Where Do I Call Home?

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I wrote this chapter on and off for like 3 months so it might be a bit confusing, sorry.

Keith found it extremely hard to go back to his cell. It was like he had tasted the most marvelous dessert on the planet and was now being forced to go on a steamed spinach diet. Lance sighed as he walked him back to his cell for the last time.

"Well" he said once they reached Keith's cell. "This is it…good luck son. I know things will work out for you." Keith nodded.

"…thank you Lance. I am sure you will find another job soon nice guys like you are in high demand." Lance smiled and locked Keith in his cell. Keith watched as Lance walked away. It wasn't until Lance was out of sight that he realized he forgot to strap him in his bed. Thank God for small miracles. It was not like he anticipated much sleep coming to him anyway. He walked over to his cot and sat with his legs hanging off the side. He wanted to talk to Damian, but more importantly he wanted to hear Damian say "I will always love you Keith no matter what" while he wrapped Keith in a bone-crunching hug letting Keith cry on his shoulder. Tears leaked out from under Keith's eyelids which he had inadvertently squeezed shut in an attempt to capture some of the warmth his vision gave him. Before he had let himself fall in love with Damian he was perfectly fine on his own, in fact that was the way he preferred it. Friends were good for drinking and having fun, but at the end of the day Keith liked coming home to an empty house because he didn't have to answer to anybody and he could do whatever he wanted. But then he met Damian, Damian's young pale face with the oxygen mask from only weeks ago popped in his face. Right before his eyes the face changed to a perfectly healthy but much colder face he had seen only an hour ago. Keith settled into his cot knowing full well that he wouldn't sleep but hoping against hope something would offer him relief from the stabbing he felt in his heart.

Neil Looked at Damian and Damian looked at Neil. They were sitting on the floor completely alone in Damian's apartment. The others had gone back to their hotels but Damian had asked Neil to stay longer. Damian yawned and said

"Do you think I was too hard on Keith? I mean I practically broke my back just to avoid eye contact. Do you think he noticed?" Neil squirmed trying to regain some feeling in his butt. He sighed and put his problem out of his mind and focused on Damian's.

"Do you think you were too rough on Keith? I think you are just tired and confused. It's okay. If he loves you he will understand and Damian he loves you. But Damian I think he might have noticed." Damian laughed.

"Yeah I guess he might have noticed…I don't know! A part of me says no but then I think of him and how sweet he was when I was sick and I feel like shit." Neil flinched. Damian never swore. Damian yawned again. Neil chuckled and slid to sit next to Damian. Damian put his head on Neil's shoulder.

"Why don't you get your pajamas on and just go to bed?" Damian looked around the apartment nervously.

"I…can't" he whispered.

"Why Damo?" Neil asked.

"That bed…is where…where" Damian didn't know how to continue. Where he and Cameron had pizza the last time he had ever seen Cameron smile that sweet innocent smile. That pizza…where it all started? After it was clear that Damian was not going to continue Neil mentally slapped himself. He couldn't believe that he actually expected Damian to sleep here by himself! He carefully pulled his phone out of his pocket.

"Hold on Damo. I promise it will be okay." Neil dialed the familiar number.

"Hello?"

"Ryan baby hey it's me."

"Neil honey are you okay? Are you on your way?" Neil chuckled at Ryan's concern.

"Listen Ryan I am fine and no not yet that's why I'm calling. I think I may have to bring Damian back with me. I mean he really can't sleep in this apartment by himself…you know? And I'm worried for him." Neil glanced at Damian and saw that he had fallen asleep. The poor kid must have really been exhausted. Ryan was silent for a minute. "Ryan? Babe?"

"I-I'm just amazed at you Neil. You have such a big heart!" Neil blushed.

"Well if you think that's big you should see my-"

"Neil Damian is probably within earshot." Neil laughed careful not to wake Damian.

"What? I was going to say my guitar collection you pervert haha."

"Sure you were Neil, sure you were and I have seen your 'guitar collection' that amazes me too. Of course you can bring him back here. The poor kid."

"I know we should be leaving in about ten minutes depending on how much protest he puts up. I'm guessing not much because he's out cold right now."

"Okay be careful. Love you. See you soon."

"I will. Love you too. See ya." Neil hung up the phone.

"That was the weirdest conversation ever." Damian mumbled. Neil jumped slightly.

"Damo I thought you were asleep."

"I almost was." Damian yawned again and right there in that moment with his face scrunched and mouth open Neil realized how vulnerable Damian really was right now. He was only a kid and in the past few weeks he had to deal with things way beyond his maturity level. A tear slid down Neil's face. He really was extremely proud of him. He ruffled Damian's hair and said

"Go on get your pj's on then we can go and you can get some sleep."

"No" Neil had expected Damian to fight.

"Please?"

"Don't wanna move" Neil chuckled.

"Okay" Neil slowly moved Damian off of him and was about to stand up when he felt a hand grab his arm. "What? Damian?"

"Where are you going?"

"Well you said you didn't wanna move so I was going to get your clothes for you."

"No"

"But-"

"Please? Just don't leave me alone?" Neil was defenseless against Damian's sad eyes. It was like kicking an abused puppy.

