Stain.
one.
Grin and bear it.
That’s what Alex tells himself for the fifteenth time as Zack smashes his head against the wall of their apartment. Grin and bear it, then he won’t know what pain you’re in.He knows that by morning, there’ll be bruises on his hips, his arms, his legs, maybe even around his eyes if he pisses Zack off even more.
“You hear me? You’re not to talk to him!” Zack screams, face contorted in anger as Alex shrinks further away into the kitchen wall.
There’s another sickening crack as Zack’s fist connects with Alex’s jaw. Alex stands and doesn’t do anything, taking hit after hit from Zack’s infuriated fists. He feels his nose break as Zack hits him in the face once again, and then the warm sensation of the blood dripping from his top lip to the floor.
“You don’t talk to anyone unless I say so!” Zack snarls, pushing Alex over and slamming the door as he leaves. Alex gingerly pulls himself to his feet, stumbling over to a mirror to inspect the damage.
Broken nose, two black eyes that’ll probably show more by morning, countless cuts and bruises scattering his tan skin everywhere else.
It’s the same old story.
Alex goes to rummage in the freezer for something he can use as a makeshift ice pack to ease the throbbing pain in his nose. Zack’s locked him in again.
He curls up on the living room rug - he’s locked out of the bedroom again - and presses the ice to his nose.
Alex Gaskarth cries himself to sleep again.
*
Alex looks a mess when Jack next sees him, the day after. Alex lied to Zack, saying he was going to the hospital to get his nose checked out. He knows that if Zack finds out that he lied, he’s dead.
Jack looks up from the couch when he hears his front door shut gently. Alex stands there and sniffles, pulling the sleeves of his sweater down further over his shaking hands.
“What the hell happened?” Jack asks, standing and walking over to Alex before embracing him in a hug.
Alex looks at him, tears and heartbreak in his lonely honey eyes. He doesn’t say anything, instead pulls up the front of his sweater to reveal a landscape of purple, yellow and blue tinted bruises staining his tanned skin. Jack watches him, horrified, as he lowers his sweater and rolls up his sleeves. Their removal reveals more multicoloured bruises, each as horrible as the last. Scattered between them are occasional cuts and gashes, scabbed over but left without a gauze to aid them on their way. Alex lowers his sleeves and looks up at Jack, waiting to be shot down like he always is with Zack. Jack looks down at Alex and sees the bandage attempting to hold his clearly broken nose in place and the dark purple bruises below his eyes.
“What happened?” Jack asks. Alex looks guiltily to his right, and Jack gently cups his chin and forces the elder to look at him.
“Who did this?”
Ordinarily, Alex would’ve lied like no tomorrow, but today, he just doesn’t have it in him.
Alex Gaskarth finally tells someone that he’s being abused by his boyfriend.
That’s what Alex tells himself for the fifteenth time as Zack smashes his head against the wall of their apartment. Grin and bear it, then he won’t know what pain you’re in.He knows that by morning, there’ll be bruises on his hips, his arms, his legs, maybe even around his eyes if he pisses Zack off even more.
“You hear me? You’re not to talk to him!” Zack screams, face contorted in anger as Alex shrinks further away into the kitchen wall.
There’s another sickening crack as Zack’s fist connects with Alex’s jaw. Alex stands and doesn’t do anything, taking hit after hit from Zack’s infuriated fists. He feels his nose break as Zack hits him in the face once again, and then the warm sensation of the blood dripping from his top lip to the floor.
“You don’t talk to anyone unless I say so!” Zack snarls, pushing Alex over and slamming the door as he leaves. Alex gingerly pulls himself to his feet, stumbling over to a mirror to inspect the damage.
Broken nose, two black eyes that’ll probably show more by morning, countless cuts and bruises scattering his tan skin everywhere else.
It’s the same old story.
Alex goes to rummage in the freezer for something he can use as a makeshift ice pack to ease the throbbing pain in his nose. Zack’s locked him in again.
He curls up on the living room rug - he’s locked out of the bedroom again - and presses the ice to his nose.
Alex Gaskarth cries himself to sleep again.
*
Alex looks a mess when Jack next sees him, the day after. Alex lied to Zack, saying he was going to the hospital to get his nose checked out. He knows that if Zack finds out that he lied, he’s dead.
Jack looks up from the couch when he hears his front door shut gently. Alex stands there and sniffles, pulling the sleeves of his sweater down further over his shaking hands.
“What the hell happened?” Jack asks, standing and walking over to Alex before embracing him in a hug.
Alex looks at him, tears and heartbreak in his lonely honey eyes. He doesn’t say anything, instead pulls up the front of his sweater to reveal a landscape of purple, yellow and blue tinted bruises staining his tanned skin. Jack watches him, horrified, as he lowers his sweater and rolls up his sleeves. Their removal reveals more multicoloured bruises, each as horrible as the last. Scattered between them are occasional cuts and gashes, scabbed over but left without a gauze to aid them on their way. Alex lowers his sleeves and looks up at Jack, waiting to be shot down like he always is with Zack. Jack looks down at Alex and sees the bandage attempting to hold his clearly broken nose in place and the dark purple bruises below his eyes.
“What happened?” Jack asks. Alex looks guiltily to his right, and Jack gently cups his chin and forces the elder to look at him.
“Who did this?”
Ordinarily, Alex would’ve lied like no tomorrow, but today, he just doesn’t have it in him.
Alex Gaskarth finally tells someone that he’s being abused by his boyfriend.