Too Nice For Your Own Good [2b/3]
DAY 4
The atmosphere was most unpleasant when Adam changed shifts with Brad the next day, expression grim. The reason was pretty obvious. The cheque had yet to arrive. Adam’s felt that his apprehension and unease must be polluting the air of the room, since he was having a little trouble breathing. There was so much stress, so much worry. Too much was on the line for anything to go wrong at this stage.
He just couldn’t afford to not have that money.
Adam’s thoughts were only more plagued and troubled by the knowledge that if M.G didn’t send that cheque soon, the next thing to do by the book (so to speak), would be to hurt Kris and show that he meant business. A finger would do, or maybe even a toe (it would be far less inconvenient), but Adam felt bile rise in his throat at the very thought of committing such acts. He may be a criminal, but he had never resorted to such violent and distasteful methods for earning money. Then again, he hadn’t exactly been desperate enough to kidnap a mafia boss' boyfriend before either.
He shook his head slowly, clearing away any doubt from his mind. Maybe if Kris wasn’t so down-to-earth and innocent, instead being some random hooker who was only with M.G for the money, maybe then he could do it. But right this second, Adam felt far too nice for his own good.
It wasn’t until Kris broke out into sobs that Adam realized maybe he wasn’t the only one suffering through this anxiety. Adam was in the other room when it began, little sniffles that were quickly silenced. Feeling suspicious, he had made his way to the living room on tip-toes only for his eyes to see a sight that broke his heart.
The day before, when Kris had cried, it had been dignified - more a release of pent-up emotion than anything else. Just two streaks of tears down his cheeks, showing how much he meant his words. Adam had felt like Kris was showing him just a little bit of his soul then. Now, he felt like Kris’ entire heart was open for anyone passing by to see, but Kris was not showing it all willingly. So Adam just stood there at the threshold, motionless, not sure if comfort from him of all people was what Kris needed the most right then.
Because Kris definitely needed comfort in some form or another. His bottom lip was bleeding but the young man hardly seemed to care, too focused on trying to stop crying when really all he wanted to do was scream out at the top of his lungs. He didn’t want Adam to see this weakness in him, because god knows what his kidnapper would do with that fear. Kris couldn’t help it though, couldn’t halt the flow of tears from his eyes and the heart-racking sobs that left his body, leaving him gasping for breath.
Adam wanted to reach out to the southern man, or at least stop looking on from an angle where Kris couldn’t see him. Instead he found himself rooted to the spot, his legs refusing to obey.
Thoughts ran through his mind at the speed of light. If it hadn’t been for him, Kris wouldn’t be going through this horrible mess. The cute male would be back at his own make-shift home, playing guitar, singing like an angel and spending time with his boyfriend M.G. Adam was almost one hundred percent certain that Kris did not want him showing up to sooth the man in what was undoubtedly a rare vulnerable moment.
Watching Kris like this was torturing him though, so after another two minutes of not saying a thing, Adam finally got up the guts to move. He didn’t make a sound as he walked over, and Kris didn’t realize he was there until he was in front of the currently weak and frustrated victim. Still without making so much as a single sound, Adam pressed Kris’ face firmly into his chest. There was a slight struggle at first, but then Kris conceded, too worn-out for much of a fight. Adam didn’t move, or do much of anything for a while, letting Kris’ anger and pain run its course, while hopefully being a good pillow. It was the least he could do for the younger man, whose life was so fucked up at the moment because of him.
When he decided that Kris had calmed down enough, he carefully extracted himself and bent down to give Kris a hug, whispering lightly, “Shhhh, it’s okay Kris, it’s okay now.” He spilled out every single word that he felt would make Kris feel better, without reserve. Somehow, amidst the many reassurances he gave, Adam started believing the words himself.
Everything would work out. Somehow.
“I’m sorry,” Kris mumbled, straight into Adam’s neck.
Adam twitched slightly, but got certain inappropriate thoughts under control before they could get out of hand. Kris needed him right now to be helpful, not horny. So, dutifully, he unwrapped himself from Kris, instead placing his arms on the man’s shoulders, “Don’t be, Kris. The snot and stuff will wash out… I think.”
