Two Batty Kids :: Me and Polo

"Are you shitting me right now?" Was James's only response when Orion tried getting out of the position that he had been in, trying to get up, and ending up coughing up a mouthful of blood.
This is bad, he thought. Really stinking bad.
"Lie down." James commanded, the ferocity of his voice startling even him. He didn't take the time to ponder that, however. He clamped his hands down on Orion's shoulders and pushed him back down so that he was horizontal, facing the nighttime sky once again. "Stay here. I am being your friend."
He stayed in that position, the adrenaline running through his system making it possible for him to hold down Orion, despite the other man's obvious advantage when it came to strength.
"You need to stay still, or else you'll bleed faster, and I don't know how long it'll take them to get here. I'm not about to see you bleed to death in front of me."
After he said that, he realized how it must have sounded, in a voice that had just started to crack the detached exterior, to the man who had watched his best friend's blood slowly trickle from his lifeless body, lying mangled and twisted among jagged rocks.
He swallowed and let his grip on Orion's shoulders loosen. "Just... please? Don't move?"

When Orion tried to get to his feet, James did not help him. In fact, he ordered in no uncertain terms that Orion was to do nothing of the sort, then pushed him back to the ground, fighting him every time he tried to rise. 
"Stay here." James told him firmly, "I am being your friend."
Orion growled under his breath, and struggled once more against James, but either he was too weak or his friend was too strong, because after a moment he fell back to the floor, panting and staring dizzily up at the sky as blood roared in his ears, and pain stabbed like a white-hot lance into his midriff. He wanted to be sick, but lying on his back as he was, he didn't dare. 
"You need to stay still," James pressed, "Or else you'll bleed faster, and I don't know how long it'll take them to get here. I'm not about to see you bleed to death in front of me."
Upon hearing this, Orion stopped fighting entirely, and his smouldering green eyes darted to James's face, the anger rapidly draining out of them. A strange, bitter sense of empathy settled over him, and slowly, Orion nodded. At last, James's grip on him loosened.
"Just... please? Don't move?"
At last, some emotion entered his friend's voice, and Orion's expression softened. For once, somebody cared. He was not alone. He didn't have to fight any more.
Taking a deep, painful breath, he nodded again, then said softly, "Okay."
For a good few moments he just lay there, dead still and silent as the grave, until the morbid comparisons that his mind spoke with its cruel dry humour began to irk him. He was not going to die here. The idea was preposterous. Even so... He grimaced at the pain in his abdomen, then looked up at James, his face gaunt and tense from the pain. At last, he caught sight of a hint of worry in his friend's face, and although this comforted him in a strange way, it also made him want to allay it immediately.
"Hey," He joked weakly, pulling a face, "You should see the other guy."
He sighed, reaching up a shaky hand to wipe the blood away from his mouth, then added softly, "Sorry. I... Lost it a bit. I was reckless... I should have known better."

"Okay."
Oh, thank goodness. The struggling would have surely brought his heart rate and blood pressure and stress level - and basically everything that needed to be kept down - up.
"Hey, you should see the other guy."
This is no time for pulling jokes! he almost said.
"Sorry. I... Lost it a bit. I was reckless... I should have known better."
James shook his head, and turned the shirt over in his hands because the one side was already completely saturated. "No you weren't." He murmured gently. "He probably would have come after us again if you didn't try to stop him." He gave a bitter chuckle. "I mean look how well that worked out. But I shouldn't have pepper-sprayed him. I should have just given him our stuff. He wouldn't have gotten much." A wry smile touched James's lips, but not his eyes. "I gave all my money to Sam."
The darkness was covering everything everything, and the blonde was silent until he could hear the faint noise of sirens in the distance.
"Oh good, they're here." He stood up to go meet them, but at the last minute knelt back down and kissed Orion lightly on the forehead. "I'll see you in a minute." He said with a smile, and then turned, jogging over to a streetlamp some distance away, waving frantically to the vehicle with flashing red and blue lights.

After he had spoken, Orion cracked his eyes open to see James shaking his head, then doing something with his hands. He did not want to know what it was. He was trying very hard to forget the shocking sight of his own skin split open like a leather purse, ready to spill out his guts at any moment.
"No you weren't." James answered, although Orion knew that his friend was only humouring him, "He probably would have come after us again if you didn't try to stop him. I mean look how well that worked out. But I shouldn't have pepper-sprayed him."
Orion raised his eyebrows at this, shooting James a funny look. "Actually," He mumbled, "I was pretty proud of you for that..."
But his weak words went unheard as James continued, "I should have just given him our stuff. He wouldn't have gotten much. I gave all my money to Sam."
He uttered a dry chuckle at this, then grimaced as the motion sent a fresh blast of pain rocketing through him.
"No good deed, huh?" He grunted, shaking his head. It was just as he'd said before; no good deed went unpunished. The world was simply not a fair place... Then again, in a way, that was the beauty of it.
He drew in a careful breath as he pondered this, and then saw James look up as the watery sound of sirens echoed from somewhere nearby. Closing his eyes, Orion breathed a soft sigh of relief, feeling his consciousness flicker already as his determination began to ebb.
He heard James stand up, and just as he began to think that the other man had left, a pair of lips brushed his sweaty forehead. His eyes flickered open, and he breathed a murmur of surprise - just as James told him, "I'll see you in a minute," - then watched from his spot on the ground as James jogged over to meet the paramedics.
A deep sense of peace stole over him, and as the pain faded to something warm and fuzzy, he breathed old slowly. Everything would be fine.

Some time later - it could have been a second or an hour - he was woken by the voice of a young man saying, "Orion? Orion, can you hear me?"
He grunted, cracking one eye irritably open in the way of a sleeping dragon, and wondered absently how this stranger knew his name. A moment later, he realized that James must have told him. The slowness of his mind was frustrating.
"I didn't get stabbed in the ear." He pointed out rudely, bracing a hand on the ground as though to push himself up.
"Hang on." The paramedic placed a firm hand on his chest, holding him down, "I don't know how bad the damage is yet. You could make yourself worse by moving around, and you've already lost a lot of blood."
"No shit, Sherlock." Orion sighed heavily, clearly annoyed, and grimaced with the pain. "You gonna give me some f*cking drugs or what?" He glanced toward where the paramedic had been, but the man had already run off to get a stretcher. Orion grumbled to himself.
"Hey, James." He glanced toward his friend, "You can't drive a bike, can you? I don't want to leave it here..."
"I can."
"Hm?" Orion looked over his other shoulder to see that the paramedic had returned, casting a brief glance at the Honda, then smiling keenly at him. "I can drive it over to the hospital for you if you like."
Orion grumbled to himself as he considered this, struggling to think while another of the paramedics noisily set up the stretcher beside him.
"Oh, fine." He reached into his pocket, winced, then held out the keys to the paramedic, who took them with a grin.
"Crash it, and you'll be glad you work at a hospital." He threatened dangerously, but the young man paid him no mind. Instead, he simply told Orion to stay still, and then he and his partner - a young blonde woman with glasses and a messy ponytail who appeared fairly shy - lifted him onto the stretcher and strapped him in place. By the time they had him safely in the ambulance - hooked up to a IV for both morphine and, in the nick of time, a blood transfusion - he was already unconscious.

***

A short drive later found them at the hospital, though Orion had yet to regain consciousness. They took him straight to the ER, and one of the nurses at the hospital stopped to tell James that if he was not family, then he had to either leave or wait in the waiting room until further notice.
Shortly afterwards, the scanning and testing began.

