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It’s late.
It’s late, and Chad would rather be asleep.
Instead, he’s here.
Entering the bar, Chad scanned the space. Patrons flittered about, each in their own conversation and with their own drinks. Two pool tables sat under large LED lights, the balls disorganized and abandoned. The bartender, his friend named Gia, turned around and put away a cup, glancing at something to her left. She then looked up, and relief washed over her features as she waved him over.
“Oh, thank fuck you’re here.” Gia gestured over the far left side of the bar. “He came in an hour ago, and he’s been drinking since then. Started crying along that way, and I got worried, so I called you,” she said.
Chad peered over her shoulder, making out the auburn hair and a chunk of a missing ear. He sighed loudly, smoke billowing from his lips, and scowled at her.
“So why didja call me?” he demanded.
“Because, asshole,” Gia crossed her arms, meeting his scowl. “His shirt says SDN, and I remembered you mentioning the Phoenix Program last time you were here. So I figured, you two know each other,” she stated.
Chad’s scowl deepened, but he sighed loudly. “Yeah, alright. Fine, I’ll deal with him.”
Gia nodded, pleased with herself that she won, then shot the other man a worried look before walking away, using her Telekinesis to put chairs upright. Chad approached him and stood with arms crossed before him.
“The fuck you want?” Robert grumbled. Tear tracks stained his cheeks, his eyes red and slightly puffy. His face was flushed red to his neck, the smell of different kinds of alcohol just wafting off of him.
“I’m takin’ you home.” Chad reached out and took his arm. “C’mon. Move,” he ordered.
Robert wrestled his arm free. “I’m good,” he insisted.
“No, you're not. You're drunk, and Gia needs to close up,” Chad argued. He then hauled the other man to his feet with both hands, ignoring his mumbled protests.
Gia mouthed a thank you towards Chad’s way as he manhandled Robert out the door. He then steered him towards his car, rifling through his pockets for his keys. Robert leaned against the side, staring up at the night sky.
“Hey,” Chad glared at him. “Don’t you dare barf in my car,” he threatened.
“Why are you like dis?” Robert vaguely gestured to Chad. “Why is you so mean to me? I thought we made progress,” he slurred.
Chad snorted and yanked the car door open. “Yeah, right. Get in,” he ordered.
Robert’s head ducked slightly, and he dropped into the leather seats. He had buckled himself in when Chad climbed in. The engine roared to life with the turn of a key, and they were down the road, towards Robert’s apartment.
Robert sat silently, staring listlessly out the window. The passing headlights illuminated his tear-soaked face, the dark eye bags, and the pink flush from the alcohol.
Chad turned onto Robert’s street, his apartment complex looming ahead. After parking, he stared at Robert expectantly. Robert didn’t move or say anything, just staring at the dark building.
“Well? Welcome home, don’t let the door hit your flat ass on the way out,” Chad snapped.
Robert slowly turned to Chad, tears welling up in his doe-like eyes. “Will you come with me? I don’t wanna be alone,” he begged.
Chad raised an eyebrow, a strange feeling filling his chest. With a loud and annoyed sigh, he stepped out of the car and circled it, yanking open Robert’s door.
“Well, come on,” he huffed.
Chad led Robert up the flight of stairs, occasionally having to steady Robert when he started teetering. His expression remained sorrowful, with fresh tears running down his cheeks. His eyes never left Chad, seemingly growing sadder the more he stared.
Robert dug out his keys once they got to his door, his shaky hands dropping them to the ground. Huffing in annoyance, Chad gathered them and pushed the door open.
“There.” He dropped the keys into Robert’s hand. “Welcome home, goodbye, see you tomorrow.” He turned to leave.
“Wait!” Arms wrapped around his waist, and he felt his face heat up. “Please, don’t go. I don’t wanna be alone,” Robert mumbled into his back.
“You have your dog! You're fine!” Chad argued.
He felt a water patch forming on his shirt. “He’s with Chase. And Chase, I can’t…I don’t wanna bother him…” Robert’s hands clench tighter in his shirt. “Please?” he begged.
Chad huffed again in annoyance and wrestled out of Robert’s grip, steering him inside. The air was freezing cold; the only defense against it was a blanket. The old, beat-up couch only had a pillow, probably the one that Robert sleeps on.