Kris cracked a small, tentative smile and Adam felt like the world was right again. Then he sighed, and the world seemed to be on the verge of the apocalypse, “That’s not what I was referring to. I’m sorry that the money might never get here.”
Adam stared, remaining silent.
Panicking slightly at this reaction, Kris assumed that Adam was displeased by such news. He continued on relentlessly though, deciding he might as well get this over with. If Adam was going to hurt him, there was no point in dragging this out, “Me and M.G got into a fight right before the kidnap, so we’re not exactly on the best terms right now. He might just think your demands are a hoax or something, you know, me trying to get his attention.” He looked like a kicked puppy as he continued, “I mean, three hundred million is a lot of money, even for him…”
“… I’m not worth that much.”
Adam tried to pat Kris’ hair in what was a calming manner, but ended up having the young man flinch away from him. He could understand perfectly why. After all, no matter how nice he had been to Kris before this, kidnappers weren’t known for showing kindness and mercy to the victims when it came down to crunch time. Knowing that M.G wouldn’t pay for him, Kris was probably preparing for the worst.
Biting his tongue, Adam reached into the back pocket of his jeans and removed the key to Kris’ cuffs. He then proceeded to unlock the man’s hands, not even having to look up to see the shocked expression Kris was wearing at that very moment. The rule was that Kris wasn’t supposed to be free except when he needed to go to the washroom, so… This exception was definitely unexpected.
Scanning Kris’ worried features and the red dried-up streaks lining his cheek that marked the path his tears had taken, Adam said, “Go take a bath man, you look like you need it.” After the words left his lips, he was glad he had made the right choice, because he could literally see how grateful Kris was. Whenever he himself was seriously upset, he loved to just get under the spray. It felt like all his troubles and grief would just get washed away along with the grime and by the time he was out, his head would be clear and he would be ready to face up to all the things going wrong in his life. Apparently, he was right in assuming most people had this same habit.
Then again, Kris could just be grateful that he wouldn’t have to keep stinking up the house. Adam had to admit that four days without showering was definitely bad hygiene.
Actually, now that he thought about it, he hadn’t taken a shower today either. But he couldn’t exactly do it when Kris finished, leaving the man free to escape. He couldn’t bring himself to cuff the man again either. Not right now, anyways. Kris was too hurt and fragile and scared. Adam just couldn’t see himself making the situation worse instead of better. So, how to solve that problem? Because now that he was aware the problem existed, he felt stickier by the second.
“Um, I know this sounds… Bad. But trust me, I mean it in a completely platonic manner when I ask if it’s okay for me to shower with you. So, um, do you mind?”
Kris had already stripped off his shirt and was on the verge of closing the door when Adam had suddenly cut the silence with his awkward request/demand. He seemed to genuinely ponder the issue for a second before answering back, voice not hesitant in the least, “I don’t see why not - your jacket is pretty indecent from the snot and stuff.”
Adam’s jaw almost dropped to the floor at Kris’ easy acceptance. Even after all that had happened, the brown-haired man still trusted Adam’s words? Man, if Kris ever decided to go live in the big city and work for people like him and M.G - he would never survive.
Of course Adam had every intention to keep his words, but sometimes… His body didn’t listen to his brain.
Sporting a semi hard-on, he made his way behind the curtains, where Kris was already standing, in all his cute naked glory, scrubbing himself with soap. Just the simple sight of that perfect body, so close and so wet and oh… Adam wanted to touch so badly. But he had a promise to keep - this shower was going to stay platonic even if it ended up costing his life (which was how it felt to be so hard, but not be able to jerk off in front of the sexiest guy you’ve ever met).
Kris turned his body ever so slightly to hand Adam the soap, and ended up pressing flush against the already aroused man since the shower space was so small. Adam really genuinely, tried, but he couldn’t help the desperate and probably more than a little pathetic sounding little mewl he let out at the friction of skin against skin. The feeling was absolutely amazing, and he could’ve sworn some sparks flew off from both their bodies’ contact under the spray of hot steaming water.
Kris looked so damn hot right now. So damn fuckable.
Stepping back, Kris cleared his throat, raising an eyebrow at Adam. Then, after going through a variety of emotions with his face, settling with amused, he commented idly, “Is this shower thing turning you on?” He could obviously see the answer for himself.
