Disclaimer: I don't own Degrassi.
AN: I've got a Torres Bros. oneshot in the same universe as this story that I'll probably be posting in the next couple of days. Maybe even today! Look out for it.
Also - ohmygod that promo, you guys. Ohmygod.
My betas drevil99 and TwistedRaver saved earth from a deadly meteor one time - also, they did great with this chapter.
Warnings: Hey! Everyone! Drugs happen in this one! And underage drinking! If you read it you'll probably start doing a lot of drugs and then you'll put a baby in the microwave and it's REALLY NOT WORTH YOUR LIFE, KIDS.
ANOTHER NOTE ABOUT THIS BEING AN AU FIC: This doesn't take place in canon. NOT CANON. Adam is stealth - no one (aside from his family, at this point) knows he's transgender. There are lots of other differences - everyone's backstory is kind of different, as I hope will become obvious through the course of the story (should you continue reading, and I really hope you do). I think that's everything I wanted to cover. If there are any lingering questions, let me know in a review.
"Whoa-ohmygod," Clare screeched, arms flailing.
Adam sprung forward, wrapping his arms around her waist and sliding his foot in front of the board – effectively stopping its rolling and steadying the girl in front of him.
"I've got you," he reassured her softly, cheek pressed against her shoulder. God, she was so soft.
"Oh my goodness," she whispered breathlessly. She stood motionless on the skateboard for several moments longer, panting heavily. With his arms around her body he was acutely aware of every deep inhale and shaky exhale she took. The sounds she was making and the feel of her body as it flexed and trembled against him was driving Adam crazy. It sent his head swimming and his heart thumping and had his stomach flipping like a fish on a dock. His whole body felt uncomfortably hot, despite the pervasive chill in the air around them. His legs felt wobbly and unsure and he kind of wanted to throw up.
Basically it was awesome.
And terrible.
He wasn't sure what to do, so he didn't do anything.
After several long moments Clare gently removed herself from his grip and stepped off the skateboard. She turned around and bit her lip sheepishly.
"Are you sure this is a good idea, Adam?" she blinked prettily.
Adam shook his head lightly and tried to focus on her words and not the pronounced rise and fall of her chest.
"Um, what?" he managed.
"I don't know," she laughed, cheeks reddening. "I just think that maybe skateboarding was designed for people with more, you know, coordination."
"What are you talking about?" he shook his head, edging forward slightly and wrapping his hands around her biceps. "You're doing great," he assured her, thumbs making gentle swirls on her shoulders.
She blushed even more heavily but made no moves to break his light grip. "I've almost fallen, like, eight times."
"Yeah," he scoffed. "And we've been at this for, what? An hour and a half?"
"I know! I should have gotten the hang of this by now," Clare grumbled.
"Are you kidding?" he asked incredulously.
"Well, I mean... look at you! You can manage to stand up and go more than three feet without falling over!"
"You've never been on a board before," he reminded her. "I've been doing this for four years, Clare."
She shrugged and bit her lip again petulantly. "I know, I know... it's just..."
He released her shoulders and took a step back. "Wanna see something?"
She nodded, leaning forward.
Adam grabbed his shirt sleeve, intending to pull it up and show her the three inch long scar under his elbow where they'd put the plates and screws that kept his arm together for a year. But in order to see that scar she would have to see all of the others and the thought left him queasy and anxious.
He hesitated. He could show her the scar on his calf – where he'd lost a chunk of his leg from a particularly stupid stunt around way too much scattered rebar.
But what if she noticed he didn't have a lot of leg hair and thought it was weird and-
"What is it, Adam?" she pressed, curious.
Adam scratched his chin, realizing he'd been lost in his head for a while and she was still expecting to see something.
"Oh," he shifted, making a decision. He bit the inside of his cheek hard before reaching up and taking his beanie off. "Look."
He parted his hair with his left hand and pointed out the winding pink scar that cut a jagged path through his hairline.
"Wow, Adam," breathed Clare.
He fought down a wave of panic and nausea when she reached up her hand and gently ran her fingertips along the raised skin. He shivered at the strange sensation and clenched his hands nervously at his sides.
"How did...?"
His throat felt dry.
"Ate shit down a flight of stairs," he lied, trying to keep his growing sense of anxiety out of his voice.
In truth, he remembered the attack with a sickening vividness. It only seemed fair that, given the blunt force trauma, he would at least be spared the memories.
