His heart was pounding in his chest. He had no place left to go. His fist slammed on the door a might bit harder than he had intended. Rex leaned forward, his forehead resting on the door. He gave another weak knock- pleading inwardly for his friend to open the door. He looked up, stepping backwards away from the door as he heard the knob turn.

Those cool blue eyes looked at him and he felt the fire burst in his chest. It wasn't fair. The smile that greeted him soon turned to concern. Noah looked over Rex- Fear plastering itself across his face.

"Jesus, Rex!" Noah said grabbing Rex by the arm. Rex followed as the blonde pulled him into the house. The Latino boy felt as if his feet were dragging as his body ached- stiffening from the abuse it had been put through. He sat at the table as Noah cussed, scuffling about the kitchen looking for something. Rex watched his friend a small smile curling at the corner of his lips. He looked down at himself and cringed inwardly. His pants were bloody around his knees. His jacket was gone… and his shirt was almost. He looked at his hands. He felt his eyebrows knit together as he stared at the bruises on his knuckles and on his palms. It wasn't fair. Snapping him out of his though, Noah all but fell down in front of him.

Rex pulled his eyes away from his hands and stared at the blonde teen as he sat down the things he was carrying. A pair of scissors, a wad of paper towels, a dish cloth, a bowel of water, peroxide and a container of salt soon surrounded Noah's knees.

"What the hell Rex?" Noah snapped as he pushed Rex's shoulders back. Rex leaned back in the chair and looked at the table. His face solemn, quiet and dangerous. Noah shook his head. Rex wasn't going to watch his friend sew him up. It was sick that he had even asked him to. Technically he hadn't asked, but what did he expect Noah to do with him showing up on his door step looking like he had a bad run in with the wrong side of a wood chipper. He cringed as he felt his friend's hands on his shirt. He sat forward and pushed Noah back slightly.

"You need gloves." Rex said and he pulled off the remnants of his shirt. He hissed as some of the cloth had to be jerked away as it had clung to the drying blood. Noah was only gone a minute or so and was back- pulling on a pair of gloves.

"What happened, Rex?" It wasn't a question that was poised as a suggestion for an answer it was a question that demanded an answer. Rex closed his eyes and shook his head.

"I'm weak." He said- his voice a harsh whisper of his normal arrogance. Noah looked up at him, narrowing his eyes as he balled a paper towel before thoroughly soaking it in peroxide.

"Bullshit." Noah said flatly. Rex looked down at him as the blond started cleaning one of the wounds on his stomach. Rex closed his eyes and bit back the urge to hiss as the rag ran over the tender edges of the wound

"My nanites crashed." Rex said. Noah dipped the rag again into the bowel of water and moved to another of the many wounds littered his abdomen. Noah shook his head frowning in a mix of concern and confusion.

"Then why aren't you back at Providence. You need medical attention- not Noah attention." Noah said. Rex shook his head with a scoff.

"They aren't any help. I was just going to the mall. The fucking mall." Rex growled; tensing all over as a wave of anger rode him. He shook his head and settled back against the chair. Noah's eyes were wide as Rex's brown ones met them. Noah's gaze dropped to the floor beneath the chair. Blood had pooled in a few small places beneath the chair. Rex closed his eyes and fought back the urge to scream, threatening to rip is own eyes out if the tears that warmed his them dared to escape.

"Rex." Noah's voice was quiet, hesitant but firm all at once. Rex opened his eyes and looked at the other boy. "You need to go back to Providence."

"Why? What then? I let the fucking White Knight know that the 'cure', the one fucking chance that the world has, got his ass kicked by a damn mob of tontos !" Rex growled and sat back in the chair his hand balling and covering his eyes. "Dammit." He hissed.

"Then an EVO didn't do this." Noah said shaking his head. Rex looked down at the other boy- pain coursing through every inch of him. Noah stood up then causing Rex to look at him in question. "Come on. We've got to get you into the bathroom. I've got to see what's bleeding." He held out a hand. Rex took it gratefully and gave the blonde a crooked grin.

"You softy." Rex said as Noah helped him into the bathroom. Noah snorted in response and made him sit on the edge of the tub.

"Get those clothes off. I'm gonna go get the stuff." Noah said as he left the bathroom. Rex looked down at his hands and bent his fingers. They were stiff and they were sore. He hoped they would work. He bent back and kicked his shoes off. He stood up and fumbled with painful digits with the button on his pants. After calling the button and zipper several nasty words he managed to peel the bloody pants away from his legs. The good thing was that the pinche putos only got his abdomen.

"Wait…is that a good thing?" He asked himself as he caught a glimpse of his semi-nude body. His torso and back looked like someone had taken a meat fork to him. Anger filled him as he realized that the freaks had intended to kill him- and had it not been for his nanites responding, regardless of the small amount of response, he probably would be dead.

His lip was bloody and busted. He brought his hand up to touch his mouth as a half hearted grin crossed his face. At least he didn't have a black eye. He looked down at the blood slowly crawling down his abs. His head had started to hurt. It was a dull rolling hurt. It sucked. He fell back down on the edge of the bathtub- or at least he attempted to. He over guessed the size of the rim and ended up in the tub. He let out a screaming cuss. He attempted to get up but his body locked up refusing to move. He looked up as Noah came back in the door- his bowl of necessities in one hand the phone in the other.

"Who are you calling?" Rex growled as he attempted to scramble out of the tub. Noah set down the bowl and kicked the door shut. He looked at Rex and shook his head. Rex repeated his question as he fell back into the bathtub.

"Shut up I'm just checking my messages. My mom's out of town and I have to make sure she's alright." Noah said setting the phone back down. He looked at his friend and the pain seemed to transfer from Rex to Noah. Rex looked away from Noah. He was on the verge of tears and there was no way in h_ he was going to cry.

Fourty makeshift stitches, a severe amount of cussing later and Rex was finally together in one piece. He was sitting on the toilet lid with Noah between his legs sewing up the last gash on his stomach. He would have giggled at the thought and the sight but he wasn't in the mood and on top of that it would probably double him over to laugh. Noah looked up at him and Rex forced a grin.

"So they jumped you? Why did you nanites crash?"

"No idea."

"You should talk to Holiday-" Noah was cut off as Rex suddenly leaned forward inches from Noah's face.

"No." It was a simple word yet it packed enough heat to get his point across. Noah blinked a few times then nodded. Rex sat back and looked up at the ceiling. The tiles were so clean. He closed his eyes. "She'd just bitch at me then she'd get Six involved and I don't want to deal with that."

"What are you going to do?" Noah asked. Rex shook his head. A tear slipped free and he shook his head. His entire body hurt. He leaned forward looking at Noah, the strength to hold back his tears was gone as was the give a sh*t. Noah's eyes widened as Rex shook his head.

"Why do that hate me? What did I do? Why?" Rex asked his voice cracking. Noah shook his headd. He had no words of advice to give to his best friend. There was nothing comforting that he could say.

Rex was suprised as Noah sat up on his knees and wrapped his arms around his friend. A lump stuck in his throat as he curled his arms around the blonde and let the tears flow.

The physical pain would go away. The sting of the owrlds hatred would fade. But the love that past between them at that moment would last forever.