This Is Make-Believe, Dear!

Title: How I Met You, Part Eighteen
Author: moodwriter
Beta: aislinntlc
Genre: angst, romance, high school AU
Pairing: Adam/Tommy
Word Count: 2860 words (this part)
Rating: R (this part)
Warnings: language, violence
Summary: Adam has done something stupid, and the whole school laughs at him. Tommy has just moved to San Diego with his parents, and he chooses the outcast over popularity because that's just his way.
Disclaimer: AU liberates me from my responsibility to tell you that this is not real. :D Mwahahahaaaaa. Anyway, this is fiction.
Prompt: College and HS AUs are my fav! But that's all I got lol So that was vegas1024's prompt for me way back when. I've been slowly writing all these prompts, and this one gets its chance now. Hopefully you'll like it. :)

How I Met You, Part Eighteen


The atmosphere at school became unbearable when Brian came back, and what made it even worse was that nothing happened. For the first two days Brian stayed out of their way, said nothing, tried nothing, but Tommy could feel the doom looming over their heads. Brian was planning something, or he was waiting for something, but one thing was clear, they weren't safe.

Adam wasn't fooled either. It wasn't a truce, not even a cold war. Brian wanted them gone or worse, and they didn't know how to solve their predicament.

It was possible Brian bought Tommy's little game of being a dangerous gang member, but Tommy was pretty sure that wasn't the reason why things were quiet.

On Wednesday at lunch, Tommy watched Brian and his gang while waiting for Adam and Isaac to finish their food. There was something sad about the way they were all trying to impress each other without ever really listening, without ever really caring what the others had in mind. He'd often watched people at his old school, from afar, seeing more than people usually wanted to show. They were all insecure, even more than Adam was, more than he was himself.

Money couldn't buy happiness.

"If you keep staring he'll notice," Isaac said, low and quiet.

He knew that. Maybe he wanted Brian to notice. "Yeah." He leaned back in his chair, raising it on its hind legs. He wanted something to happen. He was impatient and annoyed and careless.

"Tommy," Adam whispered, sounding urgent. "Please."

He looked at Adam, then Isaac, and turned back to watch Brian who right then turned to look at him. He could read the What's your fucking problem? on his face, but it had no effect on him. The only thing he feared was someone else getting hurt. If he got hurt that didn't really matter, especially if it happened for a good cause.

"Stop that," Adam whispered. "You're making it worse."

Brian didn't look away, and neither did he, and now it was a staring contest, it seemed. He knew Brian was measuring him, thinking if he could take him, wondering just what kind of a disadvantage it was that he was so much smaller - if any.

"You can't fight him," Adam said, louder than before, trying to make him look at him. "Be reasonable."

He wanted to growl. He was so frustrated. He knew something was coming, and he had absolutely no fucking clue what. He wanted to ask Brian, just throw it in his face: "Why are you doing this?"

Then Brian stood, walked up to their table, and said to Tommy, "I want to talk to you. Alone."

"No," Adam said, his voice weak but determined.

Tommy looked at Adam. "It's okay." He got up, and followed Brian before Adam could say anything else. His heart was pounding in his chest, adrenaline surging in his veins. This was crazy, but he couldn't take the non-existent peace any longer. Something had to happen.

Brian led him to an empty corridor, near where their lockers were, and then asked, "Who are you?"

Tommy just stared at him. He hadn't expected a conversation.

Brian leaned against the wall, crossing his arms and ankles. "Why do you care what happens to him?"

"He's my friend," he said, slow and careful, standing opposite Brian but still far enough that he could easily avoid an attack.

"He wasn't your friend before."

Tommy swallowed. This was what he had wanted to avoid: thinking of Brian as a person, someone with feelings and thoughts and ideas. He'd hoped Brian would just be stupid. He wasn't. "No, but I tend to side with people who've done nothing to deserve the shit people throw at them."

"That wasn't a lucky accident, was it? You tackling me?" Brian hadn't moved, but his intentions were right there, in Tommy's face. He felt the change, something shifting in the space between them.

"No."

"I want to kill you. That's how fucking annoying you are to me." Brian pushed himself off the wall, but didn't take a step closer to Tommy. He was just staring at Tommy, like he was trying to see through him.

"You're not the first one," he said softly, and he knew he was passing the test. He was a nasty bastard, and he'd seen many things. He may not have been in a gang, but he could've been. His friends had always been good for him.

Brian tilted his head to the side, his gray eyes cold, his mouth a thin angry line. "You're dead," he said quietly, and walked away.

He breathed out, thinking about Adam against that guy, managing to get a hit through those defenses. How scared he must have been when he realized that it would turn violent, too. Brian wasn't the only one who wanted blood, and even as he thought of that he knew it was stupid. They were high school kids. They were young. Yet, kids attacked kids all the time.

