Fake Fan Fiction ❯ Misery ❯ Battered and Worn ( Chapter 3 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: Kita and Subu-chan 
Anime/Manga: Fake Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Comedy / Action / Drama / Romance / Police | Type: Shounen-ai | Uploaded On: 01.14.2007 | Updated On: 01.14.2007 | Pages: 2 | Words: 2.3K | Visits: 508 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: Fake Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Comedy / Action / Drama / Romance / Police | Type: Shounen-ai | Uploaded On: 01.14.2007 | Updated On: 01.14.2007 | Pages: 2 | Words: 2.3K | Visits: 508 | Status: Work In Progress
Chapter Three-Battered and Worn
JJ woke with a start, lifting his head blearily. There was a painful imprint of his computer keyboard on his left cheek. Drake lifted the hand he had used to shake his partner awake. “C’mon, sleeping beauty. Time to rise and shine.” He glanced at his watch and chuckled. “Or rather, time to stagger home for a couple of hours of sleep before you have to drag your ass back to work at nine.”
JJ blinked at the clock on the wall, forcing his eyes to focus and groaned, rubbing his aching cheek. “Dammit.”
Drake shoved a cup of coffee into his hands. “Here. Maybe this’ll clear out the cobwebs long enough for you to drive home.”
JJ stared at the coffee blearily.
“You’re supposed to drink it, genius, not stare at it.”
JJ blinked up at his partner. “How long have I been asleep?”
Drake pretended to think for a minute. “Couple of hours. You were talking about nailing the sonuvabitch that shot Ryo and then the next thing I knew, there was silence. You were out and drooling on your keyboard.”
JJ rubbed his smarting cheek again with a frown. “And it didn’t occur to you to wake me? Or at least to move my head off of the damned keyboard?”
Drake grinned at him, looking all too awake for such a late hour. “Nope.”
JJ grimaced and put the untouched coffee down. His eyes felt gritty and swollen and he rubbed them tiredly. “I guess I should get home.” He pushed back his chair and wobbled unsteadily, catching himself on the corner of his desk.
Drake frowned at him. “You okay?”
JJ managed a half-hearted smile. “Yeah. Just a little out of it.” He yawned and stepped away from his desk. His knee popped and he staggered. Drake caught his arm and steadied him. “You sure you’re okay?”
JJ pushed away his concern along with his hand. “I’m fine, Drake-sempai. Just stiff from sitting there too long.”
Drake scowled at him as JJ picked up his jacket with exaggerated care. “You’re not fine. You look like hell.”
JJ drew himself up, offended. “Thank you so much for your concern. I’ll be fine.”
Drake sighed and caught his arm with a look of forbearance. “Shut up, kid. I’ll drive you home.”
“I don’t need your help, thank you.” JJ said coldly. “And I’m not a kid!”
Drake ruffled his hair, earning a yelp of protest. “Aw, don’t get angry, JJ. You had a long day. Let me give you a hand.”
“Don’t patronize me!” JJ jerked his arm free and overbalanced. Wind-milling his arms wildly, he went down on his rump, cracking a shoulder painfully against the corner of his desk. He clutched the injured shoulder, tears of pain leaking out of his eyes.
“Shit, JJ, are you okay?” Drake dropped to his knees next to JJ. “C’mon, look at me! Are you hurt?”
The worry in Drake’s voice was just too much after the long emotional day. JJ burst into tears, holding his injured shoulder and rocking back and forth with the force of his sobs.
“Shit, you are hurt! I’ll get help!” Drake sounded like he was about to panic as he tried to get to his feet. JJ caught his shirt and shook his head, though he couldn’t manage to get words past the sobs constricting his throat. He flung his arms around Drake and buried his face in Drake’s shirt. “Wha-?”
JJ sobbed into Drake’s chest, unable to stop. Slowly, he felt Drake’s arms close around him, one hand stroking his back in a soothing circular motion. “Shh-Shh. It’s okay, JJ. Shh.” Drake held him, murmuring soothingly into his hair.
JJ wept until his eyes were aching, clinging to Drake’s shirt. As the tears ran out, so did his strength and he relaxed into Drake’s hold. A part of him marveled at how good Drake felt pressed against him, but he ignored the traitorous thought. As he calmed, other sensations came to him. The dully-throbbing ache in his shoulder and the uncomfortable spot where Drake’s keys were digging into his side. The dampness of the linen shirt under his cheek and the salty taste of his own sorrow; the warm arms supporting him and the faint smell of Drake’s aftershave surrounding him.
