I was already ready to go to sleep but then I remembered I had promised I would post this chapter the day I came back from vacation so... here you go!

I am sorry for the mistakes that sometimes escape through my fingers, English is not my first language and I am dyslexic so... xD not a good mix! Still I hope they aren't too annoying and that you still like my story :)

(I do not own Glee, it would be way gayer if I did)

After what happened on Wednesday, Lia and Catherine wanted to take Nick out of McKinley High and put him in Dalton Academy, but just the thought of leaving Jeff behind freaked Nick out so he told them he wanted to come back to McKinley. He had said that he wanted to come back to McKinley and show the bullies he was stronger than they thought. He also said that he wanted and had to face his fears, Lia felt terribly guilty when her son said that, if only she had known.

Nick would stay home the rest of the week as his body was full of bruises and a few burns from the ice.

Nick called Jeff, several times, but the boy never answered. The brunet was thinking the worse, he thought that Jeff had finally got tired of Nick, he thought that Jeff after being away from school had understood how much of a mess Nick was and didn't want to be with him anymore. Nick cried.

He thought Jeff was his friend; he thought Jeff actually liked to be around Nick. But apparently not, and Nick had been stupid to think so. It broke Nick inside. When he finally had thought he had found a friend everything crumbled and he was alone again.

When Nick told his insecurities to his mothers they told him to not think like that. It was only Saturday; Jeff was probably grounded for being suspended.

Since now all Nick did is sleep and eat, he was watching TV late at night. Lia and Catherine were already asleep. He was just running through the channels trying to find something nice to watch. He was clenching his phone on his free hand, just hoping Jeff would say something soon, even though he was not very hopeful. He decided to stick with Adams Family Values. It was a funny movie.

He was watching the movie attentively when there was a knock on the front door. Nick shrieked and jumped, flailing his arms in the process. After a deep breath Nick got up and walked to the door cautiously, already thinking there was a serial killer at the door. He peaked through the peephole.

"Jeff!" Nick gasped and quickly opened the door in horror. Jeff had several cuts on his face, one of them was on his forehead making the blood stain a big part of his face, he had a big bruise on his cheek and was slightly bent over himself, one arm wrapped around his own torso. The fact that the blond hadn't said anything in days was quickly forgotten.

Jeff looked up and tried to smile. "Nicky..." he said and his knees lost their strength making Jeff fall forward to Nick's arms that barely caught him.

"What happened to you?" Nick asked looking at Jeff with wide eyes.

Jeff simply shook his head. "Just help me, please."

Nick nodded and closed the door, before taking Jeff upstairs to his room. "Just don't make any noise for now because of my mo- parents." Nick corrected himself.

As they were in Nick's room, Nick made Jeff lay down and went downstairs, ignoring how much his own body was aching. He turned the TV off and all the lights too and came back upstairs. Nick locked the door just in case and walked to the bed. "They won't listen now, their room is on the other side of the hallway." Nick said before blinking and looking better at Jeff.

Jeff was panting and whimpering lowly, he nodded slightly.

"I need to get my first aid kit. You-you should take your clo-clothes off so I can take care of the wounds." Nick muttered nervously before disappearing into the bathroom to get the kit.

Jeff sat up with a whine and started to take his clothes off, leaving just his jeans as he didn't have many bruises there. Nick stepped back inside the room with his first aid kit and a small bowl with warm water and a towel, his eyes widened a bit at the sight of Jeff half naked on his bed, Nick felt his cheeks heating up and just walked to the bed, his head low. Jeff was about to make a friendly joke with a sexual innuendo about the situation when a whimper left his lips.

"What happened?" Nick asked sitting beside Jeff and starting to clean the blood that was on his face, gently.

Jeff pressed his lips into a thin line. "Doesn't matter." he mumbled.

"Yes, it does. Who does this to you Jeff? Why can't you defend yourself?" Nick asked softly and almost shyly.

"Please, Nick, just let it go." Jeff pleaded.

"I won't let it go. You haven't said anything since Monday, do you know how that made me feel?" Nick frowned, not looking up at Jeff's eyes. "I thought you didn't care anymore."

Jeff shook his head. "I care. I care a lot, but I couldn't say anything. Things have been... Tough." Jeff hissed as Nick pressed the towel against his forehead wound. "I can't tell."

"Jeff, look at you. Do you think I will drop it? You look like someone was meaning to beat you to death!" Nick said, finally looking up at Jeff, a serious expression on his face.

Jeff's eyes filled with tears. "Please, Nicky, don't make me tell."

And there it was; the broken boy behind the bad boy mask, the one Nick had seen a few times by now. There was something in Jeff's eyes, Nick could understand that part of him wanted to tell what had happened, but there was something stopping him. He looked small and beaten.

"I'm just worried. You said nothing for days and now you appear at my house like this!" Nick said reaching for some band aids and compresses to take care of Jeff's facial wounds.

