"Oh, me?" Pollux asked, tilting his head, "Just hit that fun little crash after being so medicated for days, is all. I'm fine. Just dead tired."
He laughed a bit.
"That's very like him, though. I appreciate the sentiment from both of you."
He pulled out his phone and called Cyrus, putting it on speaker. It rang for a while, but at the last second, Cyrus picked up.
"Um… hello?" Cyrus said, sounding muffled and weak.
On the other end of the line, he'd just woken up on the couch, awakened by the buzzing of his phone. His head was throbbing.
Pollux's expression was stern, almost angry. Yet he knew berating the other would do nothing helpful at all.
“We just want to make sure you’re healthy and doing alright.” Marcus replied, nodding his head along to his own words as if that would make them more definitive.
He fell silent, however, as the phone rang. Marcus held his breath, nearly praying to whatever god was there that Cyrus would pick up. The sound of his lover’s voice filled him with relief to the point he almost started crying. He wanted to cuddle so bad.
“Cyrus.” Marcus hummed, smiling despite Pollux’s stern expression.
"Oh my god. Marcus. What's going on? Are you alright?" Cyrus blurted out.
After a short pause, Pollux responded, "He's with me. He's injured himself, but I'm taking care of him."
"Wait, how'd you even get in contact with him?"
"You… gave me his number, remember?"
Cyrus fell silent. He felt too ashamed to admit he didn't really even remember having a conversation with the other to begin with. He'd blacked out pretty hard, after all.
Marcus glanced at Pollux once more, his brow furrowing. Cyrus didn’t remember contacting Pollux? How much had he had to drink? Marcus couldn’t really remember the last time he had seen Cyrus blackout from drinking. In fact we wasn’t sure he even had seen Cyrus drink that much.
“I’m okay. Tired and in pain, but okay.” He replied softly, resting his head back and sighing deeply.
“Do you think your sister… could she help with the whole Marx thing? I can’t leave him there.”
"I can always ask," Cyrus replied softly, "I hope she'll be okay with it. Or that she'll at least find someone else who's cool with it. Should I come over there to see you? I can call a cab."
Pollux glanced at Marcus.
"That's up to you. What do you feel like doing? I know you want to see him."
Cyrus closed his eyes and exhaled.
"How bad are his injuries, really?"
Pollux knew Cyrus was relying on his usual brutal honesty, but he found himself silent, waiting for Marcus to decide what needed to be said.
“Thank you…” Marcus bit back his immediate response, taking a moment to think things through.
He wanted Cyrus to come, but he didn’t want the other to put himself in harms way to do so.
“I do want you to come over… and my injuries… a few bites, scratches, and I… I lost a few fingers…” he internally winced at the words, hoping Cyrus wouldn’t freak out too much. Marcus was already trying to keep himself calm about the whole missing fingers thing. He felt like he needed to throw up or pass out or do something. But all he felt was an emotional numbness to it all. Yes he felt the pain in his hand and it was steadily getting worse, but his brain didn’t seem to be able to process that.
"You what?" Cyrus gasped, his mouth suddenly feeling dry, "I'll call a cab and head over right away, love. I'll call Nina too."
He was trying to stay calm, but his voice was wavering.
"Cyrus, drink some water at least before you come over here. You're probably hungover as all fuck, yeah?"
"Ugh… yeah," he admitted, "Anything else? Or should I get going."
"I think that's all," Pollux said, "Marcus?"
“I’m alright, Pollux helped me, it’s alright Cyrus. But yes… please come over.” Marcus rubbed at his face, sighing softly.
“I have nothing else, just remember to be careful, Cy. Dont hurt yourself.” His tone was stern, but loving. Even in his current situation he couldn’t help but think of Cyrus more than himself.
“Thank you for coming.”
"Of course. Be there soon. Bye," Cyrus finished.
Pollux hung up the phone and let out a heavy sigh.
"Well, shit."
He looked over at Marcus again, debating whether to bring it up. After another sigh, he opened his mouth to speak.
"Are you surprised?" he asked, "By the binge drinking episode, I mean?"
“Goodbye, see you soon baby.” He replied softly, closing his eyes and letting out a tired sigh.
He was exhausted and it only seemed to be getting worse. He barely tilted his head to look at Pollux, humming a little as he thought it over.
“I am. I didn’t know he drank like that. I’ve done it too but it feels strange to think Cyrus does it.”
"Yeah… it's a problem. I mean, I've gotten blackout drunk like twice before, I think, but that's in my whole life. This has been a pretty… regular occurrence for him," Pollux replied.