He didn't know how to fix this.

When he got back to the cafeteria Adam and Isaac were the only ones still there. Adam looked relieved when he saw Tommy, his face opening into a happy smile. "What did he want?" Adam asked, looking around quickly and then taking Tommy's hand when no one was there to see it, no one but Isaac.

He squeezed Adam's hand. "He wanted to see who I was."

"See how?"

"If I've been in a gang, if I'm dangerous, if I'm worth the trouble. I don't know. I don't know what he wanted to see, and I'm not sure if I was what he expected, or if I only made things worse."

Isaac cleared his throat to get their attention, then asked, "Did you get anything out of him?"

Tommy nodded. "He's not stupid, and he wants me... gone."

"I could've told you that," Isaac said. "He's not doing this because he doesn't know any better. He's desperate, and desperate people are dangerous. His dad wants to send him to a military school."

"I hope he does," Adam said, vehement, his shoulders set. "I hope we get rid of him."

Isaac got up and then sat on top of the table, and Tommy realized he was upset. "You have loving families. He doesn't."

Tommy wanted to throw his hands in the air and just give up. His life sucked. "I can't save everybody," he said, beyond frustrated.

Isaac shrugged. "No, you can't. But you can at least make your decisions based on everything you know."

"What decisions? I don't have any choices. He wants me dead." He didn't mean to say that out loud, and now Adam looked like someone had punched all the air out of his chest.

The silence made his skin itch. "He said that. He's not a boy scout. He's not some misunderstood kid who needs guidance. He's a mean motherfucker, and he wants me dead." There. He fucking said it.

Adam touched his arm, but he shook his hand away. "We need to tell the teachers. Tommy, we can't do this alone."

"And what can they do? What can anyone do? I don't know what we're supposed to do in this situation. I don't know everything."

"You don't have to," Adam said, and his voice was quiet, soft, like a gentle touch. "I'm not expecting you to. You can be scared."

He wasn't scared. He was upset. All control was slipping through his fingers, and he didn't like the feeling. It made him feel powerless. "Fuck him." He squeezed his eyes shut, pushing his fists against them. "Fuck this. I don't want... Fuck."

Adam pulled him into a hug, and he didn't resist it, just let him hold him until his breaths were even again.

"Are you like... together?" Isaac whispered, and Tommy pulled back quickly, wiping his hands on his thighs, breathing, breathing, breathing.

Adam was trying to get him to look at him, but when he didn't Adam said, "Yeah... Yes."

That's it? Everyone would and should know? He glanced at Adam, then Isaac who was staring at both of them with a bewildered look. "Got a problem with that?" Tommy asked, and he honest to fucking god didn't mean to sound so challenging. Bad timing. Bad fucking week.

Isaac shook his head. "It's cool. I'm just surprised. You're so... You're... Well... You know..."

He didn't know.

"He's like wild energy, isn't he?" Adam said, soft and sweet, and it made him breathe a little easier.

"I always thought he'd be the chick magnet of our band." Isaac bit his lips, trying to keep the grin off his face.

"You'll have to do." Tommy slapped the back of his head, not hard at all, just playful, and Isaac smiled at him. "Or Cam," he said.

"Oh cool." Adam grinned like a loon, and then they were all laughing.

They were good together. They should be able to solve this, too. Tommy wanted to look forward already. He wanted a future with this band and with Adam. He wanted to do and dream and love.

The solution came in the form of a knife.

It happened on his birthday of all days. Adam had planned something nice for him after school, and it was finally possible because his parents had given him the right to go to places again. He wasn't grounded anymore.

They were eager to leave already, eager to go to the mall, to have their time together, and their minds weren't on the things that were happening at school.

The only thing that saved Tommy was Adam's quick thinking and the fact that they had been training - not just that one time but whenever Adam had felt like it.

The corridor was mostly empty because the class was over, and the next one was already beginning, and they'd been the last ones to leave.

It took Adam longer to leave the classroom because he had trash to throw away, and that's why he was behind Tommy when it happened, and that's why he saw it. That's why the knife didn't pierce Tommy's back, didn't hurt his internal organs. It only scratched his arm because Adam warned him, and pushed at Brian at the same time so hard he lost his balance and fell.

Adam stared at his hands, stared at Tommy like him being alive and breathing was a miracle, and Tommy could only stare back. It felt surreal.

Time seemed to slow down.

And then there were people running towards them, and Tommy saw Brian slide the knife under a trophy shelf.

Tommy put his leather jacket on to cover his bleeding arm. He didn't know why he did that. He didn't know why he whispered to Adam, "There was no knife," before anyone reached them. Adam looked shocked but nodded, trusting Tommy.

"Did anyone see what happened?" their math teacher said, his voice rising above the chatter of the students around them. Nobody said anything, protecting the bastard, just like Tommy was doing too. Why? All he had to do was show his arm and tell where the knife was.

