Strangers with Benefits.Chapter 58: Now, and forever.One fractured, two broken ribs. A fracture in his nose and many, many stitches lining his arms.That was just the start of Ivan’s ailments that were treated at the emergency room that day.The doctor who was treating him had also informed him that he'd need to stay overnight to make sure that nothing was wrong, like ensure that his ribcage wouldn't move the wrong way while the injury was still fresh and require surgery, and also to monitor the treatments for dehydration and severe malnutrition that they were providing him with. Basically, his stay might last even longer than intended.Thankfully, though, he's expected to make a full recovery, and as of right now doesn't need any surgery.Ivan stayed silent during most of the process- Nathan couldn't stay with him during most of it, so whenever the nurse asked him an evaluation question, he'd answer the question simply and nothing more. When they would ask him about how all this
Strangers with Benefits.Chapter 57: We're gonna keep you safe. "Hey, Ivan," A woman's voice chants softly, accompanied by a few matching pairs of footsteps. He lifts his head up to see- long, stringy hair falling over his eyes, obstructing anyone else's view of his face. The entire family was there; Nathan immediately came to sit down at his side and places a comforting hand on his thigh, his mother coming up to also sit on the corner of the mattress, and the mother’s boyfriend hovering in the doorway. He makes Ivan a little uneasy.When the brunet doesn't say anything in reply, the woman just takes a moment to scan over the severe bruising on his chest. "Did he kick you?" She asks hesitantly. Nathan must've filled her in on the situation. Ivan nods. Swallowing her thoughts, she says. "Okay- I'm just gonna feel so I can see what's going on. Tell me if I'm pressing too hard."When the boy nods in affirmation, she does as Nathan had and moves to run her fingertips along the
.. Strangers with Benefits.Chapter 56: Hurt, but safe..Nathan’s already worried before he gets the text; Ivan had been extremely quiet the entire night after he went home, only sending a few messages back and forth at first, and then stopping completely.He's laying relaxed on his bed- of course he's a little unnerved, but he's got no choice but to simply wait for a reply. His phone is clutched limply in his palm. Nathan’s just buzzing in anticipation, waiting for the text that said the boy was okay; so instinctively when it vibrated against his leg he immediately jumped on it to see what it was.It was a text- but not the one that he was hoping for.Upon reading Ivan’s message, he's sent spiraling straight into panic mode. What happened? What did he mean? What was he planning to do? He calls the number- hands already beginning to shake- but it is fruitless. There is no answer. He calls again. Nothing but a factory default voicemail.The longer he sits there, the more realiza
Strangers with Benefits.Chapter 55: What was all of this really worth?.The next morning came too fast for everyone involved.Nathan could barely bear to let Ivan go home, because he was just too worried for his safety. There were so many variables that could jumpstart Ivan right back into the negative mental state he had been in for this past day, and him going back to his parents made up most of them. How would his dad react to his running out? Would his mother patronize him like usual, or turn to something worse?From what he had seen in their time together, it seemed as though any negative stimuli, when struck the right chord, would shoot Ivan’s mental health right down into the depths. That's what worried him the most. What happened when he was alone.It was hard sending the boy home, but there wasn't much of a choice. As he was being driven home, he thought of his excuse; he stayed the night at the school for a school function. As long as it could draw him mind away from Nath
Strangers with Benefits.Chapter 54: disappointment was always around the corner for them. .There wasn't a single thing that Nathan’s mom could do that wouldn't impress Ivan, it seemed, because she was willing to rent a suit for him to wear to prom out of her own pocket. She didn't even have a second thought- and that in itself almost made Ivan cry. But he didn't want to look like a baby, so he just showed his gratitude without any tears. It was a classic, minimal navy blue suit with a tie of a similar color and dress shoes to fit the occasion. The color was meant to match Nathan, who was planning to wear a black suit but with a tie of the same blue- a cute little plan formulated by the blonde himself. Ivan didn't really care what he got- he just wanted to go to the prom with his boyfriend. Unfortunately after being out for almost two hours, by the time they got home the couple didn't have a lot of time to spend together- an hour at the most so Ivan’s paren
Strangers with Benefits.Chapter 53: something is wrong .The future wasn't coming fast enough for Ivan- maybe it was the constant hazing at school and the growing feeling of disdain towards his mother who was now frequenting his home. He was scared to even enter the living room when either of them was home- just stayed in his room and avoided them.However, for some reason, he didn't find himself as stressed about the whole prom thing as he thought he would.This was an important school event for anyone's high school career, just about everyone would be there, and they would probably ridicule him for going with Nathan ; but something about Nathan’s constant reassurance that it would be fine comforted him deeply. Nathan was finally starting to get to him. And he's relieved.“Would you like to come over and rest for a little while, babe?" His boyfriend in question's voice says through the speaker of Ivan’s cell phone into his ear. That voice would always be comforting to him, espe