Title: Silver Linings In Dark Alleys
Author: Donnie
Fandom: Saw
Setting: Various
Pairing: Lawrence Gordon/Adam Faulkner-Stanheight, Lynn Denlon/Amanda Young, John Kramer/Amanda Young, Brett/Alison Gordon, Mark Hoffman/Peter Strahm, Implied Orson Gordon/Matthew Faulkner
Characters: Lawrence Gordon, Adam Faulkner-Stanheight, Lynn Denlon, Amanda Young, Brett, Alison Gordon, Diana Gordon, Zep Hindle, John Kramer, Jill Tuck, Mark Hoffman, Peter Strahm, Adam's Family, Lawrence's family
Genre: Romance/Drama/Hurt/Comfort/Family/Friendship/Angst
Rating: M
Chapters: 1/?
Word Count: 6236
Type of Work: Chapter Fic
Status: Unfinished
Warnings: Gay, Slash, Yaoi, Femslash, Yuri, Lesbians, Het, Straight, Drama, Soulmate AU, AU - Canon Divergent, Family Drama, Divorce, Custody Battles, Cliches, Headcanons Employed, Fighting Parents, Stay Together For The Kids mentality, Adam is both wonderful and terrible with kids, Will Stipulation cliche, Homophobia, More To Come
Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Matthew Faulkner, Lukas Radford-Faulkner, Orson Gordon, Jeanette Gordon, and most of the other family members are figments of my imagination, however.
Summary: Lawrence Gordon dealt with enough arguing that he didn't dispute his father's dying wish. Adam was so used to slumming it up that the idea of moving to the Hamptons with a man like Lawrence was sounding like both Heaven and Hell.
AN: As per usual, I'm way late to the party. But I finally managed to sit down and pay attention to the first Saw movie, and, of course, fell in love with Adam and Lawrence. I am an addict, now, whoops. Anyway, this was originally for a Fanfiction-Friends' Weekly Writing Prompt, which encouraged us to use as many cliches as we could in a 1,000 word (or less) story. This… Quickly spiraled out of control, and so I give you the first chapter to the first of my thousands of ideas for these two. While I was working on it, I kept listening to the Pool Party song from the Aquabats Super Show, because, much like the song, it felt like, "We don't stop, we never end, we don't stop, we just begin."
Anyway, enough of my rambling. I hope you guys enjoy!
Chapter One: The World Goes Home ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Walking up on the fancy brick two-story with his hands shoved in the pockets of his thin jacket, Adam Stanheight-Faulkner turned his head up to the sign. Slader and Associates. This was the place, but damn, if he'd ever been to a law firm without being certain he was going to get arrested for trying to steal. Of course, he wasn't quite that stupid, it didn't stop him from shoving his hands into his pockets a little deeper before finally taking one out to open the heavy glass door. Anyone in their right mind would want to get out of the snow, though it took a special kind of stupid to walk two miles to a law firm for a will you didn't recognize, he supposed.
With any luck, it would be worth it.
Warmth hit his face so hard he felt his breath catch in his throat and he coughed abruptly, wishing for the sharpness of a winter wind to calm the sudden fit. As soon as the door was closed behind him, the chipper blonde behind the counter spoke up.
"Good afternoon, sir! Welcome to Slader and Associates. May I help you?" She chirped happily, practically straightening up until she might as well have bent over backwards. If she didn't have such a business casual look about her, Adam might have thought she was busy trying to look like his type. Instead, he shuffled over and leaned on the counter.
"Yeah, uh. Adam Faulkner? I'm here for uh-"
"For the will reading of Joseph Gordon?" She asked him, and he nodded slowly, "Up the stairs on the left, first conference room on your right." Pausing as he started forward, she finally rose from her seat and took his arm in both of hers. "I'll guide you, don't worry. This place can be a bit of a maze."
