The weather had begun to grow colder. Roy had begun to lose track of time and where he was and for how long. It all boiled down to not giving a shit. Even now, he wasn't alone lying on the floor of his apartment, not eating or bathing for three days. But nothing mattered. He didn't care. Nothing mattered.

Dade had it in his mind that the night would be spent drinking and playing games like Yahtzee and dominos. Roy didn't want to talk to anyone or do anything but sleep, really. Or drink. And Dade promised beer. And Dahlia just insisted that Roy join them. Whatever made her happy.

They were about halfway through their first game of dominos when Dade realized that there wasn't any beer in the house at all.

"I'll be no more than 20, okay?" Dade assured his sister and friend before bolting out the door and into Dahlia's car.

"So..." Dahlia uncrossed her legs and turned to Roy. She leaned in and they locked lips.

"So?" Roy said as Dahlia proceeded to shove her tongue in his mouth.

"So..."

"We should...totally start making dinner now."

"My brother will be back in twenty minutes," Dahlia sighed, inching her way closer and closer to Roy. She grinned sinisterly.

"Don't even think about it."

"Think about what?" Dahlia innocently asked.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about." Roy crossed his arms.

"I'm a stupid girl," she shrugged.

Dahlia mounted herself onto Roy, straddling his lap.

"Dahlia, he's gonna walk in at any minute."

"He just left," Dahlia insisted, biting into Roy's neck. "Twenty minutes."

Roy grunted.

"Let's. Go. Make. Dinner."

"I am a little hungry." Dahlia sucked on Roy's throat and pulled away. "Ouch," she remarked, examining the freshly formed red mark. "I did that..."

"That's enough," Roy said, pulling her off.

Dahlia giggled. "You know you love it."

The doorbell rang suddenly.

"Whit didn't forget the house key, did he?"

Dahlia stood up and peeked through the curtain.

"No, he didn't forget his key..."

"Dahlia, who is it?"

A knock this time.

The color drained from Dahlia's face almost immediately. She cautiously crept over to the hall closet, opening it quietly and retrieving a wooden baseball bat.

She shakily handed it to Roy. "I think...I think you should take this..."

"Dahlia, I saw you in the window. I know you're there." William's voice was calm but angry all at once. "I just want to talk..."

"Roy, if he sees you, he's gonna kill you," Dahlia whispered panicked.

"I'm not going back in the closet, Dahlia."

"Just...stand in the hallway. Uh, sit in the hallway..."

"Do not open that door, Dahlia."

"Dahlia!" William pounded his fists on the door.

Dahlia gave Roy the look.

This was going against his better judgement.

"Darling, see! All you had to do was open up. That's all you had to do."

Roy had wheeled out of view, baseball bat in hand. William locked the door behind him and Roy could hear them forcibly lock lips.

"How is my sweetheart today?"

"William, I made it very clear I'm not your girlfriend anymore."

"No, Dahlia. We're obviously in some sort of a relationship."

"No, William. We are not."

Roy peeked his head around the corner. William was very close to Dahlia, hand on her waist looking down at her. She backed up, tripping and falling onto the couch.

"I don't understand, Dahlia. I have butlers. I have several houses. I have things for you that no one else can give you."

"William, I said no."

"You're overreacting."

"I'm not overreacting!" Dahlia shouted.

Roy heard the sound of a hand making sharp contact with skin. William had slapped her. Roy was enraged.

William suddenly put his hands around Dahlia's throat. She struggled to get free but his grasp was too powerful.

"St-stop," she choked.

"You had me, Dahlia. I gave you the world. You had the world. I was your world." He tightened his grasp and Dahlia flailed, her face beginning to turn purple. "I gave you everything, and you threw it all away. Worst of all, you told me you loved me, and downgraded to that useless son of a bitch cripple."

Roy's knuckles were white. Wrath enveloped his body. He came up behind William and with one swift swing of the baseball bat cracked him right in the ribs.

"Oh, FUCK!" William howled in pain, doubling over. Roy took another hit, smashing the bat into his hip, and he toppled down to the floor.

Dahlia coughed, struggling to catch her breath. The purple slowly disappeared from her face. She pulled her legs up onto the couch and began sobbing uncontrollably.

Roy peered down at William, who was still heaving with the wind knocked out of him. He shoved the baseball bat into William's collarbone, a sickening crack followed.

"Hit him in the head! Roy, break his nose!" Dahlia cried.

"No, I don't want to kill him. That's rude."

William groaned and attempted to stand up, bracing himself on the couch. Kneeling, he was eye level with Roy. With one blow he slammed his fist into the side of William's face. William fell backwards.

"Shh...come back..." Roy said, as William tried to pathetically limp to the door. Roy yanked his shoulder down and plunged his fist into Willian's nose once again. He moaned as blood poured down his cleanly shaven face.

Roy unlocked the door, politely showing William the way out. He staggered out onto the porch, no vehicle in sight. He must have walked. He'd have a hell of a time getting home.

Roy dropped the baseball bat and Dahlia collapsed into his arms, practically hyperventilating. William's grip was so tight bruises had begun to form on her neck.

Roy embraced her tightly, and Dahlia refused to even let go. She curled up on his lap, her sobs so violent her chest heaved up and down. She didn't say a word. Roy stroked her hair, and attempted to come up with an explanation of the bloodied man on the porch when Dade pulled back in the driveway.

{shoutout to Azael-Crimson for the baseball bat idea!}