Alps ✰ Ethma

THIRTY FOUR

Emma Pov.

    Ethan screamed as my fingers cracked his nose back into place, his knuckles turning white at how hard he was gripping the bathroom counter that he was seated on. “Shh, we’re done. I promise.” I rushed, moving one of my hands over his mouth to keep him quiet. Down the hallway I could hear his mom, Lisa, talking to Grayson in a sweet tone before she would go to bed.

    Ethan sighed as I dropped my hand from his mouth & grabbed the warm washcloth again, gently wiping away both the dry & fresh blood from under his nose. Once most of the bleeding stopped, I attached a thin piece of white tape over the bridge of his nose in order to keep in place as much as possible. As my fingertips sealed the ends of the tape, they dragged over his cheekbones & I slowly moved my hands to cup his cheeks softly. I gazed with a frown into his saddened & dazed eyes, my right thumb brushing away a subconscious tear that had fallen from his eye.

    “He’s gone for good.” I whispered, referring to his abusive father & he nodded so little that I wouldn’t have noticed if I hadn’t have been touching his face. His face contorted a small amount, his eyebrows furrowing a little & his bottom lip becoming shaky.

    “I just wanted him to be proud of me.” He whispered, biting his lip & my eyes softened. I moved closer so I was standing in between his legs & he pulled me close, ducking his head carefully down into my neck. My fingers carded through his messy locks of hair soothingly as he sniffled a little, a small tear hitting the skin of my neck. “I can’t tell if I’m happy that he’s gone or not.” He admitted shakily & I nodded, tracing my free hand up the spine of his shirt.

    “You’ll be okay, you're the strongest person I know.” I mumbled softly into the fabric of his plain shirt, pressing a small kiss to where his collarbone connects to with his shoulder. I know he’ll be okay.

    After a few minutes I pulled away from the standing/sitting hug & gently grabbed Ethan’s hand, pulling him off of the counter & flicking the light off in the bathroom as I dragged him out into the hallway. I intertwined our fingers & pulled our hands up, pressing a kiss to his large hand as we walked towards his bedroom. We passed Grayson’s bedroom & my heart warmed at the small glimpse the cracked open door allowed, seeing Grayson & his mom sleeping next to each other as if Lisa was too worried about her injured son & wanted to stay by his side. I moved my gaze away & pushed Ethan’s bedroom door open, walking in with him & then softly shutting the door behind us.

    “Oh, shutting the door huh, what are we doing tonight?” Ethan questioned, a smirk being clearly laced into his voice. My lip curled up in both disgust & humor, disconnecting our interlocked hands & hitting him mockingly in the stomach. My heart skipped a beat when instead of laughing his breath hitched, making me glance up at him worriedly when his hand went to hold his stomach.

    “Ethan? What did I do?” I rushed out, placing my hand onto his arm as he shook his head & exhaled with a small chuckle, falling back onto his bed with his arms behind his head.

    “Nothing, it’s fine. Just a little sore.” He brushed off & my eyes lowered in realization. I crawled onto the bed, straddling his waist as my hand shot up immediately & yanked up the fabric of his shirt, exposing not only his toned stomach but a faint bruising around the bottom of his rib cage. “Emm—” He started & I cut him off.

    “Ethan.” I interrupted in a dazed tone, my eyes staying glued to his darkening skin. I brought my other hand up & gently brushed my fingertips over the smooth texture of his stomach, slight relief flooding through me as he didn’t flinch or make a noise of pain. I sighed sadly & leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to the wound before pulling the hem of his shirt back down. His arms suddenly found my lower back, pulling me fully on top of him & snuggling his face into the shoulder of my hoodie.