"Good morning, Alexander. I've been made aware that you are unwilling to disclose your other contact's name" Liam asked as he looked over at the exhausted boy.
"No I am not. I'm sorry I can't" Alexander replied, not willing to look over at him.
"Why not" he asked gently.
"Because I'm still not over him" Alexander sighed, running his hand through his hair.
"How involved were you with him" he asked, pulling out a notepad.
"Very," Alexander said quietly.
"I take it you were possibly in love with him" he asked.
"I still am" Alexander sighed as he looked away again.
"Is Agent Hawthorn aware of this" he asked.
"Yes, we got in an argument the other day and it came out then" Alexander replied.
"That seems to be an odd thing to argue about" he asked, raising his eyebrow as he watched Alexander carefully.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything," Alexander said quickly, frustrated with himself for almost letting it slip.
"What is your relationship to Agent Hawthorn" he asked.
"He's my teacher and the agent assigned to my case" Alexander replied.
"And why were you arguing over a past relationship with him" he asked.
"We weren't arguing over that, it just happened to come up in conversation" Alexander squeaked.
"Why are you backpedaling now" he pressed as Alexander blushed slightly.
"Why are you questioning me" Alexander squeaked out.
"Why are you dating Agent Hawthorn," he asked.
"I-I'm not" Alexander squeaked, his cheeks heating even more.
"Why are you lying to me? What we say here is confidential but the more I know, the more I can help you. Let me help you" he replied.
"Nothing is going on between us" Alexander sighed.
"Alexander, tell me the truth," he said gently.
"I-I..." Alexander trailed off before taking a deep breath. "It's nothing to worry about."
"So you are" he asked.
Alexander just sighed as he nodded.
"Are you happy with him," he asked.
"Most of the time, sometimes we argue but everything's fine" Alexander said, forcing a smile.
"Right. You can tell me if you're not" he sighed, sensing his uneasiness.
"We got into a big fight last night but it's not important really" Alexander replied.
"Alexander, I suppose I should let you know that I've been appointed your legal tutor by Mr. Faustus" he said, "And by that definition, you have to tell me if you feel unsafe."
"Wait, hold up. How, I'm eighteen" Alexander asked, confused.
"You do not have parents and are the sole provider for yourself. This is simply a means to provide you some support so you do not become overwhelmed" he replied.
Alexander nodded as he said quietly, "Sometimes he's a bit physical but it's nothing out of the usual."
"Tell me about your fight last night" he said gently, putting the notepad away as he folded his hands together.
"It was just to get information out of me that I was unwilling to give up. Yes, I guess he's a bit controlling but it's nothing I can't handle" Alexander sighed.
"Has he ever put his hands on you" he asked gently.
"N-No. He's never hit me" Alexander squeaked.
"Do you worry he will" he asked.
Alexander just shook his head.
"I can't give my blessing for this because I think he's just using you but I won't press the subject" he said softly.
"Is there any news as to when Brendan's funeral will be held" Alexander asked.
"Next week I believe" he replied.
"When does the trial start?"
"Probably December or January" he sighed.
"I do have another question," Alexander said quietly.
"Shoot," he said, smiling slightly.
"Is there any way you can get me acrylic paints and canvas without telling anyone" Alexander asked, slightly embarrassed.
"Of course. I take it you like to paint" he asked.
"Quite a bit it's just that I don't talk about it frequently or at all really and I don't really want people knowing but I absolutely love painting and the way the different hues can blend together to create something beautiful" Alexander said quickly.
"Alexander, relax, your secret is safe with me, granted I would like to see some of your work" he said gently.
"I-I'm kind of private about it" Alexander squeaked.
"And this is a private conversation. If you don't want to you don't have to but also know that I won't judge harshly either" he replied.
Alexander hesitated before letting out a breath he didn't know he had been holding as he pulled out his phone and clicked on the photos app where he had a locked album of some of his paintings before he handed the phone to Liam, hiding his face in his hands in embarrassment.
Liam scrolled through them, stopping on some of them to study them, his smile growing as he saw Alexander's work. He set the phone down gently on the desk and pushed it back over to Alexander as he stood. He moved to the front of his desk and gently pulled Alexander's hands away from his face.
"Alexander, these are bloody brilliant! I'd love to see them in person because they're fantastic. Why are you so embarrassed" Liam said happily as he leaned against his desk.
"I-I don't know, I'm just really private about it" he squeaked, turning an even darker shade of red.
"Do you have an Instagram" Liam asked.
"I-I do, what of it" he squeaked.
"You should make an art page" Liam suggested.
"Absolutely not" he squeaked out as he shook his head.
"I think it would help you," Liam said gently.
Alexander just shook his head as he stood.
"Alright, but think about it. It may help you overcome some of the anxiety you feel" Liam replied.
"Now's not a good time" he squeaked as he headed to the door.
"When you're ready, I'm more than willing to help you and I'll make sure those supplies are delivered to your flat without anyone else knowing" Liam said, smiling as Alexander nodded and left his office.
Alexander sighed as he hurried to his flat. He pulled out his key and opened the door before locking it behind him. He sighed as he walked to his bedroom and nearly jumped out of his skin seeing Tom standing there.
"Surprised to see me, baby" Tom asked as he walked over to him and wrapped his arms around Alexander's waist.
"I wasn't expecting you to be in my room" he squeaked as he looked up at him.
"We need to talk about something" Tom sighed, leading him to the bed as he sat down and pulled Alexander into his lap.
"What about" he asked, confused.
"About this other contact" Tom replied.
"I'm not divulging his name" he replied, closing off as he prepared for another fight.
"I understand that you still harbor feelings for him but what I want to know is why? He is part of the very organization that used you for their purposes and didn't care if they broke you in the process" Tom said.
"He didn't look at me like that and please stop asking. I'm not telling you his name" he sighed.
"Alexander, this is vital to the case," Tom said, getting more annoyed with each passing second.
"And I don't care. You can convict Matthew and the others without him" he said, crossing his arms over his chest.
Tom sighed before flipping them so that Alexander was pinned to the bed beneath him. "Tell me his name," Tom said dangerously as his grip on Alexander's wrists tightened.
"No" he replied, keeping his voice even despite the fear he felt.
"I'm completely in control of you and your life. Tell me or I will tell Faustus that you're not cooperating" Tom said coldly.
"And I don't care," he snapped.
"We can and will get it out of you" Tom replied, his voice dropping as he stared down at Alexander.
"You forget that I can destroy your career" he snapped.
"You wouldn't dare" Tom snapped back.
"Try me" Alexander said, a small smirk forming on his face and then squeaked as one of Tom's hands moved and wrapped around his throat, the other grabbing both of his wrists as he pinned them above his head.
"You were saying, dear" Tom asked, easily keeping Alexander there as he shifted so that Alexander would be unable to move at all.
"T-Tom" he gasped out as Tom's hand tightened, but not enough to kill him.
"Yes, baby" Tom asked, a smirk crossing his face.
"L-Let me go" he gasped as he closed his eyes.
"Why? You seem to be enjoying it" Tom asked knowingly as he looked down at the smaller man.
"I-I can't breathe" he choked out, trying but failing to struggle against him.
Tom sighed as he moved his hand off of his throat as Alexander's eyes flew open.
"I-I think it might be best if you leave" he squeaked out.
Tom went to say something but thought better of it as he climbed off of him. "We'll finish this conversation later," he said before walking out of the room and his flat.
Alexander took a deep breath as he tried to calm himself down and, ultimately failing he ended up just curling up on his bed before passing out from his frayed emotions and constantly fighting with the man that he was slowly coming to love, even if he knew it wasn't right.