At the hospital, James was not allowed to go with his friend. "Family only." The doctors in white surgical masks told him. The walls around them were whitewashed, cold, unfeeling, and sterile.
His protest stuck in his dry throat as he watched the clear glass doors swing shut behind Orion as they wheeled him away on a stretcher, the doctors already shouting instructions to each other. He heard the word 'surgery' a few times, and 'punctured' thrown around a lot. He turned around in a robotic motion and moved to the waiting room. The walls were a calm light brown color, the color of his morning coffee. The couches were soft greens and creams, and the cushions sank in when he sat. A few other people were waiting too. An old woman was wringing her hands nervously, a half-knitted scarf abandoned by her side. Some children waited with a father.
James sat near the old woman and was copying her motions, his hands clenching and unclenching, soon becoming uncomfortably clammy and warm. In fact, the entire room seemed to be sweltering in an instant. He took off the light jacket he had been given, only to have a small girl from the family gasp. When he glanced down, he realized that his shoulder was still bleeding, although it had slowed considerably.
He stayed still, though, and probably wouldn't have gone to get it treated, but a passing nurse spotted him and immediately summoned more doctors. They guided him to a room and had him peel off his sticky polo, and then proceeded to numb his skin and stitch up the wound.
James didn't notice, as he was so worried.
After some time, a police officer came in and began asking questions. James told the whole story, beginning at the part where they talked to Sam. There was no need to tell the man why they were there in the first place.
He seemed satisfied with the details that James gave, and put his little notebook away.
"We will be looking for those boys." He told James with a serious face. The blonde nodded and watched him leave.
The nurse ushered him back out to the waiting room. The family was gone, but the old woman was still there, although now she was clutching a rosary between her bony fingers, her eyes squeezed shut, her withered lips murmuring words to prayers that James had forgotten years ago.
And so he waited and waited and waited, until the doctors came out and told him that he they had given Orion emergency surgery, and that the recovery could take a few months.
"Months?" He said, jaw gaping. Then he shook his head. "That doesn't matter. Can I see him?"
The doctor nodded and leg James through more white hallways and stainless steel doors. Finally they got to a room, and the doctor opened the door. Orion lay on another white bed - why was everything white? - with his eyes shut peacefully. He moved over to the head of the bed and smiled softly, even though it pained him.
"Hey, Orion." He murmured quietly, not wanting to wake the man if he was sleeping.

Orion regained consciousness somewhere between leaving the ambulance and entering the OR, but his mind felt slow and foggy, and everywhere he looked, the world seemed to move in slow motion. He felt as though his body was submerged in syrup, for even moving his head was a chore. There were doctors all around, and once he had moistened his dry lips, he asked after James. Nobody paid him any mind, but simply continued on to the operating theatre. His delirious babble continued as they laid him down on the table, but by the time they anesthetised him and set to work, he had still not been given a single answer. This resulted in his rest being a troubled and fitful one, and even long after the operation was complete, he was plagued by dreams that festered into haunting nightmares.


It was raining. The drops felt cold on his skin, and they stung as the wind lashed them across his face. At first he wasn't sure where he was, but then the salty tang hit his nostrils, and he screamed soundlessly. He had had this dream before.
Orion wheeled around, hair whipping in the wind, and felt his heart leap into his throat as he saw a familiar cliff stretching out over the ocean before him. On its edge teetered a single familiar figure, his blonde hair flying about his face as the wind forced him back on his heels. Orion cried out a warning, but his throat was dry. His body was heavy, so heavy, and when he made to run forward, he felt as though he were glued to the spot. The faster he sprinted, the further away the figure became until, at last, the wind caught him, ferrying off the edge of the cliff, and the edge of his life.
Orion screamed soundlessly again, feeling the tears choke his throat as though he were really there, and this time when he dived forward, he made it to the edge of the cliff. In the nick of time he reached down, and a set of soft, dainty fingers brushed his own. Orion started. The feeling was different to before... Luke's fingers had been wider, rougher, he was sure of it. He could never forget...
Startled, he hesitated, and the fingers slipped past his own, leaving him to cry out again as he looked down into the falling face.
For a moment, his heart stopped entirely, for the face staring back at him was not what it was supposed to be.
"James!" He made a wild snatch, but the boy's fingers slipped through his own, and then he was falling. Orion heard his own screaming rise higher than the wailing of the wind as his heart was cleft in two, and just as the boy's slender body was about to fall upon the rocks below, he heard a familiar voice calling him from somewhere far, far away.

"Hey, Orion." The soft greeting shattered his dream just as the waves rose up to meet the haunting image of the falling body, and Orion awoke with a gasp, sitting bolt upright as though someone had just stabbed him with an electric cattle prod. He looked at James, his vision hazy, and for one heart-stopping moment, he saw a different face entirely. With a lurch in the depths of his soul, for a split second he saw an entirely different reality from what was. And in the aftermath of his dream, when he was sure for the briefest of moments that it was Luke sitting before him, he was overcome by a rush of emotion so confusing that it left him dazed and gasping for air.
Then his vision cleared, and as James's face came into focus, Orion felt the most sickening conflict of emotions that he had encountered in his whole life. He was every inch as relieved as he was disappointed, and for both feelings, he felt a burning guilt so powerful that it made him loathe himself right to the very depths of his being.
"J-James..." He stammered at last, breathing heavily, "I thought-" He shook his head, then grabbed the boy's forearm and pulled him sharply forwards, throwing his arms around him. He breathed a shuddering sigh, and hugged his friend tightly, closing his eyes and letting the comforting feeling of James's quick-beating heart lull his troubled mind.
Then, too late, he felt the wound in his stomach, and his muscles tensed instantly. He grunted in pain, his arms locking James stiffly in their embrace for a moment. Then they released, and Orion fell back against the headrest of his bed, looking suddenly faint. "Sorry, I..." He shook his head, then lifted a hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead, twitching when the cool IV tube knocked uncomfortably against his skin. He glanced toward it, attempting to orientate himself, then looked back to James, resting a hand carefully over his wounded midriff.
"What are you still doing here?" He asked, frowning in concern. He'd been told that the surgery would take at least four hours. A glance at his watch showed him that eight had passed. It was after 2AM. "James, you've got your chemistry final tomorrow!" He groaned, running a hand through his hair in frustration, "For f*ck's sake, go home! I'll be fine now." He dismissed his injury with a casual flick of his hand, even though it burned like fire from the way he was sitting, and managed a weak smile in his friend's direction. "It's really sweet that you stuck around mate, but please, don't jeopardise your future for me. Get the hell out of here and write that bloody test."

Orion's lightning quick reflexes had James cowering back in his chair with the sheer surprise that he experienced when the other man bolted upright and threw his hand out to latch painfully tightly onto James's right wrist. The blonde winced and pulled a face at that, slowly twisting himself away from the man's grip.
"J-James... I thought-"
Orion didn't finish his sentence, and was wrapping his arms around James soon after he stopped speaking. James tentatively hugged Orion back, being careful not to knock any of the tubes and wires aside, being careful not to squeeze to hard on the man, lest he break. Because for some reason, Orion just seemed more... delicate. Fragile. Especially in this environment, dressed only in a blue hospital gown and covered in a thin white paper sheet. James could feel a light sheen of sweat over his friend's skin, and he swallowed nervously, at the exact same time as Orion winced and pulled away, dropping back down to lie against the bed.
"What are you still doing here?"
James opened his mouth to respond that he wasn't going anywhere without Orion, especially after what had just taken place, but his friend continued.
"James, you've got your chemistry final tomorrow! For f*ck's sake, go home! I'll be fine now. It's really sweet that you stuck around mate, but please, don't jeopardize your future for me. Get the hell out of here and write that bloody test."
Shit.
He hadn't even thought of that, and froze immediately at the mention of that ominous final, looming before him like a mountain. He was planning on studying all day today - or yesterday, he realized, as technically it was already another day - for it, but he had gone out instead, and...
James knew that he needed to go take that test. They didn't gave out make-ups for any reason, not even for life-death situations like Orion was experiencing. There was no way that the dark-haired man would be able to test, and so James felt obligated to stick by his side and fail it as well.
But there was another part of him that told him that he was crazy. He was going to not take a final simply because his boyfriend - the word felt strange, he realized - wasn't going to be able to take it? Besides, they had been going out for less than twelve hours. What was he possibly thinking?
James swallowed nervously and glanced down at his hands guiltily, torn between two options, both of them with their own negative aspects.
"I can't leave you." He murmured after a while of silence. "I won't."
Even though he knew he desperately needed to.

