Several hours later, Terry awoke to find himself shivering intensely, cold and frightened. But of what? His head hurt a lot. He tried to sit up but found his long hair pinned behind him. When he reached back to free it, he saw the belt tying his wrists in a firm binding. It all came back to him in a mad rush. He nearly passed out again from the wave of queasiness which attacked from nowhere. But his survival instincts were still intact. He had to escape. An arm was lying heavily across his slim waist, fingers curled in the blond hairs between his legs. A deadly grip. Terry froze.
*What if I wake him…* He was scared of Joe. Of what he had done, of what he was still capable of. But he had to get away. Terry nervously picked up Joe’s sleepy hand, uncurling the fingers which touched him somewhere he would rather avoid thinking about. Very cautiously, he crawled out from under that arm, placing it slowly onto the ground. Joe was snoring. A good sign. Terry brought the belt to his mouth where he clenched the pin with his teeth. Grit it savagely and pulled, removing the leather from where it had worn his flesh raw. He would not be able to get his deadened fingers to respond for a while.
In the dark, he could barely make out his jeans strewn by the bar and partially torn. For some unknown reason, Joe had left his shirt untouched. It left him no dignity as a result of that oversight. Slight sounds reached Joe’s ears but he did not stir when Terry forced his pants on. He let out a sharp moan when they hugged his bruised hips too snugly. Luckily, Joe kept his eyes closed and even grinned in his sleep, as if dreaming pleasantly. Terry nearly lost it to kick Joe’s face until it was disfigured and bloody. When his legs quivered beneath him, he realized how foolhardy that would be. He could hardly stand let alone overpower the bigger man.
Taking one last look to make sure that Joe was not going to get up and follow him, Terry crept out the door. Shutting it gently behind him before stumbling to the elevator.
*I must look awful.* Terry staggered down the streets, leaning against lamp poles or building walls to catch his breath. And to give his aching body a rest. The people who were up early avoided him. Giving him disapproving glances.
Finally, Terry found himself outside of Andy’s apartment door, debating over whether he should bother him or not. What if Andy and Mai were getting intimate and he interrupted them? Should he just pretend that nothing had happened? The tournament would begin later on in the day and he felt like crap. With the punishment Joe had given him… Terry rang on the doorbell, not able to contain the overpowering sobs which wracked him. He needed help, a place of refuge where Joe cold not touch him. Only Andy could provide him with a safe place to recover and to hide. When Andy didn’t answer the door, Terry rang again, covering his mouth to stifle the sounds which he was making.
"I’m coming!" Andy unlocked the door at the sight of Terry’s steel banded, red cap. *If this is a joke, Terry…I’m going to beat the living daylights out of both you and Joe.* He flung the door open, already speaking. "No! Mai and I did not ‘do it’. She isn’t even here. So you can go tell Joe…" Terry dropped to his knees, bent over and crying terribly hard. "Terry! What the hell?!!" He knelt down to his brother, scared beyond comprehension. The first thing he did was to hold Terry by his shoulders but could not get any reaction. "Are you hurt? Was it Geese? Krauser?" He continued to question but Terry would not answer.
Andy moved his arm under both of Terry’s to lift him up, supporting him to lead him into the apartment. When he tried to help Terry into sitting on the couch, his brother yelped in pain, choosing to lie on his side instead.
"You’ve got to talk to me, Terry. Tell me what happened. Where’s Joe? Is he okay?" Andy saw Terry stiffen at his mentioning of Joe’s name. "Where is Joe, Terry?"
"Don’t…" Terry grabbed Andy’s hand when he picked up the phone.
"I’m calling to make sure Joe is okay."
"Who cares if Joe is okay!!!" Terry flung the phone into the wall and buried his head into a cushion, weeping.
It was then that Andy began to piece everything together. "You got into a fight with him?" He watched Terry’s shivering cut through to his bones. "He hurt you?" *What could Joe have possibly done to make Terry cower like this? I’ve never seen Terry show anything but happiness. This isn’t like him.* Andy noticed that Terry’s clothes looked rumpled and his wrists… "What the hell did he do to you?!!" He was almost afraid to touch Terry, to add to his injuries. But Andy gently took Terry’s hands into his own, studying the blackened bruises there. As if he had been tied down, held against his will. It was horrible to listen to Terry’s grief, to see him suffering so intensely. So Andy lifted Terry into his lap, letting him curl up to lie there. "Terry, you trust me, don’t you?"
