Just before Jason's hand could contact Adam, the giant was suddenly jerked away, and Adam gasped out in relief, going limp against the wall. There was a commotion, thumps and other defeaning signs of struggles, then finally everything went silent. Adam went tense again, suddenly afraid once more. Did they knock Jason out? Was Ty ok? Did he and Ian get him under control?
Everything was so surprisingly quiet, before suddenly one of the giant's faces were visible in the crack between the bookshelf and the wall, making Adam jump in fright with a small inward gasp before recognizing that the owner of these blue eyes was different.
"He's ok," Ian murmured, looking up to the side. He shuffled back, and Adam felt warmth in his chest when Ty peered into the vulnerable hiding place.
"Adam? Are you hurt?" He fretted. Adam swallowed and shook his head mutely, his heart still beating rapidly in his chest. He knew both of the gentle giants could smell his fear, but he was too scared to really care. A hand worked its way through the narrow slot, and Adam let out a yip, cowering down as his fear and adrenaline rushed through him again. The hand paused, then slowly withdrew, and Adam shivered, hugging himself tightly.
"He's traumatized," Adam heard Ian say distantly. "I think he needs medical care."
"But-but he said he's not hurt."
"No, not my kind of medical care-- I mean the entire package of what's happened. First Martin, now Jason-"
"M-M-Martin?" Adam managed to stutter out. "Wh-what about him?" There was a pause, then Ty slowly moved his head to gaze at Adam with a defeated look.
"I... I shouldn't say, not in your condition-"
"No." Adam gripped his amulet tightly, squeezing his eyes shut. "I have a right, I ha-ve a right to know!" He shouted, his voice cracking with a sob in his throat.
"... Adam..." Adam sniffled and looked up, his eyes stinging from tears treating to pour. "M... I told you how he's become uh... Bloodthirsty... Right?" Adam nodded, continuing to tremble. "Well... You saw how different Jason was in his craze. He only has half of the gene that fully makes a giant a giant, the craving for human flesh. Incomplete dominance or some sh*t like that, but it got set off by you running away from me after I "threatened" you. Anyways... A-Adam..." Adam blinked and tilted his head, waiting for what Ty was trying to say. "... It wasn't just... Any giant... That killed your family..." Adam grew still, his adrenaline-pumped mind whirling. Was Ty trying to say...?
"Martin killed your family. He's the one that murdered them, and he's the one that captured you, tortured you, teased you... And in the end... Tried to eat you." Adam felt numb at this, painful memories suddenly rushing back in flashes. His wife's face full of fear, his child's plaintive cries, wolves howling in the distance. Then a shadow, huge and monstrous, glowing orange eyes, sharp screams of terror, running, a massive hand threatening to end him, sharp teeth, wails of pain, more pain, metal, survival, broken, mice, fighting for his life...
Adam let out a strangled wail of denial, slumping against the floor and breaking apart into a heap of sobs. Ty and Ian gave each other glances, then Ian slowly reached through the crevice for Adam. Adam didn't even register the giant as he was gently picked up, crying and in a tight little ball as Ian carefully lifted the human out.
"We need to take him to... To "him", Ty," Ian murmured. Ty stared at his tiny friend, spirit broken and looking so fragile and helpless in the doctor's palm.
"I-I know," he replied meekly. "But... There's a reason that Adam avoided him all this time, even before the giant apocalypse." He paused and facepalmed at his unintentional pun while Ian took over.
"But this is Adam we're talking about. Either we get him back to normal again, or he stays like this."
"But..." Ty faltered, then sighed. "... Alright. Let's go." He carefully scooped up the sniveling human, and Ian went over to Jason, who was starting to wake up after being knocked out.
"Urgh..." The young brunette groaned, opening his eyes. "What happened?" Then his eyes widened, and he sat up. "Is-Is Adam ok!?" He gasped.
"He's really shaken up," Ty answered succinctly as Ian helped Jason to his feet.
"We're taking him to Harvey."
Ian was in the lead, Jason hanging in the back, and Ty in the middle, holding Adam close and cupping the human to his chest. Adam hadn't said a word. He had stopped grieving, but he continued trembling, shivering with his eyes closed, pressing against Ty's chest. Ty was aware of every single tiny movement his fragile friend, every tiny shudder, his heart beat frantically pounding against his shirt...
"We're here," Ian murmured. Ty stayed back as Ian and Jason hopped up the porch steps, and Ian rapped his fist on the door. At the loud and unknown noise, Adam flinched and curled up tighter. Ty clutched the human more tightly as the door opened, and Ian cleared his throat.