Apparently, not, though.
He could still hear the brutal crack of the pipe.
And how his vision swam and how the pain was so intense that he vomited.
The feel of the gravel against his cheek and thinking I am going to die here.
"I'm sorry," Clare's voice shook him out of his memories. "Were you trying to convince me to keep skating?"
Adam blinked, taking a step back and laughing shakily as he slipped his hat back over his head.
"I won't be taking you down any stairs any time soon, I promise," Adam teased. "But... I wasn't trying to discourage you or anything. I'm trying to show you that... yeah, you're going to eat shit. At some point or another you're going to fall down, or fuck up a trick, or something. And it might hurt like hell. And, yeah, maybe you'll even get injured-"
"Please tell me you're not looking for a career as a motivational speaker," she joked.
"-but it's worth it," he pressed, ignoring her. "I mean... look at me."
She took a step back and gave him an exaggerated teasing once-over. "I'm looking."
He shook his head, grinning. "I mean – look. You saw that scar – and there's more where that came from. Now, do you think I'd get hurt that bad and then keep going, y'know, just because?"
She shook her head slowly, starting to pick up on what he was trying to say.
"It's just..." he gestured emphatically, having a difficult time putting the intensity of his feelings into words. "It's the best feeling in the world. It's like nothing else counts, you know? My parents, my grades, my-"
He cut himself off, swallowing.
"It's like... therapy," he finished lamely, frustrated with his perceived inability to articulate himself. "You know?"
She bit her lip, nodding slowly. "I think so," she told him. "I think what you're talking about is like what writing is for me. Maybe."
He tugged his sleeves nervously and waited for her to continue.
"Like... when you're doing it and it's good - that's all that counts, right?" she asked softly. "Whatever you're feeling - like if you're frustrated or... sad or," she paused, swallowing and tearing her eyes from him. "Or something."
Adam exhaled heavily. He stared at her, trying to will her eyes back to his but she just stood there, resolute - seemingly unable to look at him.
After a long moment he stepped forward and gingerly wrapped his arms around her.
She stiffened and after a moment with no reciprocation he felt a wave of intense horror flood his stomach.
Then she lifted her arms and wrapped them around his shoulders and sighed in that shaky, breathy way that made him want to not have to let go.
They stood that way for a long moment - her cheek pressed against his shoulder, his hands fisted in her sweater. Breathing together and taking comfort in one another's presence.
"Hey!" Eli's voice shattered the fragile moment. "Would you look at you two lovebirds! Should I - should I come back later?"
Clare broke their embrace instantly and ran toward Eli. "You jerk," she slapped his shoulder playfully.
"No really," Eli continued. His smirk was lazy and smug as ever, but there was a cutting note in his voice and the way he locked eyes with Adam made the younger boy shift and swallow uncomfortably. "If I'm interrupting anything, I can go for a while. Come back when you're... finished."
"Oh shut up," Clare said, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and squeezing.
Eli returned the embrace and nuzzled her neck with his face briefly before looking back up at Adam.
"Sorry, I'm late," he said.
"That's fine," Clare assured him, stepping back. "Adam was just trying to impart some sense of balance to me."
She invited him here.
Adam turned his back to them and picked the board up, running his hands over the tape.
God, she invited him here.
"You mean I missed you on the skateboard?" Eli teased. "Geez, I'm really sorry I'm late."
Clare pushed his shoulder and giggled.
"Was it awesome, Adam?" Eli demanded, wrapping an arm around Clare's shoulder. "I mean, she can barely manage staying up-right under normal circumstances, I can only imagine the kind of grace she displays on a skateboard."
Clare's mouth twisted in hurt for a moment. "It... it wasn't that bad."
"Well, you do seem to have all your limbs still attached," Eli admitted, apparently oblivious to Clare's slow withdrawal.
"She was doing really well, actually," Adam joined in, a strength in his voice that surprised him.
"Really," Eli's voice was flat. He glared at Adam.
"Really?" Clare echoed, twisting her fingers nervously.
"Yeah," Adam continued, tearing his gaze from Eli and turning to Clare. "I was actually really impressed."
"Great," Eli said, squeezing Clare's shoulder. "Why don't you show me a bit of what you learned then, Clare?"
Clare bit her lip, glancing back to Adam. "I don't know. I mean - should I?"
Adam opened his mouth to speak.
