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His shift was over, it was late. Kevin locked the door of the Candyclub building, putting the keys into his pockets. It was a long, bad night, but now it was over, and all he needed to do was to go home and see how Streber was doing.
The man had lost an arm to a serial killer and survived, he had to recover from the event. As much as Kevin wanted to stay home and be there with his partner, he still needed to work, and his boss wouldn't allow him any absences. They needed to pay for a lot of things anyway.
Streber’s medical bills were expensive, so they’ve lost a lot of money. Kevin was the one who paid, along with Streber’s friend from the haunted house. His friend was the one who called the ambulance, if he wasn’t there, who knows what could’ve happened to the injured man.
Kevin was thankful that he was there.
He walked along the side of the road, looking around. There weren’t that many people around at this hour, just him and a few others. Kevin’s home wasn’t far either, so walking there wasn’t a problem. It took him a few minutes before reaching the place anyway.
Kevin stood outside the door, digging through his pocket and retrieving his keys, using it to unlock the door and walk right inside.
“Streber? I’m home.” He calls, locking the door behind him, he took off his shoes, leaving him with white socks. Where was his partner? Did Streber perhaps not hear him?
First, he needed to change, this uniform was discomforting. Kevin heads to the stairs, going up to his room. The house was quiet so far, it wasn’t unusual. In fact, it was the ‘new normal’ for the two of them after the incident.
As soon as he got there, Kevin opened the door, the light from outside the room flooding in. Immediately, he heard something shift. The man looks to the direction, alerted. What he saw wasn’t anything threatening, no.
Instead, he saw a certain someone on his bed, huddled up and covered in a blanket. He hadn’t moved since he left? Kevin grew concerned, he didn’t want to approach his partner just yet, carefully walking to his wardrobe and grabbing a few clothes to change into.
He was quick, taking his uniform and tossing them onto the floor. He’ll take them for washing later. Kevin was now wearing grey shorts, and a white shirt, it was more comfortable for him. The man’s attention now turned to Streber, he needed to figure a few things out. Kevin looks over to the bedside table, seeing that the plate of pancakes he had made for his lover hasn’t been touched at all.
“Streber?”
Kevin spoke, approaching the bed and getting on, now sitting next to the man. Streber didn’t look at his direction. He felt the other’s hand on his back, causing him to flinch lightly, before finding a bit of comfort as Kevin rubbed his hand along the boy’s back in circles. It was something Streber himself did when Kevin was upset, it helped him a lot.
“Look, not to sound rude or anything but please answer me.” Kevin pleaded, his brows furrowed. Streber still hasn’t done anything, there is a bit of improvement though, seeing that his body was gradually becoming less tense.
“Did you eat anything?” He finally asked, and there was no response from the shorter male. Kevin waited. He needed to give him a few minutes, but at the same time, he was growing impatient. Was Streber going to answer him?
Kevin was going to speak up again, but before he could, Streber answered him.
…
“No.” He responds, his voice quiet and quavering, “I’m sorry.”
Kevin frowned at the reply he received, “You didn’t move either?”
“No…”
Fuck. The taller male pulls his hand away from his partner’s back, was he even doing a good job of taking care of him? Streber was hurt badly, not only physically, but mentally. He didn’t know what to do.
“I’m sorry.” He hears Streber apologize, seeing him shift in bed slowly to look at Kevin. He had bags under his eyes, and his face was red. Has Streber been crying? Maybe he should stay home instead of go to work, then things wouldn’t be so bad… He has no one while he’s gone, but Kevin has to work. They need the money.
Kevin shakes his head, this wasn’t right. “You shouldn’t apologize,” he said, “it’s fine. I’ll get you something to eat.” After the man spoke, he got off the bed. Streber lets out a small whine, he wanted him to stay. “Kev, please…”
“I’m not going to disappear, alright?” Kevin clicks his tongue, walking to the bedside table. He took the untouched plate of pancakes he had left for Streber from the morning, then walked the door to exit the room they were in. “I’ll just get you something, so you don’t starve.”
Walking out with a plate in his hand, Kevin leaves the door open, going down the stairs to head to the kitchen. What would Streber like? It shouldn’t be something too much for him, judging by how tired the guy was. Kevin steps into the kitchen, dropping the pancakes into the bin. A waste, it was.
