"Fuck Mila, what the hell am I supposed to do? I've got a guy passed out on my couch!"

Mila laughed, "Yuri, I never thought you would be the type to complain about a guy on your couch."

Yuri paced in his bedroom, phone pressed hard against his ear, "Y-you don't un-un-understand I...he..we..."

Fuck. How could Yuri even begin to tell her about what happened? Those creatures weren't stray dogs, and that thing the dark haired man did to make them disappear was not fucking normal by any means. Yuri would be curled up in a ball having a nervous breakdown right now if there wasn't a guy, a stranger, passed out on his damn couch.

"Yuri, you haven't stuttered for years. Spit it out! What happened tonight?"

Lie, moron!

Yuri scrubbed his face with his free hand. "I-I kinda got into an...accident. I'm okay though, I promise."

"Do you need a doctor? Do you need me to come over?" Mila's voice went higher and higher with worry. "That still doesn't explain why you have a guy passed out on your couch. Did he hurt you? Is this a hostage situation, I'll call the cops righ-"

"For god sake Mila, he's out cold! If I wanted to run I could have done it a thousand times by now. The guy was in the same accident. He was kind of out of it, and I was scared shitless. My phone stopped working, and home was the closest place, so I brought him here. Besides, he doesn't look like the type of guy that has insurance, then again neither am I-"

"Yuri, you're rambling." Mila snapped.

"Right, sorry. Anyway, I couldn't just leave him there so I brought him home and then he just passed out. I swear I'm not hurt."

Yuri heard the sigh of relief filter through the phone. "You sure you don't need me to come over, or call anyone?"

"No, I can handle it. I'll call you tomorrow morning."

"If I don't hear from you by nine a.m. I'm calling the cops."

Yuri laughed nervously, "I swear, I'll call you. Bye."

Yuri tossed his phone on the bed and exhaled while he looked himself over. He was filthy from head to toe. His hands were covered in scrapes and the faint pale blue of newly bloomed bruises. He needed a shower, and more than a few band-aids. He'd be able to figure out what to do with the stranger on his couch after he was clean.

He washed and dressed, and then stood dawdling in the bathroom, unsure as to what to do next. Should he go wake him? Oh shit. What if he wasn't awake?

Yuri's hands started to tremble as he started down the hall towards the living room. He stopped before rounding the corner, taking a few deep breaths before tiptoeing in.

The man was splayed out on his couch, still wearing his leather jacket, now covered in bits of asphalt and dirt. The lamp on the end table cast a low yellow glow on the man's face. Yuri crept closer, listening for the sounds for any signs of live. A snore, a whimper, anything, but heard nothing.

Oh, shit please don't be dead….on my couch….in my home .

Yuri was now standing directly over him, trying to decide if he should listen for a heartbeat, or just find something to poke him with. Yuri chose the former. He bent over, tossing his blonde hair over his shoulder, and rested his ear to the man's chest. He held his breath and tried not to notice how firm the man felt underneath him. He exhaled in sharp relief when he heard the rhythmic thump, thump, thump of his chest.

Yuri lifted his head, thankful that he was still alive and kicking, well; sleeping. Yuri hadn't been able to look at the man during the chaos, or on the drive home. He let his eyes roam over the stranger.

Handsome face, wonder what color his eyes are? Brown by the looks of him. Wonder where he's from? Eastern Russia? Or maybe from one of "the stans"? He looks like he works out, or maybe it's just from hard work.

The stranger exhaled in his sleep, his straight black eyebrows knit together.

He frowns in his sleep…

Yuri had unconsciously leaned closer, almost nose to nose with the man. He studied his features, noting his long black eyelashes, and square jaw. His ears were a nice shape too, he noticed the lobe in his left ear was pierced but held no earring. He wondered what kind he wore. A simple stud, or perhaps a ring? Yuri decided he'd look nice either way. He was brushing the thick black hair off his forehead and trying to guess his name when the man's eyes fluttered open.