"Absolutely," Eli cut him off. He put his hands on Clare's shoulders and turned her body around. She looked into his eyes, teeth worrying her lip - vulnerable and eager to please. "I was just joking earlier, Clare," he assured her softly, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear tenderly. "I'm sure you did amazing. I mean... you're you. Why don't you show me?"
"Really?" she asked, glee apparent in her voice.
"Really," he nodded and smiled warmly.
"Okay," she trotted back to Adam and he handed her the skateboard wordlessly.
She stepped back onto it and gingerly set about skating around the empty lot.
Adam watched her wordlessly. He felt Eli walk up behind him.
"I've been trying to convince her to get back on the board for the better part of fifteen minutes," he admitted, quietly.
"Really," Eli drawled. "Funny thing that. Right, Adam?"
He punched him in the shoulder.
It hurt.
Adam clenched his fists at his sides - fighting back the instinct to rub the sore spot.
"Hilarious."
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"You sure you have to go?" Eli blew a lock of hair out of his eyes and fixed Clare with a playful pout.
"Pretty sure, yeah," Clare whispered looking deep into his eyes. "My, um... my parents. They've planned this dinner for a while, I can't miss it."
"Oh," Eli wrapped his hands around her fingers and squeezed. "Cool," expression on his face was so pathetic Adam was barely able to suppress a gag.
"I..." Clare's pretty face was twisted with guilt. "I'll make it up to you? I'm really sorry, I just... I can't miss this."
"It's okay," Eli whispered, smiling softly. "I understand."
"I'm really sorry," Clare said again, looking down at their clasped hands.
"Don't be sorry," Eli instructed, squeezing her fingers again. "You better get in there. They're probably waiting."
"Yeah," she whispered. She looked back into his eyes and swallowed hard, swaying forward a little before catching herself and jerking backwards. "Um. Bye."
"Goodbye," Eli smiled sadly.
"Bye, Clare," Adam called from the backseat, a trace of annoyance seeping into his voice.
"Oh, um, bye Adam," Clare glanced at him briefly. "I'll see you later, okay, Eli?" she smiled shakily at him.
"Count on it," he promised, lowly.
She grinned dreamily before exiting the car and trotting up the steps to her house. She glanced back at him and waved shyly before slipping into the house.
Eli sighed heavily in the front seat. "Fucking finally."
Adam blinked. "Dude. What?"
Eli looked back at him and rolled his eyes. "I thought she'd never fucking leave, man."
"I..." Adam trailed off, shaking his head.
What a dick.
"Come on, get your ass up here," Eli instructed him, reaching into his jacket for a pack of cigarettes.
Adam scrambled over the center console and dropped heavily into the front passenger seat.
"Smoke?" Eli asked casually, as he lit the cigarette dangling from his lips.
Adam shook his head wordlessly and tried not to stare at the way Eli's throat worked with his first deep inhale.
"Aw, c'mon?" Eli pushed the smoke out his nose and looked pointedly at Adam. "Really? Loosen up, man."
"I don't really-" Adam started.
"Hey," Eli cut him off, pushing the pack toward him. "Look, Adam, if you're going to be a little pussy the rest of the night I might as well drop you off at home, too. Why do you think I got rid of Clare?"
Adam's brows furrowed. "She had to go."
Eli rolled his eyes. "I let her go."
Adam shook his head, incredulous.
"Dude, you saw how she was looking at me," Eli pointed out, his voice low and even. "If I wanted her here, do you really think she'd be anywhere else?"
Adam couldn't look at him anymore, so he turned his face to the window and exhaled; drawing patterns on the foggy glass with his fingertip.
"Seriously man, are you gonna be cool or should I take you home?" Eli pressed.
Adam looked back at him, annoyed. "Why is this such a big fucking deal to you?" he asked dejected, plucking the proffered cigarette from between Eli's fingers.
Eli smirked, satisfied and pulled away from the curb.
"'Cause we're gonna go meet some people and if you're going to freak out over a goddamn cigarette then I really cannot afford to bring you."
"Where are we going?" Adam asked nervously. "Eli, what-"
"Chill," Eli ordered. "You gonna be a bitch?"
Adam shifted uncomfortably.
They pulled up to a red light and Eli turned to look at him. "Hey."
Adam faced him, unlit cigarette resting between his lips.
Eli flipped open his Zippo, cupping his palm around Adam's mouth and lighting the cigarette. Adam fought back a blush and forced himself to not react as Eli held his gaze with intensity.
