"When is he coming out of there," inquired Jebediah. "Mr. Holmes wouldn't like it if he missed another day of his studies. He's digging himself a hole he's never going to be ever to get himself out of." Standing outside of an apartment building, the male checked his phone, looking at the time. He scratched the back of his head for a moment before placing his cellular device back into his pocket. "We're going to be late at this rate..."
"We can't force him to come out," responded Penny, curling her black hair with her fingers. "That wouldn't be right, I believe." She kicked the concrete with the ball of her boot, adjusting the position of her backpack into a more comfortable position. She wore black boots, black jeans, and a black shirt. She also had black lipstick covering her supple lips.
"Then what are we supposed to do? Mr. Holmes urged us to make him come today," stated Jebediah. "We can't leave empty-handed." He scratched his brow then slid his hand through his longish, blonde hair, fixing the collar of his torquiest shirt. His shirt was tightly wrapped around his petite frame, accentuating the curves of his body. He also wore skinny jeans that accentuated the curves of his thighs--which were ample and thick. This contrasted against his upper half.
"Fine. Let's go up there and knock." Penny walked toward the apartment building, rolling the sleeves of her black shirt up to her elbow.
"But you just said—never mind," said Jebediah, deciding to leave the matter behind as he swiftly went to follow behind her.
The both of them walked up the steps, kicking up dust as they did. After just a few steps up the stairway, Penny was out of breath. Jebediah took a moment to look back at her, scrutinizing her for a few long seconds before shaking his head, "For someone with such a petite figure, you sure can't handle a couple of steps." He teased.
"Be-be quiet!" she rapidly retaliated before continuing up. "Plus, you can't talk with your feminine appearance."
"I'm proud of it though." Jedediah beamed, his smile genuine. He ran his hands down his body, pursing his lips playfully at Penny as he threw his arms up.
Penny rolled her eyes at the action and continued upward the steps, exhaustion still evident in her steps.
After a few moments, they made it to Dustin's apartment. Jebediah stood there for a minute, his knuckle only a couple of centimeters away from the door. He stood there stiff, frozen even. Pulling his knuckle away from the door, Jedediah crossed his arms and tilted his head to the side in pensive thought, a deep look in his eyes.
Staring at Jebediah strangely, Penny also tilted her head, bending slightly down. "Something wrong?" she inquired.
"It's just..." Jebediah struggled to find the right words, moving his finger in a circular gesture.
"You're nervous," stated Penny, finishing it for Jebediah. "I get why. It is Dustin we are talking about. He isn't exactly the 'nicest' person to talk to." She stepped next to him, getting closer to the door.
"But he never lashed out at us, not even a single time, so why...?" He gripped his arm, squeezing it slightly, obviously uneasy as to what to do next. He tapped the floor with his foot repeatedly.
"'cause he doesn't like people intruding into his life. Remember when we tried following him?" Penny reminded Jebediah, a small smile creeping onto her lips.
"Don't remind me of that!" Jebediah yelled, embarrassingly covering his face, a blush evident. "I bumped into him. Then he tripped and I landed on top of him when he tried to save himself."
"Then you stared deeply into his eyes. He avoided us for a couple of weeks after the fact," nonchalantly mentioned Penny.
Standing there, reminiscing at the memory for a moment, Jebediah chuckled. "I remember, gave us the cold shoulder," he added, the blush still on his cheeks. "Shakira didn't like it one bit if I remember right. She wanted to talk to him about why he wasn't interacting with us, but he always managed to avoid her."
"I managed to talk to him and apologized for following him on your behalf," mentioned Penny.
"Really!? What'd he say?"
"Said he was dealing with some personal stuff but didn't go into depth on any of it. He told me that we shouldn't be following him without his knowledge."
"I tried apologizing to him, but he avoided me like the plague as he did with Shakira. Why did he talk with you and not me?" Jebediah slightly whined a little at the fact.
"'Cause it would be embarrassing," teased Penny. "And you know why too."
A blush rapidly plastered itself across Jebediah's cheeks again. "Whatever..." he mumbled before knocking on Dustin's door.
It was silent. The both of them stood there awkwardly, waiting to see if there was a response. After a few seconds, it became evident that there wouldn't be one.
"Don't think he's in there," guessed Jebediah, scratching the back of his head.
"Then were--"
"What are y'all doin' here?" A hoarse voice said from behind, interrupting Penny.
The duo rapidly turned around with their guards up. They stood there, analyzing the figure that stood next to the railing. The voice belonged to a hooded figure, whose hands were wrapped in dirty bandages with dried splotches of blood.
