Wild (Cherik Book One)

Tryna Figure It Out

"And he made it easy, darlin'"

______CHARLIE__TW:Injury___

The first day Charlie was released he didn't go home. This was in direct contradiction of several orders he was released with. A long list of flimsy paper telling him to rest his body, a feat that seemed impossible at this point. Everything hurt, sure, but he had the medication for that. And, yeah, maybe the medication didn't help like it should but as long as he was able to stand right?

Erik has managed to talk him down to a simple movie night at Marinas. Any mention of going to the Xavier Estate left Charles breathless and panicked as feelings boiled his skin like fire. It was an instantaneous reaction to a few simple words. His vision would dot and the pain would sky rocket. Everything sank him down further and further as he replayed that night in his mind. He became a dormant statue before completely combusting into either anger or sadness. But the fear? The fear was always there dancing with it. Like a horrible waltz.

"Are you sure?" Erik checked again as he pulled slowly into Marina's driveway which was already riddled with cars from the rest of the group.

"I'm sure. I can't...I can't go back yet." Charlie spoke softly slowly drifting away. Like a rowboat at sea.

"Hey, you don't have to go back, okay? But we aren't going to go insane either. Just a movie night and if you want to leave at any time we can." Erik was gentle with his words and let his hand rest soundly on Charlie's. A simple gesture, a grounding one. It sent small electric shocks to Charlie's heart and small speckled crimson to his cheeks.

"Yeah," Charlie managed before stepping out of the car slowly.

The pain was manageable for the most part. The worst of it being his ribs which screamed every time he took a deep breath. His sprained shoulder wasn't bad enough to be anything more than a discomfort and although his leg was still slightly swollen the limp wasn't awful. And most of the surface damage from porcelain and glass had been done up with stitches and taken care of in his minor surgery. All in all Charlie was feeling about as well as he could be. Being surrounded by a familiar environment and friends was not so much a want but a need at the moment. The constant noises and shouting was, although headache causing, a welcomed distraction. He was pretty sure if he was left with his thoughts alone for longer than a minute he might combust.

He had tried to go home at first but the instant he rounded the driveway it was game over. Raven ran inside to grab Charlie some things before they went to Erik's house for the afternoon. Charlie's mother provided little argument to his leaving but he thinks that's due to her major discomfort. She hasn't been sober in years and starting a conversation with your son under these circumstances isn't desirable. But, Charlie couldn't think about that. His mother has problems of her own to figure out and it wasn't his job to fix her. His mind was too far deep into his own dark thoughts to worry about anyone else's.

    Erik tucked his hands in his hoodie pockets as he got out of the car and extended his elbow for support. Charlie debated taking it for a moment. The thought of being linked to Erik, even for medical reasons, brings heat to his cheeks. But, it's night time...no one can tell. So, Charlie took his elbow and let Erik take some of the weight as they slowly made their way up the long driveway and towards the open garage.

    Marina's garage was larger than most. It was disconnected from the rest of the home making it especially reserved for band activities and hang outs. It was more of a small living space than anything Charlie realized. With a full bathroom and several futons it was big enough for the group to crash in if they didn't make it to the basement. Majority of the area was made up of instruments with a fridge and coffee table. Decorated over a long weekend sometime around two years ago with Christmas lights, fabrics and anything they could find at the clearance section of the party store, it was a nice little escape from the everyday. The door was open revealing a dull glow into the outside light. Music was playing from the speakers and Charlie hummed involuntarily in relief. The familiarity of the surroundings was like a warm cushion against the darker thoughts. Beckoning them away for a while as he and Erik came into view of the others.