"You’re a goddamn softy," I laughed.
"Fuck off.”
“You are.” I said fondly “trying to play tough guy all the time but you’re no good at i-“ I was cut off by my own yelp as he dug his fingers into my waist, laughing openly at the sound before also yelping as I fought back; we rolled around like fools, our breathy snorts of laughter filling the silence in the room.
The bickering, laughing, fighting, fucking- it all made me feel warm and fuzzy inside, especially when Theo collapsed beside me, entwining our hands together.
“You’rea softy.” He mumbled, closing his eyes.
I didn’t even bother denying it.
CHAPTER 36
Matthew
I didn’t know what happened. One moment, I was inside a pub, laughing with Theo, Alex and Nico, tipping my drink back.
The next, I was in an alleyway and everything burned.
I remembered a guy. Two guys? There’d been a baseball bat. And fists. And kicks.
I couldn’t remember their faces. I couldn’t even remember them dragging me out of the pub, but they must have managed somehow because otherwise I wouldn’t be sitting outside in the freezing cold with no idea where I was and in some of the worst pain I’d ever been in.
They’d called me a faggot. They’d called me a faggot and they’d beaten me up for it, said I was disgusting and unnatural and deserved to die. Tears welled up in my eyes at the very thought. How did they know? They couldn’t have known. It wasimpossible.Me and Theo had been putting in the effort tonight to tone it down in such a public space, there wasno way-
I was in hysterics. I’d worked myself intohystericsby the time I heard it, after what felt like an eternity.
“Matt!”
That was him. That was my Theo. I couldn’t see him but I could hear his voice- I couldn’t answer him, my brain wasn’t working with my mouth and I think all I managed was a groan, but somehow that worked because he was crashing to his knees in front of me not long after.
“Matt.” He breathed.
I could hardly see him. My vision was blurring and I couldn’t control my sobbing or my breathing, the pain too sharp and unrelenting. Myribs were burning and my chest hurt and I was sure my stomach was being sliced into.
“Calm down. You need to calm down.”
“It hurts.” I croaked. There was another voice-Nico’s, I thought- low and frantic.
“I know, Matt.” Theo whispered, sounding choked up “I know. Where does it hurt?”
I tried to draw in another breath, palming at the left side of my chest, where the pain was throbbing the most.
I choked on a cry when I felt hands on me. Theo, I realised, prodding at my ribs, sending bursts of white to cloud my already fuzzy vision.
“It’s alright.” Theo’s gentle voice assured, breaking through the haze “you have two broken ribs, I think. Are you having trouble breathing?”
That was…not the simplest question to answer. I couldn’t tell if it was just because of my sobbing. I settled on shrugging.
“Well, you have some internal bleeding.” He observed softly “there was blood in your puke-“
I’d puked? I hadn’t realised I’d puked. That would explain the shit taste in my mouth. Theo was still talking. I put all my effort into comprehending his words.
“Listen, you’ll be fine. We just need to get you to the healers, yeah? To Octavia?”
“Make it stop.” I gasped.
“I will, Matt.” He whispered “I promise I will.”
