A/C fic
The beat was constant. By now the music in my mind had overwhelmed my senses and I could focus on little else. People walked by and tossed money at my feet, coins jingled and the occasional bill floated by. I was perfectly content with my life.
It was Christmas Eve and I had finally been able to make it back home, or rather the only place that has ever felt like home. As soon as I announced to my friends that I was here and hung up the phone I was mugged. I found myself huddled in a corner, weeping and afraid.
There was a chill in the air but the constant motion of my arms kept me warm. My concentration was broken by the sound of moaning, and not the pleasurable manner I was usually accustomed to. Determined to find its cause and do what I could to help I packed up my gear and headed to the noise.
Never had I felt so humiliated before in my entire life. Here I was cowering in a dark alleyway, bruised and bleeding. I swore to myself that I would never trust anyone again. Trust had been damaged too many times in the past and this was the final blow.
I found myself making my way down one of the nearest alleys. Thoughts about the condition of this poor person I was about to find kept crossing my mind. About half-way down, behind a pile of garbage bags laid a man curled into the fetal position, sobbing. His head tilted in what must have been a cringe when I approached. What could have caused a man of his stature to be reduced to this puzzled me. I had to help; there was no turning back now.
The overwhelming fear had left me and pity took its place. The very thought of a man such as myself hiding in an alleyway was absurd, pathetic, and what I was living. The fact that I flinched at the approach of a mere boy just showed how my faith in the world had dissipated.
He sat up and as I reached out my hand to help him he turned away. I lowered myself so our eyes met and introduced myself. It was in that moment that something between us clicked. I could see his body relax as his coarse hand gripped my own. I helped him to his feet and took him home to my apartment to clean him up. I could tell that this unfortunate end would soon give way to a beautiful beginning.
Upon his persistence I sat up. Even in the dim light I could see the warmth and kindness in his eyes. He offered his hand and that’s when it clicked. The trust I had sworn never to regain resurfaced. This was the beginning to what I had been missing all my life, I could tell.