Hadelis held out his hand expectantly, not saying a word. Damien shakily reached into the pocket of his slacks, pulling out the silver flip phone, before placing it in his boyfriend’s hand.
In the beginning of their relationship, Hadelis used to do weekly phone checks, but lately, they had become more frequent. Damien was not sure what Hadelis thought he would find on there - Damien hardly knew how to work the phone, and usually, the only person he talked to on it was Hadelis. Hadelis, in fact, was the one that insisted he get a phone in the first place, so he could check up on Damien whenever he was out of the house. Damien never brought up either of those things, though, simply letting Hadelis do as he pleased.
“Who is this?” Hadelis asked abruptly, breaking the tense silence between the two.
Damien’s eyebrows furrowed, tilting his head. “Who?”
Hadelis’s grip on the phone had tightened exponentially, his lips pressed into a thin, angry line. He abruptly turned the phone around, thrusting it in Damien’s face. “Who. Is. This.”
Damien had flinched on instinct, his body beginning to shake, but he did not cower…not yet. He instead looked at the number. Immediately, he felt his heart drop. Oh.
“Th-that was just…j-just the pharmacy calling, b-because…m-my prescription needed renewed…” It was a blatant lie, and they both knew it.
Hadelis flipped the phone shut, before slamming it against Damien’s forehead in one fluent movement. Damien immediately crumbled to the floor, curling into a small, protective ball, as he held a hand over the bleeding gash.
Hadelis kneeled down, unfazed, before saying, “Don’t lie to me. Who called you?”
Damien did not hesitate this time. “I-it was Nick…N-Nick Grant…”
Hadelis’s eyes narrowed. “Nick Grant. That idiot grad student that is interning at my practice? Why would he call you?”
Damien knew he was just digging himself deeper…if he told the truth, he would likely be beaten to within an inch of his life…but if he lied, he would still be beaten.
“I…I c-came to see you at the hospital one day, b-but you were busy…I ran into him, w-we talked for a bit, a-and he offered to buy me coffee…b-b-but I refused! I s-swear!”
Hadelis remained silent for a moment. Calm, eerily so. Then he asked, “Well, why did he call you yesterday?” Before Damien even had the chance to answer, Hadelis continued speaking, his tone becoming gradually more harsh. “What did the two of you talk about? Did you talk about me? Did you say something that would have made him suspicious? Did he see any bruises or anything like that?”
Damien curled up into a smaller ball, shaking. Hadelis reached out, grabbing ahold of Damien’s hair, wrenching his head back. “Answer me,” he demanded.
“I-I-I….h-he might have s-seen a s-small bruise…b-but I promise! I d-didn’t tell him anything!” Damien briefly met Hadelis’s cold brown eyes, trying to show him how sincere he was.
Hadelis continued to grasp Damien’s hair for several moments, before releasing him, abruptly climbing to his feet. Damien’s phone crashed to the ground, before Hadelis brought his foot down on it, instantly crushing it.
Damien flinched at the noise, but did not move beyond that, until Hadelis spoke once more. “You are not to ever speak to him again, nor are you to try to come visit me at work. In fact…you are not allowed to leave the house, unless you are accompanied by me, until further notice.”
Damien swallowed hard, giving a small nod. It wasn’t the worst punishment he had ever received, but still, the loss of his freedom was a hard blow.
He would live though. He always did.
