"...It's been four days since we last ate. I'm starving." Ben spoke coolly to Damian, the blue haired nineteen-year-old laying back in the driver's seat, trying but failing to sleep.
"I'm hungry too, but, we have no money and you refuse to steal again," Damian responded bitterly as he opened one of his bottle-green eyes to look at Ben in the passenger's seat.
"I'm not really all that hungry," Twigleg spoke up from Ben's shoulder and Ben gave him a scoff,
"You eat bugs, and Damian, if we don't get something to eat here soon, I swear to god I will eat you right here right now." Ben snapped rather bitterly to Damian's nonchalant response.
"That's cannibalism, and I'm pretty sure that's illegal." Damian laughed softly as he turned to his side to look at Ben.
"What are you going to do? Call the cops? ...Food. Now." Ben growled as he bitterly pushed Damian's head back.
"Urg. Fine. But you have to steal it." Damian sighed out and pulled his seat up, he then started up the car and started to drive off of the side of the road.
"I'm fine with stealing food. It's stealing...Oh, I don't know, the mayor's credit card that I tend to get a little bitter and uptight." Ben commented as he crossed his arms angrily.
"Hey, that was two years ago, and plus we got a thousand dollars."
"That clearly didn't last us. Otherwise, I wouldn't be complaining to you about food right now...Are we...Close to the Greenblooms?" Ben asked as he looked out the window.
"...No." Damian hesitated as he stared wide-eyed out the window, looking at the town around them.
Ben just turned his head and looked at Damian, his blue eyes big and sad. Damian just shut his eyes and shook his head bitterly,
"No, Ben, absolutely not."
"It's been three years! They haven't been caught! Please! I just want to tell them I'm fine!"
"No! Don't risk it, Ben. Please...Just take my advice."
Ben sighed and leaned back in his seat defeated. Damian looked at the forlorn face on Ben and gave a small smile.
"Hey, I did pick up a surprise for you, it's in the glove compartment."
"Is it food?"
"Well you can eat it, but, from experience, it tastes awful."
Ben pursed his lips to the side and leaned forward to open the glove box.
"...Oh, Damian. Aren't you thoughtful." Ben commented as he pulled out the box of cigarettes.
"Yeah...We can't go back to Manchester for a while, I'm sure the store owner is waiting for me with a baseball bat."
"Huh. Well, thank you." Ben commented as he smacked the packaged against the palm of his hand a few times. Twigleg gave a bitter hmph and sat down on Ben's shoulder, glaring daggers at Damian.
"Don't be mad, Twigleg, everyone has their addictions. Ben's is cancer and mine is empty calories and endless junk food." Damian laughed softly his shoulders shaking up and down as he laughed.
"Want one?" Ben offered one towards Damian as he drove.
"Then again, I won't say no to some cancer."
Damian took the cigarette and leaned forward towards Ben who connected the two of them with the end of his cigarette, springing his lighter to life, he lit the two of them up and they both rolled their windows down. Blowing their smoke, Twigleg let out a bitter huff and crossed his arms in a pout as he also puffed out his cheeks.
"You both are going to die young!" He argued to the two of them and Damian leaned forward and poked Twigleg's nose playfully,
"We're all going to die one day. No, use in prolonging it..."
Damian sighed as he gently moved a cup under the cool bath water and gently brought the cup over Ben's burnt arm and poured the water lightly over the shoulder. Ben shuddered out but didn't wake. After Barnabas allowed them in, Damian decided the best course of action was to put Ben in the tub to save the Greenblooms a bloody couch. Ben laying fast asleep in pink water all the way to his chest. Thankfully, Damian only had to remove Ben's shirt from his body and save Ben's dignity.
"...H-How is he?" Barnabas asked from the doorway.
"He stopped bleeding, that's good, but...He's going to scar horribly...I hope he still has use of his arm." Damian breathed out as he gently moved some more water over the wound.
"I'm not a doctor...Well, I am. But I'm not that kind of doctor, but, what I'm trying to say is, couldn't he get an infection?"
"It's a possibility..." Damian told him, Ben let out a grimace but didn't wake, Damian cringed when Ben suddenly let out a painful gasp.
"I have some pain meds-"
"No. We need something strong...I'll be back." Damian stood and started to walk out of the bathroom, Barnabas grabbed Damian's arm and tugged him back,
"Wait, you can't just leave!"
"I'll be back! I swear, look Twigleg is watching after him!" Damian pointed to the quiet and shaking Twigleg sitting on the sink watching Ben like a hawk.
