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Harsh fluorescent light seared Damon’s into eyes, cutting through the darkness. He groaned and moved his arm to shield his face from the harsh rays. That’s weird. He didn’t remember falling asleep.
“Mr. Maitsu? Are you awake?”
“What?”
He slowly lowered his arm, exposing his eyes to the blinding light once more. This time he was prepared for the pain. With a few slow blinks, his vision steadily adjusted to his new environment.
He looked around, assessing the situation. There was a faint electrical hum, occasionally broken up by irritating beeps, in the background. It was honestly a bit distracting. He was beginning to notice an intense pounding in his head and the noise only served to worsen it.
Damon did his tried his best to tune it out and focus.
To his right were a variety of medical machines. He didn’t know what they were or what they did exactly but they were probably important. They were attached to a mess wires leading to a singular outlet on the wall. In Damon’s opinion it seemed like a tripping hazard or an electrical fire waiting to happen, but whatever. The outlet was clearly overloaded.
To his left was a mint green curtain hanging from an aluminum rod protruding from the ceiling. At the bottom, it was covered in small doodles of the famous cartoon character, Spongebob. Though the art was probably there to show a comforting face to scared patients, it had an opposite effect on Damon. He fucking hated Spongebob. That show did nothing good, actively deteriorating the already low IQ’s of bratty children.
And by the foot of the bed stood a nurse carrying a plastic clipboard. Though a surgical mask covered her mouth, he could see something resembling concern in her eyes. She stared at him expectantly, and he realized, with a bit of embarrassment, that he’d never answered her question.
“Yeah. I’m awake.” He replied hastily, pointing to his open eyes as if he needed to prove it.
She smiled, or at least Damon assumed she did. It was hard to tell with the mask, but the corners of her eyes turned upwards, making her expression easy to guess. Without looking, she grabbed the pen attached to the side of her clipboard.
“Do you mind if I ask a few questions?”
“I don’t really have a choice do I?”
“Not if you want to get better.
As she went down the list of tedious medical questions, scribbling down simple notes as she went, Damon’s mind wandered. They were simple enough to answer in autopilot mode anyway. He had more pressing issues to consider. How had he gotten there in the first place?
His brow furrowed. He just couldn’t place what had happened. The dull ache in his head did not appreciate his sudden use of critical thinking and brain power. It flared up, like the headlights of a Ford F1-50 pickup truck.
Oh my god. That’s it.
Damon remembered now. He was walking home from what was supposed to be a quick grocery run. The quarter mile trip was borderline torture without brain stimulation. No pretty scenic gardens or architecture. Only bland gas station parking lots and boxlike modern buildings.
Putting headphones definitely wasn’t the smartest move, especially in some of the sketchy parts of the trek, but it was the only way to make it tolerable. The colorful tunes were the only thing gluing his sanity together. They turned the mundane surroundings into something more magical. He could zone out and usually be home in what felt like seconds.
Usually. This time was clearly different. Instead of being comfy at home with a can of soup boiling on the stove, he was stuck in a firm sterilized bed that reeked of cleaning solution. His zoning out strategy had backfired. How could he focus on the streetlights when Brittany Spear’s angelic voice was capturing his attention.
By time he realized his mistake, it was already too late. The minivan was hurtling towards him at 60 mph, 30 over the limit for a pedestrian zone. He managed to stumble back, avoiding certain death, but tripped on the curb in the process. The last thing he saw before he ate cement was the woman in the front seat. She flicked him off.
The nurse was staring at Damon again. He stared back.
Oh right. What did she ask again?
He sighed. “No, you don’t need to inform my family.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah.” His parents were on a well deserved vacation, the first in years. Damon would feel awful for interrupting their break, especially after they’d spent so much time and money providing for him. It was time for him to look out for them.
“Alright. Then I think we’re done for now. Usually this is the part where I send patients on their way with a nice loan inducing bill, but unfortunately in your case you’re going to have to stay a few nights for extra monitoring.”
Right. Just his luck. The nurse continued her speech, having the emotional intelligence to at least look somewhat apologetic.
“Someone found you sprawled out on the sidewalk. From the scans we took, we think you might have injured your spine. Even if you didn’t, you’re highly concussed and shouldn’t be left unsupervised.”
Spine injury? That sounded serious. And, more importantly, costly to Damon’s poor college student wallet.