“Speak for yourself,” Adam retorted, a little ticked off at the fact that Kris was teasing him at a time like this. Kris should really know better than to test boundaries when Adam's entire body was tensing, getting ready to pounce! It was taking every single ounce of his being just to hold his own lust back, and the fact that Kris was aroused too wasn’t helping things. He didn’t even remember to shampoo and condition his hair, and god knows nothing gets in the way of Adam making sure his hair was perfect.
“Let’s get out of this shower then, shall we?”
A little relieved, but a lot disappointed at not being able to see more, Adam followed Kris’ advice and got out. He dried himself off with a spare towel and instead of picking up his clothes (which were pretty much a ruined mess anyways), he merely wrapped the towel around his waist. When Kris stepped out, turning off the water, he raised an eyebrow at Adam’s choice of attire… Or lack thereof.
Adam just shrugged, “I’m going to bed now, so what’s the point?” With that, he headed off to the bedroom, with Kris following behind, the other man choosing to follow his example and use a towel instead of putting on his four-day old plaid outfit. Adam was somewhat conflicted between feeling happy about seeing more naked Kris or upset because that could only mean more torture for his dick.
Being the one with the night shift, Adam had obviously slept in the house for the last three days. He would fall into a light slumber and wake up from time to time to check on Kris, to see if the man had escaped or needed to go pee. Today though, he was deciding to go for something a little unconventional. Heck, he was already breaking more than half the rules he had laid down with Brad - might as well break some more.
For some reason or other, Adam had expected Kris to complain or at the very least, not willingly get in the same bed as him. Instead, he found that he didn’t even need to invite the younger man - Kris got in before he even said a thing. He looked adorably shy, as he climbed into the blankets on the other side of Adam, his face flushed scarlet, nervously nibbling at his lower lip. Adam had to pinch himself in order to stop the almost overwhelming urge to just lean over right then and taste those deliciously plump lips.
Oh man, that hard-on was going to stay the whole night, wasn’t it?
Adam felt something like a squeak leaving his lips involuntarily when he felt a hand over his cock, rubbing, stroking. It felt so good. And that’s when it hit him. The fuck - ?! That wasn’t his hand, so it could only belong to… Kris fucking Allen.
He shut his eyes as the sensations overwhelmed him, all the while completely confused as to why in the world Kris was doing this. It felt so good though, so he’d get back to thinking after he came, which would be soon, by the looks of the awesome hand job.
“Oh god,” Adam hissed, thrusting his hips into the hand cupping his length as another hand played with his balls. He didn’t look, even though he wanted to see what expression Kris’ face was twisted into right then, skillfully trying to give him pleasure for whatever unknown reason. It was hot as hell and damn if he was going to ruin whatever magical spell had made Kris do this by opening his eyes.
There was a shift in the bed and the blankets were partially tossed off. Both hands stopped and were removed, eliciting a long drawn-out whine from Adam, who almost opened his eyes to see what was wrong, but shut them all the firmer when a hot, talented tongue replaced the hands. There was no way to describe the pure ecstasy he was feeling at this very moment, it was just “Fucking amazing, Kris. So hot, agh!” and he voiced as much.
Somehow his hand found its way to the back of Kris’ head and tugged at the short hair, trying to find a grip. His increased the pace of his thrusts, indicating that he was so close, practically on the edge. Adam could have sworn stars flew before his eyes, and he wasn’t even high.
When Kris started humming, with Adam’s cock still in his mouth, Adam couldn’t take it anymore. He threw his head back, and released, letting go of Kris’ hair just in case the man didn’t want to swallow.
Kris wanted to.
Panting and seriously out of breath, Adam finally opened his eyes, squinting. He was slightly annoyed at the bright light overhead that was currently illuminating the bedroom and hurting his eyes. More than a little disoriented, he spoke to Kris in little bursts as he caught his breath, “Okay, that was the most fucking amazing blow job ever, man. I swear I’ll return the favour as soon as I can. As you can see, I’m just a little out of breath right now.”
“Mmm… It’s okay, you don’t need t-to.”
Adam turned his head, confused at how anybody could refuse a free blow-job, only to come face to face with a sweaty, naked Kris licking his come off of long, lean fingers. Uh-oh, little!Adam was getting excited again much too soon.
