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The cold, sterile air of the ward froze the breath in Niall’s lungs. Every rustle of the thin gown felt like sandpaper against his raw, purple-bruised skin. He stared at the ceiling, watching the flickering fluorescent light from the corridor cast jagged shadows across the walls.
He didn't just fear Ruben; he loathed the very fact that he was still breathing. The dark, desperate prayers swirled in Niall's mind like a mantra: Let him crash. Let his heart stop. Let the concrete take him before he takes me.
Then, the heavy fire door at the end of the hall groaned open.
Slow, deliberate footsteps echoed on the linoleum. Niall’s heart hammered against his ribs like a trapped bird. He knew that stride. He knew the heavy, suffocating presence that entered the room before the man even crossed the threshold.
Ruben stepped into the dim light. He didn't look like a monster from a nightmare; he looked tired, his jacket disheveled, but his eyes—sharp and unblinking—locked onto Niall with terrifying focus.
"Don't move," Ruben said, his voice a low, gravelly scrape that made the hair on Niall’s arms stand up.
Niall gripped the rough hospital sheets, his knuckles turning white. He wanted to scream, to call for a nurse, to fight, but the sheer exhaustion and the certainty of his own doom paralyzed him. He was trapped in a filthy, sterile cage, and the predator had just walked in.
Ruben closed the distance between them, the space shrinking until he was looming over the bed. He reached out, a large, calloused hand hovering just inches from Niall's bruised throat.
"Did you really think a few miles and a couple of doctors would change anything, Niall?" Ruben whispered, leaning down so close Niall could smell the bitter scent of rain and cheap coffee on him.
Niall closed his eyes, bracing for the suffocating weight he knew was coming, utterly alone in the dark.
“Are you going to kill me, Ruben?” His name slipped from his mouth like some kind of curse. “You shouldn’t. You have your whole life ahead of you.”
“Don’t talk about my life.” Niall could see how Ruben's body buzzed with tension. “Not after what you did to it.”
“Give it a rest. I mean, what’s it been now?” he asked, acting like he hadn’t counted. Like he didn’t know the exact number of days he had been at war in his own head.
“14 years, 7 months, 23 days.”
“You've been counting, have you?”
“You're damn right I have been counting.”
“So what are you doing here? What is this? Some kind of revenge?” Niall gripped the sheets, looking around the room to find anything to protect himself. There was nothing.
“Revenge? Now there is an idea.” The corners of Ruben’s mouth twitched.
“This isn’t right. We should just stay apart,” Niall started to plead. “You have your own life to worry about, and I have mine.”
“That’s why you’ve been in my driveway, was it?” Ruben stepped closer. “Like some obsessed little weirdo, just like you've always been. A horny teenager trying to see through a window?”
“I was just passing through,” Niall said, shaking his head.
“Oh yeah?” The sound of Ruben's footsteps felt like a sentence—like a clock in another room that never gives you rest on a sleepless night. “Explain this, then.”
He pulled a hood ornament from behind his back.
“Explain it, you little rat.” Ruben stood directly above him, blocking all the light in the room.
The silver emblem caught the flickering corridor light, gleaming with a cold, metallic sharpness that made Niall’s stomach drop. It was the hood ornament from Ruben’s car. Proof. Irrefutable, solid, and currently clutched in a fist that could easily crush Niall's windpipe.
"I..." Niall’s voice caught the lie dying in his throat before it could even form. The sheer claustrophobia of the room pressed in on him. Ruben was a wall of muscle and resentment, completely eclipsing the dim light and casting Niall into total shadow.
"Nothing to say?" Ruben’s voice dropped an octave, dangerously quiet. He tossed the heavy piece of metal onto the bedside table. It landed with a loud, ringing clack that made Niall flinch. "You thought you were slick, didn't you? Creeping around in the dark. Watching me. You’ve been a ghost in my rearview mirror for half my life.”
"It's not what you think," Niall stammered, pulling the rough hospital sheet higher up his chest—a pathetic shield against the storm brewing above him. "I wasn't... I wasn't going to hurt anyone."
"Hurt anyone? You?" Ruben let out a sharp, humorless bark of a laugh, leaning down until his face was inches from Niall's. The smell of rain and stale coffee washed over Niall again, suffocatingly close. "Look at you. You're a broken mess in a paper gown.”
Ruben’s hand shot out, his fingers wrapping firmly around the metal railing of the hospital bed, trapping Niall between his arms. The metal groaned under the sudden pressure.
"But you bother me," Ruben whispered, his eyes dark, unblinking pools of pure malice. "You're like a parasite under my skin. Fourteen years, Niall. I built a life. I buried the past. And you just couldn't let it stay dead, could you?"
Niall swallowed hard, his throat clicking against Ruben's hovering hand. The raw bruises on his body throbbed in sync with his racing pulse. He knew one wrong word, one defensive smirk, and Ruben would stop talking entirely. And Niall knew exactly what would happen when the talking stopped.
