“Ro.. you’re essentially alone 24/7 if one of us isn’t here with you. It’s borderline neglect on your parents’ part, in my opinion.” Damien was gentle, trying to to agitate or make Rowan more upset. “Y’know? That’s not good. Your separation anxiety is off the charts, and I really think that might be why.”
"O-Oh…" Rowan flushed a bit, staring down at the couch. "Right… I… I guess that's probably why, isn't it?" He laughed weakly. "I think it was debatably worse when I was a kid… I used to work myself up so much that I would throw up every time my parents left the house."
“Yeah? Fuck, dude, I’m sorry.” Damien sighed. “At least it’s not that bad now. I don’t know what I’d do then.” He kept loosely hugging the other boy. “But.. yeah, I think that’s where it might stem from. I can’t say for sure, though.”
"Yeah, but apparently I get anxiety attacks now, which doesn't feel much better…" Rowan sighed and lay his head on Damien's shoulder. "I'm just… I'm terrified that one day, you'll leave my house, and leave me alone, and you'll just never come back… and that my parents will never come back, and Rachel will never come back, and Milo will die someday, and I'll be all fuckin alone forever and I just can't do that. I-I can't… I d… I d-don't wanna be alone, Damien… I don't want you guys to abandon me, even if you've got every fuckin right to…"
“Oh, Ro, no..” Damien sighed. “That’s not gonna happen, okay? I’m not gonna just leave you like that. Our friends aren’t just gonna leave, either.” He laid a hand on Rowan’s head, carding his fingers through his hair gently. “Nobody’s gonna abandon you, please don’t think that we will.”
"I don't wanna be alone, Damien…" Rowan whispered weakly. "And no one's ever gonna want to date me because I'm too fucking clingy and high maintenance…"
I do, dammit! The words banged around in Damien's head, but he knew that he wouldn’t sag that right now. Rowan was too stressed right now, too fragile. “No, Ro, hey, don’t say that.” Damien sighed. “That’s not true, trust me.”
Rowan clung tightly to Damien, hiccuping quietly. "H-How do you know? You said earlier that I should have a salary put aside for whoever I end up dating…"
“Geez, I did, didn’t I? Fuck, Ro, you know I didn’t seriously mean it.” Damien rubbed circles on Rowan’s upper back. “But there’s someone out there for you, promise.”
Rowan nodded weakly. "I-I can't be alone forever, Damien… I… I just c-can't… The nights are so fucking hard, Damien. There's no one here. I-I can't…"
“Look, I mean- d-hm. Do you maybe want to try spending the night or something at my house?” He quickly remembered Rowan’s broken leg, and frowned. “Uh- I mean, if that’s possible. It might be kinda difficult for you to.. y’know, get there, but..”
"I-I can try… if you're okay with me coming, anyways… I wouldn't want to piss off your parents." Rowan fidgeted nervously and looked away.
“Of course I am. You can sleep in my room, it’s no problem.” Damien stretched. “I don’t think you’ll piss them off. My dad knows your situation.”
Rowan nodded. "We… um… we should probably head over soon, then. It's getting late and dark and I'm fading…"
“Yeah, man, sure.” Damien gingerly moved Rowan off of him, moving up into a crouch. “Should we grab some clothes and stuff, or do you just wanna wear mine if that’s easier?”
"I'll just wear yours… I don't trust you to pick out stuff and I'm sure as hell not trying to get upstairs." Rowan grabbed his crutches and pushed himself up onto them.
“..Yeah, that’s valid.” Damien stood, giving Milo one last pat on the head. “I think you left your toothbrush last time you slept over, so that’s covered too.”
"Mm…" Rowan adjusted himself on the crutches so he wouldn't fall. "Stay here, Mi. I'll see you soon." He started heading towards the door.
Damien followed close behind, blowing a kiss to Milo and making sure Rowan didn’t fall. “See ya, Milo!”
"How long do you think it'll take to get there?" Rowan asked, setting off as quickly as he felt safe going.
“It’s just a block or two. Five minutes, tops- and hey, Ro, don’t go so fast, man. You’re gonna fall.” Damien sighed, quickening his pace ever so slightly so he was beside Rowan instead of just behind.
"I don't wanna be out here for that long, Damien… I'm really not all that strong. Dragging around my fat ass all the time tires me out."
“Your f- okay. Fair enough, I guess, just be careful.” Damien sighed, constantly checking the ground in from of them for stray rocks or sudden changes in the sidewalk’s elevation.
Rowan managed to miraculously not fall. There were several close calls, but he always managed to stay upright. "Fuckin… are we there yet???"
“Yeah, it’s right over there, see?” He pointed to his house, only two or three down. “You’ve got this, man.”