Author's note ~ I hope you enjoy.
Five words repeated over and over in his head as he slipped into an exhausted sleep, ringing with steely determination.
I won't let you down.
Newt woke early the next morning, feeling rested and refreshed. He felt a little stiff, a few twinges here and there, but remarkably good over all. He pushed himself into a seated position, pulling the little buds from his ears and smiling down at the music player in his hands. Bloody marvelous thing, he thought fondly. I don't even remember the last time I slept so well. Just another thing to be grateful to Addy for. Getting up, he retrieved his medicine from the table where Adrian had left it for him, figuring it was only fair to take the bitter brew like a good boy. Leaving the jars and the player on the wooden surface, he looked over towards the bed. A little surprised to find the man still sleeping, he approached quietly; torn between letting him sleep out of consideration and waking him up just to be a pest.
Adrian was laying flat on his stomach, arms raised above his head with his face turned slightly towards Newt. His back rose slowly, steadily, and he showed no signs of being near to waking on his own. Mischief got the better of the boy; after the sheer strength, tenacity, and determination the man had shown time and time again, Newt simply couldn't resist taking advantage of his vulnerable state. It was also, he decided, a perfect time for a little retribution. Shoulders shaking a little with suppressed laughter, Newt reached out and lightly danced his fingers over the man's bare ribs, calling his name in a soft sing-song voice.
"Addy. Aaaaaaaddy."
The man scooted over a little, his eyebrows drawing together before he turned his head and buried his face in the mattress, grumbling in his sleep as he pulled his arms up to cover his head. Delighted, snickering at the reaction, Newt knelt on the bed, reaching out to continue tickling the man. Growing bolder, he traced the outline of Adrian's tattoo with his fingers, feeling the muscles start to tense under his touch.
"Aaaaaaaddy. Say uncle, Addy."
The man turned away and curled into himself, head still hidden beneath his arms, and muttered something incomprehensible. His breathing had picked up pace a bit, but he was somehow still not awake. Absorbed in his game, Newt shuffled closer, his knees touching the man's back as he tried for a new angle. Bracing one hand on Adrian's waist, he reached his wriggling fingers down towards the tight flesh of the man's belly. Surely this would get the reaction he was looking for.
"Payback time, Addy. Say un-"
Adrian's hand moved like a whip, grabbing Newt's wrist in a vice like grip. He rolled over in one fluid motion, holding the boy's arm aloft and forcing him to scramble back or get pinned. Newt, stuck in an awkward position half on and half off the bed, winced a bit as the man's grip tightened enough rub bone on bone. Adrian's eyes were open, but the normally clear green was murky and dim, and his face was hard and blank. A little frightened, Newt kept very still and spoke clearly, trying to keep his voice level.
"Addy. Adrian. It's Newt. It's just me, Newt."
A hint of recognition sparked in his eyes and Adrian blinked slowly, once, twice, clearing his vision. With his brain finally connecting the dots, the man immediately released Newt's wrist, stretching hugely and sitting up as the boy adjusted to a fully upright position. He watched the man with narrowed eyes, rubbing his wrist and sulking a bit.
"What the bloody hell was that about?"
Adrian scrubbed his hands over his face and through his mop of hair, trying to clear the sleep haze from his brain by sheer will alone, yawning his way through his answer.
"Instinct. Only the brave or the foolish would dare to try and get my ass up this early, especially in a place with no freakin' coffee."
Gaining his feet with another huge yawn, Adrian grabbed his shirt from the chair he'd tossed it on and pulled it over his head. Noting that the boy was still staring at him, he quirked an eyebrow.
"What were you doing, anyway?"
Newt flushed a little and looked away, mumbling under his breath. Adrian only understood about every third word.
"...just tryin'...payback...tickle..."
The man chuckled, making Newt blush harder.
"Feelin' frisky this morning, were you? Well, just for the record, I'm not ticklish. Nice try, though."
The pair headed outside, going in separate directions to empty their bladders. Afterwards, while Adrian was having his morning cigarette, Newt contemplated the agenda for the day.
"It's delivery day." Newt told the man, frowning as he thought things through. "I'm not feeling like a load of klunk anymore, so I should head over and give the guys a hand sorting and storing the supplies."
"Not an issue." Adrian agreed amiably. "Just move carefully, and no heavy lifting. I'll go in with you, but then I'll have to ditch you and work on my own projects."
