[Kitsumi]

Donovan was a bit unsure of how things had happened so quickly. He was used to Jared pushing him around - after all, it was only because they were buddies, right? Friends could do stuff like that to each other. At least, that's what Jared had always claimed in the very beginning, when Donovan had questioned his rough treatment. But by the way Edge had reacted, he was starting to realize that Jared wasn't at all what he had claimed to be. Would a 'buddy' really have caused him so much physical pain? Would a friend have put him on a strict diet, telling him it was to boost his self confidence, when all it did was make him feel sick and hate himself more?

With this new realization, Donovan decided something. He figured that if he said something to stop Edge, his boyfriend would probably back off albeit a bit unwillingly. But even as Jared stared at Donovan with a pleading expression, he simply turned his back to the scene. Jared deserved everything that he was receiving. And Donovan wasn't going to step in and save his ass. Instead, he followed Eden over to the couch, allowed Edge to do whatever he wished. "I'm fine," he said quietly. "It's nothing I'm not used to."

Meanwhile, Jared was struggling just to keep from pissing himself from fear. He wasn't a bodybuilder by any means, but he was bigger than Donovan and had forgotten what it was like to have someone actually fight back. He had always pretended to be tough to keep the younger boy in line, but now he looked like nothing but a scared little kid.

"Ow, shit, leave me alone you psychopath! Donnie, c'mon man, tell him to get off! After all I've done for you? You're not even gonna stand up for me?" His pleas landed on deaf ears. As the hand neared his throat, he realized just how difficult it was to breathe in this position. It was impossible to see anything but Edge now, the man was filling up his vision and he looked so big. "Fine!" Jared screamed. "For fuck's sake, I'll tell him! Just put me down!"

[Rainbowfox Ari]

Edge did put him down. He dropped him, hands just letting go from that height up the wall. If he didn't land on his ass, he was at least going to have sore legs. Edge wasn't about to let him run, though, just standing there with his arms crossed. "Tell. Him." he repeated again, dangerous eyes narrowed.

"Edge, the man said he would, let him get his breath first, damn." Eden said, probing lightly over Donnie's arm and shoulder with quick, practiced fingers. "You're going to have bruising, but nothing too bad. I'll go get some ice." his eyes traveled down, and a smirk came to his lips, even as he was wheeling into the kitchen to get some of the aforementioned ice. "I see my brother's got you all hooked up. Interesting. Edge, don't kill him."

The angry stance Edge was in didn't budge, nor did he answer his brother. If eyes were weapons, Edge would be slowly boiling this man alive. He did know his type. There was a deep-seated animosity for his type that roiled beneath that rapidly pounding heart. This time, however, the heart wasn't pounding from excitement. It was pounding from rage.

"Tell him everything, you piece of shit." he told the man, arms still crossed, but nails digging into his own skin in a concentrated attempt not to punch the guy right there and then. Edge wasn't a big man, in terms of muscles. He was all corded - lean and lithe. Like a viper, or a python, smooth muscle with a killing edge. There was no doubt that the man could kill Jared where he stood and not blink an eye. Or, probably, even break a sweat. The fact that he didn't showed his character.

[Kitsumi]

"Shit!" Jared's legs buckled beneath him as he was dropped, and he pulled himself back up to a standing position slowly, wincing as if the movement hurt him. "Listen to your brother and give me a second to breathe, okay?" He glared at Edge, but it was Donovan's voice that finally prompted him to explain things.

Donovan had been thanking Eden for the ice, shivering slightly at the bite of it against his skin. But now he was looking at Jared, questioning. "What is Edge talking about, Jared? What does he want you to tell me?"

The man sighed and raked his hands through his hair. "Listen kid...I was using you, alright? Letting you into my house, feeding you, all that shit - it wasn't to help you. Remember all those guys I dated? You were too dumb to realize what they all had in common. They had all been introduced to you by me." Momentarily forgetting the pissed off man in front of him, he had the gall to smirk. "I don't know what they saw in a little shit like you. You must have been a really good lay."

Eyes wide, Donovan stared at Jared trying to make sense of his words. "But...you were...for two years?!" It had all been a lie. Their 'friendship' was nothing more than a facade. Jared had basically been Donovan's pimp, except it was worse - he had tricked Donovan into getting emotionally invested in each man who 'dated' him. And then he convinced the poor boy that it was his fault when things had gone wrong!

His hands clenched into fists, but Donovan couldn't bring himself to move towards Jared even to hit him. He wasn't a violent person, although he almost wished that he was in that moment. Instead, the tears that he hadn't even realized he was shedding left a hot trail down his cheeks. He swiped them away angrily, growling a single word through gritted teeth: "Asshole."