"Hey Harvey," he said meekly. A young brunette male with large soft-lavender eyes stood at the doorway, a casual outfit of a dark grey shirt and light grey pants.
"Ian." The young teen leaned against the door. "Jason." He then tilted his head and grinned. "Ty," he greeted warmly. "So, what brings you guys here-?" He paused, taking a deep breath. "Do I smell a human?" He murmured in a low tone, fixing Ty a look. The three exchanged glances.
"... We found Adam." Harvey's brow raised in surprise.
"And..." Harvey hesitated, as if considering his words. "He's... He's a human? You mean, the human, last one?" Ian nodded and nudged Ty, who flinched a little before slowly letting his hand drop, revealing Adam curled up in the palm of his other one. A flicker of emotion flashed in Harvey's eyes, but his expression didn't change as he jerked his head over his shoulder. "Inside then," he urged quietly. Ian and Jason didn't hesitate, but Ty looked down at the little human tightly wrapped up in a ball before covering him again, quietly walking past Harvey. Harvey closed the door behind them all, and locked it to keep unexpected guests out.
"C-can I see him?" Harvey asked in a small voice. Ty looked over at him for a few seconds before taking a deep breath and nodding slightly, uncovering Adam once more. Harvey crouched down to be at the fragile human's eye-level, sucking on his teeth from seeing his distant friend for the first time in three years.
Adam had no idea where he was. He was scared, confused, terrified, and crushed. He had just found out that one his oldest and dearest friends had been the one behind all of his suffering, betraying him in the worst possible ways, so it was perfectly natural for him to feel traumatized. That and the close call with Jason drove him over the edge.
He now had his back to the world, curled up in the center of a palm and pressing against Ty's familiar t shirt, quivering with a sense of fear and horror. 'It's going to be ok,' he desperately assured himself. 'You'll be fine, Ty's here, he won't let anything happen to you, he would never do that...' But his trust in his giant friends was shattered. Adam knew it wasn't Jason's fault, but he knew he couldn't defend himself without Ty or Ian to defend him.
"How long has he been like this?" He distantly heard someone say.
"Well, a few hours ago was when Jason kinda... Lost control," Ty's familiar voice rumbled softly. Adam made a small whimper and clung more tightly to the gentle giant's shirt, trembling. When a finger gently stroked his back, he squeaked and thrashed around to bat the inquiring finger away, adrenaline still trickling through his system.
Imagine his shock to see himself face to face with another old friend of his.
"S-Se-Seto?" Adam meeped in a small voice. Then his eyes widened, and he squeaked, burying his face in his knees. "N-No don't hurt me, p-please! I'm-I'm sorry!" Harvey frowned in confusion.
"It's-It's ok Adam," he soothed. "I'm not gonna hurt you, none of us are." The words of attempted comfort failed to reach Adam, and he pressed harder against Ty, trembling more violently. Harvey bit his lip and looked up at Ty, who slowly nodded his head, granting permission. Harvey got up and left the room to fetch something, which in the meantime Jason sat down on the couch's armrest.
"Is-is he like this because of m-because of me?" He asked, looking guilty. Ian shook his head, sitting down next to Jason, on the couch.
"No, he's just been through a lot... And he found out about Martin," he assured. But the look of guilt only changed to sympathetic grief.
"It's my fault then," he mewled, burying his hands in his face. "If I hadn't asked Ty if I could stay over, none of this would have happened!" Ian reassuringly patted him on the back as Harvey came back, a syringe in his hands similar to the one Ian had used when Adam had been in a panic attack from the scars on his back; courtesy of Martin's torturing methods.
"This'll knock him out for a little bit," Harvey explained quietly, staring straight at Ty. "It'll allow me to settle Adam down somewhere, but I want you guys out of sight, alright? In order for me to find out what happened, he needs to trust me again." Ty bit his lip, glancing down at Adam, who wasn't paying any attention to the giants' conversations, only keeping pressed against Ty's thorax.
"I wanna know what happened," he said quietly. Harvey nodded in understanding.
"You can stay in the room next door," he offered. "But I need to be in the same room as him, just me... And him." Noticing Ty's hesitation he added quietly, "No, I don't have what Jason or Martin have, I am in full control of myself like Ian." Slowly, Ty nodded shakily and sighed inwardly, looking down at Adam again.
"... Be gentle with him," he murmured. "I know he's been through a lot, but I don't know why he's scared of you." Harvey's eyes softened in sympathy.
"I guess we'll find out." After giving Ty a cautious glance, Harvey slowly reached down and pinched the back of Adam's jacket, lifting him up. The human immediately writhed into action and squeaked in protest, thrashing frantically to escape his grip.
