All through the night, Colin was haunted by a thought he couldn't shrug off-- the thought of an impending disaster. He couldn't close his eyes without seeing flashes of what had happened with Marcus, with Peter. A dark cloud of doubt and uncertainty that something was going to lead this trainwreck of a day farther into a burning pit.

He was frightened by all the happenings. From the time he saw those photos on Marcus' phone screen to the horrific kiss that made him want to vomit. The moment Peter saw the act and fled, to him losing control and beating Marcus up in the lobby. When he was rejected after he stupidly said nothing to defend what happened, to leaving the hotel with one less person.

He had gone himself; he had left unwhole. Incomplete.

After all that, Colin didn't know why he still had hope that he'd arrive home to meet Peter already in the apartment. The thought of Peter sticking around was something out of some sick tale that reminded him of Joker and Harley Quinn's dynamic. Yet, he proved that he was deep in that same situation he loathed by contacting Peter in any way he could.

Like a lost puppy, Colin kept probing even after he had been kicked away. He left calls and messages. He left more when he received no answer. Typing and erasing, regretting, typing again and hitting the Send button which filled him with anxiety as he waited for a reply that never came.

But for some reason, he still had hope that Peter would react to those texts. Even if he didn't text back, he would at least read them.

Those hopes were stomped upon when he woke up to see that he was left on Delivered. He sat on his bed, eyes burning from how long and hard he stared at his phone as if waiting for it to give him an answer if Peter wouldn't. It was useless.

He tossed his phone on his bed as he stood, stretching arms that felt sore. Groggily, Colin dragged himself into the bathroom and proceeded to take a shower. The sting that shot up his hand reminded him of the cuts he acquired from the swings he took at Marcus, and he felt a new sense of anger fill him.

But getting angry wasn't going to do him any good, he realized. The only thing he could do now was to wait and see how things panned out. In the meantime, Colin would continue to psych himself to spill out every single detail to Peter the moment he set eyes on him.

As he washed himself, he played out what he'd say in his head. Every scrub came with a new point he had to make clear, and with rinsing, he thought of how he would let all the information he held out, no matter the consequences that would come with dispensing.

Over the spray of the water, Colin heard a sound. He stood still and listened, waiting for it to come again. It did.

The doorbell.

He turned off the shower and reached for a towel, patting himself dry. The doorbell rang again; he dried faster. And again and again, until two rings blended into one and a third morphed into irritation.

"Coming!" the brunet yelled. The doorbell yelled back.

Colin grabbed another towel from the rack, wrapping it around his waist as he stumbled out of the shower. He almost slipped on the tiled floor when his feet hit the ground but he was too tense to even give it a second thought.

He unlocked the door and pulled it open to meet a face. Not Peter's. But equally as unexpected.

"Sheesh, at least dry off first." Amy rolled her eyes, letting herself inside.

"I--" Colin started, catching himself and swallowing the rest of his words. "Nevermind." Rubbing his hair dry, he let the previous towel hang off his shoulder as he shut the door, turning to his sister.

"Oh my God, you bought a guitar!" Amy squealed. Colin didn't know how it was possible for her to move across the room that fast, but Amy was already reaching for the headstock and pulling it out from where it was nestled in between the sofa and the wall.

"Amy, don't touch that. It's not mine."

"Then who does it belong to?" Amy's hand was fully around the headstock as she tilted her head at an angle where her eyes could meet Colin's.

"It's for," Colin began, snatching her hand off the polished surface, preventing her from wiping away Peter's touch any more than she already had. He opened his mouth to finish his sentence at the same time the front door opened and shut, and it led the name he uttered to hang heavier in the air as he turned, muttering "Peter."

Dark eyes flit over Colin's body, following the pattern the remaining drops of water trickled in, before they landed on Amy, then slowly descended to the floor.

Words choked Colin when his gaze fell on the one person who had invaded his thoughts for hours on end, so he turned his attention to his sister. In an attempt to drown out the tense awkwardness that stretched taut between him and Peter, he cleared his throat and asked, "Amy, can you tell me why you're... here?"

Peter flinched, even though the brunet had made it clear who he was addressing. It brought the heavy feeling back, making it settle in Colin's stomach which did a flip.

Luckily, Amy wasn't affected by the atmosphere of subtle gloom. Her voice was full-bodied and excited as she readily answered Colin's question.

"Right, about that." She reached into her purse, pulling out silver and gold lined envelopes. "You're invited to my wedding!" Amy turned to Peter with a big smile on her face. "Oh, I remember you. You're the guy Colin brought home, yes?"

And just like that, the awkwardness made an entrance again. And just like before, Colin had to step in before Peter's silence had Amy suspecting that something was off.

"You're getting married?" Colin took one of the envelopes she held, looking down at the calligraphy on the invitation card inside.

From the corner of his eyes, he watched Peter hesitate to collect the other envelope, an unreadable expression on his face.

"You ask such dumb questions. I wouldn't have a wedding if I wasn't, would I?" Amy narrowed her eyes at Colin.

He rolled his eyes as he opened the other part of the card which had been folded like much a smaller envelope. "This says the 24th. That's in two weeks."

"I know! It's so exciting."

"And Mom and Dad? What'd they say?"

"That I'm not ready. But who cares?" She shrugged with a dismissive wave of her hand. "At my age they already had me, with you on the way."

Colin's head bobbed, considering that she made a fair point. Lifting his eyes, he met Peter's back as the dark-haired boy retreated towards his room. He desperately wanted to call him, but he didn't know what he'd do with himself if Peter chose to ignore him. It seemed likely that he would.

But not Amy, who helpfully called him. For once, Colin was glad she spoke up.