When Orion finished speaking James was silent a long time, and he frowned as he saw the man look down and swallow nervously, a strangely guilty expression on his face. Troubled, he opened his mouth to say something, but James beat him to it.
"I can't leave you." He said at last, "I won't."
Orion drew in a quick, surprised breath, his eyes widening just a little as he looked at James. He knew how seriously his friend took his work, and because of that, Orion was deeply touched by the gesture. Touched, but - as his expression clearly stated - not pleased.
"James," He objected, looking honestly upset as his brow furrowed deeper still, "I appreciate it, really I do, but this is crazy. This is your future we're talking about! It's only for a few hours; you could come right back here afterwards if you like. I'm not going anywhere." He smiled gently, and his hand reached out unbidden to take James's, thumb softly caressing the back of his palm. He didn't mean to be so 'touchy', especially when he knew a nurse could walk in at any moment, but he couldn't help himself. That dream had burned its shocking after image into his thoughts, and still he felt the raw, devastating pain of of nearly losing his dear James. It had shaken him drastically.

His eyes grew worried as he squeezed the soft hand in his, and then looked up into the boy's handsome face. His eyes flickered downwards to the gash near his collarbone, and he sighed in relief when he saw that it had been stitched and tended to. "I'm glad you got that sorted." He murmured, nodding toward the wound, "I was worried."
Another brief silence spanned between them, and then - with a determined grunt - Orion released James's hand, and gave his arm a brief pat instead.
"Go on." He pressed firmly, "Go write that stupid paper, then come and tell me about it. I won't see you hurt your chances of getting into med school just because you're sitting here listening to me babble in my sleep." He smirked slightly, trying to show James just how silly it was, "Now get the hell out of here you adorable sod, and ace that bloody paper so you can get back to me already."
He stretched out to ruffle James's hair, but it was too out of reach and it hurt to move, so he pulled a face and nestled further into his bed.
"Really," He pressed, just in case James wasn't totally convinced yet, "I will be fine, don't worry. If you miss writing this test, I can't forgive myself." His eyes flashed, "You want to be a doctor. I don't give a flying f*ck. Missing the final is a blessing to me. So for God's sake, go!"

"James, I appreciate it, really I do, but this is crazy. This is your future we're talking about!
James let out a shaky breath when he realized that Orion knew that gravity of the situation that James was in. He wasn't sure if the man would know beneath the haze of his drugs and painkillers.
"It's only for a few hours; you could come right back here afterwards if you like. I'm not going anywhere."
Orion nervously took James's hand in his own and stroked it lightly. The blonde wondered for a moment what was causing him to tremble ever so slightly and sweat a little, especially when he could tell that there was another fear that ran deeper than the fear of getting caught it a decidedly homosexual position.
"Go on. Go write that stupid paper, then come and tell me about it. I won't see you hurt your chances of getting into med school just because you're sitting here listening to me babble in my sleep. Now get the hell out of here you adorable sod, and ace that bloody paper so you can get back to me already."
James pursed his lips, thinking that he should at least put up a show of resistance because that was what most people did, right? They fought to stay with the one they loved?
But James saw the truth in Orion's argument. He wasn't going anywhere, and even if they did switch him to another hospital, they'd tell James. And besides, it was his future they were talking about.
"Really, I will be fine, don't worry. If you miss writing this test, I can't forgive myself. You want to be a doctor. I don't give a flying f*ck. Missing the final is a blessing to me. So for God's sake, go!"
"Okay." James murmured. "I'll go 'ace that bloody paper' now." A weak smile spread his lips a few centimeters.
As he was standing up, he reached his hand out and laid it across Orion's forehead, a simple technique for taking temperature. "You feel a little warm." He said quietly, but then shook his head. "I'm sure the staff are aware of that."
But the gentle wink told Orion that the gesture was not about temperate, that he wanted to comfort the man without compromising their situation.
"Get some sleep, okay? I'll see you in a few hours. If I see Aine, I'll send her in to torment - I mean, visit you." He grinned.
With that, he walked out of the room, trying to desperately ignore the aching feeling in his chest that he was leaving something behind. He called a taxi when he reached the lobby, and was soon on his way back to his dorm. By the time he got back to his room, he only had enough energy to set his alarm and collapse in his bed, barely feeling the pain in his shoulder from the cut.
When the ringing noise sounded in the morning, he mechanically went through his daily routine of getting ready, ignoring the urges to talk to Orion as he usually did. He stopped by the dining hall for breakfast, but the noise seemed louder than normal and the food tasted like ash in his mouth. When he left, he still had plenty of time until he needed to get to his exam room, so he stopped by Aine's room.
The girl opened her door and invited him in, apologizing frantically for the condition of her roommate's half of the room and her incredibly annoying snoring.
James chuckled and glanced at the left side, only to see no hint of carpet and a mop of dark red hair spiked messily in every direction.
"Listen Aine," he began. "Orion is at the hospital right now." Her eyes widened, and he proceeded to tell her the entire story, leaving out the beginning part because they had company.
"I'll go visit him!" She said cheerfully at the end. "I don't have an exam today." She winked at him and headed towards her bathroom. James stood there awkwardly until she returned a few minutes later, and told him to get out and go take his test.
James did and left the room, humming quietly to himself.
***
"Did you hear that Cory?" Aine practically shouted at her roommate. "I'm going to the hospital, you need to get yourself up."
There was an incomprehensible groan from the bunk bed and Aine rolled her eyes with a small smile. Typical Cory.

When she got to the hospital and asked to see Orion, she was ushered in by a matronly nurse with dark brown hair.
"Girlfriend?" The woman asked on the way, mostly to make small-talk.
Aine shook her head. "No, just a good friend."
"Ah." It was as if the woman couldn't understand why a young girl would dress up in a pretty yellow sundress to see a good friend. Aine shrugged; she just liked dressing up. And besides, let the woman believe that Orion was straight. That was what he wanted, and whatever she could do to help, she would do.
"Hey Orion." She said when she got into the room, and sat down in the chair next to the headboard. Then she turned and gave the nurse a look, who replied with a knowing smile.
"I'll leave you two alone then. Just don't let him get up or do anything stupid." She winked and closed the door.
Aine rolled her eyes and turned to Orion. "Well, you heterosexuality isn't in question." She said with a wry smile.

At last, James gave in to Orion's demands, and he smiled slightly when his friend finally agreed to leave. Of course, he was not happy about it, but he was glad that James wouldn't miss the exam, at least. That was a relief of note.
His brow was still furrowed slightly, however, until James's hand brushed over his forehead. He felt his cheeks flush at the tenderness of the touch, and his eyes looked up to James's as he said, "You feel a little warm. I'm sure the staff are aware of that."
"I can't help it if I'm hot." He joked weakly in response, offering a grateful smile when he saw James's wink. A few unspoken words passed between them and - reassured of his friend's caring - he felt the stress in his mind ease just a little. Despite a rather disastrous end to the evening, whatever had sprung into life between them was far from destroyed. It gave him hope, and through that hope, his situation did not seem quite so bleak any more. James had let the light back into his black world, at long, long last. 
"Get some sleep, okay?" The other man told him, and Orion nodded in response, "I'll see you in a few hours. If I see Aine, I'll send her in to torment - I mean visit you."
"Oh, gee, thanks." He laughed, pulling a face, "So much for sleep. I'll have nightmares now." He chuckled faintly, then winced from the pain, and with fond smiles they said their goodbyes, at least until later that day. Orion wished James luck, and then he was gone. Minutes later, he found himself fast asleep, exhausted by the pain and excitement. 

***

It was several hours later before Orion awoke again, and when he did, it was to the sound of the door opening, and a friendly female voice chirping, "Hey Orion."
He grunted, rubbing his eyes, then looked over to Aine, sitting innocently beside his bed.
"I'll leave you two alone then." The nurse with her said, smiling in a way that made him want to squash her face until her smug little mouth popped right off.
"Just don't let him get up or do anything stupid."
"You could try telling 'him' yourself!" He called irritably after her, huffing in annoyance at being treated as if he wasn't there. His words went unheard, so he folded his arms grumpily, then looked back at Aine.
"Well, you heterosexuality isn't in question." She said with a roll of her eyes, and he snorted in response.
"What heterosexuality?"
He uttered a dry snort, then pushed his hair back from his face and said, "Sorry you've got to talk to me on my back, but last time I sat up I regretted it." Shrugging, he offered an apologetic smile, and asked, "Did James get to his Chem final? I guess he must have, if you're here..."
The pair talked for a while after that - often about James, or college life, and of course about the mugging, or as much of it as Orion was willing to describe, in any case. He tended to get a little hot-tempered just speaking about it, and the doctors had told him that it was not good for his heart to lose his cool when he was under the influence of powerful medication, and recovering from major surgery.
Aine left some hours later, and after thanking her for coming - and for everything else she'd done - Orion bade her farewell and spent the rest of his afternoon watching cartoons on the TV, his face slightly pale from pain, even with the morphine drip. Once, when it got particularly bad, he actually did call a nurse to complain, and she increased the dosage of the drip. It was more bearable after that.

