blood runs red ✓

L

'never underestimate someone's ability to find out the truth'

- unknown

Ares

"I can't be with you anymore." 

That wasn't what Ares expected to hear when August called. 

"What?"

"We have to stop seeing each other." August said quietly, his voice stained with tears. "I don't- I can't see you anymore. I don't want you."

"August, are you okay? You sound like you've been crying- what's wrong?"

August's breath stuttered. "I'm fine. I just- we're over, alright? Whatever we were, it's over." 

"August-"

"Ares." He pleaded. "Don't push, please. It's over, okay?"

The call cut off before Ares could do exactly that- push. He didn't get it. Everything was fine, better than it had ever been. Ares was falling in love with August, and he was sure that August was doing the same.

So why was it over now?

He didn't know what was wrong and why things were over so suddenly, but it was messing with his head, and he didn't know what to do. He didn't think he could handle losing August again.

He absolutely couldn't handle losing August again. He knew that, but now everyone else, August included, knew that. He usually fought with a clear mind and no feelings getting in the way, but Ares was overwhelmed in this fight, and when he was distracted, his opponent had him on the floor in a painful way.

His airways felt blocked, and this had only happened before when his ribs were bruised. He tapped out, shocking everyone, and a nurse rushed over to check what was wrong. His ribs were bruised once more, and that hurt more mentally than it did physically.

Because that was how he met August. He met August because Sean bruised his ribs and then Ares felt like a bitch and stole the man from him. Not stole- August wasn't some prize he could win. But he met August via bruised ribs, and now he would have to deal with a physiotherapist that wasn't him.

Fuck that.

"I'm hurt. I need you to come back into town."

"I'll be there."

"Another rib injury, Ares? What happened? You're rarely ever hurt unless you're distracted. What distracted you?"

Ares scoffed. "Shut up. I wasn't distracted."

"You're my brother. I know you well enough to know that the only thing that gets you hurt in a match is a distraction. So what happened?"

He sighed, because his sister was absolutely right. "You remember August, right?"

"What'd you do to him?"

"I didn't do anything. He broke up with me."

"What'd you do to him?"

Ares held his head in his hands. "I didn't do anything. I swear. Not anything that I can think of. We'd been better than ever, because, like I told you, I was doing better for him. But out of nowhere he called and told me it was over. He sounded like he'd been crying."

"Okay, so, I have a question for you." 

"Go ahead."

"Is August tall, little shorter than you, South American with curly hair and used to be a physiotherapist for a year?"

Ares looked at her in confusion. "Have you been stalking my- my- August?"

"He was my employee before I moved away. We've been friends for years, five or six I think. I just never realised August was your August." 

"Lana, you're only telling me this now?" 

"I think I know what happened." 

"Go on."

Lana took a deep breath. "When he left us to go work for Sean personally, I had some doubts. I told him to talk to me whenever, about whatever, and he did. When Sean first hit him, he told me, and I tried to convince him to leave, but he told me Sean knew something about him that meant he couldn't leave. It was about his father."

"His father? August always goes quiet at the mention of his father."

"Because he was in prison. August didn't tell me why, but I did some research and found out that Andrew Davis- I found out his surname because it used to be August's before he changed it to his mom's name- was in jail for abusing his wife for fifteen or so years. He recently got out of jail for good behaviour."

Ares' stomach sank. "He hurt August's mom?"

"Yeah. August told me he drunkenly poured his heart out to Sean early on in their relationship and that's when everything went wrong. Sean had the power to get Andrew out and he's been holding it over August ever since. I think he's threatened to tell Andrew where his mom is, because Sean financially takes care of her since she's sick. That's why he stayed with Sean despite him being abusive."

Ares didn't know what to say. "So he didn't- he- what?"

"He's still with Sean right now because Sean somehow proved it wasn't him that got Andrew out. But the timing is unexplainably coincidental because Sean found out about you two."

"What?" 

"Haven't you seen the video?"

Ares was confused. Florence mentioned something about a video, but he was too distraught to care, to check it. He hadn't been on his phone since August called, except from when he called Lana. 

"What video?"

Lana got her phone out and showed the video of August and Ares kissing in the car. The caption said something about Ares Cirillo and a secret fling, and no one knew who August was. But everyone knew it was Ares, which made it easier for Sean to figure out who the secret boy was.

"Fuck. How the fuck did someone get that video?"

"We can find out, but this is why it all happened. Sean got mad that August cheated, even though he's cheated a million times and literally abuses August, but because of that, he must've gotten Andrew out somehow and is now using that to keep August with him, and away from you."

"But how has he proved it wasn't him?" Ares asked. "There's no way it wasn't him. It must've been whoever took the video."

"We'll figure that out."

"You're staying?"

Lana wrapped an arm around her brother's shoulders and rested her head on him. "Of course I'm staying. You're my brother, and August is my friend. I'll do whatever it takes to make sure he's finally away from Sean."

"But how? Sean will always have that leverage over August. He'll always know where his mom is and have that over him."

"What we need to do is get his mom away. Then we'll figure out what else to do."

"Will you talk to him for me?" Ares asked quietly, his voice the most soft and sincere Lana had ever heard it. 

"Whatever you need, Ares."