Chapter Text
TK shut his eyes as the door slammed shut. He could hear Alex make his way down the stairs as the sound of footsteps disappeared down the hallway. He buried his face into the mattress of his bed as he tried to will himself to get up.
His body was sore all over and he could already see the bruises form on his arms, though there were most likely going to be ones on his legs, waist and throat as well. Alex liked to be rough in bed and sometimes outside of it.
TK knew he was just feeling sorry for himself again. It wasn’t like Alex abused him or anything. He just said mean things sometimes, like when he would be late to one of their dates, when he felt like TK was asking too much about personal things or if TK struggled particularly hard with his need for substances.
Not that TK didn’t get it. He could only imagine how exhausting he was to deal with; his other boyfriends had certainly told him so. After all they were right, because TK was just difficult.
He was pulled from his thoughts by the alarm on his phone going off. He had to leave for work and get to the firehouse. He couldn’t help but smile a little because if there was something he loved to do, it was saving people.
This shift like many others flew by in what seemed a matter of minutes. TK focused on their calls and whenever they were at the station he went to relax in one of the bunk beds, not too compelled to talk to his team. It wasn’t that they didn’t get along; he just wasn’t friends with him. Turns out being the captain’s son doesn’t always make people like you.
As his shift came to an end he changed into his normal clothes before going to his father’s office. His knock was answered very quickly by his father's voice telling him to come in.
The man was sitting behind his desk with some paperwork in front of him but he didn’t seem to be doing anything. He looked up as TK entered his office and TK could have sworn he saw a flicker of annoyance in his father’s eyes.
“What do you need, TK?”
TK had to use all his strength to not flinch at his father annoyed tone. Their relationship wasn’t that great at the moment, though TK supposed it hadn’t been great since his dad checked himself out of their lives after 9/11.
And TK understood, he really did. Work was everything to his father, it was the most important thing in the world. That didn’t mean that it didn’t hurt every time he thought about it.
“Uhmm, hi dad. I just wanted to ask you something. It’s about Alex.” This time TK could practically see his father roll his eyes, but he did turn towards him to listen.
“What is it, son? You fight again? With the amount of fighting you two do it’s a wonder you are still together.” TK flinched at that. He and Alex did fight a lot, but he loved Alex with all his heart.
“Y-yeah we did fight, I guess. I just don’t know what to do. He just gets so angry at me whenever I talk about my work, something I did or my addiction.”
His dad let out a deep sigh before saying something. “What do you want me to say TK? You know how I feel about your relationship with Alex. I have told you so many times that relationships aren’t easy and couples fight. You just need to try harder.”
TK felt his heart drop to his stomach at those words. He felt like he tried so hard for this relationship to work, but it still wasn’t enough? The words Alex had said to him before he left TK’s apartment this morning playing in his head.
I don’t care if you say you are tired, TK. I just want to have sex with my boyfriend before I go to work, is that too much to ask of you? God damnit, I always have to do everything in this relationship don’t I? You are so exhausting sometimes.
“I know that, dad, I do. I just want to talk to my boyfriend about things I do or struggle with. But I don’t want to burden him either.”
This time his dad send a sympathetic smile his way, seemingly feeling bad for him.
“I get that, TK. You deserve to be happy and it is important to seek help when you need it. But you need to realize that it is a lot of work to deal with an addict. Take it from me, the father of an addict, that sometimes I already feel exhausted just starting a conversation with you, knowing it could be about that again.”
TK felt cold wash over his body. Was this how people around him really felt? How his own father felt? That he was exhausting to even talk too?
“And I get that this is hard for you, son. But it is hard for the people around you as well. It is important for a relationship to be about both people and not always about you. And you are a lot to deal with most of the time. Just be sure to give Alex what he wants too because otherwise he might go looking for it elsewhere.”
TK felt speechless as his father finished talking. Alex wouldn’t do that, right? He would never cheat on him, because they were in love.
At some point he left the fire station but his father’s words kept playing in his head over and over again. Maybe he really wasn’t enough for Alex even if he tried everything to be.
He stopped as he realized that he was almost at Alex’s apartment, his feet having taken him there without him realizing it. Even with his mind still spiralling he couldn’t help but smile at the thought of seeing his boyfriend.
Slowly he made his way up to the third floor of the apartment building. When he reached the right floor he walked through the hallway as quickly as he could suddenly needing every bit of the comfort his boyfriend could offer.
As soon as he reached the door with number 315 on it he gave a few knocks on the wood of the door. For a few seconds he didn’t hear anything from inside of the apartment before he picked up the tell-tale signs of someone walking towards the door.
He smiled only for it to fall of his face when he was greeted by the sight of an unfamiliar man in the doorway. The guy had to be a few years older then TK and was certainly a lot taller. What unsettled TK the most, however, was the fact that this man was only wearing a pair of sweatpants in his boyfriend’s house.
