Reap the Earth at Which you Stand [boyxboy]

Chapter V

~Saturday 4th November 2017~

"Fuck!" Dakota yelled, tipping his head back and clenching his fists. He knew he was supposed to be being quiet, hence why he had been gagged a moment before, but there was only so much he could cope with. The rag had fallen from his mouth during a moment of particular agony, when Dakota had almost called the whole situation off, which meant he only had the opportunity to disturb the neighbours more.

"I'm already branded a hippy and a drug dealer, will you please not add murderer to that list, Dakota?" Pete muttered sullenly, not seeming fazed in the slightest by the task he had been given for the evening. It wasn't often that one was asked to perform minor surgery with little to no painkillers on someone they barely knew, yet Pete was taking it better than most.

"Just get on with it," Dakota forced out through gritted teeth, wondering if the gag might have been to prevent him causing any damage to his mouth. Maybe he shouldn't have fought so hard against it. Then again, what else could he really do to himself? He was already in tatters, anything else would just be laughable.

"Y'know, I did offer you something for the pain, you don't have to act like I'm forcing you into this," Dakota dared to look down at his torso, grimacing when he found that only three of the five wounds were stitched up. He had hoped for more, he really wasn't sure how much longer he could stand the agony. He had endured worse, he told himself, although he couldn't think of any other scenario that could begin to compare in that moment. The pain was clouding his thoughts too much.

"Not a good idea," Dakota rested his head back on the pillow, squeezing his eyes closed and letting out a low whine when he felt the tip of the needle pierce his skin once again. The flesh was tugged and shifted, making it almost impossible for the boy to prevent any of the noises leaving his mouth. He had hoped he might have passed out, even made Pete promise to just continue with the task if he did so, no matter how much the man protested at the notion.

"Fuck this, Dakota," Pete rose swiftly, crossing the room and sifting through one of the cupboards in the kitchen. Dakota would have liked to have seen what he was doing, but there wasn't much in his view from where he was laid on the dining room table. He only hoped he wasn't bleeding all over Pete's furniture and floor, that would have been rude, and Dakota had already been a pretty shoddy guest over the past few days.

"No, I-I can't," Dakota was panting by this point, barely able to draw in a breath for fear of the spiking pain that would jolt through him from every rise and fall of his chest, "I can't have other drugs with my medication-"

"Trust me, Dakota, this won't interfere with whatever you're taking," Pete returned with two little blue pills resting in the palm of his hand and a glass of water in the other. They looked harmless, as Pete had said, however, Dakota knew his limits. No matter the temptation, he wasn't supposed to risk it. Kalvin would kill him if he found out, no matter the context.

"What is it?" Dakota asked cautiously, not moving to take either from Pete, watching the man skeptically. Dakota had to be careful when taking any medication other than that he had received from Kalvin, they could have adverse effects, and he really didn't need that. Not to even begin mentioning his addictive personality. Dakota didn't want to become some sort of junkie again, only looking for the next hit, not thinking of anything else other than the pills.

"Just something my mom taught me how to make. It's harmless, I promise, it'll just take the edge off," Dakota still didn't move, "it isn't addictive either, Dakota, it's natural. I swear to you, you won't feel any pull to have more once I've given you any," Dakota hesitated once again, before deciding it was healthier for him to trust Pete than not to. He took the pills from the man, craning his neck up so that he could sip the water and force the unpleasant medication down his throat. Ignoring the flashbacks from previous years, Dakota relaxed once again, waiting for the pain to subside.