"Twigleg is three inches tall!"
"I'll be back!" He finally snapped and pulled his arm away from Barnabas angrily. "...Also, Call Oliver. He can help with this." With that Damian turned and stormed away, leaving Barnabas in the bathroom. Slowly, Barnabas sat down on the edge of the tub and looked at Ben. Sighing softly, he gently patted Ben's oily hair. His eyes fell past the horrific scar traveling down Ben's body and more towards Ben's ribs and stomach.
"...You're so skinny...Oh...Ben..." He sighed out softly and patted Ben's face. "I can't believe this happened..."
Moving down from the tub and on the floor, Barnabas reached over and hugged Ben with one arm.
"I'm never letting you leave like that again..."
"I want to see him!" Guinevere fought with her father angrily. Jackson let out a whimper as he clung to Vita's neck desperately.
"Absolutely not! Guinevere, his burns are horrible! Plus knowing you, you'd hit him while he's unconscious!" Barnabas argued back. He suddenly jumped when the door opened, in came Damian, a different and brand new backpack on and over his shoulder.
"I will not! Plus, I...I swear Damian looks familiar!" Guinevere yelled directly at Damian who stood there an almost scared look on his face.
"It's been two hours! Where the hell did you go!?" Barnabas yelled at Damian furiously, completely ignoring his daughter for the moment.
"I had to get a lot of things."
Damian walked back to the bathroom and Barnabas just waved his arms a bit before walking with Damian, Guinevere tried to follow, but Barnabas just turned and put his index finger up sternly, stopping her in her tracks. Turning his back to his daughter, Barnabas continued to follow Damian.
"Guinevere!" Vita scolded her daughter with a gasp, Barnabas didn't want to know what his daughter did to deserve a scolding like that, and he didn't want to know. Closing the bathroom door behind him, he watched as Damian opened the bag and pulled out syringe needle fresh from a package.
"Where the hell did you get that?!"
"Don't ask." Damian then pulled out a small container and injected the needle into it pulling the syringe a bit he sucked in whatever was in the container into the syringe.
"...What is...That?"
"Morphine."
Damian tilted Ben's head to the side and stuck him with the needle before injecting Ben with the medicine. Slowly everything started to click to Barnabas as he watched Ben suddenly relax into the tub, Ben almost fell into the water but Damian managed to pull him up.
"...Barnabas? Guinevere called me, something about an emergency with Ben?"
"Who is that?" Damian asked Barnabas who walked over to the door and opened it.
"Atticus."
"...Oh my god..." Atticus breathed out as his eyes fell on Ben in the tub. Pushing past Barnabas and Damian, Atticus crouched down and gently touched Ben's face. He then turned to Damian and Barnabas saw the murder flash in Atticus's eyes and quickly grabbed the vampire holding him back from Damian.
In a brief moment, Atticus tried to lunge at Damian, who jumped back against the wall screaming out rather unmanly.
"YOU! WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM!"
"I didn't do anything! It was a dragon!"
"DRAGONS WOULD NEVER HURT BEN!"
"Atticus! Calm down! CALM DOWN!" Barnabas yelled back as he pulled Atticus back harshly.
"Atticus it's true! It was a dragon! But not a silver dragon!" Twigleg screamed as Atticus continued to fight against Barnabas. They both struggled against one another until Atticus managed to push himself and Barnabas back, causing Barnabas to hit his tailbone against the edge of the sink. Barnabas let go of Atticus as he cried out in pain and clutched his back in pain. Atticus suddenly grabbed Damian and slammed him against the wall angrily.
"Ok, let's say a dragon did do that to Ben. You still did this to me!" Atticus snarled and lifted his neck to show the faded jagged scar across his neck.
"...I don't even know you!" Damian yelled out as he tried to get out of Atticus's grip.
"Bullshit! I was stuck in a car paralyzed for two days because of you!"
"It wasn't me! and how would you of survived with your neck slit open!?"
"YOU KNOW WHAT I AM!" Atticus screamed loudly as he shook Damian violently.
"N-No I don't!" Damian cried out. "What are you?! Deranged?! Insane!? I don't know!"
"Atticus! Let go of him! Enough!" Barnabas grabbed Atticus and pulled him off of Damian once more. Atticus let out a huff and suddenly Damian's eyes went wide once everything clicked for him,
"Wait, you're the vampire!"
"Took you long enough!"
