Devil

The cab driver didn't say anything as they headed to Danny's house, but his frequent looks back let Nebraska know that he was suspicious. Not that she cared. For the 25 minute journey, she was checking Danny for any lasting damages. In the dim light of the city, she could see that he had a bloody nose, a black eye, and a large cut on his forehead. She felt around beneath his coat, and he winced and groaned in pain.

She nearly told the driver to take them to Hospital right then, but refrained. "McFly Star Brutalised" would just be too good for the papers.

When they finally got to the house, Nebraska handed the driver as much as she thought would shut him up. She didn't even count. Then she pushed Danny out of the cab and climbed out.
The house in front of her was absolutely gorgeous. It was tall, divided into brown brick on one side and white plaster on the other. She'd never seen trees or grass that green. And naturally, it had a gate in front of it.

About ten minutes later, the pair was finally making their way towards the house. Well, Nebraska was. Danny had to be dragged. His front door was locked and bolted. Five minutes of struggle after that, the two fell into the doorway. Danny groaned loudly.

“Sorry,” she murmured, placing her arm underneath of his, and attempting to heave him further into the house. That was even more of a wonder. Tall, spiraling steps with black decorated railings, dark wooden doors, even an aquarium stretched out in front of her. The entire foyer was bigger than her flat.

Surprisingly, her tactic had worked, and she led him as far into the house as she could, stopping only to realise that there was no bathroom on the first floor. Taking a chance, she heaved him to the second, dragging him up the marble steps. Luckily for her, they were lit by their own independent lights, so she didn't have to struggle to turn on the chandelier. Honestly, this house was ridiculous.

The two of them stumbled into the first door Nebraska could see, and then through it into a bathroom. From all of the dragging, he seemed to be less unconscious, which Nebraska took as a good sign. She set him down carefully on the immaculately tiled floor.

With some splashing of cold water and some Asprin from the medicine cabinet, Danny finally started looking much better. Nebraska removed his coat, and the black button down shirt he had on underneath. His torso was covered in bruises. She felt around his ribs for a bit, but didn’t feel anything give way, and his moans of pain never intensified. She marveled that nothing had been broken. His coat must have been thicker than she thought.

She made her way down the stairs and into the kitchen (after getting lost twice, once ending up outside), exploring pretty much every cabinet and both refrigerators to find some ice packs and some vinegar. She found the vinegar, but found he didn’t have any ice packs, so picked up some frozen vegetables instead. She also picked up a little bit of food for herself. He was heavy, and as a result, she was now starving.

When she got back to the bathroom, Danny had recovered his senses, and was examining the bruises and scratches on his body. He didn’t say anything as Nebraska pushed the frozen vegetables on it, and pointed her to a small closet that contained medical supplies so she could wrap the vegetables around him to keep them in place, and so she could fix the cut on his head.

She sat next to him on the floor, carefully dotting a bactine covered gauze pad on his face. They were both surrounded by copious amounts of medical supplies and towels. Luckily the room had enough space for all of it, and then some. That entire stag party could probably fit in here comfortably.

“Thanks,” he murmured, after a long silence between the two. He winced as she pressed harder in response. “You’re good at this.”

“I could have been a doctor, you know,” she said, smiling.

“Yeah, what happened?”

“I met a boy. Long story short, now I’m in this bathroom with you.”

“Tell it to me.” She chuckled lightly.

“It’s a very boring story.”

“Nothing about you is boring,” he replied. “Tell me.”

She put a band-aid on his face, and handed him a wet washcloth with which to clean off his nose. Nebraska attempted to reach around him for a small towel, but he caught her arm instead.

“Why can’t you tell me anything about yourself?”

“And then what? You’ll fall in love with me and we’ll live happily ever after?”

“Maybe.”

Nebraska scoffed, ripping her arm out of his grasp and grasping the towel.

“People don’t fall in love with girls like me.”

“I think you’ll find differently.”

“Danny,” she began, as his fingers made their way up her neck. His hand rested firmly beneath her ear, his thumb caressing her cheek, while his fingers intertwined with her hair.

Wordlessly, he kissed her. He tasted faintly of blood, and Nebraska was sure she tasted very firmly like alcohol. She was making a mistake. Being at his house, cleaning him up, seeing him after being told not to, this was all a mistake. Fortunately, she’s very good at that.
--

She didn’t stay to sleep. There was far too much intimacy in the small gesture than she liked, so she slipped out while he rested, only getting lost once and ending up in the basement with the pool.
No note, no nothing. Nebraska Jones was not going to see him again, despite what he thought earlier. She knew this dance. She'd watched it many times. She had been weak, and gave into him. Now he'd gotten what he wanted, and wouldn't think twice about her.

Being out during the day was unfamiliar, and she found that she despised the amount of people crowding the subway and moving all around her. Several times during her trip she felt close to crying. She didn't know why.

Returning to her apartment took too long, and when she finally arrived, she could do little but crash on the small couch by the door. She didn’t even take off her corset or tights. She felt lucky to even make it to the couch and not on the floor in front of it. It was all more effort than it was worth.