Fabian awoke to find himself in St Mungo's, body wracked with pain. He must have broken several bones and the Skele-Gro was hard at work pushing them back together. His brother was staring anxiously at him, accompanied by his sweetheart, Marlene McKinnon.
"Oh, you're awake at last," Marlene sighed with relief.
"How are you feeling?" Gideon asked.
"A tad under the weather."
Gideon shook his head. "You were out for the past two days. The Healers weren't even sure you'd come out of this on the right side of life."
"You were dragged under the muggle bus for at least a hundred yards," Marlene supplemented. "No one noticed until it reached a bus stop where the passengers who were waiting to board spotted you. They called the muggle ambulance down, but thanks to the alert St Mungo's gets when magical people get injured they transferred you over in no time."
"I'm just glad you're alive, little brother."
Fabian crossed his arms and pouted indignantly. He was only seven minutes younger than Gideon but somehow was stuck with being the "little brother" as if they were years apart in age. Of course, Gideon had to have the reputation of being the responsible one as well, and somehow even though he was a proper field agent and not in the research desk like he was, it seemed he rarely needed the use of the special ward they had as Aurors.
"Have you been sitting here for days just waiting for me to wake up?" he asked Gideon.
"Possibly," Gideon said sheepishly.
Fabian looked at Marlene and mouthed the words "I'm sorry". He didn't want to be hogging Gideon's time, especially not time he could have spent with Marlene.
"We took turns," Marlene replied, smiling warmly.
"Oh, you're such a Hufflepuff, Marlene," Fabian said. "You really didn't have to. I would have come around at some point."
"We love you, Fabian. You're like a unique combination of little brother and baby child. We live in constant fear of you getting hurt and the idea that someone could even think of causing you harm really unleashes these protective instincts."
"Aww," Fabian cooed. "I feel so loved. I mean it!"
Gideon beamed with no small measure of pride.
Fabian grinned in reply, and looked away coyly. By the corner of his eye he caught Bob peeking in through the window to his room.
"Gid," he said. "Does Molly know I'm up and well?"
"Oh!" Gideon exclaimed. "I must tell her!"
"Yes yes," said Fabian. "Run along now. I'd like some much-needed rest."
With hugs and kisses Gideon and Marlene bade farewell and left the room. Fabian saw Bob duck off into a corner, only to return five minutes later when the coast was clear.
When he entered the room, he clapped a hand over his mouth in shock.
"Oh my baby," he gasped. "What have they done to you?"
"I'm alright, Bob," Fabian replied. "I'll be good as new in no time at all."
Bob gently rested a hand on his right arm, which was soft and tender, still sprouting new bone. Bob laid a wet kiss on his cheek, and hugged him tightly.
"Oh baby," he whispered. "I'm so sorry, baby."
"Don't be silly, you couldn't have done anything," Fabian replied.
"But I wish I could, though. I wish I could have been there, to stop you from getting so injured or to hold your hand on the way to the hospital."
"You're here with me now, aren't you? I think that's good enough."
Bob squeezed him even tighter. "I was so scared, baby. I heard the news through the grapevine and I knew I had to see you."
Fabian sighed and planted a kiss on Bob's mouth. "Sometimes you worry too much, Bob."
Bob shook his head. "It's not unjustified, Fabian. You have no sense of danger. You really just don't seem to be aware of how much trouble you can get into."
"I don't want to argue, Bob."
"Baby, I'm not trying to argue. It's the truth, you know. Someone's got to look out for you."
Fabian sighed. "I'm sorry," he said, relenting.
"I'm sorry," Bob replied, grasping his hand tightly. "I love you so much I can't even imagine what it's like without you."
And so they sat there for a while. Bob went to fetch some tea for the both of them, and when they were done with the tea, Bob looked at him with a mischievous twinkle in the eye and asked if he needed some cheering up.
"Oh Bob," Fabian replied slyly. Bob was so affectionate and so puppylike sometimes, despite his big, muscular exterior.
Bob grinned devilishly, and rubbed his thighs eagerly. "No one knows I'm here," he said playfully. "And I certainly hope no one is about to find out."
With that, he ducked under Fabian's hospital blanket and settled in between his legs. Pushing up Fabian's hospital robes, he tugged and kissed at his crotch, until his dick got hard.
A little self-conscious, it occurred to Fabian that his legs were splayed in a way that was rather like giving birth, with Bob peering under the blanket like midwives did, trying to coax the baby out, and he started to fear that some Healer or Mediwitch would walk in upon this scene in horror, unsure of what was going on. He felt Bob's lips wrap around the head of his cock, moving downwards, taking him in at full length. He felt Bob's tongue run along the underside of his shaft, unbearably hot. He groaned in response, watching Bob's head bobbing up and down under the blanket, his mouth filled with his cock, moist and wet with the sounds of licking and sucking and kissing.
