Behind the Net: Across the Distance (A Sequel) - Chapter 28

Oct 03, 2024 17:49

Title: Behind the Net: Across the Distance (A Sequel)
Author: shmorgenheigen
Chapter: Twenty Eight
Rating: R
Pairing: Pierre/David
Word Count: 6875
Summary: The continuation of the story Behind the Net, picking up right where the original story left off. David and Pierre explore their new relationship while navigating a long distance relationship. While Pierre is in Anchorage in his first year of college and playing college hockey, David is stuck back in Juneau to finish his senior year of high school. When an unlikely person from David’s past shows up and forces their way back into David’s life, things take a turn for the dramatic. Will David and Pierre be able to maintain their love for each other while separated and stave off those pesky feelings of loneliness, jealousy, and depression?
Disclaimer: Don't know, don't own, didn't happen!
Author's Note: When I started to re-write Behind the Net from Pierre’s perspective, I started to think about how much story there would be to tell when Pierre went off to college, leaving David alone in Juneau. I became obsessed with the idea of writing the next chapter in their story and now that it’s finished, I am absolutely in love with how it turned out and the original characters I added into the story! If anyone reads this, leave me a comment and let me know!

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27



As the remainder of their week in New York progressed, it was with an air of dreaminess. David found himself touching Pierre and Pierre touching him more often than ever, as if without even thinking about it their hands were reaching out to feel the other as a reminder that it was all real. David kept finding himself looking at the ring on his finger, stunned day after day that it was there, that it fit so perfectly, and that Pierre had picked something that he loved so much. It hadn’t even occurred to him that black wedding bands existed but he felt it was perfect for him. He had insisted that he would pick one out for Pierre, as well, and that it was stupid that traditionally men didn’t wear their rings until the actual wedding. David planned on never taking his ring off for the rest of his life and he wanted to give Pierre the same. He also insisted that he would buy it for him with his own money and that Pierre wasn’t allowed to be the one to pay for it, even though the cost of a men’s band would be nothing for the other boy. On this specific topic, David would be stubborn.

He asked Pierre repeatedly what he liked but the only real information he could get out of him was that he just wanted something simple, definitely without diamonds or gems in it. He wasn’t the flashy type, something which David thought made perfect sense for him. When David asked what color and type of metal he wanted, Pierre just shrugged and told David to pick something he thought he’d like, something which didn’t comfort David in the slightest. He was endlessly worried that he would pick the wrong thing but Pierre insisted he would love whatever he picked for him and to not overthink it. David was determined that he would make enough money in the next two months to get something for Pierre by the time he was done with school and coming to stay with him for the summer before their move to New York. “You have to figure out your ring size and tell me, though,” David had reasoned seriously. “You got stupid lucky that this ring fits me. Since this isn’t a surprise, I’d much rather not take that chance.”

Occasionally parts of what they had decided together crashed over David and he started to panic at all that it meant and how much their lives were about to change. What was it going to be like moving across the country? How was Pierre going to feel leaving his friends behind in Anchorage? How much was he going to miss Olivia, who had come to be his best friend? And then David thought of the friends he’d made, Ezra flashing through his mind especially, and he felt sad to be leaving him behind somewhere that he knew he wouldn’t likely ever see him again. It was going to be painful and he knew it, but he still knew that moving to New York with Pierre was what he wanted and that their lives were going to be rich and full together. As much as it hurt to think, he knew they would make new friends who would become just as important to them. Going separate ways was a natural part of life, and though he had yet to experience it himself, he knew it would be okay in the end.

“Oh god, what’s my dad gonna think about us getting engaged?!” he asked randomly, his eyes going wide as the thought occurred to him.

Pierre just smiled and pulled David against his chest, holding his head against him as he said, “You’re spiraling a little. Just breathe, everything’s gonna be fine.” David nodded and hugged him back, allowing his presence to calm his nerves and remind him how much he wanted it all. “Besides, your dad loves me,” Pierre pointed out.

David laughed a little and pulled back to look up at him with a skeptical smile. “You’ve barely ever talked to him. How did you get that?”

“Hey, we watched hockey together. Men don’t have to talk much to bond,” Pierre told him seriously, earning a bigger smile and a soft laugh from David. “I can tell, he loves me.”

David took a deep breath in and let it out slowly, saying, “I sure hope you’re right. He’ll be back in two weeks and I’m gonna have to tell him then.”