Deciding that he could probably afford to go a little farther, since Kris after all, was the one who had taken the initiative in this (whatever this was), Adam put on a grin that rivaled the Cheshire cat in Alice in Wonderland, “Oh, but I want to. And afterward, your sweet little ass is mine.” He was actually wondering if that was a little blunt, when he spotted the look Kris’ face.
He couldn’t deny it any longer. Something was definitely wrong.
Kris looked spooked. Adam was puzzled, not understanding what the man had to be scared of. Sex? But Kris was the one who had started it! But wait, maybe he had meant something else by the handjob/blowjob? Adam didn’t know, didn’t understand. He added timidly, “I mean… If you would like that. We’ll do whatever you want.”
Kris looked like was having a huge mental struggle, and Adam couldn’t help but think that even with his brows all furrowed and his mouth scrunched up - Kris was still the most beautiful man on the planet. Freaking off the planet too. The man was out of this world, too good to be true and too good to be his.
He sighed, running a hand through his still wet hair, finally understanding what this was all about. “Look, dude. I swear that this,” he gestured the bed, “has nothing to do with the money or the possibility of M.G not pulling through. Even if he doesn’t pay up and you don’t sleep with me, I’m still going to let you go without a scratch, okay? I don’t know how to get you to believe me, but I’m just not like that. Just so we’re clear, I’m not going to force you to do anything you don’t want to do. If you just say the word, we can close the lights and just sleep.”
Kris stared at him for a long time, as if he was judging just how authentic Adam’s words were. Adam drew the blankets up to his waist, pretty much losing all hope of the hot full night of sex he had only seconds ago been getting hyped up for. He sighed. It was understandable. There was no way somebody as cute and love-able as Kris would want to sleep with him, even for a one night thing - not unless he thought his life was on the line. It was still extremely depressing to know though.
“I do want you Adam.”
Adam’s eyes shot to the ceiling. Had he gone mad? Had his ears gone haywire? He thought he had just heard the brunette, who was leaning in from across to him say -
Then Kris was biting at his neck, gently, as if testing waters to see his reaction. Well, Adam thought, this sure was a pleasant surprise. He promptly shifted so that he was completely on top of Kris and sucked on Kris’ earlobe. Just like he had predicted, Kris was real damn sensitive right there.
“So,” Adam whispered sexily, “What made you change your mind?”
“I don’t know. I think it’s just something about you, Adam, that’s so damn alluring. I can’t resist it. Even if he doesn’t pay for me, or if you end up breaking your promise later - right here, right now, I do want this. I want you, Adam, to fuck me.” Kris looked so cute and yet so hot at the same time when he mouthed those words.
“Oh, not to worry,” Adam’s promised darkly, “we have all night.”
Adam quickly maneuvered Kris into a position where the man’s legs were spread wide open underneath him and his hands were bound over his head, to the headboard. “You’re so damn hot, you know that?” Kris gave a moan in answer as Adam began licking his nipples, occasionally giving a little bite, taking pleasure in giving Kris pleasure like he hadn’t done with anyone in a long time. Too long.
“A-Adam - I can’t take this much longer,” Kris’ eyes were wide and begging, the very sight making Adam aroused to no end.
As he got his fingers coated with lube and stuck one tentatively into Kris’ hole, he said to the man in all seriousness, “Butterfly.”
Kris stared at him like he was out of his mind.
Adam just chuckled, “That’s your safeword. If I go too far - say it and I promise I’ll stop.”
Kris stared, then wiggled his entire body cutely, enticingly, “Wow, BDSM huh? You’re too nice for your own good sometimes - but that’s why I love you.”
He never used the safeword that night.
DAY 5
At first, stuck in that magical time between being asleep and fully awake, Adam only remembered fragments of the previous day. Then things started coming back and he was bombarded with so many emotions he momentarily flailed trying to get them organized in his head.
There was sadness and fear, because M.G was probably not paying, so that meant he would have to find another solution of being three hundred million in the red. Adam was kind of extremely bothered by this thought, because he would feel completely like he had failed his family if he didn’t get the business back up again. It had, after all, been successful for centuries until he came along and ruined it with his… Niceness. There just had to be some other way to get that amount of money within the next two day - Adam’s mind though, drew a blank.