"Yes."
"I know that we aren’t brothers by blood and we only lived as such for a lousy five years…when we were kids. But you’re the closest person to me…I care for you."
"I know," Terry whispered, his throat sore.
"So please tell me what happened. No matter what you say, I will always be on your side. You stuck up for me all those years ago and I want to do the same for you." His compassion for Terry came naturally, turning into a smothering embrace which spoke of his possessiveness. All the times when he had wanted to protect Terry but couldn’t rushed back to him. But to protect Terry from Joe? "Can you tell me now?"
But Terry only shook his head. "You’re the last person…I can’t…" Biting down on his knuckles to quiet his sobs, Terry was able to calm himself a little. That calm grew into something close to shock and withdrawal.
"I’m the last person that you would tell?" Andy couldn’t have been more offended by his brother’s words. "Is it because you don’t trust me? You’re allowed to play the big hero while I just sit on my ass looking like a wimp. Thanks Terry…you sure do know how to make a guy feel worthless." That anger didn’t last for long when Andy felt his brother go completely rigid against a splinter of pain which ran up his lower back. "What do you think I’m going to do? Laugh at you and take Joe’s side? He may be my best friend but I would always choose you over him. You come first."
"That isn’t it." A soothing hand stroked back his damp hair as he rested his head on Andy’s lap. He knew that Andy would not let anything happen to him. But a greater insult lay in his confession. To reveal what had been done to him, how cheap and dirty he felt. The sharp pains coursing through him warned that it was best left a secret. Let Andy use his imagination but Terry would not come out with it. He couldn’t voice the disgusting deed which had been done to him. Maybe not ever. "I don’t want to talk about it."
"Why? I hope this isn’t about male pride or anything dumb like that." When Terry refused to say more, Andy sighed with frustration. "What do you expect me to do? Just sit here and look out the window while you’re on the verge of screaming out in pain? I can’t do that, Terry. So don’t even ask me to. I’m not going to shut my mouth either. I want to know what Joe did and I want to know now. If you don’t give it up, then the police will beat the crap out of Joe to get some answers."
"NO!" Terry twisted around, grimacing at the pain which laced across his thighs. He stared up at Andy, summoning the courage to end the questioning. All he saw were the kind, concerned eyes of a man who loved him. There would be no judgment or ridicule. "Joe…raped…me."
Andy’s perfect, happy world came crashing down in one word which he shouted, "WHAT?!!" Not asking why Joe had done it or how it had happened. For a moment, he wasn’t even sure he had heard correctly. He didn’t blink, couldn’t even swallow as the truth registered with him. When the silence turned into something ugly, Andy spoke again. "How?" It was a stupid question and Andy immediately regretted it. "I’m sorry…" He moved away from Terry, walking to the window, looking down at the empty streets.
"I shouldn’t have told you." He buried his face into the pillows to cry again, lost to his emotions of fear and shame. "It’s my fault…"
"That’s what you believe?" Andy cleared his throat which had become constricted with stress. There were tears at the corners of his eyes and they burned fiercely upon falling. He was very close to picking up one of the knives in the kitchen, going up to Joe’s penthouse and slicing off what he should have kept in his pants. "If it’s anyone’s fault, then it should be mine. I introduced him to you…he was my best friend." He knelt in front of Terry and hugged him despairingly. "What can I say? There’s nothing I can say, Terry." His voice shook as he moved one hand up and down Terry’s back, trying to comfort him. "I can’t think straight…" But one thing did push its way into view for him to see. "I have to take you to the hospital. Who knows how badly hurt you are. There could be internal damage or something…I’m no doctor."
"You can’t."
"Terry, don’t argue with me. I can’t help you…not like this."
"What about my life? My reputation?"
"Your reputation?!!" Another volley of hateful thoughts entered his mind, all of them involved killing Joe. "You need medical attention and Joe needs to be put behind bars. End of story."
"Fighting is all I know how to do."
It began to sink in. Andy tried to deny it but couldn’t. "You want me to pretend that everything is normal?" He shuddered at the sound of Terry’s moans. "I’ll protect your image and your life, Terry. But don’t ask me to do the same for Joe." He started to function again, lifting Terry off of the couch. "And don’t you dare prevent me from avenging you. I won’t drop this…ever." Once Andy had made Terry comfortable in the bedroom, he called Mai.
