Fic: Thick and Thin
Title: Thick and Thin
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Ray/Don
Summary: When a new Odin takes control of the Rooks, every Brother has to prove his loyalty again. For Ray, this might be a problem
Warning: some violence
AN: I meant to post this Tuesday, but got distracted by the two hour special. As always a continuing thanks to crashdownpixie for the beta.
Vicious Cycle:
The Only Deal You’ll Find, I’ll Gladly Take Your Soul
Another Night (Wishing I Wasn’t Here
Line In The Sand
Hit the Floor
Sleepless Night
When Forrest busted Jeremy and Coach led him away, Ray didn’t know what to expect. Jeremy had been Odin when Ray had pledged. Being a Rook was definitely a West Campus punishable offense, which meant that Jeremy’s second in command would have to step up and become Odin, because Jeremy wasn’t coming back. The problem was that Jeremy’s second in command, a speedster named Blake Adams, was an even bigger asshole than Jeremy ever could have dreamed of being.
Blake had less tolerance for non-Rooks than Jeremy. His first decree was that every Rook’s loyalty would be tested, because he felt like too many Rooks were getting too close to outsiders. Ray didn’t like the sound of that. Blake had never liked Ray and if Ray messed up at all he knew Blake would get a thrill out of punishing him for it.
He was sent out with two Rooks, who had already proven their loyalty, to an undisclosed target. His mission was to get a hold of the target and shave the person’s head. His escorts were to make sure that he got it done, no matter what. It sounded too simple.
Ray’s escorts led him to the showers in his dorm and he went in first. He could hear one of the showers going as soon as he crossed the threshold. He tightened his grip on the electric razor in his hand and stepped around so that he could see who was in there. His heart jumped into his throat when he recognized the ginger hair and pale, freckled skin of his roommate and friend, Don.
Ray swallowed his throat and backed out of the shower as silently as he had entered. Outside, his two escorts moved to block his path. He couldn’t see their faces because of their masks, but he could guess they didn’t look happy.
“Where are you going?” One of them demanded.
“That’s my friend,” Ray said.
“And we’re your Brothers,” the second Rook said.
Ray had never felt so conflicted in his life. The Rooks had been there for him when no one else was. Yeah, he had been forced to do something he hadn’t wanted to in order to secure his place, but Jeremy had kept his word. The Rooks had helped him feel more secure about himself and made him feel like he belonged for the first time in his life.
But Don was his friend. He was maybe even Ray’s best friend, certainly the first one worth anything. Don knew the truth about his past and didn’t judge him for it. Don had tossed a kid down the stairs for poking fun at Ray for his nightmares. How could Ray betray that?
“I won’t do it,” Ray said firmly. “I’ve been loyal to the Rooks and will continue to be, but I won’t do this.”
The blow to his stomach was unexpected. It dropped him to his knees and the knee to the face knocked him out cold. He came to as he was unceremoniously dumped on the floor. Ray groaned in pain and started to get up, but it was done for him as he was yanked up onto his knees. There was one hand on each of his shoulder holding him in place.
“Well, well, well, why am I not surprised that you’re the one to break your oath?” Blake said and looked entirely too pleased with that for Ray’s liking, sitting at the chair he’d taken as he his throne.
Ray glowered at him. “You chose my target specifically so that I would fail.”
“Your target was a true test of loyalty,” Blake replied. “Would you choose your Brothers or your loser friend?”
“My Brothers wouldn’t have made me choose,” Ray argued.
Blake smirked. “You were a Rook, Ray. It was the best thing that could have ever happened to you. It’s a shame you threw that all away.”
“Wait a minute--.”
“Ray has proven where his loyalty lies,” Blake spoke louder.
Ray turned his head to try and see the other Rooks around him, but he was held firmly in place by two bigger Rooks. He could see enough to know that more than just a few Rooks were present. It was likely that they all were.
“Wait--” Ray was once more cut off. His heart was beating hard in his chest as he realized what was happening.
“A real Rook chooses his Brothers above all else,” Blake went on. “By refusing the task given to him, he has betrayed us all. Those that betray us must suffer the consequences.”
