Possession -- Chapter 6
Kris didn't give Danny time to recover as he stalked across the room to stand over him, delivering a vicious kick to his midsection that caused Danny to fold in on himself with a groan of pain, protectively covering his stomach from the blows he knew were still to come.
"What the hell were you thinking?" Kris demanded, seething, furious, on the verge of losing control completely. His voice was low, dangerous and measured - very different than the type of tone Danny was used to hearing from him. "What makes you think… that you have the right..."
Kris didn't wait for an answer -- didn't even finish the question -- just reached down and dragged Danny up by his shirt, only to forcefully slam him back down to the floor and kick him again. Danny coughed and raised one hand in front of him in a defensive gesture as he grabbed at the side of the bed with the other to try to pull himself up.
"You pretty much gave me the right, Allen," Danny choked out, his words punctuated by a laugh tinged with madness. "You're the one who refused to let him back out of my night when he asked you, right? You insisted that he do what you said, regardless of what he wanted. What do you think that means?"
"It doesn't mean anything as far as you're concerned," Kris snarled, furiously defensive, as he lashed out with his fist across Danny's face again, desperate to silence his challenging words. "Whatever arrangement I had with Adam was between me and him. You had nothing to do with it! How would you have any idea what happened between us - what we talked about - anyway?" he demanded, pausing between blows long enough to allow Danny to answer - and by necessity, to rise painfully to his feet as he did.
Danny's lip was bleeding, and the skin around his right eye was already red and swollen, but he smirked and shrugged carelessly as he responded. "Thin walls… doors. You can hear anything if you're listening in the right place at the right time. And it didn’t hurt that the two of you had most of that argument out in the middle of the hallway where anyone could hear."
Despite the pain Kris had already inflicted, Danny seemed proud, satisfied, vindictively pleased with himself. Kris found it even more infuriating. He lashed out again, though this time Danny managed to block the blow, awkwardly swinging out with one of his own. Kris easily dodged it and brought his fist in at an angle to plunge into the side of Danny's stomach, doubling him over in pain.
"How did you think you were going to get away with a thing like this, Danny?" Kris demanded. "Did you really think I wouldn't find out about it?"
"You shouldn't have." Danny's tone was grim, his smile fading somewhat as he edged away from the side of the bed, giving himself more room to maneuver. "Adam wasn't supposed to say anything. Stupid little whore."
Those words were only fuel on the fire of Kris's rage, and he followed Danny, hitting him again. Danny was clearly not much of a fighter -- but then, neither was Kris, and his hands were already starting to ache from the repeated impact of the beating he was delivering.
He didn't care.
Danny had hurt Adam, and Danny didn't get to get away with that. No one did. Adam was the innocent in all of this, the one who'd been given no control in the situation -- made helpless and then, in that helpless state, abused. The least Kris could do was endure a little discomfort to bring his abuser a little bit of justice.
And besides... it's not like I don't deserve it...
I deserve to get beat down like Danny…
Kris lashed out in fury, not allowing Danny to get a blow in as he pummeled him with his fists until he crashed to the floor again, then continued kicking him until he was too exhausted to strike again. Danny was groaning and wheezing on the floor, his hands bloodied with defensive wounds, grasping at his battered stomach as Kris crouched on the floor in front of him, his breath deep and rapid as he struggled to recover from the exertion of his own actions.
"You over-estimated your own power, Danny," Kris stated in a soft voice that trembled with restrained rage. "You thought you could keep him quiet just by sheer intimidation? You thought wrong. And if you think you can get back at me by making this public? Don't bother. You talk to the press - to anyone - about this - and yeah, my reputation will take a hit. All of ours will, except maybe yours, if you can convince everybody that you weren’t a part of it."
Kris was quiet for a moment as Danny looked up to meet his eyes through a haze of pain, clearly waiting for Kris to make his point.
"I'm willing to take that chance," Kris went on softly, his voice gradually coming under his control again. "But I swear to you, Danny, if you touch Adam again... I will kill you. I don't care what happens to me afterwards; I will not let you hurt him again. And as for going public? Whatever. Do it." Kris shrugged, a smug smile forming on his lips. "If you do, and we all get dragged through the mud for this... then you’ll be the only one who’ll end up with a lot worse than a damaged reputation."
"Oh yeah?" Danny sneered, trying not to look worried, though there was a trace of fear and uncertainty creeping into his defiant gaze. "What's that?"
"Try rape charges," Kris snapped, his eyes narrowed and his voice taut with fury and disgust. "Because that's what you did, Danny. You used coercion and false pretenses to force him into doing whatever you wanted, when you knew it was against his will. That's rape, Danny. And I might lose my recording contract and my career -- but you might go to prison for the next twenty years." He shrugged again as he stood up straight. "Your call."