"ANDY," she squealed on the other end. "You want me to come over now for a romantic evening?"
"It’s morning, Mai. And I need your help."
**
Mai couldn’t have been more displeased when she arrived at Andy’s apartment only to be confined to the kitchen. He didn’t want her anywhere near the bedroom because Terry was not feeling well. The story she had been told sounded fishy and full of holes. How could Terry have gotten drunk in a bar when he was supposed to be drinking with Joe? And what was he doing on the docks, falling into a pile of ropes and getting injured? She didn’t like being treated like a fool but sensed that there might be a reason behind all the camouflage. Besides, she respected Andy’s privacy along with his brother’s.
Every few minutes, Andy would return to the kitchen to refill a glass bowl with cold water. She had already mixed a variety of herbs with healing properties according to the information given to her. Mai knew a lot about medicines as a result of being a direct descendent of the Shiranui school of martial arts. Helping Andy made her happy so she was only too glad to assist him.
"How’s Terry?"
Once more, Andy was refilling the bowl but his face was grim. "I applied the poultice to his wrists like you told me. It seems to be working…and the tea put him to sleep. But…"
"What is it?" She watched as Andy’s face changed to an unreadable mask.
"There are some things that a brother should never have to see." That was all he said. Then he was closing the bedroom door behind him to enter the darkened room. Andy was thankful that Terry was not his real brother. That treating him in this fashion did not plague his mind in any way. But it did. Just observing Terry’s prone figure on the bed gave him nightmares. Made him relive fleeting pieces of imagery which he had put behind him long ago. *This is not the time or place.* He pushed those thoughts away to apply a cooling lotion to Terry’s inner thighs. *He’s my brother…* Andy balked at the sight of his hands rubbing between his brother’s legs. "Why?" It was all he could ask without revealing too much.
Terry gripped the pillows in his sleep, shredded the material, his face contorted in pain. Then, he screamed. "Nooo!!!"
"Terry!" Andy took hold of Terry’s shoulders and gently shook him. "It’s only a dream…you’re safe now." *Please stay in the kitchen, Mai. I don’t need to explain this to you right now.* As if she heard his thoughts, the door remained shut. "Almost done…" After finishing with the lotion, he covered Terry up with the sheets and blankets but was not too keen on leaving him alone. "Mai will take care of you. She’s a good woman." He didn’t know if Terry could hear him. For all he knew, Mai could have drugged the tea to keep Terry under for days.
"Andy?" Mai approached him when he began to put on his shoes.
"Please look after Terry for me."
"But…"
Then Andy turned to her with his eyes dead set on killing. "If you see or hear from Joe, call the police. Don’t let him near Terry."
She didn’t flinch at the lie which had been told to her on Terry having an accident. Mai nodded, loyally standing by her boyfriend. No matter how strange Andy’s orders may have been, she would not doubt him. Not even when it came to Joe, one of the people she had considered to be a friend. "Where are you going?"
"To see if I can find Joe first."
Mai prepared herself to be ruthless if Joe did show up on the doorstep. She would not fail Andy.
**
"Terry?" Joe groped in front of him with his eyes closed, grumbling over the hard floor he came into contact with. "Terry?" He bolted upright, swearing profusely. "Where are you? Answer me you bastard!" He scanned the room, becoming angrier by the second. Terry’s clothes were gone, even the annoying cap which had flattened under Joe’s heel. His captive had taken off on him. Maybe he could still catch up depending on how far Terry had managed to get. He could subdue Terry before he contacted the authorities. But who would believe him? *I’m an idol among the public. Money talks and Terry doesn’t have any of it.*
The door knob began to turn as he fumbled for his pants. He found himself horny over the thought of dragging Terry into some back alley to repeat the fun he remembered from last night. It had been so easy. The second time would be even more rewarding for him to keep his lover locked away somewhere. To save him for further use in the future when it became convenient.
"Joe."
Joe tripped over his pants when he heard Andy creep up behind him. "Aren’t you supposed to be getting ready for the tournament?"