Biting his lip, Fabian whimpered and climaxed into Bob's mouth, his left leg shooting out uncontrollably to accidentally kick Bob in the belly. "I'm sorry baby," he gasped at Bob, hoping he wouldn't bear any grudge against him for this.
When he was spent, Bob emerged from under the blanket to grin at him, mouth full of come. The sight of it embarrassed Fabian somehow and he sunk deeper into his bed, cheeks flushed, and pulled the blanket up to his neck, peering out shyly from behind it.
"I love you," Bob said warmly, springing off to the adjacent bathroom to rinse his mouth.
When he returned they kissed for a while, and Bob patted him reassuringly on the head, and fondly rearranged his hair, which was matted with sweat, then kissed him on the forehead. "Shall I leave you to rest now?" he asked sweetly.
Fabian nodded, still hiding behind his blanket.
"Goodbye, baby. I shall see you again."
...
It was another couple of days before they finally let Fabian go, one day ahead of schedule. His Healer, Fenella Thirkell, was probably feeling extremely harangued by his pleas to be released from care.
Having regained his freedom, Fabian nearly bounded onto the streets. How he missed the outside world! How he missed all that went on in it, change upon change at relentless pace, always new with more of the old. He inhaled deeply, seeking to take in the fresh air, but all he did actually inhale was smog and dust and more smog, but it wasn't like he really cared, as he was a smoker with lungs grown used to bad air. Speaking of smoking, he had not had a fag in some while and was dying for one.
He slipped into a nearby convenience store to purchase a pack, and, setting one alight, stood puffing away by the streets. How he missed this vice of his! Upon this thought, he realised that he had one extra day to himself as he had not yet bothered to inform anyone he knew of his early release. A frisson of excitement shot through him as he entertained all the naughty things he could let himself do. He ran off to Hyde Park, straight into the arms of strangers lurking in the lavatories by the Serpentine. Passing from anonymous body to anonymous body he let his body be used for pleasure, for he found much pleasure in giving others pleasure.
Evening fell and he removed himself to a pub for some alcoholic refreshment. The after-work crowd was filing in, presenting more opportunities for shameless hook-ups. There was a rather handsome stranger standing alone by the bar, waiting for his drink, so he thought to move in and make a proposition.
That man shook his head upon seeing him. "Sorry love, I'm waiting for my boyfriend and as a rule, we don't do other people."
It was an innocent remark, but somehow its delivery stabbed Fabian in the heart. He nodded sheepishly and moved away, just as he saw that man's partner enter the bar and kiss him lovingly. Fabian started to feel ashamed, and he also started to feel like monogamy was something beyond his ability and he was the worse for it. He started to feel guilty thinking about what Bob, who was always faithful, would think of him if he knew how he had been slutting away with all these other men.
The alcohol wasn't doing him any good now. Guilt gnawed at his heart and he had a sinking feeling. It was the kind of guilt he usually sought to absolve with the cock of yet another anonymous stranger, but on this day it was perhaps counter to the cause. As the night got on, he felt increasingly worse he was on the verge of wandering around muggle London alone, crying to himself on the streets.
He was such a mess. He kept making a mess of his life when it could have been so simple. He had a boyfriend who loved him, yet he kept failing this love by sleeping with strangers who had no affection for him. Perhaps Bob's love was too much to bear and he needed to remind himself that he would always be unworthy of such goodness and so he let himself be used like he was nothing more than a piece of meat with some holes.
The thought of it weighed down on him so much it was as if holes began to open up in his heart. He was deficient, always lacking something, and his heart began to yawn with a yearning, a gaping hole of lust and desire and of wanting to be loved by everyone he met. In his longing his thoughts drifted to Tony, how he had missed Tony in these days past and he was seized by the thought that if he could see Tony right now all would be made clearer.
Drunkenly and desperately, he apparated to Tony's general area of living and stumbled all the way to Tony's front door, and stood there wondering if he should ring the bell. It occurred to him that it was more likely that his landlords would answer the door, and they might not take too kindly to him showing up at their doorstep again, seeking to exploit their hospitality, not when he was inebriated beyond his wits and they were teetotallers. He remembered passing a telephone booth on his way here, so he wondered if he should use the damned fellytone, even though he seized up with fear whenever he had to punch in those muggle digits on that strange, impersonal contraption.
At a loss and overcome with sadness he plopped down on the pavement outside of the door, wishing and hoping that he had the courage to ring the darned bell but telling himself that it was too late anyway and the house's residents were probably trying to sleep and everyone would hate him for it.
It was at that moment he heard someone round the corner and walk down the street, keys jingling, and he saw a pair of battered boots stop right in front of him and he looked up right into Tony's eyes.