Ever bobbed his head hard enough to make him dizzy. He wanted a shower so badly. He felt so dirty his skin hurt. Arsen led him to the bathroom and turned on the light. Ever flinched away from it, blinking rapidly. It was so bright.
“Blya,” Arsen said in a rush, reaching for one of the four bulbs that made up the light fixture, swearing and flinching as he twisted the bulb until it went out. “Hot,” he said sheepishly.
Ever trapped his lip between his teeth, this time to keep from laughing as Arsen repeated the process with a second bulb. Once that light was extinguished, Ever felt better.
Arsen turned the water on then flashed another smile his way. “There’s a toothbrush here, too. And toothpaste. You can use my soap. It’s there.” He pointed to a bottle on the shelf. “But don’t use the green stuff. That’s what takes the dirt and oil off my hands.” He held up his hands. They were rough and calloused, the nails bitten to the quick, the skin surrounding them looking like it was permanently stained black. For some reason, it made Ever feel better.
“Are you hungry?”
Ever nodded. He couldn’t remember his last meal.
“Okay, you shower and I’ll make you something. It won’t be fancy. I am terrible cook. I know how to make three things. Sandwiches. Ramen. Hot pockets.”
Ever didn’t know what two of those things were, but he was willing to eat food from the trash at this point. He flushed as his stomach growled loudly.
Arsen laughed. “You can take as long as you want, but the hot water only lasts about fifteen minutes. The water pressure is very nice, though.”
With that, he was gone, leaving Ever alone in the room. He peeled his clothes off and stepped beneath the water, turning it to scalding, not even caring about the wounds on his back. Being clean was worth the pain. He scrubbed every part of himself he could reach until his fingers ached, then just stood under the water until it went cold.
He stepped from the shower, wrapping the towel around his waist, then set about scrubbing his mouth and teeth with the same force he had his body. When he was satisfied, he did his best to get the excess water from his hair before he reached for the clothes piled on the toilet.
They were soft and clean. He pulled on the joggers, noting the cream color, hoping he didn’t spill his food on it. There was also another hoodie, this one butter yellow. And socks.
He pulled the hoodie over his head, huffing the fabric like a drug, disappointed when all he smelled was detergent. Arsen’s hoodie smelled better.
When he left the bathroom, he found Arsen sitting on the sofa, two bowls in front of him on the small coffee table. When he looked up and saw Ever standing there, he just stared. Ever stopped short, trapped in his gaze.
Arsen studied him for so long, he reached for his face, wondering if there was something he’d missed. That was when Arsen seemed to come back to himself. He gestured for Ever to come to him. Ever did as he was told, standing on the other side of the table until Arsen told him what he expected of him.
“Sit. Eat.”
Ever relaxed. That was easy. He moved around the table, sitting on the floor, the scent of whatever was in the bowl hitting him like a brick. It was a soup of some kind with long, thin noodles piled high in the middle. He grabbed the fork and dug in, moaning when the food hit his tongue. He tried not to rush it. He really did. But it tasted so good and the broth felt nice on his throat.
When his bowl was empty, he glanced up to find Arsen watching him, a sort of half-smile on his lips. Ever flushed. Arsen pushed his bowl towards him. “Here.”
Ever frowned and shook his head, pointing at Arsen.
Arsen pushed the bowl again. “I’m not hungry. This is for you. Eat it. You’ll sleep better.” Ever frowned, hesitating. “Eat,” Arsen said again, this time with more force.
Ever took the bowl, devouring it with the same vigor he had the first, only looking up once he’d done what he was told.
Arsen smiled. “Good boy.”
Ever blinked at him, something quivering deep inside at the praise.
Arsen stood, holding out his hand. Ever stared at it until he opened and shut it, indicating that he expected him to take it. Ever complied. Was he taking him to his bed?
His heart started to hammer until he was light-headed. He’d do it if that was what Arsen wanted. But he was so tired.
Arsen led him down a short hallway to two doors, pointing to the one on the left. “This is my room. If you need me, come get me. Okay?”
Ever shifted his weight on the balls of his feet, then nodded. Arsen opened the door to the right and gently nudged Ever inside. He stopped short, looking around.
It was brightly colored just like Arsen. Even though there were no lamps, the room was illuminated. There were neon pink lights that surrounded the perimeter of the ceiling and blue lights that trailed along the baseboards. On a desk were three screens, each with pictures made up of the same pink and blue neon and a tower and keyboard that emanated the same pulsing colors.
“I can turn the lights out,” Arsen said.
Ever shook his head. “Pretty,’ he said before he could stop himself.