There was also definitely surprise at the night he had shared with Kris. It had been amazing and unexpected. Adam felt his heart clench at the thought of how Kris probably hadn’t meant it though. It was very likely just a spur of the moment thing, probably just Kris using Adam to mentally rebel against his boyfriend. The very thought that last night hadn’t meant as much to Kris as it did to Adam though, sent Adam reeling into depression.
Last but not least was an emotion that was overwhelming him and clouding his thoughts. He had been aware of this emotion since the very beginning, when he’d heard Kris’ singing and seen the cute physical manifestation of his every dream, but he hadn’t realized just how serious and dangerous the emotion was growing to be. A powerful combination of affection, lust and longing that Adam no longer had any control over. He was in love.
But before he could ponder on any longer about this subject, Adam had one emotion override all others when he took notice of the condition of the bed. It was empty - except for him. Swearing, he rolled off instantly and headed for the door, his heart hammering. Kris had left? Was that what had happened?
Adam couldn’t blame the man, of course he couldn’t. Only a completely naïve idiot would stay when they had a clear-cut chance of escape from their kidnapper, even if said kidnapper had promised to not hurt them. Still, it hurt to know that Kris had not even left him a fucking note or something, slipping out after their night together. Adam mentally slapped himself - what the heck? “Their night together” was not a phrase he was allowed to use. The night was gone, and chances of a repeat were slim to none, so he had better delete it from his memory and fast. But he couldn’t.
“Kris!” He found himself practically screaming his lungs out, as he ran into the living room. Adam didn’t think he could bear to see the place empty, but he knew he had to at least find out. He wasn’t even sure what the next thing to do would be if Kris wasn’t there. None of this was a part of the plan. Should he chase? Or just let the man who’d stolen his heart and thrown it out the window in less than a week walk away from his life forever?
“U-Um, hey man, you alright?” Adam was shocked to say the least, to see the man that had been causing him so much inner turmoil run up to him and hug him. Without putting much thought into it, Adam returned the embrace.
“You’re still here.” He stated dumbly.
Kris rubbed his neck soothingly, finally understanding why he had freaked out. “Yeah, baby, I’m not going anywhere. You promised you wouldn’t hurt me, right? I just… Woke up early and wanted to make some breakfast, you know? Didn’t mean to worry you like this.” He stroked Adam’s cheek lightly, looking into the man’s blue eyes, almost rimmed with tears.
Adam chuckled, nervously, “You’re an adorably naïve idiot,” He mumbled under his breath as he headed back into the bedroom to get his cell phone, glancing half-heartedly at the clock, “but that’s why I love you.” It was seven o’clock - Brad would be coming for the shift change real soon. Adam quickly sorted through his stuff and found his cell phone, texting Brad a quick message before heading back to where Kris was waiting patiently for him.
There were amazing-looking pancakes with maple syrup flowing off into a plate, just waiting for Adam to dig in. He did, reveling in how wonderful the pancakes tasted, and just how much more wonderful it was to have Kris, the chef, right there next to him, watching with a small smile and a light blush.
“What’s with the blush?” Adam had never been known for his subtlety.
“Y-you’re um, uh - kind of naked.” Kris coughed absentmindedly into his hand. Adam swooned at how adorably shy Kris was, and giggled a little at the thought of how the man was just the opposite of shy in bed.
“Well, there’s nothing here that you didn’t see last night, so I don’t see the problem.” Adam couldn’t help but turn and in one swift motion, brand Kris’ lips with a sweet, syrupy kiss. The younger man’s lips tasted even better than the food.
“B-But,” Kris was clearly far too under his spell to even spell out the fact that it was common courtesy to put on some clothes around the house. He only stuttered a bit, before giving up all together and sinking lower in his seat, the blush spreading all the way down to his neckline.
“And just how are you any better? Your outfit looks like you just stepped out of any gay man’s wet dream and any straight man’s worse nightmare.” Adam was being completely honest too, since, although Kris was definitely more covered than he was - what the brown-haired man was wearing was far more provocative and arousing than a birthday suit. He had not changed back into his plaid clothes, much to Adam’s relief, since the clothes were probably beyond polluted by now. He had however donned an apron, Adam guessed because he took cooking breakfast very seriously. The naked ass showing from the back though was seriously making resisting the urge to fuck the man again so soon a very difficult task.