[Rainbowfox Ari]

Abruptly, the brothers changed places. Edge immediately darted to Donovan's side, taking him in his arms, and protectively holding him close, stroking his hair, rubbing his back. "Shhhshhshh... It's okay." he murmured. "I'm here. I'm here." He sat on the couch with him, and pulled him into his lap, just letting him cry if he needed to, continuing to rub his back, taking his hand in Edge's free one, and kissing the back of it, before making calming circles over his knuckles. "I'm here." he soothed again, pulling up his legs so that Donovan was in a protective 'cocoon' against his body. "Shhhshhshhhh... shhhhhh..."

Eden, however, quietly set down the ice on the coffee table, and patted Donnie's arm again... before wheeling over there to Jared, giving him a glare as he looked up at him. Then, he slugged him. Right into the gut, where he could reach, with the full force of his entire body. "Morons like you make me sick." he snarled, punching him again, probably in the face this time, if the general reaction of punching people in the gut was what Jared did. If he did punch him in the face, he probably broke his nose. "Get. The fuck out. Of my brother's apartment. And don't ever let either of us see your face again, you stinking whoreson bastard. Ice your nose unless you want it to swell. Get the fuck out. Now!"

With that, Eden pointed hotly at the door, and gave Jared a withering glare. Neither brother was going to give Jared an inch, and obviously, Donovan was in Edge's caring embrace.

Speaking of which, Edge was still holding Donovan, and casually had his arm placed so that the boy wouldn't even have to see Jared get his nose broken, nor see him do anything else.

[Kitsumi]

The force of his emotions threatened to sweep Donovan away. The past two years of his life had been spent crashing at Jared's place, relying on the older man to look out for him, just as Jared had promised to do. But instead of looking out for him, he had treated him like little more than a prostitute. It was enough to break him...except for the fact that Edge was there to hold him together.

As soon as he felt his boyfriend's arms around him, Donovan half-collapsed against Edge's chest. He let Edge lead him over to the couch, where he closed his eyes and just cried. "I feel so disgusting," he sniffled as his tears began to slow. "I can't believe I let that bastard use me."

Donovan didn't see it, but he heard the words that Eden said, followed by a couple of pained cries from Jared. The first punch had doubled him over, as he held his stomach. He certainly hadn't expected that from a guy in a wheelchair. Nor did he expect the second hit, which caused him even more pain than the first as blood began to gush from his nose. "You guys are all fucking crazy," he groaned, although the words came out slightly wrong as he tried to stop the bleeding. "Have fun with your psycho boyfriend and his crippled brother, Donnie. I'll leave your stuff out on the curb - don't even think of coming back when you get dumped on your ass again." With that, Jared darted out of the house before anything worse could happen to him.

[Rainbowfox Ari]

Eden waited until Jared was out of the apartment, before he wheeled over, slammed the door on him, and screamed out one word. "FUCK." He was now shaking his hand, and blowing on it. "Holy shit that guy's got a hard face. Ow. Edge, may I use your first-aid kit?"

Although he still had Donnie in his arms, he chuckled a bit, and motioned to the bathroom. "Yeah. It's in the bottom cupboard. Donnie..." He stroked a finger down his cheek, and tilted his head to have him look at Edge. "Don't go get your stuff. Just don't worry about it, okay? You never have to go there again. Me and Eden will get you new stuff. New clothes, new cellphone, new computer, new licence and everything. Okay? I'll have one of my friends snag and destroy the other stuff. You don't ever have to go back there again."

He held him close, resting his chin on top of his head. "You're not disgusting. It's him that's disgusting. He won't use you any more. Ever. I won't even let him see you." Quietly, he leaned down to kiss him, before pulling him into an embrace again.

Eden wheeled over after a couple of minutes, hand bandaged. "Neither will I. The guy had me almost believing he actually cared about you, and that Edge had his way with you. He's a smooth-talker, but that's all. There's nothing in-between those beady little eyes." He leaned forward toward Donnie, and offered a quiet smile. "I'm Eden, by the way. If we're starting off on the right foot again. Edge's twin. But I think we're sort of different."

Edge snorted. "Sort of? Brother, you and I are worlds apart."

"Yes, well. I actually came to drop off Edge's cloth, as well as drop off your take-out, but I'm pretty sure that stuff is cold by now. Don't worry about it. We can order a pizza. My treat. Whatever you like."

The black-haired one of the twins was still holding Donovan, and didn't look as though he was going to stop at any point. "I can warm that stuff up later in a pan. You're in a remarkably good mood today, Eden."

