Daniel
To say my new relationship with Quinn was strained is an understatement. We had been in more fights than I cared to count anymore and he had only been home for two weeks. How we were going to survive for the next few weeks while his leg healed was beyond me.
Every day it was the same. We'd wake up, share breakfast, go about our day, and then something would happen to piss one of us off, and then it was a screaming match. We'd suffer in silence until one of us would apologize and we'd fall asleep.
I was trying to be as patient as possible. I knew that this was probably affecting Quinn in a way I couldn't understand as I had walked away from the accident with a cut on my forehead from blowback from the airbags and minor bruising from the seatbelt.
I talked to Alex to get a better understanding of how to help him and when I suggested to Quinn that maybe he should talk to Alex, we got into a fight. Quinn swore up and down he was fine, but someone who is fine doesn't wake up in sweat or crying. They don't want to sit in the bedroom and stare at the ceiling. And they definitely don't jump every time a car is near ours.
I was lying on the couch when I heard a shout and I jumped up, running towards the bathroom. Quinn was lying on the ground, the crutches from the physical therapist strewn around him.
"Hey, hey. What happened?" I bent down to help him up and he groaned. I got the crutches to lean against the counter before picking Quinn up.
"I just wanted to use the restroom, but it's difficult to do that with crutches and a broken leg. This is so fucking stupid,"
"I know. Come on, I'll help you," Quinn grimaced at the idea, but let me help him. He shakily got the crutches underneath his arms again and hesitantly pushed himself forward.
"Do you wanna go to the couch? Listen to music or watch a movie?" I asked and Quinn stopped. He started to lose his balance, but I grabbed him and the crutches just in time.
"Actually, I'm kind of hungry. Maybe lunch and some TV?" I couldn't help the smile. That was the first time he had actually suggested something. This was good progress.
Quinn steadied himself again and we started heading towards the kitchen. Quinn sat down in his wheelchair, wheeling it around to grab plates. To accommodate him, I moved around
my cabinets so he could reach the necessary stuff without needing me.
One of our first arguments had been the fact that he was independent. He had been frustrated about being in a wheelchair and I had tried to help him out, but he insisted he could do things himself. It wasn't until he broke a cup that he accepted my help. Though, he wasn't happy about it. It was difficult trying to help him understand that while it was good to be independent, right now he was dependent on someone, and sometimes that's okay.
"So, I had an idea and it's completely up to you,"
"Mmhmm?"
I turned to face Quinn, "There's a farmer's market open tomorrow morning and I was thinking we could go down there and get some food? It's all grown locally and most of the time, they've got some of the best fruit and vegetables. Maybe we could invite some of our friends from the club to have a little party?"
Quinn thumbed at the wheels, moving back and forth slightly, "I think I could be okay with that. It's been a couple of weeks and Owen's not going to be around as much soon. I think it could be fun to see them again,"
"You're absolutely sure?"
"Yes, Daniel. I'm absolutely sure. In fact, I'll call Owen and Annie while you finish lunch,"
As he wheeled away, I looked up to the ceiling and thanked whoever was listening that Quinn seemed to be getting better. I was sure it would be a while before Quinn would be able to start to go back to his normal self and I was going to help him the entire time, even if he wasn't always appreciative.
I finished making the sandwiches and grabbed a tray, before heading out to the living room where Quinn was laughing and chatting on the phone.
"Sorry, Annie and Owen. I've got to go, but I'll give you a time for tomorrow, okay? Alright, bye guys," he beamed up at me and held his arms out. I picked him up and sat him on the couch, using the coffee table to prop his leg up.
"Annie and Owen are good to go and Cale said he would come to, but I'm not sure about Ken and Ryan. They didn't answer,"
"I'll call Ken later and figure it out. Before we start watching anything, I just wanted to say that I'm proud of you,"
"You are?"
"Yes, Quinn. This is the first time in two weeks where I've seen you excited about wanting to go out and I wasn't sure how long it was going to take until you started recovering emotionally, but I am happy to see you smiling again,"
Quinn blushed and went to go grab his hair before remembering it wasn't there and he frowned again.
"I hate those people in that car," he muttered, bitterly, "This is unfair. Why did I deserve this?"