“If you don’t have any questions, I’ll let you rest now.” He shook his head. The nurse stuck her pen back to the clipboard and walked briskly out of the room. The door shut with a gentle thud. Damon’s migraine appreciated it.
Damon doing nothing for about 3 seconds before the boredom kicked in. He sighed and looked to his left, wondering what lied behind that hideous curtain. Did he have a roommate? He hadn’t head any noise from that side of the room. He dared to hope-
A hand, as if sensing his thoughts, reached out and gripped the edge.
Just my luck. Damon watched helplessly, willing with all of his mental strength for the hand to disappear. Maybe he gained telekinetic power when he hit he his head. It was worth a shot.
The hand didn’t stall for a second. Damon cursed internally. Time seemed to slow down as it dramatically flung the curtain aside, revealing its owner.
He regretted his mean words towards Spongebob. The guy behind the curtain looked infinitely worse to deal with.
He wasn’t bad looking per-say. In fact, he was prettier than most girl that Damon knew. To the untrained eye, he would seem like a normal friendly guy.
Damon knew better. He knew that the shit-eating on his roommate’s face spelt disaster. No fucking sane person was that cheerful to be stuck in a crummy second rate hospital.
And his pink hair was an eyesore.
“Hey new guy! What’s your name?”
“Damon.” Might as well answer. He didn’t seem like the type to take no for an answer.
“Damon.. that’s got a nice ring to it. I’m sure you already know who I am, of course!”
Damon had never seen the guy in his entire life.
I know what you’re thinking. Wow, I lucked out! I have the coolest roommate in the world.”
He wasn’t thinking that in the slightest. If anything, he had the most annoying roommate in the world. Who the hell did he think he was with that inflated ego?
“It’s ok, I’ll take a selfie with you. No need to be shy.”
Alright Damon had had enough. This day was shitty enough with some arrogant asswipe rubbing it in.
“Why the hell would I want your crusty selfie.” He snapped, his face contorted with annoyance.
His roommate stopped mid sentence. Damon’s outburst had clearly shocked him. The corners of his eyes took on a moistened appearance and he looked away with a sullen expression. Seriously? What a crybaby.
“Because I’m Kai Monteago?” He answered meekly, the previous bravado in his voice completely absent. Damon arched an eyebrow.
“And I’m supposed to care because…”
“Seriously dude?! I’m like totally famous! I have more followers on Insta than your whole bloodline combined. How have you not heard of me?”
Damon pulled up his cell phone to fact check “Kai’s” BS.
“Hey! Don’t ignore me!”
Damon ignored his whiny ass and clicked on his internet browser. With low expectations, he typed “Kai Monteago” in the search bar and hit enter. The hospital’s wifi worked overtime. Instantly, Damon’s poor eyes were bombarded by articles about the very guy before him. Damn. Guess he was telling the truth.
He clicked on the top result and skimmed through it, wincing at the throbbing in his head. He was pretty sure you weren’t supposed to look at screens when you were concussed. Oh well. This is Kai’s fault.
“Internet celebrity hospitalized for lead poisoning after shady makeup brand deal.” Damon read out in a monotone voice. “This you?”
His face paled. “Hey don’t read that. It’s embarrassing.”
Damon rolled his eyes and shut off the phone. The stupid grin returned to Kai’s stupid face. He had a dog-like energy to him. It didn’t take much to make him happy.
Whatever, good for him. Damon’s head was really starting to hurt. He closed his eyes, praying his obnoxious roommate would take the hint and shut up.
Kai was more socially apt than he seemed, or maybe he was already satisfied with Damon’s answers. Whatever the case, Damon easily drifted into a deep slumber. Maybe his luck was finally turning around.
—————————
“Your test results came back. Nothing too serious. You should be out of here in a week.” The nurse handed him a tray of mystery sludge and a spork, courtesy of the hospital. He took it with feigned politeness. The smell instantly assaulted his nose. This is disgusting. Is this place trying to poison its patients?
He forced a smile and thanked her. The instant she was gone, his face wrinkled. He poked it experimentally. The spork prongs collapsed in on themselves and blackened. Yeah, I’m not eating this.
He set the tray aside and closed his eyes again. Death by starvation was better than death by that crap. If he slept more, maybe he could avoid feeling the hunger pains. It had worked well enough for his concussion.
“Psssst… Dammie. Wakey wakey.”
Damon’s eye twitched. The world couldn’t let him catch a break could it?
