Love is Always Write Anthology Bonus Volume

didn't want to take a bath or eat my vegetables, he could always find me." Daren's voice cracked just a hair. Sebastian wasn't sure what to say. He didn't exactly have a lot of experience with family or close parental figures. He'd had some good foster parents over the years, but none that he'd want to look up in an hour of need.
    He straightened out Daren's nightshirt, which had gotten twisted around him a bit. "How about if I go grab you a couple of Advil and you try to get back to sleep?"
    "Sure." Daren sounded numb, and he didn't raise his eyes to look at Sebastian. Sebastian had a feeling there might be tears in them. He headed out to the kitchen to give Daren a few minutes of privacy.
    Daren was quiet the next morning. He wasn't exactly a chatterbox normally, but now he seemed to keep all conversation to a bare minimum and seldom looked Sebastian in the eye. Instead of trying to stay awake and read a little after lunch, he closed his eyes and slept. Sebastian knew there was nothing much he could do for Daren other than ride out the black mood, but it was frustrating nonetheless. With Daren's body beginning to heal, the withdrawn mood was a reminder as to just how much damage had been done to Daren's mind as well.
    ****
    It was the third day of Daren's black mood, and Sebastian had spent half the previous night politely fending off texts from Rachael, offering to drop by and help out. When the morning rolled around, Daren simply hadn't wanted to get up. Oddly enough, the bad moods of the day seemed to be balancing his head out in some way because he'd been having fewer nightmares at night. Not none, but fewer, and less violent.
    Sebastian wasn't thinking about much as he ran the washcloth over Daren's back. It had become routine, giving Daren a daily scrubbing. While the worst of the danger period was over, he didn't want to risk Daren getting anything resembling an infection of any kind, and that meant keeping things clean. He still pulled on gloves to do any cleaning, or bandaging. It helped him keep a hint of separation from Daren; that was getting harder to do. It was one thing to keep a professional distance from someone when you're simply coming into work every day. It's a little harder when you sleep next to him every night and wake up with your arm draped across his body, or your fingers in his hair from soothing him through another nightmare. It's harder when the whole world seems to have condensed down to just two people most days.
    Sebastian dragged the wash cloth up to Daren's bad shoulder and looked down into Daren's lap as he did. He quickly looked away but didn't halt his washing. Daren was sporting at least half a woodie that he was trying to hunch himself over.
    Sebastian decided that while perhaps a little embarrassing, it was a good thing. It meant his body was healing and possibly some little part of his mind as well. Not that he thought Daren would be hopping into a bed with anyone any time soon, but at least there seemed to be some starting point for healing.
    The erection was gone by the time Sebastian had dried Daren off and helped him back to the bedroom.
    "I need to pick up some supplies. Anything you want for dinner?" Daren shook his head, his face turned towards the windows with the curtains permanently drawn. "Okay. I might be going a little further afield, but I'll try not to take too long. We'll do your physio after lunch." Daren just nodded. "I'll leave the phone. Try to rest." Daren didn't even respond.
    For the first time in weeks, Sebastian drove farther than the jumbo drug store. He didn't go much further, just a few blocks, but he'd seen an ad for a clothes sale at Target, and it had crossed his mind that once Daren was doing a bit better than basically hopping on one foot, he might want some clothes.
    He couldn't get much, but he'd found a label in the ruined shirt and had his hands on Daren often enough that he had an idea of size. He picked up a plastic packet of T-shirts, three for five dollars, and a packet of boxer shorts, also three-for-five. He also chose one eight-dollar pair of regular summer shorts, two pairs of socks, and a pair of blue Keds knock-offs. It would leave Daren the least fashionable socialite on the planet, but it would at least cover his body.
    Less than thirty dollars and a half hour later, Sebastian was turning back onto his block when he nearly had a panic attack behind the wheel of his car. There was a police car in front of his place as well as