Pierre felt a little glad that he would be hundreds of miles away when David had that conversation with his dad but he didn’t say so and tried not to let it show. Though he was sure David’s dad would ultimately support them, he was still nervous about how the man would take the news that they were moving thousands of miles away and had gotten engaged at eighteen and seventeen years old. He knew the words on paper sounded crazy but he didn’t care, knowing himself and knowing David and their relationship, and knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that these were the right decisions. Just because they were engaged didn’t mean they were going to get married right away. Ideally, he’d like to be able to share a glass of champagne with David the day of their wedding, which set the date at least four years away. While he hadn’t been able to wait to make his intentions known and official for their future, he knew there was also no rush to get married.

The rest of their time in New York was significantly more relaxed than the first day had been and Pierre was glad that he hadn’t waited to tell David about applying to FIT for him or to ask him to marry him. He felt he could finally relax and enjoy their time, not feeling constantly nervous and fidgety. As their trip was decently long, as well, they were able to slow down their pace a little and venture through the city more slowly. He took David to the fashion district and watched with deep entertainment as David bounced from store to store, looking at the fabrics, materials and clothing of his dreams. David was able to keep Pierre from buying a bunch of stuff for him, reminding him that they didn’t have room in their carryon bags and didn’t have suitcases to check so they couldn’t come back with a bunch of stuff they didn’t bring.

Entirely too soon they were at the airport and back on a plane to Seattle where they would part ways, David flying back to Juneau and Pierre flying back to Anchorage. They cuddled and watched movies together again on the flight back to Seattle, though sadness started to settle over them at their impending goodbye. They grew quieter, they smiled less, they squeezed each other’s hands more often, and shared more sad glances. When they got off the plane in Seattle and realized their gates were at opposite ends of the airport, they knew they would have to say goodbye and didn’t have a lot of time to do it.

After the week they’d just spent together, David could feel that this would be the hardest it had ever been to part. He couldn’t help it as his eyes filled with tears and he hugged Pierre, not wanting to let go. He would have thought making such a strong commitment to each other might make this easier as he knew now they would have the rest of their lives to be together and two months apart was nothing in comparison for the next seventy years together, but somehow it only made it harder. He had just gotten Pierre; to part with him now felt like torture.

“This is it,” Pierre told David gently as he held him close to his body. “This is the last time we have to say goodbye.” David nodded against his chest but couldn’t stop himself from crying, no matter how much he hated this about himself. “We did it. We’ve made it this far, no matter how hard it was or what happened. We didn’t fall apart, we didn’t start to fight, we didn’t drift away from each other. I love you more now than the day I left for Anchorage, and I didn’t think that was possible back then. Just two more months and then it’s over and we don’t have to be apart like this ever again.”

He pulled back and looked down at David, who was staring up at him sadly with tears falling steadily from his hazel eyes. Pierre smiled sadly at him and held his face in both hands, using his thumbs to wipe away his tears as they fell. “So let’s just say ‘see you soon’ and before we know it, this is all gonna be behind us,” Pierre said, his voice even softer now. David nodded but didn’t speak and his tears didn’t slow. Pierre gave a quiet sigh and leaned forward to kiss the other boy, tender and sweet. David’s eyes fell closed and he returned his kiss, grabbing onto his sides and wishing he never had to step away from him. The feel of Pierre pulling away from him tore at his insides and David wrapped his arms around himself, hating the cold that always washed over him in the absence of the other boy’s touch. Pierre continued to back away, though it pained him to have to leave David when he was crying. “I’ll see you soon,” he said, forcing a sad smile and nodding.

David nodded back and began to back away from him as well, his voice barely coming out as he choked out, “See you soon.” Pierre turned away first and David forced himself to do the same immediately after, grabbing his bag from the ground and beginning to walk away. No matter how badly he wanted to turn around and run back to Pierre, he didn’t allow himself to do it, knowing how much harder it would make everything. Just two more months, he told himself over and over, forcing it to comfort him though it was impossible to drown out the pain he felt and the chill that had fallen over him. He got to his gate in time to see that the first group had already started boarding and he didn’t bother to sit, though he tried his best to wipe away his tears and to get a hold of himself. He stood and fidgeted with his ring, spinning it around his finger and chewing on his lip. He knew he would fall apart again when he got home that night but he had to keep it in for the next few hours.

