Setting
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Setting
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CYRUS JAMES
Maddoxâs apartment.
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âWhat kind of man would I be if I let a little lady leave unaccompanied?â Jack teases as heâs volunteered to take Annabelle home. He would have offered anyway, so it doesnât bother him. He stood to the side as she made her goodbyes, and he took one more look over at Maddox. Even to him, someone who never really gave Maddox the time of day, he was looking worn. Thankfully, Maddox now had two very stubborn people watching after him, and Jack wouldnât let the Beta struggle if he could help it.
Cyrus hugs Annabelle tight as she leaves, taking her orders of taking care of Maddox and not letting his charm sway Cyrus from his own stubbornness. He would take care of Maddox whether he wanted Cyrus to or not, even if the latter insisted that Cyrus was the one that needed the care.
Once they were alone, Maddox made himself comfortable on the couch⊠with his laptop. Before Cyrus could make any protest, the Beta was almost begging for a few minutes with his paper. Cyrus couldnât imagine how much work he himself missed, and Maddox hadnât left his side so he had just as much to catch up on. And though he promised not to let Maddox away him too much, he was a bit more lenient than Annabelle.
Cyrus sighs, pulling himself up from the couch and then leaning back in only press a gentle kiss against Maddoxâs forehead. âIâll give you thirty minutes before I drag your ass to bed,â Cyrus answers to Maddoxâs protest. With their beloved guests gone, Cyrus strips openly in the living room, hoping that Maddox may make his way to the bedroom with some incentive. Leaving his clothes in a little pile on the floor, he saunters back to Maddoxâs room and slowly falls to the bed.
Most of his bruises were in the end stages of healing, and he was starting to feel his fingers again. His body was coming back together, but his mind was still uneasy. Maddoxâs presence helped, but he still worried often and no doubt would wake up tonight from the horrible night terrors that plagued him. One day they would go away, and Cyrus was fighting until they were nothing more than bad memories.
Once Cyrus had vanished into the bedroom, Maddoxâs gaze focused once again on the laptop in front of him. The first five minutes passed in a blur. He did manage to get some sentences written down, however with every tick of the clock sitting on the wall behind him, the simple task of reading became increasingly more difficult. At a point, Maddox read the same sentence a minimum of ten times and still hadnât the slightest idea what it said. Two more sentences down and his vision began to blur. A sudden wave of fatigue rushed over him. He froze, eyes shutting closed for a few seconds. He let his head rest on the back of the couch, breath shortened slightly as he did everything he could to regain senses.
The fatigue slowly subsided, leaving behind an undeniable exhaustion. Stronger than anything heâd felt all week. With a sigh of defeat, he let his computer close with a soft thud. Setting it aside, he got to his feet, taking a moment to stabilize his limbs. Ignoring the subtle dizziness, he dragged his feet towards the bedroom. By the time he got there, Cyrus was already in bed. After kicking off his shoes, Maddox decided washing up before bed would require too much energy. His body mindlessly slipped under the sheets beside his blondie. His head, which felt much heavier than should be natural, rested on the younger boyâs shoulder.
His body and mind continuously begged him to rest, but his heart kept him awake, fingers carefully tracing over a scar just above Cyrusâ collarbone. âWe have the court date tomorrow...â. Along with dinner, Maddox had himself a couple of glasses of wine. Certainly nowhere near enough for his words to be as slurred as they were. Despite it all, his need to comfort Cyrus remained high above anything else, including his self-care. After a beat of silence, Maddox lifted his gaze to meet the pair of baby blues that made every moment of exhaustion worth it. âwill you be okay to go?â
CYRUS JAMES
Maddoxâs apartment.
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His eyes flutter open as he feels Maddox slip in beside him and rest on his shoulder. As the other boy traces one of the many new scars, Cyrus thought about what tomorrow would bring.
He would see Michael Izumi for the first time since he attempted to bribe Cyrus in the coffee shop, just hours before he planned a vicious attack on the blonde. As much as he wanted to spend the rest of his life without seeing that man's face again, they would eventually need his testimony. That also meant Michael's attorney could scrutinize him and possibly send him into another panic attack.
