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Exer barreled through the street. Green crept around his vision, the ground started trembling under him. No, not now– now is not the time–
“DAVID! David?” Where was he? Maybe he was hit by a car. Maybe he and his dad left the town without telling us. Maybe he’s hurt. Maybe he’s d— No, he can’t be.
I shouldn’t have let him go. This is my fault.
It was afternoon already. Street lamps were starting to turn on, signaling the end of the day. Exer hasn’t seen him since lunch, at school. The gang was supposed to go to the Diner to study for this Friday’s math test. The strawberry milkshake Exer had bought for David was left untouched. (Ron drank it in the end.) When David never showed up, Exer wasn’t too worried. Sometimes David was goofy and forgot, or sometimes he was really tired and took a nap at Brenda’s house.
Exer was worried now.
If I had been a better friend, if I had checked up on him after class ended, he would be with us.
Ron, Pamela, and Brenda were also searching for the missing boy; they were on the other side of town at the moment. They decided to split up to cover more ground.
If I had done something, we wouldn’t have to be searching the town.
It wasn’t like David to just go missing.
“DAVID! DAVID?” Exer entered their favorite music shop. He was nowhere to be seen. He walked briskly through the store, finding no one.
Outside had gone dark, stars twinkling in the sky. The town was quiet. A comforting breeze carried Exer out of the shop and to the sidewalk like a guiding spell. Exer inhaled deep breaths to ground himself, he grasped the front door knob, knuckles turning white. The ground was still shaking, green snaking throughout the sidewalk, vines of wispy green growing on the music shop window. A few cracks started to appear. No, no, no not here!
He’s okay. He’s got to be okay.
Next, I’ll check David’s house again. I’ll meet up with the others.
Yeah, it’ll be alright. What’s the worst that could have happened?
Exer’s calmed breathing was interrupted when he heard a sudden sob.
What?
It was crying. Soft crying. Coming from the back of the shop. Exer’s heart started beating faster again. It can’t be. Please, not my Day . He crept to the dark alley behind the music store, where the trash bins and racoons lived. It took a while for Exer’s eyes to adjust to the dark. There weren’t any lights or streetlamps, so it was hard to tell what was making the noise.
Laying between some moldy cardboard boxes was the limp form of a crying boy.
“David?” Exer rushed forward, “Day? Are you okay?”
It was David laying there, but not really. His face was smeared with blood– some of it drying already. It looked like his nose was broken. Scratches and purple bruises scattered along his legs and arms. He breathed in shallow sobs, chest shaking. His once brightly colored patterned shirt was wrinkled and stained with blood and dirt. He was curled in a defensive position, and Exer had a terrible feeling David hadn’t moved in a while.
“Hey, can you hear me? Day, please. Can you sit up?” Soft. Exer was being soft. All the panic turned to still. It was like an instinct– deal with the problem now, freak the hell out later.
David coughed, but turned to face Exer. Was that blood he coughed to the floor? “...Exer? That you?”
“Yeah. It’s me.” Exer wanted to ask a million questions, but his throat closed up.
“...I– wha– What time is it?”
Exer cradled David’s head with his hands and gently helped him sit in his lap, “David, it’s really late. What happened? Who did this to you? ”
David’s face flashed in pain and terror. A few more tears slipped down his bloody cheeks. “I– I was– there were–” But he couldn’t finish, and started crying again, clenching Exer’s sweater and burying his face in his chest. Violent sobs racked his body. Exer was speechless. Exer had never seen David so broken .
Hiccupping crying echoed through the alley. Exer could only helplessly hold David closer. He brushed tears from his boyfriend’s face and smoothed his dirty hair back.
“David, you’re okay. Please . Please, come on. I’m here. You’re okay. Talk to me .” Exer pleaded. He wasn’t sure David truly heard him.
Finally, David’s crying quieted to sniffles and the tears slowed. When Exer shifted to a more comfortable position, he moved so David was looking up at him.
