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Crisostomo awakened to the harsh sloshing of water underneath the wooden floorboards of the boat and the itching sensation of the zacote on his skin. He had been hiding under the fodder for about an hour already, as he was ushered by Elias, who had been paddling their only mode of transportation. Crisostomo couldn’t hear the screams and the footsteps of the guardia civil, so he decided to emerge from the dry heap.
His heart had been pounding in his ears the entire time, from when he visited Maria for the last time, up until they were chased by the guardia civil. He didn’t expect this to go this way, but luck was on his side as Elias broke him out. He owed Elias so much, and the guilt of him knowing that his family caused the demise of Elias’s was eating him alive. He didn’t want him to take this big of a burden on his own, he wanted in as well. Crisostomo just wanted Elias to stop shutting him out and to let him in. He considered Elias a friend at this point already, and friends are supposed to help each other, aren’t they?
So he made up his mind, and crawled his way out of the zacote.
He gasped as the cold breeze of the night filled his lungs, the sudden absence of weight on his chest seemed off to him. He began to look for Elias, and was relieved to see him still on the boat. He hurried over to the pilot, who was standing at the edge of the boat, holding the paddle.
“E-Elias, Elias! Thank God, you’re alright-” Crisostomo stopped dead in his tracks as he saw the dark, crimson red blooming at the side of Elias’s off white camisa. Crisotomo couldn’t help but grip Elias’s arms tightly, as if Elias could disappear if he loosened his hold on him.
“...Señor, you need not to worry about me, I’m fine-” Elias’s sentence was cut short with a hiss, as he buckled down to hold his wound. “D-Don’t move! Sit down, I’ll get us to land. Here.” Crisostomo frantically took off his coat and vest and offered the second option to Elias. “Apply pressure onto your side, this will help stop the bleeding.”
“Señor, you don’t need to do this-” “Please!” Crisostomo snapped, abruptly cutting Elias’s sentence as sweat trickled down his brow, stinging his eye in turn. “ …Please, just.. do it.”
Elias was so stunned by Crisostomo’s sudden outburst that he had no choice but to abide by his plea. “..Alright. I will, señor.” Crisotomo let out a shaky sigh of relief as Elias finally followed his order. He then took the paddle and began to row with all his might, while glancing and asking Elias how he felt every once and a while. A few moments later, He found a clearing, illuminated by the moon, far enough for the guardia civil to not see them, and docked the boat.
Crisostomo hoisted Elias up with gritted teeth as he stumbled along to the clearing, shakily setting Elias down on the soft dirt, a small, miniscule mercy to them both. He leaned him against a tree so that he wouldn’t pass out. “Elias, stay with me. Keep your eyes open, don’t fall asleep on me.” Elias could only nod weakly, his lashes fluttering as he tried to keep himself from knocking out.
“This.. this place is familiar.” Elias croaked. He let out another hiss when Crisostomo applied too much pressure on his side, to which Crisostomo followed with a myriad of apologies.
Crisostomo looked at Elias with guilt ridden eyes. “My apologies, Elias. What do you mean by ‘familiar’?”
“Ngh.. I’m saying that this clearing is close to my hideout. Might have some supplies there. I can lead us there.” Supplies… the thought of going was tempting, but Crisostomo could not afford to have Elias move at his condition. “We.. we can’t go! You’re still wounded, and my vest can only do so much to stop the bleeding.” Elias’s breathing became more shallow by the hour, but by a miracle he managed to push through. He seemed to use all of his remaining strength to lift his arm and point at the darkness. Crisostomo was confused and had feared that Elias was starting to hallucinate due to the pain, but as he narrowed his eyes and looked closer, he could make out a quaint nipa hut hidden in the darkness of the trees.
Crisostomo helped Elias up with a grunt, letting Elias wrap his arm around him for support. They both trudged in the darkness, with only the dim light from the moon guiding them to the hut. Crisostomo was careful not to let Elias add any weight or pressure to his side, in fear of worsening his already nasty wound. After what seemed like hours, (when really it took them a few minutes to traverse the greenery that obscured the hut), they managed to make it safely.
By the time they made it to the hut, they were both panting and sweating as if they had run a marathon. Despite the threat of the enemies looming over them, Crisostomo took his time to settle Elias down on the bamboo floor while occasionally glancing around for any incoming torches. Crisostomo wasted no time to find supplies to treat Elias, scurrying around like a cornered, anxious animal while he gathered whatever he could find.
Elias hated it. He hated not being able to help, and most of all, he hated feeling weak. His limbs felt like they were about to fall off of him if he even slightly dragged them across the floor. All he could do was stay still and hope he hadn’t lost too much blood, but given that his vision was starting to blur and his migraine was getting unbearable by the second, it was a slim possibility.
“Elias, Elias!” Crisostomo yelped, shaking and gently slapping his face. “Don’t- Don’t nod off just yet,” his actions were borderline erratic now, hands shaking as he lifted up Elias’ camisa. He felt as if one wrong move could cost Elias’ life. He did his best to disinfect and clean his bullet wound, but the pain was still there, still ever so present, lingering at Elias’ side like some parasite. Elias could pass out at any minute if it weren’t for Crisostomo’s soothing, yet firm words anchoring him to reality. Once Crisostomo was done dressing his wound, he silently held onto Elias.
“Señor, you can let go now. Thank you for dressing me-” “No.” Crisostomo spat out the word, holding Elias tighter. “..I’m okay, it hurts less now.” Elias wasn’t even sure about that. Sure, the pain had somewhat subsided, but there was a different kind of pain that replaced the physical one. Something he couldn’t quite name. A heavy burden, a weight on his chest, and somehow Crisostomo picked up on that.
“..I was so scared, Elias.” Crisostomo choked, the first drop of tears falling onto Elias' sunkissed skin. He was now practically burying his face into Elias’ neck, holding him close to his heart. The moon now shined brightly with clouds obstructing her no longer. Soft, silver light poured onto them like a spotlight, illuminating both of their features. Crisostomo spoke, his shaky words cutting through the tense silence that settled between them. “I.. I don’t want to lose you. I-I’ve had to let go of so many people already, all of which I deeply regret. I will not make that mistake again.”
“Señor-” “Please… don’t call me señor. You are my equal.” Elias was dumbfounded at how easy that came to Crisostomo, as if that was common knowledge. “...” Elias wearily lifted his hand and placed it onto Crisostomo’s, warm and soft. That was all it took for Crisostomo to fully break down, sobbing and muttering into Elias’ skin as he gently rocked him and held his hand.
“Hush, señ-” Elias caught on his words and corrected himself. “...Hush, Crisostomo. Do not shed your tears for me.” He rubbed circles onto the knuckles of Crisostomo’s hand, which made Crisostomo cry even harder. Oh, how he wished the earth would swallow him whole at this very moment. Who was he to deserve the comfort of Elias? No amount of gifts and thank yous could ever repay his debt to him. And it would surely never be enough to erase the horrendous crimes his great grandfather has done to his lineage.
Crisostomo had managed (mostly forced himself for the sake of Elias) to calm himself down. He continued to gently rock Elias, carefully removing Elias’s hand that was on top of his and used his newly freed hand to caress his face, hardened and exhausted from years of torment and anguish. He finally let himself to let go of his worries and took his time to really look and admire Elias’s features. Dios mio, he’s still as handsome as he remembered him.