“Didn’t think you were into this kind of thing,” Kris muttered, shyly, loosening up his apron subconsciously. Adam smirked, hey, if the man was going to strip out of the apron because of Adam’s suggestive words, he wasn’t going to complain.
“Oh, Kris - I have a lot of kinks you don’t know about yet,” He pressed his body firmly against Kris’, turning up his seductive charisma to maximum output, “but the question is… Do you want to find out?”
An hour later, they were both out of breath, but satisfied. Adam still couldn’t quite wrap his head around the fact that he’d had sex, not for business, but just because he had felt like it, with this man for two days in a row. He was even more astonished by the fact that Kris wasn’t complaining. Maybe even if he couldn’t get things to work out, he could still end up with Kris. And ending up with Kris was all that occupied his mind at the moment. All that mattered.
They heard the key clinking at the door, but neither bothered to move much. Brad might as well find out sooner rather than later.
Staring wide-eyed at the two, spread out over the kitchen table, Brad merely raised an eyebrow, throwing the change of clothes for two that Adam had requested over to them. After they had dressed however, Brad did throw Kris a look that said it all: I told you so. Kris only bent his head low and gave a small apologizing and sheepish twitch of his lips.
“Okay, um, Adam - I need to talk to you. Bedroom. Now.” Brad’s face had gone from entertained to downright serious. Adam could literally sense the bad news that was about to befall him.
He thought he could take it though, whatever it was. Because he had Kris, and Kris right now was all he needed to pull through the hardest challenge. The man with the voice of an angel had decided to give him trust, and Adam was confident, somehow, that if he could only convince Kris to love him back - everything else, all the differences between their two lifestyles, would sort itself out.
When the door closed shut, Brad spoke dripping with annoyance, “Uh, just look at the mess you made in here! The place is like contaminated with the smell of sex. I am not going to be cleaning this mess up.”
“Okay, Brad, cut to the chase - why are you actually annoyed? You aren’t normally quite this crabby.” Adam braced himself for the bad news.
“Fuck, why the hell do you think? You fucked with him of all people? You should know better, dumbass. You might as well have just screwed your life over touching M.G’s boyfriend.” Brad sighed, massaging his temple, “Adam, how could you? I thought you were the one who had this all figured out, I thought that you knew the risk that came with this job. I mean, sure I teased you about Kris being cute but - ” He sighed again, exasperated, “but I didn’t mean for you to actually fuck him! Fuck!”
Adam was just plain confused, “Okay, dude, what the hell is going on? Are you like, jealous or something, because damn that would be awkward, but at least it would explain how you’re behaving.”
Brad only glared, out of words.
Adam continued trying to explain how his relationship with Kris was more than just fucking, and that, there was in fact, nothing wrong with the relationship, “Look, maybe you can’t really tell right now, but I honestly love him. I’m not sure if he feels the same way back yet, but I mean, I think so? Kris already told me that there’s very little chance M.G’s going to pay the ransom, because they had a fight - and you know what, I’m actually glad for that, because it gives me the chance to help Kris get over the jerk.” Adam looked right at Brad as he said his next words, “So could you please just give us your blessings, regardless of our past?”
“Fuck, you dickhead!” Adam flinched at the language, “That’s not what I meant by my words! I’m not jealous, just goddamn worried. You think Kris will love you back after he sees this? You’re just throwing yourself into a world of heartbreak damn it, and I can’t stand to watch you do it.” Brad shoved something crumpled up into Adam’s chest and then stared out the window, waiting for Adam’s reaction.
At first Adam didn’t even know what it was, a piece of paper? Some sort of love note? Was Brad fucking with him? Then he looked again, and his eyes actually focused instead of bouncing of the object like the first time, rejecting the sight so completely he almost didn’t recognize it. A cheque. The three hundred million dollars he had wanted so badly was right there, in his palm and he was just standing there stock still, his entire body going numb.