“Live by the wing, die by the talon,” the chant echoed around the room.
Ray didn’t get another chance to even try to protest. The next thing he knew he was tossed onto his back and, before he could get up, they were on him. The first kick caught him square in the small of the back. His body arched in pain and the second kick caught him with brutal force in the stomach. After that it all blurred together and all he could do was try and curl into a ball to protect the most vulnerable parts of his body.
It seemed to go forever and by the time they were called off of him, Ray’s body was throbbing with pain. The world was tinged in gray and everything was muffled as if he was underwater. He gasped in pain as he was pulled onto his knees once again.
“If you ever reveal anything you’ve learned about the Rooks to anyone I won’t be so nice,” Blake said.
The Odin of the Rooks stood and approached where Ray was kneeling. Ray looked up at him, but his mind was too muddled to comprehend that anything was happening. He was out cold before he even saw the fist fly at his face.
Ray wasn’t sure how much time passed before he came to again. His body throbbed with pain and he groaned softly as he tried to move. At first, he didn’t understand why he couldn’t move his arms. His head was throbbing and he couldn’t think straight, but as his attempts to move got more frantic, he realized he was bound with his arms tied behind his back and there was a blindfold over his eyes.
“Wow, you must be really good at pissing people off. I thought you Rooks flocked together.”
Ray jerked in surprise at the sound of Archer’s voice. It was honestly the last thing he wanted to hear. He was bound and helpless at the feet of his enemy, at the mercy of someone who he knew hated him for what he did to Forrest. It was a terrifying realization.
“You know, if the roles were reversed you would probably do something horrible to me, wouldn’t you?”
That voice really set his heart rate racing because it belonged to the aforementioned Forrest. He deserved no mercy from Forrest and he knew it. What he’d done at Jeremy’s command had been terrible. He did actually regret it, though he doubted Forrest would believe him.
The blindfold was ripped off and Ray could see from his curled up position on the floor that he was in a dorm room, probably Forrest and Archer’s. They were both standing over him with their arms crossed. He couldn’t quite read their expressions, but they had to be loving the fact that he was helpless at their feet.
“Luckily for you, I’m not like that,” Forrest said. “Luckily for you, I think you’ve gotten what was coming to you.”
“What the hell did you do?” Archer asked.
Ray swallowed hard, tasting his own blood as he did so. “I didn’t pass the loyalty test.”
“Loyalty test? Why would they test your loyalty?”
“The new Odin commanded it,” Ray said. He closed his eyes and tried to breathe shallowly, because of the pain in his ribs. “I wouldn’t complete the task given to me.”
Archer snorted. “You seemed to enjoy being a Rook. Why wouldn’t you do whatever you were told?”
Had Ray been in a clearer state of mind he would not have answered, but he was in a lot of pain. It was as if he could feel every shoe imprint littering his body. His ribs ached and his back hurt so bad that he wasn’t sure he would even be able to walk.
“Because Odin wanted me to do something to Don and I refused to hurt my fried,” Ray said.
“Bet you regret that now,” Archer said.
Ray moved his hands to try and get them free. “Not really.”
“You regret being a Rook now?”
“Yes,” Ray said. “What do I have to do to get you to untie me?”
“Beg,” Archer said immediately.
“Hell no,” Ray growled.
“We could drag you out into the hall for everyone to see you like this,” Archer threatened. “Or you could beg and we’ll not only untie you, but help you to your room.”
Ray bit his lip. He was already tied up and at their mercy, but begging would make him even weaker. He didn’t want to show them anymore weakness than he already was, but how else was he going to get free? His arms were bound at an angle that made it difficult for him to even use a burst of strength to break them and his fingers couldn’t reach the knots to untie them.
“Please will you untie me?” Ray said through gritted teeth.
“That wasn’t begging,” Archer said.
“Ian,” Forrest spoke up. There was a hint of reprimand in his voice.
“Fine,” Archer relented.
Ray held perfectly still as Archer leaned over him and undid the knots. As soon as was free, Ray sat up and rubbed at his sore wrists. The quick movement caused his head to swim and he almost had to lie down again. His ribs felt like they were on fire and his skin felt like it was stretched too tight over his back.
