much, much worse. juni was smiling steadily at this point, and decided to send another. will you be around the diner tomorrow? maybe we could go out somewhere after my shift.
Damian sighed at the message, hand ghosting up to brush over the bruising on his cheek. Ot would be ugly by then, mottled and purple-green in the shape of a fist. That all depends on where you want to go, he sent, stalling.
i know a few places. namely, the pier, because ocean, or we could hit up the abandoned parking garage. my friends and i used to smoke pot there all the time. maybe even the theatre. your choice, amor.
juni started walking to his room while waiting for a response, sitting down on his bed and reminiscing about the loser gang of 15-year-olds riding bikes to the parking garage. magik never minded much, just warned him to be careful of becoming reliant on weed, and that the smoke could damage his lungs a bit.
juniper had always been a good kid, so he took his dad's advice. never regretted it.
The temptation of pot was strong, but he always got loose-lipped when he was high and the last thing he wanted to do was scare Juniper away. Besides, the pier wasn't too much of a walk and the breeze there would feel good on his bruises. And… Juniper was in the mafia. He saw shit like this all the time. It would be fine, he'd just think Damian'd gotten into a fight or something. Amor? You're really getting serious with that, better be careful. And… I'd like to go to the pier with you tomorrow, I just won't be able to buy anything from the diner.
psh, you deserve the nickname. if you're hungry, i'll bring you something. on me, mag likes to cook. we have so many leftovers. i can also pick you up if you'd like?
juni grimaced. he suspected he was being overbearing, but decided to send the text anyway. just in case damian would accept any of it.
No, Damian texted back immediately, going cold at the thought of his father finding out about any of this. Pops would kill him if he even had the suspicion that he was gay. Letting a guy pick him up with food and cute nicknames would mean annihilation. No matter how fluttery it made the butterflies in his stomach. I'll come to yours, if that's okay. It's more convenient if I walk.
oh, alright. yes to the food, though?
"hm. he's probably in the closet or something." juniper mumbled to himself, tucking his legs under him and wondering what time would be convenient.
Damian looked at the text consideringly. He wanted food desperately, right now he was down to one meal a day because his dad's debts were eating up more and more of their meager savings. He'd have to start taking one some… less credible jobs soon. Careful, with that attitude I might eat you out of hearth and home.
do it. nobody at the goddamn diner wants the turkey special, which is inconvenient because we have like 33 full turkeys in the freezer. dad will be pumped that i found someone to take all this food he makes.
juniper chuckled to himself, remembering the freakout they went through when they first announced the special and nobody ordered it. they had considered donating the turkeys, but quickly remembered that there wasn't anywhere to donate around here.
Turkey had never been Damian's favorite, but he was never in a position to turn down charity. Especially if he knew the food would be good. Come to think of it, I might be able to take a couple of those off your hands. As long as it's not an inconvenience, of course.
please, take them. expect me to show up to the pier with like… 8 duffel bags of food for you. it's not just turkey, it's some other things too. it's never an inconvenience, love.
((timeskip to the pier?))
(Sure)
Damian smiled at his phone. I doubt I'll be able to carry that all day, but I'd be very grateful. I'll see you in the morning sweetheart <3
the next morning. juniper jumped up early to gather food, trying to keep the bags minimal and easy to carry. he left the house with a "found someone to take the food, dad! i'll be back in about 2 hours."
Damian left earlier than he'd wanted to, eager to avoid his hungover-enraged father. As bad as the old man was at night, he was a million times worse in the mornings when headaches drove his fists through the walls or into his wife and child. He was sitting on one of the docks, feet dangling over the edge as he stared into the water. He was wearing a hoodie today, hoping to cover the extensive bruising on his face and arms.
juniper walked up to the pier, bag hefted over his shoulder and a small smirk on his face.
he approached damien, giving a small "hey, lovely. how do you do?" and holding the bag out.
Damian turned, a half-smile pulling weakly at his lips. "Better now that I've seen you," he said honestly, taking the bag and giving it an eager look through. It felt light, but there was enough food in here to keep everyone going for weeks. Maybe he wouldn't need to have a chat with the big man's cronies this week. "This is too much, I can't accept it."
"you flatter me, dear." juni took a seat next to damian, looking out across the sunrise.
Damian frowned at 'dear', scooting over to give Juniper some room to sit. He left the bag behind him, gently resting his hand on top of Juniper's. "I don't like that one, lovely was better."
"i see. well, love. you usually get up this early?" he didn't pull his hand away, tucking one leg under him and turning slightly to face damian a little more.
"It depends," Damian replied, the polite way of saying 'I get the fuck out of the house when I start to hear my dad waking up because the last thing I need to do is get my ribs broken again.' He kept the left side of his face turned away from Juniper. "Do you?"
"usually, 'cause i have to water the sunflowers before work. the fuckers are pretty high maintenance." he said lightly, no actual salt in his tone. he loved the little patch of sunflowers they kept, even if they needed to be watered every say.
"Most flowers are," Damian said with a quiet laugh. "My mom complains about her hydrangeas all the time, they're such finicky bitches. They're too pretty to not take care of though. I bet yours are the same way."
"they really are."
juniper quieted, enjoying the comfortable silence of dawn. the sun slowly rises, bringing the clear blue of day with it.
Damian smiled down at the water, watching the black sea brighten as pale peach, bright gold, and purple scattered across its surface. The pier was beautiful today, he thought, scooting closer and closer to Juniper as time went on until their arms were pressed together and he could rest his head lightly on Juniper's shoulder.
juni noticed damian shuffling closer, and let him. when they had gotten close enough, juniper slowly put an arm around damian's waist.
we're going quite fast, really. it's alright. i can handle myself.
Damian froze, eyes skimming across Juniper's face nervously, before he slowly relaxed into the touch. It was nice to be held like this, he wished it could happen more often. "Thank you, by the way. You really didn't have to do all this just for me."
"it's no problem. hit me up whenever you need food, we're sure to have something."
((im gonna go to bed gn friend))
(gn!!)
Damian shook his head, resting on Juniper's shoulder again. "I couldn't, we'd rob you blind."
"is that really so bad, to support someone if they're having trouble? show me your face, mi amor." juniper removed his arm and turned to fully face damian, one leg tucked under and one hanging off the pier.
he knew damian was hiding his face, and touched his shoulder gently to go along with the request.
Damian's mouth pressed into a tense little line despite the gentle touch and he pulled the hood of his sweatshirt over his left cheek- a weak attempt to cover the bruising. "You don't want to see it, sweetheart. It's ugly."