Adam took several deep breaths, shaking his head furiously and dropping to the ground. This couldn’t be true, it couldn’t be. But the cheque was there - and since M.G had bothered to send it at all, it was more than likely actually exchangeable for cash. Fuck. He should be happy, he should be partying, but all Adam felt like doing was having a big pity-fest.
How could Kris possibly stay with him now? There was a rich, powerful boyfriend waiting for him at home, who had already been with him for six years. M.G was also clearly not as pissed off at Kris about the fight as Kris had assumed. Adam didn’t understand how his original plan going perfectly could now be causing him so much pain, just because of one cog thrown in its mechanics - a beautiful cog known as Kris Allen.
There was a long silence in the room that stretched, as Brad waited patiently for Adam to reach his own conclusion. There was only one possible conclusion he could end up making anyway - the decision where he would just have to let Kris go. It would be hard though, definitely. Brad knew exactly how completely and utterly faithful and dedicated Adam was to somebody when he allowed himself to openly admit he loved them. For goodness’ sake, he’d experienced it up close and personal. Even though it may seem like only one night to anybody else, to Adam, the night with Kris would be something he would be unwilling to leg go of.
Brad also knew that Adam was fiercely protective of the ones he loved though, so it was only natural that Adam would choose to put Kris back in his safe home, regardless of what the younger man actually wanted. Or at least, that’s what Brad thought Adam would do, he was completely taken by surprise when the raven-haired man squared his jaw, and ripped the cheque clean in half.
“Are you fucking OUT OF YOUR GODDAMN MIND, LAMBERT?!” Brad exclaimed, his eyes practically bugging out of his head as he watched Adam shred the cheque further, leaving little chance of even taping the thing back together, let alone making it redeemable again. What the hell was that for?
“Quiet down, Brad.” Adam sounded strained, like he was on the verge of breaking down, “I don’t want him to hear, I don’t want him to know. For once in my fucked up life, I want to be a little selfish. If a lie is what it takes to keep Kris with me, I’m willing to throw everything else away for that lie. I’m not taking the money, I’m not giving Kris back and you Brad, are not going to say a word of this to him.” His blue eyes were flickering with both pain and determination, leaving Brad momentarily speechless.
He couldn’t remember the last time Adam had done anything remotely selfish. It was always for the family business, or for his friends, or even for the greater good. Somewhere along the way, Adam had lost the will to bend and break things for his own sake. Brad thought that this was a shitty time for him to decide to start to do it again.
“Hey man, you know I’ll always be here for you. I won’t tell. But seriously,” Brad said, knowing Adam was thinking the very same thing, “You won’t be able to pull this off. You’re too nice for your good.”
“It doesn’t matter if I won’t - I have to.” Adam sounded down-right desperate, “I love him, Brad. I love him so much it's fucking causing me to hurt both myself and him just so we can live in an illusion. But I don’t care if it’s all fake - if it will fall apart sooner or later. I’m going to keep Kris; hold onto him for as long as I can.”
“So, what? You’ll just run from your debt with him tagging along? Do you really think he will follow you willingly, Adam? Are you really thinking things through?”
“Why the fuck do you think I ripped up that cheque, huh? I’m done with thinking things through - it’s never gotten me anything in life before. Now I’m just going to follow what my heart tells me, and right now it’s telling me to fucking give up the business, take Kris and run for it.”
“Bullshit, you aren’t being honest with yourself, Adam. This isn’t what you want, I know you better than this,” Brad hissed, “you want true love and you believe in soul mates. That is not what you’re going to have to live with if you get to Kris through lies.”
“What else can I do?” Adam all but cried, “Anything else, and I’ll lose him…”
“Fine, I swear I won’t tell, but you really ought to reconsider this, Adam. You’re going to regret it if you decide to build a relationship on lies,” Brad’s eyes showed hurt and understanding when he uttered his next words, “I should know that better than anyone.”
They finally exited the room, to be greeted by a confused, but not particularly displeased Kris. Adam went over and hugged the man tightly, breathing in his scent and committing it to memory. He couldn’t help but let out a sniffle. He’d think of an excuse for the hug later - right now, he just wanted to embrace this special treasure he had unexpectedly come across and soak up all of Kris’ warmth.
Brad was right. Adam was too nice for his own good.
Chapter 3: kiri-no-yami.livejournal.com/2923.html#cutid1