Adam took a deep drag off the cigarette and fought back a cough as the acrid smoke filled his lungs.
Eli patted his cheek. "Good boy," he whispered.
Adam pulled away from him uncomfortably and settled back into the seat, arms folded across his chest.
Eli had this habit of doing things like that. Gestures that felt oddly... intimate.
It confused the hell out of Adam. He took several restless puffs off the cigarette and rolled the window down, tapping his fingers along with the Blaqk Audio song on the radio.
Did Eli do it just to fuck with him?
Was Eli hitting on him?
Was he even aware of how fucking weird it was?
"Are you going to be cool?" Eli asked.
Adam glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, relieved to find Eli focused on the road and not leveling that intense gaze on him.
"Yeah," Adam said through a puff of smoke.
Eli nodded, taking another drag and turning the music up.
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After ten minutes of driving Eli pulled up at the curb of an unfamiliar townhome in a less than savory neighborhood.
"What are we doing here?" Adam asked, eyeing the patchy lawn and the Christmas lights that were up despite Christmas being months away.
Eli ignored him, stepping out of the car and flicking his cigarette into the gutter. Adam hesitated, fingers twitching along the handle of the door but the annoyed look Eli through him over his shoulder pushed him to exit the car and trot after the older boy.
Eli walked up the cracked concrete path to the door. He cleared his throat once before lifting his fist and violently banging several times on the door.
Adam heard several shouts from inside and the sound of approaching footsteps.
The door opened and a round old woman peeked out at them cautiously. Her caramel skin was worn and wrinkled. Adam saw a child, probably around 5 or 6, peering out from behind her legs. The woman frowned darkly as she looked at Eli.
"Gabriel!" she called, voice rough and heavily accented.
"Que quieres?" was the response from upstairs.
"Tu amigos esta aqui."
A moment later Adam heard the pounding of feet down the stairs and a boy showed up behind the woman. He placed his hand on her shoulder and turned her around.
"Fuck," he said flatly when his eyes fell on Eli.
Eli smirked. "Hey Gabby."
The boy scowled and stepped out the door, shutting it behind him, forcing Eli a couple steps back with a hand on his chest.
"I thought I told you not to come to my fucking house, anymore, Eli," he bit.
The boy was tall and lanky. He was shirtless, nipples hard in the cold air; Adam could see the outline of his ribs when he breathed in. His dark hair was long and shaggy, with bangs dyed bright blue and red that draped over his eyes. There was a birthmark inside his forearm and a tattoo of a lipstick kiss on his hipbone. There was faint stubble on his chin but his body was smooth and hairless.
The strange boy's gaze broke from Eli and swung over to him. Adam felt his face get hot and looked at the ground as he felt the taller boy's eyes rake over his body.
"And who the fuck is this?"
"Glad to see you're still the ray of sunshine you always were, Gabe," Eli drawled.
"Fuck off, you son of a bitch," the boy snapped, shoving Eli back a couple steps. "What the fuck do you want?"
What the hell did Eli do to piss this guy off and why did he bring me here?
Eli rolled his eyes, appearing more bored than threatened. "Fuck. Maybe I wouldn't have made the trip if I'd known you were on your period."
Adam flinched.
No one noticed.
"Seriously, Eli," the boy sighed, tugging his hair restlessly.
"Hook me up, Gabby," Eli said simply.
"Don't fucking call me that," Gabriel chastised. "I hate when you call me that."
"Sorry," Eli offered insincerely.
Gabriel shifted, rubbing his elbow absently. "What did you have in mind?"
Eli shrugged. "A good time. Me and my friend here have had a shitty week."
Gabriel looked back at Adam appraisingly.
"Um," Adam cleared his throat. "Adam."
He smiled weakly offering his hand.
The boy just raised his eyebrow.
"Gabriel," he said, making no move to shake hands.
Adam dropped his arm, haltingly.
"You gotta take me to Dorian's," Gabriel said, turning back to Eli. "I don't have anything on me."
Eli sighed dramatically. "Fuck, Gabe."
The other boy rolled his eyes. "Don't be a bitch, Eli."
Eli frowned. "Dorian hates me."
"I hate you," the other boy said simply. "It hasn't stopped you yet."
"You don't hate me," Eli whispered flirtatiously.