"So what now?" Niall whispered, his voice trembling but laced with a bitter tint of defiance. "You going to choke the life out of me in a public ward? Go ahead. Do it. See how far that gets your 'perfect life'."
Ruben’s jaw clenched, a muscle jumping in his cheek. For a second, the silence in the room was so loud Niall could hear the drip of an IV bag from down the hall. Ruben's fingers tightened on the railing, his knuckles turning white, deciding exactly how this war was going to end.
He just stared down at Niall, his breath hot and ragged against Niall’s cheek. The threat of violence hung so thick in the air it was practically electric.
"You think I care about this life?" Ruben whispered, his voice dropping into a register that was less about anger and more about a dark, twisted hunger. "You think I built any of it because I wanted to? I built it to forget. And you still showed up on my fucking driveway."
Niall’s breath hitched. He expected the hands around his throat, but instead, Ruben’s heavy thigh pressed against the edge of the mattress, pinning Niall’s legs beneath the sheets. The proximity was overwhelming. The fear didn't disappear, but it suddenly mutated into something heavy, hot, and dizzying.
"You're obsessed with me," Niall choked out, his eyes begging for it, darting to Ruben's mouth, then back to his eyes. It wasn't a taunt anymore. It was an admission.
"I loathe you," Ruben growled, but he leaned closer, his chest brushing against Niall’s trembling frame. The calloused hand that had been hovering near Niall's throat finally descended—not to strangle, but to grip his jaw, fingers digging hard into the bone, forcing Niall to look up at him. "I want to erase you. I want to squeeze you out of my head."
"Then do it," Niall breathed, his own hands coming up to grip Ruben’s wrists. He didn't push him away. Instead, he pulled him closer, his fingers digging into the fabric of Ruben's damp jacket. "Do it, Ruben. Stop talking."
The friction of the rough hospital gown against Niall's bruised skin was no longer just painful; it was a sensory overload. When Ruben’s eyes dropped to Niall’s mouth, the anger in the room curdled into pure, desperate starvation. Ruben didn't strike him. He slammed his mouth down against Niall’s in a bruising, furious kiss that tasted like teeth and copper.
Niall could sense the hunger and greed. His head was pushed deep into the pillow as Ruben grabbed his waist and pulled him upward. Niall made a sharp, pained sound, feeling the agonizing strain on his broken ribs.
“Oh, you hurt?” Ruben pulled away, an animalistic look taking over his face. He deliberately squeezed Niall's ribcage, digging his fingers hard into the wounded, tender flesh.
A sharp scream tore out of Niall's body.
“Shut the fuck up, you little bitch,” Ruben growled, finally letting go, though he didn't back away. “Are you gonna compensate me for all of the lonely years I spent in prison? Are you gonna be a man about it?”
The pain was blinding—a white-hot flash that blurred Niall's vision and left him gasping for air, his chest heaving against the agonizing pressure. But as Ruben loomed over him, breathing heavily with wild, predatory eyes, the agony twisted into something else. It was a visceral, violent reminder that he was alive, and that he finally had Ruben’s undivided, suffocating attention.
Niall swallowed the rest of his cry, his vision clearing as he stared up at the man who had occupied his mind for over a decade. A breathless, trembling laugh escaped his lips, tasting like copper from his bitten lip.
"Prison?" Niall choked out, his voice a ragged whisper. He didn't shrink away; instead, he arched his back slightly off the mattress, leaning into the pain, leaning into Ruben. "You want me to compensate you? Is that what this is?"
Ruben’s eyes darkened, his jaw shifting as he watched Niall’s defiance. The absolute absurdity of the situation—the hospital room, the bruises, the fourteen years of built-up malice—shrank until there was nothing left but the raw heat radiating between their bodies.
"You think you can handle it?" Ruben growled, his voice dropping to a dangerous, gravelly register. He pinned Niall down with his forearms, his massive frame completely eclipsing him. "You think your fragile little body can take what you owe me?"
"Try me," Niall whispered, his hands sliding up from Ruben's jacket to grip the back of his neck, fingers tangling in his hair with a desperate, frantic strength. "Take it, Ruben. Take all of it."
The invitation was a spark to a powder keg. Ruben let out a low, animalistic sound, any remaining restraint snapping completely. He didn't care about the stitches, the bruises, or the sterile walls around them. His hand shoved the thin hospital gown up Niall’s thighs, his rough palms scraping against skin.
When Ruben bit down on Niall's shoulder, Niall didn't scream this time. He threw his head back against the pillow, his fingers digging into Ruben's back, completely consumed by the toxic, beautiful ruin of it all.
“You would have given it to me fourteen years ago, wouldn’t you?” Niall breathed out, the words cutting through the heavy air.