JJ didn’t want to move. He felt empty, wrung-out. But Drake’s arms were comforting and supportive and for some reason, he wanted them to stay wrapped around him forever. He tried to ignore that odd thought as he hiccupped and tried to breathe through a stuffy nose.
“Are you okay now?” Drake asked quietly, his voice a reassuring rumble under JJ’s ear. His hand was still rubbing in comforting circles against JJ’s back.
“Yeah.” JJ was too wrung out emotionally to be embarrassed. “I’m sorry, Drake-sempai. It’s been a long and absolutely rotten day.” He sniffled and rubbed his cheek against Drake’s shirt.
Drake stiffened a bit and sat up. “I know. C’mon, let’s get you home and that shoulder looked at. At the very least, you’re going to have one hell of a bruise there.”
He helped JJ to his feet and dug his keys out of his pocket. JJ leaned tiredly against him and Drake put a careful arm around his shoulders, avoiding the injured spot. He helped JJ down to Drake’s car and eased him into the passenger’s seat. Drake leaned across him and helped him buckle the seatbelt when that proved too much for JJ’s injured shoulder to handle. JJ gritted his teeth at the renewed surge of pain and bit back fresh tears, staring fixedly at the large damp spot his tears had left on Drake’s shirt.
Drake drove to JJ’s apartment building and helped him out of the car, after hunting for a parking space for nearly ten minutes. He helped JJ into the lobby and punched the button for the elevator as the old security guard at the desk came to check on him. “Mr. Adams, are you alright?”
JJ offered him a pained grin. “One of the hazards of police work, Mr. Kinsey. I’ll be okay.”
The elevator dinged and slid open. Drake steered JJ into the elevator with a polite nod at the rent-a-cop. When they reached his apartment, JJ fumbled out his keys. Drake took them and unlocked the door, kicking it open. He shoved it shut with an elbow and deposited JJ on the couch. “Lose the shirt,” Drake told him as he turned on the overhead light.
Wincing, JJ peeled out of his shirt. Drake whistled softly. “Ouch.”
JJ craned his neck to see, but could only spot the edge of the spreading bruise. There was blood on his shirt, though.
“Stay here,” Drake commanded. “I’ll get something to clean and bandage that.”
“Is it that bad?”
“Bad enough.”
JJ winced and pointed down the hall. “First aid stuff’s in the cabinet across from the sink, on the shelf above the towels.”
Drake nodded and vanished into the bathroom. JJ stared after him with a thoughtful smile. He felt better now, after crying himself out in Drake’s arms. The pain might never go away, but the keen edge was dulled for the moment. Drake’s comforting presence helped immensely.
Drake returned with an armful of first-aid supplies. “Looks like the corner of the desk broke the skin pretty bad. Nasty bruise too.” JJ yelped as Drake poured peroxide on the wound. He gritted his teeth at the sting as it bubbled in the tear. “Sorry.” Drake apologized as he gently blotted the blood and peroxide away with a towel. He smoothed on an antibiotic cream and pressed a pad of gauze over it. JJ shivered as Drake deftly taped the pad down, his fingers warm and gentle on the bruised skin.
JJ suppressed another shudder as Drake added another strip of tape. He blinked and considered that reaction with mild surprise. Was he that hard up that he was turned on by his very hetero partner? No. It couldn’t be. It was just a reaction brought on by an overly emotional day. He had just had too much today and his body was confused. But Drake’s gentle hands were very warm on his shoulders…
JJ shoved that thought away. Even if Dee had rejected him, he still loved him. Drake was his trusted partner, nothing more. Besides, he was as straight as the day was long. “Thanks, Drake-sempai.” JJ managed, swallowing.
“Don’t thank me. It’s my fault you got hurt anyway.”
JJ turned. “No, it’s not. I overreacted. I was overwrought and I just went a little crazy. You were only trying to help.”
Drake frowned at him. “Are you sure you’re okay? What happened today? I mean besides Ryo getting shot.”
JJ shook his head wearily. “I just realized something, I guess. I didn’t want to believe it, but it smacked me in the face. Kind of hard to ignore when that happens.”
“You’re not going to tell me, are you?”
“Nope.” JJ offered a weary smile. “Thanks for the assist, Drake-sempai.”
Drake nodded with resignation. He offered JJ some ibuprofen and went into the kitchen for a bottle of water. JJ found himself watching Drake leave the room and mentally slapped himself when he caught himself noticing what a nice ass Drake had. Shit! He was out of his damned mind.
