Music To My Ears | 2gether Short Stories

3gether - Chapter 04

T/W : Mentions of physical abuse and self-harm. At this point this warning is useless but 🔞.

Saviour

***

Tine pushed the front door open slowly, not having received an answer to his repeated knocks.

"Wat, are you home?" he called out, his voice echoing slightly around the empty hall.

Strange, he should have been home by now.

Tine wandered around the large living room. He poured himself a glass of water as he dialled Wat's number.

A cellphone rang somewhere inside. Tine followed the sound to Wat's room. He'd never been inside it before.

The door was slightly ajar and the room within was completely dark. Tine felt fear bubbling in the pit of his stomach.

"Wat, are you in here?" he asked, an edge to his voice.

He jumped back as his eyes adjusted to the light and he made out the crumpled figure huddled on the floor against the wall in a corner.

Tine threw back the curtains to let the soft afternoon light in and gasped.

Wat was wearing nothing but his boxers and lay curled up on the floor.

He threw up one hand wearily to shield his eyes from the sudden brightness, groaning softly.

His face was bruised and bleeding, his body was bent in a strange position as though he couldn't hold himself up properly, his wrist hung limply on one hand.

Lashes covered his arms and chest and sides, extending around to his back.

He looked as though he'd been flogged mercilessly.

He stirred slightly, moaning.

Tears sprung to Tine's eyes.

"Baby, don't move. I'll call an ambulance" he said running to crouch beside Wat, scrambling for his phone.

Wat put a hand on Tine's. "Don't... please... Dr Non... Speed dial 5" he gasped.

Tine found Wat's phone quickly, pressed his thumb on the scanner and dialled 5.

An hour later, Wat lay in his bed, bandaged and dosed to his gills with painkillers.

"He's lucky he doesn't have any broken bones or damage to his organs. The wounds will heal in a week or so" said Dr Non grimly.

Only the physical ones, he thought.

His eyes had hardened at the sight of the broken boy and his terrified twin who stood trembling over his brother. He had seen this scene too many times now. It never got easier.

The senior Guntithanon had a sadistic streak. He was too powerful to be brought to justice even if the doctor had reported his abuse. If the doctor wanted to help the boys for as long as he could, he had to stay silent. And so he did.

Tine thanked the doctor and Thyme offered to see him to the door.

"I'm going to fight this, Wat" declared Tine calmly, stroking Wat's hair softly as he slept.

*

"How dare you stand before me, you piece of shit nobody, and threaten me?" shouted Ben Guntithanon, throwing the photographs of Wat's injuries at Tine's face and taking a step forward to slap him.

Tine caught his wrist and pushed him back aggressively. Like the bully he was, he immediately backed off.

"Is this blackmail? What do you want? Money? I can give you more than you can imagine" he ventured.