***

The next time the door opened, it was after two in the afternoon. Thinking it was James, Orion grinned at the sound, and carefully shuffled himself into a sitting position, wincing as he called, "About time you showed up!"
"I could say the same to you."
The cold voice made him freeze, and in an instant, Orion's entire demeanour changed. The smile slipped from his face, replaced by a deep frown, and he folded his arms defensively in front of him. "What are you doing here?"
"That's no way to speak to the man who fed and clothed you for half your life!"
Orion snorted. Five years - was that how long it had been? He could not remember - was hardly half his life. 
"What do you want?" He demanded, voice cold and crisp.
"Why aren't you writing your final?"
"Um, hello!" Orion gestured incredulously to his bandaged torso. "What'd you want me to do? Bleed out the chemical  formula of ammonia? I almost f*cking died!"
"You watch your mouth!" Mr Chang hissed, raising a threatening hand, which seemed to shut Orion up. With a pleased expression, he continued, "Dean Heasforth contacted me when you did not arrive to write your test, and I know full well what happened. As long as your head and fingers are still intact - and it would seem that they are - then I see no reason at all that you couldn't write." His eyes narrowed dangerously, "You are a godforsaken waste of my time and money, you ungrateful little wretch! Don't think that I don't know you do these things on purpose."
"On purpose?" Orion actually laughed from incredulity, his stomach musclles convulsing painfully about the puncture, "You think I got myself stabbed on purpose?"
Mr Chang's expression did not falter, and after a while, Orion no longer looked amused - even bitterly so.
"You're mad."
"No, my dear boy, I am simply more intelligent than you give me credit for. You should know by now that I'll see through any of your ploys."
"WHAT MOTHERF*CKING PLOYS?!"
"Shut it!" A sharp, tensed hand struck him roughly across the cheek in a backhanded swipe, and Orion's head snapped sideways with such force that he nearly fell off the bed. His heart montitor began to race fasted as his anger rose, and he spat, "What the hell do you think you're doing? I'm lying here in hospital, and you're actually hitting me?"
"Orion," Mr. Chang raised a warning finger, "Do not fish for sympathy here. I have none to spare for the likes of you. Now, if you know what's good for you, dress now, and I shall arrange for you to write the test some hours late."
"You're f*cking kidding me."
"I never kid. Now do as I say."
"No."
"No?" Mr. Chang's eyes flashed, more dangerous in their slit-like fury than Orion had ever seen them.
"Yes." He agreed firmly, meeting the gaze unflinchingly, "No. I couldn't leave, even if I wanted to. I'm days from being discharged."
"Stubborn scum!" Mr. Chang howled, furious at being disobeyed. He was unused to not getting his own way, and when he realized that the money he had spent for Orion to attend university that year had probably been wasted, his temper rose to new extremes.
"If you value your 'secrets'" His eyes narrowed further still, "Then you will listen to me."
"You don't scare me." He growled, and as he spat into Mr. Chang's face, he saw his foster father snap.
"Disrespectful lout!" He bellowed, "Foolish oaf! Philistine! I'll teach you to go against me, you imbecilic mule!"
With that, he drew back a fist, and slammed it into Orion's stomach.

Pain overwhelmed him. He gasped, but though his eyes filled and overflowed with tears, he would not allow himself to cry out.
"You bastard!" He croaked instead, groaning as he clutched at his ruined stitches, feeling nausea rise in his throat as blood began soaking his thick, white bandages. He groaned, doubling over in agony, and began muttering to himself as the painful throbbing grew worse. Somewhere in the distance, he heard Mr. Chang's voice - polite and concerned - speaking over  the intercom about how he had suddenly 'become violent' and ripped open his stitches. His eyes stung with in injustice of it all, and he opened his lips to croak another curse, but already his vision was turning hazy. The pain overwhelmed him, and with one final glance toward Mr. Chang's retreating back, he blacked out entirely.

It felt like hours, but in reality it was probably only a few minutes before Orion regained consciousness again, groaning and clutching at his midriff. He appeared in more pain than when he had first been stabbed, and his mind was riddled with fear. Fear of what his foster father would do, or what he would say.
Coughing weakly, he pressed his face into his pillow and groaned to himself, wishing more than anything that he had James by his side. He needed something, anything, to distract him from the mind numbing pain that burned like a fire in his gut. He was hurt. Badly, dangerously hurt. This time, he could feel it, sure as anything.

James finished his exam with too much time to spare, and read through his response quickly a few times over. The handwriting was scratchy and the words did not flow too well, but the content was there, and that was what counted. If he had been an English major, it would be different, but in science it didn't matter. He could always find someone else to write his papers for him once he began conducting important research. And besides - all doctors had bad handwriting. It was a thing.
He finally turned in his paper and was sorely tempted to sprint out of the lecture hall, somehow maintaining his composure until the double doors shut behind him. Once he was outside the building, he broke into a run and pulled out his cell phone, dialing the taxi service that he had taken to get back to the dorm. He quickly gave the operator his details, and then waited impatiently for the driver to arrive, pacing around with nervous energy at the pick-up point.
When the vehicle picked him up, he climbed into the backseat, and spent the entire ride looking out the window and wringing his hands nervously in his lap, wondering about Orion's condition. They had told him that the man would live - but with what? There were a lot of serious after effects that could come from this. Extensive surgery might make it impossible for him to eat certain things, or undergo strenuous activity, or in a really horrible case, ever walk.
James found that he couldn't stomach the thought of that, although Orion wouldn't be able to become a doctor if that happened.
When the yellow cab parked at the hospital, Orion thanked the driver and pulled out his credit card, letting the man swipe it and fill out the payment form. James got out and jogged up the sidewalk to the clear glass automatic doors, feeling a bit sick as the potent scent of antiseptic hit his nose.
"I'm here for Orion Deverell." He told the one of the women at the counter. She nodded and stood, moving from behind the desk and leading him to another pair of doors. As they walked down the blindingly white corridor, they passed an Asian man, smoothing back his hair. He smiled at the pair as they walked by, but James could see that the smile did not touch his eyes. They blazed with anger.
The blonde felt a sinking feeling in his gut and needed to see Orion that much more. He walked a little faster, but the woman did not notice, or if she did, she kept her pace even.
When they finally got to the door, James burst in, only to see a small flock of doctors gathered around Orion's bed. He made a cry, but the sound came out small and strangled, and no one paid him any attention.
"...tore out his own stitches..." He heard one of them mutter.
Orion would not do that, he knew. That would bring blood, and he hated blood. It had to have been something else that happened, but...
The doctors' words slowly lost their meaning and he became lost in his thoughts, pondering what had happened, and when he finally refocused, they were gone.
Suddenly, Orion began coughing and wrapping his arms around his stomach. James leaped from the chair and rushed over to the headboard, hands fluttering nervously because he didn't know what to do with them. Of course he wanted to touch Orion's face and reach down and hug him and kiss him, but that would not be the ideal course of action for this situation. So he contented himself with wrapping his fingers around the metal bars the enclosed the mattress.
"Relax, relax." He murmured gently, eyeing the remote that had the nurse-call button on it. "Is there anything I can do? Do you want me to call for some pain meds?"

