mostlyajerk

"Oh please, Axel is always in trouble, it's got nothing to do with you. He was in trouble before I even met him, he'll be in trouble until he finally gets a break. If he ever gets a break." James handed over four lots of painkillers to Hartley and then moved to get him a glass of water. That should get him doped up enough to sleep and maybe worry a little less. "I hate it too, drives me nuts. I want to help but it's complicated. Every time he tries to get better, something drags him down."

And Axel wasn't the only one, James watched so many kids get ruined here and it hurt to see it happen. He hated that he got attached to one sometimes, made his life harder.

Passing the water back to Hartley and returned to where he was sitting. "Shirt off, handsome. I'm going to have to see how bad the damage is."

"I think my ribs might be bruised." Hartley took his shirt off slowly, not yet taking the pain killers. He wanted to stay alert. He didn't even know why. Because what was he supposed to do, even if Axel called for help? Hartley threw his shirt on the ground and looked down himself, not surprised by what he saw. Wonderful. He could hardly wait to go back to his classes and see the reactions on everyone's face. Awful.

"I told him that I loved him. In somewhere positive news. He said he loves me too." So there was that, at least.

"Ouchie." Was how James' so helpfully responded to the sight of all that damage. It was probably just bruising and he checked to make sure none were broken because if they were, he would have known just from the reaction. There wasn't much he could do for bruised ribs so he just slapped a hello kitty band-aid on either side in an effort to at least get a smile from Hartley. "Get Axel to kiss it better later."

He focused instead on cleaning the scraped skin where he must have hit the floor, cleaning the mark with an disinfectant wipe. "Axel said it and meant it? Woah, you must be special. I've never heard him love anything." He paused mid-wipe and looked up at Hartley. "You two are adorable and depressing to watch, you know?"

"I'm sure he will." It was what Axel usually did when Hartley was hurt, only usually his injuries weren't caused by Axel's associates but his experiments. Actually, some of them had been caused by unhappy clients. Or overly eager clients. What a life they had.

Hartley hissed when the disinfectant wipe made his skin burn, but he held still rather bravely, just pressing his lips together. He looked down at James and smiled, but it was a sad smile. "I know. I am all up in it. It's a mess and I thought maybe it could get better eventually. Now I'm not so sure any more."

"Welcome to my world. You don't think I've been down this road before? I wanted to save that idiot kid the moment he asked if I wanted him to suck me off when he was all tiny and baby faced. It was creepy and I had to protect him! Why do you think he calls me his dad? Believe it or not, he was worse than he is now and I literally reigned hell on some of the worse people in his life to help but but you take one down and another appears." Of course it was harder for James, Axel was self destructive by nature and he tended to let others rule him for lack of wanting to fight back. That was why Hartley was so important.

"You stand more of a chance than I ever did. He wants to change for you, he wants to actually try. Even if it'll never be perfect, it's still better than it could be and you did that." He tossed the wipe aside and applied some gauze to the worst of it. "The other day he asked me if he should go back to school. All because he didn't want you thinking he wasn't trying."

"Yeah. But what now? He's back to working a lot. Back to using soon, most likely. I hate when he's high, I can't deal with it." Hartley finally took the painkillers, even if he doubted they'd do anything to ease what hurt the most. "He's the best thing in my life. He's all that really matters and they want to take him from me, just because. I'm lost without him. But... You know, he comes back and then he doesn't even want me near him, he doesn't want me touching him. Because he's out there right now, getting fucked by another damn bastard. Why can't we be happy? Is there a law against that? Damn. I told dragon head he had a small dick, at least that's something."

"You're smart, Hart. You'll find a way. Don't ask me how, I have no idea but I think you'll work it out. I would stake my life savings on it but Axel stole those already." For a noble cause, clearly but that was still a total bitch. "I can help, we'll think of something. I want you two kids to be happy and you won't be as long as dicks like that are playing head games." It wasn't simple, Hartley was in a lot of danger and he was bound to be the target if they wanted to control Axel. "... Maybe you should dump Axel." There was more logic to it than that but he was just going to throw it out there.

"No. I'd never leave him. I told him he better not dare leave me. I'm not scared. I'm angry and I'll think of something." No, he didn't know what, but he was determined, he was fuelled. "He's a coward, really. That guy. He wasn't good with me not being scared, totally threw him. I can play head games too and I've got a much better head on my shoulders."

"Yeah but while you play headgames, he can have you raped, murdered and dumped in Axel's apartment so maybe not." James dismissed as he pushed Hartley to lie back before the painkillers kicked in and knocked him down without prep. "You don't have to actually leave him. Just maybe break up on the surface, make distance, remove yourself from being the target then if Axel leaves, it'll be easier. Axel can stand up for himself most of the time but now he has you to worry over, makes him hesitant."

"I'm not leaving him." Hartley didn't even want to contemplate the choice. "Axel doesn't have an apartment." What an argument. He laid down and wrapped his arms around himself, frowning at James. "Stop being mean to me." So, yes, the painkillers were kicking in. He might not be quite that clever any more, but at least he was stating his position clearly. "I need to hold him when he wants to be held. He never cries when he's awake, but he does when he sleeps. I'm not leaving him."

"I won't tell you to do anything then. Just stay with him and love him, yeah?" What else could he say to that? Hartley seemed heartbroken at the idea of even so much as lying about breaking up with him and the apartment was important for... reasons he was sure made sense. James grabbed a blanket from off the back of the couch and tossed it over Hartley, smiling softly. "Relax, just sleep a little. I'll wait for Axel to come home and when he does, you can hold him and make him feel better. How's that for a game plan?"

Out.

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