Triple Crossed

Chapter Fifteen

   It had been just a few days since the pills were first taken from Roan. It had been a very quiet environment in the house. Roan didn't talk to Corren after that night and excluded himself.  

After a dinner of meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and green beans, Roan went straight to the spare bedroom and locked himself in. Corren headed towards his bedroom. Before he made it to the door, he heard the sound of Roan violently vomiting and knew something was wrong. He tried to unlock the door, but Roan had barricaded it shut.

"Roan, please open the door," Corren said through the door. "I can help you. Let me in."

"No," Roan replied, his voice hoarse. "I can handle this on my own."

"Roan, you're not alone. I'm here for you," Corren said, trying to keep his voice calm.

But Roan didn't respond. The sounds of vomiting and dry heaving continued for what felt like hours, and Corren sat outside the door, listening helplessly. Finally, as the night grew old, the sounds subsided, and the door creaked open.

Roan emerged, looking pale and sickly. He stumbled over to the bed in the spare room and collapsed onto it, gasping for air.

"Roan, are you okay?" Corren asked, kneeling next to him.

"No," Roan said, his voice barely above a whisper. "I need the pills. I can't do this."

"You don't need the pills, Roan," Corren said firmly. "You're stronger than this. You can beat this addiction."

Roan shook his head weakly. "It's not a fucking addiction," he said, tears streaming down his face.

"It is," Corren said, putting a comforting arm around him. "And I'll be here to help you every step of the way." Roan shoved him off. 

As the night wore on, Roan's withdrawal symptoms intensified. He was writhing in pain, his body twitching and sweating profusely. Corren sat by his side, trying to calm him down.

"Corren, I need those pills," Roan moaned. "I can't take this anymore. It hurts too much." His eyes were clenched shut.

"I know, Roan. But you have to be strong. You can get through this," Corren said, trying to reassure him.

But Roan was in too much pain to listen. He thrashed around on the bed, his eyes wide with fear and desperation. His Irises began to flicker between black and their usual colors, the stress within Roan causing a physical effect. 

"I can't do it, Corren. I can't," he sobbed. "Please, just give me the pills. Just one. Please."

Corren hesitated, torn between his desire to help Roan and his fear of enabling his addiction. He knew that giving Roan the pills would only make things worse in the long run.

"Roan, I can't do that. I'm sorry," he said, his voice trembling.

His eyes dulled black. Roan's face twisted in anger and frustration. "You don't understand, Corren. You don't know what it's like. You don't know how much it hurts."

"I know, Roan. I know it hurts. But you have to be strong. You have to fight it," Corren said, his voice gentle but firm.

Roan glared at him, his eyes newly shifted filled with hatred and pain. Swirls of glowing green momentarily emanate from Roan's hands before it fades away just as soon as they appeared. "You don't know anything," he spat. "You think you can just fix everything with your money and your fancy clothes. But you can't fix me, Corren. You can't fix what's broken inside of me."

Corren felt a pang of guilt and sadness at Roan's words. He knew that he couldn't fix Roan's addiction, no matter how hard he tried. All he could do was support him and hope that one day, Roan would find the strength to overcome his demons.

"I'm sorry, Roan. I'm so sorry," he said, his voice breaking. He acted in a manner reminiscent of his younger self. 

Roan didn't respond. He just curled up into a ball, his body shaking with sobs. Corren sat by his side, waiting for the storm to pass.

Roan's body was trembling uncontrollably as he lay on the bed, drenched in sweat. He was in agony, his muscles aching, and his head pounding. Every inch of his body was screaming out in pain.

"It's okay, Roan. Just try to breathe through it. I'm here with you, and I won't leave your side," Corren said softly, rubbing Roan's back.

Roan let out a strangled cry, tears streaming down his face. "Don't touch me!" 

Corren quickly yanked his hand away from Roan."I'm... I'm sorry," He muttered. His tail drooped and went limp against the hard floors beneath. 

"It hurts so much, Corren. Make it stop, please. Give me the pills, just one. I can't take this anymore." Roan begged and pleaded with the other male. 

Corren shook his head firmly. "No, Roan. I can't give you the pills. You know that. We need to get you through this, and you will come out the other side stronger."

Roan whimpered, curling up into a ball. "I can't do this, Corren. I can't. I'd rather die."

"Yes, you can. You are stronger than this, Roan. I believe in you," Corren said, his voice full of conviction.

For hours, Roan writhed in pain, the withdrawal symptoms seemingly never-ending. But Corren stayed by his side, comforting him as best he could. Finally, after what felt like hours later, Roan's body began to calm down, the tremors easing, and his breathing becoming more even.

Corren smiled down at him, relief etched on his face. "You did it, Roan. You made it through. You're going to be okay."

Roan turned his head slowly to look at Corren, his eyes filled with exhaustion. He didn't respond but Corren could tell Roan felt relief.

As Roan finally falls asleep, Corren checks his phone and sees that he has a missed call from an unknown number. He decides to call it back and is surprised to hear the voice of a woman on the other end.

"Hello, is this Corren Everson?" she asks.

"Yes, it is," he replies cautiously.

"I'm looking for Roan," she says.

Corren hesitates for a moment before responding. "I'm sorry, but I can't let you talk to him. He's not been here. Who is this?"

"If you see him, can you please call me back? I'm worried about him," Alcove pleads. It was hard to discern her true emotions.

Corren considers this for a moment before responding. "I'll return the call if I see him. But I can't make any promises."

"Thank you, Corren. I appreciate it," Alcove says before hanging up.

Corren sighs and puts his phone back in his pocket. Worries plagued him once more.  Why would someone call him looking for Roan? Had someone tipped her off? He looks around the room and realizes how exhausted he is. He decides to lie down on the couch against the wall of the spare room and take a nap while keeping an eye on Roan. It was all he could do for now.

As he drifts off to sleep, he can't help but think about Alcove's call. He wonders what the woman's intentions are and whether she can really be trusted. But for now, he decides to focus on taking care of Roan and helping him through his withdrawals.