"Okay" Neil sat back down. Damian brought his head back to Neil's shoulder.

Keith must have fallen asleep at some point because the next thing he knew someone was gently calling his name.

"Keith?" Keith opened his eyes. He couldn't quite make out who was standing in front of him. It was too dark.

"Um yes?" Keith said.

"Hi, I am Réamann…umm Lance's replacement…umm I was told to come…introduce myself to you and umm strap you into your cot."

"Rèmann? But doesn't that mean-"

"Yes it does, my parents thought more of me than what I could be."

"You got here awfully fast."

"Yeah, they don't like leaving crazies unattended too long." He said and chuckled. " Lance told me to keep an eye on you and make sure you will be okay. He seemed to be concerned about you."

"He did?"

"Yes he seemed to have taken a liking to you."

"Me?" Keith was sure he was mistaken. Lance had barely known him.

"Yes, now lay down and get some sleep. Keith wanted to point out that he was already asleep, but he kind of liked this guy so he did as he was told. "Now I believe your…left arm and leg get strapped down right?" Keith didn't want to but he nodded. "Oh gee, I wish someone would have told me that." He said with a smile and walked away. Keith was shocked and grateful. He was almost asleep when he realized how easy it was to fall asleep. He thought Damian would have kept him up. His eyelids felt heavy and he sighed. Well thank God he was wrong.

"Damain?" Neil whispered. Damian didn't answer. "Damian?" Neil said again a little louder.

"I know what you are going to tell me." Damian mumbled. "You are going to say 'Damian as much as I hate doing this we really have to go. Ryan is probably going to get worried.' But Neil I don't wanna move yet."

"Come on Damo, I'll go with you. It's just down the hall."

"I know…okay. I'll go just give me a minute." Damian made a sound that was a mixture of a cry and a groan as he stood up. "Neil?"

"Yes Damian?"

"You are really here aren't you?" Neil was a bit shocked.

"Yes Damian, I promise I am really here."

"And Neil?"

"Yes Damian?"

"You aren't going to leave while I am changing are you?"

"of course not Damian."

"Promise?"

"I promise" Neil was resisting the urge to hug Damian. He felt so bad that Damian even had these thoughts. Did he really think he was hallucinating or that he would really leave him? Damian nodded and left. Neil pulled out his phone and texted Ryan that he had finally gotten Damian to put comfy clothes and they should be leaving momentarily.

Damian walked back to his room focusing on Neil, getting clothes, and leaving. He sighed as he cautiously opened his door. There it was. The bed that had started this all, in spite of his better judgment he walked over and placed a hand on the blanket.

"Damian" Damian froze. It was just his imagination. There was nobody there. "Damian, how?" Damian walked over to his dresser, pulled out sweatpants and the first shirt he could find. He wished he didn't need this stupid cane so he could move faster. "Damian how could…" No! Nobody was there. He changed as fast as he could humming a little tune to drown out the voice. "Damian how could you?" the voice cried. Damian's heart was pounding in his chest and he just wanted out. The second he was fully changed he made a mad dash for the door. When he stepped into the hallway he tried to calm himself down as much as he could for Neil's sake.

"Hey Damo, you ready?" Neil asked stifling a yawn. Damian nodded.

"Just let me get shoes." When he moved to grab his Converse he noticed how badly his hands were shaking. He tightened his grip on his cane with one hand and grabbed his shoes with the other. He sat on the floor and began to put them on.

"You okay Damo?" Neil asked grabbing their coats.

"Yeah fine, why do you ask?"

"You seem…scared?"

"Nope I'm fine. I really appreciate this Neil. I know it can't be easy on you and Ryan….letting me stay with you for tonight I mean."

"Damo you can stay with us as long as you want. We love you." Neil said with a smile. Damian felt a pang of guilt and the urge to slip into another zombie-like state, but that had not worked out so well the last time and he didn't want Neil to feel bad for him. So he smiled and said

"Thanks Neil, I love you guys too."

"Now enough of this mushy gushy talk we have to go are you ready?" Damian nodded. As they walked out the door Damian could have sworn he heard someone crying, but he shook it off as he pulled the door shut behind him.

"You gonna lock it Damo?" Neil asked.

"Nah…it was unlocked the whole time I was in the hospital and nothing happened, plus there really isn't anything in that apartment that I would miss anymore." Neil sighed, unsure if what to say.

"Well, come on then. Ryan is going to have a heart attack if we are not there soon."

If Keith thought being woken up once was annoying, it was nothing compared to how he felt after he was woken up a second time.

"I am terribly sorry for waking you up again…I know you must hate me by now, but I just read your case file and I just wanted to tell you that I admire you." Keith was slightly shocked. He was slightly less mad now.

"Oh, um…are you sure you read the right case file?"

"Haha yes, now you can go back to sleep, I just wanted you to know that whether you are here for the next week or the rest of your life I will do my best to look out for you." Keith was touched.

"T-thank you, hopefully it's only for the next week though." He smiled.

"Haha yes, that's true…anyway I guess you should get some sleep, wakeup call comes early around here." Keith nodded and started to get comfortable, but before Réamann left Keith said

"Your parents were right about you, you can be a wise protector."