He Will Be Loved[Shevine]

Part 1: He Will Be Loved

"Ow...ouch...Jesus..."

Blake watches silently as Adam continues to wince, hiss, and curse beside him on the sofa. Even if it's dark outside and that eye has an icepack over it now, he can still visualize what it looked like under there and it wasn't pretty. Not that the other eye is much better as it's surrounded by red, and Adam is still hunched over as his back hurts in a way he refuses to let Blake see.

Adam huffs. "This pack's not doing shit. Don't you have any steaks lying around for black eyes?"

"You stereotype country boys too much," Blake murmurs, and before he can regret such a stupid thing coming out of his mouth he can see Adam flash a quick grin- at least before the young man winces again and heaves his shoulders.

Then it's his turn to sigh. "Goddammit, Adam, Kirk can't keep doin' this to you." Really he's two seconds from marching over there and giving the brawny bastard a taste of his own medicine, but stopping him at the moment is knowing the immediate reaction will be tears from Adam, and he can't cry right now in his state. Even if the other man might be grateful deep down (not that he admits things like that, a man's gotta have his pride and all that shit), he'd still be sad on the surface.

Fuck, Blake hates seeing his friend sad in any circumstance. Fuckin' dilemmas.

"What else is he supposed to do if I like it rough?" Adam's tone is somewhere between mockery and melancholy.

"Not bust your face and leave you barely walking!" Blake can barely contain his anger, another mistake as Adam winces from the raised volume.

"Please...don't do that..."

Goddamn, he really can be an idiot. "Sorry." He scoots closer to his friend, and thankfully Adam doesn't pull away. Probably best he keeps his big mouth shut for the time being.

After a long moment Adam lowers the icepack. The swelling has gone down, but Blake doesn't even have to guess that the pain's gonna take a long time leaving. Adam mutters something he can't quite pick up.

"Huh?"

"...I said, y'ever wonder if you're just supposed to be alone?"

He might as well have just clenched his fist around Blake's heart with how much that stings. Or possibly that's Kirk's hand taking another victim in his cruelty and carelessness.

He continues, "I mean, first Anne, then Behati...even if Kirk hurts me-" the first time he's ever said that aloud and Blake almost gasps, but Adam pays no attention and speaks on, "how's it going to look if I walk away? Just proves I'm born to be unlovable."

Now Blake really wants to put the hurt on that asshole. He breathes deeply to keep from clenching his hands and keeps his focus on Adam's face, the melted ice in the dim light looking like the tears he can't shed.

Oh, how his heart's still hurting.

"Look, Adam, I know I don't exactly have the best track record myself, but I know damn well you deserve a lot better than this. An' unlovable? Bullshit. Whole world loves you." Yeah, even he does in his own way. Even if he's calling Adam silly names or teasing him about his height or clothes or whatever, they always result in a smile from the younger man, not sadness like this.

He only remembers a few times in the beginning where the mention of Kirk would make Adam genuinely smile.

"Don't want the whole world." Adam shields his face and curls in for his head to touch Blake's cheek. And that's when the sobs hit, soft and rattling like tissue paper, and so much pain and love is inside Blake all at once he wonders if he can even contain it.

An arm stretches out for the hand to rest on Adam's shoulder- maybe it's another mistake, maybe it's a risk, but once again it's a miracle that he doesn't pull away. Adam has know- has to believe- that he's worthy of happiness without heartache, that hands that touch him aren't meant to be in hurt.

Adam's skin is still cold from the ice, but the whispered "Thank you" is warm as a beach sunrise and worth all the I-love-yous in the world, because unlike from some people, it actually means something.