He managed to hold himself together through the flight and even on the drive home, but again the moment he stepped into his house and closed and locked the door behind him, he fell to his knees and it all poured out of him. He wrapped his arms around his torso and hugged himself tightly as he cried, curling over himself in his grief and his longing, not able to see through it to the end of this part of their story when they would be together again. The other boy’s absence was all he could feel and see and it tore him apart, leaving him incapable of rational thought. He wished for his mom and that she was still alive and there to hold him and stroke his hair and tell him everything was going to be okay.

It took him a long time to be able to get up and take himself to his room where he got out of the clothes he’d been traveling in, threw on Pierre’s jersey and climbed into his bed with the stuffed seawolf Pierre had gotten for him. Pierre texted when he got back to his dorm and for once David was glad that he didn’t call, knowing he wasn’t in any state to talk on the phone. He didn’t want Pierre to hear the way he felt apart so shamelessly when he was hidden safely in his empty house, knowing the way it would pain Pierre and make him feel helpless. This particular emotion he wanted to keep to himself, ashamed of how weak he was and how he couldn’t keep his despair from consuming him entirely.

Just as had happened after every time they got to be together, David woke throughout the night reaching for Pierre in a half-asleep state, falling apart all over again when his mind woke up enough to realize he was alone. He had spent so long alone since his mom had died that he thought he should have been used to it already and there had been a time that it had come to feel normal, but after even just a couple of days with Pierre his constant presence overrode those years of trauma and made him feel whole and healed. When it was ripped away from him again so suddenly, it was like experiencing that plunging darkness of being alone all over again and it crushed him every time.

The next morning David got up with his alarm and dragged himself through his morning, desperately needing a shower after traveling all day the day before and spending the night crying. Though he didn’t want to, he forced himself to get ready and get dressed, putting on Pierre’s jersey and not caring if it looked out of place on him or was too big. He wanted to bring a piece of Pierre with him and to feel connected to him somehow. He looked at the ring on his finger and smiled weakly in spite of how drained he felt, realizing he already had a piece of him that he got to carry with him for the rest of his life no matter how far apart they were. He grabbed a protein shake before heading out the door, knowing it was important to have breakfast but not feeling like putting the effort into making anything for himself.

When he got to school that morning, David waited in his car for as long as he could get away with, not wanting to give Ezra the opportunity to come to his desk and talk to him. David didn’t want the other boy to see his pain and to ask if he was okay because he knew in his weakened state he would struggle not to cry, and the last thing he wanted was to start crying at his desk surrounded by classmates. He walked in with less than a minute before the bell was going to ring and kept his eyes down as he sat at his desk, not looking over at his friend. That day he didn’t feel any wads of paper thrown his way and he wondered if Ezra could see that he wasn’t in the mood.

As he had the month prior after his trip to Anchorage, David stayed quiet through the morning, not speaking up in his classes and not initiating any conversations with the students around him. He thought he must have given off the aura that he didn’t want to speak to anyone because no one talked to him either and he was able to get through his morning classes without being bothered. It wasn’t until lunch when he would be seeing his friends that he knew he was going to have to face his sadness and try to push through it to avoid crying. He thought about avoiding them and hiding down a random hall but he also knew he would feel better to be around them and he got his lunch and went to where they were sitting.

As he set his tray down on the table he didn’t say anything and didn’t look up, trying to keep his face emotionless to avoid his pain bursting out of him embarrassingly. He had told them that Pierre would be coming to stay with him over the break and had told Ezra previously how sad he got after having to say goodbye so he hoped that the boys would just move past it and not point it out. When any of them spoke to him, it wasn’t at all what he had been expecting.

“WHOA, what is THAT?!” Ezra’s voice came, and David looked up from his food in time to see Ezra grabbing his left hand and staring at the ring on his finger with an open mouth.

David blushed and pulled his hand away, temporarily distracted from how sad he was. “That’s uh…” he started, wondering if he should lie. After a moment of hesitation and silence around him, he decided he couldn’t stand to lie about his commitment to Pierre. “It’s what it looks like,” he said, keeping his eyes averted and his cheeks flushing a more brilliant shade of red.

The sound of the three boys erupted like fireworks and they were suddenly around him, each exclaiming disbelief in their own words, overlapping each other in a way that made him smile and laugh a little. He covered his face with his hands which only unintentionally displayed the ring more prominently to them which caused further noises and words of excitement and surprise. He heard the words ‘engaged’ and ‘married’ and ‘fiancé’ thrown around and it embarrassed him in the most pleasing sort of way.

