Chapter 11: PEER PRESSURE

Noah spends the night at the ER. Eve and Duncan stay with him, and at some point, Rune disappears.

Eve is on her phone, she carried a gym bag into the bathroom of the hospital, and came out looking like the Eve Noah knows. Duncan has been staring at Noah for a few hours, silent, maybe even hesitating. Noah wants to tear the words from his mouth, let it be over with, confront their friend's suspicions head on. However, as well as in the club, he doesn't really mention it.

The awkwardness sticks to Noah, who just wants to disappear once again. He shouldn't have faced Sam like that. He should've stayed at home, sleeping the rage off. His shoulders are slouched, and he's facing away from the couple. How is he gonna explain this rage that not even him comprehends?

"I'm sorry," he says with weak voice, while looking at a fixed point on the floor that is far away from their faces.

"What were you thinking?" Noah cringes at Rune's question. His cold tone freezes his being to the core.

He's at the feet of the bed. His usual bored expression is gone, replaced by an apathetic death stare that threatens to dismantle Noah in seconds. He can't look at those eyes now. So he doesn't.

"Leave," he responds with raspy voice.

He wants to be alone.

"Why would you put yourself in danger?" Anger flares his voice, a question that demands an answer.

"Sam's a shitty person." He whispers, he smoothes the bed sheet, but he fails to smooth his own anxiety.

"Sam's a vary dangerous person," says Duncan, "and he's already targeting Rune."

Eve adds, "and now he's got another toy. I knew you had a death wish, but provoking Sam is asking for a slow death."

Noah remembers with a bitter taste in his tongue the promise that Sam whispered. He would 'claim' him too? Did he 'claim' Rune in the same way? His bit his swollen cheek, and he tasted the metallic tinge.

He clenches his hands to stop them from trembling, but that doesn't stop the twitch of his whole body, and the goosebump that runs down his back.

"Disgusting," he snaps with a snarl.

"Now you're on his radar," concludes Duncan. "Look at what happened to Rune, for fuck's sake."

Noah lifts his gaze from the floor to look at Rune. his bored mask is back on, but his shoulders are tense. His eyes are unfocused, far away from here. Maybe remembering. Noah wants to slap himself for not realizing sooner. Sam's stolen glances. Rune's distance, threat in his twirling knife. Sam's violent attack, the photo.

"I took everything we had to pull Rune away," Duncan said, quietly.

"Fucking disgusting," Noah repeats with tears in his eyes, a familiar feeling setting in, fear stirring the dark parts of his mind, urging him to find something. The void in his chest hurts him.

He looks at Rune, his eyes wild, and he sees Rune's jaw twitching.

"I've had my share of assholes," Noah knows the truth in his words, even if he doesn't remember why this is true. It just feels natural to say it, like words he has at the tip of his tongue, pleading to be released. "Let him come." And it's not defeat, it's a promise.

"You don't know what you're saying." Eve says, her eyes narrowed.

"Let me fight this battle." Noah says, pleading for a truce. "It'll be okay. I'll be okay." He doesn't know if this words are directed at Eve, or someone else. But there's an echo to them. As if he remembers those words. As if they've been spoken once before. "I can handle violence."

Rune scoffs. "You don't really know what's coming," his voice is strained and it trembles, as if hesitating between anger and fear.

"If you," Noah says, getting up of the bed, "think for a second", he approaches Rune, "that I will," he digs a finger in his chest and looks up at Rune's face with a defiant expression, "sit quietly, while you hurt. I will deal with Sam, and if that means becoming an objective,  I will gladly spray paint a target on the back of my parka. I will even choose a bright color, so that Sam knows where to hit."

Noah turns, fixing his gaze on Eve, "But Sam's also getting what's coming to him."

Rune wraps a hand around Noah's wrist, a grip of steel that will surely leave a bruise. And he drags Noah back to the bed. Noah lets him.