Mind still a blurry haze, Orion heard a confusing buzz of voices fluttering around him, but the pain was so great, he dared not open his eyes to look. He just gritted his teeth, pressing his face hard into the pillow, and squeezing on the edge of it with a tight, clenched fist. He was trying with all he was not to cry from the pain, and it was proving difficult. Moving hurt, breathing hurt, just goddamn being hurt! 
The voices were too loud. He wished that they would be quiet, that they would go away and just let him sleep; sleep until it didn't hurt any more, however long that took. He groaned again at the thought, tenderly guarding his wound with his hands. And, just when he felt he couldn't take any more, a soft voice spoke up through the murmurs, speaking directly to him at last. 
"Relax, relax." It said, and he finally forced open his eyes to see James standing by his bed, brows knitted in concern. Orion tried to smile, but it came out as a grimace. "Is there anything I can do? Do you want me to call for some pain meds?"
"Some pain meds would be great." He wheezed painfully, wincing and clutching the wound tighter. He saw James about to press the nurse call button, but then the nearest doctor laid a hand on his wrist and said, "Hold on, he's on a full dose of morphine. We can't give him any more pain medication."
Orion felt his jaw clench tightly, frustrated with - once again - having people talk over his head as though he were not in the room. He opened his mouth to snap a snarling retort, but it hurt too much to speak, so he just doubled over again, clutching his stomach. 
"He's losing blood." The doctor said, and Orion growled under his breath. No shit, Sherlock. Then, "We'll have to take him back into surgery and inspect the damage."
"Are you mad?" Another doctor, this one an MD, placed her hands on her hips and said with a huff, "The patient has just undergone six hour surgery last night! If you put him under aneasthetic again-"
"Do you have a better option?" The surgeon retorted sharply, frowning and folding his arms, "If he's ruptured the sutures in his stomach or lower intestine-"
"We'll wait and see!"
"Then it could be too late."
An angry silence fell between the two, and Orion looked up from his bed, panting and glaring at them both. This was what he hated about doctors. They stood there, fighting over him like he was some piece of meat, just to protect their own damn credentials. He was damn sick of being treated like some sub-human creature!
"If you're quite done discussing my fate," He spat venomously, "Then perhaps somebody would like to let me know what the hell's going on?" His voice dripped sarcasm and his eyes blazed savagely, but it was clear that he was scared. The anger was merely a shield. 
The two doctors looked at him in surprise, then the surgeon cleared his throat and said, "Mr. Deverell, since you've reopened the incision, there's also a strong possibility that you've damaged the work we did on your internal organs. Naturally, the best course of action would be to reopen you and inspect the damage. However, as my colleague here has pointed out, there are several inherent risks involved in performing two surgeries in such close quarters, especially given the nature of the surgery, and the time it took you to come around from the anaesthetic last time."
Orion's jaw clenched harder, but he nodded his understanding, then waited for the surgeon to continue. 
The man looked toward his colleague, scratching his hair, then sighed and said, "We'll need a few minutes to discuss how to proceed. In the mean time, please sit tight and wait." He gestured to the MD, and as the pair were about to leave, he turned to James and said, "Please see to it that he does no further damage to himself. We'll be back in a few minutes. 
With that, they left, closing the door behind them. It shut with a final 'click', and Orion's eyes remained trained on it for several long moments afterwards, his eyes glazed and unseeing, and his face still gaunt from pain as he clutched at his stomach. He wanted to at least try to sit up, but the pain felt like some kind of full body cast, keeping him from moving. At last, he turned his head to look at James, and managed a bitter smirk as he joked, "So, my day was great. How'd yours go?"

James listened as the remaining doctors began discussing among themselves what the best option would be to do now. Obviously they really did think that Orion had torn out his own stitches - which he felt was pretty stupid of them. Anyone should have been able to see that there was no point in doing that, and that would only bring intense pain, which the man could barely stomach at the moment.
"If you're quite done discussing my fate, then perhaps somebody would like to let me know what the hell's going on?"
The doctors looked down at the man in surprise, and James could feel a blush rising in his cheeks. He was feeling the secondhand embarrassment that he figured Orion wasn't noticing. As far as the doctors were concerned, Orion had ripped open his stitches, and now he was asking what was going to happen to him, like nothing had even happened, and even worse, like the doctors themselves had done it? He bit his lip and cringed at the way men exchanged glances and looked down at Orion to distract himself. That didn't really help.
The man's face was a dark cloud of anger, green eyes blazing, mouth curled into a distasteful grimace of pain and irritation.
"We'll need a few minutes to discuss how to proceed. In the mean time, please sit tight and wait. Please see to it that he does no further damage to himself. We'll be back in a few minutes."
James nodded dutifully, and turned back to his friend before the door had even closed. Orion continued to glare angrily at it, as if his gaze could bend the door out and attack the people who dared insult him like that - although James didn't really see where he was getting the insult from, aside from the obvious 'I didn't do this to myself.'
"So, my day was great. How'd yours go?"
Orion's laugh was bitter.
"My day was probably better than yours, if you can believe it." James said quietly, dragging over the chair to sit beside him. He looked at his friend for a long while, every now and then letting his gaze drop to the red flower blossoming over his stomach. "I..." He began, but couldn't finish. There was nothing he could say, and all words of comfort stuck in his throat. "Tell me about it later, okay?" He nodded to the wound.

"My day was probably better than yours, if you can believe it."
"Better?" Orion raised an eyebrow. He honestly wasn't sure if James was being sarcastic or not. With a frustrated sigh, he attempted to lift himself into a sitting position, then winced and fell back on the bed, looking rather faint. He did not try again. James started to say something, but when Orion looked at him, he fell silent again. They looked at each other a while, and then James murmured, "Tell me about it later, okay?"
"I didn't do it to myself, you know." He said before he could stop himself, voice rising slightly in indignation. He wasn't sure that was what James had been implying, but with the amount of pain he was in, it was difficult not to be a little snippy. 
"Sorry..." He sighed under his breath, rubbing his hands wearily over his cheeks. "Mr. Chang stopped in for a visit. It wasn't pleasant." He wiped the sweat from his face, then looked tiredly over at James, and managed a small smile. Despite everything, he was glad that his roommate was here. 
"He got a little upset when he found out that I'd missed the Chemistry exam, so he came over to discuss my future. The gist of it seems to be that I think I ought to have one, and he disagrees." He laughed again, then broke off with a grunt, grimacing and clawing at his bloody bandages. "Oof..." He muttered weakly, "I should stop doing that..." 
Orion was silent a while, eyes closed and brow furrowed. His face twitched from the pain, and after a moment he spoke up again, looking at James with glazed eyes. 
"How did the exam go? Give me a play by play. It helps to hear you talk, anyway."
He cast a brief glance toward the door, then flicked a hand free and reached out tentatively toward James, desperate for a little support and comfort. He was trying to be brave, trying hard, but the truth was, he was scared. The grim way the doctors had spoken had got him imagining worst case scenarios in his head, and although he knew it probably wasn't true, he couldn't help but feel that his fate was somewhat morbid. He didn't want to die. He didn't even want to think about it; yet the pain was a constant - and very real - reminder. And it was getting worse.

"I didn't do it to myself, you know."
James nodded his understanding. Of course he knew that - there was just no way for him to tell Orion without implicating anyone, so he just kept his mouth shut and hoped that his eyes could radiate the comprehension he was feeling.
"Sorry... Mr. Chang stopped in for a visit. It wasn't pleasant. He got a little upset when he found out that I'd missed the Chemistry exam, so he came over to discuss my future. The gist of it seems to be that I think I ought to have one, and he disagrees."
The little smile that touched Orion's face was enough to break James's heart and nearly send him to tears right there.
He's so strong, he thought to himself. I wouldn't be able to deal with this...
"Oof... I should stop doing that..."
"Yeah, you should." He murmured quietly, but the man didn't seem to hear him.
"How did the exam go? Give me a play by play. It helps to hear you talk, anyway."
Orion reached up a hand after giving a careful glance to the door, and James let his own hand drop down to wrap around it. The fear in the man's eyes was plain to see.
"It was good." He murmured. "The multiple choice was easy, and the essay was about the effects of certain hydrocarbons as fuels. Nothing too big." He gave a gentle squeeze on the hand and swallowed, his eyes running over Orion's body again. The blood looked like it had stopped spreading, which was a good sign.
"How has everyone been treating you here?"