"I think you're probably out of the woods on shock. I'll go get you something to drink shortly, a change of clothes, and if there's anything else you need, of course. I can get you pain meds too. Nothing too strong."
“I wonder if I could help him quit? It would be good for both of us to start drinking moderately or not at all.” Marcus murmured, tilting his head to watch Pollux when he spoke.
“Can I just get a water? And maybe an Advil?” He asked softly, sighing gently. “I’m sorry you had to take care of me, but thank you.”
"Addiction is fucking ugly. He'll benefit from your support most definitely, but the guy needs therapy among other things," Pollux agreed, "It's much harder when he doesn't think he has a problem in that regard, though."
He got to his feet, shaking his head.
"No problem at all. I'm glad I can help."
He went to the kitchen to get a cup of water, and stopped by his room, grabbing a clean set of clothes so Marcus could change out of his bloody ones.
He walked back in and offered the cup to Marcus before going into the medicine cabinet to get some ibuprofen.
“I think we all need therapy…” he muttered under his breath, shifting to a slightly more comfortable position and running his fingers along the bandaged edge of his hand.
He softly thanked Pollux as the other male left, shifting some more so he could test the limitations of his strength. He still felt dizzy and incredibly weak but he managed to pull himself up into a standing position, holding onto the edge of the sink for stability.
“Thank you, again. It means a lot.” Marcus said as he took the clothes and water from Pollux. He waited patiently for the other to find the pain medication, closing his eyes to fight a new wave of nausea. He didn’t know where it came from or what was causing it, but he sure as hell didn’t like it.
"Careful there," Pollux warned, noting the other's instability from the corner of his eye as he grabbed the pill bottle and set it on the counter.
"Need help with anything?"
He unscrewed the cap before offering some to Marcus.
Marcus shook his head, looking up at his pale reflection in the mirror. He took the pills from Pollux with a weak smile, downing only two with a large gulp of water that made his head spin.
“I’m alright, just need a place to rest for a bit. Still dizzy.”
"Right. If you'll get out of those bloody clothes, I can let you rest on the couch or the bed," Pollux said, "I'll get you something sugary to drink once you finish off that water. You're looking rough there. Which is more than understandable, but I don't want you falling out on me because I didn't give you the right care."
At that time, Cyrus was just getting into the cab. The daylight was searing, and he couldn't help shielding his eyes. He had taken a little medicine before leaving to ease the headache and muscle pain, but he still felt awful. Even though he'd tried to rinse his mouth out and brush his teeth, he still felt like he tasted of alcohol and vomit, neither of which were particularly pleasant.
When he closed the door, he sent a text message to both Pollux and Marcus, sure one of them ought to get it.
“Your care was right. You did a lot for me considering the fact that I should have gone to a hospital. Thank you for that. I’ll get dressed real quick, just give me a moment.” He waited for Pollux to leave and shut the door behind him before he slid off his shirt with some difficulty. His pants were the hardest, as he had a hard time unbuttoning them.
Once he had changed he made his way carefully out the door of the bathroom, carrying his old bloody clothes a safe distance away from him. He didn’t want to get bloody again.
“Pollux?” He called out, feeling awkward and only slightly alarmed in an unfamiliar place. “Where should I put my clothes?”
"Leave them on the bathroom floor for now. I'll come get them before I change," Pollux replied.
He stood up a little straighter from where he was leaning against the wall.
"You go lie down wherever is comfortable. I'll take care of the rest. If you need anything, just let me know. I'll be with you shortly."
Marcus nodded, pulling his phone from his pocket before placing his clothes in the bathroom.
The text from Cyrus made him smile a little, sending a small ‘okay! Be safe!’ text.
“Thank you, Pollux. I’m not sure if Cyrus text you too but he’s on his way. I’ll be on the couch, I don’t want to intrude on your room.” Marcus dipped his head down in another thanks before making his way unsteadily into the living room.
There he carefully laid himself down and closed his eyes, yawning. He was tired as all hell. But he wouldn’t sleep. He wanted to see Cyrus.
"That's fine. I'll be back in a few."
Pollux gathered up the bloody clothes and put them in a plastic bag, then set that aside. Luckily the bathroom wasn't too much of a mess. There were slight blood stains in the tub and a few splatters on the floor, but it wouldn't be too heavy in the way of cleanup.
He didn't want to leave Marcus alone for too long in case anything happened, but god, he wanted a shower. He felt disgusting and exhausted.