Feeling her pressed up against him, Adam was both mildly interested and thoroughly flabbergasted. He was positive, now, that she had an engagement ring. Being far from moral enough for this to be a personal hangup, he usually wouldn't have even bothered with trying to shrug her off. But he was in a place, mentally, that wouldn't allow him to fuck with someone that count potentially get his ass beat. Or worse.
"Yeah, uh. Thanks…" Squinting at her name tag, he added, gruffly, "Natalie."
Natalie smiled at him with her perfect white teeth, her perfect red lips, and her perfect blue eyes. Everything about her was A plus, definitely, but his own recent breakup, and the reason for his broken nose, kept his path on the straight and narrow. Even when she pushed her chest into his arm as she opened the door, he felt nothing.
If he were honest with himself, he didn't even know why he was here.
Upon opening the door, Adam found he was not only late by a solid thirty minutes, but severely underdressed. There were four other men in the room, not counting the one behind the large, heavy oak desk, and two women. Every last one of them was dressed to the nines, and here was this little street weasel, walking in like some beggar on Christmas morning.
One of the women, a thin brunette with constant sneer on her red lips made some disparaging comment or another under her breath. The woman she was chatting with, a redhead with bright blue eyes, looked at him before cupping her hand over her mouth so he wouldn't see her words. The men, all four of them, locked eyes with Adam, and it was clear that he wasn't welcome. It was the mousy man behind the desk that rose to greet him, and Natalie spoke up.
"Mr. Slader, this is Adam Stanheight-Faulkner." She introduced, a dreamy tone to her words.
"Ah, good, Mr. Stanheight-Faulkner," Brett Slader smiled in that smarmy way that lawyers had perfected when they crawled out of those slimy pools back during the Mesozoic era, "We were waiting on you."
"I know." He offered, "And it's Adam. Just… Adam."
"Well, Adam," Brett began, taking him by the shoulder of his thin, brown and red windbreaker and leading him to a chair, "We have much to discuss. You'll be sitting beside Doctor Gordon for the proceedings, as requested."
The blond doctor beside him instantly had Adam's attention. Those blue eyes, sharp and piercing, followed the line of his jacket, to the shape of his baggy jean, and finally, his ill-fitting, off-tan boots. For a moment, he could feel those eyes like a physical press and it almost made him feel sick. Someone like this Doctor Gordon probably only saw men like him when they were dying.
"Anyways, ladies, join us, please." Gesturing to the available seats, the lawyer sat back behind his desk and tented his fingers. Leaning forward, he began in that slow, uneventful way that usually preceded an avalanche of unpleasantness, he gave a smile meant to be comforting. Adam thought it looked more like a shark eyeing up a ball of chum.
"Now, most of us here know that I, and my father, have been good friends with and legal aid to the Gordon family for quite some time," He began, and Lawrence nodded along beside their little tagalong, "And it deeply pains me to know just why we are gathered here. It would seem that Orson Gordon finally fell to the disease still rampant in his blood," Lawrence's head dipped at this, and Adam's brow furrowed. Maybe it wasn't exactly from hearing the news, though. His wrist burned, for a moment, but he couldn't risk looking right now. "And I'm afraid that, among the plans for his funeral, we need to discuss his estate."
"We shouldn't have to discuss anything." The brunette woman tried, glaring at Lawrence for a moment, "It should all be mine."
"Now, now, Prudence," Brett started, "Your uncle has an heir, and it isn't-"
"Don't give me that bullshit." Prudence responded, "Lawrence was hardly there for him after-"
"Don't tell me that you think I was a bad son just because I had my own things to deal with. He understood, he was a doctor, too. He ran his own practice! He was far more busy than I ever was."
"Can we just get to the will?" The blonde woman snapped irritably, rolling her eyes at the quarreling cousins. Adam felt the sentiment like he'd never felt anyone else's words before. Lindsey's hair was tossed over her shoulder, straight and long, and she sat back with a knowledgeable smile on her lips. This situation was so new to Adam; He still didn't even know why he was here. He hadn't known an Orson Gordon, not as a doctor, not even a little bit.
