brooks & hale - Chapter 32: Chapter 32

"COUNT TO TEN AND back for me, please."
"Isn't that a little too difficult?" Hale asked, his sarcasm marred by the impatience in his words. "Maybe we should start a little easier and work our way up. Wouldn't want to waste any more time than we already are."
Brooks frowned. "Hale."
"What?" Hale shrugged, clearly unbothered by the exasperated expression the nurse was wearing at his aggravating refusal to admit there was anything wrong with him. "I'm simply offering a helpful suggestion."
"I don't care," Brooks said flatly. "You're not the medical professional here. Just do what she tells you to."
In all honesty, Brooks was grateful he got to hide out in the nurse's office for the remainder of lunch. If he had to spend another second subjected to the stares, whispers, and attention, he would have lost his mind. It had been bad enough before lunch. As he suspected, news spread quickly about the morning's events and more than one person was bold enough to outright ask if it was true. Brooks had spent too much time lying these past few weeks to tell anything but the truth.
And then, as if that wasn't enough drama, Hale went and kissed him. In front of the whole school. Not just a peck of the lips, either. He'd gone for full-frontal snogging that didn't leave a shadow of a doubt about the truth.
The teachers had chosen that moment to intervene - of course, they decided to make an appearance after the fight had occurred - and they'd been dragged down to the nurse's office before the uproar in the cafeteria could start over the scandal that Hale Ryves, known for being popular with the ladies, was gay. Well, Hale had been dragged to he nurse's office despite his protests, because his face definitely looked like it needed medical assistance.
Brooks had gone along with him despite being physically fine because a) he wasn't ready to face the questions everyone would have and b) he wanted to make sure Hale was okay. Elliot had also been forced to go to the nurse's office for his own bloody face, although it became apparent pretty quickly that he couldn't be treated at the same time as Hale without one of them trying to attack the other. Elliot had been relegated outside to wait while the nurse did Hale's check up, much to Brooks' relief.
"It's important you take these tests seriously," the nurse told Hale sternly. "If you have a concussion, you'll need to be treated accordingly. It's crucial I properly diagnose it now."
Hale rolled his eyes. "I don't have a concussion."
"She's the one who decides that, not you," Brooks reminded him. "Stop being difficult and count, Hale."
Hale heaved an exaggerated sigh to make it clear he wasn't impressed but began counting, up to ten and back down in a clear voice. The nurse then instructed him to look straight ahead as she shone a light in his eyes, checking whatever it was doctors looked for when they did that. Brooks absently wondered whether he would ever learn that, if he took the medicine route his parents were pushing.
"Okay, your optical nerves don't seem to be damaged, which is always good," the nurse said, scribbling something down on her notes. "And you're clearly in control of your mental capacities, if not a little mouthy."
"Oh, he's always like that." Brooks grinned when Hale pulled a face at him. "It's just his personality."
Hale huffed. "Whose side are you even on, Brooks?"
"I'm on the side of medicine," Brooks replied with mock solemnity. "The right side."
"Watch it, smartass. I'm the patient, remember? I need to be treated with care and consideration."
"Weren't you just saying there's nothing wrong with you?"
"There isn't," Hale said matter-of-factly. "Doesn't mean I can't be treated like a patient."
Brooks seriously doubted his claims that he was fine. The angry red marks rising along his cheekbones where Elliot's fists had caught him were definitely going to fade away into bruises, and his lip had split too, which must have made the kiss earlier painful. Even though he tried to hide it, Brooks hadn't missed his wince when he's sat down on the paper covered mattress, probably the toll the rest of his body had taken which he refused to acknowledge.
"I'm seriously fine," Hale insisted, sliding towards the edge of the bed. "I feel great. Better than ever. And I got off better than Elliot, because I obviously won the fight. Can I go now?"
The nurse placed a hand against his chest and pushed him back before he could slip off the bed. "Not so fast," she said. "Hale, was it? I still need to conduct a quick physical examination, just to make sure there isn't any internal damage or bleeding. Specifically to the head."
"This is a waste of time," Hale muttered. "Aren't I supposed to be in trouble for getting in a fight or something? This isn't the kind of punishment I was expecting."
The nurse looked amused. "Oh, I'm sure that punishment will come later. Now sit still."
Brooks watched as she ran a hand over his scalp, checking for any bumps. "I better miss at least a bit of fourth period for this," Hale grumbled, clearly incapable of keeping his complaints to himself. "It'll all be worth it if I can skip out on physics and - "
He broke off with a wince, his face involuntarily twisting with pain, and Brooks was on his feet in an instant. "What's wrong?" he said worriedly, his hands hovering anxiously as if they could do something to ease the discomfort.