His eyes were brown, dark nut brown, and trained on him.

"Um, hi." Yuri stammered nervously. He was close, creepy close.

The man blinked a few times. "Hi." his voice taut and hoarse.

The two men stared at one another for a few moments before Yuri found his voice again.

"I'm Yuri."

Otabek cleared his throat, "Otabek."

Otabek.

"Well, Otabek, you're free to crash on my couch tonight. It's the least I can do to thank you for saving me out on the road from those...things." Yuri shuddered.

Otabek sat up like a shot, " Shit, I can't stay here. I have to go!"

Yuri put a hand on his shoulder, "Hey, hey, relax. Whatever they were, they're gone now, thanks to you."

Otabek froze, "Thanks to me?"

"Yeah, you don't remember?"

Otabek racked his brain. He remembered the hotel, and the frantic race down the highway, after that everything was a mystery. He shook his head.

"What did I do?" He rasped.

"I don't know exactly. You had that club thing, and then there was this flash and a loud boom of thunder, and they were all gone." Yuri gestured towards Otabek's shokpar, now propped against the wall, underneath the coat hooks, like a strange umbrella.

"A light?" Otabek's brows knit once more, "and thunder?"

Yuri nodded.

Otabek couldn't believe it. He'd actually done it.

But how?

Otabek sat up, his head was pounding. Yuri stepped back, watching him.

"I can leave if you want. I know it must be weird to have some stranger in your house."

Otabek stood, and towered over Yuri. There was a time Yuri had hoped he would grow taller, but he had stayed short and willowy. He was in his early twenties now, but he was still mistaken for a teenager a lot of the time. Otabek looked exactly how he had always wanted to look. Tall, broad and muscular, but not bulky. Yuri almost felt a little jealous.

"Do you have somewhere to go?"

Otabek shook his head, "there are plenty of motels in the city. I won't trouble you anymore. You've done enough."

"Look, you're in no shape to go anywhere. And I don't want to be the one to tell you this, but your bike is toast. I was lucky it ran long enough for me to get us here. Stay the night, tomorrow I can help you find a shop that will fix your bike."

Otabek frowned, "How did my bike get wrecked?"

"You really don't remember anything do you?"

Otabek shook his head.

"Stay, get some sleep. I'll tell you about it in the morning. We're fine here, those things are gone. Showers down the hall, I might have something you can wear, you're lucky I like clothes that are big and baggy."

A shower and a good night's sleep? It had been a long time since he'd had both in the same night. His bike was fucked, and he knew he reeked after days on the road.

"I'll stay out of your way. Just point me to the bathroom."

Yuri pointed down the hall to a door on the left-hand side and then left to go rummage through his things to find Otabek some clean clothes. He found a baggy pair of pajama pants, and sweatshirt that one of his ex's had left at his place. It looked like it would fit him just fine. He set the clothes on the counter in the bathroom. Otabek stood in front of the mirror.

"You okay?" Yuri asked.

"Fine, it's just been awhile since I've seen myself in a mirror." Otabek pulled off his jacket. Yuri made a move to take it from him, but Otabek pulled it back. "No, my jacket stays with me."

"Um, okay. There's a hook by the door you're welcome to hang it on. You can leave your dirty clothes on the counter when you're done, I've gotta do laundry tomorrow anyway I'll throw your clothes in with mine. Soaps in the shower, and there's a clean washcloth in the cabinet under the sink." Yuri moved towards the door. "I'll make up your bed on the couch."

Yuri almost had the door shut completely when Otabek spoke.

"Thank you, Yuri."

"No problem, it's the least I can do. You saved my life tonight."

Otabek heard the soft click of the door closing. He looked at himself in the mirror. Dark circle ringed his eyes, and he was covered in bruises and dozens of tiny cuts, but he could feel a bubble of happiness well up inside him.

He'd save a life tonight; and while it wasn't enough to soothe the pain of losing his entire family, it was a start.

Now if he could only figure out how the hell he'd done it?