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As Joel watched the man swing his fist into the air, aimed at Joel's skull, he felt a bit of regret.
Maybe he had been a little dumb. Maybe his cockiness had gotten too much, maybe he deserved this.
The feeling of regret didn't stop the anger that filled him as the fist connected with its target, the man's punch filled with anger and strength. Joel can feel the man's rings press into his skin, scratching his face. Joel stumbles back, legs suddenly feeling like jello. His hand flies up to cup his head where the man's fist had made contact, pain shooting through his skull.
His legs give out and he falls onto his butt, looking up at the man now. The man gives a little smile, and grabs Joel by the collar of his shirt, dragging him back up, pulling back his fist for another swing. Joel's head begs for this to stop, pain shooting through his brain, yet his lips don't seem to hear it, taunts slipping past and a smirk growing on his face.
As the next punch connects, he briefly wonders how his friends will react when they see him come home like this.
A crowd had gathered around them. Cheers fill the ears, chants for the fight to continue, for the man to hit harder, for Joel to fight back. Many are glad for the entertainment, exchanging bets on whether Joel would walk out of this still alive. And all Joel could do was take it, the hard hits to his head causing shooting pain and dizziness that left him weak and defenceless.
By the time the man is dropping him back on the ground, the collar of his shirt is stretched and stained red. His nose gushes out blood, and he can't find it in himself to sit up, choosing instead just to lay there, head resting on the ground.
He closes his eyes, and by the time he opens them again, the man is gone. He blinks his eyes, his ears ringing loud. He feels sick and exhausted, and wants to lay back down. But there is someone there, pulling him up by his armpits. He groans, trying to squirm away, but the person doesn't drop him. They wrap his arms around their shoulders, two people now. They're saying something, he thinks. It's too muffled, his brain feels wrapped in fog.
They are going somewhere. He tries to walk, help them, but his legs keep giving out on him. The people on both sides do their best to catch him, and he finds himself apologising, stumbling over the words, his tongue heavy.
"I'm sorry"
"You're fine" One of the people says, louder than the ringing. They're outside now he thinks, its darker. He looks up, seeing a cloudy sky.
"I'm sorry" Why is he apologising now? He isn't sure. Maybe for getting into a fight. Maybe for being so weak he didn't even fight back. His legs give out again, and he trips, falling, the two barely able to keep him up.
"Stop apologising" The other one says, managing to keep him up. "Do you think we're going to be able to get him home?" He speaks over Joel's head, to the person on the other side.
"Get him to the curb and we'll call a taxi" They're practically dragging Joel now. They make it to the curb and practically drop Joel. Or one of them does, the other helps him down slowly, helping him sit on the curb. They keep a hand on his back, not letting him lay back like he wants to.
There is a light above them, a streetlight that's on them like a stop light. It's bright, it hurts. He closes his eyes, letting out a noise of distress. He feels something new touch his head, and jumps. He opens his eyes again, now in shadow. Above him is a wing, soft and yellow, blocking the light above him. Joel blinks a few times, staring at the feathers. Then he looks over at Jimmy beside him, who's gently rubbing his back, eyes filled with concern.
"I look like shit, don't I?" Joel mumbles. His mouth tastes metallic, blood still dripping from his nose.
"You're going to be definitely bruised in the next couple days" Jimmy replies, voice filled with worry.
A different voice, filled with much less concern, speaks up. "Cabs here. C'mon" There's another hand on his back. Jimmy pulls his wing away, and Joel closes his eyes, tempted to slap Jimmy as the light makes his eyes burn. He doesn't hurt the other though, and does his best to help the two stand him up.
He is led to a car, where he gets slid into the back seat. The two get on either side of him again, slightly squished in the car. It's made for three people, but the middle seat still feels too small and squished. He shifts around, squished between wings and warm bodies. He shoves one of the wings out of his way, and it's immediately returned by the wing smacking him. He grunts, and there is an apology from Jimmy.
"You hit me while I was injured? You're being rude" Joel says. His words are quiet and slurred. He pauses, repeating it, trying to speak more clearly. He gets halfway through another slurred sentence before he gives up and leans back, hitting his head against the head rest. Suddenly theres a hand on the back of his head.
"Don't do that, you've been hit in the head enough tonight" Grian says. His voice sounds soft and kind. That's new.
"Do I look that bad?" Joel asks quietly. Neither of them answer. He sighs. "Tomorrow is going to suck."
"Yeah. You're still on the dishes tomorrow though"
"Wash your own fucking dishes" Joel responds, and just leans against Grian. He would have leaned against Jimmy, but Jimmy hit him with his wing, so that requires at least 10 minutes of being a bitch and not forgiving him.
He closes his eyes, sighing softly. He's so tired, he just wants to sleep.
After what feels like seconds, he's been gently shook awake and dragged out of the car's backseat. He's barely awake as he's brought inside the apartment building. He's brought onto the elevator he swore was broken just a couple days ago, yet it rises, bringing them all back up to their apartment. Or at least he thinks that's where they're going. The two could be bringing him to the roof to shove him off, and he still wouldn't even fight back.
They do bring him to the apartment though. He finds himself being rested onto a soft surface, not a bed. He opens his eyes properly, blinking a few times to look at what he's sitting on.
"I thought I told you both not to make the nests in the living room" Grian and Jimmy both shrug. Joel groans, but leans back into the pillows and blankets that are arranged into a nice nest. It's soft and warm and comfortable and.. are those the shirts he's been struggling to find. He glares at them for a few seconds, before sighing and deciding he'll get upset when he feels better.
The other two get into the nest, laying around him. He's squished again, but he doesn't care much. Their wings wrap around him, leaving him warm and comfortable. He's used to the wings in his face, it's familiar in the best way.
He closes his eyes again, curling against them. They speak quietly, either asking him if anything was wrong or wishing him goodnight. Or maybe insulting him. He decides it's them wishing him goodnight, and he smiles, drifting into sleep. He'll probably feel like shit in the morning, might even have to go to the doctor judging on how he feels now. For now though, he's just going to sleep.