Chapter 18 - Coming Clean

The next day, AJ returned to the hospital with Dean's phone, which he'd left behind when AJ and Roddy helped his broken body out of bed. Too tired to keep any more secrets, Dean let AJ listen to his voicemail for him. There were a couple pranks from Seth and Roman, something to cheer Dean up whenever he got to listen to it. AJ smirked as she listened to those, saving them for later. There was something generic from a bank, probably just fishing for business since AJ couldn't imagine Dean using a proper bank account and debit card.

"Anything from an overly enthusiastic Italian guy?" Dean asked her, watching her face for clues while he tossed an entire cup of hospital jello into his mouth at once.

"Not yet." she answered. She kept the phone to her ear.

The last message was a polite Englishman who didn't bother introducing himself. It was Regal, asking Dean to call him when he had a chance. When AJ handed Dean the phone and replayed the message, Dean could have sworn Regal sounded concerned for his well-being. Then again he always had an intensity about him.

With AJ in the room, Dean dialed Regal's call-back number and tucked the phone between his ear and his good shoulder.

"Dean." Regal greeted him, pleasantly surprised.

"Just got your message." said Dean. "Listen, I'm sorry about the second fight-"

"You're sorry?" Regal interrupted, sounding astonished. "We were worried about you. You disappeared so quickly."

"I'll be fine in a day or two." Dean lied. He glanced over at AJ, who was watching him worriedly from the chair next to his bed.

"We would have taken care of you." said Regal. "We have people for that sort of thing, for fighters on our payroll."

Dean imagined Regal and his niece Renee as doctor and nurse, patching up his wounds with colored yarn and knitting needles.

"I figured you were done with me after the way it went down." said Dean.

"Quite the contrary. The reaction after the first fight, that can still be salvaged. Once they see you back, after what you endured, it might even be better. Just let me know as soon as you're ready. There'll be a spot for you on any card."

"I will." Dean promised. "Thank you."

Regal excused himself after that, busy as always. Dean let the phone fall from his ear, into the crook of his arm, contemplating his future choices.

"Was that the promoter?" AJ asked. "Or the bookie, or...whatever?"

Dean smiled faintly at her choice of titles. "Yeah."

"Isn't that where you..." AJ trailed off, not sure what to call that either. Where you got the shit beaten out of you? was the question she needed to ask but couldn't.

"Yeah, but-" Dean motioned with his hand for her to come closer. She bent over the side of the bed, resting her elbows on the edge of it, her ass sticking out behind her. He let his hand wander down her back, his thumb hooking into the waistband of her jeans. The tips of her fingers played with the top of his hospital gown.

In a low voice, he told her everything, only leaving out details like exact times, addresses and full names. He wondered if he should feel nervous, admitting all of this to the girl he cared so much about. This was his life, and he wanted to share it with her if she was down for it.

AJ let the words pour into her. She thought she'd be disappointed to hear the truth, or that it would scare her. But nothing would have been more frightening than finding Dean the way she had. She'd already been through the worst of it, so hearing all of the details - especially the one about the truck driver being satisfied with the outcome of the fight - was a relief. She allowed herself to be comforted, knowing that Dean could have fought back if he'd wanted. There was still a part of her that knew it was wrong. The crimes he'd committed, the illegal fighting ring, and she just knew there were deeper issues with his childhood that neither of them wanted to bring up - God, what her parents would have thought if they even knew half of it - but the tug on her heart whenever she looked at Dean was stronger than all of those reality checks combined.

"Are you going to keep doing it?" she asked, of both theft and fighting.

"How else am I going to pay for this hospital stay?" Dean half-joked.

"Just be careful." AJ whispered.

"I think that's a good idea." Dean agreed. And if that was all it was going to take to keep going and keep this girl at the same time, then he was the luckiest bastard on the face of the planet.

They let him go a few days later, to finish recuperating at home. He was sore all over, but everything seemed to be back in the right place. AJ visited Dean as often as she could. She sat in front of the TV with him while he healed, brought him leftovers that her mom had cooked, or laid down with him to rest.

Doctor's orders were to limit certain physical activities; no training until the ribs healed, and no sex either. For the first week, the pain made it easy to abstain from both. But once he started to feel better, it became more and more difficult to resist that second thing. Not when AJ cuddled up to him in bed for a nap, clinging to the side of his body with her arm draped over his stomach. Not when he had his arm around her shoulders, and her hair smelled so good. Not when she raked his fingernails lightly along his chest, and she made those little mewing sounds to let him know how much she liked it when he raked his nails along her back...