When James took his hand, Orion released a breath he'd not realized he'd been holding, and squeezed his fingers lightly, feeling the tension gradually seep out of his muscles. Everything was going to be okay now. He could feel it.
When James went on to speak about the exam, Orion nodded mutely, letting the information wash over him and listening more to the voice than the words. That was all he wanted to hear, anyway. As if he gave a damn about hydrocarbons...
James squeezed his hand again, and he looked up, peering at the other boy from behind a green curtain of hair. It was tickling his face, but he was too tired to free his other hand in order to push it away. 
"How has everyone been treating you here?" James asked him, and Orion shrugged in response. 
"Not bad, I suppose. I mean, they're not neglecting or assaulting me - the staff anyway - so that's a win." He smirked dryly, "I've just never been too fond of hospitals. It's all so cold and distant." He wrinkled his nose, "I don't like being a patient. It makes me feel more like some kind of statistic than an actual person." He glanced down self consciously, and added in a low voice, "When you become a doctor, take the time to treat your patients like people. I think if all doctors did, maybe people would get better a little easier. Then again, maybe I'm just an optimist." He winked at the irony, then released James's hand to brush back his fringe, since it was annoying him more than ever now. 
"Hey," He looked back, smirking, "One good thing has come of this, you know. At least when we're not in university, I get to touch you." He leaned over and prodded James playfully in the forehead, then winced at the pain of the motion, and croaked through a grimace, "Worth it."

At that moment, the surgeon from before re-entered the room, and informed Orion that he would be undergoing a second surgery. He briefly mentioned the risks involved - mostly to do with blood clots and anaesthic causing heart complications - and then told Orion that he would be going under the knives at six that evening - just two short hours away. 'Better to catch it early', the doctor had said, and although Orion agreed, he still was not pleased. The surgeon told James to leave, but at Orion's request (he was rather impressed that they listened) he allowed the other boy to stay, right until a half hour before the surgery. 
Then he had to say his goodbyes. 
Images of his dream flashed through his mind as he smiled at James, and with a confidence he didn't quite feel, he grasped the man's hand firmly and told him, "I'll see you on the other side, okay?" He nodded, "Promise."
With that, the two parted ways. 

***

Orion's surgery took longer than expected, and when it was finally over, the surgeon was looking grave. He had repaired the damage as best he could, but some of Orion's stomach acid had already spilled out to corrode his lower intestine, and although the damage was not bad, it was just one more risk of infection. Then there was the anaesthetic... Although his vitals were stable, Orion did not wake up after the surgery. The surgeon - whose name turned out to be Gregory Smith - called James to inform him of the news, and assured him that they would let him know when his friend came to, or if any further change developed.

James listened carefully to the surgeon's words when he reentered as he told Orion what the difficulties in the coming surgery were to be. In his head, he calculated the odds of any complications coming from the operation. He swallowed nervously, as they weren't very good. His head dropped and his eyes flickered over his friend, who was focused intently on the man in scrubs at the door
"Mr. Doran, I'm sorry but we have to ask you to leave now. Standard operating procedure."
The man did look sincerely apologetic, and James was fully prepared to leave because he was needed to. But Orion's body immediately tensed up, and the man protested.
Surprisingly, James was allowed to stay until just before Orion went in for surgery. When he finally did gather his things to leave, Orion turned to him with eyes wide in fear and trembling hands. It was clear that he was trying to be brave. His voice was rough as he said, "I'll see you on the other side, okay? Promise."
James nodded, the words sticking in his throat, and he squeezed the man's hand one last time in a not so heterosexual gesture as they wheeled his bed down the hallway.

The way back to the dormitory was uneventful, and as soon as he got back to his room, he pulled out his keyboard and plugged it in, choosing to sit on Orion's bed instead of his own as he banged on it for a minute. Then, as notes weren't coming to him for once in his life, he got down from the bed and went back to his own, and pulled out his music notebook from under his pillow.
As he walked back to the ladder, he flipped through it, trying to find a piece that might uplift him a bit. He settled on one he had written in eleventh grade and climbed back onto his roommate's bed, propping the spiral on the rail and pulling his keyboard onto his lap.
The blonde let his head fall back against the wall as his fingers drifted aimlessly over the keys, playing the chords that he had written on the sheet, but not exactly feeling them. Soon the piece turned minor, and then it became so dissonant that it didn't even resemble the original composition anymore. With a start, he realized that he had begun playing Orion's piece.
When he figured that, he let his face fall into his hands and his elbows slam on the keyboard, silent tears rolling down his cheeks.

Han Chang was angry. He was angry that his good-for-nothing son had missed his Chemistry paper, and angrier still at how Orion had reacted when he had confronted him. He had deserved his punishment, of this Mr. Chang was sure. What better way to teach a boy a lesson than with a good, old fashioned beating? It was a crying shame that his most recent project never seemed to learn. 
In any case, there was nothing that could be done about the chemistry any more, but he had to at least make sure that Orion was prepared for his mathematics final. He refused to be the laughing stock of his colleagues when his own adoptive son - whom he had chosen with his own hand - failed his university year. 
Mr Chang rolled his shoulders, shrugging off the thought, and strode on briskly up the corridor, the hard soles of his shoes tapping sharply on the grey tiles as he prowled through the dormitory, glancing left and right at door numbers. At last, he found Orion's, and lifted his hand to knock. 
The music stopped him. 

As the haunting notes from the keyboard drifted softly out from the room, Mr Chang froze, hand still poised over the door, and his handsome face drew into a frown as he listened. The music changed, grew rougher and more emotional, and he felt his own heart begin to race with the feeling of it. 
This is remarkable! He thought to himself, his eyes growing dark as he felt the music pulse through his body. The affect that it had was remarkable, and he knew that he could use it. This... This was talent! Talent the likes of which her had never heard before!
Clearing his throat, he quickly contained his excitement, then straightened his tie and flattened his gelled hair, before rapping smartly on the door. 
He waited for permission, then pushed it open and entered the room. A brief glance showed him that Orion wasn't there, but he was not phased by that. Seeing to his failure of a project was no longer his main priority. He was here to engineer a new one. 
His dark, narrow eyes darted to the bed in the corner, where a young man that he recognized vaguely from somewhere was perched, a keyboard on his lap. 
"You play very well." He said quietly, tilting his chin upwards to regard the boy. "Excuse my rudeness, only I couldn't help overhearing from outside, and I admit I was duly impressed." He reached into his pocket and produced a wallet, then flipped through it until he found a business card, which he handed to James. 
"I own the Lissabon Opera House uptown, and our organ player has recently retired. We are currently holding auditions to replace him." 
Mr. Chang's hard, handsome eyes met James's, and he said with a charming smile, "I would very much like to give somebody of your talent... A shot, if you will."

There was a knock on the door.
"Come in!" James called, quickly snapping up his head and rubbing at his eyes furiously, hoping to get rid of any sign that he had just been crying. After a few moments, a well-dressed Asian man stepped in - the one, James noticed, from the hospital. He found that to be a little coincidental but thought nothing of it. He slicked back his gelled hair and cleared his throat.
"You play very well. Excuse my rudeness, only I couldn't help overhearing from outside, and I admit I was duly impressed."
Of course you were impressed, the sarcastic asshole in James thought. I'm James Doran - why wouldn't you be impressed?
The man started fumbling in his wallet while James leaned back on the bed, letting his head rest against the wall and his arms drape protectively over his instrument. He was tossed a small business card, which he didn't bother to read; he just picked it up and pocketed it.
"I own the Lissabon Opera House uptown, and our organ player has recently retired. We are currently holding auditions to replace him."
At the name of the opera house, James's eyes widened. That was where the London Symphony Orchestra would be playing at in a few months. It was a very prestigious place, and even the chance to go there would be phenomenal. Of course he could afford it, but the reservations went back months and months and...
And now he was being given the chance to perform?
"I would very much like to give somebody of your talent... A shot, if you will."
"I- um- why, yes, I would love to- er- try out?" His voice came out as a squeak at the end, and he cleared his throat. He still hadn't recovered from the moment of crying before.
"Yes, I would be interested." He fought to calm the racing in his chest. "I'll need the information about the audition dates, for one. Salary?"
He could see in the man's eyes - the hungry, searching look - that he already had the position. But the look scared him a little too.
Just don't get in too deep with this man, he warned himself. His amber eyes stared into the man's brown ones, searching for the trap, a sign that he shouldn't do this.