He accepted the bottle of water and washed down three tablets with half the bottle. He flinched when his movement tugged too hard on the bandages.
“Are you sure you’re going to be alright?” Drake asked with a worried frown.
“I’ll live.” JJ carefully pushed himself up, wincing at the ache of the bruise and the pull of the tape on said bruise. “I’m going to bed.”
Drake watched the careful way he moved and stood to assist him, ignoring JJ’s protest. JJ planted his feet when he realized Drake had every intention of putting him to bed like a child. “I can manage, Drake-sempai. I’ll be fine.” He knew his face was turning a little red, but he didn’t dare let Drake come too close again, especially if his traitorous body showed its interest in unmistakable ways.
Drake nodded reluctantly. “Get some rest, JJ. And if that shoulder bothers you too much, take a damned day off. Its not like you can’t afford it. God knows, you’ve only got more sick days than the rest of us combined. I have to wonder if you ever get sick.” Drake chuckled a little. “I mean it, though. If that shoulder is still giving you problems in the morning, stay the hell home.”
JJ gave him a half-hearted smile. “Gotcha.”
Drake glanced at him worriedly as he left. JJ locked the door behind him and leaned his uninjured shoulder against it with a sigh of mixed consternation and relief. Moving slowly and carefully, JJ pulled on a pair of pajama bottoms and climbed into bed, determined not to think about Drake or Dee or sex or damned well anything else that he could think of. He said a brief prayer for Ryo and pulled the covers up, curling on his side to keep his aching shoulder from touching the bed.
He was counting heartbeats by the insistent throb in the injury when his body unexpectedly reminded him what Drake had felt like against him. He found himself thinking muzzily that Drake would feel so warm and nice curled up against his back. JJ shook his head fiercely, denying the very thought. He wanted Dee, not Drake. Drake was his too-nice-for-his-own-good-sometimes partner, not a hot guy he wanted badly to drag into his bed and screw till they were both senseless and sated. JJ sat up abruptly, stunned at himself. The insistent pain in his shoulder twinged, but JJ ignored it. What the hell was he thinking?! Dee was the one he wanted in his bed, not Drake. Drake was his partner and as hetero as anything, even if he did have a really nice ass.
His body reacted to the thought and JJ groaned, wondering if he could bear to face Drake tomorrow at work. He’d never been so embarrassed with himself.
Fuck it, JJ thought. Drake had told him to call into tomorrow and he was going to follow his advice, if only to gain a little emotional distance from the events of the night. Satisfied with the thought, JJ was asleep as soon as he turned off the light.
JJ woke with a start, lifting his head blearily. There was a painful imprint of his computer keyboard on his left cheek. Drake lifted the hand he had used to shake his partner awake. “C’mon, sleeping beauty. Time to rise and shine.” He glanced at his watch and chuckled. “Or rather, time to stagger home for a couple of hours of sleep before you have to drag your ass back to work at nine.”
JJ blinked at the clock on the wall, forcing his eyes to focus and groaned, rubbing his aching cheek. “Dammit.”
Drake shoved a cup of coffee into his hands. “Here. Maybe this’ll clear out the cobwebs long enough for you to drive home.”
JJ stared at the coffee blearily.
“You’re supposed to drink it, genius, not stare at it.”
JJ blinked up at his partner. “How long have I been asleep?”
Drake pretended to think for a minute. “Couple of hours. You were talking about nailing the sonuvabitch that shot Ryo and then the next thing I knew, there was silence. You were out and drooling on your keyboard.”
JJ rubbed his smarting cheek again with a frown. “And it didn’t occur to you to wake me? Or at least to move my head off of the damned keyboard?”
Drake grinned at him, looking all too awake for such a late hour. “Nope.”
JJ grimaced and put the untouched coffee down. His eyes felt gritty and swollen and he rubbed them tiredly. “I guess I should get home.” He pushed back his chair and wobbled unsteadily, catching himself on the corner of his desk.
Drake frowned at him. “You okay?”
JJ managed a half-hearted smile. “Yeah. Just a little out of it.” He yawned and stepped away from his desk. His knee popped and he staggered. Drake caught his arm and steadied him. “You sure you’re okay?”
JJ pushed away his concern along with his hand. “I’m fine, Drake-sempai. Just stiff from sitting there too long.”
Drake scowled at him as JJ picked up his jacket with exaggerated care. “You’re not fine. You look like hell.”
JJ drew himself up, offended. “Thank you so much for your concern. I’ll be fine.”
