Warning: More violence.
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Jack snatched the back of Dale's head and brought his knee up to meet the prom king's face. The football player toppled backwards. Jack took the golden opportunity to kick him in the gut. He got a good grip on Dale and slammed him into the cement fountain's base and held him there.
"Just what the fuck did you think you were doing, you sick bastard?" Jack demanded.
Dale coughed to clear his throat, but a vicious smile formed on his face. "Having at Finian's frigid ass, that's what." He retorted.
"I'll kill you," Jack growled in a voice that sounded too cold and harsh to be his own.
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Jack punched Dale again and again. The football player tried to defend himself, but he was completely outmatched by the rage burning inside Jack, which spilled out with every strike. He grabbed Dale by the shoulders, intending to slam the back of his head against the concrete corner of the bubbling fountain.
"Jack, stop!" Lee'en wrapped his arms around Jack's shoulders from behind and tugged back. When he was finally able to wrench a hand lose, he made the sign for Fin at the palm. "Help me get him back to his room. I can barely stand on my own two feet." The Unicorn had shifted back to his human form on the fly when he saw that Jack wasn't going to stop until Fin's attacker was reduced to a smear on the paving stones.
The brunet clenched his bleeding fists and his teeth, forcing himself to calm down. He stood unsteadily, giving Dale, who was slumped next to the fountain, a parting kick before stepping to his best friend's side. The cuts and bruises on Finian were gone. He was struggling to button his jacket with shaking hands.
"Let me help." Jack reached out, laying his hands over Finian's. He pulled them back when he saw they were crusted with blood, not all of it from his split knuckles. "Wait, let me get this off."
The brunet went back to the fountain and dunked his hands in, watching the blood wisp away in the cool water until it disappeared entirely. He shook off his hands then wiped them on his slacks before returning to Fin. The blond was just plucking at his tattered shirt. He seemed to be utterly at a loss as to what he should do.
"Come on," Jack said gently. "Can you stand? We can go around to the side entrance and take the smaller elevator over on that side up to our room. No one will be using that one."
Finian simply nodded. "Lee'en...he needs help getting back, too. He looks drained and dizzy." With a frown, he added. "Maybe you could carry him in his smaller form?"
"I'll carry you both if I have to," Jack said with conviction. "One little Unicorn I can definitely handle." The hazel-eyed teen stuck his hands out, feeling the air like a blind man. "Come here, baby. Are you okay?"
It took a lot of effort for Lee'en to shift back into his equine form. But, once he did, he leaned heavily against the side of Jack's leg. "So tired and sleepy, Jack." He mumbled.
"There you are." Jack patted Lee'en gently, getting a mental image of how he was oriented.
The olive-skinned teen leaned over and swept the soft little Unicorn into his arms. He felt the same weight as a medium-sized dog. Lee'en tucked his head over his lover's shoulder and let out an exhausted sigh.
"I got you now," Jack soothed. "Is he okay Fin? Hell, are you okay? Shit, maybe you need an ambulance instead of going up to the room. I'm not fucking thinking. And we need to call the cops."
"He's fine, just exhausted. And I actually feel better now than when we even arrived, Lee'en can sure heal." Finian responded as he patted himself in disbelief. "The way I look right now? I don't think the cops would even believe that Dale tried anything with me." Another frown formed on his face. "I just...want to get back to the room." He insisted, rubbing his arms.
"Okay, then." Jack nodded toward the side of the building, away from where they'd come in through the gate. "I think the door is that way."
Jack ignored Dale's slumped form as they walked by. But, Fin couldn't help but cast a troubled glance towards him as he passed. They made it around the building without any problems, and then to the side entrance. Finian fumbled a bit as he hunted for his card key, but they made it inside and up the elevator without running into anyone. Luck continued to be with them when the hall to their room was empty as well. Jack's shoulders ached with tension when they finally were safely inside their adjoining rooms.
Jack gently set Lee'en in the middle of his bed before turning to Finian and pulling him into a hug.
"I'm so fucking sorry," Jack's voice cracked. "I should never have left you alone with so many bastards around. And then when I came back and you were gone...I still wasn't worried. I should have known something was wrong."
Finian hugged Jack back tightly, his eyes closing as he reveled in his warmth. "It's not your fault. How could you have even known? I mean, I only went outside for a little fresh air. Someone had spiked the punch. Dale was drunk, too." He explained. "He got really violent."
"Please, can you tell me what he did?" Jack asked softly. "I mean, the rock..."
Finian's fingers dug a little too sharply into Jack's skin for a moment before he eased back a bit. "He tried to come onto me. I told him I was seeing Alistair but he wouldn't believe me and tried to kiss me. I bit his tongue and he became violent. Pinned me to the bench, but I kneed him in the crotch and tried to run, but he caught me again and kept beating me...I didn't feel the rock on my hands until Lee'en lifted it off." His voice fell to a whisper towards the end.
"Lee should have let me kill him." Jack hugged his best friend close. "You say the word and I'll go back and finish that fucker off."
Fin shook his head. "He's not worth it, Jack. He's just not worth it." He insisted as he did his best to control his shaking. "Besides...you stopped him before he could do any more damage."
"What can I do for you?" Jack's eyes were drawn to the big tub on one side of the room. "Do you want a bath in the fancy tub?"
