♡In Your Dreams♡ (Jamilton)

Chapter 20: We'll Think of Something

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Thomas finally managed to limp back to his dorm. With his clumsy fingers, he reached into his pocket and grabbed his dorm keys out of it. He unlocked the door and opened it, relieved that he was finally home.

Alex wasn't in the living room, so Thomas assumed that he was chilling in his room. Since his legs felt like bowls of jello, Thomas weakly collapsed on the couch. "L-Lexi?" Thomas said, but his voice came out as a whisper. He whimpered, tears falling down his face. "Lexi?" he called again, only a bit louder this time.

Alex's head perked up from in his room, setting his phone down. He thought he had heard his lover call him. A smile crossed his face. He couldn't wait to snuggle his Tommy. He dashed into the living room. "Hey, Tom--"

His cheerful words were cut off by him seeing the state of Thomas. He covered his mouth. "Oh. My. God."

Thomas smiled softly from the couch, happy to see Alex. "H-hey, babe..."

Alex tried not to let himself smile at the pet name. The situation that was before him was too serious for that.

Alex slowly walked up to Thomas, kneeling on the floor in front of the couch that Thomas occupied. He stroked Thomas' soft floof. "What happened..?" Alex whispered, tears forming in his eyes. He hated seeing the one he loved in such a state.

Thomas looked down, not wanting to relive the situation through an explanation.

"Tommy?" Alex asked softly, growing impatient with Thomas' lack of an answer. You couldn't tell that from his voice, though.

"You don't need to worry about it..," Thomas mumbled, also not wanting to worry Alex with his drama.

Alex's eyebrows knitted together in irritation. "Thomas," Alex said, finally letting his annoyance seep into his voice, "you're my boyfriend. I do need to worry about it, okay?"

Thomas sighed. "Charles Lee happened..," he said. "He started to bully me in class, but it was just teasing. But after class, he went full Supersein (I dunno if that's how you spell it, but if it's not, don't correct me. You know what I mean.) on me. He started punching me and calling me names. He was dissing you too...and I wanted to fight back, but for some reason, I couldn't. My body was just frozen..."

By the time Thomas finished, tears were falling down his face more rapidly. Alex was crying now as well. It pained him to think that his lover had been through that level of hell. Alex was speechless. He didn't know how to react, and he definitely didn't know what he would do to solve the problem.

"Lexi..?" Thomas asked, noticing Alex's silence. He too didn't know how to fix the problem. He felt like he should just pray to God that it wouldn't happen again.

Ha. Right. Like God was particularly favoring Thomas.

Instead of anwering, Alex tackled Thomas in a long embrace. His arms were full of warmth and comfort, and maybe even the promise that that wouldn't happen again.

The hug felt so nice to Thomas. Like it would keep him safe.

Forever.

So, gently, he wrapped his arms around Alex in return. The hug wrung some extra sobs out of the eyes of the Southern man as he began shaking. "I'm so scared, Lex..," he mumbled into the shoulder of the other man. "This could happen again...and the outcome could be even worse than this..."

"We'll think of something, babe. Okay?" Alex asked, squeezing Thomas. He wanted so badly for all of his lover's pain to be taken away. He also wanted to murder Charles.

Then again, didn't everyone?

Thomas nodded, clutching Alex tighter. He wasn't sure if he believed Alex, since Alex wasn't the most intimidating person to ever exist. Then again, Alex could tell Mr. Washington or some other adult, but they probably wouldn't believe him. After all, Charles was seen as the perfect student. As someone who would never hurt a fly.

Well, that last part was true. Charles wouldn't hurt a fly, but he would hurt humans.

The hug lasted for a few more seconds, and it was broken by Thomas. He pulled apart, his face tear-stained. "What are we gonna do, though?"

Alex was too busy admiring Thomas to hear the question he asked. He didn't understand how Thomas could look so cute even when he was hurt and crying. He would have died if he looked at himself in a mirror if he was in Thomas' state.

But his daze was broken by Thomas saying his name again.

"Lexi?"

Alex shook his head to snap himself out of it. "Uh...I'm sorry, what..?"

"I asked what he were gonna do to stop Charles from hurting me--or anyone--again," Thomas said.

"I...I dunno..," Alex said, trying to think of something.

After a few seconds of thinking, Thomas had an idea. "Let's just responsibly talk to him!"

Alex bursted out laughing, pretty much falling over.

Thomas raised an eyebrow.

Alex recovered about ten seconds later, and when he saw Thomas' serious face, his face also turned serious. "Oh...you were...you were serious..?"

Thomas knitted his eyebrows in confusion, nodding.

"Oh..," Alex mumbled. "You actually think that's gonna work? He'll just destroy both of us."

"Then name a better idea," Thomas said, crossing his arms.

"How about we tell a teacher?" Alex suggested.

Thomas scoffed. "They see him as the perfect student. They're not gonna believe us."

Alex nodded, seeing where Thomas coming from. "True. I guess we could try your idea. We better put on some Iorek Byrnison armor first, though." (That's a "Golden Compass" reference.)

Thomas rolled his eyes. "We won't need that."

"You sure?" Alex said. "He'll probably murder us. We'll need that armor."

Thomas playfully shoved Alex. "Stop. Let's just go now to get it over with."

Alex nodded and stood up. But he froze for a few seconds. "Do you really think this is a good idea?"

Thomas nodded. "It's as good of an idea as any."

Alex thought for a minute, then reluctantly agreed. "I guess you're right. Now let's just go."

And with that, the two men walked to what Alex thought would be their doom.