"Who—who are you?" Jebediah asked, his voice shaking from nervousness.
"Don't recognize me?" The figure pulled his hood down, shaking his head lightly before revealing his face to the duo.
"Dustin!?" Penny yelped, covering her mouth in surprise at the sight before her.
Dustin's face was covered in bruises and lacerations with blood trickling down them. He had a small but noticeable gash on his brow, which he had placed a bandaid over to somewhat mitigate the bleeding. With two plastic bags in hand, Dustin stepped forward to his door, Penny and Jebediah parting ways like the Red Sea.
Dustin tried placing one of the bags on the floor but winced instead as he grabbed his knee in pain, groaning a little. He dropped both of the plastic bags and dropped fully.
"Dustin!" Jebediah rapidly leaned down and helped Dustin up, swinging the male's arm over his shoulder for stability.
With trouble, Dustin dug into his pocket jeans, pulling out his keys. He inserted it into the doorknob, unlocking it.
"Drag ma ass in..." ordered Dustin as he held his knee.
"O-okay."
Jebediah dragged Dustin in with trouble, his legs slightly trembling under the muscular male's weight.
"Close the door, Penny," yelped Jebediah behind himself. He glanced around and found a mattress lying on the floor, dragging the both of them towards it.
Swiftly, Penny picked up the bags and closed the door before aiding Jebediah in placing the male on the mattress.
Struggling and moaning, Dustin rested himself flat, grabbing his pillow and placing it underneath his knee. He swung his arm over his head, huffing slightly before wincing again repeatedly.
Jebediah stared down at Dustin for a moment, glancing around the apartment. It was barren, to say the least. There weren't any decorations—or anything of the sort—hanging on the walls. It was just plain white, nothing special. The floor was vacuumed and spotless, enough for someone to walk around barefoot without getting their soles dirty. Jebediah took note of the bathroom door, which was slightly cracked with the light on.
"It's spotless—" noted Penny. "—and boring?"
"Don't say that!" Jebediah yelled.
"Stop talkin' and bring those bags over here. There are bandages, gels, bandaids, antibiotic ointment, whateva," listed the battered male through shaky breath.
"What do you want us to do?" Penny inquired.
"Ain't it obvious to y'all? Bring them over here so I can put them on myself."
"But we can help-"
"I said leave!" Yelled Dustin, his expression furious. "I can do it myself."
Flinching at the outburst, they looked at each other in surprise. Hesitantly, both Jebediah and Penny turned to leave. However, Jebediah stopped, turning back around in the direction of Dustin.
Taking notice of this, Penny rapidly turned, grabbing Jebediah's shoulder and forcefully turning him to face her head-on. "What are you-"
"I'm staying to help him."
"But he said-"
"I'm not changing my mind," Jebediah retorted, a determined glint in his eyes. "He needs someone to help him, so I'm staying. Go and tell Mr. Holmes that Dustin and I won't be coming today. Please, Penny. Just this once."
Penny stood there, dumbfounded for a moment. She rapidly regained her bearings, hesitantly nodding her head. She turned to leave, glancing behind herself once before opening and closing the apartment door behind herself.
With vigor in his movements, Jebediah walked towards Dustin, sitting beside him as he helped pull the items from their plastic bags.
The male peered at Jebediah. "Why didn't ya leave?" Dustin inquired, bandaging his arm, wincing as he applied the ointment on his face with trouble.
"I can help," he replied simply. Jebediah forcefully turned Dustin's face toward him, placing the antibiotic ointment on the lacerations for the male, causing Dustin to make an audible wince.
"I told ya already—I don't need it." He groaned out, pulling away from Jebediah's grasp with a blush.
"Still, I can help."
"What don't ya understand-"
"I can help!" Jebediah yelled, causing Dustin to jump slightly.
The male noted Jebediah's determination when he stared into his eyes. There was a fire that had ignited deep within him. Sighing at this, he relented.
"Just don't tell anyone what you see today."
"Promise," stated Jebediah.
Dustin sat up, taking his black, linen jacket off and throwing it to the side. He stared at his arms for a second, a black-sleeved shirt stared back at him. He heard a voice telling him to not take it off—almost begging him even. He thought hard but ultimately decided to take it off. With a rapid movement, he took it off, gripping it tightly on his lap.
Jebediah blushed before it completely washed away, being replaced with a shocked expression. He covered his mouth with both hands, gasping at the sight before him.
Dustin's body was covered in bruises, much like his face, but what concerned him the most were the scars littering Dustin like flies. They were jagged and unnatural, without any rhyme or reason into what direction they were heading. They were prominent on his sides, some even on his chest and abdomen. With a small flex of his arm, Dustin sighed nervously, not able to see what kind of expression Jebediah was making.