"Adam- Adam, shh, it's ok..." Ty immediately soothed, keeping his hand just under the struggling human. Adam shot him a plaintive squeak, still protesting. "Adam." Ty gently brushed the back of his knuckle against Adam's chest, and his tiny hands gripped his finger, and he stopped fighting. "It's gonna be ok," Ty whispered somberly, keeping his eyes on Adam's. "It's gonna be ok, it's gonna be ok..." Adam held tightly to his index finger, staring at him with wide eyes. Then he slowly calmed down, his heart rate slowing down. He twitched a little in uncertainty, blinking at the gentle giant. Ty smiled reassuringly. "It'll be ok...." He breathed, using his other hand to gently fondle Adam's hair. "I promise, you're safe..." It was at that moment that Harvey gently pricked Adam's side with the needle, and Adam flinched sharply, whimpering. The sound shattered Ty's heart, but he kept reassuring Adam, purring softly and murmuring soothing words. Adam's eyelids had started drooping in sudden exhaustion, but he still held on to Ty's finger as his eyes slowly fluttered close, and he went limp.
"The sedative will only keep him out for a few minutes," Harvey gently pulled Adam away, shooing the others as he walked into an empty room, closing the door and locking it. He knew the others were just behind the door, so he headed over to the bed and sat down on it, gently easing Adam onto the bed. Then he put his hands in his lap and waited, patiently.
Adam's eyes fluttered open, being met with a calm blue-grey ceiling that stretched high over his head. He frowned, not recognizing it, and sat up, looking left to right in confusion. He was in an empty room, settled down on a soft bed, his environment looking quite cozy and homey.
"Hey Adam." Adam froze, then swallowed nervously, slowly turning around. Right, he had forgotten about his old friend.
"S-Seto?" He asked in a small voice. Harvey tilted his head.
"My real name's Harvey," He replied quietly. Adam gently wet his lower lip with his tongue, his eyes hardening.
"Excuse me for not knowing," he said dryly. A flicker of hurt ran through Harvey's eyes, and he sat forward, making Adam backpedal a little.
"It wasn't because I didn't trust you guys," He spoke softly, keeping a calm tone. "It was to protect my identity." Adam balled his fists, clenching his jaw.
"From who? Us?" He demanded. "We were your friends! What the hell do you call that!? Did you-did you not trust us? Did we do something wrong!? WHAT!?" Harvey held a finger to his lips, tilting his head to the door. Adam stopped and frowned, confused until Harvey repeated the tiny jerk of his head; the others were listening in. Adam sighed, running his hands through his fluffy curly hair. "It-it's not fair," he whined. "It just..." Harvey nodded in understanding.
"I know. I just- I mean, yeah, of course you guys were my friends, you still are, even Mitch-" Adam's harsh gaze softened, and his head immediately drooped in guilt. Harvey paused, scanning Adam. "What?" He asked. Adam sniffled and lifted his head back up, and the young giant realized he was crying. "What-what's wrong?" He asked worriedly, laying down on his chest and gently sweeping the tears away. Adam only cried harder, bawling.
"I-It's my fault," he hiccuped. Harvey's eyes narrowed gently in confusion, tilting his head in ignorance.
"What's your fault?" He murmured. Adam shook his head and covered his face with his hands, shoulders shaking. "It's ok, you can tell me," Harvey assured, gently rubbing the human's back. Adam sniffled again, slowly looking back up.
"I-I did it," he whispered. "I-It wasn't Mitch's fault--I-I did it. I suggested k-kicking you out of-out of Team C-Crafted." He sobbed and resumed crying, hugging Harvey's closest finger for comfort. Harvey stared down at the broken human, hardly taller than his longest finger, hugging his thumb and sobbing, forgetting for a brief moment how fragile he was in a giant's presence.
Adam whimpered, his face in the giant's soft-skinned thumb as he continued crying. For a while, he stayed there before feeling his feet leave the ground. Sniffling, he looked up to see that Harvey was lifting him up and sitting back up. He stayed still as the larger brunette gently embraced Adam, coddling him to his chest in a gentle hug.
"I forgive you." Adam's eyes rounded, and he sniffled, nuzzling his old friend with tears still falling.
"Y-you... Do?" He whimpered, smiling a little in gratitude. He shivered a little as a finger gently dragged down along his spine, but he didn't bat it away like last time. Instead, he closed his eyes, gripping Harvey's shirt tightly in small fists, slowly ceasing his crying.
"... Adam..." Adam sniffled and lowered his head farther, resting his forehead against the warm giant. "Please... I need to know..." Harvey pleaded softly. Adam fell still, sniffing as he recognized what was about to be asked of him.
"What happened to you during the giant apocalypse?"