Jamie was walking down the street to his mom's architectural firm, headphones in, ready to get started on his most recent project. It was because of the music that he didn't hear the person walking up behind him, though he became aware of their presence when a hand clasped around his wrist.
Jamie jumped and started to turn around to see who grabbed him when another hand covered his mouth. Jamie yelped when he was forced to walk backwards into the alley he was passing, the noise muffled by the hand.
It happened so quickly; being grabbed, dragged, and then thrown to the ground around the corner and behind the building, hidden away from the street and other people.
Jamie scrambled back and looked up to see who pulled him back into the alley and saw Redneck standing over him.
Jamie gulped. He felt his body tense, freezing as he tried to figure out what he'd done to anger Eden's older brother. He couldn't think of anything. He'd only seen him twice since graduation, both times for two minutes when picking up Eden from her house.
"Um, Nick? Wha-?"
He was cut off when Redneck took a handful of the front of his shirt, pulling him off the ground and slamming him against a brick wall. A lungful of air was forced out of him from the collision.
"Nick?" He tried again.
Redneck's other hand joined the first in fisting the fabric of Jamie's shirt, pulling him off the wall just to slam him back in again.
Jamie's head hit the bricks and he was dizzy for a few disorienting seconds. When his vision cleared, Redneck's face was suddenly inches from his, and Jamie could see the fury coursing through him. His blood ran cold.
"I don't want to see you around our house no more and I don't want to hear about you being around Eden. You hang out with your other gay friends and tell her to go on kissing girls like there's no problem with it. Turning and corrupting her."
Jamie brought his hands up to the ones pinning him against the wall in a weak attempt to free himself. He wanted to say that being gay wasn't contagious, but Redneck continued on.
"I saw Eden holding hands with a girl the other day and I know it was your fault. You and your damn faggot friends."
"What? I didn't-"
Sudden pain blossomed on his face at the same time it erupted at the back of his head. He realized belatedly that he was punched and that it sent his head careening back into the bricks. He cautiously opened his eyes and saw Redneck's hand pulled back to swing at him again. His hands shot up to his face in a feeble attempt to protect himself. It didn't stop it from coming or hurting. Another punch. Blood started dripping from his nose.
Then there was a blissful pause, where he wasn't hit and he hoped that that was it. Redneck got mad, hit him a couple times and would then be on his way. That would be okay. Jamie can handle that. He's fine. He's fine.
His throat clogged up. He wanted to cry.
Jamie kept his eyes closed, waiting to hear the other leave. With his eyes closed, he didn't see the next hit coming.
The pain swelled up in his stomach, air forced out of him as he doubled over. Well, doubled up as much as he could with two hands still pinning him against the wall. With his attention on his stomach, he could feel Redneck's knee coming up to slam into his stomach again. And again. And again.
Jamie could hardly breathe by the time he was thrown to the ground. His head smacked onto a dumpster and his mind blanked momentarily.
Over the buzzing, he heard Redneck say, "Look at you." Jamie could hear the disgust plainly in his tone. "Pathetic faggot," Nick emphasized his point with a kick to his stomach. Jamie curled up as tight as he could to protect himself. "You're nothing but a stupid," a kick to the arms locked around his head, "fucking," a kick to his chest, "faggot." That kick landed dangerously near his crotch. "Don't even know why my sister likes being anywhere near you. You're fagging up our house anytime you come by. But that stops now, you hear me?" Kicks keep raining down all over his body as Redneck continued on his angry rant.
Jamie tried to distance himself from the situation, to think of something else. Someone else. Mason. Mason'd find him and help him.
Tears slipped down his cheeks as he thought what his boyfriend would say when he sees him. He'd be hurt. He'd be hurt that Jamie was hurt. He'd be upset. Would he cry? Jamie was crying. He had a hard time breathing between his sobs and the kicks and hits.
Redneck was still yelling, but now he's dropped down to the ground to kneel over Jamie.
Jamie was scared. He didn't know what Nick wanted or what he'd do.
Redneck was considerably stronger than Jamie and had no trouble getting him out of his ball and straddling his chest. His arms were pulled up over his head and held against the ground in one of Redneck's fists. Jamie began squirming, even though he knew that he wouldn't be getting away.
The weight of the other body was heavy on his chest and his arms were in an iron grip and Jamie felt himself panicking. His breaths were quick and shallow, taking in less air than he gasped out.
