Better Love //dyle//

Chapter 5

"I don't like this entire situation, Will," Dan tells Will as they walk into their apartment, Will trailing shortly behind his taller boyfriend. "He just stood up and left abruptly- after he got a text. There was no reason for him to do that besides from his boyfriend tex-" 

"Dan, we don't know that." The man sighs, shaking his head. He feels guilty for having to say it, but it's not really their decision to comment on. "I know the whole situation is a bit shitty, and it feels weird, but I feel as though we can't jump to conclusions like these." 

Dan turns around, stopping in the entrance hallway of their flat and staring at Will. "Are you serious?" He questions Will, frowning. "You said it yourself, Will! His boyfriend looks like a twat and probably acts like a bigger one! I'm going to jump to conclusions when he acts how he does!" 

The other man shakes his head at the statement, "I don't know, man. I reckon that he'd say something if his boyfriend was abusive." 

"What if he's scared?" Dan asks, still somewhat glaring at Will. "What if his boyfriend is abusive and does hurt him, but he's too scared to save anything about it?" 

"He's over six foot bloody tall!" Will raises his voice slightly, anger beginning to grow in him. "He won't get scared like that. It's just not our business! If it's bothering him, he'll say something about it!" 

"Alright, then. So you'd say that to a kid who's being abused by their family? If it bothers you that much, say something?"

"That's not a fair comparison, Dan. Kyle isn't a kid." Will walks into the small, cramped living room, which is packed with small pieces of their history together. It's a cosy room, but tensions are rising quickly which makes it uncomfortable. "Kids can't always speak up for themselves..." 

"Yeah, and neither can people with anxiety. It paralyses you, Will. It holds you and you can't breathe, and you're so scared you can't even fucking move. If your boyfriend is stood over you, beating the ever living fuck out of you, then what do you expect him to do?" 

Will falls silent, casting his eyes to the ground. He still doesn't think it's their situation. 

"I can't fucking believe you, Will. You know what situation he's in and so do I, you're just too fucking afraid to do anything fucking thing about it." Dan glares at Will and he shoves the man out of the way, storming out of the flat.

He doesn't know what it is about Kyle that draws him in so much, but something tells him he can't let the boy get hurt. It scares him more now that he could be getting hurt at this very moment and Dan can't do anything to stop it. His heart is heavy for him.

Kyle hides away in a different room, somehow balancing himself on the windowsill with nothing to do. He hates these nights, the nights where he is confined to a different room, hiding away from his boyfriend and his friends. He stares out of the window at the lights of the capital, thinking about everything. He thinks about the bruises on his face, the blood that has dried onto the floor.

Mainly, however, his mind is on Dan and Will. He wonders what they're doing right now- watching a film together? Falling asleep in each other's arms? It must be a good life when the love is equal. 

Part of him wonders what would happen if he were to jump from this window. Nobody would miss him- who has he got? His boyfriend will be relieved and able to move onto his next victim, Dan and Will will never even think of him again, and, like his sister said, he's not the same person he used to be. His family won't care.

It's so, so tempting. Then he reminds himself, you deserve this. Is he really a victim if he's brought it upon himself? He hates himself for it. If he could do what he was told to do and kept his boyfriend happy, then he wouldn't be getting hurt like he is.

He was so close yesterday. Lying on the floor, the lights almost knocked out of him- yet here he is. He'll never be released from this as long as he lives. He hates it.

He wishes it would all end. If that means death, then so be it.

A few hours pass before Kyle falls asleep, his head lolling against the window and his legs hugged awkwardly to his chest. He dreams of bigger, better things. He dreams of happiness and love, of loving and being loved. Dan keeps popping up in these dreams, but he doesn't know why. He reminds Dan in his dreams many times that he already has a boyfriend, but that doesn't seem to stop the man appearing. 

His boyfriend enters the room a few hours after Kyle fell asleep, looking at his boyfriend and watching him sleep against the window, the yellows of the city shining on his face. He looks so bruised and hurt, yet so peaceful. He doesn't regret anything he has done to the man. Like he's told Kyle many times before, he deserves it. He brings it on himself.

He hates Kyle. He really does. He's such a disobedient piece of shit, he never does what he's told and he hates him for being how he is. He can be laughing one minute, then be quiet and feeling sorry for himself as soon as he opens his mouth. He also hates the fact that he goes behind his back, like going and speaking to that little freak at the bar that time. He'll kill him if he ever does it again.

But he loves him, too. He's so easy to manipulate and throw around, and there's a sense of innocence around him, an harmlessness that means he won't fight back. He also doesn't mean anything he says. When he says no, he's just doing it out of spite, so his boyfriend will still do it anyway.

Of course, he does legitimately love him, anyway. He's cute, he can be funny, and he was head over heels for him at one point. Kyle's just worn that down and annoyed him, which means he has to be hurt for doing it.

In his head, he comes to the final conclusion: Kyle deserves to be hurt.

So he stalks towards him.