"I swear to god. I never attacked you! I may be an ass at times but I'm not suicidal!"
Atticus snatched himself out of the professor's grasp once more and stood in front of Damian.
"And I'm not an idiot. I was attacked by a person with blue hair and green eyes, and you're telling me, the person with blue hair and green eyes standing in front of me did not attack me?"
"Hey man, go on Tumblr, you'll find a bunch of people with blue hair and green eyes." Damian tried to joke but Atticus went for him again.
"Atticus! please! Not in here!" Barnabas yelled Atticus had a harsh grip on Damian's jacket, a vicious snarl on his face.
"Hey, no vampire teeth. Cool." Damian commented as he poked Atticus's upper lip upwards and Atticus pushed him to the wall, causing him to fall down against the wall.
"Fine. When you're brave enough. I'll be in the kitchen." Atticus hissed as he gave one last sympathetic look to Ben, Where Barnabas now was, keeping Ben from slipping into the water. With a heel turn, Atticus stormed out.
"I'm sorry, he's rather-" Barnabas started to Damian, who finished the sentence,
"Protective of Ben? Yeah, got it..." Damian groaned out as he pushed himself off of the wall. He then shook his head, "I swear to god, I didn't attack him. I don't a rift between riders..."
"Don't tell me. Tell him."
"Right. You comin'?"
"And leave him to drown? No."
"Oh right!" Damian reached into his bag, which thankfully didn't get too harmed in the small scuffle between him and Atticus, pulling out a set of handcuffs, he grabbed Ben's good arm and cuffed it to the metal bar on the wall to the bathtub. "There we go."
"Where did you...You know what. I don't want to know. Let's go." Barnabas got up from the tub and let out a painful hiss as he rubbed his back. "Atticus did a number on my back, I might need to get it checked out." He breathed out painfully. Damian didn't respond as he left the bathroom first.
Barnabas turned to Twigleg who was still sitting on the sink quietly his eyes still focused on Ben.
"You want to come?" Barnabas asked as he brought his arm out for Twigleg.
"No. I want to make sure he's alright."
"...Ok..."
Walking out of the bathroom, it didn't surprise Barnabas to hear a screaming fight between Damian and Atticus in the kitchen. Upon going into the room, he found only Guinevere was there, Vita must of taken Jackson away, good choice.
"IT WASN'T ME! I WOULDN'T ATTACK YOU!"
"OH!? SO, JUST SOME RANDOM DOPPELGANGER OR SHAPESHIFTER FELT THE NEED TO SLIT MY THROAT OPEN AND INJECT ME WITH GARLIC!?"
"I GUESS!"
"Hey!" Guinevere cut in getting in between the two men, her arms out stopping Atticus from going in for another attack. "Atticus, I called you because Ben is currently injured. I didn't call you to have you snap this douche's neck." She snapped as she pointed to Damian.
"...You say you didn't attack me?" Atticus asked Damian lowering his voice to nothing more than a growl now.
"I didn't!" Damian spat back.
"Ok...But here's all that lead up to me being attacked them, Ben, had already mentioned you, you tracked him down at school and told him about the quest you wanted him to go on. I suddenly come into the picture two days before you want to take him away and I get lead into a trap. This 'attacker' that isn't you mentions Ben as I'm on the verge of blacking out. This attacker looks like you and sounds like you, but it's not you, what? Do you have a twin?"
Damian opened his mouth to respond to Atticus, but there was a knock on the door and everyone just looked at one another before Barnabas walked up to the door and opened it.
"Oliver...Hey, come on in." Barnabas said as he stepped to the side, allowing Oliver to come in, Oliver paused suddenly at the site of Atticus.
"Oh good, the man that cost me thousand of dollars in therapy sessions, who also almost cost me my job as it's rather hard to explain to people that the dead man came back to life on the table and stole scrubs from us, and he's the same person that caused Doctor Lapari to go insane...Is here as well." Oliver spoke rather disdainfully to Atticus.
Atticus instantly turned his attention from Damian to Oliver, his head rolling in the man's direction as he stared Oliver down.
Oliver looked at Damian, his eyes narrowing a bit.
"...You're the kid who broke into my home!"
"How do you figure?" Damian challenged with a rather condescending smug look on his face.
"Cameras, jackass, I have them all over my flat...Your fighting is impressive, I'll give you that...Where is my son?"
"Bathroom." Damian pointed off towards the bathroom, instantly everyone, even Atticus, looked away from Oliver as he looked towards the bathroom, his mouth wide.