“Hey man, do you need to go to Nurse?” Forrest asked.
Ray shook his head to try to clear it, but that just made him woozy. He put both hands to his forehead and held on as if he could hold it together that way. It was a few minutes before he could lift his head again. When things settled a little more, he slowly got to his feet, but almost collapsed as his head swam. Had it not been for Archer’s quick reaction, Ray would have been on the floor again.
“I should let you fall,” Archer said.
“You should,” Ray agreed, too weak to pretend he didn’t deserve the hand he had been dealt.
“Luckily for you, we’re not assholes,” Forrest said as he too stepped up to help support Ray’s weight.
Ray could hold just enough of his weight to help them move forward, but he was sure if either of them let go of him then he would hit the floor. Every step hurt and every breath hurt even more. He tired not to make a sound, but he couldn’t help the pained grunts that left him whenever something jarred him too roughly.
Going down the stairs was the worst. By the time they reached the next floor down Ray could barely breathe and he was shaking so badly he could barely stand. He had to lean against a wall for a moment to try and collect himself before they could go on. As he allowed the two other boys to help him walk again, he felt a flash of regret for what he had done to Forrest.
When they got to the room he shared with Don, Ray keyed in his code to unlock the door. Archer pushed it open and led the way inside.
“Archer what the--,” Don started, then seemed to cut himself off. “Ray! What the hell did you do to him?”
“Not us,” Forrest said quickly, obviously intimidated by the fury in Don’s voice.
“The Rooks kicked his ass and kicked him out,” Archer said as they helped Ray to his bed.
Ray sat down carefully. Don was immediately at his side, checking him over to see how bad he was. Archer and Forrest stood awkwardly in front of them both. Ray hissed as Don probed a tender spot on the side of his face.
“You should go see Nurse,” Don said.
“No,” Ray denied immediately. “No, she’ll ask questions that I don’t want to answer.”
“Dude--.”
“No, damnit!” Ray shouted, then gasped at a flare of pain in his ribs. “God, just get them out of here so I can be miserable in peace.”
Immediately he felt Don get up. “Look, thanks and all for bringing him here, but you need to leave now.”
“Like I want to stay anyway,” Archer shot back.
Ray closed his eyes and curled up on the bed, but he still felt eyes on him. He knew who the gaze belonged to and sighed wearily. “What, Forrest?”
“Do you regret it?” Forrest asked after a moment of silence.
Regret was a weakness and Ray didn’t want to admit to it, but Forrest had just helped him down a flight of stairs to his room when he and Archer could have just left Ray out in the hall. He supposed that, at the very least, deserved an honest answer.
“Yes.”
“You got your answer, now get out,” Don said.
Ray heard two sets of footsteps leave the room and then the door closed behind them. There was silence for a moment before shuffling footsteps approached his bed. He didn’t open his eyes as Don sat on the edge of the mattress.
“What happened?” Don asked softly.
“The new Odin decided to test the loyalty of all the Rooks,” Ray explained. “My test was you and I refused to follow through.”
“What were you supposed to do?”
“Shave your head,” Ray replied. “It was a stupid test that I wasn’t meant to pass. The new Odin didn’t like me when he was Jeremy’s second in command and this test was a way for him to get rid of me.”
“So you…gave up the Rooks, for me?” Don sounded pleasantly surprised.
Ray cracked his eyes open to look up at Don. “Well, yeah. I have your back and you have mine, right?”
“Right,” Don said with a smile. “Now, since you won’t go to the nurse, maybe you should just get some sleep.”
“Yes mom,” Ray teased.
“Smart ass.”
Ray smiled to himself and closed his eyes once more. He was exhausted and his body knew it needed to rest in order to heal up. Before he knew it he was starting to drift. He was almost asleep when he felt a gentle touch on the side of his face. Completely on instinct his hand snapped up and caught the source of the touch. He opened his eyes to meet Don’s startled gaze.
“What are you doing?” Ray asked, confused by what he saw on the other boy’s face.
“I, um, I couldn’t help myself,” Don mumbled. “I’m getting tired of seeing you hurt.”