The wheelchair-bound brother grinned. "Oh yeah. I got some excellent news. I just got back from my checkup at the hospital, and it looks as though parts of my spine are recovering. Also got a call from the lawyer. I'm now cleared to take the fucker to small-claims. Nothing big yet, but I plan to get my money's worth out of him."

[Kitsumi]

//incredibly crappy, muse-less post ahead, sorry! I just didn't want to keep you waiting any longer.

It was a relief when Jared finally left. Donovan grimaced though as he realized that Eden had actually hurt himself punching the asshole. "S-sorry," he said. Automatically he began blaming himself for something that wasn't even his fault.

When Edge turned his face, the boy offered a small smile just to show that he was okay. His blue eyes still appeared a bit misty, but he was no longer crying openly. "Thank you," he murmured. "I just wish you didn't have to go to all this trouble on my account." He felt horrible. His so-called 'friend' had come by to disturb the peace, and now Edge was probably going to have to spend a small fortune to replace all of Donovan's things. "Sor-"

Donovan had been ready to apologize again, but Edge's kiss cut him off. Just like that, everything was alright again. He smiled against his boyfriend's lips, and then turned his body so he could cuddle close.

Rolling his eyes, Donovan nodded. "Yeah, Jared can be really convincing sometimes. I think I kinda guessed after the first few times that I was being played, but every time I questioned him he always had a way to make me feel like I was just being paranoid and ungrateful to him." Shaking away the painful memories, he found the strength to smile back. "And I'm Donovan, or Donnie if you prefer. It's really nice to meet you, Eden."

He chuckled as the brothers went back and forth a bit. Even though he hadn't known Eden for long, he couldn't help but share in the happiness at the news that was shared. "That is good news!" He didn't know what the exact situation was, but a chance at recovery was always something to be celebrated, right?

[Rainbowfox Ari]

[Sorry for Mr. Shortpost. XD  Next one will be longer, promise.]

"It is, though, isn't it? Ah, a little background, Donnie. I was t-boned by a service truck. The guy who drove the truck dialed an ambulance then drove away without checking to make sure I was okay. Thankfully, I got his name, and the lawyer I'm talking to has finally cleared me to take him to small-claims court. I can at least wrangle half the medical bills out of him, if not emotional damages." Eden explained, wheeling over to the counter to put the take-out in the fridge, and dial in a pizza.

"Everything okay for you, Donnie, or what do you want on yours?" he asked, holding the phone up, ready to dial. "Edge, you still like your meat-lovers with extra cheese?"

"Hell yes." Edge answered immediately, causing Eden to chuckle slightly, and shake his head fondly.

"Alright, and I'm having a veggie-lovers with chicken. You're last, Donnie, whatever you want."

Edge wasn't letting Donnie out of his arms, still playing with his hair, and stroking down his back. He noticed, with a little chuckle, that Donnie was still hooked up to the recording system.

"Hmmm... I think that's enough for a baseline. Want to switch these to the wireless, Donnie? You can move around the house a bit if I do that."

[Kitsumi]

One thing that Donovan wasn't very good at was showing sympathy. It wasn't that he didn't care, it was just that he was always afraid of upsetting the person he was trying to sympathize with. The last thing he wanted to do was come across as offensive or insensitive. "Ah, well..." He tried to find the right words. "I hope you squeeze every penny you can outta the guy. What kinda jerk just leaves after hitting you with his car?"

It was a relief when the topic turned to pizza. Giggling slightly at Edge's enthusiasm, Donovan kissed the man on the cheek before speaking his own preference. "I'll eat whatever. But if it's not too much to ask, my favorite is BBQ Chicken. Oh, but no onions." He made a face. Every now and then he could bring himself to eat onions, but usually he picked them out of any meal he found them in. It had been a habit that had perpetually annoyed his past boyfriends. Hopefully his picky eating wouldn't upset Edge.

Donovan had nearly forgotten the device attached to him. It was still easy for him to feel its presence, but with all the drama he had just assumed that the pressure was caused by his heightened emotions. "Oh, umm, yeah. That would be nice." He gave a lopsided grin. "I'm glad I didn't try moving too far away and accidentally mess things up. I had forgotten all about this."

[Rainbowfox Ari]

Edge was very gentle as he switched off the recording machine, after making sure it saved to the cloud, and started to remove the wired units. He kissed Donnie quietly as he ran his hand over his chest to make sure everything was okay, and there were no pinches or bruises. He put the wired stuff away, and brought out another device, but this one was in a bag. Opening the bag, he showed each piece to Donovan, and explained it, while Eden was ordering the pizza.

