A Long Road

4

A/N: I think I'm gonna leave it in 1st except for a few chapters but those aren't even planned yet so I don't know

Vince

I stared through the window, watching the rain come down relentlessly. Each drop echoed into the darkness. And suddenly, I was falling backwards. My back hit the wooden floor and it shattered like glass underneath me, and soon, I was raining down, passing everything that made me who I was. Except, unlike the rain, I never met the ground.

Instead, I landed in a field of bright flowers. The rain had stopped or, disappeared rather. The sun was shining, casting light around me. I looked around, but all I saw was endless color. 

It took me a few moments to even bother standing up, and when I did my legs were weak, shaking. I took a step forward, though the light started to blind me. I pulled up my hood, tried to cover my eyes, but it didn't help. I was engulfed in white, Heaven's fist crushing me and lifting me into the clouds.

And then I woke up.

The light from the room was brighter than I could have ever imagined and I just wanted it to go away. I wanted to hide from it and return to my apartment where light didn't even exist.

And what for? Why did I wake up? 

I opened my eyes to see a weeping Lucian, and I was taken aback. 

"The fuck?" I muttered, though my voice was scratchy, more-so than normal.

"Vince!"

I turned over in the bed, pulling the white sheets over me. It smelled like hospital.

"The fuck you want, Lucian?" I asked, though refused to face them or even bother trying to hold a conversation.

"Excuse me?" I heard them ask before the blanket was pulled back, ripped from my grasp. "The fuck do I want?! What about you, Vince?! What were you thinking? You could've been killed and I-" This was the first time I'd ever heard them be... aggressive, angry. I finally sat up and faced them, and I felt my chest grow tight. 

Lucian was pale, their eyes were puffy and tears streaked their skin. My heart sank. 

What have I done?

But the words I spoke were vastly different than what I was thinking.

"I didn't ask you to care about me, Lucian!" I regretted the words as soon as I said them but I couldn't stop. I couldn't stop. "I didn't ask you to throw a pity party, I didn't ask you to sit here and wait for me to live when all I wanted was to just die!" I was sitting now, and I could feel tears on my own skin. I wiped them quickly. They didn't need to see that.

Lucian stopped and stared at me, and it was silent between us for at least a minute. Then, they put their head down, resting their forehead on the bed next to me. 

"You didn't ask, no... But you know what, Vince?" their voice was soft, calm. "I care about you anyway."

No.

"You're caring about the wrong person." I hissed, turning away again.

"Okay? Vince, get your head out of your ass. I don't care if you think you're the worst person in the world, I don't care. I don't know what's going on in your head because you refuse to tell anyone. I don't know what you're going through, and even if I did, I can't help you. But that doesn't mean I can't try to make your life better. Do you think it's easy for me to be friends with you?" 

I took offense, and I slammed my hand down on the bed next to me, looked at them now, and they were looking back. 

"If it isn't so easy then why are you still trying?!" 

They squinted and crossed their arms over their chest, and stared daggers into my soul. I was so uncomfortable. 

"Because someone has to get it through your dumb head. There's more to life than whatever it is you waste away doing. I'm not smart or talented, so there's not a lot in this world that I can do. But what I absolutely can do is try and help the people around me."

" I don't want you to." I interrupted, but Lucian instantly silenced me.

"I don't care if you don't want help. You're getting help. I'm going to help you and there's nothing you can do about it."

I stared at them with wide eyes, not blinking. I never saw this side of Lucian. Normally they were kind and sweet but to see them so... annoying and headstrong was so strange. 

"Maybe then you'll finally accept having a friend. Maybe if I just keep trying you'll see that I'm not going to hurt you."

I shook my head and rested back, and that's when I noticed the doctor standing in the doorway, witnessing everything that had just happened. I felt my face flush with embarrassment and I pulled the blanket up again.

"Vince Zima," she started, and I rolled over, turning away, "We have to keep you for a few days to monitor your wounds but after that you'll be able to return home. Unfortunately, your leg and wrist were broken in your accident, so I'd like to suggest having a care-taker until it's healed."

No one could come into my apartment, it was a mess and it was just terrible.

"No."

"Vince," I heard Lucian next to me and I already knew what they were going to say.

"No."

"Vince, I'm taking time off work to help you."

In what world is this normal?

In what world do people just take time off work to care for someone that doesn't even want them to be around? Apparently, I didn't have a choice.

"And how are you going to take care of yourself? Ain't you got shit to do?"

Lucian shook their head and put a hand on my shoulder. "Vince, listen, I have two jobs, it's not going to hurt, plus, I'll only be there sometimes. You'll still have privacy and, you don't have anyone else. I doubt you have the money to hire someone either, so deal with it."

I had never heard Lucian act like that before, and I stared at them with my eyes wide open for a second.

I really didn't have a choice; I had to give in.

A/N: it was a lot better but then i accidentally deleted it all :>