Mutually satisfied with the plan, they made their way towards the cook hut for a quick bite before they got to work. Newt was still limping a little but he held his own, and Adrian was pleased to see that he no longer needed physical support to manage the trek to the center of camp, though he was a little winded when they arrived. They grabbed a walking breakfast from Frypan before parting ways, Newt heading towards the box and Adrian walking over to the ramshackle farm in the opposite direction. Easily spotting the robust keeper of the glade's garden workers, Adrian lifted a hand in greeting and called out.
"Hey Zart, good morning. Got a moment for me?"
A boy of relatively few words, Zart just grunted in assent, not bothering to stop weeding the carrot patch he was kneeling in. Adrian crouched down near him, deftly pulling up the irritating invasive plants shoulder to shoulder with the busily working boy. They weeded in silence for a few minutes before the man broached the subject that was on his mind.
"I'm working on a trial for something that, I think, will make things a lot more comfortable for everyone here. Problem is, I could use a bit of extra help – and a strong back. Do you think you could spare one of your guys for the day, maybe two, to give me a hand?"
Pleased with the unsolicited assistance, appreciating the man's willingness to work and his lack of hesitation to get his hands dirty, Zart grunted again. He even went so far as to favor Adrian with three whole words.
"Fine. Take one."
"Thanks." Adrian said, rising from his crouch and dusting the dirt off of his hands. He scanned the area briefly before appearing to choose a boy at random, pointing at his choice.
"You look like a strapping guy. Care to take a break from the vegetables for a couple days and work with me instead?"
"Sure, if that's what Zart wants." The dark skinned boy replied, looking over at his keeper for confirmation. Zart didn't lift his head, he just waved at them impatiently and carried on with his work. The boy got to his feet and followed the man as he made his way towards the dry supply storage area.
"So, Adrian, what do you need me to do?"
"Well, first things first. You know my name, what would yours be?"
"I'm Brandon." The boy said, smiling to hide his slight nerves at being singled out by the man. "Pleased to meetcha."
"Likewise." Adrian said cheerfully. "Now, as to what we're doing...we're going to recruit a couple more pairs of hands, then I'll show you."
Leaving the baffled Brandon standing outside, Adrian knocked his knuckles against the post at the entrance to the largest supply hut, walking inside without preamble. After a short conversation with Fynn, keeper of the sloppers, he managed to dragoon two more aides and stepped back out with them in tow. The three boys looked at each other, each suddenly a little tense and unsure as to what the purpose of their gathering could be. At Adrian's careless gesture, all four trouped their way back to the little house in the woods. When they all stood, isolated and alone in the woods, Adrian turned to the anxious trio.
"When it came up in conversation that I needed to draft some help, it was mentioned by someone that you three get along well and make a good team. So," Adrian said, a little sparkle in his eyes, "Brandon, Alec, Stephen...Let's get to work, shall we?"
Leading them along, showing them what he wanted to do, Adrian worked with the boys for the rest of the morning. After they got over their initial wariness, they settled easily into the rhythm of cutting long tree branches, digging post holes and constructing walls. As they relaxed conversation, stilted at first then rapidly becoming more friendly and amiable, punctuated the physical labor. By noon, the skeleton of the walls and roof supports were up and beginning to take on a substantial flesh of packed mud and grass, and a mountain of twigs and branches were piled up to finish the structure. When they took a break for lunch Adrian sat with the boys; eating, talking, and laughing with them as though they were all old friends. He noticed a handful of curious glances and even a few decidedly unfriendly stares from some of the other boys, but he intentionally ignored them and concentrated instead on the subjects at hand.
After they'd finished their meal and returned to their task, it took only another hour or two to finish up the small building. Now complete with high thin windows and a sturdily mounted door with an interior bar to hold it closed, the facilities were open for business, and Adrian was very pleased. Sweaty, dirty, tired but happy with the results of all the effort, Adrian lead the motley crew around to the back of his house and over to a decent size water barrel that he'd hauled in and filled in a few days previous. Everyone was thrilled to strip off their shirts and pass a wet rag over their skin, washing the grime and perspiration from their arms and faces and chests.
"There's still a few hours until dinner," Adrian commented after looking up at the sun overhead, flopping his soiled shirt over his bare shoulder with a sharp snap. "and I sweet talked Frypan into giving me half a dozen rolls with jam before we came back from lunch. Care to help me make sure they don't go to waste?"
