Princess // gawsten ✓

017.

"Just—hold still for once, please." Geoff huffed as he ran a washcloth beneath the warmed water, beginning to hold it to Awsten's opened up cuts on his lips. "I know it stings, but I need to clean it out before it gets infected."

Awsten pushed Geoff's hand away and crossed his arms, his eyes facing the floor as he spoke. "I told you, Geoff, it's no big deal! I'm used to it, just leave it be."

Setting the wet rag onto the counter, Geoff took Awsten's head gently between his hands, his eyes locked dead onto Awsten's. "No big deal? Aws, you're my best fucking friend! I can't just let shit like this go...he puts his hands on you and does this?! No way, never ever again will he do this to you. I will make very fucking sure of it." Geoff turned away and clenched his fists together, feeling anger seeping into his bloodstream.

It was silent for some time, as Geoff kept his back to Awsten, heaving in deep breaths. His body practically trembled in anger, both at Awsten's father and his nonchalant attitude towards his injuries. "He was in the room whenever you told me you were falling for me." Awsten spoke up finally, his voice choked off and scratchy.

The thoughts in Geoff's mind stopped immediately, like a record player scratching off of a vinyl. He turned around slowly as tears puddled in his eyes. "He—what?" Confusion read along Geoff's face like a picture book.

"He heard you tell me that. Geoff Wigington, a boy, telling his supposedly straight son that he was falling for him." Awsten sputtered and spit some blood into the sink, wiping at his bleeding lips and chuckling halfheartedly. "I hung up because I heard him gasp. As soon as I did, he pounced on me, punching me and throwing me around like a ragdoll. He called me every name in the book: faggot, fairy, bitch, mistake."  Awsten's eyes connected with Geoff's as the young boy tried to read the elder's emotions. "You know what is so weird about it though?"

No words fell from Geoff's lips. It was almost as if he was frozen in place, his eyes rapidly blinking as he tried to process the severity of his words before. "W—what?" He whispered beneath his breath, which was almost too quiet for anyone to hear.

"I was being beaten, almost to the point of blacking out, and the only thing that kept me going was you, Geoff." Awsten lifted his practically shattered lips into a smile, a real one this time. "I fell for you a long time ago, Geoff Wigington, and all I was waiting for was for you to finally say it back."

Without another word, Geoff pulled the young boy into his arms, face buried deep in his neck. He didn't hug him too tight, for fear that the tightness would bother his bruises. He wanted to kiss Awsten's lips, but blood still poured from them. The pair stayed like that, arms wrapped around one another for what seemed like an eternity, but finally Geoff pulled away, brushing a lock of purple hair from Awsten's dual-toned eyes and smiling softly. "Now will you hold still and let me take care of you?"

Awsten tried to smile, but hissed when pain flickered away like a flame within his lips. He held his arms out and shut his eyes. "Do with me what you will, Dr. Wigington."

————

"Here's my room." Geoff pushed open a white oak door, revealing a room which Awsten didn't expect to see.

The walls were a brilliant navy blue color, and every piece of furniture inside was black. The shelves held figurines of characters, which were familiar to the young boy, but not nameable. A thirty-two inch TV sat along a coffee table, plugged into a game system or two, Awsten couldn't tell. It smelled exactly of Geoff's cologne, and Awsten practically relished in the scent.

Geoff blushed as Awsten took a look around, picking up different things and inspecting them. "I'm uh—sort of a closeted nerd." He scratched the back of his neck and fell onto his bed, his cheeks hot in embarrassment.

"Never thought such a punk boy like you would be into video games." Awsten teased and pushed Geoff's shoulder as he sat on the bed next to him, crossing his bruised arms over his chest.

Geoff had managed to clean up the cuts along his lips and face, but his body was still littered with large bruises. Awsten wanted to hide, but he knew Geoff would never let him. "Do you have a—uh long sleeve shirt I could borrow?" Awsten smiled sheepishly and tossed his short sleeved Panic! At the Disco tour shirt over his head and onto the floor. His torso was the most bruised, to which Geoff gasped slightly and moved to Awsten with the shirt in hand. "It doesn't hurt—not that bad anyway." Awsten flinched as Geoff ran a soft finger down the purple discoloration.

The older boy pushed the long sleeve blue and black patterned sweater onto Awsten's now fragile body, being careful as to not touch the large bruise masking his left pectoral. Climbing into bed, Geoff threw the covers back onto him and smiled as Awsten sheepishly looked on. "I don't bite, Aws, get over here and cuddle with me."