Beats of the Heart [MxM]

17. Push

"Next time?" He mustered out.

Shawn grinned. "When you call me, we can plan it."

Miles wince. "Fuck! I was going to call today, but the fucking studio and now this." He pointed to his cut. 

Shawn's chuckle warmed Miles. "I get it. But seriously, I need your shirt off."

Miles blushed again, unbuttoned his shirt, and shrugged it off.

"Goddamnit, Miles," Shawn muttered as he looked at the red marks on his stomach and the bruises forming on his shoulder and back.

Miles took a look at his reflection in the mirror and cursed. It was pretty terrible to look at. He was going to be sore for a while.

"Don't tell the others it's this bad," Miles requested quietly. "Phase is already blaming himself."

Shawn sighed, grabbed a wet towel, and cleaned the blood from his face. "Who did this?"

Miles bit his lip. Would it be terrible to rely on Shawn? Could he trust him? With his history, he had to rely on himself, but Shawn had been the constant factor that disrupted his insistent need to do everything on his own. 

The argument from The Lunar over a decade ago replayed in his head, and he recalled how Shawn explained he could care without strings attached.

"What's going on in your head?" Shawn asked and lightly tapped Miles' forehead. 

Miles chuckled. "Nothing. Just... you haven't changed one bit."

"What do you mean?"

"It doesn't matter if I'm that shattered 18-year-old kid you saw sitting at the bar or a busted-up business owner. You care, even if you don't know me well," Miles shook his head with humor in his eyes. "I still think it's suspicious."

"Even now? After all this time?" Shawn said with a growing smile.

"Perhaps." Miles breathed out a laugh but winced from the pain caused by the sudden movement. "Fuck. Brian and his goon really did a number on me." 

Shawn caressed Miles' cheek gently, making Miles instinctively close his eyes. "So Brian did this to you."

Miles jolted, and his eyes snapped open. "I... fuck."

The smile was robbed from Shawn's face, and his eyes reflected anger that was not directed toward Miles. "What did he want?"

Miles released a long exhale, wanting to curl up and become smaller than ever. "The usual. To take over Dirge. But he's gotten to be a little excessive. He now owns all the recording studios I prefer using."

"What else?" Shawn's voice was a little lower than normal.

Miles gave Shawn a pleading look. He didn't want to show off his vulnerabilities and weaknesses. He was already embarrassed by being roughed up, but he hated admitting that Brian could strong-arm him. However, Shawn was unflinching. 

"He's determined to take me down," Miles relented, looking up at the ceiling. 

"How?" The question was quiet, deceptively gentle. However, Miles could hear the tremor of anger Shawn was trying to conceal.

Miles hesitated, but Shawn made no move to rush him for answers. "Marketing and the media. I don't have his money, resources, or PR team. It wouldn't take much effort to succeed."

Shawn was silent and ran his hands up Miles' arms until they wrapped around the back of Miles' neck. 

"What if you did have the resources to fight back?" Shawn asked.