Disclaimer: I don't own anyone.
Rated: M
Warning(s): AU, Slash, Threesome, Teacher/Student, BDSM, pain kink, domestic violence, etc.
"Well, aren't you a sight for sore eyes." Adam said. His tone was dry and his words harsh and lifeless. Jay was beginning to wonder if there was any hope that he could be forgiven. "What's with that look on your face? Calm down. I don't bite."
Dr. Brooks chose this moment to make her presence known, offering both boys a comforting smile. "Jay, take a seat right over there. And Adam, please try to be a bit more… open and understanding. This is a guided intervention, that will benefit you both."
Adam turned away as much as his neck brace would allow, while Jay offered his ex-boyfriend an almost hopeless glance. With a sigh, he said dejectedly, "This is pointless. Why don't I just quit while I'm ahead? At least he's still talking to me… sort of."
"Because the two of you still love each other, believe it or not. I'm just here to show it to you." Dr. Brooks said, pulling up a seat.
She shut the door to the hospital room, temporarily putting distance between the two boys and their mothers. They could unintentionally provide distractions or, worse, sway the boys' opinions and beliefs. Everything that was said in this room needed to come from the heart, and be meant without a shadow of a doubt. Taking her seat diagonally from both Adam and Jay, she pulled out a little folder and opened it to the first page of lined notebook paper. She intended to take notes on what each had to say about the 'problem' at hand, and then attack the situation down the middle, not taking sides. And in that spirit, she first turned to Adam, flashing the injured boy a bright smile. The sentiment was not returned.
"Adam." He blinked calmly, showing that he was listening. "What would you say is the 'core problem' in your relationship?"
"The core problem?" Adam asked, his tone clipped. "The core problem is that I am nothing more than arm candy for him. There's no respect in our relationship, no love. He just wants to parade me around like I'm a cheap little whore."
Dr. Brooks nodded, taking a few notes. "What makes you say that there is no respect in your relationship?"
"He never tells me anything. He promised me that we'd both be going to the University of Miami next year – we'd both been accepted and everything. I had to find out from his two best friends that he was really going to the University of Notre Dame."
Taking a few more notes, Dr. Brooks turned to Jay. "Is this true, Jay? Did you lie about what school you'd be attending?"
"I didn't lie. I changed my mind spur of the moment, but I didn't lie." He anxiously twisted his hands in his lap. "I only recently found out that I got accepted at Notre Dame. I had a better chance of getting recruited… of giving Adam the life he deserves."
"Did you ever tell him about the change of plans?" She asked.
Jay shook his head. "Not because I didn't want to. It's just… there was never an opportune moment. I didn't want to just spring it on him, y'know? It didn't seem right."
Satisfied with Jay's answer, Dr. Brooks turned back toward Adam. "You said that Jay liked to parade you around like 'a cheap little whore'. What makes you say this, Adam? Did someone say something?"
Adam's face suddenly darkened, and he looked everywhere but at those in front of him. "I'd rather not discuss that."
"You're the one who brought it up." She pointed out gently. "We're all friends here, Adam. This is a no-judgment zone."
Adam clenched his good hand on the blanket beside him, squeezing his eyes closed. Realizing he had no choice, he started with, "I got drunk at a party one night. It was a joint-host gig, and the entire Cheer Squad and Football Team was there…."
Adam frequented school parties – he enjoyed being the center of attention, the feeling of euphoria that came from being close to other people, but after that night, school parties would never be the same. He'd gotten drunk, more so than ever before, and had been having some innocent fun with the football team. A game of Spin the Bottle had turned into a world-changing game of 7 Minutes in Heaven. Brock's turn had come around and the bottle had landed on Adam. Adam had been more than a little disgusted at the prospect of seven minutes in a dark closet with Brock, but he was drunk and his inhibitions were lowered. Brock had grabbed him by the arm and shoved him into the closet, slamming the door closed behind him.
It was all just supposed to be innocent fun… and Adam had only ever been with one man, Jay. It was just supposed to be a little bit of kissing, maybe a little bit of fondling, but never sex. But it was clear that Brock had other intentions. Three minutes in, he'd torn open Adam's shirt and was forcing him out of his pants. Soon enough, the seven minutes were up, but neither had emerged from the closet. Fifteen minutes passed, moans echoing from the closet, undeniable thumps and bumps hinting at what was going on inside. And when Dolph finally forced the door, their entire class got an up-close-and-personal look at Adam's humiliation. The next morning, Adam remembered nothing… but Jay… he'd seen it all.
"I knew that he'd loved me before then." Adam said, tears pouring down his cheeks. "He accused me of cheating, told me that I was nothing more than a wanton whore." A pause, "So, I set out to show him just how much of a whore I was."
"You were raped by Brock." The doctor said, her tone professional, but her eyes disgusted. "Did you ever tell Jay about this?"
Adam frowned. He would've shook his head, if he could. "No. I didn't see the point. He already had made up his mind, after all."
"And how does this make you feel?" She asked, addressing Jay.
Jay, absolutely flabbergasted by what he had just heard, could not deny the tears that were storming down his cheeks. "It makes me feel like an inconsiderate asshole… my God… I never… I never knew… Adam, I am so, so sorry…"
Turning back to Adam, she continued, "And how does it make you feel, knowing that he knows?"
"It doesn't change anything." Adam said stiffly. With his good arm, he wiped away the tears that were leaking from his eyes. "The love ended there. He hated me after that, and I thought I deserved it. I thought it was my fault. And I foolishly thought the baby -,"
Jay looked like he was on the brink of a breakdown of his own. "Adam – none of this has been your fault! God, if I'd known what Brock had done to you, I would have ripped him apart myself… I was a selfish, inconsiderate ass. Sorry isn't enough."
"You're right, it isn't." Adam told him, refusing to meet his eyes. "And it doesn't change anything."
The doctor pushed back into the conversation, asking, "Would you like to tell us more about the baby… Adam?"
Again, there was a pause. Obviously, this was another point of contention in the conversation. But finally, he started to speak. He started with how he had discovered he was pregnant – he had been getting sick in the middle of classes, spending countless hours in the nurses office, sleeping more often, etc. – and how he had tried to call Jay and tell him about the baby. That was when he started to cry again. There weren't words to describe how broken, betrayed, and lonely he felt when Jay had just hung up in the middle of this important proclamation. Jay felt his heart break when he continued on to say that he'd lost the baby not three weeks later at cheerleading practice… and after that, nothing was the same.
"Do you have anything to add, Jay?" The doctor asked, scratching down a few notes.
"That night that you called me to tell me about the baby?" Jay asked, forcing himself to meet and hold Adam's eyes. "I had gotten a concussion at football practice, Addy. I was so tired and ill… I couldn't even remember my own name."
"Why didn't you tell me then?" Adam asked. For a moment, it seemed as if they would make a breakthrough.
"I couldn't remember. I only remembered recently, because my Ma reminded me of it. I know you're getting tired of hearing it, but I'm so sorry, Adam. I… I love you. I still love you. Whatever happened with Brock, or the cheating… nothing will change that."
Adam sniffled weakly. "I don't know if I can believe that."
"I can wait forever for you." Jay quickly assured him. "I will wait forever for you."
"How do I know that this isn't another lie?" Adam said. He could barely keep his voice from trembling.
"Because," Jay said, getting up from his seat, crossing over to the bed, and pressing a kiss to Adam's forehead. "What I have with you isn't worth risking with a stupid lie. I'm willing to fight for it… the question is, are you?"
The Following Monday
Jay returned to football practice that Monday to a warm reception from his fellow team members. His friends were all anxious to hear updates on Adam's condition, which he readily supplied. He gave no indication about the rocky status of his relationship with Adam, and therefore, nobody asked. And after the initial bombardment of questions, they started to play ball. It wasn't until halfway through practice that Jay noticed the Cheer Squad practicing a little over one-hundred feet away. They were rehearsing a routine that Adam had choreographed, and for some reason, that struck a chord with Jay. But what seemed to bother him most was the unfamiliar face in the crowd of cheerleaders. A not quite unpleasant face.
John, noticing his friend's distraction, jogged over to his side. "What's the matter, Jay?"
"Who is that over there?" Jay asked, motioning to the two-toned teen that was stretching with Dolph.
"Oh, him." John didn't seem too impressed. After shooting a look back at the team, he turned back to the cheerleaders. "His name is Seth. He's a recent transfer from NXT High, and was brought onto the Cheer Squad as Adam's replacement."
"Replacement?" Jay asked, spitting the word out like it left a vile taste in his mouth.
"Coach Chyna received word from the hospital that Adam won't be able to cheer anymore because of his injury, and when Seth happened to transfer over the next day, she just about jumped the poor kid's bones." John shook his head agitatedly.
"It's like she traded him in for a newer model or something." Or more successful, Jay thought disdainfully. While Adam was immensely talented, it was no secret that he'd never brought home the gold for their high school.
"Yeah." John shook his head. "And stick your tongue back in, huh? His two boyfriends are like bloodhounds. They'll cut off the goods before you have a chance to put them to use."
As if on cue, the wind kicked up Seth's skirt, revealing an inky black thong underneath. Jay's rebuttal of, "I have a boyfriend!" was practically pointless as his face turned beet-red.
"Mmhmm. Just watch yourself." John said, before walking away.
"Watch myself, my ass." Jay repeated agitatedly. It was only moments later that he realized he was still staring in Seth's direction… and drooling.