𝙰𝚕𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 ~ 𝙴𝚟𝚊𝚗𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗

Sixteen

When Sebastian awakens, a blanket is placed up to his shoulder and Nathan is nowhere to be found, the bedroom door closed and the curtains drawn. Sebastian sighs and sits himself up, allowing the blanket to slide off. He reaches over to the bedside table and grabs his phone, looking at the time. 11 am.

Looking down at the now black screen, all Sebastian can see are blood shot eyes and cheeks covered in dried tears. His throat seemed to be bruising just the slightest in the form of fingerprints, something Sebastian had not seen for a very long time. The sight alone had his heart racing and his hands shaking.

Pulling himself out of bed, Sebastian trudges downstairs and into the living room without lifting his head, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. And when he does look up, a person he never expected to see is seated in front of him, smiling tiredly.

"Chris?" Whispers Sebastian, shock coiling through his veins as he takes in Chris's exhausted demeanor and duffle bag on the floor at his feet. "What-"

"Your mum called me." Explains Chris, rising to his feet and opening his arms, allowing Sebastian to decide just how far he was comfortable with going.

Without a response, Sebastian is falling into Chris's arms, nuzzling his face into his clothed chest. "When did you get here?"

Shrugging, Chris looks at his phone momentarily before wrapping his arms around Sebastian once more. "Around 8 am? I've been sleeping on the couch."

Sebastian doesn't know what to say other than to hold onto Chris tighter than ever before, melting into those strong arms that made him feel so safe and secure. Chris responds to Sebastian's never ending hold, kissing the crown of his head and rocking them side to side.

"Why didn;t you tell me your.. That man had been writing letters to you?" Chris whispers, voice sad.

"I dunno.." Sebastian replies, pulling away to gaze into Chris's eyes. "I.. I had been planning on ignoring them. But I couldn't get them out of my head, so I read them and decided to go.. I should've never gone."

Willing himself not to cry, Sebastian presses the palms of his hands against his eyes, rubbing harshly. He had cried far too many tears over that man and what happened, he just wanted to move on. "Sorry, sorry," Clearing his throat, Sebastian shakes out his hands. "I just.. I just want to forget it."

"Okay." Chris says, cupping Sebastian's cheeks. "Okay. That's okay, do whatever you want to do, love."

"You must be exhausted, go have a nap in my bed. I'll be okay by myself."

Unsure, Chris nods at the look in Sebastian's eyes, carrying his bag up to his boyfriend's room. Hearing what Georgeta told him, and seeing the marks on Sebastian's neck, had Chris feeling as though he were about to throw up. Never in his life did he ever think he would have to see Sebastian with marks on his body from that man ever again. And now that he had, Chris couldn't bear the thought of going back to university after the weekend. All he wanted to do was be by Sebastian's side.

Whilst Chris was sleeping, Sebastian forced himself to have a shower and something to eat to better feel like himself again. Sitting himself down on the couch, Indy by his side, Sebastian allows his mind to wander. Yesterday was terrifying, and had shaken Sebastian, but it did not leave him feeling as though everything around him was crumbling. He has gone through so much, and has worked so hard to get that man out of his head, that Sebastian was surprised to find himself thinking that he was able to push through this much easier than he thought he would.

The incident when he was at Chris's was a big scare, especially around new people. Nothing had happened for months on end, and when that occurred, he and Michelle decided to work on some coping mechanisms, ones Sebastian had been using since his scare with the man at the diner.