Robert slumped onto the couch, blinking tears as Chad slipped off his shoes. He then unhooked his belt and slid it free from its belt loops, tossing it aside.
“I’m only helping you because it’s amusing to watch you be pathetic,” Chad argues.
He was halfway through unbuttoning the work shirt when Robert’s hands took his. He stared at the two stumps, the ones that he took, running his thumb over the scarred ends. Chad flinched at the sensation, attempting to gently wrestle his hands free.
Then Robert brought the hand to his lips, the skin ghosting the scarred ends. Chad’s heart leapt to his throat as more tears spilled, running free and re-wetting the dried tear tracks.
“I’m sorry…” Robert choked back a sob, cradling the scarred hand close. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered.
Chad could only stare, his heart thudding in his ears as Robert mumbled apologies on loop. His breath grazed his skin, causing occasional shudders in the other as his tears continued to spill.
Robert slumped over the hand he held close, tears sizzling away on contact upon Chad’s skin. Again, he apologised and apologised. At this point, Chad wasn’t sure what he was apologizing for. But it didn’t stop Robert from continuing.
Chad wasn’t sure what to do. What does he do with his other hand? What does he say? Does he yell at Robert and leave? Does he stay and comfort Robert? He didn’t know what to feel or how to feel.
Slowly, Robert began to calm down, his breathing slowing down. Chad gently maneuvered him to lie on his side, his head resting on the pillow. When he attempted to remove his hand, Robert held on tighter, murmuring an apology again.
So he waited. Waited as Robert fell asleep, soft snores leaving him, and slowly removed his hand. He stood, knees aching from being in one place for a long time, and decided now would be the time to leave.
But…he didn’t.
His feet were firmly rooted in place, ignoring everything his body told him to do. This was his chance, his chance to leave, to ignore everything, and to forget about this night.
But he doesn’t.
And he doesn’t for the rest of the night.
***
Sunshine streaked across Robert’s face, making him groan as he rolled over to avoid it. His head hurt like a motherfucker, like someone had bashed it in. The smell of eggs, bacon, and something else greeted him, and he blearily opened his eyes.
Chad stood in his kitchen, scrambling eggs in a pan. He’s wearing blue jeans with a black shirt, his hair pulled back into a messy manbun. He then plated up scrambled eggs, bacon, and a sticky pastry.
“Hey.” Chad carried in two plates and passed one off to Robert. “Made breakfast,” he said nonchalantly.
Robert took the plate hesitantly, then sniffed it. Nothing seemed strange. He then took a bite. It was…pretty good. The sticky pastry thing was amazing as well, sticky, sweet, and fluffy on the inside.
“How’s the jalebi?” Chad asked.
“Uh…” Robert smiled. “Good. Thanks.”
Chad hummed his approval and continued eating. Robert couldn’t help but feel confused. Why was Chad here? In his house, in his civilian clothes?
“Um…” Chad looked up from his plate. “What happened last night?” he asked tentatively.
“What do you remember?” Chad countered.
“Going out, drinking. But I don’t remember getting home. Or…” Robert gestured to Chad.
Chad nodded in understanding. “The bartender, Gia? She called me to pick you up. I was just gonna drop you off and leave, but you kept asking me to stay. So I stayed,” he said.
Oh. So nothing strange. That’s good. Robert felt relief at those words.
“Oh, and…” That feeling disappeared immediately. “I forgive you,” Chad added.
Robert blinked. “What?”
“I forgive you.” Chad met his eyes, the orange irises reflecting the morning sun. “You kept apologizing the entire time about my hand—” He showed said hand. “Just kept apologizing until you passed out. So, I forgive you.”
Oh.
“So I forgive you—” Chad’s expression grew serious. “But you still hurt me. It’ll take me some time to heal from that.” He glanced at his hand.
Robert glanced as well, then nodded sharply. “Okay. I understand. I’m here if you need me to help,” he offered.
Something flickered in Chad’s eyes, then he smiled. A genuine smile, ever so gentle.
Silence fell comfortably over them, the only sound being the clinking of dishware. Robert still felt guilty about everything last night. But he also felt relieved. Relieved that they could move on together from their differences.
“I’m sorry, again, for the trouble,” Robert added.
“If you apologise one more damn time, I’m gonna kill you,” Chad threatened.
“Ah, there it is. I knew it was too good to be true,” Robert sighed.