Mr. Chang smiled when he heard James's voice squeak, for he knew then that he had the boy exactly where he wanted him. He was such a delicate age... Too old to be a child, yet far from the maturity of adulthood. They were so easy to manipulate at this age. So easy to use...
When the boy asked after the details and salary, Mr. Chang laughed, an unpleasant sound like breaking glass, and answered, "Oh, my dear boy, there will be time enough to discuss your salary once we've determined if you're suitable for the job. Besides, you would not be working directly for me. I own a large share in the Opera House, but I do not run it, of course. My lifestyle is far too busy for that." He dismissed it with a flick of his hand. "Auditions are Saturday at five. Here." He produced a pamphlet from his pocket, and handed it to James. "All the details are there, including contact details for the officials. You can be in touch with them if you have any further questions. For now, I have places to be..." He trailed off, looking around the room with a frown, as though he expected Orion to have popped up magically while he was talking. When he did not see the boy, his jaw hardened in annoyance. 
"I don't suppose you could tell me where I might find Orion Deverell?" He asked politely, raising one neatly plucked eyebrow at James, "I believe this is his room, but it would seem he's not home." He checked his watch, frowning irritably, and added, "And my time is short." He ground his teeth for a long moment, then muttered a soft 'pah' under his breath, and said shortly, "Never mind, I must be off. I hope to hear from you soon."
And just like that, without once bothering to introduce himself or ask James's name, he walked out the door and closed it firmly behind him, heading back the way he had come with long, purposeful strides. He was late for a meeting, so speaking to Orion would have to wait. The boy had wasted his money already. Mr. Chang would not stand to see his time wasted, too!

***

Orion was in something of a comatose state for forty eight hours before he finally regained consciousness. And when he did, true to his word, Dr. Smith called James on his cellphone to let him know. 
"He's a little disorientated," He explained carefully, "Staying unconscious for extended periods of time can do that to a person, but he is awake - he knows who and where he is - and he seems to be recovering fairly well. We can't say anything for certain since he's not out of the woods just yet, but we're feeling optimistic." The doctor paused a minute, then added, "He has asked after you, and I expect it'll perk him up some if you stop by for a visit. He has been looking rather surly, and since we can't rule out that the damage to his stitches may have been a suicide attempt, we're trying not to let him get too depressed. We have him on antidepressants, but they aren't taking affect as we'd hoped, and I'm a little reluctant to put him on anything stronger until we decrease his current medication." He sighed heavily, then concluded, "So if you have the time, please do visit. Have a good day, Mr. Doran."

"Oh, my dear boy, there will be time enough to discuss your salary once we've determined if you're suitable for the job. Besides, you would not be working directly for me. I own a large share in the Opera House, but I do not run it, of course. My lifestyle is far too busy for that."
Of course. Something in the man's tone made him feel foolish for even asking such a stupid question. He needed to get the job first. And besides, there were a lot more people out there who were good at playing the piano - older and more experienced musicians, who would devote all their time to this job. James couldn't afford to give all his energy to that, no matter how much he wanted. He was going to be a doctor - a researching doctor - as well as a musician. And besides, it wasn't his talent at playing that he wanted known, although that certainly wouldn't hurt. He wanted his composition skills to be known.
"Auditions are Saturday at five. Here. All the details are there, including contact details for the officials. You can be in touch with them if you have any further questions. For now, I have places to be..."
When handed the pamphlets, James took them lightly between his forefinger and thumb and set them on the bed immediately, lip curling in distaste. He hated being handed things, but he didn't want to disappoint the man. He nodded at the words, wondering absently where he needed to go if he had been walking through the dorms of a university.
"I don't suppose you could tell me where I might find Orion Deverell? I believe this is his room, but it would seem he's not home. And my time is short. Never mind, I must be off. I hope to hear from you soon."
With that, the man left, leaving James speechless as he sat on Orion's bed. The pieces slowly came together in his mind. He had seen this man in the hospital, and right after had gotten a bad feeling for Orion. And now he had come looking for Orion?
With a shaking hand, James pulled the business card from his pocket, although he already knew what the name would read. He was hoping desperately for some sort of miracle, that this would not be the devil of a foster father that Orion had been telling him about, but he was disappointed.
Mr. Han Chang it said, in tiny capital letters across a cream heavy paper. Then it listed a phone number and a business address, but James couldn't read those, as his vision was becoming blurry. He blinked hastily, trying to figure out what was wrong, only to realize he was crying as the first drops of wetness splashed against his thumb.
With a sigh, he laid down, pulling the keyboard over his stomach and wrapping his arms around it so that it would not fall. How often had he fallen asleep like this, the first few weeks after he had gotten his first keyboard? How often had he fallen asleep in the middle of working out the perfect melody, too tired to put the instrument away, but mostly not wanting to be apart from it? Now was different, though. Instead of feeling content, he was torn and conflicted. One part of him wanted nothing more than to march over to the Opera House and audition on Saturday night, get the job, and start becoming famous. But the other part that cared for Orion knew how much that would hurt the other man, and he couldn't bear the thought of seeing him in pain - especially when he had caused it.
Why can't I catch a break for once in my life? He thought, but then immediately shut the thought down. Orion could never catch a break at any point in his life. James lived like a king in comparison to the orphan.
But those thoughts weren't helping, and he soon drifted off into a fitful sleep, tossing and turning, even crying out a little.

It was a whole two days before the hospital called James to tell him how Orion was doing. He spent that time nervously fretting - probably failing his last two exams - and finishing his photography extra credit assignment. He had really wanted to portray Orion, but it looked as if his friend wouldn't get out of the hospital in time, so he used Aine's roommate Cory as his subject. She did indeed have many different features. His photographs included her dressed up in one of Aine's innocent little blue sundresses, and then a tiny little black dress that accented her every curve and glimmered in the light. That had been a fun picture to take, James recalled, a blush spreading across his face even now. He had found himself very uncomfortable with the provocative poses that she was striking, but he had no idea why.
I'm gay, he told himself. Very, extremely homosexual. And a little later, but man, she's gorgeous.
She also enjoyed writing, and he took a picture of her bent over a leather journal, pen in hand. That seemed to be the only thing that she and Aine had in common, to be honest. A few more pictures of the girl doing various things, and he was done. The two girls had thought that he had done a very good job on the project, and James realized later that Aine had purposely chatted with him for longer than necessary to distract him from thinking too hard about his injured roommate.
So when the hospital called him and told him the news, James was so excited to visit that he almost forgot to be worried about the antidepressants that Orion was on, and when he burst through the double doors, he almost remembered to stay calm.
"I'm here to see Orion Deverell?" He told them, trying to catch his breath.
The secretary nodded with a smile and led him down the bright white corridor to a different room from before, where Orion was lying on a white bed.
James forgot to breathe as he saw how pale his friend was, with sagging skin and baggy eyes, but he was alive, and that was all that mattered.
"Hey." He murmured softly, moving to the chair by the head of the mattress. He wanted to tell Orion all about Chang and what was going to happen and ask what he should do - but he knew that he couldn't. Not now, anyway. "I missed you." The last part was so quiet that even James could barely hear it, and his voice was deep in his throat. The secretary cleared her throat and left, presumably to summon a doctor or something.

Orion spent the hours after he'd awoken in complete boredom, and mild frustration. At first his memories had felt a little hazy, and it had bothered him greatly that he'd missed out on two whole days of his life. It was an unsettling thought, and one that left him distinctly grumpy after the doctors had mentioned it. Then they had prescribed those pills, and his mood had only worsened. He was one hundred percent, absolutely not depressed! A little annoyed, maybe, at sleeping through his life and being cooped up in a hospital. A little lonely, maybe (to his surprise), but certainly not depressed. He had not taken even one of the pills. He didn't believe in them, anyway. A big bag of marshmallows would probably do the trick to lift his spirits, but oh no, he couldn't eat those, not with the corrosive action of the sugar. 
Cursing under his breath, he scribbled down a few violent sentences into the leather-bound notebook on his lap (his doctor - Rose, the young MD - had been kind enough to go out and buy one for him when he'd asked) then ended his last sentence with a full stop so violent that it punctured the page. 
"Argh!" Orion growled, slamming the book shut and throwing it down on the table beside him. With a stormy face, he grabbed the TV remote instead and switched it on. When One Direction appeared on the screen, he switched it off again instantly, then proceeded to calmly throw the remote against the nearest wall. It bounced off, spilling its batteries on the floor, while Orion grimaced and clutched his stomach, grumbling irritably to himself. He just needed to get out!