I'll just wait for Cy to get here.
After a few minutes, a knock came at the door. Pollux went to answer it, and Cyrus was standing in the doorway. His gaze immediately snapped to Marcus.
Marcus’s only response was a small nod. He threw his arm over his eyes to block out the light and settled more into the couch.
As Pollux wandered about, Marcus dozed off. He was too tired to keep his eyes open for too long.
However, the second he heard the knock on the door he was stirring, looking up at Cyrus and giving him a sleepy smile.
“Hello love!”
Cyrus looked godawful. His hair was disheveled, his face had gone a bit paler than normal, and that permanent look of worry was even more deeply etched into his face.
"Marcus… I'm so sorry. Oh my god, I'm so, so sorry…" he managed, making his way over.
Pollux let out a frustrated huff, but again, was not here to start anything.
"I'm going to go shower, now that you're here to watch him."
"Okay, go ahead."
Once the other was gone, Cyrus leaned down next to his lover.
"I should've been there- I should've been able to do something. Instead I-"
Marcus sat himself up and shook his head, waving over his boyfriend.
“No, no. It’s alright, Cyrus. See? I’m alright.” He reassured softly. When Pollux spoke up, Marcus nodded his head to the words and waited a little impatiently for his lover to make his way over.
The second Cyrus was close enough, Marcus gave his cheek a soft kiss and pulled him in for a tight hug.
“You couldn’t have done anything, my love. This was my battle to fight. It’s okay. I promise it’s okay.” He cooed softly, nuzzling into Cyrus’s neck and breathing him in. A new wave of emotions washed over him with the loving warmth of his boyfriend. Marcus couldn’t help the water that came to his eyes and spilled over in hot tears.
“Fuck… I’m sorry I worried you. I didn’t mean to, my love.”
"Yeah, I know, I- I… it's not that. It's that I wasn't there for you right away afterwards, and no matter how you frame it, that's my fault," Cyrus stammered out, "God, I'm such an idiot…"
He stroked Marcus' hair, almost aggressively, as he was incredibly stressed. The other guy's presence at least soothed him most of the time, but this time, he felt like he'd wronged his love horribly.
"I love you so much, and I didn't mean to abandon you when you needed me."
“You didn’t abandon me, Cy. You’re here now and I need you now.” Marcus pulled back so he could see his lover’s face, studying it with a loving gaze.
“You’re not an idiot either. It’s okay. Pollux helped me out and even if you weren’t here right away I still am glad you came at all to comfort me. I love you so much too, you know. So much that sometimes I feel like I’m going to explode every time I see or think of you.” He purred, wiping at his eyes and sighing.
“I’m just glad you’re here with me now… it’s been a long day already and I need the comfort. I need you.”
"But if he hadn't- if he hadn't taken that initiative to ask me for your number, you could've been much worse off. And I know everything turned out okay. But-I… ugh… I feel bad about what I did."
He ran a nervous hand through his hair.
"You deserve better than that. I don't know if I-I can- I'm not good for you…"
He was rambling, hinting at breaking up. Which he didn't want. Dear god, no. Quite the opposite. He loved Marcus so much. But Marcus loving him would only bring more unnecessary difficulty into his life. It wasn't fair.
Marcus grew intensely serious, pulling away to look Cyrus in the face. He cupped his boyfriends face in his hands and gave him a stern look.
“Cyrus. Only I get to decide if you are good or bad for me. It goes the other way too. You are not a bad person. This one mistake is outweighed by the hundreds of good things you’ve done for me. You’re allowed to feel bad for what happened but you are not allowed to let it define you and our relationship ship okay? We do that together. We talk about what happened together and define it there. I love you beyond my own safety and beyond everything else that could ever happen in this world. I’m not going to let this be the thing that separates us. Yes what you did might not have been the best but don’t focus purely on it. Use it to try and get better, okay? I love you. Don’t forget that.”
Cyrus closed his eyes and exhaled.
"O-okay…" he whispered, "We should focus on you now, anyhow."
He held Marcus close, feeling a bit choked up himself.
"Is there anything I can do for you, now that I'm here?"
“No, we can focus on you too.” He huffed, wrapping his arms around Cyrus tightly. “I love you, you idiot. Don’t forget that. I don’t want us to end. I want you.” He murmured softly, pressing soft kisses across Cyrus’s face.
“Just stay here with me. Having you near is enough.” He leaned back a little, pulling up his injured hand to show Cyrus.
“Here, see? I’m alright now. All bandaged up.”
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