He was still way too shocked to say anything when a familiar voice came from somewhere else in the apartment.
“Mitchell?! Are you coming back to bed? Just take the food and come back.”
Slowly the dots started to connect in TK’s head. He felt his insides turn to ice as he realized that the words his father had spoken not even an hour before were about to become a reality.
“Uhmm, Alex. I don’t think this is the delivery guy.”
The sound of approaching footsteps was the only thing TK could focus on till Alex appeared behind the Mitchell guy. The second Alex saw him standing in front of the apartment he froze.
“TK? What are you doing here?”
TK barely managed to respond still incredibly shocked by the situation. “I-I came to see my boyfriend.”
Annoyance spread across Alex’s face at his response. “Oh damnit, TK! You know I always tell you to call of text before coming over. How difficult can that possibly be?”
Suddenly, TK felt anger well up inside of him. How dare this man, that was apparently cheating on him, try and spin this on him?
“How could you do this to me, Alex?! I love you and you go and screw this man behind my back. I thought you loved me and now you do this to me. Is this what you do when you need to ‘work’ in the evenings? You go and screw him?”
Alex stepped towards him, clearly angry too, and TK couldn’t help but flinch as Alex raised his voice at him.
“Oh shut up, TK. Do you know how exhausting you are to deal with? It is always about how you just can’t fucking deal with life and me having to fix everything for you because you never can. Do you know how frustrating it is to come over to your boyfriend’s place and just want to fuck him only for him to ‘not be in the mood because he is struggling with his stupid addiction that he is just too weak to beat’? It is fucking annoying Tk. So I went and found someone that can make me happy and isn’t so fucking needy and whiny all the time.”
Every word that came out of Alex’s mouth was like a stab to his heart. Had Alex always felt this way? Had he ever even loved him?
The Mitchell guy turned around to smirk at TK, not at all caring about the relationship clearly falling apart around him. “Alex did tell me about you. The crackhead boyfriend. But he didn’t tell me you were so hot. You can join us if you want? I do like the ones that are pretty like you.”
TK could feel tears fill his eyes as he looked back to Alex’s face that still showed zero remorse; before he could stop himself he slapped Alex hard across the face.
“Fuck you, Alex.”
With that he turned around and ran.
By the time he stopped running it was dark and he was somewhere far from his apartment. His tears had long run out and the only thing on his mind was the desperate need to feel better. Across the street his eyes found a liquor store that was still open. It would be so easy to just cross the street and drink all his pain away.
He was about to take a step forward when the sound of a phone ringing reached his ears. It took him as few seconds to realize it was his own phone that was causing the noise. With shaking hands he reached for the devise to see who was calling him.
Mom
He hesitated a second before shrugging. This wouldn’t be the first time he had answered the phone a mess.
“Heyy, sweetie. How are you doing?”
TK didn’t know what it was about his mom’s voice but the second he heard it tears filled his eyes. The only sound he managed to get out of his mouth was a choked of sob.
“TK, are you alright?”
TK tried to take a deep breath but somehow couldn't do anything except let out another sob.
“TK where are you? Me and Enzo are coming to get you.”
Between sobs that are getting more hysterical by the minute he manages to mumble the name of the street he was currently on. His vision starts to get blurry the longer he kept freaking out.
The sobbing and hyperventilation switching to a full blown panic attack as he slowly drops down to the ground, curling into himself. He doesn’t know how long he sits there in a total state of panic; it could have been minutes or hours.
Suddenly, he feels warm hands on his shoulder as someone presses a kiss into his hair. He tries to look up at the person, and for a second can’t make out who it is because of the tears in his eyes. After a few blinks he looked up into the warm eyes of his mother, Enzo’s face hovering over her shoulder.
“M-M-Mom?”
His mother immediately kneeled down in front of him, not caring about the street getting her expensive skirt dirty, and wrapped her arms around him.
“What happened, sweetie? Did you take something?”
Unlike with Alex or his father, there is no sign of judgement in her voice at all, just love and concern. For a second TK just focused on her arms around him and the hand in his hair, one that must be Enzo’s, rubbing soothing circles over the top of his head.
“N-no, I didn’t. But I w-wanted to. Shit, I wanted to so bad, mom.” Saying it makes TK feel so ashamed, hating the fact that he disappointed his mom again.
“But you didn’t, kiddo. That is what is important now. That you didn’t.” Enzo’s deep voice calms TK in a different way then his mom’s, in a way that makes TK feel safe from all the danger in the word.
“Why don’t you come and get in the car and me and Enzo will take you home.” His mom offered, not for one moment letting go of him.
TK just nodded, his attention slipping away from his surroundings.
He vaguely registered that they got in the car, he and his mom in the back and Enzo driving. He believed they stopped at some point and Enzo got out but he didn’t really care because his mom was still hugging him. At some point Enzo is beside him as well as he and his mom try to get TK out of the back seat.