Eagerly accepting the invitation, Brandon, Alec and Stephen followed the man into the house, staring in wide eye wonder at the completely unique living space. Leaving them to their gaping, Adrian pulled on a fresh shirt and filled three clean jars with water from his jug, setting them on the table and opening the bag of preserve-sweetened buns. The boys gratefully helped themselves, gulping down water and sweet bread, relishing the treat. In hardly more than a few heartbeats they'd demolished the buns, drained the water, and yet Adrian made no move to tell them they were done for the day. They exchanged curious glances, eyeing the man in speculation. Brandon, the most forward of the three, cleared his throat decisively.
"Well, if there's nothing else you need help with..."
"As a matter of fact, there is one other thing." Adrian stated, walking over to the door and closing it firmly, turning the latch with a sharp click. The three boys swallowed nervously, stepping back a little as the man turned around. Adrian sighed wearily.
"I'm not going to eat you, for pity sake. Sit down, would you? I just want to talk for a minute, ask a couple of questions."
Crowding together on the couch, the boys sat on the very edge of the cushions; taking comfort from the proximity of each other, they braced themselves and waited in silence. Adrian shook his head at their instinctive fear, pulling a chair out from the table and dragging it around and seating himself so that he was eye level with the boys.
"Honestly, you lot look like I'm about to hand you a cigarette and a blindfold."
"Is this why you asked for us? What do you want? Why did you lock the door?" Brandon demanded, speaking for the group as a whole. Adrian just rolled his eyes.
"I want to talk to you about sex." He said simply, cutting the questions off abruptly. "I assume that you'd prefer this conversation not be heard by any of the other gladers, yeah?"
Stunned, Brandon shared a worried look with Alec, while Stephen all but melted into the couch in distress. Fixing an angry, defiant look on his face, Alec stepped in.
"Look, I don't know who you think you are, but we don't care what YOU or any of those other stupid shanks think! We don't bother anyone, and we can do what we want! If you don't like it, you can just shuck off and get out of our faces!"
"It's been rough for you guys here." Adrian said calmly, his face sympathetic and free of judgment. "The others are probably pretty cruel to you, singling you out as different, sneering at you, trying to make you ashamed of who you are. You are young, healthy individuals who have found a way to satisfy your physical needs with other consenting individuals. There is nothing wrong with and no shame in that."
"What would you know about it?" Stephen asked, trying for superior but ruining it with a little sniffle.
"Sex is just sex." Adrian stated firmly, trying to phrase his thoughts in the simplest, gentlest way possible. "Even in ancient times people understood that sex was a natural act; a form of release, an activity the body needs to stay fit and healthy. It wasn't until relatively modern times that people started seriously looking down on and belittling those who engaged in those acts with members of their own gender. In a society made up of all males? Of course there's still going to be sex. But, even when options are severely limited, there are going to be those who are...uncomfortable with the idea of turning to someone of their own gender for physical intimacy. I'm sorry if latching the door made you uncomfortable or gave you the wrong idea; you are free to stay or leave as you choose. I won't stop you, any of you, if you decide you want to go. I just wanted to see to it that we could talk freely without you having to worry about being outed. No more, no less."
Reassured by the fact that Adrian appeared to be openly accepting of them, each were still relieved that they weren't being forced to stay. Unable to ignore the utter sincerity in the man's voice, the boys quickly calmed. Nodding mutely in acknowledgment and acceptance of his words, they waited for him to continue.
"With all that being said, I have a proposition for you."
They exchanged looks amongst themselves, considering.
"Well," Brandon said slowly, "If you're willing, we could probably-"
"Okay, whoa, stop that train of thought at the station." Adrian said firmly. "I'm not after a bit of fun for myself. And before you get ruffled all over again, it's not your gender that bothers me." He stated definitively, "You're just far too young for me; I have no interest in getting physical with a kid."
"Then what do you want?" Brandon asked, head spinning from the convoluted conversation.
"I have an idea that may improve your quality of life around here – one that will allow you to do what you like to do best, without recrimination and with full acceptance from the rest of the gladers. If you're interested and willing, I think I can create a system that will benefit everyone. And if it works? No one here will ever look at you with disgust or repugnance again."
There was a long, loaded silence as the boys thought that through.
"What do you have in mind?"
Adrian picked up the box containing the results from his long night of work, taking the top one out and holding it up for the boys to see.
"How do you guys feel about playing dress-up?"
Author's note~ A short update this week. See you next chapter!
~Ruby