Out of all the feelings he hated, he hated this one the most—Fear. Dustin was terrified, plain and basic. He never wanted to show this side of himself to anyone but himself. The demons he so desperately tried to bury were creeping in his mind—running in his mind—festering in his mind. His expression darkened and became tense in anticipation. A multitude of scenarios flashed through his retinas, each resulting in Jebediah distancing himself from him. Dustin gritted his teeth, his hand raising itself towards his chest in a fist, but he wasn't ready for what would come next—Jebediah hugged him from behind.
Dustin froze at the contact, his eyes on the verge of bulging out from their sockets. He lowered his fist, his arm dropping to his sides. Dustin was stumped—he couldn't believe it.
Trying to keep his composure and hiding his blush from sight, Dustin gently grabbed Jebediah's hands, noting the softness of the skin. "What are ya doin'?" he inquired.
Jebediah dug his face deeper into Dustin's back, "Don't talk—I'm embarrassed as is." His voice was muffled, but the male was still able to make out what was said.
Dustin loosened his grip, hanging his head forward in embarrassment. The atmosphere was awkward between them, that much was evident. Sighing, Dustin finally decided to break Jebediah's grip around his waist, turning around and sitting himself back on the mattress.
Jebedaiah peered at the male, his hand awkwardly gripping his slim forearm in anticipation of what Dustin was going to do next.
"What ya waitin' for? Come here and help me," urged Dustin. He stood up with some difficulty, heading towards the bathroom as he unwrapped his bloodied hands. "Come wash your hands too."
With a rapid nod, Jebediah leaped into action, following the male into the bathroom. Dustin turned the faucet, throwing the dirtied bandages into the trashcan before washing his hands and face. As he turned on the hot water, he reached for a cloth from beside the sink before smothering it in the water, rinsing it a little. For a moment, Dustin glanced toward Jebediah, who was preparing the sterile bandages and ointments on the bathtub for when he finished. This caused a small smile to creep onto his face, turning the faucet off.
"Your turn now," said Dustin.
"Alright."
Plopping himself on the edge of the tub, Dustin watched as Jebediah washed his hands carefully, turning the faucet off when he finished.
"Face this way," urged Jebediah, gripping the ointment in one hand and swiping his finger through it with the other. He gently applied it to Dustin's face and arms, grabbing the sterile bandages when he finished. Raising his arms for easier access, this allowed Jebediah to more effectively wrap the bandages around it before tugging it firmly, doing the same for the other. After a few moments of this, they were done.
Jebediah stepped back, admiring his work, "Not bad for my first time."
"Though it was crudely done," stated Dustin, glancing at Jebediah.
"Just appreciate it," he whined.
Dustin chuckled, staring into space a little in deep thought. When was the last time he felt like this? He couldn't remember for the life of him—just feeling content in feeling it and basking in it while it lasted. He closed his eyes and relaxed his exhausted muscles for the first time in a while, not feeling on edge or on the verge of erupting.
Sneakily, Jebediah peered at Dustin, not trying to make it obvious he was observing the male. His eyes twitched a little when he saw the male close his eyes, seemingly content with himself and the world around him. A gentle, soft smile made its way to Jebediah's maw, his brows relaxing themselves and his eyes squinting happily.
Sitting himself beside the male on the edge of the tub, Jebediah leaned his head onto Dustin's firm shoulder impulsively. This action was enough to bring Dustin back into reality; however, he didn't pull away, he simply watched the also content male with a keen eye.
Dustin, ever aware of his surroundings, could feel the beating of his heart, the hotness of his ears, and an unfamiliar feeling bursting involuntarily within himself. He didn't know what this feeling was—he was a complete stranger to it at best. However, this hotness felt strangely pleasant and familiar. He felt this way before. His body wanted more of it, but his mind didn't know how to.
Dustin felt restless and unsure about what to do. Though he liked this sensation, he didn't know why he was feeling this way. He clenched his jaw.
"Are you fine, Dustin?" Jebediah tapped the pensive male on the shoulder, worry evident in his tone.
After regaining himself, Dustin looked away, "I'm fine, Jebediah. Just thinkin' it's time for ya to go home. It's gettin' late—ya don't want to be stuck out here at night. C'mon, I'll walk ya home," Dustin stood up, his knee still throbbing, but ignored it as he trudged out of the bathroom.
Jebediah watched this, opening his mouth to speak, but decided not to. He followed behind the male, turning the light off and closing the bathroom door.