"He fell," Tommy said. "Stupid situation. We came out too fast, ran into each other, and he fell."

The teacher looked at Brian. "Is that what happened?"

Brian was staring at Tommy. "Yeah."

"You do know we're watching all three of you?"

Tommy nodded, not taking his eyes off Brian. He didn't know what he saw in his eyes, but it wasn't a cold blooded killer. What was going on here?

The teacher touched Adam's arm, and Tommy winced. Adam was too honest. Could he lie? "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine. I just thought something bad was happening, but it's fine. Nothing happened. Sorry."

It seemed like the teacher didn't believe one bit what they were saying, but since all of them kept the same story there wasn't much he could do. He just ushered them to the next class, not giving them a chance to act up more. He also told their teacher that something had been going on between them earlier, and she should get someone to escort them to their buses.

When they finally got to the bus Adam took his hand briefly, seemingly worried that he would faint or something because of the wound. It wasn't deep, but it was nice that Adam cared.

He didn't get off at his own stop because he was now free to go wherever he wanted after school as long as he did his homework at some point. He kind of loved his mom, and the fact that she trusted him again.

When they reached Adam's house Adam waited for the bus to drive off, and then took Tommy's hand and pulled him with him into the house, up the stairs, and to the bathroom. Tommy hollered hello to Leila and Neil, but Adam said nothing to them.

Adam pushed him on top of the toilet bowl, and asked him to take off his jacket. He did, wincing a little because his arm hurt.

"You're stupid," Adam said, taking his hand in his and twisting Tommy's arm to the light. "It's your birthday."

Tommy stared at him, wondering what was going on. It wasn't such a big deal, just a small cut.

Adam got a first aid kit from the top of the mirror cabinet, and found the disinfectant and cotton wad. "You don't die on your birthday."

Oh... Tommy twisted his arm so it was easier for Adam to clean it. He didn't know what to say.

"Promise me you'll always be careful. When we get out of high school... Promise me you won't fight with anyone. I don't... Just promise."

He nodded, watching Adam work, watching his hands and his face, those eyes full of concern.

"Why didn't you tell the truth? It's possible he would've gone to juvie for that."

"That's why," he said, still staring, fascinated by the way Adam was taking care of him.

Adam let go of him, even took a step back. "He'll be there tomorrow. He'll be there for a long, long time unless his dad sends him to the military school. This won't change anything. He won't stop. He wanted to kill you. Next time I might not be fast enough; you might not dodge in the right direction. Tommy, what were you thinking?"

"He's not a killer."

"He wanted to put a knife in you. He nearly succeeded. He would've been. He could've been." Adam touched his face, pushed his hair back, holding onto him. "Don't think you're invincible. Please..."

"I don't..." It wasn't that. He didn't think that nothing could harm him. Things had hurt him. He'd seen death. He knew what could happen. It just wasn't such a big deal. Except maybe it was because Adam was looking at him like that, because Adam's lower lip was trembling, and he was trying to hold back tears.

"Yeah," Adam said softly. "That's why."

"Sorry." He looked up at Adam, feeling like a total idiot.

"You should be. You matter to me."

"Sorry." He breathed in. "I'm sorry."

"Okay." Adam started bandaging his arm again, and this time he felt the pain, felt the broken skin, felt the fear, too, and when it was over he pulled Adam close, breathing in his scent, his face buried in Adam's stomach.

Adam stroked his hair, murmuring something he couldn't even hear, and he just wanted to stay there.

When they went out it was to a cheap restaurant, and Adam paid for everything. The food was greasy but good, and the company was the best he'd ever had. Adam had even bought him a gift, and he wasn't at all hesitant to give it to him right in front of everyone. "Let them look," Adam just said, and pushed the small box closer to him on the table.

He took it, looking at it. It was the second gift Adam had given him, the first one still hanging around his neck under his shirt.

Gifts made him nervous for some reason.

He opened it slowly, feeling Adam's eyes on him, and he let out a little squeal when he saw what it was. "Oh my god..." It was a pouch for his cellphone with an artistic bat on the cover, black, cool, but so damn cute when he looked at it closer. Such an Adam thing to do to give him something that was cool and cute at the same time.

Tommy looked at him, beaming. "Thank you."

"You like it?"

"Love it." He dug out his phone, and put it in the pouch, turning it around in his hand. "Sweet."

Adam smiled. "I'm glad you like it."

"I have a perfect boyfriend," he whispered, and Adam's smile grew wider.


TBC...

A/N: I'm guessing this will be 20 chapters total. It's very near its end. And I love them so. I don't want to let go. But ah well... Have to.

And I want to thank my lovely, lovely beta aislinntlc again. She's such a sport. :) *hugs* <333333