"Will you take your clothes off?" Dean asked, murmuring the words into the top of her head. AJ smiled, her head shifting against his bicep.

"Yes." she answered softly. But she didn't move right away.

"I just want to see you." he said. For a moment he thought her hesitation meant she wasn't ready, that his condition still freaked her out, but when she sat up she was smiling with a familiar look in her eye.

She studied his face for the zillionth time. The bruises had changed color, on their way to healing. His smiles came easier, since the cuts on his face had closed up and he was able to give her a full grin, dimples and all. She knew he was still banged up inside, but his limp was almost gone and he no longer grunted every time he stood up. He was a survivor, a soldier, and he hadn't complained to her once.

AJ glanced over her shoulder to make sure his bedroom door was completely closed. Then she slipped her t-shirt over her head, leaving it bunched around her wrist when she lowered her arms. She was wearing a thin, sheer bra underneath, her nipples visible through the navy blue lace. She could tell there was blood rushing to his dick already. Baring herself to him had the same effect on her body, blood rushing between her legs when she saw the hungry look in his eyes. It had been a while since their middle-of-the-night encounter. The days suddenly felt like years.

"I shouldn't tease you." she said, her wicked smile saying something else.

"Yes you should." Dean said right away, nodding yes, please, more.

AJ hummed a little chuckle. "If you hurt yourself, we'll have to wait even longer."

"When the doc said no sex, he just meant no thrusting, or riding..." Dean reached with one hand, cupping one breast and rubbing his thumb over the nipple. "No holding your legs like a wheelbarrow and fucking you across the room..."

AJ laughed, even as her nipple hardened at his touch and his words.

"Mm, now you're teasing me." she murmured, leaning in to it.

"Tease me back, then." Dean taunted her.

AJ swatted his hand away and leaned back, making him grin at her feisty side. She reached behind her back, unhooking the clasp and pulling her bra forward down her arms. Dean mimed drooling to make her giggle, but he was serious when he reached for her again. His fingertips brushed her belly button, traveling upward. He lingered at her lower ribs, making her shudder when he touched her ticklish spot.

"Your skin is soft." he said, running the backs of his fingers along her stomach. AJ smiled, leaning just a little bit closer so he could reach further. He took the hint, letting his hand glide higher. Her nipple looked so fucking tasty he could already feel it in his mouth.

AJ watched his hand creep higher. Dean's hands on her chest were heavenly, but a sudden bad memory creeped in at the same time. Cody's rough hands all over her, stuffing twenties into her bikini bottom, calling her a cheap whore, and laughing the entire time.

It showed in her face, and Dean sensed the sudden shift in AJ's mood. He let his hand drop to her waist.

"What's wrong?"

AJ looked away, guilt entering her expression. "I have to tell you something."

Dean gave the side of her waist a gentle squeeze. "You can tell me anything." he reminded her. He hoped she would, after everything he'd shared with her.

"It's about work." AJ said quietly. "At the club."

Something stirred in Dean's belly - an angry little fear, protective of AJ and reckless for himself. The change in mood had come right when his hand was on her breast.

"What about it?" Dean prompted, trying so hard to remain casual. After a long pause, she continued.

"Do you remember Cody?" AJ asked. "From school?"

Dean nodded as she glanced up at him. "Dolph's little buddy? He was at the movie theater, right?"

"Yeah, that was him."

Dean's heart began to pound. He watched AJ look back down at the blanket.

"Was he at the club?" he asked, his voice colder than before.

AJ felt sick. "Dean, I started giving lap dances." she blurted before she could chicken out. She leaned back, not wanting to be touched while she explained it. His hand slipped away, and she drew her knees toward her chest.

He stared at her, floored. He thought back to the conversation they'd had about her job, and how she was just a server. He'd teased her, telling her to let him know if she ever started dancing. He thought he'd be fine with it. He wanted to be fine with it. But she didn't seem fine with it. Why was she upset? And why did she start by mentioning that ass-hat Cody?

AJ braved another glance at Dean's face, which had gone completely blank. She couldn't read the storm of thoughts in his brain.

"Vicki threatened to fire me, and I thought I should at least try it before she gives up on me. I still need the money, and I can make so much more in a night that way."

