"Quade" James calls, running to catch up with his friend.
Quade stops but doesn't turn around.
James steps in front of Quade, breathing hard from running.
"Don't listen to them okay!" James pleads, "You know they can be bastards sometimes"
Quade looks away.
“Why is it always me? Why do they hate me so much?"
"Hey" James says gently, "Quade"
Quade looks at him, green eyes shining. James puts his hands on either side of Quade's face and leans closer.
"You're focussing on the wrong things" he says and kisses him.
Quade hesitates and James draws closer, more insistent.
James smiles in to the kiss when Quade kisses back, hands reaching up tentatively to rest on his hips. James loves it. That he is the only one who can make Quade Cooper hesitant. Quade, who is so sure on the footy field, who kicks centimetre perfect kicks, who is one of the most in-control people James knows, only he can make Quade unsure, make him hesitate.
"Are you going to help me forget?" Quade whispers, hands slipping under James's shirt.
"I'm going to help you remember" James kisses him again.
"Remember what?" Quade breathes against his lips.
"That I'm the only one that matters" James grins.
Quade laughs and skims his fingers over James's ribs.
"The only one?"
"The only one" James agrees, arching his neck as Quade nuzzles his neck.
Quade draws back, meeting James's eyes.
"I already knew that"
---
"Get off him!" Quade yells, entering the fray and trying to pull people off.
"James!" he yells, frantic.
There is so much happening around him, everyone joining in the fight. Quade hesitates only for a moment when confronted by a man twice his size. James is in there. Quade has no thoughts about backing down. He charges, sending them both flying. Size has never been a problem before. He takes on men bigger than him on a weekly basis. This is no different.
He doesn't see it coming, the blow to the head. But he feels the pain and the force of the ground rushing at him.
When he opens his eyes, he finds Rocky looking down at him with worried eyes.
"You alright, Quade?'
Quade tries to sit up.
"James?" he asks. Rocky looks over towards the fray.
"Boys are getting him out right now" he says, looking back at Quade.
Quade succeeds in trying to sit up and has to grip Rocky's arm to stop the world spinning around him.
"Fuck! My head!"
"Stay out of this, Quade" Rocky commands, "we've got it"
"But-"
"But nothing! Can't have you getting hurt before the big game" Rocky pulls him to his feet.
"Barnes!" Rocky calls and Berrick appears out of nowhere.
"Sit him down somewhere and keep him out of this" he instructs and Berrick nods, putting an arm around Quade to help him stay upright.
"I can-" Quade starts.
"No, you can't." Rocky glares at him, "stay out of this or you'll have extra training for a year!"
Rocky's expression softens at the look on Quade's face.
"We'll get him out alright, Quade"
Quade finally nods, letting Berrick help him to a corner of the room not in the vortex of the fight.
"He'll be fine" Berrick tells him as Quade cranes his neck with a wince to see what is happening.
"He is a stubborn asshole. I'm gonna kill him, "Quade says, "after he gets out of this alive"
Berrick laughs.
"God! You're as bad as Ash and Drew"
Quade makes a face.
"Don't even, man! No one is as bad as Dradam!"
Berrick laughs again but Quade is distracted by the appearance of James from out of the melee, flanked by Dan Vickerman and Rocky. He looks a bit worse for wear, face already bruising and bloody. But he's grinning and trying to get back in to the fight. Rocky grips him by the arm and points at Quade. James turns his way and the smile disappears from his face, replaced by a frown. When Rocky lets him go, instead of rejoining the fight, James makes his way towards Quade.
"Are you alright?" James asks as he reaches him.
"Am I alright? What the fuck? I'm not the one who just got pulled out of a fight!" Quade yells.
"Quade you're bleeding" James says, reaching out to touch his face.
"What?" he blinks in surprise as James's fingers come away red.
He feels his head with hesitant fingers and flinches when he feels a cut on the side of his head.
"Fuck!"
"Quade…" James moves closer. Quade looks at him, the bruises are already starting to show on the pale skin.
"I can't look any worse than you" he says and James grins.
"Red's always been your colour"
"BOYS" they both turn at Rocky's call, "let's get out of here before shit really hits the fan"
Everyone shuffles out, James keeping a protective arm around Quade and Quade could hit him, if his head would stop hurting and if it actually doesn't feel so nice.
---
James lets go as soon as they enter the lockers, bursting into tears and collapsing on the bench. And Quade's been fighting his own tears and the sight of James crying sends him over the edge.
He sits down next to James and wraps his arms around him. James melts in to him, crying and shaking and hurting and Quade holds on to him and they fall apart together.
---
"How does he do it?"
Adam slows down but doesn't stop as Drew walks up alongside him.
"Who?"
Drew nods at James, who is currently wrapped around Ant, both boys with brilliant smiles lighting up their faces. James has been doing this all day. Going around to all the boys and making sure they were doing alright. Adam has to admit it is amazing that after completely breaking down in the lockers yesterday, James has picked himself up so quickly.
"It's because he's made of sugar and sunlight" Adam says and is rewarded with Drew's laughter.
"Do you think it would have helped if…" Drew says, slowing his pace and Adam turns to face him.
"Don't." he brushes his fingers against Drew's wrist, "Don't do that. It's past now and nothing can change it"
Drew looks at him, a small smile on his lips.
"Since when did you get so wise?"
"One of us has to be the mature one, otherwise we'd be like James and Quade and I'd never be able to live with that!" Adam says jokingly.
"So you're the brains and I'm what? The brawn?"
Adam grins.
"Nah man. You're the beauty"
---
"I'm here" James whispers.
Quade trembles and James leans closer, lips brushing Quade's ear.
"Quade"
He doesn't care right now about the millions of people watching. All he can see right now, all he can focus on, is Quade. Quade who is trembling and on his knees and about to fall apart.
Quade breathes in, a ragged, broken sound.
"James…" he says and James can hear the tears in his voice. And he knows how much Quade hates being exposed like this in public, especially here where they hate him.
"Just hang on for me, Quade. We're gonna make it out of here. Hang on"
The End.
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