"Nothing," Hale said through gritted teeth, a blatant lie. "I'm fine."
"This spot seems a little tender," the nurse said, pausing at the back of his head towards the base of his neck. "I'm going to press down lightly, and I want you to tell me the truth, Hale. Don't lie about your health. Does this hurt?"
"A little," Hale admitted grudgingly. "But it's just a bump."
"So you did hit your head?"
Hale shrugged. "I guess."
The nurse wrote something down before pulling open one of her drawers, rummaging around in it. She produced an ice pack and handed it over to Hale. "Hold that against the sore area and it should help with the pain," she said. "I've looked you over and you seem fine, beyond the obvious consequences of getting into a fight." She looked pointedly at his bruised cheek and swollen lip.
"Yeah, yeah," Hale said dismissively. "Am I allowed to go now?"
"You're free to go. But," she added, when Hale jumped down from the bed, "I'm going to have to send you home. It's obligatory for any head injury, no matter how minor, to be treated with rest and recovery at home where someone can check up on you at all times."
"What a shame," Hale said, not even bothering to hide his grin. "So I'm seriously allowed to go home now?"
"Yes," the nurse said, rolling her eyes. She seemed more amused than exasperated. "I've written up a slip explaining your absence to your teachers."
Hale looked pleased. "Cool. Maybe I should consider banging my head against things more often if it means I get to skip school."
"Yeah, I don't think so," Brooks deadpanned. "Unless you want to suffer severe brain damage."
Hale's grin widened. "Anything to get out of school, right?"
"You're an idiot," Brooks told him, unable to keep the smile off his face. "I'm beginning to think maybe you did suffer brain damage after all."
"Ouch, that hurt. Right here." He tapped his temple with a mock hurt look. "And I thought you were nice."
"I am." Brooks pulled the door to the nurse's office open. "I'm just realistic, too."
The smile slipped off his face when he stepped out into the hallway, and saw Elliot, a reminder of why exactly they were here. Admittedly, Hale had a point; Elliot did look worse off, although that might have just been because his nose was profusely bleeding and still hadn't stopped. Elliot had to sit with his head tipped back to stop the flow and Brooks couldn't help feeling a little smug at the high probability that Hale had broken his nose.
"Finally finished?" Elliot sneered. "Guess quickies don't exist for fags."
Hale took a threatening step towards him and probably would have decked him right there if Brooks hadn't caught his sleeve, pulling him back. "Don't make me smash your useless face in again," he warned. "I won't hesitate to break your nose as many fucking times as it takes."
His voice was so bleakly cold that it sent a chill down Brooks' spine. Brooks realised the only reason he'd never been scared of Hale was because Hale had never given him a reason to be scared.
Before things could get out of hand in a way Brooks knew he didn't stand a chance of stopping, the nurse called Elliot in. He sent Brooks and Hale one last disgusted look, which Hale returned with a scowl of his own, before disappearing into the office and slamming the door behind him. "Fucking jackass," Hale growled under his breath. "Can't believe I ever called that waste of space my friend."
"I can't believe you punched him in front of the whole school," Brooks said.
"Really?" Hale looked amused. "That's what you thought was the most shocking thing I did in front of the whole school?"
Brooks felt his face turn warm at the memory. "Good point. That was, um..." He searched for the word and finally settled on, "unexpected. And now that we're on the topic, about what you did..."
Out of habit, Brooks glanced around them. They weren't the only ones in the hallway, seeing as there were still twenty minutes remaining of lunch. Students were milling about the lockers and talking in small groups, but Brooks could tell the two of them were being scrutinised and watched. Some people were subtle about it while others openly stared, clearly marvelling at the strange pair Brooks and Hale made now that the truth was out. Brooks suspected it was Hale's battered appearance that warded off anyone actually approaching with the inevitable questions - no one was willing to risk the same fate as Elliot for curiosity.
"About what I did?" Hale prompted, turning the ice pack over his hands. He seemed oblivious to the attention they were attracting, or if he was aware, he pretended not to notice. "You want to know why."
"Um, yeah, kind of."
"We've been officially dating for, what, a week? Give or take?" Brooks nodded slowly, and Hale raised an eyebrow. "Well, it didn't really feel like we were dating. It felt more like we were doing something wrong, sneaking around behind everyone's backs and lying to our friends, just so we could see each other. I mean, I couldn't even talk to you without needing a bloody excuse."
"Yeah," Brooks mumbled. "Pretty much."