“I’m getting tired of seeing me hurt too,” Ray said. “I may not be well versed on friendship, but I’m pretty sure that guys don’t go around touching other guys on the face while they are sleeping.”
“N-no, I…,” Don trailed off, looking sheepish with a red tinge to his cheeks. “You told me your most painful secret and I didn’t judge you. C-can I trust you to do the same?”
“Dude, I just took a massive ass kicking because I wouldn’t shave your head,” Ray said incredulously. “I think that means we can trust each other.”
Don nodded slowly. “It’s just…mine usually gets my ass kicked.”
“Dude, even if I would kick your ass for it, I’m pretty sure Forrest could take me right now,” Ray said.
“Iamkindagay,” Don said, almost stumbling over his words.
Ray blinked as his mind, slow from the trauma he suffered, tried to decipher the jumble of words. When he did finally make sense of it, his eyes widened in surprise. He covered it quickly by schooling his features into a half smirk.
“Kinda gay? Is that the same as bisexual?”
Don looked a little surprised that Ray had apparently taken it so well. “Ah, no. I’m fully gay. Does that…bother you?”
“Not really, I should’ve known, actually,” Ray said. “You were trying so damn hard to get those girls to like you that I should’ve seen it for the act it was.”
“You weren’t meant to see it,” Don replied.
Ray knew that much. He was smart enough to put two and two together and get four. Don had wanted Ray to believe he was into girls so that it would throw off any suspicion. Admittedly, it had worked.
Ray yawned sleepily and closed his eyes for a moment. He must have started to drift off again because he snapped awake when he felt Don getting up He reached out to catch Don’s hand again and smiled as he gently pulled in order to encourage Don to move.
“Stay?” Ray requested almost shyly.
Don smiled nervously back at him, but nodded and crawled around to lay on Ray’s other side. Ray didn’t have the energy to turn around and face his friend, but he realized he didn’t have to when he felt Don’s hand on his waist. The silent comfort that brought Ray was enough that when he started to drift again he did not fear the nightmares like he always did. He was confident Don would keep them away.
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Ray/Don
Summary: When a new Odin takes control of the Rooks, every Brother has to prove his loyalty again. For Ray, this might be a problem
Warning: some violence
AN: I meant to post this Tuesday, but got distracted by the two hour special. As always a continuing thanks to crashdownpixie for the beta.
Vicious Cycle:
The Only Deal You’ll Find, I’ll Gladly Take Your Soul
Another Night (Wishing I Wasn’t Here
Line In The Sand
Hit the Floor
Sleepless Night
When Forrest busted Jeremy and Coach led him away, Ray didn’t know what to expect. Jeremy had been Odin when Ray had pledged. Being a Rook was definitely a West Campus punishable offense, which meant that Jeremy’s second in command would have to step up and become Odin, because Jeremy wasn’t coming back. The problem was that Jeremy’s second in command, a speedster named Blake Adams, was an even bigger asshole than Jeremy ever could have dreamed of being.
Blake had less tolerance for non-Rooks than Jeremy. His first decree was that every Rook’s loyalty would be tested, because he felt like too many Rooks were getting too close to outsiders. Ray didn’t like the sound of that. Blake had never liked Ray and if Ray messed up at all he knew Blake would get a thrill out of punishing him for it.
He was sent out with two Rooks, who had already proven their loyalty, to an undisclosed target. His mission was to get a hold of the target and shave the person’s head. His escorts were to make sure that he got it done, no matter what. It sounded too simple.
Ray’s escorts led him to the showers in his dorm and he went in first. He could hear one of the showers going as soon as he crossed the threshold. He tightened his grip on the electric razor in his hand and stepped around so that he could see who was in there. His heart jumped into his throat when he recognized the ginger hair and pale, freckled skin of his roommate and friend, Don.
Ray swallowed his throat and backed out of the shower as silently as he had entered. Outside, his two escorts moved to block his path. He couldn’t see their faces because of their masks, but he could guess they didn’t look happy.
“Where are you going?” One of them demanded.
“That’s my friend,” Ray said.