"Yeah, let's just get to it." He finally spoke up, eyes cast down to avoid the glares he earned from both women and two men.
"Who the hell is this kid? He doesn't even belong here." Prudence added, crossing her arms and legs at the same time.
"Trust me, he is mentioned in the will. As is his father, and brother. So please, let me begin the reading, and we can get this over with." Brett sighed, watching as Lawrence absently reached over and patted Adam's knee. The gesture seemed to shock both men, and Adam sat up a little straighter. However, when he leaned slightly to the side, it was closer to the doctor, his arm pressed against the rest of the chair.
With no further interruptions, Brett cleared his throat and gently rustled the papers in his hands. Finally, he looked up at the people around him, before speaking.
"I, Doctor Orson Gordon, of Montauk, New York, revoke my former Will and Codicils and declare this my final will and testament."
"Oh, just skip this part." Prudence snapped, "Get to the actual part we're all here, please." Though she had said 'please', even Adam knew that she was only doing it as a last-ditch effort to be polite. Brett's closed-lipped smile proved he knew that, however, and he simply sighed a little out of his nose.
"To my wife, Elizabeth Gordon, a financial sum of a million dollars and the ability to continue life on our estate. To my son, Lawrence Gordon, I bequeath a financial sum of five hundred thousand dollars, to be doubled in the event of my wife's death, as well as the black Infiniti G35 Coupe." With Elizabeth Gordon not being present, it was apparently everyone's next best bet to frown and glare at Lawrence, who was otherwise sitting quietly beside Adam. His eyes were on Brett, and his attention seemed to be present there, save for the few glances he gave his own wrist.
"To my niece, Prudence Glintok, a financial sum of one hundred thousand dollars." With the loud scoffing and garbled curses, Brett managed to continue on down the line. Adam's focus waned and he busied himself with the steady bouncing of his leg. He absently toyed with his sleeve, but never actually lifted it enough to look. Lawrence had taken particular interest in him, in the way that he'd started to fidget and even look sheepish the more the proceedings went on.
"And, last but not least, to Adam Stanheight-Faulkner," Brett glanced over to the one man that looked like he didn't belong, "I leave my estate in Shinnecock Hills," Adam snorted a little, hiding it behind his hand and a loud cough, "All bills save for utilities paid in full. For a full year, you must share expenses and living space with my son, Lawrence Gordon, or else the property will fall to your half-brother, Lukas Radford-Faulkner. Once the year is up, the property will be yours in full."
At this information, Adam's face went from overjoyed to quizzical to downright poisonous, and he shook his head.
"No way in Hell am I giving that up to fucking Luke." Turning pitiful green eyes on Lawrence, he felt his heart skip a beat at the uncertain look on the doctor's face. Lawrence had this entire mess with his wife and the divorce to worry about, but some part of him found that having a place to live that was far enough away from Alison might give him a reason to relax a little when he came home from work. "You're going to do this, right?"
Adam's words cut into his thought and Lawrence blinked, then nodded, waving it off easily.
"Of course. If you need a place to live that badly, I could hardly deny you. Or my father." He knew Prudence was trying to bore holes into the back of his head with her eyes, but he hardly cared. She was going to hate him no matter what he chose, and there was something about pissing her off and listening to his father's last will and testament that made him want to do it more. Adam's situation was hardly something that he or anyone else really knew anything, but there had to be a reason that his father had wanted Adam to have something. The late Doctor Orson Gordon was known for his charity.
"Very well. The last item on our list is for a doctor Matthew Faulkner." Brett placed a hand on a black lock box, "With the stipulation that it is delivered by Adam and Lawrence on their way to the Estate."
Freeport wasn't going to be too out of their way, Adam knew that much. Shinnecock Hills, which struck him as too funny, still, was further along Long Island than his father's little fishing hamlet.
"You're related to a doctor?" Lawrence was asking, waving a hand in Adam's face to get him out of his own head.