Finian was still in a state of shock, though he tried not to show it. He sent Jack a strained smile, feeling guilty and sheepish about what he wanted.
"Yeah, I think I'll take a quick bath and go to bed." He said as he walked towards the door that connected both rooms. "I...I just want to see Alistair right now." He finished in a soft whisper.
"Can I run the water and take your messed up clothes?" Jack asked, looking for some way to help.
The teen took hold of his own elbows with a frown, his gaze falling briefly on the Unicorn that was passed out on Jack's bed, before conceding with a nod as he led the way to the tub. He would thank Lee'en at the first opportunity the following morning.
"Jack..." He said as he sought out the other teenager's hazel eyes. "...thank you."
"I love you, man." Jack gave Fin's shoulder a squeeze as he passed him to turn on the tub. "I'm always here for you, whatever you need."
The brunet sat on the edge of the tub with his back to Finian to give him a little privacy to change.
Fin felt a wave of sadness as he pulled his jacket off and saw the extent of the damage of his shirt. His father had worked long hours to buy him the matching suit. Finian tried to convince him to get a rental, but the older man insisted that a suit of his own would become a cherished memory. The fact that a part of the ensemble was now ruined made him feel awful. But, he pushed those feelings of sadness down and stepped in to the tub after disrobing. He knew that if he began to cry, he would not stop, and he didn't want to cry just yet.
When his friend had climbed carefully into the tub, Jack quietly gathered the suit Fin had been wearing and stepped to their adjoining door.
"If you need me for anything at all…" Jack hesitated in the doorway.
Finian nodded as he leaned back in the tub. "I'll get you. I promise."
"Okay. I'll be over here taking care of my invisible boyfriend." Jack smiled gently and let the door click shut behind him.
The tub filled fairly quickly. When it was deep enough, he pinched his nose and dipped his head back to wash his hair, as well. Bathing became a mechanical thing as he went through the motions quickly, and then stepped out to dry himself.
After he was dressed, Finian headed over to the hotel bed and climbed in. Flat on his back, he stared at the ceiling. The day's events were a clash of amazing and terrible, fun and fright. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, trying to will himself to rest. However, it took him at least an hour or two before he finally was able to drift into sleep.
Alistair was there waiting for him. The tall nightmare swept the younger man into his arms with a smile.
"I thought you'd never get here." Alistair kissed Finian gently. "It must have been a wonderful party to keep you up so late. I missed you, but I'm glad you could have fun with your classmates."
The human felt a warmth fill him when he found himself in the Nightmare's arms. His eyes pooled with tears and he was only able to say one sentence before his throat closed up.
"I'm sorry, please don't ask me anything until I can speak again!" He mewled as he found himself clinging to the older man and sobbing.
Alistair's eyes widened. He held Fin tight as he summoned a gigantic soft beanbag chair, which was the young human's favorite furniture. The nightmare let himself fall backwards onto it. The velvety fabric was cool against them as it cocooned around them gently. Alistair wrapped himself protectively around his love, rubbing soothing circles on Finian's back.
The teenager cried and cried until he let it all out. By the end of it, he was hiccoughing and sucking in shuddering breaths as he wiped at his face.
"I-I'm s-sorry!" Fin hiccupped.
"You have nothing at all to apologize for." Alistair stroked platinum hair from Finian's face. "There is nothing I'd rather be doing than holding and comforting you right now." He was anxious to know what caused the teenager such turmoil, but he didn't want to cause Fin any more grief.
Finian took another shuddering breath as yet another hiccough fell from his lips. "P-Prom was going s-so well." He began explaining. "J-Jack and I danced and had fun and even received awards...b-but then, the prom king assaulted me. I f-fought him back the best I could, but he beat me up pretty bad..."
Alistair couldn't even speak for a moment, he was so horrified. He hadn't expected this kind of news. His hands and eyes raked over every inch of Finian. "Where are you hurt?" he asked urgently. "I can come through the portal and bring a healer."
Fin shook his head. "No, Lee'en healed me all up. H-He found me and brought Jack over before it was too late. Jack fought him off and Lee ended up pretty exhausted. I-I'm fine now." He continued to explain, his voice falling to a whisper.
"Thank the gods for that Unicorn and your friend Jack." Alistair pulled Fin back into the circle of his arms. "Is Jack alright?"
The platinum haired teen nodded. "For the most part, he's fine. Very worried about me. But, all I could think about was seeing you." He dropped his forehead onto the Nightmare's shoulder. "That was very selfish of me..."
"I'm touched that in your moment of need you thought of me." Alistair pressed a soft kiss to Finian's temple. "I am so very sorry I wasn't there for you...I should have been there to protect you." Alistair's voice became low and deadly. "I'd have killed him before he ever touched you."
Finian shook his head frantically. "It's not worth it. H-He's not worth it." The teenager insisted as he snuggled back against Alistair. "Three more months...just three more months and I'll be able to see you in person."
"And then I can protect you myself." Alistair buried his face in Fin's soft blond hair.
The human let out a soft sigh as all the tension finally left his body. His eyes began to droop as he was lulled into a more peaceful sleep. "...love you, Alistair." He whispered just as his eyes shut completely.
"I love you, too," Alistair whispered as Finian drifted into a dreamless sleep. The teen didn't see when the nightmare's cobalt jewel eyes began to glow. "And I vow that the one who hurt you will suffer...tremendously."
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