Black and Blue

47 Days to Blizzard

Keith tugged the fluffy blanket tighter around his body. It was a cold, thunderstorming Saturday night; which was perfect for gaming on his living room couch. Joey had introduced the group to his favorite online game, which they all played whenever they could. Keith yelled profanities at the tv as he mashed the buttons on his controller. His father sat in the recliner as he took a shot at trying to understand how the game worked. Keith kept the lights off and the sound up as he played with his friends. Wearing only sweatpants, he jumped up and screamed at his team, "Guys, he was right there! Are you fucking dumb?!"

Keith's chastising was interrupted by a timid knock at the door. At first, he thought it was the pounding rain and glanced at the clock: three a.m. After hearing it again, Keith and his father shared a look. Keith pulled off his headset and set down his controller, "I got it." He walked over to the door, leaving his blanket on the couch and tightening his ponytail.

Keith opened the door to a soaked Lance. He quickly grabbed his arm and pulled him inside, shutting the door to cut off the freezing wind. He grabbed his cold cheeks, "What were you doing out there?!"

Lance's once perfect skin was covered in red marks, bruises, and cuts. His eyes were sorrowful and his mouth was pulled into a quivering frown. He leaned into Keith's touch, closing his eyes and kissing his palm.

"You're freezing!" Keith patted his face, checking his temperature. Lance dropped his head on Keith's shoulder and nuzzled into his neck.

Keith turned to the living room and called to his father, "Dad! Grab some towels!"

His dad jumped up to see what was happening. His face dropped, "Lance?" He ran upstairs to retrieve the towels, "Hold on, son!"

Keith pulled Lance's face up to look into his eyes, "Why are you here?" His fingers grazed over his busted lip, "What the hell happened to you?!"

Lance's fingers gently wrapped around Keith's wrist. He let out a sob, "Can I stay here?"

"Of course you can!" Keith pulled his wet hair back down into a hug.

Keith's father returned and wrapped a large towel around Lance's shoulders, "Here you go, son."

Keith pulled back to ruffle Lance's hair with the soft towel. Lance lifted his damp, cut up hands to Keith's cheeks and pulled him into a gentle kiss. After pulling away, Keith wrapped Lance's arm over his shoulders and led him up the stairs. He let Lance sit on his bed as he started a hot shower. He returned to the shaking boy and kissed his head, "Come on, let's get you into the shower." He tugged Lance's shirt off and removed his soaked jeans. Lance's legs were beat up pretty badly, so he sat on the shower floor, letting the water fall on him like hot rain.

As Keith was about to stand up to leave, Lance tugged on his wrist. He let out a soft, pained voice, "Please don't leave."

Keith dropped back down to his knees and gently kissed his head, "I'll stay."

Keith let himself be tugged into the water with his sweatpants still on. He cradled Lance's silky, blood stained hair in the warm shower. Lance's muscular back was covered in streaks of red and white; his stomach splattered with bruises; and his face sported a cut lip and black eye. Lance's hands held Keith's shoulders as if it was a matter of life and death. His sobs bounced off the walls and his chest jerked. He suddenly clutched his stomach and let out a weak, "Ow..."

Keith shushed him as he rocked gently, "You're alright now." Keith's eyes burned with an intense pain and his heart ached. He wanted to find whoever did this to him and beat them within an inch of their life. He held Lance for a while as he wailed out tears of fear and grief. The water soaked through Keith's clothes, but he didn't care. He just wanted Lance to stop crying.

Keith didn't know how long they held each other in that shower. After Lance calmed down enough, Keith dried him off and let him borrow his clothes. As he changed, Keith fluffed his hair and changed out of his dripping wet sweatpants. Lance curled himself up in Keith's blankets and cried softly. Keith's chest tensed and he joined the scared boy, letting Lance's fingers ball his shirt up in his fists.

Keith kissed his head, "Lance? Are you alright now?"

Lance took in Keith's scent and nodded, "Mm hmm." He pulled back and rubbed his swollen eyes, "Thank you."

Keith cupped a hand around his cheek, "I'm always here. I'm glad you chose me to care for you."

Lance laced his fingers through the back of Keith's hand, "I love you."

Keith's face softened and pulled the frail boy into his chest, "I love you too."

Lance nuzzled his head into Keith's warm and comforting chest, "I want to be with you."

Keith smiled as a tear fell from his eye, "I want to be with you, too."

Lance hiccuped a sob, "Then let's be together."

Keith brought his cheek up to face him, "You mean that?"

Lance nodded, "I want you."

Keith's smile widened, "Okay." He planted a soft, gentle kiss on his forehead, "Get some sleep. I'll keep you safe."

Lance sniffled and closed his eyes. As he fell asleep, his hands kept their hold on his shirt. Keith watched Lance's damaged chest rise and fall. He was tired, but he kept watch over him all night, listening to his soft breathing. Even after the sun started to rise, he held Lance's frame and counted his breaths until he woke. He wasn't going to let anything take him away from Keith. He loved him too much. Nothing would ever separate them.