Drake sighed and caught his arm with a look of forbearance. “Shut up, kid. I’ll drive you home.”
“I don’t need your help, thank you.” JJ said coldly. “And I’m not a kid!”
Drake ruffled his hair, earning a yelp of protest. “Aw, don’t get angry, JJ. You had a long day. Let me give you a hand.”
“Don’t patronize me!” JJ jerked his arm free and overbalanced. Wind-milling his arms wildly, he went down on his rump, cracking a shoulder painfully against the corner of his desk. He clutched the injured shoulder, tears of pain leaking out of his eyes.
“Shit, JJ, are you okay?” Drake dropped to his knees next to JJ. “C’mon, look at me! Are you hurt?”
The worry in Drake’s voice was just too much after the long emotional day. JJ burst into tears, holding his injured shoulder and rocking back and forth with the force of his sobs.
“Shit, you are hurt! I’ll get help!” Drake sounded like he was about to panic as he tried to get to his feet. JJ caught his shirt and shook his head, though he couldn’t manage to get words past the sobs constricting his throat. He flung his arms around Drake and buried his face in Drake’s shirt. “Wha-?”
JJ sobbed into Drake’s chest, unable to stop. Slowly, he felt Drake’s arms close around him, one hand stroking his back in a soothing circular motion. “Shh-Shh. It’s okay, JJ. Shh.” Drake held him, murmuring soothingly into his hair.
JJ wept until his eyes were aching, clinging to Drake’s shirt. As the tears ran out, so did his strength and he relaxed into Drake’s hold. A part of him marveled at how good Drake felt pressed against him, but he ignored the traitorous thought. As he calmed, other sensations came to him. The dully-throbbing ache in his shoulder and the uncomfortable spot where Drake’s keys were digging into his side. The dampness of the linen shirt under his cheek and the salty taste of his own sorrow; the warm arms supporting him and the faint smell of Drake’s aftershave surrounding him.
JJ didn’t want to move. He felt empty, wrung-out. But Drake’s arms were comforting and supportive and for some reason, he wanted them to stay wrapped around him forever. He tried to ignore that odd thought as he hiccupped and tried to breathe through a stuffy nose.
“Are you okay now?” Drake asked quietly, his voice a reassuring rumble under JJ’s ear. His hand was still rubbing in comforting circles against JJ’s back.
“Yeah.” JJ was too wrung out emotionally to be embarrassed. “I’m sorry, Drake-sempai. It’s been a long and absolutely rotten day.” He sniffled and rubbed his cheek against Drake’s shirt.
Drake stiffened a bit and sat up. “I know. C’mon, let’s get you home and that shoulder looked at. At the very least, you’re going to have one hell of a bruise there.”
He helped JJ to his feet and dug his keys out of his pocket. JJ leaned tiredly against him and Drake put a careful arm around his shoulders, avoiding the injured spot. He helped JJ down to Drake’s car and eased him into the passenger’s seat. Drake leaned across him and helped him buckle the seatbelt when that proved too much for JJ’s injured shoulder to handle. JJ gritted his teeth at the renewed surge of pain and bit back fresh tears, staring fixedly at the large damp spot his tears had left on Drake’s shirt.
Drake drove to JJ’s apartment building and helped him out of the car, after hunting for a parking space for nearly ten minutes. He helped JJ into the lobby and punched the button for the elevator as the old security guard at the desk came to check on him. “Mr. Adams, are you alright?”
JJ offered him a pained grin. “One of the hazards of police work, Mr. Kinsey. I’ll be okay.”
The elevator dinged and slid open. Drake steered JJ into the elevator with a polite nod at the rent-a-cop. When they reached his apartment, JJ fumbled out his keys. Drake took them and unlocked the door, kicking it open. He shoved it shut with an elbow and deposited JJ on the couch. “Lose the shirt,” Drake told him as he turned on the overhead light.
Wincing, JJ peeled out of his shirt. Drake whistled softly. “Ouch.”
JJ craned his neck to see, but could only spot the edge of the spreading bruise. There was blood on his shirt, though.
“Stay here,” Drake commanded. “I’ll get something to clean and bandage that.”
“Is it that bad?”
“Bad enough.”
JJ winced and pointed down the hall. “First aid stuff’s in the cabinet across from the sink, on the shelf above the towels.”
Drake nodded and vanished into the bathroom. JJ stared after him with a thoughtful smile. He felt better now, after crying himself out in Drake’s arms. The pain might never go away, but the keen edge was dulled for the moment. Drake’s comforting presence helped immensely.
