He Will Be Loved[Shevine]

Part 4: It Was Always You

To say there was an instant reaction to the discovery of Kirk's abusive behavior would be the understatement of the decade.

At least a couple fans still had their camera phones running when Kirk made his attack, and despite NBC Legal's attempts to block the footage it became viral within hours. Every harsh action and word and Adam's accusations were in view for everyone to see.

Blake never watched any of it. Living through it was enough.

As Adam had promised, once his examination at the hospital was finished he called his friend. It was a sad story: bruises and scratches on the outside, most of them on areas that wouldn't show on camera but sometimes Kirk's anger overruled his twisted brand of rational thought, and minor rib fractures from sustaining months of punches and kicks.

"So my chest's gotta be bandaged an' set for a while," Adam's voice sounded labored on the other end of the phone. "Y'think they can give me some C-cups while they're at it?"

There was the sense of humor Blake had missed.

At any rate, the evidence was damning enough for Kirk to be given the restraining order and an order to undergo counseling at a psychiatric facility while the official assault trial was upcoming. Of course Adam's fans wanted nothing less than blood, but Blake was astounded at how his friend never showed any vengeful outbursts when he frankly had every right to. Whether or not that made him the better person no one would ever know.

Adam was offered counseling as well, and while the old Adam would have been all 'I can do this myself', this help he accepted. If he could trust Blake's intentions to help were good, he could trust anyone's.

As expected, the mainstream media reaction was a firestorm. While some commentators held onto their snooty belief that a man wouldn't just "let himself" be hit, the public was largely on Adam's side. It also shed more light on the disturbing statistics of domestic violence in the LGBT community, especially the teenagers and young adults who made up most of his fanbase. Seeing their idol be open about what he endured made many realize "If it could happen to him, it could happen to me." If there was any good to come out of this nightmare, it was others knew they were not alone.

As for The Voice, filming had to be delayed for a while as Adam recuperated from his injuries, but soon he was welcomed back on set with open arms, none more open than Blake's. He was brimming over with joy enough for his embrace to lift Adam off the ground, even if his hold stayed gentle. His friend's laughter rang through the air like the best song ever written and Blake knew he'd keep that sound in his memory forever. He couldn't think of a better reward for anyone who'd walked through hell.

***

Counseling rough today. Can I come over?

Blake looked over the message and felt the phone heavy in his hand. Of course a text from Adam was nothing new, they'd gone back to their pre-Kirk frequency over the past few months, usually dumb jokes in between takes or end-of-the-day "I'm OK" confirmations when he had his quiet moments. But this was the first indication of something being not OK.

Blake hadn't left him alone then and he sure as hell wasn't being left alone now. No problem. Had dinner yet?

Not rly hungry. Be there soon anyway

Blake was going to ignore the growl in his stomach just this once.

***

It was a relief to see Adam walking in back to his normal gait, short sleeves with bruises all gone, and something resembling a smile. "Hey, man," he greeted with a hug tight enough like he wanted to make sure nobody was going to be slipping away this time.