Through Thick and Thin

I'd been home for nearly an hour and I'd finally managed to calm down enough after taking a shower to change into some pajama pants and an old baggy T-shirt. Mom wasn't home yet, but that wasn't really anything new on a Friday night.

I flicked light switches off, and moved around my room to turn on my stereo. Jumping when there was a thump outside of my bedroom window; it was likely one of the neighbors Cat's jumping onto a car from the balcony, crazy cats did it all of the time.
Holding my hand to my chest I took a deep breath to calm myself down again. “I'm really going to fucking kill those two.” I sighed, fiddling with the volume knob and turning around to shut my window as I plotted out the numerous ways that I could maim or injure Brian or Jimmy, or better yet even both of them, I let out an ear piercing scream, scanning the floor quickly in the dim lighting for my bat; there was a figure sitting in the window frame.

“Holy shit! Calm down!” The figure spoke as they covered their ears and I scrambled to pick up my bat off of the floor, swinging it blindly and smacking the person in the chest sending them to the floor, gasping out in pain before I turned the lamp on, panting and freaked out as I stared at the figure clutching their torso in pain in the fetal position on my bedroom floor.

I dropped my bat to the floor letting out a gasp as I fell to my knees cradling the boys head in my lap as I realized exactly who it was I'd just attacked. “Shit! Zack, you fucking moron. What the hell were you thinking?Are you okay? Shit! Zacky!” I freaked, he was still clutching his ribs, and his eyes were squeezed tightly shut; he opened them briefly to look up at me.

He wheezed, closing his eyes again. “Good. Swing.”

“Good swing? I could have fuckin' killed you if I hit you in the head, and all you have to fucking say is good swing? You moron! Just… just lay still ok?” I sighed heavily biting my bottom lip as I stood up, grabbing a pillow off of my bed and setting it under his head. “Try and lay on your back okay?” I sighed again as I gingerly worked on pushing his shirt up and prodding his ribs with my fingertips. He winced slightly as I added pressure. “Zack, you idiot.” I stated making sure he was well aware of his own stupidity.
“You now have bruised ribs, what the FUCK were you thinking!” I huffed and slapped his thigh angrily, glaring down at him.

“Shit, you inflicted enough pain. Can you NOT hurt me anymore? Please?” He begged his breathing evening out, and he opened his eyes to look at me again.

“I'm not going to hurt you.” I sighed softly, “But I amgoing to fucking KILL you, Zack. What the hell were you thinking?!” I questioned again moving to cradle his head in my lap once more. “I really don't want to have to call the others.”
“Why'd you do that?” He groaned, closing his eyes again as he moved.
“Because I'm going to need help transporting the body if I do kill you.” I stated calmly flicking his forehead. “There's such thing as a doorZachary. You didn't have to climb in my fucking window!”

“Stop hurting me!” He whined, covering his face with his hands, hissing sharply at the pain the sudden movement caused him. “I did knock on the door you didn't answer. It's not the first time I've used the window. I didn't expect to be clobbered by a bat. Shit Quinn, my ribs are on fucking fire. Ice? Please…” He whimpered, almost begging.

I sighed, brushing his hair back from his face. “It's the first time you've had to use the window without my prior knowledge, and the first time after y'all made me sit through a fucking HORROR movie, how many times do I have to tell you guys. I. Don't. do. horror.” I huffed, “I'll get you ice in a minute. Do you want to lie down on the bed or is the floor better?”

“Bed please?” He sounded so incredibly pathetic that it was actually kind of cute.

I nodded and stood up reaching my arms out to him, helping him up off of the floor and to lie down on my bed. He scooted over with much difficulty so that he was closest to the wall; leaving plenty of room in the bed for me, and closed his eyes. “Thanks Quinn.”