“And we’re your Brothers,” the second Rook said.
Ray had never felt so conflicted in his life. The Rooks had been there for him when no one else was. Yeah, he had been forced to do something he hadn’t wanted to in order to secure his place, but Jeremy had kept his word. The Rooks had helped him feel more secure about himself and made him feel like he belonged for the first time in his life.
But Don was his friend. He was maybe even Ray’s best friend, certainly the first one worth anything. Don knew the truth about his past and didn’t judge him for it. Don had tossed a kid down the stairs for poking fun at Ray for his nightmares. How could Ray betray that?
“I won’t do it,” Ray said firmly. “I’ve been loyal to the Rooks and will continue to be, but I won’t do this.”
The blow to his stomach was unexpected. It dropped him to his knees and the knee to the face knocked him out cold. He came to as he was unceremoniously dumped on the floor. Ray groaned in pain and started to get up, but it was done for him as he was yanked up onto his knees. There was one hand on each of his shoulder holding him in place.
“Well, well, well, why am I not surprised that you’re the one to break your oath?” Blake said and looked entirely too pleased with that for Ray’s liking, sitting at the chair he’d taken as he his throne.
Ray glowered at him. “You chose my target specifically so that I would fail.”
“Your target was a true test of loyalty,” Blake replied. “Would you choose your Brothers or your loser friend?”
“My Brothers wouldn’t have made me choose,” Ray argued.
Blake smirked. “You were a Rook, Ray. It was the best thing that could have ever happened to you. It’s a shame you threw that all away.”
“Wait a minute--.”
“Ray has proven where his loyalty lies,” Blake spoke louder.
Ray turned his head to try and see the other Rooks around him, but he was held firmly in place by two bigger Rooks. He could see enough to know that more than just a few Rooks were present. It was likely that they all were.
“Wait--” Ray was once more cut off. His heart was beating hard in his chest as he realized what was happening.
“A real Rook chooses his Brothers above all else,” Blake went on. “By refusing the task given to him, he has betrayed us all. Those that betray us must suffer the consequences.”
“Live by the wing, die by the talon,” the chant echoed around the room.
Ray didn’t get another chance to even try to protest. The next thing he knew he was tossed onto his back and, before he could get up, they were on him. The first kick caught him square in the small of the back. His body arched in pain and the second kick caught him with brutal force in the stomach. After that it all blurred together and all he could do was try and curl into a ball to protect the most vulnerable parts of his body.
It seemed to go forever and by the time they were called off of him, Ray’s body was throbbing with pain. The world was tinged in gray and everything was muffled as if he was underwater. He gasped in pain as he was pulled onto his knees once again.
“If you ever reveal anything you’ve learned about the Rooks to anyone I won’t be so nice,” Blake said.
The Odin of the Rooks stood and approached where Ray was kneeling. Ray looked up at him, but his mind was too muddled to comprehend that anything was happening. He was out cold before he even saw the fist fly at his face.
Ray wasn’t sure how much time passed before he came to again. His body throbbed with pain and he groaned softly as he tried to move. At first, he didn’t understand why he couldn’t move his arms. His head was throbbing and he couldn’t think straight, but as his attempts to move got more frantic, he realized he was bound with his arms tied behind his back and there was a blindfold over his eyes.
“Wow, you must be really good at pissing people off. I thought you Rooks flocked together.”
Ray jerked in surprise at the sound of Archer’s voice. It was honestly the last thing he wanted to hear. He was bound and helpless at the feet of his enemy, at the mercy of someone who he knew hated him for what he did to Forrest. It was a terrifying realization.
“You know, if the roles were reversed you would probably do something horrible to me, wouldn’t you?”
That voice really set his heart rate racing because it belonged to the aforementioned Forrest. He deserved no mercy from Forrest and he knew it. What he’d done at Jeremy’s command had been terrible. He did actually regret it, though he doubted Forrest would believe him.
The blindfold was ripped off and Ray could see from his curled up position on the floor that he was in a dorm room, probably Forrest and Archer’s. They were both standing over him with their arms crossed. He couldn’t quite read their expressions, but they had to be loving the fact that he was helpless at their feet.