"My plans have changed. Do you want to know why?" Andy snatched Joe’s pants from him and threw them to one end of the room. He advanced on Joe until their noses almost touched.
"Why?" He decided to act ignorant until an opportunity to overpower Andy arose. Joe would not have someone interfere in his sexual activities. The interest Joe had regarding Terry had nothing to do with Andy. It shouldn’t concern him. He nearly lost his resolve when a sharp, pointed object brushed along his erection. The flat edge pressed to him threateningly.
"Do you need me to refresh your memory, you sick jerk?!!" Andy kept his weapon braced to Joe’s length, ready to use it if necessary.
"Oh…you mean Terry." Joe smiled, his pretense shirked off fearlessly. "I guess that I drank too much, partied even worse. Don’t tell me that Terry is regretting our lovemaking. I always pictured him as going both ways."
Andy lost his temper to replace the knife with his knee. He crushed it into Joe’s crotch, grinding it inwards until his former friend shouted for mercy. "You know what you did…I know what you did! Stop playing all innocent before I cut your balls off and stuff them down your throat." He couldn’t help the fury which consumed him. Andy would not simmer down, not where Terry was concerned. "You raped Terry! Don’t bullshit me and deny it!"
"Is that what Terry calls same gender sex? Rape?"
"It was against his will so yes, it was rape."
"And now his weakling of a brother has come to collect on some revenge. Honestly Andy, I thought we were friends. Don’t you want to hear my side of the story? Don’t I get a chance to defend my actions?"
"You have ten seconds. Impress me." He rammed his knee upwards again, nearly jarring Joe’s head open with the pain.
"Well…" Joe grinned. "Your brother likes it roughs."
"YOU SON OF A BITCH!!!" Down went Joe under Andy’s barrage of knuckles which pounded into his skull. The knife missed its intended target, sinking deep into Joe’s thigh when he moved. It was uncanny how the kick-boxer managed to take that injury and keep fighting. Kicking his blond opponent over the counter of the bar, getting up to pull out the knife.
"How is Terry doing? Last time I saw him, he was bleeding pretty badly. I hope he heals fast for the next time we get together."
That did it. Andy leapt over the countertop, landed on his hands and locked both legs to Joe’s throat. He took the man down in a wild tackle, attempting to snap his neck then and there. But Joe had changed, was not a man of honor as he had been. He flung a handful of dirt into Andy’s eyes, temporarily blinding him. It stung like acid, causing Andy to relinquish his choke-hold to favor his eyes.
"I will have Terry. You won’t keep me from him." Having spoken his threat, Joe vanished before Andy could get his sight back.
**
Mai almost sprang into Andy’s arms when he returned later in the afternoon. She was worrying over the predicament that her boyfriend had gotten into. Being left in the dark made her nervous and suspicious. And for Andy to miss participating in the King of Fighters tournament…it was beyond strange.
"Andy…did everything go all right?," she asked as he passed her to check on Terry. "You look kind of pale."
"Joe and I got into a fight."
Mai clenched her fists, chewing on her bottom lip to keep her place and not explode. She was a well composed woman, had been taught tact above all else. If Andy would not tell her, she refused to pry.
"He didn’t fight fair…threw something in my face." He paused before opening the bedroom door. "I felt sick afterwards so I took it for analyzing at the police station. It seems like Joe has a drug problem. A very serious one."
"And…"
"And Joe is in over his head. He can’t separate fantasy from reality. His addiction has screwed up his mind so dramatically that he believes everything should go his way. He should be able to get whatever he wants without consequence. Nothing can stop him. He doesn’t even feel pain like a normal person would. In his fictional world, he thinks that Terry is his property and will do anything possible to ensure that it happens."
"You mean that this drug increases sexual desires along with killing brain cells?"
"Yes. But it acts on emotions and thoughts which were already present. Joe always had this dark side when it came to Terry. I just never saw it until now."
"Andy…about Terry…"
"Mai, please go home. You’ve been slaving over me and Terry since five o’clock this morning. You need to rest."
"I’m staying right here. If you need me, I want to be where I can help…not lying in my bed and going crazy wondering if you’re okay or not."