The question hung in the space between them, sharp and laced with a bitter truth that made Ruben freeze for a fraction of a second. His teeth were still pressed against the soft skin of Niall's shoulder, his breath hot and damp against the fresh bite mark.
Slowly, Ruben lifted his head. His eyes were dark, almost entirely pupil, searching Niall’s face for any sign of a lie. The sheer intensity of his gaze felt heavier than his physical weight.
"You always were a pathetic, desperate little thing," Ruben whispered, his voice dangerously low. His thumb came up to smear the blood on Niall's bitten lip, pressing down hard to intentionally cause a sharp sting. "Always looking at me like I was the only thing in the room. Even when you were ruining my life."
Niall let out a shaky, uneven breath, his hips twitching involuntarily against the heavy weight of Ruben’s thigh. The humiliation should have burned, but instead, it only fueled the frantic, addictive rush in his veins.
"And you're still here," Niall choked out, a bruised, defiant smile touching his lips. He gripped Ruben’s shoulders tighter, pulling himself up just enough to close the distance between them. "Fourteen years later, Ruben. You're still in my bed. You still can't keep your hands off me."
"Stop talking," Ruben’s expression hardened, a dangerous spark igniting in his eyes.
Ruben didn't answer with words. He grabbed the front of the thin hospital gown and ripped it open, the fabric tearing with a sharp sound that echoed in the quiet ward. His hands were rough, completely unconcerned with Niall's injuries as he pinned Niall's wrists above his head, locking them down with a single, massive hand.
"You want to talk about the past?" Ruben growled, leaning down until his lips brushed Niall's ear, his body pressing entirely into Niall's trembling frame. "Let's see if you can handle what I've become."
He tugged down his boxers, revealing everything Niall had to offer. “I should have fucked you in that courtroom. In front of our mothers. Maybe that would have taught you how to be a grateful bitch.” He tugged down his own pants, pulling them off together with his heavy boots. “But you will learn now,” he laughed, his eyes bloodshot.
Ruben brought his hand to Niall’s mouth. “Suck.” And Niall did, like his life depended on it. He knew this was the only lubrication he would get for the whole of Ruben's fingers. He felt the nails scratching the back of his throat, making him cough up phlegm.
Ruben pulled his wet fingers from Niall’s mouth with a sharp tug, leaving Niall gasping and wiping a mix of saliva and blood from his chin. There was no hesitation, no moment for Niall to catch his breath or brace himself.
Ruben reached down, grabbing Niall by the hip and forcing him over onto his stomach. The sudden twist sent a white-hot spike of agony straight through Niall’s broken ribs. He pressed his face hard into the mattress, swallowing a scream as the rough, industrial sheets scraped against his bruised chest.
"This is what you wanted," Ruben whispered fiercely against Niall's ear. Every movement was a reclamation, a chaotic attempt to overwrite the years spent behind bars. "You brought me here. You put yourself in my way.”
With a brutal, unyielding thrust, Ruben drove two fingers into Niall all at once.
A choked, muffled cry was forced out of Niall's throat into the pillow. The pain was blinding, a chaotic mixture of his cracked ribs protesting the heavy weight on his back and the sheer, tearing force of Ruben taking what he was owed. But beneath the agony, the dark, addictive rush returned. Niall arched his back into the pressure, his hips trembling as Ruben locked his hand onto Niall's hip bones, digging his fingers into the purple bruises, and began a punishing, relentless rhythm.
“I’m being so good to you,” Ruben growled against his skin, the words a cruel, vibrating purr. “Stretching your tight ass. I should’ve just taken you raw. Ripped you apart.” He dragged his tongue up the side of Niall’s neck, tasting sweat and copper. “Say thank you.”
Niall squeezed his eyes shut until his vision went white behind his lids. Desperate for the friction, he thrust his hips back against Ruben's hand, forcing himself to take the full depth of the stretch. ”Thank you,” he cried into the stained pillow, the words breaking into a ragged sob.
Ruben pulled his slick fingers free with a sudden, freezing rush of air. Before Niall could even register the absence, Ruben spat directly onto the open, aching heat of his hole, the tight muscles flinching and squeezing instinctively at the sudden wetness.
The cold weight of Ruben’s body pressed flat against Niall's back an instant later, completely cutting off his escape. There was no warning, no preparation—just the brutal, unyielding alignment of Ruben’s weight before he drove himself forward, taking Niall raw.
"Don't you dare close your eyes." Ruben commanded, his voice a low, primal snarl in Niall's ear. He grabbed a handful of Niall’s hair, yanking his head back until Niall’s spine arched dangerously.
Niall gasped for air that wouldn't come, his vision blurring with tears of pure physical shock. Yet, beneath the agonizing heat of the friction, the toxic, addictive rhythm took hold. He didn't pull away. With a desperate, trembling effort, Niall pushed back against the invasion, his hips shaking as he met Ruben’s relentless pace. He was entirely trapped, entirely ruined, and completely hyper-focused on the man pinning him down.
