You Changed Me

1. A Cough in the Alley

Three Years Earlier

Ethan sighed as he stepped out of the cafe. The sky was dark and the clouds were heavy with rain. He took a sip of his coffee and adjusted his beanie, before turning to wave at the girl behind the counter and leaving.

He trudged down the sidewalk as he made his way back home. He paused at the alleyway by his apartment. He could cut his travel time in half by headed down, or he could continue on his way in the light where he could see everything that was around him. He looked up at the sky with a frown.

"Might as well, it's gonna start raining either way I go at this point," he mumbled to himself, making the turn and pulling his jacket up around his neck. He couldn't help his eyes darting from left to right as he hummed quietly to himself in the dark.

He had frozen a few times in his walk as he tripped over things and his paranoia and anxiety would make him freeze in fear. But he refused to stop once the rain started, instead, he hurried his pace and pulled his jacket tighter.

He did freeze once more, though, just as he was about to turn on his street, a block away from his complex.

A string of wet, pain filled hacks had come from behind him. He half had just wanted to say he imagined the coughing too. That is until he turned around. There was a man there, faded green hair that was splattered with red blood, a bruised and bloodied face. The man's left arm looked like it had been cut in a line from the shoulder to the wrist. His hooded shirt was bloody and torn, as well as his pants.

Ethan swallowed harshly. The sight was enough to raise bile to his mouth, but he knew he couldn't just leave the guy.

"U-uh, oh gosh, s-sir?" he asked, inching closer to the bloody man resting on the wall. How had I not seen him earlier? He questioned himself as he got down, lifting his hand to his face to keep the rain out of his eyes.

"Oh gosh, that... you l-look real bad. Should I- should I call the hospital?" he didn't wait for an answer before he was fumbling for his phone, pulling it out and trying to use it with his cold fingers.

"No!" the guy coughed, causing Ethan to look up at him in concern, "No, I... I just need to get cleaned up. Don't need the hospital," he said in a softer tone, his eyes opening a little through their puffy and bruised state. Ethan swore he stopped breathing for a moment. His eyes...

The man's eyes were a startling, practically inhuman, blue.

Ethan just nodded his head slowly, staring at the man's eyes. Then he stood and leaned down to help the man up. "I, uh, you can come to my place to clean up. Don't worry, no one'll ask questions about it," he said at the man's confused glance.

He shifted the guy, once they were both standing, so that Mister Bloody could lean on him as Ethan led the way. They stumbled towards Ethan's apartment, the little run-down building that was on the corner.

They entered with no problem, no one being down by the doors to question why Ethan was coming home with some bloody guy hanging off his arm. The elevator up was fine too, though Ethan did wince a little as the guy's hand tightened around his arm painfully when they started moving up.

"You sure you're alright?" Ethan asked as they stepped out of the elevator and slowly made their way down the hall to his apartment. Ethan let the blue eyes stranger lean against the wall as he unlocked the door, glancing at him occasionally as he fumbled with his keys and half frozen fingers.

"Yeh, jus' need to clean up..." the guy trailed off a moment before opening his mouth like he was going to say more, then he snapped it shut. Ethan shrugged to himself about it and finally got his door open.