Then another voice cut through the excited chatter and everything fell silent. “Are you fucking serious?” Hunter’s voice came, loud and strong, causing David’s heart to stop in his chest and plummet to the depths of his stomach. He pulled his hands from his face and stared in horror at him, the wild fury in Hunter’s gray eyes sending a cold chill down David’s spine.

“Walk away,” Ezra told him strongly, moving to stand between Hunter and David in a protective manner. When Hunter just continued to stare, Noah and Ben followed Ezra’s lead, standing around David with their backs to him, forming a protective wall around him and staring Hunter down.

Hunter just stared over them to David, who was too frightened to try to look tough. He cowered behind the other three boys, afraid to move or speak, his whole body trembling under Hunter’s angry stare. “What the fuck are you THINKING?!” he yelled, his face showing pain and rage, his hands grasping at the air in front of him. “You’re SEVENTEEN, you can’t know that you want this for the rest of your life!” he continued, and as he did he took a step forward, though instantly hands were pushing him away.

David flinched away and took a step back, forgetting every ounce of self defense he’d learned when faced with Hunter’s passionate anger and his ominous physical presence. Suddenly he felt small and weak, like he was pinned against that building all over again and he was lost to his fear.

“Keep fucking walking!” Ezra yelled, and as he did he pushed Hunter away hard, causing him to stumble and finally see the boys in front of him who were doing their best to shield David from him. Hunter looked at them all, hurt and betrayal evident on his face, but he turned and walked away without another word or looking back again.

David ducked down and hid his face in his knees, his arms covering his head as he shook in terror. He couldn’t help the way he cried, feeling so helpless and vulnerable, terrified at the fact that Hunter had looked at him and yelled at him and tried to walk at him without any fear of repercussion. Was it over? Was his peace from Hunter broken so easily? Would he begin bothering him again, unafraid of David’s threat? He felt arms around him and he jumped but quickly realized it was just Ezra and he fell into him, trembling as the reality of what had just happened crashed over him again. Hunter had seen his ring, had seen his pleased embarrassment at the attention he was getting, had heard his former friends making a big deal out of it and exclaiming their excitement, and in that moment had been unable to control his anger and his hurt despite the fact that they were in the cafeteria surrounded by other students and the boys who had once been his friends. He had shown the rage inside of himself in a brightly lit room full of people and had tried to force his angry uncertainty on David, and had tried to come after him. What chance did he have if Hunter caught him alone in a dark corner?

He felt himself being raised from the ground and walked away from the crowded room and David allowed it to happen, his eyes unseeing as his feet moved without conscious thought. The chattering sound of the cafeteria died away and he was led down a quiet, more private hallway, though he barely registered what was happening. His mind was racing with horror at what this meant, that Hunter would behave that way surrounded by other people and that the moment he had looked at him David had crumpled in fear and been entirely useless. How would that interaction have ended if Ezra, Ben and Noah hadn’t been there to shield him? Would he have reacted out of necessity or would he have fallen apart in just the same way, weak and defenseless against the boy who had hurt him so badly just three months before? He was terrified that he didn’t know the answer.

“Hey, it’s okay,” he heard Ezra’s voice try to calm him but David’s breathing was ragged and fast and he couldn’t break himself free of his fear and the thoughts that were telling him he was in danger again.

“Dude, did you see his face? He was like a wild animal,” Noah whispered and Ben smacked him in the stomach, shooting him a glare.

“Shut up! That’s not helping!” Ben whispered back angrily.

Ezra shot them both a look to stop talking and pulled David into a hug, displaying protective behavior over him as if he was a little brother. “It’s okay, we’ve got your back. We’re not gonna let him do anything to you,” he said, being gentle and serious in a way that sounded unlike him.

David held tight to Ezra, his breathing still frantic, tears still pouring from his eyes faster than could be wiped away. He was fully lost in his panic, unable to stop replaying Hunter’s words and the look in his eyes and the way he had tried to step to him despite the fact that there were three bodies blocking his way. He couldn’t stop seeing Hunter finding him alone and forcing him into a hold. He couldn’t stop feeling his body against his own, and his tongue forcing its way into his mouth, and his teeth on his neck.

