When Jeffery woke up completely, he was in a bed, curled up with several blankets atop of him to keep him warm. He remembered the wonderful stranger and he remembered being carried to the guy's car, but then he must have fallen asleep.
"Hello?" He whispered, feeling strained just to do this.
"You're awake?" A voice responded and he recognized it as the redheaded stranger's.
"I think so." He shrugged. He still hurt. Was he ever going to stop hurting?
"I hope you're okay, yeah." The boy nodded.
"Why?" Jeffery blinked. He'd been confused about this ever since he'd heard the man's voice for the first time, yelling at dreadlocks to save him.
"Because no one deserves to be hurt like that."
"I'm Jeffery..." He spoke softly, his eyes soft on the other boy although he looked almost angry. He was just on edge, his whole body aching.
"I'm Elvis." Elvis smiled gently.
"Are we at your house?" Jeffery asked, looking around.
"No, actually. We're at a family friend's house. A doctor." Trever had refused to heal the boy's wounds properly.
"Am I going to be okay?" He questioned, his eyes flickering to Elvis's hands for just a moment before he looked away.
"He looked you over a little bit while you were out, figuring it would be less painful for you. He did some simple tests. It looks like you're going to be completely fine except for one thing..."
Jeffery tilted his head, gesturing for Elvis to go on.
"Your... uh..."
"My penis?" Jeffery let out a sigh as Elvis nodded. He had seen it coming. He'd never felt so much pain before. He knew it couldn't be fixed just like that. "Is it... like completely ruined?"
"He said that he has to do some more tests but you might not have any feeling in it... ever. He said he might have to... amputate it." Elvis looked down and Jeffery spoke up.
"If you're thinking that I deserve it... just know I wasn't going to rape those boys... I really wasn't..." He felt his eyes watering up as he relived the moment, not wanting to think about that, what had gotten him into this mess in the first place.
"I wasn't thinking that." Elvis frowned, moving to sit down beside Jeff on the edge of the bed. He was tempted to hold the boy's hand again, just because he was still so upset. His mind was going crazy, thinking of how his Zach could have done this and what they were going to do now. But when he'd been holding the boy's hand it had helped the slightest bit. But he didn't want to invade the boy's personal space. He probably didn't want to be touched, he'd just been tortured after all. "But what do you mean you weren't going to?" He was under the impression that Trever had caught him in the middle of it or something.
"I didn't mean for any of it to happen. It all went so WRONG." He averted his gaze, putting his head in his hands.
"Calm down..." Elvis spoke gently and despite what he'd just told himself, he reached out and gently took the boy's hand.
They both seemed somewhat calmed by this and Jeffery looked up to meet Elvis's eyes.
"Tell me what happened. Maybe it'll make you feel better, yeah." Elvis nodded slowly.
"A... A month ago I came out to my parents. They kicked me out." He spoke quietly, so soft that Elvis had to lean in to hear him. "I've been homeless since then, I didn't have any money. At first, I didn't want to stoop so low to eat stuff out of the trash so I'd just ask for change on the street corner. I'd get enough to buy myself maybe one small thing a day. But after a while, when you're homeless, you start to look like it. At first, I looked like myself still. But then... you get sickly looking... you look dirty... people think you're scum. So they stop giving. Then I started digging through the trash and I got even less food. There's only so much you can find in a dumpster that is edible... I was so hungry all the time... I was starving, I was dizzy. And then, late last night I was trying to find somewhere to sleep when there were these two boys walking. It was in the woods... no one else was around. And they looked... rich almost. All I was thinking was how hungry I was. I knew they would have some money. And they looked so small... easy to overpower. So I snuck up on them and held the bigger one, the blonde, up against a tree. The little brunette was too scared to do anything. I just kicked him and he fell over. The big one was struggling though. I-I told them to give me any money they had, but they said they didn't have any. I told them they were lying, but I could tell they weren't. But what kind of robber just says 'oh, okay!' and walks away? I felt so stupid, now I had gotten myself into trouble. The small one was crying and telling me he didn't have anything. I considered letting them go but then the blonde one was still freaking out and he yelled that the small one was Trever Murdock's boyfriend. And that's when I panicked. Everyone knows that name and I knew it too. I knew I was dead for if I didn't do something to keep them quiet. So I told them to shut up or I would rape them. I... I know it was a stupid thing to do... I-I know it... It was so stupid..." Maybe if he had just ran off, he would be okay... "But then the brunette one started crying harder and begging me not to. I really didn't mean for any of it to happen. I... I..." He hung his head and clenched his eyes shut as he tried not to cry. He had never wanted to be this person... never wanted to hurt people...
"It's okay..." Elvis's hand was soft in his own and he tried to concentrate on it, like he had back when he was still strapped to that table.
"I didn't mean to do it, it was never supposed to happen... But the blonde one... he was so loud. He kept screaming and he was going to draw someone's attention... I was so scared and I... I put my hand over his mouth and I... I raped him." He swallowed hard, clenching his eyes shut even harder and trying not to throw up as he thought about it. "He was still yelling but it was muffled because of my hand... And I felt him crying but I knew it was too late to stop, I'd already hurt him. But I'd forgotten about the brunette since he'd been just crying this whole time. I didn't even look at him until he came running at me, holding a tree branch over his head. I panicked and grabbed the little knife I kept in my pocket and held it out to scare him. But I don't think he saw, he just ran right into it. He gasped and I tried to pull it out but I only made it worse. He fell to the ground and I pulled out of the blonde one to try and check on him and then the next thing I knew the blonde one bashed me over the head with something and I went out... And when I woke up I..."
"I know that part." Elvis grimaced, gagging and Jeffery sighed.
"I'm sorry." Jeffery shook his head. "I just... I just wanted something to eat." His words trembled as he tried not to cry. "It was never supposed to happen like that. I'm so sorry..." He let the tears fall and he pressed his palm firmly against his eyes, trying to stop it.
And then he was being embraced and he felt his head being pressed into Elvis's chest and he sobbed even harder.
He knew he didn't deserve sympathy. He knew that now he would forever be in the category of scumbags in this world. And in dreadlocks's words, he "didn't deserve to live." He knew all of this.
But despite the fact that he didn't deserve sympathy, it felt pretty amazing to receive some.