"Okay, so this is the hub. This plugs into the recording device, and can be picked up from anywhere. These little things are the sensors, here..." he handed him one. It was sort of like just the contact part of a heart-monitor without the wires. Maybe a little thicker, and a little wider. "These go over the same areas the other things were over. If I do it right, you'll probably forget you have them on. Kind of like me, when I wear them."

Eden looked over from hanging up the phone. "He's a cardiophile, Donovan. But I'm sure you've picked that up by now. However... I've never known him to push anyone harder than they wanted, or do anything harmful, so I don't think you have to worry. Just... do me a favor, and make sure he takes care of his own heart."

Sighing, Edge looked over, and gave his brother a half-withering look. "Eden... "

"Eden nothing. You can't be staying up at all hours, eating nothing but junk-food and those damn protein shakes, pushing your body's limits, and drinking all that caffeine and still consider yourself healthy, Edge. I worry about you." He retrieved a glass from one of the lower cabinets... probably set up just so he could reach them, actually... and filled it at the fridge. "I don't want you dead in two years from a myocardial infarction. You're my brother. I care about you."

Edge snorted, while fitting Donovan with the sensors. "I'm not going to have a heart-attack, Eden, jeez. Okay, so my lifestyle might not be the greatest, but I do exercise and I work-out. I dance, too. It's just..."

The wheelchair-bound man waved the glass in his direction as he drank some. "You never sleep. You barely eat well, and the last time you had a check-up was when?"

"... Probably about six years ago." Edge muttered.

Eden nodded. "Case in point. Donovan, I'm nominating you for the task of making sure Edge doesn't kill himself before his next birthday."

[Kitsumi]

Although the device hadn't hurt him at all, Donovan was still glad to have it off. "None of the pieces were broken when Jared pushed me, where they?" He worriedly glanced over at all of the wires. If anything had been broken, he would personally blame himself. Kissing Edge back, he smiled slightly against the other man's lips as he felt his boyfriend's hands searching his body. "Don't worry, I'm fine," he assured him. "Like I said, I had nearly forgotten that I was even wearing the thing."

Donovan held up the sensor that Edge handed him, studying it. "Huh. These are kinda cool. I'm surprised that you can fit all the technology you need into one of these little things." He handed the sensor back, afraid of accidentally breaking it. The boy knew all too well that he could be a bit clumsy when he was nervous.

"Huh? Is it really that bad?" It hadn't occurred to Donovan that Edge might not be looking after himself the way he should. The younger boy hadn't been around Edge long enough to get a really good look at his lifestyle, but Eden's words alarmed him a bit. He wasn't the type to tell someone what to do, especially not someone he cared about. But he didn't want Edge living an unhealthy way that put himself at risk.

For a moment Donovan was thoughtful. Then, he grinned. "Hey Edge, how about we make a deal? If you go get a checkup and talk to a doctor about how to live a healthy lifestyle, I'll see a nutritionist and figure out how to gain some weight." He gestured to his ribs, which showed easily with barely any fat or muscle on his body. "I know that this isn't healthy. But maybe we can be healthy together?" He turned back to look at Eden. "What do you think? Sound like a good idea?" He didn't want Edge to feel like the two were ganging up on him, but Donovan was a worrier. Eden may have been exaggerating when he mentioned a heart attack and an early death, but Donovan was gonna take it seriously.

He had just found Edge. He didn't want to lose him anytime soon.

[Rainbowfox Ari]

Edge sighed softly, and kissed the side of Donovan's cheek, his fingers trailing down his chest as he placed the last of the leads, and then moved back up to the boy's hair, smiling at him. "Alright. If I'm going to go whole-hog with this relationship, I guess I probably need to start taking better care of myself. Donnie... I'm counting on you to keep me honest, and to get me to that doctor... okay?" He kissed him again, softly, and this time on the lips, savoring the moment and the kiss.

For his part, Eden didn't seem to have any problem with the display of affection. "Good." he said, sipping his water. "Thank you, Donnie. I don't mean to put that on you right-away, but... I like you, and I trust you. That doesn't come easy, ask Edge."

The black-haired brother chuckle, and broke the kiss with Donnie, just so he could adjust his hold on him, resting his chin on his shoulder, and giving his brother a bit of a snort. "Trust and you are like oil and water, Eden." he affirmed, nodding. "Donnie... Thank you. For caring. Usually, it's only Eden that does, and only rarely does he voice it at that."

"Because I know you aren't going to listen to me!" Eden said with a laugh. "But maybe Donnie here can change all of that. You don't mind if I call you that, do you?" He wheeled over, and looked at the two on the couch. "I nickname everyone. Except Edge. Because there's not much that I can do with that short-ass name."