None of the three boys had ever seen David like this and it scared them and made them want to act to make it better. Though they had known what Hunter had done to David, and Ezra had seen the pictures of his injuries, nothing could have shown how truly traumatized David was like the panic attack he was having now after one unpleasant interaction with Hunter. His terror was on full display for them to see and it was evident just how much Hunter had truly scarred him, which only made them want to do something that much more. Standing there helplessly, not knowing how to make him calm down and stop crying was uncomfortable and they were at a complete loss for what to do.

Ezra looked over at the other two boys suddenly and said, “I’m just gonna get him out of here.” David was only vaguely aware of what was happening as his body was moving again, unable to stop seeing Hunter’s face or hearing his voice or tasting his tongue as the memories of his attack flashed through his mind, horrifically graphic. He could feel the tearing of the skin on his hands and his face, he could feel himself being held against a wall with his feet dangling helplessly in the air, he could feel his weak punches bouncing uselessly off of Hunter’s head and face; it was as if he was experiencing it all over again and it wouldn’t stop.

The only thing that stopped David from falling to the ground was Ezra holding him up and he was only even vaguely aware of his presence, his mind flashing through those horrible scenes he’d experienced with Hunter and also showing him entirely made up ones of Hunter showing up at his house when he was all alone, of Hunter catching him out at his car, of David freezing up again and being forced down and taken by him, kissed again by him, touched again by him, penetrated and violated by him. His inability to speak or act or to try to intimidate Hunter in the cafeteria terrified him and told him he was lost and hopeless and that Hunter could and would take him any time that he wanted to.

Without being fully aware of it happening he was helped into the passenger seat of a small truck and Ezra was driving them away. Ezra continued to look over at David, wanting to comfort him but not knowing how, unsure if a hand on the shoulder would help or if it would only make it worse. He wanted to speak but didn’t think David could hear him. He could see the way his eyes were gone, could hear his ragged, fast breathing and knew he was on the verge of hyperventilating. David seemed to be entirely lost in a panic attack and it didn’t feel that Ezra would reach him no matter what he did. Ezra’s face was serious and his eyes showed deep concern as he drove. He thought he, more than the other two, better understood David’s level of panic. After seeing the pictures of what Hunter had done to him, he had gotten too real of a view of just how violent Hunter’s attack on David had been. The cuts and scratches all over David’s face and hands, the fingerprint bruises on his jaw, the black eye that was clearly from Hunter’s fist, the bruises and hickeys that covered his neck, they were images that were burned into Ezra’s mind and they made him feel sick.

He didn’t stop driving until he was pulling up to the curb outside of his house, unsure if David would feel comfortable there but also unsure where else to take him. He looked over, putting a hand on David’s shoulder, though David flinched away from him and Ezra pulled his hand back quickly. When David looked at him his hazel eyes were terrified and full of tears but for the first time they showed recognition, like David was somewhere inside of that crying mess. “It’s okay,” Ezra whispered to him. When David just continued to stare at him, his eyes leaking tears, he got out of his truck, opened David’s door, and held out a hand for him. David grabbed his hand without conscious thought and got out of the truck, allowing himself to be pulled up to the front door, into the house, down a hall, and into Ezra’s bedroom. Ezra closed the door and didn’t wait before hugging David again, unsure of what else to do.

David stood there immobilized for a moment before his emotions overwhelmed him and he hugged Ezra back, digging his fingers into the other boy’s hoodie and crying with everything inside of him. As he stood there, his sense of panic wore down and was replaced with desperate heartache over what he had experienced and what Hunter had done to him and the fact that after three months it seemed Hunter no longer feared him coming forward about his attack. He knew in that moment that he was no longer safe and that he could no longer count on Hunter staying away from him. It broke him mentally and he felt completely lost and hopeless.

It took some time for David to calm down, for his tears to stop flowing and his breathing to return to normal. As had happened the time he had been held like this by Hunter, David didn’t know when he had stopped crying but at a certain point simply became aware that he had. He swallowed hard and pulled away from Ezra, keeping his eyes down in embarrassment at the way he’d so entirely lost control of himself. He felt the way Ezra’s hands moved from his back to his upper arms and held him as if the other boy was afraid he would fall without his support. David cowered into himself a little, not sure how he was supposed to look at his friend after the way he’d just had a panic attack in his arms and had been unable to see or hear or do anything other than breathe frantically and cry. “Sorry,” he whispered, his voice cracking and coming out broken as he did, completely mortified by the scene he’d just made.

“You don’t have anything to be sorry for,” Ezra said, sounding shaken and uncharacteristically soft.

