Adam didn’t know how it happened, but somehow they ended up in his room. Ru curled around him on the bed, and Adam just clung to him. Ru piled the blankets over them and kicked off his shoes but was otherwise clothed. A flash of panic had Adam shoving away from Ru when he thought of what his parents would say if they found them in the same bed together.
“Shh, baby. It’s okay. Let me get you calmed down, and then I’ll go to the spare room. I promise. Shh.” His words were so sweet, his breath warm on Adam’s neck, arms a comforting weight. Adam’s shield. His barrier. Adam fell asleep to his soft words and strong arms.
When Ru finally stepped off the plane and made his way to see Adam, most of the trouble of his lunchtime confrontation had faded away. Things were looking up, until he walked in the door of Adam’s small suburban home, kissed the guy, and then had to watch Adam fall apart. When Adam had asked him to stay the weekend, Ru was sure he could fly if he needed too. When the door opened and Adam stood there, looking so wonderful, even with his hair askew and lines of sleep on his face, Ru just wanted to wrap himself up in the guy and stay forever.
Then the tears started. From what Ru gathered from Adam’s incoherent mumblings, it was something about a book and not being strong enough to stand up to all the bullies. All Ru knew was that Adam had a huge heart that absorbed way too much of the pain of the world.
When Adam had finally fallen asleep, he’d crossed the room to Adam’s computer, it was unlocked. The folder open on the screen were all files dated recently and filled with Ru’s name. He read through the past few days to try to better understand him. These latest journals were almost letters, addressed to Ru. Things Adam wished he could say out loud without sounding like he was rambling.
When Ru logged closed the computer, he had a better sense of where Adam’s head was, but little idea how to fix it. He set the alarm on his phone to wake him up fairly early so he could find the guest room before Adam’s parents rose in the morning. Then he texted Tommy.
R:How can I protect someone from the whole world?
Tommy’s text back was almost instantaneous.
T:Wears his heart on his sleeve?
R: Yeah.
T: Dunno. Been trying to help u with that for years.
Ru sighed and curled up beside Adam. He settled down close enough for his forehead to rest against Adam’s, to breathe the same small space of air.