"He's hurt." Damian quickly spoke to Oliver, causing the man to look at him. "He's hurt bad. We need a doctor. I have the medicine...But I'd rather have an actual medical professional help him."
Oliver practically ran off towards the bathroom, Nobody raced after him.
Leaning his back against the dining table, one leg propped out slightly, Damian simply started to count down,
"Five...Four...Three...Two..." He paused suddenly and looked at his dirty nails before continuing softly, "...One."
"OH MY GOD!" Everyone heard Oliver scream in horror. Barnabas started to walk away, probably to go and console Oliver before he even got into the hallway, Oliver was already lunging for Damian. Nobody stopped him as he managed to grab Damian by the collar and slam the teen into the wall.
"WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM!?"
"Oh for Christ sake! If I would have done this then why would I go to get him somewhere safe for him to heal!? WHY WOULD I INSIST ON CALLING YOU IF I DONE THAT TO HIM! YOU KNOW I'M GETTING KIND OF SICK OF BEING ACCUSED RIGHT NOW!" Damian finally screamed back as he pushed Oliver off of him. Oliver took a step back and slowly regained himself as he slicked his hair back and took a few deep breaths.
"You've both been gone for three years...You took him with you...Suddenly, you show up and he's so injured he needs immediate medical attention...What do you expect me to do?"
"Grin and help. Hospitals are out of the question and you are the closest thing we have to a medical doctor that might have some clue how to heal an injury this big."
"You really want my help and advice on this?" Oliver questioned crossing his arms bitterly as he looked Damian dead in the eyes.
"Yes!"
"...A third-degree burn that bad?... I once cut opened a person who had a third-degree burn on over half of his leg. He tried to self-treat it...He died hours later from blood loss...Then there was his wife, she had a burn on her left arm similar to Ben's, She didn't die, but she lost her arm. Third-degree burns can't be self-treated! He needs a hospital! TAKE HIM TO A HOSPITAL!"
"I...Can't."
"DAMMIT!" Atticus yelled out then he shrugged, "Fine. You can't. But I can!"
"I'm with them on this...He needs a hospital, or he'll die." Barnabas spoke up and Guinevere suddenly clutched on to her dad's head, clearly supporting him as well, Barnabas got in front of Damian and brought his hand out.
"The key to the handcuff, it's for the best."
"You don't understand...I'm not doing this to be a dick! Dammit! We're criminals! He'll go to jail or prison or worse! I'm thinking about him here!" He snapped at them, everyone went quiet as Damian walked over to the nearest wall and sighed out.
"What do you mean?" Oliver asked softly to Damian, Damian let out a sigh and gently moved his head back as he hit the wall softly.
"...We're criminals...We broke into homes and stole purses just to survive these last three years. Our faces are practically plastered up in every police station in the UK. We take him to a hospital...He's going to jail." Damian explained in a gentle voice. Oliver let out another sigh and bit his lip in thought. After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, Oliver just let out a bitter huff,
"You said you had medicine in there?"
"Yeah, the backpack on the floor."
"What kind?"
"Take your pick, I stole it all from an ambulance."
Oliver opened his mouth and sighed again before shaking his head,
"Did you get a saline bag? Syringes? Tubes?"
"Yes." Damian shooed Oliver away, who turned and walked towards the bathroom, once he was away and out of earshot, Barnabas spoke up,
"So, What else did you guys do that made you wanted criminals?"
"...We broke into universities and labs...We freed three dragons in the past three years. The head scientist wants our heads on a pike and is hunting us down. We go to the hospital, we'll be sitting ducks."
"Please," Atticus growled bitterly as he threw his hands down and turned away towards the bathroom. Damian watched him walked away.
"Is this true?" Barnabas asked him and he nodded numbly, his eyes downcast as he stared at the floor.
"Look, I know Atticus is a little unbelieving right now, but do understand he's just upset with Ben being...Well...Horrifically injured." Barnabas sighed and gently patted Damian's shoulder. "I'm going to go and check on him."
With that, Barnabas walked away from Damian. Damian looked at Guinevere, who frowned and turned her head away from Damian before storming away towards the restroom. Damian just leaned his head back and slid down the wall. Bringing his hands to his face, he could only shake his head and squeeze his eyes shut.
They all made valid points, but, he knew he needed to protect Ben from James Marrs.
Still, Ben could lose his arm, or worse, die.
What was he going to do?