Sitting back against his headrest with a groan, he brushed his hair back from his face, accustomed now to the feeling of the IV tube coldly brushing his neck. He closed his eyes a moment, then looked up when a soft knock sounded on the door to his room, and the hinges creaked faintly. 
Then the door swung open, and there, silhouetted against the white fluorescent light in the hallway, stood the one man he wanted so desperately to see.
"Hey."
"James!" Orion's face cracked into a grin as his friend moved to the chair beside his bed, but when he saw the look on the boy's face, his expression flickered hesitantly. "Are you-" He began, then stopped when James whispered softly, "I missed you."
He swallowed anxiously, then took a deep breath and nodded. "I missed you too."
He was afraid to say how much, for his roommate's presence certainly had a much greater effect on his mood than he had expected, and he was a little unsettled by how much he had come to rely on James, after being so completely independent for so long. 
He sighed, then scratched his hair and uttered a soft chuckle under his breath. 
"Thanks for coming." He reached over and patted James's knee, "I needed to see you. Now..." He looked over his friend's face again, and his eyes twinkled knowingly, "Will you tell me what's bothering you, or will I have to get you high on morphine first?"

The light that brightened Orion's face as soon as James walked in the door made him feel even more guilty than he already did. How quickly would that spark blaze out when he found out about Chang and the audition?
He swallowed nervously and pushed down that feeling, trying to focus only on the greatness of being with Orion once again. Two days had been too long - and to think that he would have been happy for two days without his freak of a roommate when they had first met!
"Thanks for coming. I needed to see you. Now... Will you tell me what's bothering you, or will I have to get you high on morphine first?"
Shit. Was it really that obvious?
James bit his lip and looked down, his face coloring. "I needed to see you too." He murmured. "Aine and her crazy roommate have been driving me absolutely insane." He chuckled. "They've made me lasagna. Lasagna. It's as if I've lost a part of my family." He sighed and reached a hand up to scratch the back of his neck. His arms looked pitifully thin in the light, and he was sure that he had steadily been losing weight, even before Orion made it to the hospital, despite the fact that Aine had sent over food a lot. Cory often signed her name with Aine's - especially after the photo shoot - but he really doubted she had anything to do with it.
He sighed and tried to smile, but felt fake on his mouth and he didn't want to be fake, not here, not now.
"I... I don't even know how to tell you. I don't want to tell you - not now anyways. Not with you in the hospital like this." James frowned and flicked his eyes down Orion's body, as if to make sure that he was still, in fact, in the hospital.
"I guess I'll just put it out there, you know?" He sighed and let his eyes move back up to Orion's. They still took his breath away. "I was offered an audition spot at the Opera House to be the organist, and I really want to take it, except... Well, a certain asshole foster father offered it to me." He chuckled nervously, trying to gauge his friend's reaction. "And he's really very... intimidating, that's the word."

"I needed to see you too." James answered, and Orion thought he saw his face flush, "Aine and her crazy roommate have been driving me absolutely insane. They've made me lasagna. Lasagna. It's as if I've lost a part of my family." Orion laughed at this, and answered with a shake of his head, "Well, I'm glad she's looking after you. Somebody has to."
He flashed a teasing wink, and it seemed to him for a moment that James tried to smile. There was still something bugging him. Frowning slightly, Orion looked up at his friend, who still looked decidedly anxious, and pressed gently, "James?"
"I... I don't even know how to tell you. I don't want to tell you - not now anyways. Not with you in the hospital like this." James admitted, and Orion's frown deepened. "Tell me what?" He asked, a slight edge to his voice now. Had James become involved with somebody else? Was he moving away? Whatever it was, it sounded like bad news, and he could feel his heart beating faster and his palms growing clammy as the scenarios became worse and worse in his head. "What is it, James?"
"I guess I'll just put it out there, you know?" James sighed, looking back at him at last, "I was offered an audition spot at the Opera House to be the organist," Orion blinked in surprise. That sounded like good news!, "And I really want to take it, except... Well, a certain asshole foster father offered it to me."
Ah. There it was. Despite James's nervous chuckle, Orion remained frozen to the spot, his expression unreadable.
"And he's really very... intimidating, that's the word."
There was a long silence then, punctuated only by the faint sound of Orion fiddling with his IV. He rolled the tube in his fingers, mostly just to keep his hands occupied as he considered what James had told him. Honestly, he wasn't sure how he felt about it. Well, no, he knew that he was not happy about it, but at the same time, he was happy that James's talent had been recognised, and he was sure that his roommate would be beyond excited by that fact. He had to be careful, very careful, how he played his cards here. 
So he took his time, and he thought, staying silent for so long that he could practically feel James's impatience simmering in the air. 
"That's a great offer." He admitted at last, still not looking up from the IV in his fingers, "Mr. Chang's opera house is very famous, and to play there would be a great honour. It would definitely get your talent noticed, and help you gain the publicity you deserve. I'm... Proud of you." He glanced up at last, offering a small smile in James's direction. But as he resumed speaking, the frown rapidly furrowed his brow again, growing more concerned by the minute.
"That being said, I have to tell you that when Mr. Chang is involved, if something seems too good to be true, then it probably is. He did not make that offer for your sake." Orion's eyes flashed dangerously, "You can count on that. Everything he does is planned. Calculated. He's expecting to get something from this. But-" He broke off with a sigh, rubbing his hands wearily over his face, and mumbled into his palms, "I'm not going to tell you not to take it." His hands dropped back into his lap. "It's a great offer, I get that. You'd be stupid not to take it, so... Just promise me that you'll be careful." He met James's eyes, and held them intently, "Don't play his game, and don't make any promises that you can't back out of." His jaw clenched, and then he said through a sigh, "When's your audition? I want to be there - I don't trust that man not to screw you over, and I know his tricks. Besides," He managed a faint smile at last, though it didn't quite reach his tired eyes, "I want to see you play."

Orion took such a long time answering that James was beginning to feel even worse for even bringing up the topic to discussion. Of course Orion was going to hate it - it was Han Chang, the man that ruined his entire being. Why would he be okay with James performing at the man's Opera House?
Technically he's only a shareholder, he thought, trying to console himself.
Shut up, he fired back, and was just about to tell Orion to forgot about it when he finally began to speak.
"That's a great offer. Mr. Chang's opera house is very famous, and to play there would be a great honor. It would definitely get your talent noticed, and help you gain the publicity you deserve. I'm... Proud of you."
Well, that was unexpected. James didn't even register his friend's words at first, until he went on explaining.
"That being said, I have to tell you that when Mr. Chang is involved, if something seems too good to be true, then it probably is. He did not make that offer for your sake. You can count on that. Everything he does is planned. Calculated. He's expecting to get something from this. But- I'm not going to tell you not to take it. It's a great offer, I get that. You'd be stupid not to take it, so... Just promise me that you'll be careful."
Orion was obviously more distressed about it than his confident words let on.
James frowned and leaned in, his hand reaching forward and resting it on Orion's forehead, as if checking for a fever. He actually was this time - James wasn't sure if the man was in a stable frame of mind at the moment. Had he actually just agreed to let James audition for Chang? Of course, James didn't technically need Orion's permission, but after what had happened the last few days... No, he wouldn't risk hurting Orion.
His fingers brushed over Orion's cheek as he pulled his hand away, lingering a little longer than necessary. His eyes were full of concern.
"I know." He murmured, although he wasn't really sure which part of Orion's little speech he was answering. Perhaps all of it. "It would be incredible to be able to play there, but..." His mouth closed and images swam before his eyes, not making any sense at all. If he got the job, how would that conflict with his studies? With his composition? Hell, with his life with Orion? He would be gone most evenings and the entire weekend, either rehearsing or performing. He would barely have time to breathe, let alone sleep and do homework and have time for himself and his boyfriend.
"I don't know if I want the job though." He finally admitted. "Too much commitment, especially when I know that, well, I'm not going to be performing as a profession." He shrugged. "I think I may audition, just to see if I could get the job, but not take it... Or maybe not." A small smile twisted his lips. "If Chang is as manipulative as you say, he might not like me going just for the hell of it, right?"