“Luckily for you, I’m not like that,” Forrest said. “Luckily for you, I think you’ve gotten what was coming to you.”
“What the hell did you do?” Archer asked.
Ray swallowed hard, tasting his own blood as he did so. “I didn’t pass the loyalty test.”
“Loyalty test? Why would they test your loyalty?”
“The new Odin commanded it,” Ray said. He closed his eyes and tried to breathe shallowly, because of the pain in his ribs. “I wouldn’t complete the task given to me.”
Archer snorted. “You seemed to enjoy being a Rook. Why wouldn’t you do whatever you were told?”
Had Ray been in a clearer state of mind he would not have answered, but he was in a lot of pain. It was as if he could feel every shoe imprint littering his body. His ribs ached and his back hurt so bad that he wasn’t sure he would even be able to walk.
“Because Odin wanted me to do something to Don and I refused to hurt my fried,” Ray said.
“Bet you regret that now,” Archer said.
Ray moved his hands to try and get them free. “Not really.”
“You regret being a Rook now?”
“Yes,” Ray said. “What do I have to do to get you to untie me?”
“Beg,” Archer said immediately.
“Hell no,” Ray growled.
“We could drag you out into the hall for everyone to see you like this,” Archer threatened. “Or you could beg and we’ll not only untie you, but help you to your room.”
Ray bit his lip. He was already tied up and at their mercy, but begging would make him even weaker. He didn’t want to show them anymore weakness than he already was, but how else was he going to get free? His arms were bound at an angle that made it difficult for him to even use a burst of strength to break them and his fingers couldn’t reach the knots to untie them.
“Please will you untie me?” Ray said through gritted teeth.
“That wasn’t begging,” Archer said.
“Ian,” Forrest spoke up. There was a hint of reprimand in his voice.
“Fine,” Archer relented.
Ray held perfectly still as Archer leaned over him and undid the knots. As soon as was free, Ray sat up and rubbed at his sore wrists. The quick movement caused his head to swim and he almost had to lie down again. His ribs felt like they were on fire and his skin felt like it was stretched too tight over his back.
“Hey man, do you need to go to Nurse?” Forrest asked.
Ray shook his head to try to clear it, but that just made him woozy. He put both hands to his forehead and held on as if he could hold it together that way. It was a few minutes before he could lift his head again. When things settled a little more, he slowly got to his feet, but almost collapsed as his head swam. Had it not been for Archer’s quick reaction, Ray would have been on the floor again.
“I should let you fall,” Archer said.
“You should,” Ray agreed, too weak to pretend he didn’t deserve the hand he had been dealt.
“Luckily for you, we’re not assholes,” Forrest said as he too stepped up to help support Ray’s weight.
Ray could hold just enough of his weight to help them move forward, but he was sure if either of them let go of him then he would hit the floor. Every step hurt and every breath hurt even more. He tired not to make a sound, but he couldn’t help the pained grunts that left him whenever something jarred him too roughly.
Going down the stairs was the worst. By the time they reached the next floor down Ray could barely breathe and he was shaking so badly he could barely stand. He had to lean against a wall for a moment to try and collect himself before they could go on. As he allowed the two other boys to help him walk again, he felt a flash of regret for what he had done to Forrest.
When they got to the room he shared with Don, Ray keyed in his code to unlock the door. Archer pushed it open and led the way inside.
“Archer what the--,” Don started, then seemed to cut himself off. “Ray! What the hell did you do to him?”
“Not us,” Forrest said quickly, obviously intimidated by the fury in Don’s voice.
“The Rooks kicked his ass and kicked him out,” Archer said as they helped Ray to his bed.
Ray sat down carefully. Don was immediately at his side, checking him over to see how bad he was. Archer and Forrest stood awkwardly in front of them both. Ray hissed as Don probed a tender spot on the side of his face.
“You should go see Nurse,” Don said.
“No,” Ray denied immediately. “No, she’ll ask questions that I don’t want to answer.”
“Dude--.”
“No, damnit!” Ray shouted, then gasped at a flare of pain in his ribs. “God, just get them out of here so I can be miserable in peace.”