Jeff hissed a bit and moaned in pain. He looked up at Nick. His face was a mix of concern, and almost annoyance. He wouldn't give up on this and Jeff knew it. He needed a few seconds to gather the courage and a deep breath. "It was my mother. Figgins called to say I was suspended." He mumbled.

"What?" Nick looked up, his eyes wide in horror.

Jeff looked down, his hair covering his face. Nick noticed the tear that fell to his blue carpet and bit his lip. "She doesn't like me. Everything I do is an excuse for her to beat the crap out of me, When I was younger she just locked me in the basement during the time she thought it was enough and then I grew and she started beating me." Jeff twisted his hands to cover the fact they were shaking.

"Jeff... I'm so sorry." Nick moved closer to Jeff to wrap his arm around Jeff's shoulder, ignoring how much it hurt. "You have to tell the police." Nick said and Jeff shook his head.

"I can't. They won't believe me, I tried once, she said I had been beaten in school and that we had fought so it was some kind of twisted revenge from me." Jeff said shakily, more tears fell to Nick's carpet but no sobs were heard.

"You have to move in, my parents will understand." Nick said, he couldn't let Jeff's mother hurt him again. "What about your father? He doesn't do anything about it?"

Jeff shook his head again, taking in a shaky deep breath. "I don't know who he is. He left my mother even before I was born. And I need to come back, if she dreams I came here for help I'll have it worse. She'll come back after me." Jeff said leaning to Nick's arms.

"If-If she doesn't like you, maybe she won't." Nick said softly.

"She enjoys beating me, she'll come back." Jeff looked up, tears rolling down his eyes. "That's why no one knows, and why I can't tell anyone. I'd be giving her more reasons to beat me. You have to promise me you won't tell anything to anyone." Jeff asked gripping the front of Nick's hoodie like it was a life line.

Nick looked worriedly at Jeff, how could he promise something like that? How could he let Jeff come back home knowing his mother would be there to beat him. "I promise. Bu-but you'll have to let me think of a solution for this. You can't live in there."

"Only three more months. Then I'll be 18 and I can move out." Jeff muttered.

Nick sighed and nodded. "Until then I want you to tell me every time it happens and... You'll have to let me help... Somehow."

Jeff nodded a bit and pulled Nick for a hug, both of them winced in pain, but Jeff didn't notice. "Th-thank you Nicky." He whispered and cried softly, burying his face on Nick's shoulder.

Nick rubbed Jeff's back gently, avoiding the bruises. "Why won't you defend yourself, though? I've seen you fight against the jocks." Nick asked as Jeff was calmer.

Jeff leaned back, cleaning his face with the back of his hand. Nick quickly started taking care of Jeff's bruises and scratches that were on his torso. Jeff needed some rest. "That was I why I joined Karate, it was to be able to defend myself from her, but when the moment arrived..." Jeff's eyes were watery again. "I couldn't. Even after all she has done I can't hurt her because she's still my mother, and I still hope someday she'll change and love me." Jeff sobbed.

Nick looked sadly at his friend and cleaned his tears with his thumbs. "I understand." He said, but he didn't. He didn't understand why a mother would beat up her own son to this state. He didn't understand how a mother could hate her own son. He couldn't understand why anyone who knew how Jeff really was could hate him.

After Jeff's torso was wrapped in a bandage, Nick made him lay down. "I'll get you some painkillers now."

"No." Jeff held Nick's arm as he was about to get up from the bed. "My cigarette is all I need." Jeff said and Nick shook his head. "Please, Nick, I don't want any painkillers."

Nick sighed but did as Jeff asked and gave him his electronic cigarette. "You'll stay here tonight." He informed and went to his wardrobe to get a small folded mattress and a blanket for himself. Nick winced and whimpered as he stretched up to reach for what he needed.

"What's wrong?" Jeff asked, pushing himself up slightly to look at Nick.

"Nothing." Nick mumbled.

"Nick." Jeff said almost like a warning.

"I was able to hide on Tuesday but then on Wednesday I needed to go the bathroom and they were all on the hallway chatting. They saw me." Nick said looking down at his feet as he placed the mattress down carefully and went to the bathroom to take a painkiller, it was more than time to take it.

Jeff's jaw clenched. They had hurt his Nicky. When Jeff comes back they will suffer, that was for sure. "What did they do? And who were they?" He asked as Nick came back to the room.

"They were all jocks that you hurt before, they beat me and then they threw me to the dumpster and slushied me." Nick muttered with a sigh and sat down on the mattress, looking up at Jeff who was laid down on the bed and looking down back at Nick.

Jeff groaned and ran a hand through his hair. "Did they do anything else?" He asked.

"No. I stayed home the rest of the days... And I will stay until my body doesn't hurt too much." Nick mumbled.

Jeff nodded and then he realised something. "You are not going to sleep in there, are you?" He frowned, blowing some water vapour up.

"I am not going to let you sleep on the floor, I would be a bad host if I did." Nick shrugged slightly.

"I am not going to let you sleep on the floor! Especially after you just said you were in pain." Jeff sat sitting up with some difficulty. Nick pushed Jeff down.

