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Every day since new years eve, Avery had been checking that Facebook page. He had Derek’s full name now, it should be easy to see what family he had and where he lived. If he was even still alive, that is.
He never mentioned any relatives, and his page reflected that. No other accounts were connected. Derek had not put a profile picture and no description under his name, the only reason Avery could be certain that this was even him, was because the city matched up.
A week after that damned goodbye letter had been uploaded, a post actually appeared on his Facebook page. Derek hadn’t written it, it was a woman’s name, so it must be his mother.
“The Lord will watch over you ✞. We all wish you a safe and happy recovery❤️🌹”
Posted two hours ago, it already had a few interactions, most from others with the same last name. It was at least a sign that Derek wasn’t dead.
Avery should probably have taken a more careful approach to finding the hospital, but he was never one for discreetness. He sent Derek’s presumed mother a message.
–“Hello, this is a friend of dereks. you must be his mom? i have not heard from him in sum time and then i saw your post. is he ok? is everything alright?”
A minute passed.
–”Yes, I am. Derek suffered a seizure and has been in the hospital for a few days now.”
–”I know im just a stranger to you but would it be possible to visit him there? it would mean a lot to me. he means a lot to me”
Another minute. It felt like ten.
–”He mentioned you before he passed out. The neighbour's camera picked up on it. Your name was the last thing he screamed. I think he would appreciate the visit, if he was lucid.”
And so, she sent him the name of the hospital and the room number. She couldn’t make it herself, Derek’s mom told him, even though she really wanted to. She had a meeting with someone half across town, also in relation to her son’s status.
The hospital staff let Avery visit anyway, the only time he had been more grateful was when he had realized that Derek had saved his life. The left wing of the building, the place Derek was kept, was unusually cold. Very few nurses passed him in the halls, and the few that did, didn’t ask him anything.
Avery double, triple, quadruple checked that the sign on the door really lined up with the text he had received. 4 5 1 4, an odd room number, he noted. He gently knocked on the door, chances were, Derek was asleep, so he didn’t want to wake him.
A nurse, who happened to pass by, gave Avery a questioning look.
“Just visiting a friend.”
The nurse sighed and opened the heavy door for him. “Take care.” she said and left him there.
The steel door slammed behind him, and Avery was embarrassingly aware that it would wake the patient. He swallowed the lump in his throat and approached the stale white hospital bed.
And there he was. Derek. Small and frail. Definitely a year or two older than him, sure, but the way he was laying there made him look so fragile. Well, he was fragile. Messy brown hair and dark eyes squinting and blinking open. Avery could swear his heart was stopping in joy.
“Hey, buddy.” Avery said, voice low almost to the point of being a whisper.
Derek seemed to barely register him at first, then his dull eyes shot open. “...Aver-ry..?” His voice was weak and scratchy.
“Yeah. Yeah, it’s me.” Avery carefully sat down on the side of the bed, careful not to move the other man with his weight. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m cold… My head hurts.” Derek shrugged. “How… have you been?”
It looked like even speaking was painful for him, he couldn’t seem to form full sentences.
“Worried sick for you, honestly.” Avery laughed a little. “Should I get you a glass of water or something, you still don’t sound well.”
“Of course I’m not well.. all knowledge of existence was- was forced into my tiny… human skull.” Derek muttered. Pouted, almost. “I did it for you… So don’t go just yet…”
“But you saved us all. Every human.” Avery moved closer, smoothing a lock of hair out of Derek’s eyes and putting it behind his ear. His fingers grazed his face lightly, and he was chill to the touch. “Don’t give me that look, I’ll stay here with you.”
Derek smiled weakly. “You’re warm.”
“Heh, it’s really cold in here, isn’t it?”
“Something about the temperature… should help something. I know why, I’ve just forgotten…” Derek said. “I’ll remember soon enough… surely.”
“Let me know when you do, bro.”
For a moment, none of them spoke. It wasn’t weird or awkward, just space for them both to really think about the whole situation.
Avery was the first to pick up the conversation again. “What happened, Derek?”
“Shit man, I was out cold. Mom- My mom, found me on the fourth… after nobody could get in contact… with me.” Derek paused in between words, no wonder that the ordeal would affect his speech. “Neurological damage… like I had a seizure.”
“Your mom said that too. I met her, by the way, lovely lady!”
“Don’t seduce my mom.”
“Why, she’s nice? Kidding. Only about the seducing part, don’t give me that look.”
And then, another wave of silence. This time, occupied by the two souls simply staring at each other, admiring each other.
“You’re pretty, Avery.”
He flushed a bright pink at the sudden compliment. “You too?” Avery was admittedly kinda flattered.
“You’re warm and I am… So, so cold.” Derek repeated.
“Ehm, what are you implying..?” Avery spluttered, fully aware of what he meant.
“I know you know. You know that too.” Derek said with half lidded eyes.
Avery gently cupped Derek’s cheek, savouring the way the other man closed his eyes in comfort. “...That’s nice.”
He moved closer, strangely aware of how the bed didn’t give way at all for his weight. Avery wasn’t exactly a slim guy, but he also wasn’t big either.
“Please, Avery, I’m so. Cold.” Derek’s pathetic, pleading eyes made it hard for him to say no. He didn’t want to say no, anyway.
Avery placed a hand on each side of Derek’s head and threw his legs over him, so he sat on his midsection. Not fully, he didn’t want to crush the ill man.
“Are- are you sure? I mean you really don’t look well, I know you aren’t well.” Avery mumbled.