“What am I gonna do?” David breathed, and as he did he grabbed handfuls of Ezra’s hoodie at his sides and his eyes showed desperate sadness.

“Hey,” Ezra said, his voice stronger now. David was too embarrassed to look up and he tilted his head further down, shrinking into his shoulders as he did. “Look at me,” Ezra told him, but David didn’t comply. “David. Look at me,” Ezra said again. Slowly, feeling humiliated, David lifted his head and looked up at the other boy, his eyebrows pulled together in desperation. Ezra stared at him, determination and seriousness in his brown eyes. “We’re not gonna let him do anything to you,” he told him firmly.

David wanted to believe him more than he could describe but the fear he felt was alive inside of him and he shook his head a little. “He didn’t care that we were in the cafeteria and there were people everywhere… He didn’t care that you guys were standing between us… He still tried to come after me,” David breathed in response, his eyes tearing up again as he spoke. “What chance do I have if he finds me alone? Or if he comes to my house? There’s no one there but me…”

Ezra couldn’t seem to hide his worry at these words. “You live alone?” he asked quietly.

David nodded slowly before replying, “My dad’s a commercial fisherman and my mom’s… dead.” In the wake of the emotions that had just exploded out of him, for the first time admitting this truth to someone felt easy.

Ezra seemed stumped at this information and it took him a moment to respond. “There’s no one that can come stay with you? Or nowhere else you could go?”

David shook his head sadly, replying in a broken tone, “I don’t have anyone. Pierre’s coming to live with me when his term is over at the end of May but… that’s still two months away.”

Again Ezra just stared at him, his brow furrowed, seeming unable to come up with what to say. Without warning he pulled David back into a hug and David didn’t resist, feeling weak and vulnerable and wanting any sense of comfort and security that he could get. “Just keep your taser on you, keep your doors and windows locked, and call the cops if he shows up at your house,” he said finally. David nodded against his neck and let out a shaky breath, his hands trembling with the fear that had crashed over him so intensely.

“I don’t want him to hurt me again,” he whispered, and as he did he felt himself start to cry again and he dug his fingers again into Ezra’s back. Ezra’s grip tightened on him at these words and the feel of it coaxed David’s emotions to pour out of him more freely again, outside of his control.

“He’s not gonna hurt you again,” Ezra told him gently.

“I want to believe that but…” David trailed off and bit his bottom lip, his eyes squeezing shut. They were silent for several minutes, David’s soft sniffles the only sound in the room. David pulled away again and this time Ezra dropped his hands completely. David wiped his eyes and cheeks with the back of his hands and his fingers and took several deep breaths, shaking his head a little to clear it. Pierre’s face flashed through his mind and he knew he needed to tell him what had happened, though he realized all of a sudden that his phone was in his bag which he hadn’t grabbed and he muttered, “Shit… I don’t have my bag.”

“I have it, it’s in my truck,” Ezra told him.

David’s eyebrows pulled together and he looked up at Ezra, distracted from his sadness and fear by this information that contradicted everything he’d ever thought about the other boy. “You drive a truck?” he asked, shocked by the idea.

Ezra smiled a little and raised an eyebrow at him as he softly replied, “You were literally just in it.”

“I was distraught,” David replied in a weakly joking manner.

Ezra gave a soft chuckle at his response and shook his head a little at him. “I’ll go get it,” he said, before leaving the room and closing the door behind him.

David stood in the middle of his room and looked around, suddenly realizing that he was at Ezra’s house and in his room. He had been so upset that those details hadn’t stood out to him before, so lost in his terror and the memories of what Hunter had done to him. He noticed the dark blue color of the walls and the band posters that were hung, the electric guitar sitting in the corner, the fact that Ezra didn’t have a closet and that the only furniture in the room was a twin sized bed and a worn down looking dresser. He wondered if this was even technically a bedroom considering its small size and the fact that there was no closet, or if it had been added onto the house at some point out of necessity. When Ezra walked back into the room with his bag in his hand, David smiled and took it from him, giving a quiet, “Thanks.”

Ezra moved to sit on the edge of his bed and David pulled his phone from an inner pocket of his bag, knowing he needed to text Pierre but nervous about doing so. He knew how this was going to tear Pierre apart and the way he would feel terrified that something more was coming. David also realized the taser and the pepperspray he’d promised he’d carry with him were in his jacket pockets in his locker, exactly where they were of no use to him, and he wondered if the other boy would be angry with him. David turned and looked at Ezra, feeling suddenly awkward and out of place. His eyes darted to the side and he uncomfortably asked, “Can I… sit…?”