“There were a few boys…” David started. Exer had to strain to hear him. “I was looking at some David Bowie records—” hic “An— and they, they entered the shop, they were so quiet. I think they went to our school, Ex.”
Exer silently vowed to find these assholes and kill them himself.
“They walked up to me and shoved me to the ground. They said something like, ‘it’s that homo from our school!” And I—I just, I froze , I didn’t know what to do, I didn’t—”
“David, it’s not your fault.”
David’s face crumpled, “But then I said, ‘So what if I was? Leave me alone!’ and they grabbed me, and they slammed me against the wall, they kept doing it and they—” He began to sob, unable to finish, squeezing his eyes shut to make the visions go away.
“Oh, Day, I’m so sorry.” Exer said, horrified.
“I— I can’t, I’m sorry, I just need— need a second…” David swiped furiously at his eyes. “I just want to go home.”
Exer took David’s hands and set them in their laps. Soft touches contrasting the bruises, he tenderly wiped away David’s tears.
Exer summoned warmth and the familiar green— but this time, the green served him. He was in control now. If he couldn’t stop people from beating up his boyfriend, he might as well try to heal him. Exer pressed his lips to David’s forehead, his nose, his cheek. Every kiss healed the area it touched. A few minutes later and there was no more blood.
David sighed peacefully, eyes closed, like he was going to sleep. Exer lightly rested his hand on David’s legs. The bruises disappeared. Next, his arms. The cuts vanished.
David’s eyes were still puffy and red, still filled with the pain and the terror, but he looked at Exer gratefully, with love, and Exer will never get tired of those stunning blue eyes. “What would I do without you, Ex?” David said quietly.
“Shh. Don’t worry about it.” Exer kissed his forehead again, smoothed golden curls back.
David kissed him properly.
Exer moved to get up, realizing their friends were still searching for them. The green panic from before was gone, just filled with empty hurt and anger. Nonetheless, he reached out a hand to David, who was still laying down, and helped him up.
“Let’s get you home, sound good?” They were holding hands, standing in the dark alley.
Suddenly David flinched and let go of Exer’s hands. “No, I— I don’t make me go to him, I— I don’t want, he’ll only ask questions, he’ll just— please, Exer .”
Stunned, Exer took a step back and stuttered, “O-Oh, okay, Day, I…” He tried to think of some way to comfort his terrified boyfriend.
“David, hey, look at me? I’m going to take you to my house. Okay? I’ll call your dad and I’ll tell him we had a late study night. Does that sound alright?” Timidly, David nodded and collapsed back into Exer’s arms. He was still shaking a little bit, so Exer held him close and murmured that it’ll be okay, that he’s safe, everything’s fine. That he loves him and won’t let go.
~ ~ ~
It was late, and the two boys were curled up together in Exer’s bed. Exer’s father did not question David staying over, nor did he question why he had bloodshot, puffy eyes from crying. If he noticed David’s ragged breathing, he didn’t say anything.
David’s dad seemed a little uncertain, but had a football game to watch, so he let it go.
“Day?” Exer breathed, fingers curled through David’s damp hair. David had taken a shower before bed to wash off the dirt and sweat from the fight.
“Yeah,” David’s voice was muffled against Exer’s chest, so it was more like a vibration.
Exer stroked David’s hair and rubbed his neck, caressed the side of his face. David moved to look at Exer, blinking in polite confusion, “What?”
Exer didn’t say anything, he just smiled and kissed his boyfriend quick and sweet. David grinned against Exer’s lips, his normal playful mood seemingly returning.
Exer took David’s face in his hands and said earnestly, “David, you’re my best friend. I love you, and I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you earlier today. I–”
“Don’t apologize. It’s okay. I love you, too.” David smiled shyly, “You helped me after. You didn’t leave me. That’s what matters.”
What did I ever do to deserve someone like you? Stay with me forever. You’re my light, my day. Is what Exer wanted to say. Instead, he just kissed his forehead and hummed a comforting song as they drifted off to sleep.