He goes to the sink, placing the dirtied plate in there and grabbing a new one from the drying rack holding the cleaned dishes.
The man carefully places it on the counter, then walks to the fridge and opens it. The only idea Kevin had was to make a sandwich.
Meanwhile, during Kevin’s absence, Streber lays still in bed, staring at the door. He was waiting for Kevin’s arrival, and he could hear faint noises from downstairs. The footsteps, the plates, the sink’s tap turning on… They were so quiet, but still audible. At least he knew Kevin was still there, that he hadn’t left. It’s only been a week or two since he was taken out of the hospital, and god did he think he was burdening his boyfriend when they were both home.
Streber hasn’t been able to sleep well, eat well, or do anything he used to do. He wasn’t himself, Kevin knew that. It was obvious.
Given that Kevin already has a lot on his plate, a part of him felt bad. He has a shitty job, and they’ve lost so much money to pay for Streber’s medical fees. They need to recover from that, but it’ll take so long. After some time, Streber had begun to hear footsteps becoming progressively louder until he finally saw his beloved partner stepping in with a sandwich on a plate in his hand, and a cup of water.
“I made you a sandwich, can you sit up now?” Kevin inquired, stepping towards the bed, placing the cup of water on the bedside table and sat himself next to the other male with the plate, then turned a lamp on next to him. He needed Streber to at least eat and drink before they both go to sleep, that’s all. If he can’t get him to do that, then he doesn’t know what to do.
Streber looked at him for a moment, nodding slowly and attempted to sit himself up. It takes a few seconds, but he had the hang of it. Kevin smiled at his efforts. “Thanks,” he said, then placed the plate on Streber’s lap, “you’ll be able to eat this, right?”
“Yeah, yeah…” He replied, staring down at the sandwich Kevin had made. There wasn’t much to it. Just bread, tomato, lettuce, cheese, and a slice of ham… great. It wasn’t his favorite, no. This was enough for the night though. Streber carefully grabbed the sandwich in one hand, and slowly took a small bite. Kevin sighs in relief, he’s finally eating, but he was slow. He didn’t care, it was still something. It was improvement.
“I should’ve cut them into triangles.” He says, looking away after the realization. That would’ve made it so much easier for Streber to eat.
The boy shakes his head, and replied after he finished his first bite. “I don’t mind.”
“Really?”
“Mhm.” Streber assured him, his voice weak. The two then remained silent after that as Kevin watched his partner take bites of the sandwich, until Streber finally got to the last bite, putting it down on the plate. He really stopped there? “You’re not going to eat the last part?” Kevin raised an eyebrow, and Streber doesn’t reply for a short period of time, eventually shaking his head. He was exhausted.
"Alright, it's fine," murmured the taller man. Kevin took the plate from his lap and set it on the table next to him before taking the water cup, then offered it to Streber, who delicately took it. He took a couple of sips before giving it back to Kevin, and he put it back on the table.
There was a moment of silence between the two, there wasn’t many things they could say. Streber proceeded to lay back down, covering himself with the blanket once again, it made him feel safe. “Thanks, candy boy…~” He whispers, making Kevin’s face turn a light shade of red. He still calls him names even in these hard situations…
“Yeah, of course. I’m trying my best...” Kevin answered back, trying to ignore the nickname and turning off the lamp. He would lay down next to him, going under the covers. Streber hesitantly scooted closer, finding himself wrapping his only arm around the other. His head was nestled against Kevin’s chest, and he felt much safer now he was around and that everything had settled down. He could hear his steady heartbeat. It was calming.
Kevin places a hand on Streber’s head, running it through his hair. It was messy, but so soft…
They lay there in silence, there wasn’t anything to say. Well, Kevin had one thing in mind, but he lacked the courage to say it. He simply wanted to express his love to Streber through words. Perhaps he could in the morning. Right now, they’re both sleepy, and it seems that Streber had already drifted into an unconscious state. Kevin heard the soft snores coming from him.
He was the only one awake now, though he was starting to close his eyes, and he soon stopped fiddling with Streber's hair. Kevin was starting to feel drowsy, losing consciousness after sometime. The best part of going home was that he could come back to see his partner. Soon, they’ll both get better.
With that, there was nothing left. They were both asleep, snuggled up to one another.