"You didn't, Kuma. You didn't deserve it at all. I wish I had seen them sooner so I could have stopped in time or I wish they had seen us or anything that could have prevented that accident from happening. But it did happen and all we can do is move forward from that,"
Quinn snuggled close to me and sighed, "You're right, but it's still unfair that I—" he paused and sat up, "Did you call me Kuma?"
I nodded, "Ever since this whole thing, I thought it might bring you comfort like when your mom used to call you Kuma when you were sad. You're in a state of distress and I thought it would be helpful,"
Quinn smiled a little and leaned his head on my shoulder, "That's sweet of you, Daniel. I hadn't even realized you had been doing it,"
I handed him a sandwich and turned on the TV, "So you don't mind, then?"
"Not at all, actually. I think it's nice and I like it,"
We shared a smile and a kiss before he happily took a big bite out of his sandwich.
Things were slowly turning for the better.
🖤
The next morning, my alarm woke me up at a lovely six am. I hadn't been up this early in a while and I already didn't like it. Quinn didn't budge as I shut my alarm off. He was always tired now and waking him up was a chore all in itself.
"Quinn, Quinn. I know it's early, but we can go to the farmer's market and get food and maybe some ice cream," he opened an eye and grinned.
"They have ice cream?"
"Mmhmm. You could get some while we walk around,"
That seemed to do the trick because in a second he was sitting up and yawning, pulling the covers off himself. I grabbed the wheelchair, but he shooed it away. He grabbed the crutches instead and stood up, trying to keep his balance. I stayed near him while he trotted off to the bathroom. He shut the door in my face and I could hear him struggling, but I gave him space. Until I heard him fall over or ask for my help, I would stay on this side of the door.
I was pleasantly surprised to see him walk out with an enormous grin. It had taken two weeks, but he had managed to do it all by himself. I would've hugged him, but his too dry hands suggested he hadn't washed them.
As he sat down on the bed, I threw the hand sanitizer at him before heading to the bathroom myself.
After relieving myself, I moved towards the closet and grabbed an outfit for Quinn and an outfit for myself. It was supposed to be extra hot today as it always was in July so I chose light clothing and a hat for Quinn.
Despite Quinn's protests, I shoved the wheelchair in the trunk knowing that it would be easier to maneuver the wheelchair over the crutches.
When we arrived, I could see a familiar group of cars parked near us and I had a feeling certain people had shown up here instead of my house later.
Sure enough, standing at the gate was all of our friends, grinning and bouncing around. Sam was the first to notice and she waved us over underneath the shade of the tree.
"I was pretty sure we had agreed to be at Daniel's house, not here," Quinn said and Annie rolled her eyes.
"And miss the opportunity to spend more time with you? Honey, yeah right. Besides, I haven't been to the farmer's market in a while. There's this one guy who has some of the best pineapples ever. Oh, it's so sweet,"
"I have an idea," Cale said, "Since we're all here and going to Daniel's house for a party, why don't we all pick out something to bring. For example, Annie, you can bring a pineapple to share. And we can all meet back here when we're done,"
Everyone agreed and we headed our separate ways.
As Quinn and I started walking to the left, he kept pointing out all of the fruit to try and we stopped at almost every spot. It wasn't until he saw the watermelons, that he actually wanted to buy something. I let him pick out the watermelon and then paid the guy.
Quinn happily carried it in his lap for the rest of the time. I grabbed some avocados for guacamole and some cherries.
I was thankful I had grabbed the wheelchair because trying to lug everything around, plus keep Quinn steady would've been miserable. Let alone trying to do it in this already hot weather.
"So, is it ice cream time yet?"
"Oh, shoot. Let me text everyone real quick to meet by the ice cream truck,"
The ice cream had been a good idea until it started melting. It sort of worked out for some as Sam kept licking the melting ice cream off her submissive's hands. Cale and Owen had decided to share a cup, so they were almost done with theirs and they had no problem with the melting. I had opted out of ice cream for the sole purpose of the fact that it was going to melt.
I did take a bite or two out of Quinn's mint chocolate chip ice cream, however. I could never say no to mint chocolate chip. That shit was delicious.
🖤
On the way home, Quinn was still grinning from ear to ear. He seemed to have enjoyed himself immensely and I was happy to have given him the opportunity to see his friends and hang out outside of the house. I knew he didn't like being cooped up, but there wasn't much to do with a broken leg or a bruised rib, even with them healing nicely.