Cyrus catches Maddox's eyes when he looks up at him, asking if he's okay to go. He bites his lip, grabbing onto Maddox's hand and rubbing his thumb along them. If he were honest, the thought of being that close to Michael Izumi again terrified him. But, he knew Maddox was running himself dry worrying about Cyrus and he didn't want to add onto that. He takes hold of Maddox's cheek, smiling weakly at his boyfriend. "You and Reid have put so much effort into this. I want to be there." He manages to sound somewhat confident in his decision, trying to hide his nervousness.
A part of him wondered if it was the right decision to appear for more than his testimony. There were still plenty of visible bruises, which would show his attacker how much of his handiwork was still left on Cyrus. Some of the scars would never go away, especially the mental instability. He'd gotten himself under control since his attacks in the hospital, but he would never feel safe in a parking garage again. He'd always look over his back to see if one of his attackers was sent to terrorize him again. He had a feeling not even being in prison would stop Michael Izumi from trying to ruin his son's life.
But looking at Maddox gave him every reason to keep going and fight. It didn't matter how much he still hurt. It didn't matter if he could try to attack Cyrus again. All that mattered was that Cyrus loved Maddox and could make him happy. The Beta prince deserved so much love, and Cyrus was determined to give him every last bit he could.
"And I want you to get some sleep, okay? I can't have you exhausting yourself because of me." Cyrus gently scolds at Maddox, sliding down so he can wrap himself across Maddox. Not only did it comfort him to have Maddox's warm chest to lay on, it also prevented him from any midnight breaks to work on missing schoolwork. "And I promise to wake you up if I need help, so don't try to pull that card. I'm sleeping and so are you."
It wasn't difficult to fall back asleep. He barely woke up enough for Maddox to settle in beside him, and now that he was properly on Maddox's side using him as his favorite pillow, his own sleepiness takes the better of him.
Heâd woken up a bit before Cyrus, with just enough time to shower and make breakfast for them both. Choosing to ignore the unsettling feeling in his stomach, Maddox set down to eat with his boyfriend. Cyrus was a bundle of nerves, that much was obvious to Maddox from the moment the younger had walked into the kitchen. Maddox would be lying if he said he wasnât feeling them himself, but heâd sworn to protect the blonde with every fiber of his being, both physically and mentally and he would stick by that. He never missed an opportunity to tell his boy it would all be okay, even if he himself wasn't too sure about it. Theyâd gathered enough evidence to bring down the tyrant, but Michael Izumi was nothing short of a mastermind and Maddox had no doubt heâd have some dirty tricks up his sleeve. Whatever it took to continue to make their lives miserable.
The younger Izumi often wondered if he was truly worth all the trouble he was giving. Every thought, every recount of the events lead back to the same question. He knew Cyrus could be just as stubborn as he, but living through something like this, sticking to Maddox despite everything being against them couldnât be out of pure stubborn will. He often thought about how much easier Cyrusâ life would have been without him, even if it meant the opposite for Maddox.
After learning theyâd be accompanied to the court by a couple of bodyguards hired by none other than Reid James himself, Maddox lead Cyrus into their room to get dressed. There was an underlying uncertainty as the two boys pulled on their best suits, not knowing what the rest of the day would bring. As Maddox gathered their belongings, there was a soft knock at the door, the Beta paused, eyes scanning Cyrus for a moment before heading over to open it.
Belleâs bright blues smiled the moment she spotted Maddox. âHi! How are my favorite boys feeling today?â she took Maddoxâ silent invitation to step inside and the door was closed behind her. There was a short pause as she looked over the two, eyes brimming with love. âWell donât you two look dashing!â Maddox smiled, taking his place next to Cyrus. âReady for the battle.â he didnât feel nearly as confident as he sounded, but if thatâs what it took to comfort Cyrus then heâd have to do what he was best at. Pretending.
- 104 posts here • Page 5 of 5 • 1, 2, 3, 4, 5