Set Me Free {Dyle}

{Chapter 8}

(Dan's POV)
----
    We let go of each other's hands as we walk in the door. He leads me up the stairs, quietly as not to disturb his mum, who is moving around in the kitchen. Almost as soon as he shuts the door to his bedroom, his hands meet my waist and I lean into his grip, placing one of my hands on his jaw and the other on his shoulder as his move along my sides.

    "You look so beautiful." He begins blushing, his face flooding with the all too familiar bright pink colour as he looks down to the ground. I place my hand under his chin and gently lift his head so his eyes meet mine. He smiles to me and presses his forehead to mine his hands finding the small of my back and the edge of my jaw.

    "Danny, if only you could see yourself through my eyes," He closes the gap between us, his soft, warm lips pressing timidly to mine, waiting for a reaction. I lean into his shy kiss, hoping to give it more force, but we're stopped almost instantly by a knock on his bedroom door. We break apart suddenly, my heart hammering in my chest as I sigh. He mouths a small "sorry" to me as he opens the door.

    "Mum, what is it?" He asks as he backs away from the now open door and sighing.

    "I wanted to ask if you were interested in seeing a movie later, but now Dan's over, so nevermind." She smiles over to me and I meet it with one of my own, awkwardly letting it tug at my face as his mum looks back to him. "Ok, cool. I'll be downstairs."

    She leaves the room, shutting the door behind her. Kyle walks closer to me again, his hands finding me again with no struggle.

    "She was starting to get worried, she hadn't seen you in a while and she started suspecting things." He looks to me, rolling his eyes at his own words.

    "Does she know that you're bi?" I ask, looking to him with a small smirk.

    "No, but she knows that I'm definitely not straight." He looks to me with a confused expression in his eyes, "what?" I burst out laughing, laughing almost to the point where I fall on the floor crying and hyperventilating. He remains looking at me, his face showing that he is far beyond the point of confusion.

    "Dan, what the hell is so funny?" He sounds on the verge of laughing as well, his face twisting into a smile as he pulls me closer and when I finally do stop laughing, he makes me lay down on his bed, wrapping me in his arms as he sets his head on my chest. "You're such a dork Danny, but I love you for it." He laces his fingers in my hair and I set my face against his neck. His grip on me tightens, his fingers gently brushing through my matted hair as he holds me.

    "Can I stay over here tonight?" I ask against him. I feel him nod before he puts it into words

    "Of course Dan," He kisses my forehead before speaking again,"Have you changed the bandages on your wrist since I saw you last?"

    I almost choke on the breath I'm taking in as he moves to hover over me. "Danny, have you?"

    "No."

    "Have you taken them off or cleaned the wounds? Please tell me you have, darling." His words are patient, but his voice is worried and stern.

    "Well, I cleaned them on Wednesday I think," I numbly reply, seeing what looks like disappointment cross his face. "I'm sorry, I didn't want to look at them. They're probably scabbed over and darker by now."

    "Come on Dan, let's go take a look at them real quick. I want to make sure they're not infected. I'll be gentle, I promise." He grips my hand and pull me to stand.

    "Please don't. I don't want you to see them again," I plea, feeling nauseous just thinking about him seeing the terribly angry, fresh scabs that litter my arm.

    "Dan, it's alright, I won't judge you. I just want to make sure they're healing properly, love." He places his hand on my shoulder before moving it up to caress my chin. "Please? I want to help."

    "You're not going to give up, are you?" I ask, very well knowing the answer. He shakes his head, his eyes not letting up. "Fine."

    He takes my hand and leads me into his bathroom. He closes the door and motions for me to stand near the sink. I look down as he takes my arm in his hands as he slowly begins to peel the bandage away from my skin. I grimace, feeling the bloody cotton bit peel away from the raw, opened cuts.

    "They don't look infected, but they need to be cleaned," He whispers to me in a calm, steady voice. I continue looking down, not meeting his eyes, "Dan, please look at me, I only want to help you, but you have to let me in."

    "Kyle, you shouldn't have to deal with my shit. I can do this myself." I try to pull away, but he holds me still, his hand gripping my arm tightly as I pull against him.

    "Dan, I know you can do it on your own, but I also know that you won't. I'm really worried about you." He pulls me to him and wraps his arms around my torso and sets his head on my shoulder as I mold to his figure, sinking into the embrace.

    "Kyle, you don't need to worry, I can take care of myself. I've stayed alive this long, so I'm doing something right," I explain, seeing the look of persistence on his face soften.

    "I know that, but you didn't necessarily want to be. You're not taking care of yourself and nobody is there to know, except me Dan. I'm here for you, no matter what, I won't judge you, just please come to me when you get bad, love. I need to know so I can help you through it. We may not make it all the way out, but I think it'll help more if you have someone who will listen and be there to hold you, like now." His hand cups my face as he looks into my eyes. His words soothe me, but they don't stop the racing of my pulse as his fingers gently work to clean the torn flesh.

    "You're right, I'm sorry." I set my head on his neck and let him finish before I feel him take my hand and pull me along behind him. I shut the bathroom door behind us and he stops near the wall closest to his bed.

    "Please don't apologize, you did nothing wrong, love." He places his hands on my hips, pulling me closer. Then, with his right hand, he takes my arm and brings it closer to his face before timidly placing his lips to the torn skin, "it's alright Danny, I'll help you. I know it's more than just the thoughts and actions, but I want to help, no matter what. Is that alright?"

    I nod, shyly smiling to him as he drops my arm and connects his lips with mine. I sink into the kiss, letting him take control and guide me through it. He runs his tongue along my lip, asking me to open my mouth a bit more, so I do, just enough for it to feel brand new to me, his tongue meeting mine in an unchoreographed dance. I feel electricity course through my veins as his fingers run up my sides and trace patterns into my hip. I move my hands along his back, not completely knowing what they are doing, but enough to trust my instincts.

    When we finally let go, I gasp, needing to catch my breath, and I can hear him do the same. We move to lay down on the bed, tangling our arms and legs together, still breathing heavily.

    "I think we're getting better at that, yea," he says, his voice sounding slightly out of breath still.

    "I'd say so," I reply with a laugh, sinking further into his grip as I look down to his face, his head resting on my chest. He moves up to meet my face again, pressing a gentle kiss to my lips.

    "So, do you want to go anywhere tonight?" He asks before burying his face into my neck. I place my hands in his hair and smile when he sighs contently.

    "No, I want to stay right here." I continue messing with his hair until he pulls away and stands up.

    "Come on, let's go get some dinner, I don't think you've eaten all day," and with that, we walk out of his bedroom, down the stairs and into the kitchen. The smile on his face makes me feel the safest I've felt in a really long time and I love it. He hands me some fruit and I thank him before we head back up the stairs and sit on his bed. He lays his head on my shoulder and I lean into his grip with an even wider grin.

    'Everything will be fine.'

**A/N: Sorry it took so long to publish, but I already have ideas for future chapters :)**