Unorthodox
Title: Brick
Word Count: 440
Note: So I've been away for dog's years. So long that I've been kicked out of GYWO (not that I've written anything of note in ages anyway). But I'm making an effort to come back!
The heart of the city welcomed them in a stream of traffic, buried them deep in skyscrapers and petite hand-manicured parks with granite fountains and power-washed sidewalks, the clean and glittering sun around which the only universe Adrian had ever known revolved. It gave him a headache, the flash of sunlight off the mirrored buildings, the movement of so many people in and out of his peripheral vision, and a heavy sigh escaped him as he pressed his fingers to his temples and closed his eyes. If Christian noticed, he said nothing.
Their destination was a quiet, four storey brick box, at the edge of the university campus some forty-five minute drive from the hospital. It wasn't until they followed the curving walkway from the parking lot to the front doors that Adrian realized he had no idea where he was - he stopped and peered across the rows of hedges to the street, trying to spot a street sign of anything that would help him catch his bearings, but despite living in or near the city his entire life he saw nothing familiar. An anxious knot of dread twisted in his stomach as the security latch on the door clicked open behind him.
"You coming?" Christian called.
He didn't want to. The loud metallic snap of the lock reminded him of the ward, the perfect hedges and clear walkway of the gardens he would stare at through his window. Even the building itself, the demure brick and wide windows, bore a resemblance that added painful claws to the fear that pressed and crawled up his throat.
Then he blinked and he was indoors, his body moving like a thing possessed, boots scuffing the worn hardwood as they walked down a fourth floor hallway, Christian leading with his hands in his pockets and his back so painfully exposed, and for a moment Adrian wasn't sure if it was rage or longing that made him want to reach out, to hook his fingers in the collar of Christian's shirt, pull him back and slam him against the wall, grind his teeth into the still-red scar that snaked along his neck and rake his nails across that tanned skin, maybe -
He collided with Christian and twisted, dropping his backpack and stumbling into the wall - the latter simply looked up at him, his cold eyes amused, his keys in his hand.
"Zone out?" he asked, slipping the key into the lock and opening the door.
"Yeah, sorry," Adrian said, scrubbing a hand through his hair as he retrieved his backpack from the floor, his face burning. "Got lost in thought."
Word Count: 440
Note: So I've been away for dog's years. So long that I've been kicked out of GYWO (not that I've written anything of note in ages anyway). But I'm making an effort to come back!
The heart of the city welcomed them in a stream of traffic, buried them deep in skyscrapers and petite hand-manicured parks with granite fountains and power-washed sidewalks, the clean and glittering sun around which the only universe Adrian had ever known revolved. It gave him a headache, the flash of sunlight off the mirrored buildings, the movement of so many people in and out of his peripheral vision, and a heavy sigh escaped him as he pressed his fingers to his temples and closed his eyes. If Christian noticed, he said nothing.
Their destination was a quiet, four storey brick box, at the edge of the university campus some forty-five minute drive from the hospital. It wasn't until they followed the curving walkway from the parking lot to the front doors that Adrian realized he had no idea where he was - he stopped and peered across the rows of hedges to the street, trying to spot a street sign of anything that would help him catch his bearings, but despite living in or near the city his entire life he saw nothing familiar. An anxious knot of dread twisted in his stomach as the security latch on the door clicked open behind him.
"You coming?" Christian called.
He didn't want to. The loud metallic snap of the lock reminded him of the ward, the perfect hedges and clear walkway of the gardens he would stare at through his window. Even the building itself, the demure brick and wide windows, bore a resemblance that added painful claws to the fear that pressed and crawled up his throat.
Then he blinked and he was indoors, his body moving like a thing possessed, boots scuffing the worn hardwood as they walked down a fourth floor hallway, Christian leading with his hands in his pockets and his back so painfully exposed, and for a moment Adrian wasn't sure if it was rage or longing that made him want to reach out, to hook his fingers in the collar of Christian's shirt, pull him back and slam him against the wall, grind his teeth into the still-red scar that snaked along his neck and rake his nails across that tanned skin, maybe -
He collided with Christian and twisted, dropping his backpack and stumbling into the wall - the latter simply looked up at him, his cold eyes amused, his keys in his hand.
"Zone out?" he asked, slipping the key into the lock and opening the door.
"Yeah, sorry," Adrian said, scrubbing a hand through his hair as he retrieved his backpack from the floor, his face burning. "Got lost in thought."