They moved him around a little and he noticed that it is warmer. As he brought his attention back to the present he becomes aware of the fact that he is in his mom’s living room. He was lying on the couch but the rest of the room is empty.
As he is about to sit up he noticed Enzo enter the room, who immediately walked towards him.
“Hey, kiddo. You with us again?” TK just nods as he leaned into the hand running through his hair. His mom joined them a few seconds later, a cup of tea in her hand. She handed him the drink but kept her hands wrapped around his so he wouldn't drop it accidently.
“What happened, TK? Why were you sitting in the street? Has it something to do with Owen?” TK couldn’t help but laugh a little at that. Of course his mom thought it was his father’s fault, though he did suppose his father kind of set of this mess.
“No, mom. It has nothing to do with dad.” He looked away from his mom and (step)dad. “It’s my fault. I fucked it all up.” He couldn’t help the tears that welled up in his eyes.
“A-Alex he found s-someone else. He was c-cheating on me. He said it was because of me, that I exhaust him. And maybe I do because I talked to dad today and he said I exhaust him too, that I am a burden to him.”
TK startled at the sound of Enzo’s fist hitting the table, his stepfather standing up in anger. Enzo turned to his mom, his fist shaking with rage.
“That fucking bastard. How can he say something like that? I swear, Gwyn, I will go over there right now and make sure he never comes near our son again.” TK couldn’t help the warm feeling that gathered in his chest at hearing Enzo call him his son but at the same time the man’s anger scared him a little.
His mom turned to Enzo and laid a hand on his arm, her other one still holding on to TK’s, pulling slightly to make him sit back down.
“I know love and I will have words with Owen about this but right now it isn’t the most important thing.” With a sweet smile she turned back to TK and ran her hand through his hair.
“TK, sweetie, what Alex said is not true. You aren’t exhausting and that man does not deserve you in the slightest. Alex is an insecure, pathetic little man that needs to put others down because he does not feel good about himself.”
His mom shifted so she was sitting next to him on the couch so she could pull his head into her lap.
“I didn’t want to tell you when you two were together but I never liked Alex. He treated you horribly during your whole relationship. Since you have been with him we have seen a lot less of you, you seem less happy, you are often bruised in certain places and you have lost a lot of weight. I know you don’t want to hear this right now but I think this is for the best.”
TK buried his face deeper in his mom’s lap, like that could shield him from his mom’s words.
“I also don’t like how he talks to you about your addiction. Like it is a weakness, which I need you to know it is not. It is just at struggle at this point in your life and the fact that you are facing and dealing with it makes you so strong, sweetie.”
TK just nodded, for a second just feeling at ease as they sat there in silence.
The silence was broken by Enzo clearing his throat, his mother sitting a little straighter as the mood in the room shifted. Feeling like this next part was going to be even more serious TK slowly sat up, even if he never let go of his mom’s hand.
“TK, your mom and I have been thinking and we are worried about you. We are worried about your wellbeing and how you are dealing with your addiction. We think New York is maybe not too good for you right now.”
TK felt himself frown at those words, not really knowing what to say to that.
“We think it would be best if you would get out of the city for a while, sweetie.” His mom smiled at him, still tracing circles on the back of his hand soothingly. “So you can be away from this same old-same old here and experience something new. Away from Alex and while not working under your father for once.”
TK didn’t even know what to say, being way too shocked to completely comprehend the words his mother was saying.
“You wouldn’t need to go far at all. You could go to Albany for a few months, for example. And we could visit you because it is not too far away. Maybe you could just breath for a moment.” His mom took a deep breath before saying the next thing she wanted to say.
“I already talked with the fire chief in New York and he says it wouldn’t be difficult to place you at another fire station, either temporarily or permanently. He says you have a very impressive resume at 24 and that there are a lot of fire stations in this country that would be extremely glad to have you. The fact that you are dual-certified makes you wanted in a lot of cities. A relocation on short notice would be possible especially if it concerns your mental health, since they now see that as one of their priorities.”
TK finally managed to find his words again, his body finally obeying.
“Mom, I can’t just get up and leave I need to say here. What about dad?”
His mom sighed, sharing a look with Enzo before looking back at TK. “TK, I would never say anything negative about your father without good reason, but he isn’t good for you right now. He isn’t in the position to help you and he could even make it worse.”
TK just shook his head at that, suddenly feeling very tired. “Alright, mom. I’ll think about it, alright? Can I go to bed for now?” His mom and Enzo just nodded, the first giving him a kiss on the head before he left and went to the spare bedroom where he found two suitcases with almost all of his belongings in them, probably what Enzo had done when they had stopped on the way to the house.
As he laid in bed he couldn’t stop thinking about what his mom had suggested. Going away for a while, a fresh start maybe. That didn’t even sound so bad, it could be exactly what he needed.
With a sigh he picked up his phone from the nightstand and began looking up flights out of New York City.