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 Posted: Thu Oct 08, 2020 8:38 am
The walk home was awkward, if Priam had to describe it; they had powered down when they were safe and he had listened to Sterling talk about how annoying that guy was, had listened to Sterling worry over him.
Priam was still trying to figure out how he wanted to feel about all of it, but shame was at the top of the list. He had carried himself without a limp for as long as he could, but he was in too much pain by the end of it. He didn't want to lean on Sterling and hated that now was when his pride decided to give him trouble.
Sterling hadn't been swayed by his insistence; he had assured him that he was all right, that he could take care of this, but Sterling, like any good friend, had persisted. Priam didn't want to chase him away, no matter how pathetic he felt, so when they arrived at the house he asked Sterling to check on the pups while he got his first aid kit.
It only took a few seconds, but he seemed insistent to find ways to distract Sterling from the injury--especially when he saw it.
He'd seen worse, but it was still startling to see the skin torn up on his shin, to see how much it had bled from a kick. He kept a calm expression as he sat on the couch and propped his leg up on the table as he began to clean it; he took two ibuprofen as soon as he sat down. His leg was so warm; he felt sick, like he'd pressed it too close to some invisible heat source. "When they're done, if I could bother you for a cup of tea? Please, help yourself, if you like," he called, trying to work quickly and give Sterling enough distraction to keep him out of the room while he cleaned this, assessed the damage, and wrapped it up.
He wasn't going in tomorrow, he'd already decided. He might not even get up from the couch after this, he wasn't sure. He had a blanket and pillow here already, why complicate things? He could prop his leg up, curl up with his puppies, and...
...Maybe have a drink. Or two. Or six.
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Posted: Sun Oct 11, 2020 7:58 pm
Sterling knew that Priam was trying to keep him from seeing the damage on his leg, and while he didn’t like it, he didn’t want to pry and risk their friendship, but he knew that if Priam didn’t open up at all…especially when he was hurt…there would be a good chance that this could truly hurt him in the future.
Still, Sterling took his time making the tea, and even grabbing some cookies from the cabinet, before walking back into the room. “Priam? I brought tea for us, and I found some cookies…I made sure that they weren’t puppy treats because…that would…that would be awkward.”
And it had almost happened recently with Oreo. Half asleep, the bag of cat treats seemed like they were nothing more than a snack mix, at least until the smell hit him.
Thankfully, Yu hadn’t seen.
“Here you are.”
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Posted: Mon Oct 12, 2020 2:44 pm
A bitterness coiled in his stomach when he treated himself, a sickness he'd let seep into his bones. He smiled, for Sterling's sake.
"Thank you," he said honestly, taking the tea and holding it in both hands. He had his leg propped up and, bandaged now, he seemed a bit more relaxed now that the damage was done. "I'm sorry about earlier," he said, unwilling to let things settle into an uncomfortable silence.
The puppies had come back and were sniffing at the cookies, at Sterling, wanting his attention.
"Please, make yourself comfortable. I can drive you home if you need, I just need a little bit for the aspirin to kick in. Are you all right? --You're more than welcome to help yourself to anything while you're here, Sterling. I know I've said it before, I just. Want to make sure you know that offer still stands."
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Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2020 11:27 am
Sterling nodded, looking peaceful as he sat down on the couch, giving a sigh and reaching out to stroke the dogs. “Don’t be sorry for anything. I’m only sorry that you got hurt. I didn’t want that, obviously. I…don’t like that guy. He fights dirty and there’s just something about him…that makes me want to break something. It isn’t…an emotion or temper that I’m used to.”
He rubbed under the chin of one of the puppies and then clarified. “An emotion or temper for me to have. He ignited fury…” Sterling sighed, taking a sip of tea and glancing at Priam’s leg. “How’s your injury? I know that move can…it can do a lot of damage…” Goodness he hated the idea of Priam being hurt in any capacity. “If I can do anything, please let me know. I’m fine. Truly. Just…grumpy.”
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Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2020 5:03 pm
Both of the dogs seemed delighted with the attention, and they were comfortable enough with Sterling that even Penny laid her head on him and closed her eyes.
"It's all right," Priam assured, though it sort of wasn't. He just didn't want Sterling to wind up blaming himself for something that wasn't his fault either. "...It's not ideal, but it will heal. I'm going to have to give it a little time to see what sort of damage I'll have. But I'm taking tomorrow off from work. It might be premature, but."
He shook his head. "Better safe than sorry, when I can control such a thing."
