Gold And Coal (Ryden AU)

1.13 ◇ Wild

There was no specific reason for my waking, but when I did, I kept my eyes closed. I didn't really want to wake up. It was warm and comfortable and I could spend the rest of my days like this.

I snuggled deeper into the pillow my head was resting on and a content sigh escaped my lips.

My numerous bruises didn't disturb my resting, they were more of a soft burning, reminding me that they were there, but deciding not to cause me more hell than I had already experienced.

My pillow moved beneath me and - wait a minute, what?

Pillows aren't supposed to move.

I snapped my eyes open and let them dart around the room, taking in my surroundings.

A little bit of sunlight was shining through the curtains, making it possible for me to see the outlines of the room.

When turning my head to see what I was resting on, I started and lifted it up in shock.

My pillow wasn't exactly a pillow, but Brendon Urie's chest.

My eyes widened and I held my breath, twisting around to look at Brendon's face. He was still asleep.

I sighed in relief and tried to move away from him as quietly as possible.

The movement disagreed with my wounds and I groaned as I flopped down on the pillow, still uncomfortably close to Brendon.

I pulled the blanket closer to my body and snuggled into it once more, trying to regain the feeling of warmth and safety I had felt before.

Although I didn't manage to fall asleep again, I was fine with just resting.

I felt at ease.

Safe.

Content.

It was the first time in ages that I didn't have to fear the following day, that I didn't have to worry about how I was going to get my next meal, how I was going to get to work and back without being jumped.

After a while I felt movement beside me.

"Ryan?" He whispered, checking if I was awake.

"Yeah?" I answered, my throat still feeling raw.

"Are you okay? Are you hungry? Do you need anything?" He bombarded me with questions and I groaned inwardly.

Couldn't he go back to sleep? He was far less annoying then.

"I'm fine," I muttered, trying not to let my annoyance show through my voice.

There was silence for a while, before the sheets rustled again and Brendon got up.

I closed my eyes, trying to ignore the sound of splashing water from the other room.

Sighing, I ran a hand through my hair and rubbed the sleep from my eyes. I was probably expected to get up as well.

And that was easier said than done. The moment I propped my body up with my elbows, it protested with all it's might and I was confronted with searing pain.

I gasped and lay back down again, breathing heavily.

When Brendon reentered the room, he opened the curtains and I shielded my eyes from the sudden light.

"Diana will come check on you later," he said, with a stoic voice and exited the room without another word.

Confused, I put my hands away from my eyes and stared at the door. Why was he acting so cold towards me all of a sudden?

Maybe he did notice our unnatural proximity earlier.

Or maybe he realized that I wasn't interesting after all and regretted ever helping me in the first place.

Diana interrupted my thoughts by bursting through the door, carrying a tablet full of bowls and other stuff.

"Good morning, Mr. Ryan!" She said cheerily, sitting down on the bed.

She still didn't ditch the 'Mr. Ryan'.

"May I?" She continued, gesturing towards my shirt.

I nooded meekly.

After unbuttoning my shirt, she gently removed the pieces of cloth she had tied around me the night before.

My breath hitched as I caught sight of myself. The bruises had formed over night, and what had earlier been a colorful display, was now only deep purple, and appeared to be black in some parts.

Diana soaked another cloth in a bowl of water and laid it over the bruises. I winced, because it was ice cold.

"The best thing to do is keep it cool, it'll help with the pain. After 48 hours applying heat for a short period of time will speed up the heeling."

I nodded again, tearing my eyes away from the ugly sight.

After securing the cloth with a bunch of other clothes, she presented me with a soup, but with a much thicker consistence.

"It's porridge," she added as she shoved the bowl under my nose.

It looked kind of sloppy, but after about five seconds of staring I reminded myself how I had no right to be picky and took a spoonful.

I was surprised, it didn't taste half as bad as I thought, actually not bad at all.

"Here, I brought you something to read, in case you get bored."

Diana pulled out a newspaper from one of her pockets and handed it to me after I set the empty bowl onto the small bedside table.

I stared at it. I couldn't read.

"Thanks..." I mumbled, taking it nonetheless. Maybe there were some drawings inside.

She left after that, leaving a cup of what I guessed was tea behind.

The front page of the paper was covered with a sketch of a man, wearing a top hat and looking really sinister. Probably some wanted criminal.

Unluckily for me, most of the pages solely contained text and the occasional pictures were poorly drawn sketches of important looking men.

It was boring as hell.

So I abondoned that mission and decided to try getting up once more.

After enduring a respectable amount of pain, I finally stood on my own two feet and limped across to the window, opening it and leaning heavily on the windowsill.

It was raining again, but only lightly.

In the distance, I could see tall towers reaching up into the sky, one of them I suspected was 'Big Ben'; my mother had told me stories about it.

The city appeared strangely beautiful, captivating, even though I knew it brought danger and destruction with it. If you looked at it from a far, or from above, it may look charming and kind, welcoming you in and offering to tend to your every needs. But the longer you stayed, the more that generosity turned against you and it revealed it's true, ugly self.

~ Leave this blue neighbourhood ~