Rose Tinted (boyxboy)

Chapter 15: Exposure

"Never say that you are a joke."

☆

The next few moments feel like a rush. Max, who still has a hold of Tayce's hand, pulls him in the direction of his motorbike. Max lets go in order to mount the bike. "Are you gonna be ok to hold on?" Tayce momentarily hesitates, he looks at the small space he has to mount. He still feels weak, light headed, he doesn't want to fall. "Tayce!" Max's voice brings him back. "You need to hurry!" 

Over Tayce's shoulder, Max can see Frank stumbling towards them, like the walking dead. Tayce climbs on the back of the bike and wraps his arms around Max's waist. "Go!" Tayce shouts in Max's ear and Max revs the bike and heads down the street.

Both their hearts are beating fast as Max speeds through the late night streets towards East Gate. Tayce holds on so tight that he is worried that Max cannot breathe. The feeling he had right now was like nothing he had experienced. The feeling of escapism, just for a brief moment. No Frank, no pain, no worry of any consequences to his actions. It all vanished like the wind rushing past him, making his sweater flap around in the breeze.

Max had only one thing on his mind. That was to get Tayce as far away from Frank as possible. To get him safe. 

The motorbike soon slows as they finally reach Max and Donny's apartment. The absence of worry slowly returning, like an unwelcome guest. As the bike stills, Tayce's grip loosens, his hands slowly retracting to drop by his sides. 

Max and Tayce get off the bike and Max instantly grabs Tayce's hand yet again, pulling him into the building. Tayce begins to chuckle under his breath. "You can let go now." 

"No, not until we are inside." Max insists as he pulls Tayce up two flights of stairs to his door. Once inside he finally lets go, turning on the light by the front door, as Tayce removes the helmet.

"You nearly pulled my arm out of the socket." Tayce jokes, shaking his arm.

Max just looks at Tayce in disbelief. "Why are you laughing? Tayce this situation you're in. It isn't funny." 

Tayce's smile drops. "I know it's not." 

"Then why are you being like this? He almost..." Max stops himself from speaking. "Look what I mean is..."

"I know!" Tayce interrupts. "He was gonna kill me, or may have, I don't know." 

"Then why are you still joking like this is nothing?" 

Tayce now looks at Max directly. Max could see the sadness in his eyes. "I'm laughing because the man I love tried to kill me, don't you find it amusing?" Tayce lets out a dry chuckle. "The man who I would give the world to manipulates me, hits me, controls me, makes me do things I sometimes don't want to do but I do anyway, because I love him and I continue to do it again and again, because I'm stupid and so ashamed to tell anyone that I let it continue. I'm letting someone do this because he tells me he loves me and he tells me he's sorry, so I forgive him. Don't you think thats amusing, a joke? I'm a fucking joke!" Through the laughter, the tears begin to once again fall as Tayce realises for the first time that he has admitted it to someone else out loud.

Max steps closer and pulls Tayce towards him. Tayce warms to the touch, burying his head in Max's neck as Max's arms envelope him. "Never say that you are a joke. None of this is your fault. We can't help who we fall in love with." 

Tayce now pulls at Max's jacket, wanting the protection Max seemed to give. They eventually pull apart. "Stay here tonight and we'll figure out tomorrow when it gets here." Max says. He goes to turn the light on in the kitchen and heads to the fridge and pulls out two beers. 

As he returns to the couch, he gestures for Tayce to sit. Tayce wipes his tear stained eyes with the sleeves of his sweater, before taking the beer offered to him and sits down.

Max turns the tv on low and looks at Tayce. "No more talking tonight, lets just watch TV Yeah?" 

Tayce nods as he smiles. He just wanted to enjoy the comfortable silence. 

***

"Ssh not too loud." Donny whispers as he enters the apartment, followed by a tipsy Jojo, who clumsily removes his shoes. 

Donny can see Max's head tilted back against the back of the couch. He was out for the count. "There goes our couch snuggle." He sighs. 

"Since when do we need a couch to snuggle?" Jojo replies, pulling Donny towards him by the sides of his jacket. Donny steps closer to Jojo, wrapping his hands around his back. Their drunken lips press together as Donny moves his body even closer, attempting to grab Jojo by his thighs and sit him on top of the breakfast bar. 

The clumsiness of the act causes an opened beer on the side be knocked, the sound echoing through the otherwise peaceful space. 

Donny and Jojo instantly pull apart and look towards the couch to see Max lift his head forward and another head rise from Max's lap. 

"Jojo?"

"Tayce?" 

"What are you doing here?" Tayce takes in the sight of his boss, who still had Donny nestled inbetween his legs. 

"I could ask you the same thing." Jojo replies as he looks upon where Tayce had just been resting his head. 

"I...I"

"He's sleeping over, that's ok isn't it Donny?" Max says, now getting off the couch, stretching his limbs. 

"Uh sure." Donny replies. As he watches Max hold out a hand to Tayce, who takes it and is lifted from the couch. They both head to Max's room. 

"I don't understand?" Jojo says, staring at the closed bedroom door. "He went home with his boyfriend?" Donny doesn't say anything as he returns his gaze to Jojo. 

He runs his hands up Jojo's outer thighs. "I guess we all have secrets." he says as he once again returns his lips to Jojo's plush ones. 

***

"Oh my God, why didn't you tell me that Jojo and..."

"...Donny are dating?" Max finishes the question.

"Well...yeah." Tayce responds. 

"It's nobody's business but theirs. Just like you being here with me right now is nobody's business but ours." 

Tayce sighs. Max had a point. "I can talk to Donny tomorrow if you like?" Max offers.

"No, it's ok. Like you say, it's nobody's business." Tayce now looks at the familiar double bed. 

"Don't worry, I'm taking the couch." Max says with a light chuckle. 

"No." Tayce replies. Looking at Max.

"I don't mind." Max insists, taking his pillows from the bed. "You need to rest more than me." 

"No." Tayce says again. "What I mean is...stay. Stay here with me....I...I want you to stay... like you did before." 

Max now looks at Tayce in wonder. "I thought you couldn't remember that night."

"I don't." Tayce confesses, "But at the same time. I do." Tayce sits himself on the edge of the bed. He begins to fiddle with the hem of his sweater. "When you saw those marks on my back, you know at work, in the locker room, you hugged me and it just felt like I'd had that feeling before. It wasn't like how Frank hugs me. Like possessive, or because he'd done something and was trying to make it better. Your touch, your hug made me feel safe I guess and tonight, I need that more than anything. I need to feel safe." 

Max puts his pillows back on the bed and looks across at Tayce, still fiddling with his jumper. "OK." he mutters under a breath.