“C’monnn dude wake up. I promise it’ll be worth it.” Kai pleaded.
He sighed and opened his eyes. Kai’s persistence was an absolute pain. Maybe he could request a room swap when the nurse came back.
“What do you want now.” he snarled, irritation dripping from his voice.
“Woahh chill out, I’m trying to do you a favor. Looky here.”
Damon turned his attention to Kai’s side of the room. His roommate was grinning ear to ear, proudly brandishing a sandwich encased in a plastic deli box. Damon’s mouth watered. Compared to the hospital food, it looked like ambrosia.
“Where’d you get that.”
“Oh? Someone’s interested now.” Kai’s faced morphed into something annoyingly smugly.
“Just answer the question.”
“My fans. Duh? The news accidentally leaked which hospital I got sent to so I’ve been receiving gifts nonstop. Pretty awesome, right?”
Right. Damon forgot about Kai’s rabid fanbase of teenage girls. Maybe being an influencer had some perks after all.
“Do you want one? I have like 5 more.”
Don’t have to ask me twice. He nodded, maybe a bit too enthusiastically. Kai chuckled and tossed him the sandwich. By some miracle, he caught it without making an ass of himself.
He scarfed it down like it was his final meal. With his hunger finally satiated, he suddenly remembered his manners. His face turned scarlet with embarrassment.
“Thanks Kai.” He mumbled. Maybe he wasn’t so bad after all. Saving him from ingesting the hospital food won major points in Damon’s book.
Kai couldn’t hold his laughter back any longer. “Dude you eat like a snake. You practically inhaled it.”
Damon scowled. Never mind. Kai was an absolute ass. He’d never like a guy like him.
—————————
Despite his claim, over the next few days he gradually became closer to Kai. It was bound to happen, due to their forced proximity. Damon couldn’t go anywhere on account of his spine and Kai couldn’t move because of his joint pain. He claimed it was a symptom of the lead poisoning.
Damon started to tolerate Kai’s conversations after the sandwich. It was initially out of obligation, a way of paying back his favor. But Kai slowly wormed his way into Damon’s heart. He told interesting stories about his influencer experiences, the twists and turns putting him on the edge of his seat. Kai’s vibrant expressions and energized gestures enamored him. He began to see why he had so many followers.
In return, Damon shared a few facts about his life. It wasn’t anywhere near as exciting as Kai’s, yet Kai still showed genuine interest. He asked Damon engaging questions, which he answered without reluctance.
Slowly, as much as Damon hated to admit it, they became friends.
One night, Kai confessed he was scared his fans would leave him. He worried they would hate him for unknowingly promoting the hazardous makeup that had landed him in the hospital, and lose all the trust he had work so hard to establish.
Damon reassured him that wasn’t the case. He pointed out that he wouldn’t be receiving gifts and letters everyday if his fans were mad at him. Kai’s expression told Damon he wasn’t 100% convinced. Sickened by his saddened look, Damon ended up biting the bullet.
He stumbled to Kai’s bed, persevering through the intense pressure in his back. It was weird to walk after days in bed. When he was finally beside the influencer, he wrapped him in a tight hug and whispered comforting words in his ear until he fell asleep.
And when they were awakened in the morning by the yells of a disgruntled nurse, Kai couldn’t help but laugh. Damon found it less amusing, but he would sit through her lecture a thousand times over if meant he could hear him laugh again.
—————————
“Hey Damon?”
“What’s up.” Damon closed the article he was reading and shut off his phone. His concussion had cleared up considerably and it no longer hurt to look at a screen for longer than 3 seconds. That being granted, he still wasn’t able to read for extended periods. It got excruciating around the 20 minute mark.
“Give me your phone. I’ll read for you.”
Damon shrugged and passed it over. In the past he certainly would’ve put up more of a fight, but something about Kai, be it his agreeable personality, or charismatic smile, hypnotized him.
Kai’s voice was remarkably soothing. If his influencer deal didn’t pan out, he could definitely find a career in narrating audiobooks or maybe even meditation videos. Before Damon knew it, he was finishing up the last sentence.
“I can’t believe you read that stuff for fun.” Kai sighed with mock dramatics. “I deserve some sort of reward.”
Alright, he’d play along.
“Oh yeah? What do you have in mind.” Damon replied.
Kai’s face lit up. Clearly, he didn’t expect his plan to get that far.
“How about, your number?”