"Hey, Peter, can you play something at the ceremony? It would mean so much to me." She gestured to the guitar, letting her pouted lips and pleading expression speak for her.

"I don't--"

"I'll pay you well. Just one teensy song, please."

"Yeah, Peter," Colin backed his sister's plea. "You're amazing with a guitar." He bit down on his lip as Peter's eyes accessed him, anticipating the reply he'd get.

"I'll think about it," Peter let out.

That answer was satisfactory to Amy. "That's not a no so, yay!" Spinning on her heels, she added. "Michael's in the car and he doesn't like to wait so, I better get going."

"You're here..." Colin muttered, just as Amy strutted out the door. When he turned, his eyes fell on the backpack Peter was holding in one hand, and the guitar case he carried in the other. His eyes trailed to the spot where the guitar had been leaning, only to find it was gone. "And now you're leaving too?"

Peter only nodded as he bent to close the zipper which had started to slide open due to how much the bag bulged. He set the guitar case down and struggled to get the zipper to the end. Colin bent too, holding both sides of the bag together so it would be easier to get the task done.

As soon as Peter succeeded, Colin held his hand, making him freeze in the position he was crouched in. He almost instinctively let his thumb wander in circles in Peter's skin, but he caught himself in time. For now, he would only hold on and not let go. Letting go had cost him more than he had bargained for. He wouldn't make that mistake again.

"Did you get my texts?" the brunet asked in a low voice.

"Texts?"

"Yeah. The ones I sent you last night."

"Oh... that." Peter slid his hand from under Colin's, standing up.

Colin didn't have to be told that he had intentionally ignored them. With a sigh, he also stood, hand fixing the towel properly around his waist. He didn't want to dwell on the fact that his touch had been rejected, it already hurt knowing that Peter really meant his words. He wants nothing to do with me.

"Peter, I," Colin huffed out a breath, running a hand through his hair. "I know I messed up pretty bad but don't do this to me. Please."

"Do what to you? If you think I'm going because of last night, you're wrong." The Asian put on the backpack and reached for the guitar case. "I already had--"

It was now or never. Colin didn't know when he'd see his estranged boyfriend again. He had to do this. Even if Peter wouldn't listen, he would still go ahead and tell him the truth.

"Remember when I was taking pictures for your portfolio?" Colin interrupted, biting down on his lip because his voice came out too loud, too bold. Bolder than he was feeling.

Peter frowned. "Colin, I don't have time for this."

"In the studio. We got carried away and I don't know if you realized it but the camera went off and snapped some carnal shots of us. Marcus got them, he threatened to leak them so I had to let him kiss me," Colin rambled. "He told me he wanted a week with me at first, but then he just asked me to walk towards him and I didn't know what he planned to do."

Colin took a second to breathe, trying not to dwell on the fact that Peter was staring at him like he was insane. "I'm not saying I'm not at fault because I should have told you way earlier than this. But it really wasn't what it looked like." Colin rubbed at his forehead, brushing strands of his hair back. "It's one of those situations that's just so hard to explain, ugh. Marcus is my ex. I know him enough to be certain that no good thing from him lasts, even if there is a good thing." He let out a dry, bitter laugh.

"Until last night, I thought he was after you, but I was wrong. He wanted me, and he attempted to blackmail me after he got access to your phone because you had passed out and it was somehow still unlocked."

Peter's frown deepened as his forehead creased. "You didn't delete the photos."

"Another bad decision, I know that now. And I know you'd be unhappy if you found out, that's why I allowed Marcus to do whatever he wanted, just so everything would just go back to normal once he left again. It was the stupidest decision but I couldn't think of any other way."

He paused, waiting to see if Peter had anything to stay at this point. Peter didn't say a word so he took another deep breath that made his body quiver, and went on with his confession.

"I can't believe all this happened, it's not even been a week since we made things official and it's all falling apart." He let out a small chuckle that sounded strangled. "But I really don't... want it to. I don't do relationships because the first one I had, with Marcus, fell apart when he left me. But then I met you and I wanted something, and I found it. Now you're also leaving." Colin shook his head as he took a seat on the arm of one sofa. "And I really don't think I can live with myself if you do, because I know it's all my fault. I mean, you're still here and my heart's already breaking. All I need right now is for you to assure me you'll come back. Please."

A long silence prevailed as Colin watched Peter through the fringe of hair which fell over his head. He didn't even have the energy to push it back.

After forever, Peter parted his lips to let out in the smallest voice, "I'll come back." He picked up his guitar case. "I have my music exam in three days and I'll be staying at the dorms. I don't want to be distracted by any of this... or you. Just, don't talk about it until I'm back."

It wasn't the response he was aiming for, but Colin was more than glad to accept it. "When will that be?"

"Huh?"

"You didn't say when you'll be back."

Peter shrugged, eyebrows moving in the same motion his shoulders did. "Guess we'll see."

"Okay," Colin nodded with a sad smile as he got to his feet. "I'll get dressed and drive y--"

"Don't bother. I came with Ivy."

Then he was gone. But there was a glimmer of hope that he'd be back. Something Colin could cherish while he waited.

Maybe he was wrong about things taking a worse turn. Afterall, the worst he could imagine didn't happen. If things continued in this path, they would surely--

Colin's train of thought was derailed by the harsh ringing of his phone from his bedroom. He went to answer the call, and as soon as he did, he realized he had spoken too soon about his turn of luck.

Leo's voice seeped out of the phone's speakers in a stern tone. "I need you to come in right now."

"It's Sunday. When have we ever opened--"

His boss cut in with an even harsher tone. "If you value your job, you'd come right fucking now, Mitchell."

Colin didn't have to be told he was screwed.

~~

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