Now and Forever

Episode 2

PERTH woke up but didn't dare to open his eyes. He's comfortable hugging a soft pillow. He frowned and slowly opened his eyes by the warmth it emits. And even the smell from it. It's so soothing.

He wanted to go back to sleep when he heard a deliberate cough. Then next is snicker. That's a queue to let his eyes open. Too wide that made him jump up after realizing what his pillow looks like. It was Saint who's wide awake and watching him with a smile in his face.

"I can't bear to wake you up. Looks like you enjoy sleeping," Saint teased him as he sits up after being freed from his embrace. Even without looking, he knows his blushing as his cheeks feel hot. Plus, his redden ears indication of embarrassment.

"Sorry, I thought your..."

"...pillow," Saint continued his sentence.

"Stuffed toy," he corrected. Saint rolled his eyes. Maybe thinking that he's referring to his appearance. "For me, you'll always be someone I need to protect. Even though what always happens is the other way around." He's disappointed at himself. He once promised him protection but he always gets to be protected.

Saint groaned. He went to straight to the bathroom disregarding him. Few minutes after, Saint went out fully clothes.

"You have morning class, right? We need to go."

He could take his eyes on Saint. He's worried but it seems like all his efforts are nothing to him. Maybe he's not meant to meet Saint that day. That it was just a bad coincidence he's at that place.

~Flashback~

Perth's finally gets to go home after their practice. He tried out for the football team and got in. It's not that he's complaining but the practice finishes too late that almost all the students in the campus are either sleeping or somewhere enjoying their night out.

He let out a heavy sigh as he can't even see a single soul ahead.

The dorms are outside the campus. Just a few minutes' walk or a minute or two with his bicycle. It's convenient for those who are from far places like him. He can't travel for more than an hour going back and forth. That's too tiresome. And he gets to be independent.

He stopped the moment he heard a groaning sound using his leg as the bike's stand. He looks around and see nothing as the place is dark but have enough light to know where he is. He again focused on his surrounding that maybe it's just his imagination. But then hearing the pained groan confirms that someone's there.

He squints his eyes to carefully scan the area.

"Shit! I'll make them pay for this." The sound is coming behind the bush and without a second thought, he approached it.

Leaning in a tree on the side and bush behind him, a guy is, maybe, taking a rest. Who knows? But the groaned that he heard is again been heard from the guy.

"Hey! You okay?" He asked leaning to the guy to get a proper view on who is it. He gasped and unable to breathe the moment he set eyes on the guy. Is he even a guy?

With the help of the street light, he can somehow see him glowing. He bet even without it he'll still glow with the help of the moonlight.

The guy looked at his direction to quick that made him groan again and cursed from the pain. He can now finally see the guy as he squatted in front of him, leaving his bike to the other side of the bush. His face is full of bruise. Blood on the left side lip, right eyes can't be open because there's a trace of blood from the eyelid and the right cheek's red spot. Having an angelic face, he's beaten up so bad.