"Oh, uh, yeah. My old man, he's kind of a… GP in the town I'm from." That was possibly the most that anyone had heard out of Adam since he'd arrived. He tucked into himself a little more, his hands still shaking despite the warmth of the room he was in.
"That's-" Prudence's voice dripped venom and Adam pointedly rolled his eyes to avoid looking at the ugly sneer on her face, "...Precious. Uncle Orson had a soft spot for some small town wannabe. When can we go back to pretending that this guy doesn't exist? I'm fairly sure there is no way that this man and his father get more than family."
"You shut your fucking mouth!" Adam snapped back, the second she had insulted his father, "If your uncle thought half as highly of you as you do, then you'd be getting everything, don't you think?"
"He obviously thinks far too highly of you. What do you even do?"
"I'm a photographer." Adam responded, tempted to pull his camera on her and snap a quick photograph for his burn bin.
"I've never heard of you. Clearly you're sub-par-"
Adam practically launched out of his chair at that, and it took Lawrence and Prudence's husband, Alex, to hold him back from throttling her pretty face.
"Calm down." Lawrence begged in his ear, gruff and almost growling with the effort it took to press him back into his chair. "Her words aren't important, just… Relax, okay?"
"Yeah, yeah, whatever." In a typical fit of apathy, he sunk back into the chair and rolled his eyes once more, crossing his arms. This time, he turned most of his back to Prudence, and, by extension, Lawrence, who only took his seat once again when he was sure Adam would stay where he was. With Alex falling back into his spot beside Prudence and keeping a wary eye on their unpredictable new member, Brett placed his hands on the desk.
"That concludes the reading of Mr. Gordon's will. Despite what some might… Think, this is final, and the will will be placed in a secure location until all business has been concluded." For a second, his eyes flickered over to Adam and Lawrence, who seemed comfortable enough for the moment, able to sit in silence while Prudence and Lindsey jabbed and gossipped about everyone in the room. Brett helped the women and their entourage from the room, walking them out with patient chatter and the occasional guiding arm. Lawrence and Adam hung back, as directed, all while staying seated.
"Are you sure that you want to leave behind your family to live with me?" Adam asked with his brow raised. He did not, however, turn back from facing the door, for fear that he might look like his hopes were about to be crushed.
"I think some time away from Alison is just what we both need." Lawrence responded with a little, mirthless chuckle, dragging his thumb and forefinger over his eyes before glancing down at Adam. The younger man had moved down so that his knees hung over the wooden armrest, arms crossed over his chest, and head pushed into Lawrence's shoulder.
"Yeah?" Well, it was whatever. If Lawrence and this 'Alison' were having issues, he was likely to hear all about it when they lived together. For now, he didn't really want to deal with it. "Good, I guess. I wouldn't want to see my brother get the place, even if it was a cardboard box. Lukas… He's a shithead but he's successful with all his scams, I guess."
"Scams?" Lawrence didn't seem as willing to wait to learn about his new housemate, not that Adam could blame him. The thought about the doctor being some kind of fetching Ted Bundy type flitted about his mind for a second, but he shook his head head.
"He's the worst. He's always pulling these get rich quick schemes, and he always comes out on top. Anyone who is stuck with him is bound to get the shit end of the stick. And I'm not about to keep living… Where I am while he tries to move in on something better."
Judging from the other's clothes and the fact that he had apparently walked quite a ways here, Lawrence was positive that it wouldn't be a good place, wherever the kid lived now. Plus, if he was so willing to live with a total stranger, it must have been leaps and bounds in the best direction.
"You two gentlemen ready to discuss the next portion of your inheritance?" Brett questioned, brushing by them to sit back at his desk. "Everything will need to have been worked out by the weekend. You two need to be able to settle in Shinnecock Hills by Sunday morning."
"So soon?" Lawrence questioned, sitting forward with his elbows on his thighs. There was something about the suddenness of it leaving him shocked; maybe it was the thought of how Alison would react.
