growing pains

[3rs]

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[jockapollo]

"Hey, man. What's up?" Harvey dragged his chair from his desk and pulled it over to sit at Edward's table, doing as the teacher had told them. They apparently had to get with their randomly assigned partners, sit together, discuss their presentation topic and get ready for three weeks time when they had to do a presentation. Harvey didn't really know Edward much but he knew of him, if that was anything to go by. Kinda weird, kinda smart, always getting his ass kicked.

Harvey thought it was kind of dickish but whatever, he didn't get involved. He just wanted to get good grades and survive at least until high school - that was all he wanted from life. Hopefully, this wouldn't be painful. Quick, easy and good, that was all he wanted.

"Did you write down the topic? I didn't. It all moved so fast." And he had not been listening.

[3rs]

"You have to stop caring so much about your balls," Edward suggested helpfully, as he watched Harvey stress himself out the way he always did before a game. They were in a mostly empty storage room that he had broken into for them - not that Harvey knew that, he was too straight for that (and unfortunately not just for that). Edward knew that Harvey needed somewhere to be away from everything before a game, to have... Whatever this was.

He seemed to be calming down now, but damn. He was just glad he hadn't started to hyperventilate this time. He sat down by Harvey and put a hand on his shoulder, sighing a little. "Realistically, what is the worst that could happen? It's not as if it matters, you're already accepted to college. This game is irrelevant. I'd argue most games are irrelevant."

[3rs]

There was a cut on Ed's forehead from where he had hit the corner of a dresser at home. Clumsy, of course, and just so happening to coincide with a beginning of a black eye and a slight limp he was sure he'd be able to hide after the weekend. Another altercation with his father and now here he was, in Jon's apartment, holding as still as he could make himself while he trusted the other to clean his wound and to determine whether he needed stitches. They'd already cleared that he didn't have a concussion.

"It's so damn annoying, the placement." Edward gestured vaguely to the wound Jonathan was already looking at, proving his inability to hold still. "I'll have to wear... a beanie. Something fashion inept like that."

If he wanted to hide it, anyway. "The eye doesn't look so bad, right?" He glanced at Jonathan for reassurance, moving his head as he did so. Yeah, he was bad at not moving. "I think I'll keep it from colouring too much. Should be almost gone by Monday. Latest Tuesday. Gotta manage that."

Or it would be needlessly annoying in a number of ways he didn't want to admit to himself. "I've got Science class on Tuesday." As if that explained why he had to manage to somehow not be visibly bruised by then.

[jockapollo]

"Are you alright, Ed? What happened?"

Just as predicted, Harvey asked Edward, hand on his shoulder as he looked at his eye with concern. He hadn't had a chance to see him today but he did glance him at lunch time and as much as he wanted to talk, he had to get some homework finished. Now school and training was over, he finally had the time.

And there he was, too much compassion as always, ready to walk Ed home. "Looks nasty."

[alphapollo]

There was a limit amount painkillers could really do but that didn't matter any more. Harvey felt like he had entirely transcended pain when he left the hospital. He shouldn't have left, he knew that, but it didn't stop him. It was amazing what one could do when death and pain were no longer a fear. Scaling a hospital and escaping? Thrilling, not terrifying.

He staggered his way across town through back alleys and empty streets, determined to avoid anyone catching him. It was late, there weren't many around and anyone who did see him, they ran. Heh. Funny.

As Harvey entered the Narrows, he paused. Left, Ed went left. He had to turn his whole body to check, his left eye was completely blind now. He was surprised it was even intact. The plastic surgeon had formed him an eyelid to stop it from drying out but he honestly thought they should have removed it.

His face was not a mess, it was sore and burnt deeply, tissue and bone missing. He had a mesh on it when he left but he had long since released it. Fresh air and rain stung like an absolute bitch.

Harvey climbed the fire escape until he reached the back door of Ed's apartment. Then he knocked, waiting. Like it was a perfectly fine thing to do. Just old friends, catching up. It had only been months, right? That was nothing.

"I'll get it!" Isabella called out from the hallway and Harvey cocked his head to the side. She would scream, he could already tell.