Due to the fact that he was looming over Jamie like this, Redneck was able to put his whole weight into the next punch that slammed down into his face. There was a snap and he screamed. Redneck quieted him by forcing his mouth shut and covering it with his free hand.
"You're gonna keep quiet, you hear me, faggot? I know your kind. You like being pinned down by another man. You like it. This is what you want. This is all you sissy faggots want."
This wasn't what Jamie wanted. He started squirming again, jerking his head back and forth until he could open his mouth enough to bite down on Redneck's hand, drawing blood.
Redneck howled and slammed his fist down onto Jamie's face again and again and again until he felt numb. Even then, they didn't stop. Jamie's mind was hazy and he only knew that Redneck was still yelling at him because his lips were moving. It was only when his vision started fading out that he didn't know whether he was still being hit or not.
An extra hard hit knocked his head to the side and he saw a fuzzy outline of the dumpster before he saw black.
He was only out for what must've been a few seconds because the next thing he saw was the silhouette of Redneck leaving.
He lay there on the ground shivering for a long time after Redneck left, during which time it began to rain. Of course. Of fucking course it did. Jamie thought it only happened in movies and stories, yet here it was. It was predicted to rain today, he knew that. He had been ready to be inside with a cup of tea, working while listening to the rain, but now it seemed like the universe sensed his distressed and decided to mock him.
He tried to stop his body from shaking, tried to stop the crying, tried telling himself that he was fine. Really. Yet the tears continued to pour.
His eyelids began to droop. He should move. He should get out of here. Go somewhere safe. He was too exhausted to move an inch. Too drained. Unwillingly, he drifted off in an alley behind a dumpster.
When Jamie woke up, it was dark out. Jesus. How long had he been there?
He should call someone. Or at least text. Would there be someone waiting for him? Wondering where he was? Probably not. His mom was at home for the day and wouldn't expect him home until dinner, and he was supposed to be working, so it's not like Mason would be worried.
His arm ached as he lifted it to reach into his pocket. It wasn't there. Clenching his jaw against the pain (and then immediately stopping because that hurt a lot worse), he fumbled around looking for his phone. He checked both the pockets of his soaked jacket and sweater and then his jeans pocket, just in case. Yet it's familiar weight was still absent from his any of his pockets. It must've fallen out.
He rolled his head around to look for it. There. It lay few feet away on the ground under a tipped over garbage can, thankfully dry. He first reached with his arm, hoping he wouldn't have to move to get it, but it was too far. Jamie let out a groan and mentally prepared himself for moving.
His body screamed at the movement as he strained for his phone, but he could barely touch it and he let himself fall back onto the wet pavement. His chest was heaving as he tried to catch his breath.
Taking more time than it should've, Jamie had managed to roll over and crawl the few feet, dropping into a puddle on the pavement the moment his fingers wrapped around his phone.
There were six texts there; three from his mom and three from Mason.
From his mom:
Hey, you said you'd be home by now, how are things going?Are you staying longer to get that extra work done? Or are you with Mason?
You know I don't mind if you're with him, but I'd like it if you told me if you weren't coming home for dinner
Love you
From Mason:
Hey, want to hang out?
I'm bored
And lonely
They were sent between 5 and 6; when he said he'd be working until. The time on his phone said it was now 7:46. Shit. Jamie let his head drop and yelped when his injured face connected with the concrete.
Shifting until he was comfortable, well, in less pain, Jamie hit the call icon next to Mason's name, laying there as he heard it dialling. It was at the start of the second ring that his boyfriend picked up.
"Hey, dude," Mason said in greeting through the speaker. "Thought you were busy. How's your project coming along? Did you just finish it? Cause if so, you have to show me."
Jamie was so relieved to hear his voice that fresh silent tears streamed down his cheeks.
After a few moments of him not answering, Mason spoke up. "Jamie? Are you there?"
Jamie let out an involuntary whimper.
"Jamie!? Are you okay? What's wrong?" Mason's panic is obvious through his tone. "Where are you?"
"Alley," is all that Jamie gets out.
"What? You're in an alley? Which alley? Where? Why?"
"Please."
"Jamie?" Mason sounds like he's about to cry which made Jamie cry harder.
"Help."
"Of course, I'll come get you, just tell me where you are."
Through his gasps and sobs, he managed to tell Mason where he was, who, by that time, had already gotten his shoes on and was out of the door.
Mason stayed on the phone with him the whole time he ran to him, arriving in record time. He knew when his boyfriend got there because he heard footsteps running to where he was and he heard a gasp through the phone and from behind him.