"The funeral is to take place at the Montauk estate, and you both would be much closer. The date set by your mother is fast approaching, and you at least need to be staying in the house by Sunday for the funeral Monday morning." Brett shrugged, holding up his hands, "My hands are tied, these are things previously discussed. Your mother seemed excited to get you out of your home as soon as possible." Which told Adam a fair few things about Alison.
"When is your lease up, Adam?" Brett, for maybe the first time, finally paused long enough to even look at Adam for a few moments. "Because there are funds set aside to clear any debt it may-"
"I have thirty days to leave." Now, he rushed his words, coughing into his hand, "I've been evicted." For not paying his rent, but it was hard to choose to pay rent when your hungry belly made its points with stomach bile. "So it'll work out. Money to cover some debts wouldn't be so bad, though."
"I didn't feel it prudent to mention with everyone else here, but you do have a fifty thousand dollar allotment to settle any debts necessary." Adam's eyes had never been wider. In fact, they looked about like they were ready to pop right out of his skull.
"Wait, wh-what?" Blinking a few times in rapid succession, he gulped, "Fifty- Holy shit, seriously?"
"Yes." Brett managed to keep himself from sounding too amused, he hoped, but there was definitely something to be said for Adam's disbelief. Even Lawrence looked like he was on the verge of laughter, hiding his mouth behind his hands.
"Jesus Christ Almighty." Adam whistled low in his throat, looking away and rubbing his hands together. What the fuck was he supposed to do with this? The whole thing was surreal as fuck, and then here he was, told that his debts would be abolished. Next thing he knew, Brett would be telling him that whatever money was leftover would be his. For the first time in a long time, Adam found himself praying silently.
I'll do all the Hail Marys you want, I'll remember all those prayers and hymns and go to church and try to be a better person.
Apparently, someone was listening, because after stifling another chuckle, Brett smirked slightly.
"Whatever money is left after you've finished absolving your debts will be issued to you as a stipend, controlled by Doctor Gordon."
Well, close enough. Beggars can't be choosers, he supposed, but all this meant was that he might just have to own up to his religious promises if this was falling into his lap like this. Absently rubbing his left wrist again, he relaxed a little into his chair, before realizing just what was happening. Out of nowhere, Lawrence had reached over, rubbing his knee in three succinct circles before withdrawing his hand. Maybe he, too, realized what he'd started doing. Adam quietly mourned the loss of touch, tenting his hands as he scooted down into the seat, back almost parallel to the floor.
"I, ah…" Clearing his throat and clearly flustered by the ease with which he'd touched a complete stranger, Lawrence coughed into his other hand. "Look forward to learning more about you, Adam." He began, trying to sound tactical and coming off completely uncertain, "Perhaps I can take you to dinner sometime between tonight and Friday."
"Dinner?" That sounded oddly like a ploy, but Adam found himself shrugging in his odd position in the fancy chair he was settled in. For a second, Lawrence would have put money on Adam falling asleep like that. "Uh, yeah, that works. We can grab some BK or something." There was a Burger King not too far from his apartment, he could walk and meet Lawrence there.
"BK…?" Lawrence's brow furrowed. Something told him that was something that Adam subsisted on, and there was something about that that didn't sit right with him. Half of him itched to reach into his wallet to pull out some money to buy him groceries, but he stifled that reaction. It was so weird. He never felt this much for complete strangers. He hardly felt this much for his own wife.
"Yeah, Burger King." Adam replied nonchalantly, shrugging dismissively, "Figure that way I get a hot meal and it doesn't break the bank." He absently pet his right front pocket, the ten dollars he had could get him two Whopper meals and that would be more food than he'd eaten all week.
"I was thinking of somewhere else." Brett shot a look at Lawrence, who ignored him, rising from his seat. "At any rate, if we're done, here…?" Lawrence's blue eyes slid over to his friend, who nodded slowly.
"Everything will be figured out completely in the next few days. We'll be in touch." Handing a card to Adam when he stood, Brett sat back in his seat.