Ruben let out a low, gravelly groan, his hands locking onto Niall’s hip bones. His fingers dug deep into the existing purple bruises, leaving fresh, white-knuckled marks in the flesh. The pace turned frantic, the metal frame of the hospital bed rattling violently against the wall with every heavy, punishing thrust. The sound was loud and distinct in the quiet ward, but neither of them cared if the door burst open.
"You're so fucking needy," Ruben rasped, a low, ugly edge of satisfaction bleeding into his voice.
He abruptly pulled himself out, the sudden, freezing absence of heat leaving Niall completely hollow and gasping for air. Without a second of warmth to let him recover, Ruben grabbed him by the waist and hauled him over, flipping him flat onto his back. The violent motion sent a jarring shockwave straight through Niall's broken body, making his lungs seize up in absolute agony.
Before a scream could even tear past his lips, Ruben smothered it. He came down over Niall like a dead weight, his large hand instantly locking around Niall's jaw, fingers digging deep into the bone to force his mouth open.
Ruben slammed his lips down against Niall's in a heavy, desperate kiss that tasted entirely of teeth and old malice. It was a bruising, suffocating assault, bruising Niall's already swollen mouth, but Niall didn't pull away. He arched his neck up off the rough pillow, meeting the violent pressure of Ruben’s mouth with a frantic, starving energy of his own, letting himself get completely crushed underneath the weight of the man who had ruined him.
"Look at you," Ruben panted, inserting himself back in, his movements losing what little restraint they had left. Every heavy, unyielding slam made the metal frame of the hospital bed rattle violently against the wall, the loud, rhythmic clattering filling the sterile room. "Just where you belong."
Niall lifted his hips, desperately chasing the friction, trying to rub his aching cock against Ruben’s chest. He needed a release—a breaking point to finally end the suffocating weight of all those years he had spent starving for this exact touch.
Ruben noticed the movement immediately. A dark, mocking chuckle rumbled deep in his chest, and he leaned his full weight down, pinning Niall’s hips flat against the mattress to deliberately freeze him in place.
"Who told you that you could touch me?" Ruben whispered maliciously, his thumb pressing hard into Niall’s bruised jaw. He kept up his own punishing, relentless pace from behind, but left Niall completely untouched in the front. "You don't get a release, Niall. You just take what I give you."
Niall let out a choked, frustrated whine into the pillow, his hands clawing at Ruben's shoulders. The agonizing contrast of the blinding heat inside him and the desperate, unfulfilled ache between his thighs was pure torture, driving him completely insane.
"Please," he pleaded, a thin string of saliva slipping from the corner of his swollen mouth.
Ruben let out a low, gravelly grunt and reached down between their bodies. He didn't offer a gentle touch; his large, calloused hand wrapped around Niall’s aching cock with a brutal, crushing grip.
"You want it that bad?" Ruben snarled, his thumb smearing the wetness at the tip with punishing force as his hips kept up their relentless, heavy rhythm. "Look at me and take it, then."
Niall’s eyes flew open, entirely out of focus and glassed over with tears as he blindly thrust his hips forward into Ruben’s crushing grip.
The sudden, intense spasm of his body clamped tightly around Ruben inside him. Ruben let out a low, guttural growl at the crushing constriction, his fingers digging deep into Niall's hip bones as he drove himself forward a few final, punishing times before shuddering violently and spilling deep inside Niall's aching heat.
Ruben let out a long, shuddering breath against Niall’s neck as the last of his strength left him. Instead of pulling away, he collapsed completely forward, his massive, heavy frame sinking down until he pinned Niall flat against the mattress. He stayed buried deep inside, the thick, pulsing heat of him locking them together in the quiet aftermath.
Niall’s breath came in shallow, ragged hitches. His fractured ribs screamed under the sudden, crushing deadweight of Ruben’s chest, and the deep, throbbing ache between his thighs felt like a raw, open wound. Every single part of his body hurt, a blinding map of bruises and agony.
Yet, as Ruben’s heavy heartbeat thudded rhythmically against his back, a strange, suffocating wave of peace washed over Niall.
For the first time in years, the agonizing emptiness in his chest was gone. The heavy, crushing weight of Ruben on top of him d felt like an anchor. The physical pain was sharp and real, but it was the only thing grounding him, a brutal proof that Ruben was finally here, holding him down, consuming him completely. Locked beneath that overwhelming weight, hidden away from the rest of the world in the dim hospital room, Niall finally felt a twisted, desperate sense of security.
Broken, but safe.
Slowly, tremblingly, Niall let his head sink back into the pillow, his fingers weakly curling into the fabric of Ruben's shirt, silently begging him never to move.