"Jamie?" There was a hitch in Mason's voice.
Next thing Jamie knew, he was at his side, his hands flittering around, clearly wanting to help but not knowing how to without hurting him.
"What happened?"
Jamie's face scrunched up in an attempt to hold back tears as the event from earlier flashed through his mind.
A hand came to rest on his shoulder and he automatically flinched. The touch was gone in a flash.
"I'm sorry."
With shaking arms, Jamie pushed himself up, wincing as his weight put pressure onto his bruised hip. When he was sitting steadily, kind of, he looked up to the other.
Mason's eyes were wide with worry, concern, sadness and anger. Anger at who did this to him. A tear slid down Mason's cheek when their eyes met and that was all it took to send Jamie flying into his boyfriend.
He wrapped his arms around him, burying his face into his neck, and it was then that Mason pulled him into a hug. They sat there for a long while, cuddling on the cold, hard ground.
"Come on, let's get you out of here," Mason said in a soft, soothing voice.
Slowly, they got up until they were standing, Jamie letting out a few whimpers and winces along the way. He couldn't stand properly, however, and leaned heavily on his best friend.
"Here," Mason braced them against the wall as he stripped of his own jacket, wrapping it around Jamie's shoulders over his own wet jacket. "You can wear this while we get you home. Don't what you getting sick."
"No."
"What?" Mason's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
Jamie knew Mason knew that wasn't saying no to the jacket, because he was gripping it in his fists and was pulling it tight around him.
"Don't wanna go home."
"Jaims," Mason's eyes softened. "Why not?"
"Need to get cleaned up before my mom sees. And the girls would be scared." He knew his face was busted up and brushed and bloody and swollen. "Plus, she already thinks I'm with you."
Mason looked at him for a few seconds before pulling back into his side. "Okay. Londa's out for the next week, you can stay there."
"Thank you." Jamie tried to smile, but it pulled at his split lip. He was already leaning down into Mason, so he just turned his head to kiss his cheek, which maybe wasn't the greatest thing to do with all the blood on his face. The movement put pressure on his nose, sending waves of pain that makes him dizzy. "Oh, fuck." He tightens his hold on the other.
"What? Are you okay?"
"Yeah," he lay his head against Mason's, closing his eyes to stop the world from spinning around. "Just my nose hurts. And I'm dizzy."
They walked the whole way to Londa's with Jamie tucked into Mason's side, stopping only once at his mom's firm to get his stuff. When they got to the apartment, Mason sat Jamie down on the couch and went to get warm clothes for Jamie to change into and the first aid kit while Jamie sent a quick apology text to his mom.
He sat there with his eyes closed, hissing in pain occasionally as Mason cleaned him up, dabbing away the blood and putting Polysporin and Band-aids on the cuts. The soft, gentle touches were soothing, compared to the previous hits.
Soon, they were curled up on the couch under many blankets, Mason on his back and Jamie laying between his legs and curled up sideways on his chest. With his boyfriend's arms around him, wearing one of said boyfriend's oversized sweaters and comfy track pants and oh so warm, Jamie finally felt safe and relaxed.
"Want to tell me what happened?"
Jamie looked down, half hiding behind the ice pack on his face.
"Jaims, who did this to you?"
"Redneck," he finally whispered.
Mason's fingers stopped the absentminded doodling on his arm and Jamie missed it immediately. "What?" He sounded scared.
"Redneck did it. I was walking back to work after lunch when he pulled me into the alley. Said to stop hanging out with Eden. That I was 'turning her gay' and that I was 'fagging up their house' and that it was my fault that Eden was holding hands with a girl and that I was a stupid faggot and disgusting and, and," his voice broke on a sob.
"Oh, baby, no." Mason kissed the top of his head. "No, none of that is true. None of it."
"I know." Jamie couldn't keep his words steady. "I know, but it still hurt."
"I'm so sorry. That never should have happened to you You don't deserve it. You are so kind and thoughtful and beautiful and amazing."
Mason was trying to make him feel better, he knew that and it was working, but it didn't stop the tears. Though now he was crying from hurt, sadness, but also gratefulness at having such an amazing best friend and boyfriend.
His eyelids started feeling heavy as Mason started off on how he was going to kill Redneck until Jamie pulled his face down into a kiss.
"Thank you. I love you."
"I love you, too," Mason whispered against his lips, sending happy tingles through him.
This time when he drifted off, it was in one of the best places he knew; Mason's arms.