"But…" *I can’t hurt her feelings. It isn’t right for me to be taking advantage of her kind heart.* Andy felt terrible for having a woman as caring and loyal as Mai. *I don’t deserve you.*
"Whatever happens, I’ll stick by you," she said softly. A bit of intuition hung onto her words. "Not because you’re my boyfriend…but because we’re friends. We were always friends first, weren’t we Andy?" She gazed over at him, wanting reassurance but knowing that it would not be enough.
"Of course, Mai. Thanks for staying."
Then he disappeared inside the room. Mai couldn’t stop herself from wondering why Andy closed and locked the door behind him. She knew what was going on from piecing it together herself. Andy had almost bluntly told her what Joe had done. So why was he still separating himself and Terry from her?
**
With his back pressed firmly to the door, Andy surveyed his bedroom. He could sleep on the floor and guard the window, trusting Mai to call him if anything odd occurred outside of the room. When he flashed a quick glance in the direction of the bed, he saw that Terry was wide awake. Still lying on his side to avoid putting pressure onto his bruised back and legs. His blue eyes were clear but troubled, as if he had been staring at the door for quite some time.
"Is the medicine working?"
Terry looked away. The scar of shame was written all over his handsome face but he would not speak of it again.
"Is there anything I can get you?"
"I want to be alone."
Andy crossed to the bed and sat there cautiously. "I can’t let you be alone…not until Joe is caught and maybe not even then." He stretched out beside Terry, bravely sharing the same pillow and pulling the blanket up to cover his brother again. "I keep looking into your eyes and I don’t like what I see."
The disapproval from Andy made Terry flinch. "I’m sorry."
"You have no reason to be sorry. I was referring to the shame and guilt. You are the victim here, not Joe. What he did was not your fault. Nothing you did could have prevented or initiated his attacking you. He was going to do it with or without your consent. I found the champagne which he had given to you…there was a vile of sedatives right next to it. Your reflexes and brain functions were slowed…you couldn’t have done anything to fight him. You fought him with everything that you had and more. Stop blaming yourself."
"How can I?" He closed his eyes to block out the tears which he had thought were dried up by now. "All of my relationships have failed…Lily and Sulia died because of me. It just seems like fate that everything I go near turns into a disaster."
"Lily was working for Geese…she didn’t have a prayer. Sulia brought her troubles to you, not the other way around. You’ll find love again, I promise you…it won’t be like this."
"No! Look at what he did to me! Who would want to be with me now? I can’t even stand myself…"
As Terry was bowing his head to avoid discussing the issue with Andy, he felt a presence very close to him. He looked up, startled to feel a warm set of lips descend on his own. Quieting the next self battering he had been ready to unleash. Andy spoke before he could pull away from the arms which encased him a passionate embrace. "I didn’t mean to…I thought that I was over you." He seemed to be babbling incoherently but he continued to spill forth the feelings which he had kept hidden for so long. "You’re probably going to hate me for saying this but…I’ve always wanted to be with you. Sure, we’re brothers but only through convenience. You’re so afraid of losing someone you love when all this time I’ve been terrified of losing you. And now…" Andy sighed painfully. "To hear you bashing yourself and feeling so worthless…" He kissed Terry again, becoming more courageous when he sensed no resistance. "It just isn’t true, Terry. You’re so much more to me than even I can ever imagine."
Just when Terry began to accept what Andy was willing to give him, he became afraid. It was too good to be true. They were brothers, not by genetics or anything remotely close to being related but brothers all the same. How cruel fate was to show him what could never be. A happiness without flaws or hidden agendas but a forbidden one. It was also that loose connection to Andy that made Terry second guess the man’s convictions. Andy’s feelings for him were no more than a misguided obligation to defend his own. Two wolves sticking by each other because they belonged to the same pack. Nothing more.
Andy’s hands took hold of Terry’s shoulders and pulled him into what would be a very intimate kiss. One which would leave no doubt in either of their minds about what was meant by it.
"Stop!" Terry planted one hand firmly on Andy’s chest and shoved him away. "I don’t want your pity!"
"But…Terry, I’m not…this isn’t…"
"I don’t need you or Mai. Why don’t you both leave me the hell alone." That was the last thing he said to Andy before he became lost to his own demons. They consumed him from the inside-out, promising to destroy him by nighttime. In a very big way, Joe had won.
Andy backed away, nearly falling off the bed as he swallowed back his emotions. All he could do was watch as Terry’s sobbing turned into a violent tornado of worthlessness.