"You are worse than I am. Stay in there." He said with a surprising firm tone.

Jeff sighed and laid down again. "What's here though? It's uncomfortable." Jeff mumbled and trapped the cigarette between his lips before reaching for something that was under his lower back, he pulled it out and his blond eyebrows shot up. "The hell?" He asked and Nick shrieked before reaching for his red panda plushie and throwing it under the bed,

"Nothing." He said in a high pitched tone.

Nick had totally forgot they were in his room, he hadn't thought twice about it when he had seen Jeff all beaten up. He swallowed thickly and looked around, and for one second he was so glad he had taken his dirty boxers off the back of his desk's chair that morning.

Jeff seemed to have noticed the same, because he was looking around, but he wasn't looking for things that were out of their place, like Nick, he was simply absorbing how Nick's room was. He liked it, it was simple. Nick had a fluffy blue carpet, a big wardrobe on the opposite side where his bed was and beside it a door that led to Nick's bathroom, the wardrobe had a dark colour and simple lines, it fit in the room. Against the wall on the right side of the bed was a desk with a chair, above it there was a window, between the blue curtains, Jeff could see that the blinds were pulled down. On the left side of the bed there were some wooden doors that Jeff guessed that would lead to a closet. Nick had a small bedside table on the left side of the bed, it had a small lamp on it and a few books stacked up. It was all very neat and simple, but welcoming.

Jeff blinked and remembered Nick had thrown something to under the bed and tried to reach for it, but Nick slapped his hand away. "There's nothing in there," He said fast and nervously.

Jeff couldn't help a grin. "Come on, Nicky..." he made puppy eyes, finally taking the cigarette from between his lips.

"No." Nick shook his head.

"Pwease? I won't make fun of it! Even if it's a porn magazine." Jeff joked with a wink and chuckle.

Nick couldn't even feel relieved Jeff was good enough to joke, he turned deep red. "Jeff!" He shrieked. "Of course it's not a... I don't have those things!" Nick said with his eyes wide.

"Then prove it... Let me see what it is," Jeff said with a smirk.

Nick bit his lip. "I hate you." He mumbled but reached for his red panda plushie to give it to Jeff.

"Oh my God, it's so cute!" Jeff squeaked like a little boy and as he held the plushie.

Nick was caught by surprise at that. "Really? You don't think it's... Childish?" He muttered.

"Who cares if it's childish, it's the cutest plushie I've ever seen." Jeff smiled at Nick who smiled back. "It looks like you..." Jeff added under his breath with a fond smile.

"You can keep it." Nick got up slowly, smiling to himself. He was so glad Jeff hadn't thought Nick was a freak or something alike. He had been so afraid of letting Jeff in his room and now it actually felt nice to know Jeff liked his room and didn't judge him by it.

"What? No, I can't." Jeff shook his head. "I can't take this little cutie from you."

"It's okay," Nick bit his lip lightly as he walked to the closet. "I have more." He said and opened the closet, it had some shelves on the up part, where Nick had all his books and on the lower part he had his huge collection of red pandas. Nick smiled and pulled out the biggest one he had, it was half as tall as Nick. Nick hugged it to him as he closed the closet's door and walked to his mattress.

"Where do you even find these?" Jeff asked as he watched Nick.

"At the fair... it's outside of Lima, but I love to go there." Nick said with a smile. "There's this booth and the man has a lot of plushies, he always has red pandas so every time I go there I just have to win his game and I take a red panda." Nick said lying down and cuddling his enormous red panda. "I had to win three times in a row for this one."

Jeff smiled fondly at Nick. "Sounds like fun." He said hugging the plushie that was now his own.

Nick sat up after a while to take his contacts off and then Jeff had to help him to come back to his mattress without falling. Jeff turned the lights off before lying on Nick's bed again. "Is it hurting much?" He asked softly into the darkness.

"No, I took a painkiller." Nick mumbled. "You?"

"Not really, but I'm not sleepy either... Which is weird, I haven't slept well in a while." Jeff sighed.

Nick looked sadly towards where Jeff was, all he could see was a dark blur. Hesitantly Nick reached out and blindly looked for Jeff's hand, he held it. "I'm sorry." He mumbled.

Jeff laced their fingers together, Nick could feel his heart pounding strongly against his chest. "Thanks for everything, Nick. You're my best friend."

"You're my best friend too..." Nick muttered.

"I'm sorry for how I was before... I really am, Nicky, I am glad things changed." Jeff squeezed Nick's hand gently.

"Forget about that." Nick closed his eyes. "I don't want to think about that."

"Sorry."

"It's okay... That was before I knew how you really are. We are friends now."

"I'm glad..."

"Me too."

"Goodnight, Nicky."

"Sleep well, Jeff."

They both smiled before falling asleep.

For those who thought the angst was over, ooops? Still, I hope you like it! Also if you could leave your opinion it would mean the world! I really do wish to know what you think about my little creation and how things are developing :)

See you next time!

~Niff hugs~