Drake returned with an armful of first-aid supplies. “Looks like the corner of the desk broke the skin pretty bad. Nasty bruise too.” JJ yelped as Drake poured peroxide on the wound. He gritted his teeth at the sting as it bubbled in the tear. “Sorry.” Drake apologized as he gently blotted the blood and peroxide away with a towel. He smoothed on an antibiotic cream and pressed a pad of gauze over it. JJ shivered as Drake deftly taped the pad down, his fingers warm and gentle on the bruised skin.
JJ suppressed another shudder as Drake added another strip of tape. He blinked and considered that reaction with mild surprise. Was he that hard up that he was turned on by his very hetero partner? No. It couldn’t be. It was just a reaction brought on by an overly emotional day. He had just had too much today and his body was confused. But Drake’s gentle hands were very warm on his shoulders…
JJ shoved that thought away. Even if Dee had rejected him, he still loved him. Drake was his trusted partner, nothing more. Besides, he was as straight as the day was long. “Thanks, Drake-sempai.” JJ managed, swallowing.
“Don’t thank me. It’s my fault you got hurt anyway.”
JJ turned. “No, it’s not. I overreacted. I was overwrought and I just went a little crazy. You were only trying to help.”
Drake frowned at him. “Are you sure you’re okay? What happened today? I mean besides Ryo getting shot.”
JJ shook his head wearily. “I just realized something, I guess. I didn’t want to believe it, but it smacked me in the face. Kind of hard to ignore when that happens.”
“You’re not going to tell me, are you?”
“Nope.” JJ offered a weary smile. “Thanks for the assist, Drake-sempai.”
Drake nodded with resignation. He offered JJ some ibuprofen and went into the kitchen for a bottle of water. JJ found himself watching Drake leave the room and mentally slapped himself when he caught himself noticing what a nice ass Drake had. Shit! He was out of his damned mind.
He accepted the bottle of water and washed down three tablets with half the bottle. He flinched when his movement tugged too hard on the bandages.
“Are you sure you’re going to be alright?” Drake asked with a worried frown.
“I’ll live.” JJ carefully pushed himself up, wincing at the ache of the bruise and the pull of the tape on said bruise. “I’m going to bed.”
Drake watched the careful way he moved and stood to assist him, ignoring JJ’s protest. JJ planted his feet when he realized Drake had every intention of putting him to bed like a child. “I can manage, Drake-sempai. I’ll be fine.” He knew his face was turning a little red, but he didn’t dare let Drake come too close again, especially if his traitorous body showed its interest in unmistakable ways.
Drake nodded reluctantly. “Get some rest, JJ. And if that shoulder bothers you too much, take a damned day off. Its not like you can’t afford it. God knows, you’ve only got more sick days than the rest of us combined. I have to wonder if you ever get sick.” Drake chuckled a little. “I mean it, though. If that shoulder is still giving you problems in the morning, stay the hell home.”
JJ gave him a half-hearted smile. “Gotcha.”
Drake glanced at him worriedly as he left. JJ locked the door behind him and leaned his uninjured shoulder against it with a sigh of mixed consternation and relief. Moving slowly and carefully, JJ pulled on a pair of pajama bottoms and climbed into bed, determined not to think about Drake or Dee or sex or damned well anything else that he could think of. He said a brief prayer for Ryo and pulled the covers up, curling on his side to keep his aching shoulder from touching the bed.
He was counting heartbeats by the insistent throb in the injury when his body unexpectedly reminded him what Drake had felt like against him. He found himself thinking muzzily that Drake would feel so warm and nice curled up against his back. JJ shook his head fiercely, denying the very thought. He wanted Dee, not Drake. Drake was his too-nice-for-his-own-good-sometimes partner, not a hot guy he wanted badly to drag into his bed and screw till they were both senseless and sated. JJ sat up abruptly, stunned at himself. The insistent pain in his shoulder twinged, but JJ ignored it. What the hell was he thinking?! Dee was the one he wanted in his bed, not Drake. Drake was his partner and as hetero as anything, even if he did have a really nice ass.
His body reacted to the thought and JJ groaned, wondering if he could bear to face Drake tomorrow at work. He’d never been so embarrassed with himself.
Fuck it, JJ thought. Drake had told him to call into tomorrow and he was going to follow his advice, if only to gain a little emotional distance from the events of the night. Satisfied with the thought, JJ was asleep as soon as he turned off the light.