Paint Me Blue [bxb; mpreg]

Chapter Nine

O. 15th

Reese stands a bit awkwardly to the side, flinching when the soccer ball is kicked fiercely across the gym and bounces with a thunderous thud against the metal bleachers.  Someone reaches out to kick it back in a pathetic attempt of a soccer game. He, however, tries to keep toward the back of the gym and away from the physical activity.

On the other side of the gym, in the opposing team, he spots Payton. The older teen is grinning at him, smiling eyes filled with mirth. Reese can't help but smile back, if only a shy twitch of his lips.

But even Payton knows something is wrong.

Reese looks pale, an unhealthy pallidness to his round face.  He's biting his lip, breath hitching and legs squeezed tightly together.  But as soon as he does, the ball is kicked into play once more.  The force used on the ball is astounding when it's kicked again, but the strength behind the punt isn't enough to guide the ball toward its intended target.  Instead it veers off in the air and it shouldn't have hit Reese.

But it does.

Reese loses his breath upon impact as it lands against his abdomen, the pain is stinging but what knocks him down is the sudden way his stomach cramps.

"Reese!" Payton yells.

He hears rather than sees everyone circle toward him, but he's too focused on breathing through the sharp pain.  Somewhere in the background, Payton is scolding the jock who kicked the ball for being so careless and stupid. 

But his scolding abruptly stops, choosing to punish the jock on the field instead.

Right now, he needs get to Reese and within moments he's kneeling before him, helping him up slowly.

"Are you okay?" He asks softly.

Reese is about to nod, the pain a bit more manageable now, when a girl screams.

Payton and Reese look down, only to discover a trickle of blood rolling down Reese's inner thigh.  Reese's breath hitches in his throat and Payton turns pale.

"Shit," the jock curses, anger quickly overpowering his shock again.

Forget about increasing the number of laps the stupid idiot who hurt Reese would've had to run on the football field, he's about to pummel the crap out of him right now.

"Mr. Payton," their teacher intervenes hastily, "before starting a fight with your teammate, please lead Mr. Reese to the nurses office immediately."

Reese has tears welling up in his terrified eyes and Payton can barely breathe from the heartbroken sight before him. 

Still, he takes a deep breath and nods. 

He needs to pull himself together, for Reese.

"Hey," he coos, voice cracking with his nerves, "it's okay, come on, we'll go to the nurses office and see what she says, see what's broken."

Reese grasps the front of his shirt, twisting the fabric in his hands.

He already knows what it is.

But he's too embarrassed to say it.

It's too horrifying to think of.

"Com'on," Payton coaxes gently.

Reese squeezes his thighs together, before letting Payton wrap his arm around his waist to guide him out of the gym.

"Payton," he whimpers nearly half way to their destination.

"It's okay, you're gonna be okay," Payton comforts.

Reese nods, needing to trust him, to believe him just this once.

■●■●■

Upon arriving at the nurse's office, the nurse takes one quick look at him and carefully guides him to one of the little cots  in the corner of the room.

"What happened?" She asks.

Payton explains quickly, nearly begging her to help Reese.

But the nurse knows Reese's case.

So, with a stern voice, she asks Payton to leave, "Why don't you wait outside, Mr. Parker."

Payton looks at Reese, pale and trembling, a refusal at the tip of his tongue.

"Go," Reese begs, "Please, I'll be okay."

The jock is reluctant.  He can't bring himself to move, not until a soft hand lands on his shoulder and squeezes reassuringly.  It's only then that he concedes with one last look at Reese's begging face, cheeks stained with tears.

In the end, Payton is left pacing outside the nurses office with his heart in his throat constricting painfully tight as he remembers Reese and the... the blood.