Immediately he felt Don get up. “Look, thanks and all for bringing him here, but you need to leave now.”
“Like I want to stay anyway,” Archer shot back.
Ray closed his eyes and curled up on the bed, but he still felt eyes on him. He knew who the gaze belonged to and sighed wearily. “What, Forrest?”
“Do you regret it?” Forrest asked after a moment of silence.
Regret was a weakness and Ray didn’t want to admit to it, but Forrest had just helped him down a flight of stairs to his room when he and Archer could have just left Ray out in the hall. He supposed that, at the very least, deserved an honest answer.
“Yes.”
“You got your answer, now get out,” Don said.
Ray heard two sets of footsteps leave the room and then the door closed behind them. There was silence for a moment before shuffling footsteps approached his bed. He didn’t open his eyes as Don sat on the edge of the mattress.
“What happened?” Don asked softly.
“The new Odin decided to test the loyalty of all the Rooks,” Ray explained. “My test was you and I refused to follow through.”
“What were you supposed to do?”
“Shave your head,” Ray replied. “It was a stupid test that I wasn’t meant to pass. The new Odin didn’t like me when he was Jeremy’s second in command and this test was a way for him to get rid of me.”
“So you…gave up the Rooks, for me?” Don sounded pleasantly surprised.
Ray cracked his eyes open to look up at Don. “Well, yeah. I have your back and you have mine, right?”
“Right,” Don said with a smile. “Now, since you won’t go to the nurse, maybe you should just get some sleep.”
“Yes mom,” Ray teased.
“Smart ass.”
Ray smiled to himself and closed his eyes once more. He was exhausted and his body knew it needed to rest in order to heal up. Before he knew it he was starting to drift. He was almost asleep when he felt a gentle touch on the side of his face. Completely on instinct his hand snapped up and caught the source of the touch. He opened his eyes to meet Don’s startled gaze.
“What are you doing?” Ray asked, confused by what he saw on the other boy’s face.
“I, um, I couldn’t help myself,” Don mumbled. “I’m getting tired of seeing you hurt.”
“I’m getting tired of seeing me hurt too,” Ray said. “I may not be well versed on friendship, but I’m pretty sure that guys don’t go around touching other guys on the face while they are sleeping.”
“N-no, I…,” Don trailed off, looking sheepish with a red tinge to his cheeks. “You told me your most painful secret and I didn’t judge you. C-can I trust you to do the same?”
“Dude, I just took a massive ass kicking because I wouldn’t shave your head,” Ray said incredulously. “I think that means we can trust each other.”
Don nodded slowly. “It’s just…mine usually gets my ass kicked.”
“Dude, even if I would kick your ass for it, I’m pretty sure Forrest could take me right now,” Ray said.
“Iamkindagay,” Don said, almost stumbling over his words.
Ray blinked as his mind, slow from the trauma he suffered, tried to decipher the jumble of words. When he did finally make sense of it, his eyes widened in surprise. He covered it quickly by schooling his features into a half smirk.
“Kinda gay? Is that the same as bisexual?”
Don looked a little surprised that Ray had apparently taken it so well. “Ah, no. I’m fully gay. Does that…bother you?”
“Not really, I should’ve known, actually,” Ray said. “You were trying so damn hard to get those girls to like you that I should’ve seen it for the act it was.”
“You weren’t meant to see it,” Don replied.
Ray knew that much. He was smart enough to put two and two together and get four. Don had wanted Ray to believe he was into girls so that it would throw off any suspicion. Admittedly, it had worked.
Ray yawned sleepily and closed his eyes for a moment. He must have started to drift off again because he snapped awake when he felt Don getting up He reached out to catch Don’s hand again and smiled as he gently pulled in order to encourage Don to move.
“Stay?” Ray requested almost shyly.
Don smiled nervously back at him, but nodded and crawled around to lay on Ray’s other side. Ray didn’t have the energy to turn around and face his friend, but he realized he didn’t have to when he felt Don’s hand on his waist. The silent comfort that brought Ray was enough that when he started to drift again he did not fear the nightmares like he always did. He was confident Don would keep them away.