I Wish We Met Sooner (BoyxBoy)

Chapter 22

Ollie

I THOUGHT I COULD control my feelings the day I found Daniel again. Turns out, I couldn't. Since the night we went out, he hasn't called, nor was he at home. I continued my daily routines and hoped that I'll catch a particular red-headed person in public. Still, all I perceived were redheads that weren't him. I even approached one and awkwardly apologized for the mixup.

Thanks to the college safety announcement, I found out his grandfather was murdered and thrown into the L.A river. The college informed us about this as a precaution to always be aware of our surroundings, especially when we're heading home or going anywhere by ourselves.

I always am, but then again, sometimes I don't.

I constantly visited his apartment, but no one answered the door, and his windows were also locked. I assumed the worse that maybe he would've done something reckless, but the news assured me he was alive when they reported the victims of the Red Demon. Danny has killed over sixteen people in the last three months, and the government isn't thrilled about this.

In fact, society is raging every day as they're setting up petitions and making new clubs to find where Danny lives. The government made it legal for anyone to kill the Red Demon shall someone spot him. Not only that, but whoever successfully eliminates him will be rewarded handsomely.

Imagine the things that person would buy with half a million dollars.

After days and months of getting voicemails, I gave up and took measures into my own hands and looked for him. I skipped so many classes that the institution might as well suspend me. I don't think mom and dad will be too happy about that but fuck it!

Somehow, I got lucky today when I passed by his apartment and heard noises coming from within it. I got up to see him crawling his way out of the gym room. He looked terrible as his body had many fresh wounds, staining the floors with the other broken household stuff.

"When did you get here?" He asked as I unrolled a new strip of bandage.

"I was passing by, hoping to catch you making your way home but instead, you were already home," I cut the strip when I got the desired length and began patching up his first wound on his arm. He's injured quite severely, but thankfully it wasn't critical, and iodine, lots of bandages, and some antibiotics will do the trick. "This will sting, so bear with me."

He flinched and kept a straight face with red eyes staring into the distance.

After he had calmed down, I brought him into the bathtub. The bathroom is the only place in the apartment that hasn't been trailed with shattered glasses, splinters, and other dangerous objects. It was safe.

Before reaching the bathroom, we had to pass the kitchen, and that's when I saw over thirty cans of beer lying around the counter. I paused to glance around the house for a moment, and there were more. Other alcohols also because those fancy bottles with glass lids sure don't store grape juice. That explains why Daniel reeks of alcohol.

The tub was big enough for the both of us, to which I sat him down and me in the opposite direction. I invited myself into touching him because that's the only way I could patch his wounds up.

I continued cleaning his wounds before applying some bandages. The biggest injury sits on his left arm, slightly below the elbow, where it seems like he pulled a blade against his flesh. I'm guessing it was probably one of the broken glasses. The others were minor, so that's a relief. Though most of his wounds were dried, they still need to be cleaned before he gets an infection.

I picked up his arm and stayed alert shall he get defensive about the physical contact, but he remained still, eyes dead. With his arms resting on my knee and my other hand supporting his elbow, I began cleaning the wound with an iodine-damped cotton ball. He was shaking every second, but that's just something he'll have to tolerate.

"Done," I sealed the wound on his arm before reaching for the cotton ball. "Now, for your forehead."

I stood on my knees as I drenched the cotton with iodine and whisked it against the wound. The room was quiet enough for me to hear his heavy breathing. He feels pain and always has. He just doesn't show it.

The entire state wants him dead, and here I am, patching up his wounds and making sure he doesn't get into further trouble. Does that make me a bad person too? Just because I helped a serial killer. If it does, so be it. To me, I'm saving my soulmate.

I felt an itch under my nose, which I ignored, but every second, it became annoying that I had to reach for it. But before I could, Danny dragged his upper hand across the itch, and that's when I noticed the blood over it.

"Sorry for punching you," he breathed, taking a moist towel and cleaning the blood under my nose. Good thing it stopped quickly, but the pain will take a few days. I should know because Braiden punched me during fifth grade. We got into a fight because I reminded the teacher about the homework she gave us, which he hadn't completed. I was unaware of it, but I guess what's done is done.

"It's okay," I unwrapped a surgical tape and pressed it against a fresh cotton ball over the wound. "And... done."

I've done all I could. Now, we let nature take its course and hope the pills would also give him a speedy recovery.

I leaned back and kept the medical equipment back into the kit as I kept my eyes on him. The back of his head was leaning against the wall with his welled-up jaded eyes staring at the window. I wonder how long he has been mourning for his grandfather?

"I'm sorry for your lost," I interrupted the silence, but he wanted to maintain it. "But please... don't ever disappear like that ever again. I've been waiting for you, but you never called. I visited this house every day and only to see you're not here. I know you're grieving now, but you don't have to go through this alone. It gets worse if you do."

"This is what you signed up for," his voice trembled. "So, deal with it."

"I am. That's why I'm here, trying to save you. We're soulmates, after all, remember?" I said.

"There's no saving me. I had hope. Now, I'm nothing but broken. Not even killing and stealing could make me feel better. I don't see the point of living anymore."

Our eyes met, and he's lost the green in his eyes.

"You found me alive today, but I doubt you'll find the same person again next time," he chuckled as a tear slipped past his eyes and rolled down his cheek. "Perhaps I'll run into some bad people while I'm drunk, and they'll kill me off then. Yeah, that'll be nice."

I didn't realize I was crying until I had to swallow a sob.

"I won't because I'll stay with you for a bit," I tried to keep my voice from cracking. There's no point having two broken boys in one room. At least one of us should stay strong, and since he's lost someone, I'll be strong for the both of us. "Like it or not, I'm staying. We'll get through this, okay?"

I pressed my hand against his heart and the other on mine. Our hearts are beating simultaneously, and I can't help but smile because it feels incredible. Our eyes met as his were filled with grief and confusion that he didn't bother pushing my hand away.

"I'll help this heart beat fully again," I gave him one of my smiles. "I made a promise to stick around, didn't I? I'm not about to break it now or ever."

He placed his hand over mine and squeezed it. Our fingers intertwined for the first time.

"And also, I got some news that might be good for you," our hands remained the same. "I learned about your grandfather's death through our college safety announcement. And from then on, word got around that The Reaper group is responsible for it."

His eyes widened slowly as he sat straight. "The Reaper group?" He spoke.

"Yeah, apparently, it's a well-known group I've never heard of. Many believed the members of that group handled his passing. The authorities caught several men on the security camera. They confirmed it was the group when they noticed a grim reaper logo by their sleeve. They could've gone after them, but they're hard to track like the Red Demon. Let alone attack," he took his hand back and massaged his temples.

"Did they mention anything about a briefcase being stolen?"

"Now that you mention it, yes," I recalled the announcement. "According to our lecturer, inside the briefcase was some kind of weapon, but no one knows what it is yet."

"The Nonexistent."