When Adam showed up at his apartment that morning, just before he had to wake up to go to school, Jesse was completely unprepared for the human tornado of emotion that was his boyfriend.
He hadn't gotten much sleep that night, too worried by the fact that he hadn't received the promised phone call from Adam, nor any visit that night.
He was on that verge between consciousness and sleep when he heard his window pop open.
Before he could even register what was happening, he felt a sudden weight as his boyfriend launched himself onto his bed, wrapping his arms tightly around his neck.
"Hey...hey, what's going on?" he asked once he was able to register that he was awake.
Adam brought his head up, looking Jesse directly in the eyes.
"Please," he begged, "don't go to school today. Stay home with me."
Jesse was without a doubt surprised by the request, but he didn't question it, not yet, anyway. After not seeing or hearing from Adam the previous night, and now seeing the pure need for this one favor in his eyes, Jesse knew this was something they both needed. They'd use the day to sort through everything he could tell Adam was carrying around with him.
Seeing as Jesse and Terry usually left for school while their dad was getting ready for work, all Jesse and Adam had to do was stay quiet until they heard James leave. They told Terry what they planned to do once he had woken up, and though he was jealous that his brother would skip school while he still went, he could tell that this wasn't going to be a fun day of hooky. Adam looked to be a nervous wreck and Jesse looked worried out of his mind.
He quietly told them both good luck as he silently slipped out of the apartment.
Jesse and Adam remained in bed, silently waiting for James to leave. Adam curled himself into Jesse's side, trying his best to let the other boy's scent calm him.
Jesse never once took his eyes off him, the worry building with each passing moment.
Once they were sure James had left, the two boys sat up. Jesse turned to Adam with a look of both sympathy and seriousness.
"Alright. Spill."
And spill he did.
He told Jesse about the restaurant...the fire ants...the game at the crack of dawn.
To his credit, the other boy didn't say a word until Adam was through, watching silently as his thoughts rushed out of him.
He watched as Adam went from the verge of tears to downright enraged, getting up and pacing the room as he described the fight with Charlie.
When he was finally done, he looked to Jesse, his breaths coming in heavy pants, his hair sticking in various directions from his yanking on it in pure frustration.
Jesse took his time, processing everything he had been told.
He was disgusted when he heard about what had happened at the restaurant. He knew that if he had been there, heads would have rolled. His heart ached when he heard Adam say that he hadn't come to see him that night because he didn't feel he deserved it.
What the hell were these people doing to his boy? It seemed like varsity and Ducks alike were making him slowly lose his sanity.
It was when Adam got to telling him about the fight with Charlie that Jesse became truly livid, though, for Adam's sake, he tried his best not to show it.
He felt something he had never in his life experienced before...something he never expected to.
A strong desire to knock out his best friend.
What was going on with Charlie? From what Adam had been telling him recently, it wasn't just problems with Adam either. Something was seriously off with him and Jesse knew he had to find out what it was.
Still, even though he was certain there was some kind of deep, underlying reason to his friend's recent actions, there was something...some primal instinct within him...that didn't want to listen to reason. He just wanted to punch Charlie in the face for what he had said and done to Adam.
He was like an animal needing to protect his mate.
They spent the rest of the day in the apartment, Adam becoming more and more relaxed the longer he was "home".
Jesse spent most of the day thinking, but failed to come up with anything concrete by the time the day started coming to a close. He needed more information.
He needed to talk to Charlie.
When Adam finally left, he told him that he just needed to do whatever was necessary to make it through the day. If he needed to be completely on his own for a while, then he should do that. Spend his time focusing on something besides the stress and anxiety he was feeling. Something that could distract him and yet keep him in a positive frame of mind.
Feeling a renewed sense of hope that only Jesse could give him, along with a brand new determination and sense of control, something he'd never felt before in his life, Adam pulled Jesse into a fierce kiss, the most heated one the two of them had shared to date.
He needed Jesse to know how much he appreciated everything he did for him, and he was finally beginning to act on what both Jesse and James had been telling him all along.
He was doing what made him happy.
To hell with everyone else.
Adam focused fully on his classes, trying his best to digest everything.
During the classes he shared with them, he never once looked at his former teammates, choosing to keep his gaze firmly on his teachers.
He did miss them, he wouldn't deny that, but he refused to acknowledge them after they had all seemingly turned their backs on him.
He continued playing hockey, letting all that the varsity players told him flow through one ear and out the other.
He wasn't afraid anymore.
And through it all, Jesse was there as a constant supply of strength.
It wasn't until they had gotten word about Hans that the Ducks would finally be brought together again.
TBC
I'm not too happy with this chapter...It was really hard to write for some reason, but I hope it's okay. At the least I think it's pretty significant plot-wise. Thanks so much for reading!