed with thanks. Thank God he didn't take me seriously. Thank God he found me.
~~
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