The boy grimaced and pushed Eli back again. "Whatever. Dorian's?"
Eli nodded and turned back to the car. "Sure."
The boy disappeared back inside.
Adam followed Eli back to the car.
"What just happened?" he asked slowly.
Eli shrugged.
"Who the hell is Dorian?"
"Get in the backseat," Eli instructed. "Unless you want to listen to Gabby bitch for twenty minutes."
After a moment, Gabriel stepped back out of the house. He slipped into the car and leaned across the seat to whisper something to Eli.
Eli grinned and started the car up again.
What the fuck am I getting into? Adam wondered dejectedly.
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Adam followed Eli and Gabriel up the steps in a shady looking apartment building, a growing sense of anxiety building in his stomach.
He shoved his hands in his pockets and tried not to belie his nervousness to the other boys.
They stopped suddenly in front of a door marked 312. Gabriel stepped forward and knocked three times in quick succession.
Adam could hear thumping bass from inside and the faint sound of voices.
The door swung open and an imposing looking man was suddenly looking out at them.
He was tall and built like a brick wall. His hair was buzzed short, a nasty looking scar cutting a jagged path along his scalp.
"The fuck is this?" he demanded, his lip curling unpleasantly as his eyes fell on Eli.
"Baby," Gabriel murmured placatingly, stepping forward and bringing his mouth to the man's ear.
Adam shifted uncomfortably as the man's gaze bore into him. He was suddenly grateful for Gabriel's presence and the buffer it provided.
After a long moment the intimidating man nodded and leaned back. Gabriel pressed his lips to the side of the man's mouth as he gave Eli another cold look.
"Watch yourself, Godlsworthy," he sneered before turning around and stalking off into the apartment.
"Bitch," Eli whispered.
Adam tensed in horror as the man paused – considerable muscles clenching imposingly.
Oh, God, he's going to get us killed.
Then the man shook his head and kept going down the hall.
"He's going to put you in the fucking ground, Eli," Gabriel scolded quietly. "Stop fucking around."
Eli shrugged, following the other boy with no hint of fear in his posture. He dropped casually on the couch giving a perfunctory nod to several other people around the living room. Most of them seemed to ignore him.
Adam followed hesitatingly, growing increasingly nervous from the amount of smoke in the room and the sketchy looking people scattered around the room. A group of three twitchy looking guys were huddled in the corner smoking something clear and definitely not weed.
Holy fuck, Eli.
"Adam," Eli's quiet voice drew his attention.
The older boy shook his head subtly and gestured to the spot on the couch next to him.
Adam sat next to him gingerly.
"I don't know about this, Eli," he whispered panic growing.
"It's cool," Eli's lips brushed his ear and he wrapped his arm comfortingly around Adam's shoulder. "I got you. Chill."
"I just-"
Eli cut him off with a quick cuff to the back of the head as Gabriel emerged from the hallway he'd disappeared down.
"Got your candy," the boy grinned, pupils noticeably larger. A sway to his walk that Adam hadn't noticed before.
Eli nodded.
"You boys are in luck. Dorian's mood improved noticeably as soon as he made it to a room with less Eli," he winked. "He threw in some ice for ya, Elijah."
Eli stood up from the couch quickly. "Nah. Just the usual."
Adam couldn't stop the sigh of relief from leaving his body.
Gabriel shook his head. "Silly boy. It's rude to refuse gifts, you know."
"Yeah, well, I'm a dick," Eli said simply. He reached into his pocket and grabbed a roll of bills. "Here."
Gabriel pocketed the cash with impressive speed and tossed a bag to Eli. "You sure you don't want the free goodies?"
"Positive," Eli assured him. "Do you need a ride back?"
"Nah," he shook his head, a dreamy smile on his lips. "Dorian wants me here."
Eli grimaced. "Cool. Whatever. Bye, Gabe."
"Seeya."
It took all of Adam's willpower not to run out of the damn building.
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"What did we just buy?' Adam asked after several long moments of silence.
Eli glanced at him briefly. "We didn't buy anything..."
"Eli," Adam pressed. "Seriously."
Eli sighed, running a hand through his shaggy hair. "We bought $30 worth of weed and some oxy. A bit of E."
Adam scratched his neck nervously. "I... take me home, man."
"What?" Eli asked annoyed.
"Take me home," Adam repeated, uneasily. "Oxycontin? Ecstasy? I don't do that shit, man."