Kris turned without another word and headed toward the door, feeling only a little better for the vengeance he had taken on Adam's behalf. He knew that Danny deserved much worse than he was capable of doling out - and that he deserved as much or more than Danny did for what he’d allowed to happen.
"Maybe you’re right." Danny's voice was hoarse and weak, but the edge in his tone stopped Kris in his tracks. He didn't turn, merely waited in silence for Danny to continue. "Maybe I stand to lose a little more out of this than you do. But when you really think about it… when you’re really honest with yourself, Kris Allen… how is what I did... any different... from what you did to him?"
Kris's hands clenched into fists at his sides, and he flinched at those words, his heart smitten with a painful, searing accusation for which he had no answer. He couldn't speak for a long moment, before he finally swallowed back the bile that rose in his throat and forced his trembling lips to form an answer. He didn't turn, didn't look at Danny as he stated with soft, undeniable certainty.
"Don't try it, Danny. I promise you, you'll get the worst end of the deal."
He left Danny’s room, closing the door quietly behind him and making his way back toward Adam’s room. He took a deep breath, struggling to remain calm, his mind racing trying to come up with the words to apologize for what he’d allowed - No, caused, Kris. Man up and admit it. You caused this. - to happen to Adam. He was shaking, but he squared his shoulders and determined to face whatever Adam wanted to throw at him.
He deserved it.
He finally knocked on the door, holding his breath as he waited for a response - but none came. He swallowed hard, a tight ache building in his chest as he bit his lower lip and knocked again.
“Adam?” He spoke softly near the door. “Are you awake?”
Kris couldn’t imagine that Adam would have gone anywhere in the twenty minutes or so it had taken him to deal with Danny - certainly not in his battered physical condition. Kris hesitated, unwilling to go back to his own room and leave matters between them in such a horribly unresolved state. He wanted Adam to know what he’d done to Danny in his defense… how far he was willing to go to make it up to him…
… how sorry he was.
“Adam,” he called again, a little louder and a little firmer, wincing at the instinctive note of command that came into his voice unbidden. “It’s me, open the door.”
Adam didn’t.
Kris considered for a moment before reaching into his pocket for the extra key he’d used to get into Adam’s room before. If Adam wouldn’t open the door, well, then he’d just have to open it himself and insist that they deal with this.
Except - Kris didn’t have his key, he realized with dismay.
He closed his eyes with a weary sigh, resting his head against the door as his mind flew back to when he’d first entered the room a few minutes earlier. He’d tossed his key down on the dresser, where he’d easily remember it later. He’d had far different plans for himself and Adam when he’d first come here - before he’d seen the damage Danny had done, and his plans had abruptly changed.
And now I can’t get to Adam… can’t talk to him… can’t get him to let me in at all…
What if he won’t let me apologize? What if he won’t forgive me at all?
What if we’re over?
Panic began creeping in around the edges of Kris’s thoughts, and he knocked harder on the door, raising his voice, trying to keep out the trembling note of desperation it held.
“Adam! Come on, Adam, I need to talk to you! Open the door!”
Kris felt a disconcerting sense of déjà vu as someone down the hall peered out at him in annoyance, and realized that if he kept this up, this early in the morning, he’d likely gain the unwelcome attention of their managers; and he was not looking forward to explaining any part of this ugly situation with anyone not directly involved with it.
With no other choice, he finally gave up, lowering his head and leaning against the door, his palm pressed pleadingly against the cool, unyielding surface.
“Adam,” he whispered, almost certain that Adam couldn’t hear him. “Please. Please.”
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“Adam… please…”
Adam clearly heard the whispered words, from where he sat with his back against the door, his knees drawn up in front of him and his face resting in his folded arms. Tears flowed freely from his eyes despite his efforts to control his emotions, to keep from feeling the hurt and betrayal he felt at Kris’s actions…
… to keep from feeling the desperate, longing need to open the door and let Kris in again.
You can’t. Not now. Not after what he’s done… what he’s turned this into.
Adam knew that eventually they’d have to talk, have to work out the complex and troubling issues that had arisen from this latest horrific incident that, admittedly, neither of them had intended. Despite their intentions, however, it had happened - and far too recently for Adam to be ready to talk about it. Still, he hesitated at the soft, pleading sound of Kris’s voice, aching to rise and turn and open the door.
He shook with the effort to keep himself still as the soft sound of Kris’s footsteps slowly faded away down the hall - and then let himself go, his tremors increasing in violence as he allowed the deep sobs welling up within him to take him.
Oh, Kris… I don’t want to lose you…
… but I’d rather lose you than me.
TBC...