Lawrence guided Adam out of the office with a hand on the small of his back, and the action felt so commonplace to both men that they didn't notice until Natalie cleared her throat. They had arrived at the door, and Lawrence's hand dropped to open it up.
"Adam, there is a woman waiting for you outside. She said you should have been done already."
"Yeah, yeah, I know. But I was late." Adam replied, waving her off, much to the blonde's chagrin. Instead, he headed outside, seeing the beat up maroon Impala that meant he didn't have to walk home in the snow. The drifts had begun to pile high and he didn't really feel like freezing his balls off on the way home. "Uh," Pausing, he pulled a pen out of his pocket, something he'd thought he'd need for today, before taking Lawrence's hand in his. Scribbling his number down on the other's skin, he smirked. "Gimme a call or something, we'll set up that dinner thing." With that, he bounded towards Amanda's car, hoping beyond hope that it was be somewhat warm.
"B- Have a good night, Adam." Lawrence's words felt wrenched from his throat and he felt his cheeks heat at the thought. He hadn't felt this particularly useless in a long, long time. Adam turned a playful grin on him that glued his feet to the spot, waving before the door slammed shut and Amanda took off.
Left standing in the snow for a few moments, hands in his pockets, Lawrence stared after them until the Impala disappeared among the other cars. That itch returned to his wrist and he absently shook his hand out, pulling his phone from his pocket as it rang. Alison. He wasn't totally sure he wanted to answer, but he did so anyways.
"Hello." He greeted lamely, no doubt only adding to the fire he could feel burning in his ear.
"Hello, Larry. How did it go?" There was a tone to her voice he wasn't sure he appreciated, but he sighed regardless.
"I'd much prefer talking about this when I get home. I'm on my way." God, he hoped his pager would go off soon. He wasn't quite sure he was ready for this conversation.
"Fine. I'll see you when you get here." Alison told him, hanging up without so much as a goodbye. Was this really where he'd landed himself? With a heavy sigh, he finally picked himself up by his bootstraps and trudged to his car, holding his coat close to his body.
-
"So, he offered to buy you dinner?" Amanda sounded incredulous, laughing a little, "Sounds like you have yourself a date."
"It's not like that." Adam replied, grinning as he leaned into the door, watching the snow blow like dust over the streets. "I think he just wants to know who he's going to be living with for the next year."
"So, that's the angle. I guess we should get some food in you before you have to leave. You're going to be eating caviar and other expensive shit from now on."
"I doubt that. I'm fine with burgers and fries." He glanced at her, and she rolled her eyes, smile in place.
"Burger King?"
"Burger King."
Driving past his apartment after a few minutes, she pulled into the drive through and yawned as she ordered for them. Whoppers and fries for Adam, and a mushroom swiss burger and fries for her, with two Lucky Charms shakes. On the way back to Adam's apartment, they ate silently, Adam shoving as much as he could get in his mouth with every bite. It was like he hadn't eaten in days, and Amanda almost felt guilty. She had the money to feed him, but he didn't always want to ask. Pride, she assumed, got into his head and wouldn't let him admit he was starving. Not that she didn't understand how that could go, of course.
"Want me to come up?" She questioned, watching him shove another handful of fries past his lips.
"If you want. I'm probably just going to try and watch TV." That was an excuse. If Amanda left him alone, he'd probably walk around and snap photos in the cold.
"Really?" She pressed, tight lipped as she turned to look at him fully.
"...You can come up and watch with me, to make sure?" He offered, shrugging as he opened up the door. Amanda cut the engine, and the two made their way up to his shitty apartment, ready for the even worse connection he had to the meager cable he was allowed.
"I guess this is a long time coming, huh?" Amanda finally said, twenty minutes into the freezing and garbled mess that was Adam's television.
"Huh?" He questioned, barely dragging his attention away from the frozen face of Dr. Phil. It wasn't like there was much on his three channels, anyway.