"I can give you money." Dean offered immediately, ignoring the ache in his ribs when he shifted and propped himself on one elbow.

AJ shook her head. "I don't want you to."

"How is earning it that way any better than what I do? AJ, you're crying."

"It's not about that, okay?" AJ cut him off harshly.

Dean shut his mouth, her harsh tone like a splash of cold water in his face. AJ swiped angrily at her tears, upset that she was allowing it to affect her again.

"I thought it would be fine. Nikki and Kelly, they gave me lessons." She laughed a little at those memories. "And the first guy, he was so sweet and normal. He behaved himself. He squeezed my ass a little, but it was fine." AJ continued, the details spilling out in a jumble. Her cheeks were burning red and she felt like she was going to throw up but she had to keep going. "It wasn't fun, but it was easy, you know?"

Dean did not know. But he nodded dumbly anyway.

"That same night, right before close, Cameron told me there was someone waiting for me in one of the private rooms. It's not supposed to be like that. We're supposed to choose our own clients, to make sure we at least get a peek at them before we're alone with them."

Dean's stomach churned, just like it did whenever his father mentioned his mom.

"It was Cody?" Dean asked.

AJ nodded.

"Did he know it was gonna be you?"

"Yes. He knew exactly what he was doing."

"And you still did it? For the money?"

He hadn't meant to say it like that. Her face crumpled, and she turned further away from him as more tears began to fall.

"I was scared of what would happen if I didn't do it." she explained. "He'd complain, and Vicki would find out I caused trouble. It was stupid, I know."

"I didn't mean it like that." Dean leaned closer, placing his hand on her ankle. He could feel the anger rising, but it wasn't directed at her. "Did he hurt you?"

AJ shook her head. "He wasn't exactly gentle, but he didn't hurt me. It was more what he said."

The anger burned his veins. Part of him knew it didn't matter what Cody said; the slightest insult to AJ could not be tolerated. Cody was a known bully, and nothing angered Dean more. But he had to know.

"...What did he say?"

The entire encounter was etched into her brain, so AJ told him every word. Saying it out loud made her angry, and the memories made her sick, but she felt safe telling Dean. She was just so sick of crying. Between her mother, her job, and Dean's last fight, she was just so damn sick of feeling weak and scared.

She broke down and cried harder, so Dean had her lay down next to him. Still naked from the waist up, AJ curled up to Dean and let him hold her. He stroked the skin on her back gently, until she was calm. She told him more about her years as Dolph's girlfriend, about Kaitlyn's relationship with Cody and how it had been unhealthy for both of them.

"Dolph offered to pay for things." she shared. "But...I guess I have my dad's pride. As much as I wanted to be part of their group, I didn't actually want to be like them. Especially when Cody would call me a beggar, or a gold-digger. I had to refuse the money then."

Dean continued to rub her back. He stared at the ceiling, realizing he'd done the same thing when people offered him charity in the past. But it wasn't AJ refusing his money that was stirring dark thoughts in his mind. It was Cody. Dean began to wonder what he would have done had he been there, had he seen it with his own eyes.

"You know I'd kill him if you asked me to, right?" he said calmly. AJ could tell he was only partly joking, if he was joking at all.

"Don't." AJ said. "Don't even look for him, it's not worth it."

A piece of his heart, deep in the dark part of it, had already solidified for the task of kicking Cody's ass. Just one more thing to look forward to, once he was back in peak shape. He'd break Cody's nose, at the very least. That seemed to be Dean's thing lately.

At the moment, it was AJ that needed him. He was going to be her rock, her safe place, her defender. He couldn't let her go on thinking she was anything less than perfect.

"Kids used to say that shit to me." said Dean. "Not 'slut', but about being poor and how it meant I was garbage."

AJ hugged Dean's waist, feeling the same pain.

"You're not garbage." Dean told her, shifting his body so he could look into her eyes. He cupped her cheek, running his thumb across it where the tears were already drying. "You're not a slut, or a whore. And you're not weak. He has no idea what it's like to fight for something. For anything. He's been handed everything, but you work for it. You earn it. He's nothing. And you're so fucking special, AJ."

AJ rushed in to kiss his lips, as if she might taste how sweet his words were.

"You were too good for Dolph." he said. "For all of them. Shit, you're too good for me."