"Relax," Eli scowled. "Me neither."
"Then why did-" Adam bit his lip. "Shit, are you going to try to sell it?"
Fuck, this is all so illegal.
All Adam could think about was those videos they showed them every year in school about how drugs ruined everyone's life.
Oh, God his mom would fucking freak-
"No," Eli assured him. "Jesus."
"Then why-"
"It's for my brother, dude, chill," Eli snapped.
"You have a brother?" Adam questioned dumbly.
"Yes," Eli affirmed, voice clipped.
"Oh," was all Adam could say.
A beat of silence.
"What's his name?"
"Garrett."
"How old is-"
"He's 23."
"Okay."
Eli lit another cigarette.
The drive back to Eli's house passed in uncomfortable silence.
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"Should I wait in the car?" Adam asked nervously when Eli pulled up outside of his house.
All Adam could think about was the edge in Eli's voice when he talked about his brother and the weird way they'd entered the house the last time and the strange scrapes and bruises that Eli always seemed to be sporting.
"I don't know," Eli said roughly, killing the engine and exiting the car with a firm slam of the door.
Adam didn't know why he followed the older boy when every rational part of his body was screaming at him to wait in the car.
The house was dark. It smelled like vomit and alcohol. They passed a door that Adam was pretty sure belonged to Eli – he couldn't be certain. He'd only been here once before and that time they'd entered through the window on the side of the house.
Eli looked back at him for a moment before taking the stairs slowly. Adam followed suit cautiously, making sure to hang a couple steps back from his host.
They stopped in front of a plain looking white door at the end of the hallway and Adam's eyes were immediately drawn to the suspiciously fist-sized holes in the wall next to it.
What the fuck.
He swallowed nervously, rubbing his elbow.
"So, is-" Adam started.
"Shhh," Eli cut him off sharply.
He knocked once, twice and waited.
A couple heavy thumps shook the house before the door swung open.
Deja vu.
But the boy in the doorway looked less like the hulking mass of muscle that was Dorian and more like an older, more strung-out Eli.
The resemblance was almost uncanny – if it weren't for the older brother's scruffy facial hair and slight height advantage he and Eli could have passed for identical twins.
His glassy brown eyes locked onto Eli, seemingly ignoring Adam.
Not that he had a problem with that.
"What," his voice was flat and threatening.
Eli didn't say anything, just reached into his pocket and presented his brother with two baggies of pills.
He leaned out of the doorway a bit and grabbed the bag from Eli.
"Nice one," he grunted. He frowned, blinking as he noticed Adam. "Who's this?"
Eli tensed visibly. "Friend of mine."
"No fucking shit," Garrett barked, stepping out of his room and shouldering past Eli roughly. He took a step closer to Adam and the smaller boy took an unconscious step backward fighting not to gag as the rancid smell of alcohol and sweat hit his nose. "What's your name?"
Eli's gaze burned a hole in the side of his face.
Adam bit his lip hard. "Um, Adam."
"Hmmph," he scoffed. "I expected you to have a more faggoty name like the rest of his buttbuddies."
Garrett laughed like he'd just made the most hilarious joke ever. He turned to Eli and grabbed him in a rough headlock, ruffling his hair ferociously.
Adam smiled uncomfortably.
Eli just winced and stared at the ground until Garrett released him.
"Get the fuck out of here," he said flatly, returning to his room and slamming the door behind him.
Adam shifted. "So, what was...?"
Eli ignored him, heading back down the stairs.
"Let's go to my room," he said, an odd note of defeat in his voice. "We're gonna get fucked up."
The weird atmosphere left no room for argument. Adam followed him obediently.
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"Shit," Adam slurred. "I gotta be getting home."
"What?" Eli groaned. "C'mon, Adam. It's fucking... 12:30."
"I know," Adam sighed. "My mom's gonna flip her shit."
His head felt cloudy and his tongue was unnaturally heavy in his mouth.
Yep, he thought. I am definitely high.
He stood up from the bed, legs wobbly and almost topped over.
And drunk.
"Just stay here," Eli suggested.
The thought had crossed his mind.
But his chest was starting to ache already and he couldn't shake the memory of the last time he'd binded too long.
"Nah, man," he shook his head sluggishly. "No can do."
"Why the fuck not?" Eli whined. "You're already going to be in trouble."
Adam shrugged. It wasn't exactly the kind of thing he could explain to Eli.