"You finally getting your big break." He could feel her eyes on him, but he couldn't draw his attention away from the television. It wasn't so much because he was interested, and more because he didn't think he could meet her gaze and still look disinterested.
"My ship's coming in, and I think it looks a bit more like a yacht. I guess we're going to be in the Hamptons." Adam finally disclosed, and Amanda's eyebrows shot into her hairline.
"Yeah, that thing about caviar? I won't be surprised if you stink of fish when you come visit me."
"Ew, Mandy, gross." He pushed at her shoulder, finally turning to grin at her. Adam didn't really look like the type to live in the Hamptons. His dingy used-to-be-white t-shirt, jeans falling off his hips most of the time, the way his hair could never be tamed. As he tugged his hand back into his own lap, she caught sight of something she hadn't expected. It seemed his tattoo had been completed. Eyes wide, she glanced at his face, settled back into apathy as he stared at the TV.
Apparently Adam hadn't noticed yet, and she wasn't ready to spoil the surprise. At least they would finally know what it said.
The Greates
Of life is th
That we a
Loved for Ou
Rather, lov
Of ourselv
It wasn't really a pretty poem, or even something they had been able to figure out. If only he would turn his wrist up so she could finally read the rest of it.
What piqued Amanda's curiosity more than the words on her friend's wrist, however, was which person in that room had made it complete. Adam was almost twenty-eight, and he'd yet to have any kind of relationship that had stirred anything more than his desire to get laid. That man that had walked him out had been handsome in an Old Money kind of way, with his blue eyes and blonde hair, his fair skin, his big hands. If Amanda knew one thing, it was that Adam's type varied between men and women, but the doctor was definitely falling into a few good categories.
"So… Did you like him?" Amanda finally questioned, eyes on the television. She could still see the slackjawed look on his face when he turned to look at her, however, the springs of the thin couch cushion beneath him groaning with the effort it took to stay together.
"Like… Him?"
"Don't even start. We both know you're the worst actor in New York, Adam. Did. You. Like. Him." Amanda's tone and lack of a questioning note to it made Adam flinch slightly. He sighed and looked down at his hands for a second before shrugging and looking back at her.
"He's okay." The way he spoke seemed to say more than that, but Amanda was no longer willing to push. She leaned back against the ratty old couch and sighed, slumping a bit to join Adam in his traditional couch potato pose.
"Well, hopefully he will be able to help you manage your money better. If he's that used to having money, he's probably used to saving it."
"Yeah, that'd be good." Adam muttered, staring at the TV in an odd daze. That little glance at his hands had shown him his completed tattoo, and he wasn't entirely sure how he felt about it. He'd always said that he would save up to get it removed, but he had never quite done that. It usually fell below his need to eat and have a roof over his head.
His biggest issue was which person in that room was his soulmate. There had been seven people, not counting himself, and any one of them could have done it.
Closing his eyes, he could almost feel Lawrence's large, warm hands on his knee again and his eyes popped open. Wouldn't that just be a kicker? If his soulmate was who he was stuck living with for a year. His soulmate, who had a fucking wedding band on his damn hand. Scrubbing his hands over his face, he leaned forward.
"I'm fucked." He finally stated, dragging his hands down his face and dropping them back in his lap. "Like, dead fucked, probably."
Amanda looked at him, a smirk on her lips.
"How can he really say 'no' if you're soulmates?"
"What if he's loyal to his wife?"
"What makes you think he's loyal to his- Wait, he's married?" Of course he was, the guy was old enough. "Okay, ignoring that. I doubt he's all that loyal if he wants to get shacked up with a total stranger."
Well, she had a point, there, didn't she?
"Fuck. I said I was fucked. I am seriously dead fucking fucked."
"Dead fucked has been your entire fucking life, Adam. You'll be fine."
And there was point number two. Or something. It wasn't like he could keep track at this point. His mind was preoccupied with thoughts of shy smiles and those fucking hands.