"No." AJ spoke up, cuddling closer. She touched the side of his face, stopping short of covering his mouth with her hand. She didn't want him to think that.

"If he ever comes near you again-"

"Don't." AJ said. She didn't want to hear a promise of violence, and she didn't want to think about Cody anymore.

"You're so much better than them." Dean told her, desperate for her to know. He cradled her head in his hand, letting his fingers tangle with her hair.

"So are you." said AJ. He shook his head, not ready to believe it. She made him stop with another kiss. "You make me feel so good..." she whispered, careful not to press his bruises as she ran her hands over his body.

But I hurt people. Dean thought.

His bruised body didn't care what his brain was thinking. He hadn't even been able to masturbate since the fight night; when AJ's hand brushed over his crotch, giving his deprived cock a gentle squeeze, he was already hard. It twitched against her palm, and he absent-mindedly raised his bad arm so he could squeeze her upper arm gratefully. The pain was nothing compared to how good she made him feel, inside and out. She didn't just make him happy. She made him want to be a better person.

She kissed him deeply, and her eyes slipped closed as their mouths opened. With his hand on the back of her head he pulled her even closer, pressing his tongue hard against hers and making her sigh into his mouth. Her hand stroked up and down, feeling the length of him through his sweatpants. Dean's hand traveled slowly down her side. He made motions as if he wanted to lay her on her back and reciprocate, but AJ stopped him.

"Lay still." she said softly.

Dean laid his head back down on his pillow and watched her face, wondering again what he'd done to deserve her.

Her hand slid under the waistband of his sweatpants and wrapped around him, skin to skin. He groaned under his breath at each of her long strokes. His jaw was slack, mouth hanging open as she worked him up. She kissed his lips, enjoying the delayed reaction from Dean since he was so distracted by the motion of her hand. She smiled to herself and kissed his cheek, jaw and neck instead.

When his breathing grew ragged, she pulled her hand out, crawled between his legs and helped him tug his pants down from his waist. The moan that came out of his throat when she lowered her head onto him was genuine and grateful. She was so warm. Feeling the hardness against her tongue made her mouth water, as wet as the space between her legs, and she was slobbering all over him. Her head rose and fell slowly, tongue swirling around the head of his penis each time she reached its peak. Like he was delicious and she couldn't get enough.

His moans were so sexy, she could have gone all night just to keep hearing them. But with the week and a half of deprivation it didn't take much longer to get him close.

Dean pulled off his shirt while AJ rose and straddled his hips. She leaned over him and looked into his eyes while she stroked him faster. His core muscles tensed; his shoulder hurt, and his ribs hurt, but the motion of her hand and the look in her eyes made him come all over both of them. Dean moaned at the feeling, at the sight of the uneven fountain in AJ's hand hitting her tits and stomach, the rest of it falling to his chest. AJ moaned at the warmth on her belly, slowing her hand to draw the rest of it out of him, letting it drip down her fingers until his body stopped jerking and relaxed completely.

When it was over, she laid down next to him, in the same position they'd started in. Except now they were both shirtless and sticky. Dean wrapped his arm around her shoulders and let his eyes close as the come dried on his stomach.

"You're really sweet, you know that?" he said, suddenly tired.

AJ curled up closer. "Just don't forget you owe me one."

"I won't." he promised. "Next week I'll pin you down and eat your pussy 'til you black out."

That made her giggle. She lifted her head so she could kiss his lips, which then turned up in a wicked smile.

"Then I'll fuck you so hard," he whispered. "You'll be the one laid up in bed for two weeks."

AJ kissed him again, licking his lips so he'd kiss her with tongue. She even pulled on his hair a little. He loved it when she did that.

When she laid back down, she reached up to stroke his chest, tracing a line around the mess she'd made.

"I meant what I said." Dean said quietly. "You're better than all of them. And you're too good for me, but I'm glad you wanna be with me anyway."

"So...you don't mind that I give lap dances now?"

Dean was quiet as he gave it some serious thought. "I don't like the idea of other guys touching you too much." he admitted. "But...that's my problem. You do what you gotta do."

AJ gave him another kiss on the cheek, thanking him for understanding.

"Well...I don't like the idea of guys beating you up." she said. "But, you do what you have to do, too."

Dean smiled. She did make him happy. But there was still anger simmering deep in his heart.

And if Cody bothers you again...I'll do what I gotta do to him, too.