Edge laughed. "There's not much I could do with Eden, either. Other than call you E - which you hate."

Shuddering, Eden nodded, and took another sip of water. "True that. Do you mind if I bunk here for tonight, Edge? It's getting late, and I don't fancy my chances finding a handicapped bus at this hour."

"Not at all, Eden. So long as Donnie doesn't mind."

[Kitsumi]

The sensors felt strange on his body, but it wasn't uncomfortable. Donovan assumed that he would get used to it after a little while. For the time being though, he was having a hard time keeping himself from messing with the leads. Luckily, Edge's response was able to snap him back to the conversation. "I'll keep you accountable," Donovan promised. "Just like I know that you'll make sure I'm taking care of myself. We should probably call sometime tomorrow. The longer you put something off, the harder it is to do."

Donovan was practically beaming with happiness at Eden's easy acceptance of him. Although he couldn't respond due to the fact that Edge's kiss was highly distracting in the best of ways. Meeting Edge had quite possibly been the best thing to ever happen to him.

When the two males finally parted, Donovan grinned widely. "You don't have to thank me. You've been pretty caring yourself, standing up to Jared for me and wanting to make sure I'm healthy."

"Nope, I don't mind at all. It's pretty impossible to shorten one syllable, but three can get to be a mouthful." He turned away from his boyfriend long enough to look over at Eden as he spoke. "Oh, and I just want to let you know that I appreciate you trusting me so easily. I know how valuable trust is, and I won't ever intentionally do anything to betray your trust."

Turning back to Edge, Donovan shrugged. "I don't mind. Hey, I've been sharing a small ass apartment with Jared for the past...geez I don't even know how long. Anyways, being in a place like this with two guys I actually like is totally preferable."

[Rainbowfox Ari]

Edge sighed, and nodded. "Yeah... I can call tomorrow, Donnie. But only if you promise that you're going to come with me." he murmured, stroking the side of Donovan's cheek, and tangling softly in his hair. "It's not that I'm scared, but... Okay, yes. It's completely that I'm scared."

Wheeling over around to the other side of the room, Eden picked up a stethoscope from one of Edge's tables, and slung it around his neck. He wheeled over to his brother, and patted his arm quietly. "I am a doctor, Edge. Even if I'm a little out of practice since the accident. I could easily do a once-over of both you and Donnie before you head to the doctor-proper. Sort of... give you guys a baseline. I can take notes, too." He chuckled a bit. "It'll make things easier if the doctor you see has notes to go off of."

The black-haired twin didn't look much more at ease. His arms around Donnie were shaking a bit. Apparently the cardiophile had a fear of medical professionals, and it wasn't limited to just those he didn't know. He glanced toward Donovan again, and sort of... put his arms tighter around him. "O-only... if Donnie does it." he muttered.

Eden gave Donnie a look too, and wheeled around to that side. "What do you say? I won't hurt you. All I'm going to do, if I do this, is take notes as I listen to your heart and lungs, run a few tests with the equipment Edge already has here, and ask you some questions. That doesn't sound too bad, right?" He leaned forward, and whispered in Donnie's ear. "If I do this tonight, he's much more likely to call in the morning. I just need your help to get him to be brave about it."

[Kitsumi]

"I wouldn't want you to go without me," Donovan answered honestly. "I want to be there for you, especially if you're scared. And in return, you can come with me too. That way both of us will have some support when facing those mean old doctors!" He laughed, and then turned to Eden, hoping that the other man would know he was only joking in an attempt to distract Edge from his fears. "Uh, no offense."

Eden's offer seemed practical, and would probably help out a bit. It was Donovan's hope that Edge would feel a bit more comfortable with his brother doing an examination, but that didn't seem to be the case. When he felt Edge shaking, Donovan wrapped his arms around his boyfriend's neck, and then gently guided Edge's head to his chest, right over the spot where his heart beat. He hoped that the sound would be a comfort, even if only a little.

"I'd be glad to do it," he said. "And Edge, I'll be right next to you, okay? Everything is going to be okay." He nodded to Eden, showing that he understood and would do what he could to help keep Edge calm. Donovan was surprised how frightened the man was of doctors, especially considering that his brother was one, but he understood that some fears were just ingrained into a person. There was probably little or nothing that he could do to totally remove that fear, but he would certainly do his best to help Edge be brave.

Standing, Donovan pulled Edge up with him. "Would you be more comfortable if I went first, or would you want to just get it over with? Whichever way is easiest for you, that's what we'll do." He looked over at Eden, hoping that the man could guide them in the right direction.