-
"And you're just going to do it? Pick everything up and fucking leave?" Alison's earlier attempts at keeping her voice down died with her shrill yell, and she threw her hands up. "What is Diana going to think, huh? That you're running off with some… Some guy you've never met? She's already scared you're going to just fucking abandon her, Larry." The nickname dripped venom and Lawrence didn't even have the decency to look ashamed.
"You didn't see him, Alison." Was all he could find in himself to say. That was a low blow, using Diana like that. "And I plan on visiting as often as I can. It's my father's dying wish that i help Adam get back on his feet. I can't just ignore that!"
"But you can ignore us?! We're your family, Lawrence, you can't just pretend we don't exist when it's more convenient to you!"
"I'm not!" Lawrences hands were above his head, and his voice was raising. Any minute now, he expected Diana to come down. Would they act like everything was fine again? Even he didn't know what was going on in Alison's head right now. She seemed thoroughly hell-bent on making sure he felt like shit for this.
After a beat of silence, he followed her gaze to his wrist, bared from his button-down shirt's sleeve, and he paled.
"The greatest happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved; loved for ourselves, or rather, loved in spite of ourselves."
The words were complete for once. He couldn't believe it; but, at the same time, it made so much damn sense. Touching Adam to try and soothe him had felt so natural, so much more natural than any time he tried to comfort Alison. Just being around him had felt like a godsend. Being around his wife usually just lead to more head and heartache than he wanted to admit to.
"What the fuck is that." It wasn't even a question, just a bit-out statement as Alison tried not to start yelling again. It was clear her anger had catapulted through the roof, but the sudden need to keep Diana from knowing that her parents weren't working out on that kind of level was too important to her.
Sure, there were marriages between people that were not soulmates that managed to work out, but they both knew that this whole 'stay together for Diana' thing wasn't going to keep working. However long they wanted to draw this out, it was going to come crashing down in flames, and it was a reality that they were both coming to terms with.
"I… Suppose it's a catalyst." Lawrence finally admitted softly, his voice small and tight. He could hear Diana's feet around the corner, and he didn't want to fight in front of her. For the first time in a long time, Lawrence prayed. Please, God, I'll do better. Just let my pager go off.
Of course, as expected, it didn't, and he simply sighed and moved to the door. Grabbing his coat and briefcase, he figured he could finish up any reports he still had to, just lock himself up in his office at the hospital.
"Where are you going?" Alison was seething, now, turning on him slow as if she had to fight pouncing on him and wringing his neck.
"Daddy…?"
Diana's voice cut the tension in the room clear in half, helping it to dissipate just enough that Alison seemed less murderous and Lawrence felt a little less tired.
"Yes? What is it, darling?" He questioned, turning back around and forcing a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. Diana might have been eight, but she was incredibly good at spotting shifts in her parents' behaviors.
"Do you have to go back to work?" She questioned, shuffling in sleepily and wiping at her eyes. Lawrence kneeled the second she got to him and drew his daughter into a tight embrace, kissing the side of her head and nodding slowly.
"Daddy's work schedule is going to be sporadic this week, angelfish." He told her, and he could feel the weight of the lie on his tongue. He would have to tell her eventually, at least some form of the truth, but as it was, he wasn't sure he had the energy right now.
"Can you read me a story before you go?" Her eyes were wide, a gray blue that he couldn't deny even when his heart was hardened by his and Alison's fights.
"Of course, dear." He didn't know how many more times he'd get that chance. Alison was huffing and puffing up a storm like she might try and take Diana from him, and as much as he didn't want that to happen, he felt powerless. Rising to his feet, he let his daughter drag him by his hand, all the way to her bedroom. Sitting on the bed with her, her favorite story plopped in his lap, he wrapped an arm around her and settled in.
How was he going to be able to let this go?
In the back of his mind, he kept thinking about Adam. There was no way that it was anyone else; he'd been with everyone else in that room before, and most of them were family in one aspect or another. Sighing softly as he read to his daughter, he tried to imagine just what life would be like with the one person that was supposed to understand him.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ AN: