Part 3.
It was later that evening when Fulton saw Charlie and Adam again. He'd gone back to the lunch hall and made their excuses for them to the rest. He hadn't mentioned what had happened to Charlie or where they were going but when Adam didn't turn up for afternoon classes the rest of them got suspicious. When they mobbed him later, he told them that he couldn't tell them. He'd made a promise to Charlie and Adam and they would have to tell them themselves.
Still concerned, they'd left him alone. Portman had given him a look. One he'd returned and that he knew Dean would understand. 'Later.'
Charlie was lay curled on his bed when the knock on the door came. He shared a look with Adam before Adam got up and opened the door. A flood of Ducks cascaded into the room, all making noise and sounding so much like a flock of Ducks that both Charlie and Adam smiled, as Adam retreated to the safety of Charlie's bed.
"Charlie, where have you..."
"Why haven't you been......"
"Charlie.......Oh my God...."
There was a shocked silence as each of the Ducks took in Charlie's face.
"Charlie..oh my god, what happened?" Connie stepped forward and took a seat on his bed.
Charlie looked down and bit his lip. "I," he nervously rubbed his fingers against the blanket on his bed, "ran into some trouble this morning on my way back from my Mum's."
"What sort of trouble?" Luis dragged over a chair and plopped down in it.
There was silence. He and Charlie had discussed it and while Charlie wanted to keep it quiet they knew it was wrong to hide it from the rest of the Ducks.
"Wait." Portman said, staring at Charlie. "Is this because you and Adam are together?"
The others looked shocked as they stared at Charlie. He looked down, his face pale.
Adam nodded silently.
"Who?" Portman's voice had gone low and quiet.
"I don't know, I didn't recognise them." Charlie's voice was soft.
"Are you all right though?" Goldberg looked worried, as did Averman who was stood next to him.
"I'm okay guys. Just a bit sore. Couple of stitches and that was it." Adam's eyes flickered up to the neat row of thread just above Charlie's eyebrow. He'd convinced Charlie to go to the ER where they'd checked him over and apart from a lot of bruising, he'd been relieved to find out that nothing was broken or fractured.
"Have you told anyone about this?" Julie look concerned.
"No." Charlie's response was quick and the rest of them noticed Adam's glare towards his boyfriend.
"Why the hell not?" Was Portman's rather explosive reply. "Sorry," he said softly.
"Cos," Charlie ran a hand threw his hair. "It won't do any good. I don't want to make a big deal of it."
"It already is," Portman sounded frustrated.
"But if I report it, it'll make it bigger, throw the light on me and Adam and I don't want that."
Portman looked at Adam and could tell by his expression that he didn't agree with Charlie and had already been through this conversation. He sighed. "Okay. Its your choice, but if I see anyone else coming near you or Adam they're lunch meat." He said this with feeling and catching Fulton's eye, knew his fellow bash brother was right there with him.
"Look, we'd better leave you alone." Connie got up from the bed and unconsciously reached for Guy's hand.
"Yeah," Fulton nodded. "Come on, guys. We'll see you in the morning."
"Okay," Adam smiled at them, but it didn't reach his eyes. "See you guys."
As soon as they had gone, Adam went and locked the door behind them. He walked back over and got onto the bed next to Charlie. Twining his fingers through Charlie's, he smiled as Charlie tightened his grip on them.
"Are we doing the right thing?" Charlie's voice was almost a whisper.
"What?" Adam's voice reflected the shock he felt.
Charlie sighed. "I mean; us. Are we.....are we doing the right thing?"
"You mean, by being together?"
"Yes." It came out a whisper.
"Charlie, how can you even say that?" Adam tightened his grip on Charlie's fingers unconsciously, rubbing them. There were unshed tears in Charlie's eyes.
"Do you love me?"
Brown eyes gazed into his and Adam could read the truth in them before Charlie answered. "So much," he whispered.
"Then how can it be wrong?"
Charlie looked down and pulled one of his hands free to swipe at his eyes. "I'm just confused."
"About us?" Adam's stomach dropped.
"No." Charlie looked at Adam. "God, no." He looked down at their hands melded together. "Just....everything. This." He gestured to the cut above his eye. "I don't understand...." He stopped, the words missing.
"Me either. But," Adam paused, "I don't think we can. Not people like that. They're judging us without even knowing us. Judging us for who we have fallen in love with and just because that person has the same 'bits' as us." He raised his eyebrows at Charlie's watery smirk. "Whatever is wrong with loving someone?"
One tear slid down Charlie's face as he shook his head and crept forward into Adam's arms. "I love you," he whispered into Adam's neck, breathing in the familiar scent. "So much."
"I love you too, Charlie." Adam held onto Charlie tightly. "We'll get through this. I promise. Together."
It was later that evening when Fulton saw Charlie and Adam again. He'd gone back to the lunch hall and made their excuses for them to the rest. He hadn't mentioned what had happened to Charlie or where they were going but when Adam didn't turn up for afternoon classes the rest of them got suspicious. When they mobbed him later, he told them that he couldn't tell them. He'd made a promise to Charlie and Adam and they would have to tell them themselves.
Still concerned, they'd left him alone. Portman had given him a look. One he'd returned and that he knew Dean would understand. 'Later.'
Charlie was lay curled on his bed when the knock on the door came. He shared a look with Adam before Adam got up and opened the door. A flood of Ducks cascaded into the room, all making noise and sounding so much like a flock of Ducks that both Charlie and Adam smiled, as Adam retreated to the safety of Charlie's bed.
"Charlie, where have you..."
"Why haven't you been......"
"Charlie.......Oh my God...."
There was a shocked silence as each of the Ducks took in Charlie's face.
"Charlie..oh my god, what happened?" Connie stepped forward and took a seat on his bed.
Charlie looked down and bit his lip. "I," he nervously rubbed his fingers against the blanket on his bed, "ran into some trouble this morning on my way back from my Mum's."
"What sort of trouble?" Luis dragged over a chair and plopped down in it.
There was silence. He and Charlie had discussed it and while Charlie wanted to keep it quiet they knew it was wrong to hide it from the rest of the Ducks.
"Wait." Portman said, staring at Charlie. "Is this because you and Adam are together?"
The others looked shocked as they stared at Charlie. He looked down, his face pale.
Adam nodded silently.
"Who?" Portman's voice had gone low and quiet.
"I don't know, I didn't recognise them." Charlie's voice was soft.
"Are you all right though?" Goldberg looked worried, as did Averman who was stood next to him.
"I'm okay guys. Just a bit sore. Couple of stitches and that was it." Adam's eyes flickered up to the neat row of thread just above Charlie's eyebrow. He'd convinced Charlie to go to the ER where they'd checked him over and apart from a lot of bruising, he'd been relieved to find out that nothing was broken or fractured.
"Have you told anyone about this?" Julie look concerned.
"No." Charlie's response was quick and the rest of them noticed Adam's glare towards his boyfriend.
"Why the hell not?" Was Portman's rather explosive reply. "Sorry," he said softly.
"Cos," Charlie ran a hand threw his hair. "It won't do any good. I don't want to make a big deal of it."
"It already is," Portman sounded frustrated.
"But if I report it, it'll make it bigger, throw the light on me and Adam and I don't want that."
Portman looked at Adam and could tell by his expression that he didn't agree with Charlie and had already been through this conversation. He sighed. "Okay. Its your choice, but if I see anyone else coming near you or Adam they're lunch meat." He said this with feeling and catching Fulton's eye, knew his fellow bash brother was right there with him.
"Look, we'd better leave you alone." Connie got up from the bed and unconsciously reached for Guy's hand.
"Yeah," Fulton nodded. "Come on, guys. We'll see you in the morning."
"Okay," Adam smiled at them, but it didn't reach his eyes. "See you guys."
As soon as they had gone, Adam went and locked the door behind them. He walked back over and got onto the bed next to Charlie. Twining his fingers through Charlie's, he smiled as Charlie tightened his grip on them.
"Are we doing the right thing?" Charlie's voice was almost a whisper.
"What?" Adam's voice reflected the shock he felt.
Charlie sighed. "I mean; us. Are we.....are we doing the right thing?"
"You mean, by being together?"
"Yes." It came out a whisper.
"Charlie, how can you even say that?" Adam tightened his grip on Charlie's fingers unconsciously, rubbing them. There were unshed tears in Charlie's eyes.
"Do you love me?"
Brown eyes gazed into his and Adam could read the truth in them before Charlie answered. "So much," he whispered.
"Then how can it be wrong?"
Charlie looked down and pulled one of his hands free to swipe at his eyes. "I'm just confused."
"About us?" Adam's stomach dropped.
"No." Charlie looked at Adam. "God, no." He looked down at their hands melded together. "Just....everything. This." He gestured to the cut above his eye. "I don't understand...." He stopped, the words missing.
"Me either. But," Adam paused, "I don't think we can. Not people like that. They're judging us without even knowing us. Judging us for who we have fallen in love with and just because that person has the same 'bits' as us." He raised his eyebrows at Charlie's watery smirk. "Whatever is wrong with loving someone?"
One tear slid down Charlie's face as he shook his head and crept forward into Adam's arms. "I love you," he whispered into Adam's neck, breathing in the familiar scent. "So much."
"I love you too, Charlie." Adam held onto Charlie tightly. "We'll get through this. I promise. Together."