“I know it’s gonna hurt… Pain makes me feel alive. I want… to live.” Derek answered with a dry, cynical laugh.
Avery’s left hand went back to his cheek. He pouted something about Derek not returning the favour. "Paralysis” was the simple answer to that.
His polyester hospital gown was pulled up to his middle part. Derek winced at being even more uncovered.
“If it’s too much, remember to-”
“Tell you. Yeah…”
Avery moved his hand lower, to the other man’s ass. Derek’s breath hitched when he pressed his fingers in slightly. “...You don’t have to be so kind.”
“Rather masochistic?”
Derek shrugged as much as one can when not being able to move a muscle. “...The disgusting flow of information… was kind, did you know that? Like a surge of euphoria that was… drowning me. Gently ch-choking me with knowledge that made me want to thrash... What the Voynich manuscript was really… warning about. What happened to Dan Cooper. My dad accidentally running over… my dog ten years ago and never telling me… The truth about consciousness. Every thought playing in the… mind of guy who will kill a hundred and twelve people… in Da Nang by crashing a plane in four years. It was like an embrace… trying to choke me.”
Avery blinked at him with a pitying expression. “Ah… I understand.”
“No you don’t. That’s alright…”
“I meant your reasoning.”
“Oh…”
He couldn’t help but laugh at Derek’s embarrassed face.
“...You’re mocking me, Avery.”
“No, no! It’s just,” he was interrupted by his own giggle, “It’s cute, that’s all.”
“Cute?” Avery couldn’t help but laugh at his even more embarrassed face.
“...Get on with it.” Derek mumbled with a deep, bluish blush on his face.
Avery nodded and zipped down his own pants. He was half hard already, just from a simple conversation. He rutted against Derek’s pliant thighs to get him to full erection. His cold skin made Avery shudder out a moan.
Derek had said that he shouldn’t be gentle with him, so he made a selfish choice. He spat down on his hole for some kind of lubricant. Just because Derek didn’t mind hurting, didn't mean that Avery wanted to shove his dick into a painfully tight hole.
He leaned over the other man, close enough to feel his cool breath on his lips. “I’m going to put it in now, okay?”
“Mhm.” Derek closed his eyes.
He let out a sharp gasp as Avery pushed his cock into his ass, like planting a stick in the ground. It felt like going directly through his guts and muscle, but Derek didn’t cry or complain. It should not have been as pleasurable as it was for Avery. If it were anyone else, it wouldn’t be.
When he was buried to the hilt inside Derek, he paused and took several deep breaths.
“Are you- are you alright?” Derek asked him.
Avery nodded and slowly moved again. It was slightly easier now, Derek’s blood was slicking the passage, he got chills up his spine at the thought of it. He slowly rocked back and forth, despite Derek’s insistence, Avery still didn’t want to hurt him.
“Mmm… Like that, that feels nice.” Derek sighed through small moans.
It must be the truth, he wasn’t clenching in pain. Avery kept that tempo, pulling a little out, pushing a little in, never too much at once.
“I knew this was the pace you would choose.” Derek hummed.
Avery moved further down on him, panting hotly while fucking into him. WIth a thrust in, he caught Derek’s cold lips with his own. He opened his mouth and let Avery explore. It was quite frankly horrid tasting, but what could be expected of him in this state, really? It didn’t matter anyway, all that mattered was that he wanted to kiss him, and he did.
It was too much. As soon as Avery pulled away from him, he couldn’t take it anymore. He spilled hotly inside Derek. And then they just lay there for a while, unblinking, unthinking, just taking in the sight of the other.
“Hey, Avery, I remembered… why it has to be cold here.” Derek was the first to break the silence.
“Uh? Yeah, tell.”
“To keep the bodies from decomposing.”
Before Avery could really consider those words, a shrill scream pierced through him. Avery snapped his head towards the door and towards Derek’s mom. There were two nurses with her as well. He was about to apologize for her seeing her son getting it on with someone in the hospital, but before he could, both she and a nurse rushed to him.
“My boy! Get away from my boy!” the mother sobbed heavily and angrily. She was hitting him with what little she had on her person, just her jacket.
“Who are you!? What have you done to my boy!?”
Avery turned to look at Derek, to get his reaction on what in the world his mom was on about. He froze when their eyes didn’t meet. Derek’s face was a sick colour and his eyes were not looking at anything at all.
There were holes in his face from where maggots had eaten their way through before being removed later on. His cheeks were sunken and his mouth was forced open. He was dead. He was fucking dead and he had been for a while. And Avery was still nestled snugly inside him.
Thick, overly viscous and dark blood pooled where Avery’s dick was buried. Derek’s mother’s flailing attacks were forcing him out and away from the autopsy table and her screams echoed in the morgue. The nurse who had been with her tackled him to the ground while the other one was calling security.
The mom was sobbing and hugging her son’s defiled corpse, and when Avery tried to get up to explain the situation to her, the nurse bashed his head down again.
“He told me to! He wanted me to!” Avery frantically shouted, painfully aware of how ridiculous he must have sounded.
Security staff had arrived quickly to drag him away, the nurse on the phone was now calling the police. “I have proof! He did! Your- your husband ran over the dog! How- how would I know if he hadn’t told me!?” Avery’s own eyes were filling with tears. His saviour and hero was dead and he had sodomized his cadaver.
Derek’s mom just hugged him tighter and cried hysterically.
Avery frantically pulled his phone out, hoping to show her their messages. There were none, and the only thing she had posted was one sentence.
“The Lord will watch over you ✞”