Callum looked at Jack. “I woke up in Verity’s arms. They had me and Keith both. Sitting in the dirt and then the ambulance showed up and the cops.”
Callum could see on Jack’s face he’d been dying to know what had happened that morning at the club, and he was so appreciative Jack hadn’t pushed him on the details. He didn’t want to talk about it before and he didn’t even really want to talk about it now, but he needed to acknowledge what his two friends had done for him.
“I found them outside. Keith was…still being attacked. Aaron fought the men. Subdued them until the cops came.”
“You what?” Jack asked, his head snapping toward Aaron.
Aaron scratched the side of his arm and Verity reached for his hand, squeezing it and offering a reassuring smile.
“I did what anyone else would do,” Aaron repeated, noticeably uncomfortable with the attention.
“It doesn’t need to be relived,” Callum said quietly, his voice directed at Jack.
“No, it doesn’t,” Verity whispered, a tremor in their voice.
“Verity,” Callum coaxed their attention. “Look at me.”
Verity shifted their attention to Callum, obviously not wanting to look at his face. Callum repeated their name until they looked at him, eyes wet with unshed tears.
“I’m here. I’m fine. I’m both of those things because of you, okay?”
“Alright,” they breathed.
“This will go away.” Callum gestured to his face, the fading yellow bruise over his eye. “I’m here. I’m alive, okay?Keithis alive. Because the two of you. So, thank you, okay?”
“Okay,” Verity agreed, their voice a little surer than before.
“And we don’t need to talk about it anymore. Unless there’s a trial. And even then, just in court. I don’t want this to be who I am to you,” he pleaded. “I just want everyone to stop treating me different than they did before. I want you to keep snarking, and I want Aaron to keep being jealous of everyone you know, and I want Jack to fuck me again. I just want everything to go back to normal.”
He raised his voice and let out an exasperated cry of frustration, knotting his fingers in his hair and lowering his forehead to his knees. A soft hand landed on his back, stroking a smooth and reassuring line up and down his spine. He trembled and muffled a cry between his legs.
Jack fell to the floor, sliding off the coffee table and using his head to bump his way against Callum’s face. He pressed their cheeks together and laid a half-kiss against his mouth.
“I’m sorry,” Jack whispered against his face, kissing the trail of tears that had escaped his lashes. Jack’s lips caused the bruise below his eye to ache, but instead of wincing away, he leaned into it, hopeless against the fact that the pain grounded him in a way he’d come to need.
He turned his face and slanted his lips over Jack’s, trying to explain what he needed using only the muscles of his mouth. He cupped his hand around Jack’s neck and held him in place, devouring his mouth urgently, his tongue diving and exploring his depths. Callum didn’t care they weren’t alone. He needed his Daddy, and he needed his Daddy to needhim—the way he used to.
“I’m sorry,” Jack said again, putting the smallest amount of space between them. “I’ll make it up to you.” He rolled their foreheads together while they caught their breath. It was then Callum recognized the gentle weight of Verity’s hand still on his back. It tingled in an unexpected way and he sat up, searching out Verity’s eyes, his bright red cheeks on display.
Verity smiled at him and swiped a finger across his cheek before standing and straightening the legs of their pants.
“Well, if you want to be treated normally, then you can come back to work on Friday, yeah?” they said.
Aaron stood up and wrapped his fingers around the curve of Verity’s shoulders. “He’s still in a brace,” he said with a chuckle.
“Normal people come to work,” Verity said firmly. “I’ll help him.”
Tears welled in the backs of Callum’s eyes again, immeasurably appreciative for this other gift Verity was now giving him—taking on more work for themself so Callum could return to normal. They all knew he couldn’t do his full duties, but there had to be some drinks he could serve with one hand. Things he could manage.
“Thank you,” Callum said again, not sure he’d ever be able to say it enough.
Jack grabbed his knees and squeezed, standing and following Verity and Aaron toward the door.
“Verity,” he muttered.
In lieu of a reply, Verity reached for Jack and wrapped him in their arms, clapping their hand against his back a few times, holding him close.
“Okay?” they asked.