“No, you have to stand,” Ezra responded with a sarcastic smile.

David laughed a little and rolled his eyes before moving to sit at the foot of Ezra’s bed. “I just have to text my boyfriend and tell him what happened,” he said, feeling bad that he was on his phone. He glanced over and saw that Ezra gave a nod like it was obvious he should do so and not feel bad about it, and David pulled open his text thread with Pierre, biting his lip as he contemplated what to say.

Something happened with Hunter. I’m okay. He knows
we’re engaged and he yelled at me. The guys got in
between us and didn’t let him do anything. I had a
panic attack and Ezra took me to his house. I’ll tell
you more about it later when we talk. I love you.

He backed out of the text thread and looked at his background picture for a moment, staring at the picture of him and Pierre with a look of worry, wondering what Pierre was going to say and how he was going to react. The way Pierre had clung to him and cried back in December came back to him and guilt flooded him over the fact that he hadn’t done as Pierre had wanted and gone to the police about Hunter. He knew now that it was too late and started to wonder if he had made the wrong choice in how to handle the situation.

“That’s your boyfriend, huh?” Ezra asked, drawing David’s attention over to him with surprise on his face. He saw that Ezra was leaning over a little and looking at his phone so David turned the phone more toward him to allow him to look more easily. “I get it. He’s a hot guy,” he added with a tone of subtle defeat, as if he was rescinding any of the doubt he’d exhibited previously about why David would choose to be with someone so different from him as a hockey player.

David raised an eyebrow and smiled at him skeptically. “You coming after my man?” he teased.

“Oh come on, you know what I mean,” Ezra replied, rolling his eyes. “That’s obviously a good lookin’ dude. Any straight guy would tell you that.”

“Hmmm…” David replied jokingly, squinting his eyes in mock suspicion. “I’m gonna have to watch you.”

Ezra snorted a little and shook his head, replying, “Yeah right, like he’d be interested in me when he’s already got you.”

“I’m not sure how to take that,” David told him honestly, uncertainty heavy in his voice.

“Big buff guy like that doesn’t want tall, gangly, straight me. He wants small, girly, gay you,” Ezra explained as if this just made sense.

David scoffed and dropped his jaw. “Small, girly, and gay, huh?” David asked, offended just as deeply as he was amused. “That’s how you see me?”

“I mean… yeah?” Ezra replied with a skeptical smile. “I bet you make him feel big and strong and manly,” he teased lightly.

David’s face went dead in irritation and he huffed a little, looking off to the side as he begrudgingly admitted, “He may have told me that himself once.”

Ezra laughed and David shot him a glare though he couldn’t keep himself from smiling no matter how suddenly annoyed he was. “What did you call him… a top?” Ezra asked, and the playful glare fell from David’s face and he blushed profusely. Ezra took this change in expression to mean he had remembered correctly and he nodded, adding, “Two tops don’t seem like a great pair.”

David huffed a little again in defeat and replied, “Yeah okay. I see your point. You and Pierre would make a weird couple. And not even because you’re a couple inches taller than him or gangly, as you put it. It has nothing to do with what you look like. You’re just both too… dominant.”

“Oh, so you’re submissive then?” Ezra asked without hesitation.

David blushed even harder and muttered, “Shut up!” as he pushed Ezra who just laughed again.

Ezra stood and patted David on the shoulder a couple times before saying, “Come on.”

David furrowed his brow but stood and followed after him as he was told. He followed the other boy into the living room and when Ezra sat on the floor in front of the TV, David sat next to him, still looking at him questioningly. Then he watched as Ezra turned on the TV and an ancient video game system and handed him a controller. “I’m really bad at video games,” David admitted nervously.

“Good, that means I’ll win,” Ezra replied with a crooked smile and a shrug. David smiled a little uncertainly at him before turning and looking at the TV. He couldn’t believe after what had happened that Ezra had managed to make him feel better and he couldn’t quite remember how it had even occurred. He didn’t question it, however, and instead just did his best to play the game against the other boy, failing rather spectacularly at doing so, something which Ezra was only too happy to continue to point out. He knew he would have to revisit his fear later and that it would likely crash around him again when he talked to Pierre on the phone whenever he called, but for the moment he allowed himself to get absorbed in having fun with his friend, doing something he never thought he’d do in a place he never thought he’d be but still loving every second of it.

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