He exhaled and pet Odie's head. "I haven't felt so pathetic in such a long time. I'm glad you're all right. Let me call you a ride, I don't want you walking home alone," he said, already reaching for his phone.
He felt odd, hollow and uncertain in a way that he hadn't felt in a long time. His pride was more injured than his leg, and he seemed visibly out of it.
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Posted: Fri Oct 16, 2020 6:11 pm
Sterling watched Priam for a long moment, wanting to protest, wanting to ask if he could just stay the night so that his friend wouldn’t be alone but...but he already felt as though he had made a serious mistake. Something he had done had put Priam into this mood and...he wasn’t sure how to fix it. “You aren’t pathetic, you know. You’re not pathetic at all. You fight beside me...I’m sorry that...I’m protective I…”
The male shrugged. “I don’t...like when you get hurt. I’d rather you stay okay and I get hurt...I know that you can patch up whatever happens to me, but I’m...well. I’m not useless with medical things but. I’m not...not a doctor. I can talk up a storm but...I don’t know when a cut needs stitches.”
He hoped that he was making sense and finally just sighed. “...I would love it if you could call a ride for me. I would appreciate it more than I can say, Priam. Thank you for being such an amazing friend…”
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Posted: Fri Oct 16, 2020 6:42 pm
Priam found himself nodding, but he wasn't particularly convinced. It was a polite gesture more than anything; he acknowledged what Sterling felt, appreciated his attempts at kindness and reassurances.
But, Sterling was young, and naïve, in so many ways.
And peppering on the niceties in a way that reminded Priam of someone overcompensating, but maybe he was just imagining it. It had been a long night already, after all, and Sterling deserved none of his bitterness.
So, Priam smiled politely for him as he pulled open the app on his phone and began to plug in the information to have someone come by to pick him up. "It's just a scrape, Sterling, don't worry. Think of it like a skinned knee. A nuisance, that's all."
It hurt. It hurt like hell, actually, and he wanted to drink so much that he forgot what pain felt like. But Sterling didn't need to see that. That, of course, was pathetic, whether or not Sterling would admit it or not.
"I'd rather you not get hurt. I can afford to take off of work, you've got school to focus on. This leg didn't even need a doctor's care. Just a little cleaning and bandaging. The ride will be here in a few minutes," he said, lowering his phone but keeping the screen up so he could track how long they had left.
There was a twisting, crunching feeling in his gut, and he remembered how tired a smile could feel on your face when you didn't feel it in your heart. It only reminded him of unpleasant times. It wasn't Sterling's fault, though, and Priam wouldn't let memories of the past and present mingle. He had worked so hard to leave the past behind, and the present had yet to be tarnished.
Yet, at least. Though, this leg was a blemish on an otherwise fairly enjoyable chapter in his life, and he worried that it was a sign of things to come.
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Posted: Sat Oct 17, 2020 2:21 pm
Sterling watched Priam with a worried expression for a few moments more and gave a sigh. “...all right. I’ll call you tomorrow to make sure you’re okay. And I’ll bring some food over, I’ll bake something for breakfast for you...I’ll make up for this, Priam. I promise.” He swallowed back his own emotions and managed the smallest of smiles.
“I’m really glad that you’re my friend. I don’t think I say that often enough, and I really, really need to. There’s nobody else I’d rather have for a partner. I feel safe with you. Kneeling down, he snuggled both of the dogs before getting up again. “I’ll go and wait for the ride...thank you again for calling it...and for everything.”
Sterling hesitated, wanting to go over and hug the male and managed a little smile and a dumb little wave that made him feel like an idiot, before turning and walking outside to wait for his ride. He felt...bad about leaving but…
He honestly didn’t think Priam wanted him to stay...and he surely didn’t want to upset him any more than he already had.
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Posted: Sat Oct 17, 2020 2:35 pm
Priam felt a bit like he was in a daze, and before he'd had the wits about him to respond, Sterling was gone. He could have gotten up to follow after him, but even as he tried to readjust himself he was reminded that his leg was not in the condition he kept saying it was and he really needed to stay off of it and let it relax a bit before walking on it.
Not getting up just made him feel worse about everything, and Sterling was leaving because of him, because he couldn't control this well enough. Because he wasn't convincing enough.
His phone was still out, and he debated for a moment before texting, 'You haven't done anything wrong, Sterling. Please know that. You have nothing to make up for. Please just have a good night, be safe. I'll talk to you tomorrow. Text me when you get home though, I won't sleep until I know you're safe.'
He threw his head back on the couch and sighed, rubbing his eyes tiredly.
What a night.
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