Since everyone had been at the farmer's market anyway, we decided to do lunch rather than dinner, and every time someone made it to the house, Stella was skidding to the front door to welcome them and lick them.
Everyone had managed to bring some sort of fruit, except Cale and Owen who had snagged boiled peanuts instead. Quinn's face lit up when Owen pulled them out of the bag and he immediately grabbed a few.
"So, what are you guys going to do about Quinn's apartment and motorcycle?" Cale asked, popping another piece of watermelon into his mouth. Quinn and I looked at each other and I shrugged. We hadn't discussed what we were going to do. He was still paying rent as his lease wasn't up yet, but he was living here full-time.
"I don't know. I guess I'll just move back into my apartment when I get better. I mean, I'm sure Daniel doesn't want me taking up his house space all the time,"
"It has been fun having you here, minus the fights. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if you moved in permanently,"
Quinn cleared his throat and said, "I think I'd rather have my apartment, actually. But thanks for the offer,"
"All I'm saying is you do live here full-time and most of your stuff is here anyway. The house is mostly paid off and I know Stella has enjoyed the company—"
"I said no, Daniel," Quinn's tone was shaky, but firm. Everyone seemed to notice the sudden tension as they took a step or two back. Quinn and I had a staring contest before I resigned.
"Alright, fine. You can move back into your apartment when your leg heals. Whatever,"
Quinn huffed and turned to everyone else, "I'm a little tired. I'm going to go lie down for awhile. Thanks for stopping by," Quinn shot one last glance at me as he limped towards the guest room. Annie, Owen, and Ryan followed him a few seconds after and I sat down on the barstool with my head in my hands.
"So, how many fights like that have there been?" Cale asked and I shot him a look.
"More than I care to mention. I just don't get it. I want to help him, but he doesn't seem to understand he can't be completely independent anymore,"
"Daniel, he went through something traumatic. Remember, he lived on the streets. He doesn't know how to be dependent on someone like you want him to be. You have to be there for him in a way that he is comfortable with until he can admit that he needs you,"
"Ken's right, Daniel. Look what happened with Owen. He went through that whole traumatic Dom experience and I had to let him walk away until he was confident enough to tell me he needed my help. You have to do the same for Quinn, even more so,"
In theory, their words were good advice, but it was so damn hard not to want to help. It was just in my nature to help and to protect.
🖤
After everyone left, I knocked on the bedroom door. There was no reply, but if he was still mad at me, I didn't expect there to me. I quietly opened the door to see Quinn and Stella curled up on the bed. I sighed and sat down on the extra chair in the room.
"I know you don't want to hear it, but I'm going to tell you anyway. I know you're hurting and I know you feel like you're stuck and helpless, but bones heal. This is only going to be a few more weeks. I'm tired of fighting with you constantly, but I'm trying to help,"
Quinn turned and winced as his ribs made contact with the mattress, "I know, Daniel and I'm tired of fighting too. I don't want to end up like you and Charlie. I like you too much,"
I laughed a little and reached out to hold his hand, "Trust me. We are nothing like me and Charlie. So, how about we compromise. I won't try to be as overbearing if you promise to let me help when you need it. If you say to back off, I will, unless I don't think you've got it,"
Quinn took my hand, "Alright. I make no promises though. I'm stubborn,"
I chuckled and picked him up, "I am aware. Come on, let's go finish the food they left us. Owen forgot the boiled peanuts,"
Quinn pumped a fist in the air, "Oh, fuck yes!"
Hey guys.
So, this has kind of been a tough week for me. I had to make one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to make as a student.
As of now, I am forced to not be able to go to the school I've wanted to go to for the last five years because I don't have sufficient funds to move and I have no idea what's going to happen so far as the school opening. It is not the decision I wanted to make and I'm having a hard time accepting that decision.
But, I have to do what's best for me and I know that it means pushing back my dreams a little, but it's what is necessary.
Anyway, this chapter was difficult to write without reflecting my mood this past week and I did try my hardest. I'm happy with how this chapter came out and I don't plan on changing it either.
On a good side note, ITTD has reached number 9 in the LGBT tag, so I've been getting votes like crazy recently!
Stay safe and have a great week guys!