Sorry, man, I gotta go home and let my tits out. I could break my ribs this way.
He grimaced painfully.
Yeah, that was how he wanted to come out to, arguably, his only friend.
"Fuck," Eli shouted, struggling to get up. "I guess I could drive you."
"No fucking way," Adam refused.
He wasn't that wasted yet.
"Well, it's not like you can walk it," Eli shot back.
Adam sunk back into the bed, his head in his hands. "Right. Fuck."
Eli blinked slowly. "Just fucking stay."
"No," Adam shook his head again. "I'll call Drew."
"Your mom would let Drew take the car out this late?" Eli scoffed.
Adam rubbed his temple thoughtfully. "No. But if he does this right she won't know. I'm gonna call in a favor."
Eli rolled his eyes and threw himself back onto the bed. "Whatever."
Drew picked up the phone after two rings.
"Dude, where the Hell are you?"
"Eli's," Adam admitted, trying to control his slur. "Can you come get me?"
"What the fuck, Adam?"
"C'mon, Drew."
"Are you drunk?"
"I really need a ride," Adam continued. "I can't stay here."
"No shit," Drew grumbled. "Text me the address."
"Thanks, big brother," Adam grinned.
"Bye, Adam," Drew's voice had a warning edge that made him frown a bit.
"He's coming?" Eli asked as Adam clumsily texted the address to his brother.
"Yeah."
Eli swallowed. "That's good."
Adam nodded, sinking back into the bed next to him.
"Drew's a pretty good guy, right?" Eli asked.
Adam shrugged. "He's good to me."
Eli hummed.
"He's kind of a dick to most other people," Adam admitted. "But, I mean, we look out for each other."
"Must be nice," Eli whispered, something in his voice raw and fragile.
"We're brothers," Adam said simply. "You don't have that with Garrett?"
Eli sighed shakily.
"Let me put it this way," he said, with a bitter chuckle. "The only time Garrett looks out for me is when he's looking to beat my ass."
Adam didn't know what to say.
They were silent until Drew texted him to say he was outside.
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"Fuck, Adam," Drew whispered as Adam once again stumbled on the steps, almost sending them toppling.
Adam couldn't stop the giggle that bubbled past his lips.
"Jesus," Drew sighed in exasperation, slapping a hand over Adam's mouth to quiet him. The action causing Adam's teeth to cut into his lips.
"Ow," he said through Drew's fingers.
"Shut the fuck up," Drew whispered harshly. "The last thing you need is to have mom wake up to this."
A precarious minute and a half later found them standing in the middle of Adam's room. Drew pushed Adam back onto the bed and kneeled down to help him with his shoes.
"God, I really hope you don't plan on making this a habit," Drew scolded him.
"Hey," Adam frowned. "Don't get all high and mighty on me about this."
"I'm not," Drew pulled his sneakers off roughly. "I'm just saying that you are one lousy drunk. Either cut this shit out or get better at it."
"How'm I s'pposed to get better if I never practice?" Adam asked him.
Drew rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he stood up. "Good point. Cut this shit out."
Adam rolled his eyes and fell back onto the bed.
Drew bit his lip pensively. "Do you – do you need help with your...?"
Adam's brows furrowed as his substance-hindered brain struggled to decipher his brother's vagueness.
"The bandages," Drew sighed, annoyed.
"Oh," Adam chewed his lip thoughtfully. "Um... probably not."
Drew sighed, stepping forward and grabbing the hem of Adam's shirt.
"Ow," Adam mumbled as Drew yanked it roughly over his head.
"Well, c'mon, then," Drew complained.
"Sorry," Adam fumbled with the safety pin, alcohol making his fingers clumsy and useless.
Drew crouched down and deftly clicked open the pin.
"Thanks, bro," Adam whispered.
Drew nodded, turning to leave. He paused in the doorway. "You're welcome," he spoke, voice unusually soft. "Get some rest, Adam. You're gonna need it to deal with mom in the morning."
"Love you, Andrew," Adam told him.
"I love you too."
The door shut with a soft click.
AN: SHIT, SON! Eli's got a brother! A brother who is seriously sketchy! I WONDER IF HE'LL SHOW UP LATER AND DO MORE THINGS.
Seriously, you guys have been amazing with reviews. I try my best to respond to each one to show my gratitude. They're so nice! And inspiring! Please remember to send me some feedback, if you've got the time.
-Orange