ANDREW HAD NEVER really been hit in the face. Andrew was an instigator had heart, but he'd never instigated to the point of actually being beaten up. Rafe had given him a black eye. A dark one too, and it hurt. Andrew wasn't used to the pain in his face. It was rather uncomfortable. Andrew knew it would be stupid to go against Rafe and yet he did it anyway. Why risk it to save JJ from Rafe? Good question.
The Routledge chateau was quiet at night but Andrew heard the house shift with concerning noises every few minutes. Andrew hadn't really been in the chateau for long periods of time before, so hearing the entire structure move and pipes cling made Andrew worry the whole thing was gonna fall down at some point.
Andrew's thoughts of the house collapsing were interrupted when the fridge banged closed and the blond haired, blue eyed Pogue crossed the dining room and came over to the pull out sofa bed that Andrew was sat on.
"Here." JJ offered him a bag of frozen peas as a make-shift icepack.
"Thanks." Andrew said weakly as he took the cold bag from him and ignored the pain in his face in favor of the pain in his ribs which was arguably worse. Rafe's foot had pummeled Andrew's lungs, hard. He clenched his jaw in an attempt not to show all the discomfort that came when he pressed the pea bag against his side. He was still pretty sure the pain showed on his face.
JJ sat down on the edge of the bed next to him. JJ's lip was busted from when Rafe hit him in the face but he seemed to be holding it together a lot better than Andrew was. Andrew looked down and pushed out a tight breath, trying to relieve the tension in his chest but it didn't really work.
A finger hooked the underside of Andrew's chin and drug his gaze back up. His brown eyes met concerned blue ones as JJ focused on Andrew's black eyes. He brought his other hand up and ran a thumb across Andrew's cheek just below the bruising.
"He could've blinded you." JJ says quietly. The pained look on JJ face put a pit in Andrew's stomach as he reached up and caught one of JJ's hands, pushing it away.
"You're pushing it."
"I'm serious, 'Drew."
Andrew frowned and the nickname and shifted back out of JJ's hold. "Seriously pushing it. You're standing on the line." He warned.
JJ also frowned. "Sorry for caring, Jesus."
"Yeah, and that's sweet and all, but I already told you━"
"Who hurt you?" JJ blurted, and Andrew stopped cold. Andrew's entire body went tense and he stared wide eyed at the blond, unable to stop his own visceral reaction to the question.
"I... I don't know what you're talking about." Andrew snapped weakly after a long moment and he looked away, pressing the pea bag further against his ribs like the physical pain would distract him from his mental pain.