“You're Welcome dumb ass, I'll go get you some ice.” I said shaking my head, as I turned around going to the kitchen to get a baggy full of Ice and a glass of water, before making my way back to my room, setting the items on my nightstand while telling Zack to hold on as I and disappeared into the bathroom, reappearing with a few Advil in my hand and a small towel to wrap the ice bag in, along with some ace bandage. “Think you can sit up?” I asked, setting the towel and bandaging down, holding the Advil and water out to him.
“I can try.” He huffed, pushing himself into a sitting position, taking the cup and offered pills from me happily.
“Shirt off Baker, I need to wrap your ribs just to be safe.” I stated watching as he swallowed down the pills and fought with his shirt, after handing me the glass back. He sighed staring at me pathetically when he couldn't get it off. “Help, please?”

Laughing lightly I climbed up onto the bed so that I could help him get his shirt off, gingerly tugging it over his head, before leaning back to grab the bandages, starting them on the non-injured side I wrapped the ace bandage securely and tightly around his torso; frowning when he occasionally hissed out in pain. “Lay back down.” I whispered, grabbing the towel and Ice bag, wrapping the ice and setting it on top of the section of his ribs that I knew were going to bruise, hopefully they weren't cracked. I don't think I hit him that hard.
“Thanks Quinn.” He sighed, smiling softly up at me, removing his hand from the bag of ice and placing it on my knee, rubbing it gently. “Sorry I scared you, I didn't think the movie freaked you out that much.”

Hissing, I laughed placing my hand on top of his. “Your hands are fucking freezing, and yeah I didn't think it affected me that badly either. I'm sorry for almost killing you Zee.” I chuckled lightly reaching a hand out brushing his hair out of his face.

“You've got one hell of a swing girl.” He clarified again as he chuckled, hissing and wincing as the movement caused his ribs to sear with pain.

“Thanks, now stop laughing and talking you idiot your ribs are hurt, and I'm sure all the talking and laughing it making it worse, I'm gonna go grab another blanket, cause I don't want to you to have to move again, okay?”

He nodded, closing his eyes. “That sounds like a good idea, right now even breathing is painful.”

I frowned, reaching out to brush my knuckles across his cheek. “I'm really sorry Zack, if I had known it was you, I wouldn't have beaten you up with the bat. Promise.”

“It's okay Quinn. It isn't your fault that I decided it was perfectly okay for me to climb into your bedroom window at 1 a.m. I deserved it, but please… let's not make a habit of this?” He asked, opening his eyes and smirking slightly at me.

I giggled lightly and flicked his forehead once more, before letting my hand rest against his cheek again. “Causing you pain is so… much fun though. I don't think I can refrain from it completely, but no more assaults with a bat. I promise!”

“As long as weapons aren't involved, I'm okay with it.” He leaned his cheek into my touch, “Blanket?”

I smiled softly nodding my head and getting off of my bed to retrieve a blanket from the hall closet, gently placing it over him before flicking the light switch off and climbing beneath the blanket and settling in bed next to him. “G'night Zack.” I mumbled, staring up at the ceiling.

“Night Quinn.” He whispered back, “At least now you won't have to face the monsters alone huh?”

I laughed lightly rolling over on my side so I could see him. “A lot of help you'll do with your crippled ass. But yeah, I feel better now that you're here. Thanks Zack.”

“It's not a problem and my ass isn't crippled, that'd be yours remember?” His lips quirked up into a smile as he reached out brushing a stand of hair from my face. “Night.”

“I had conveniently forgotten about busting my ass earlier thanks for that Baker.” I rolled my eyes at him, placing my hand over his on my cheek. “Go to sleep, if you're still in a wicked amount of pain in the morning, I'm dragging your ass to the doctors.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Oh yeah, that'll go over well, `Hi, my friend injured his ribs last night when he accidentally collided with my aluminum baseball bat.' “

I shook my head laughing. “Go to sleep Zack, please?”

He smiled and nodded his head, shifting a bit so he was resting on non-injured side; which happened to have him facing the wall. “G'night Quinn.”

I hugged my pillow close, placing on hand gently on his injured side. “G'night Zacky.” I whispered before letting sleep overcome me and I slipped into the darkness, thankful for the lack of nightmares it provided.