"I'm a menace," Noah insists, as Rune covers him with the thin white blanket. "I'm serious," he says with weak voice, sleep creeping up.

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Rune places two fingers on Noah's lips, shutting him up. Then, he leaves. Noah hears the soft thump of his military boots on the hospital tiles. But he's too tired. He snuggles in bed, his desire to disappear and his disgusted rage appeased for now.

"I swear this bastard speaks a different language since he woke up," Duncan violently whispers.

"And what's with the intense moment?" Eve asks, her voice sounds curious, as if commenting a piece of gossip.

"I know, right?" Duncan adds.

He takes an hour nap, until Dr. Corrales discharges him. Then, he limps to the Toyota with the help of Duncan. Eve takes care of the medicine, and assuring the doctor that Noah will be on good hands.

"It's a shame I didn't get to race." Eve says to herself, chuckling.

Duncan looks at his clock. "My shift at the restaurant begins at 8. We have time for a ride?" He points to Noah. "You up? Or we can drop you off."

"I'm up."

Duncan claps with a satisfied smile. "There we go." He points, then, to the girl. "Eve, let's go get the M3. We can trace The Pinch."

She winks at him. "Deal. Gosh, it makes me so horny when we drive together."

Noah cringes. He calls Rune, who picks at the second ring. "Let's be third and fourth wheel together." Rune hangs up. "He's so petty," he mutters under his breath.

Noah, being the injured of the group, has the privilege of the passenger seat on the Toyota. Now that the sun shines, the paint has a purple reflection.

"You didn't have the opportunity to compliment the new kit," Eve says slapping the car hood.

"It's beautiful," he responds, distracted with the paint.

Duncan lives in a warehouse that closed ten years ago. He bought the building, and repurposed one of the floors as an industrial-like home. Noah spots a red sports car in the entrance, and Rune sitting in the driver's seat.

"Neat, he brought the Corvette." Duncan exclaims. He taps Noah's shoulder, and he asks in a confidential tone, "How did you convince him? It's been ages since I last saw him in a car."

Noah shrugs.

They park the car, and Duncan goes to the warehouse garage—just a floor that's empty—, while Rune gets out of the car. Noah narrows his eyes as he follows the boy's path to the passenger door of the Toyota. He's not wearing his usual outfit: he's substituted his cargo pants for a pair of black tailored pants, and a black turtle-neck that embraces his slim body. The military boots got to stay. His cross earrings compliment the chain at his waits.

He opens the door, leaning over a gaping Noah. His black and red hair caresses Noah's nose, the faint smell of vanilla in his nostrils. Noah wants to reach up... but he stays paralyzed by the imposing figure, the power he exudes just by his mere existence. He sucks in a breath, turning slightly his head to look at Rune's hand working on the seatbelt release.

With no words, Rune grips Noah's wrist, and drags him out of the car. Noah gasps in pain, and clutches his wound. Rune stops on his tracks, he turns and lowers his gaze. His grip softens ever so slightly.

He closes the passenger door of the Corvette once Noah is nestled inside. The interior of the car is sleek, and barely used, he realizes looking at the almost new detailing. Duncan is right, this car looks untouched. It feels like stepping into a secret lair.

"Thanks." Noah says.

The car roars to life. And they move last, behind Eve's Toyota and Duncan's white BMW. They drive like they're dancing, like lions running in the savannah. They playfully cross each other's paths, and cut through traffic as if they own the world, and there's nothing more important in that moment than the asphalt, and the velocity.

Rune's driving style is... straightforward. His eyes quickly scan the traffic to find the most suitable route. His hands react almost as fast, one steering the wheel and the other resting in the shift. Noah's attention is split between Rune's hands, and the blurry buildings flying past, with the eventual stolen glance at his profile.

Noah hasn't been to The Pinch. But as the mountain comes into view in the horizon, he thinks the name is fitting. Noah can only describe the road ahead as a combination of sharp turns.

His stomach tickles with the excitement of danger and speed.

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