Panic filled his chest seeing the empty seat in the class room, the seat that belonged to his partner. It's been about a week since Gabe introduced Lui to his parents, a week since Lui freaked out on him for telling them of his home life. The smaller blader hadn't talked to Gabe since then, avoiding him completely each day.

But something wasn't right in his opinion.

Everyday since their argument, Lui still came to school. Sure, he didn't go to bey practice after school, but he was still there for classes. Today was Friday, making it exactly a week since they last talked, but Lui wasn't there... That led Gabe to think. Where the hell was his beloved? Then he froze and started thinking the worse. If he wasn't here at school, then he must be still at home with his drunken father.

During his classes, Gabe kept checking both the time and his phone, hoping Lui would either show up or text him and tell him he's okay. Yet, after each passing minute, anxiety kept weaving itself into his chest. Hour after hour seemed too long for his taste, and the terrible thoughts in his head terrorized him constantly.

~~~

The final bell rang to announce the end of the school day and Gabe couldn't have been happier. The captain abandoned everything into his locker so he could just run, bey practice not on his mind as he emerged from the school. He made his way down the sidewalk, walking in the direction of Lui's house. The maroon-haired male refused to think the worse the closer he got to the home, the feeling of dread piercing his heart as he walked up the front steps. Gabe knocked on the door with a little urgency and waited, but no one answered. Fearing the worse yet again, Gabe wrapped his hand around the knob and turned it, grateful that the door was unlocked as he pushed it open.

Stepping inside, the captain wanted to be sick. Liquor and beer bottles littered almost every surface in the living room and, by a quick glance, the kitchen too. The air reeked of pot and alcohol, making his stomach turn as he wandered through the house.
           "Lui?" Gabe called throughout the seemingly empty house. It was obvious his partner's father wasn't home, thank god, so he roamed freely, looking into all the rooms of the first floor. Fortunately, or not, the small blader wasn't on the ground level, so Gabe concluded he was either upstairs or not in the house.

Going to his first thought, the tall male walked up the wood stairs, each faded blood-stained stair creaking under his weight.
          "... Lui?" He called out again, once more there being no answer as he made it to the top of the stairs. The first door that was on his left was the bathroom and Gabe felt his stomach drop, as there was blood staining the porcelain sink. He swung around and walked further down the hallway, finding a busted door and, laying on the floor of the bedroom, Lui, his eyes open and lost-looking.

To Gabe, he honestly looked dead if it weren't for the faint rising and falling of his chest. His heart broke as he walked in and dropped down beside him, gathering him up in his arms to assess the damage done to his beloved boyfriend. Cuts and bruises, a black eye, a bloody nose, a busted lip, and, from the looks of it, a crushed left hand.
         "Oh my god, I was worried sick about you..." Gabe told him gently, holding him carefully in his arms. Lui remained silent and clung to him weakly, his eyes closed tightly and the older male could see the tears on his battered cheeks.

Gabe stood carefully and adjusted Lui to be more comfortable before he walked out of the room, treading down the stairs and out of that god forsaken house. The boy in his arms was breathing weakly and he was fearing the worst, so he held him closer to his chest and started to run to his next destination.

The hospital.

~~~

Gabe's parents rushed into the emergency room where they met their son, his mother hugging him tightly. The phonecall they received was heartbreaking and tried to get to the hospital as quick as they could.
           "Where is he dear? Is he okay?" His mother asked, looking at her son with the eyes all mothers have.
           "He's fine mom, he's resting. The doctor said with some rest, he'll be back to one hundred percent in no time..." Gabe explained simply, leading them to the hospital elevator to take to Lui's room.

The flame-haired blader looked up from Luinor when he heard the door open, his grip tightening on his bey but loosened seeing his partner walk in with his parents. Gabe's mother looked horrified while his father looked like he wanted to kill someone.
          "Oh my goodness... Sweetie, what happened to you?" The woman asked, putting her hands on his battered cheeks and looking him over. Lui flinched slightly and felt his face heat up as he looked at Gabe, who was smiling warmly at him and sitting in the chair close to the bed. Gabe's dad apparently stepped out of the room for a minute as he shyly explained what had happened to himself and his father.
           "I bit him in self defense but, of course, he didn't like that... I honestly thought he was going kill me... " Lui said softly, Gabe's hand holding his now cast-covered one. Gabe's father walked back in looking satisfied which, in turn, made the captain raise an eyebrow.
          "You look happy dad" He pointed out, the man nodding.
          "I am. I just got off the phone with the police station and after Lui is released, they want us to go in to file a report and put that wretched man behind bars."

Lui felt nervous and grabbed onto his boyfriend's hand tightly, making him look at him.
          "Hey, don't worry... After this is all sorted out, you don't have to worry about getting hurt anymore." Gabe said, kissing his hand gently.
          "But where will I stay? I don't want to go back to that house..." The smaller male said softly.
          "Oh sweetie, you can stay with us! We wouldn't mind!" Gabe's mother said, smiling gently at him.
          "R... Really?"
          "Son, we're not about to let you stay somewhere else. Besides, you're family." Gabe's father told him, patting his shoulder gently.

Lui felt a fluttery feeling in his chest, the smallest of smiles touching his lips.
          "Okay, if you say so..." He said softly, Gabe smiling at him and pecking his lips gently.
          "Then it's settled, you're going to be living with us."

NightBear15 signing off...