I Want To Paint Your Lips

Chapter 13

Delirious pulled himself back inside and held onto the window as the car twisted left and right and right and left, winding deeper and deeper into the forest until they were sure they were far enough away from any pursuers. Evan pulled off onto a dirt road, easing off on the speed and allowing them to cruise alongside paddocks and acres of farmland, taking them off and away from main roads and areas where they’d likely be stumbled upon.

It took ten more minutes of convincing for Evan to hop over into the passenger seat with a heavy first aid kit and allow Delirious to take his spot and steer them further away from the compound. Neither of the spoke. Delirious just focussed on driving and the soft sounds of pain Evan emitted. He swallowed pain meds and shakily removed the bullet with tweezers.

After ten minutes of Evan sorting himself out and preparing a curved needle and string for stitches, they pulled over and cut the engine. Evan swung his bleeding leg onto Delirious’ side of the car, leaning back against the window and squeezing his eyes shut. The schizophrenic took the needle and some cleansing wipes and cleaned the blood from the wound.

He carefully pushed the needle under the skin and began threading the wound closed. It was harder to shut out Evan’s heavy panting and groans of pain. The bandage wrapped tightly around the stitched wound, almost immediately staining red as Evan shakily pulled his leg back on his side of the car. He didn’t complain or whine or breathe anything more than a whimper of pain. And after a few moments of forcing away the pain, he leaned into the back and retrieved the face paints he’d thrown in his bag.

He handed them to his partner who placed them to the side. Tentative and cautious, Delirious curled a hand around the back of Evan’s neck, drawing him close and fitting their lips together like puzzle pieces. Shaky fingers curled fists in his shirt and he rested a hand lightly on Evan’s cheek. His thumb brushed along his cheekbone, allowing the silence to swallow them as they breathed each other in. Evan trembled, leaning forward into him like he was the only thing keeping the man alive, the only thing keeping him together and stopping him from falling apart.  

When they broke apart, Evan picked up the paint and began slowly drawing on Delirious’ infamous face. Neither had said a word since they’d switched seats and they were both content to feel the silence swell in their stomachs. It was thick but comfortable. A blanket, of sorts, to protect them from what they’d done. From how they’d set themselves up on wanted notices and newspapers.

Evan allowed the paints to be eased from his hands and smiled lightly as Delirious brought the brush to his cheek instead. The paint was cool as it circled his eyes and curled over his cheeks. He felt it set on his skin, nothing more than a small itch, as the lipstick layered over his chapped lips. He smiled and let Delirious pack it all away for him, restarting the car and pulling them back onto the road.

The ex-patient doubted they’d be stopping for much longer than a few hours at a time until they were both far, far away from searching eyes. He settled himself behind the wheel and pressed a few buttons on the radio, allowing some music he’d never heard before to fill their voiceless silence. It filled space and soothed nerves as the car cruised along.

Not ten minutes after they’d gotten back onto a main road, Delirious looked over and smiled pleasantly at Evan who had his good leg tucked up on his seat, head against the window and eyes closed.

Delirious returned his gaze to the road. His smile didn’t leave his lips.

Evan was still asleep when his phone began vibrating on the dashboard. It was long into the night and Delirious was still driving. When he heard the foreign sound, he almost slammed on the breaks, before jerking out of his tranquil state and picking up the device.

Bryce’s name showed up.

He slowed his speed on the empty road and held the phone to his ear with one hand, the other settled on the steering wheel. “Hello?” he asked lightly, his voice weary and sore.

Shuffling was heard on the other end. “Delirious? Where’s Evan? Where are you both? What’s happening? They’re thinking of sending out helicopters to try and track you down. We’re all worried sick, Tyler’s about to rip my head off.” The boy rambled, his voice rolling from one sentence to another and Delirious sighed softly.

“Evan’s sleeping now, I’m driving,” Delirious told him, voice soft as to not wake the man beside him. “He got shot on the way out and I stitched him up as best as I can. It might be helpful if you ask Ohm about how to treat a direct bullet wound in the calf tomorrow and see what he says. For the moment I think he’ll be okay.”

He felt himself swallow a yawn as he explained their situation. Bryce sighed in relief on the other end. He could feel the concern begin to melt off the boy’s shoulders and smiled himself. The whole situation was condensed with stress and fear but he and Evan were out and the others back at the asylum weren’t suspected.

It was going to work out.

“Delirious,” Daithi’s thick accent drifted through the phone and Delirious smirked on habit. “Keep the pressure on and try elevate his foot as well as possible just to try and reduce blood flow to the wound. Put on fresh bandaging twice a day if it continues to bleed. That should do the very least in helping it heal but don’t let him do anything for a few weeks until it is completely healed.”

The phone was transferred before he could respond. “Get to the other side of the fucking country. Drive as often as you can without overworking yourself. Once Evan’s fit to stay awake and drive for a few hours let him so you can rest. Evan used to live in Canada, finding a place up there might even be a good decision but you’ll just have to lay low for a couple of months and chill out. Don’t do anything stupid, fuckboys,” Tyler snapped. Delirious knew neither of them were fond of him. He knew they didn’t trust him.

“I’ll call Bryce when he’s awake,” Delirious told them all and Tyler huffed in approval. Bryce said a quick “be safe” before disappearing and leaving Delirious to himself, the road and the voices.

All of which were being surprisingly calm despite the situation.

I’m tired Delly.

Evan looks so pretty when he sleeps, don’t you think?

Does this mean we can kiss him whenever we want now?

Does this mean we can do anything with him?

Delirious let’s kiss him more!

Sleep now! Sleep, sleep, sleep!

He yawned again and sighed, pulling over the side of the road, two large paddocks either side of them. He shut off the engine, locked the doors and eased his seat back far enough to comfortably sleep. Before he drifted off completely, he put an early alarm on for the morning to wake him. With what Bryce had told him, the use of helicopters would begin early, so they’d need to be moving even earlier. With the large open areas they were driving through, they’d need to find some sort of cover to shelter in just in case.

It was always better to be safe than sorry. Now more than ever.