"And I didn't think I minded, doing the whole sneaking around thing, if it meant I could be pretend to be straight but still be with you." Hale slipped his hand into Brooks', intertwining their fingers. "Well, fuck that. What's the point in pretending to be straight when I'm obviously not? I told myself it was because I just wasn't sure yet, but clearly, some part of me was just scared what other people thought."
"And now?" Brooks stared down at their hands, the warmth of Hale's palm against his. "You're not scared anymore?"
"Oh, I'm scared. Fucking terrified," Hale admitted, a rare glimpse of vulnerability in his dark eyes. "But I don't care what other people think anymore. I'll face down all the Elliots who come my way, and punch every single one. I'm serious," he added, when Brooks laughed.
"I know," Brooks smiled. "And I can't wait to see that. The Elliots of this world don't stand a chance against you."
"That's what I'm counting on."
"And thank you, Hale. For doing that," Brooks whispered, taking a step towards him and closing that distance which crossed the boundary of friendly to intimate. People were staring now but Brooks realised that he didn't care what other people thought either. Not when the person who didn't care was the only one that mattered. "I know that must have been...it can't have been easy. Coming out like that, to everyone. I had nothing left to lose, but you had everything to lose."
Hale dropped his forehead against Brooks'. "The only thing I cared about losing at that moment was you."
Brooks felt his heart spinning dizzy circles in his chest at the soft words. "Really?" he breathed.
"Why do you always sound so surprised?" Hale chuckled, his warm breath brushing across his face. "Brooks, if I had to choose between some stupid reputation or popularity and you, I'd choose you every time. It's not an even remotely difficult choice."
"Oh," Brooks murmured, his face hot at the burning intensity of Hale's gaze. "Well...if I had either popularity or a reputation, I promise you I'd give it up in a heartbeat for you. But seeing as I don't, you'll have to take my word for it."
Hale grinned. "That's good enough for me."
He leant in but his lips had barely brushed Brooks' before someone yelled both their names. Brooks leant back and his eyes widened when he saw the whole procession heading straight towards them, filling up the entire hallway. Calla was at the head with Coralie, leading Will, Elsie and Kara. Hassan was trailing at the back, hands stuffed in his pockets and looking as if he'd been dragged along against his will.
Brooks instinctively began to pull his hand away but Hale held steadfast onto it. "No more hiding," Hale reminded him, squeezing his fingers tightly. Brooks wasn't sure whether the reassurance was for him or Hale. "Right?"
"Right," Brooks replied, a little nervously. He knew they'd have to face the people they'd been lying to at some point, but it didn't make it any less daunting.
"Oh my god," Calla said loudly, the moment she reached them. She stared at Brooks, then at Hale, and then down at their hands for an extra few seconds before finally bringing her wide-eyed gaze back up to their faces. "So it is true. Hassan told me it was true, but I didn't...I mean, I knew it had to be after what happened in the cafeteria, but still. I needed to see it again with my own two eyes."
"Yep," Brooks said unsurely. "It's true."
She took a moment to process that, and then suddenly whacked him in the arm. "Brooklyn James Christopher Montgomery!" Calla exclaimed, her strident tone verging on a yell that was impossible for anyone in the hallway not to hear. And possibly anyone in the country. "How could you not tell me?!" She whacked his arm again. "How dare you tell Hassan, and not me?!" He received another whack, for good measure. "How dare you?!"
"Ow," Brooks said ruefully, rubbing my arm. "My arm doesn't deserve this abuse."
"Brooklyn James Christopher Montgomery?" Hale repeated, not bothering to hide his smirk. "Well, that's certainly a mouthful. How did they even fit that on the birth certificate?"
Brooks was unimpressed. "My parents chose it, not me. Shut up."
"Hello, why am I just being ignored?!" Calla raised her hand and Brooks quickly caught her wrist before he could receive another whack. "You're my best friend, Brooks! This isn't the kind of information you keep from a best friend!"
"It's not like that, Calla," Brooks said, in an attempt to appease her. "You didn't even know I was gay until last week, and this was the next...step I was working my way up to. And I never told Hassan about it. He discovered it through Hale's texts."
"Wait, what?" Hale narrowed his eyes at Hassan. "You read my texts?"
"Trust me, I didn't go out of my way to do it," Hassan said, bored. "You should really consider who you give your password out to."
Realisation dawned on Hale's face a moment later. "Fucker," he muttered.
"The only fucker here is you," Will declared, jabbing a finger at Hale. "Calla isn't the only best friend who's feeling deprived. How could this vital information," he flicked the accusatory finger between Brooks and Hale, "be withheld from me? Oh, and more importantly, what's the deal with MJ? Is this why you guys never worked out?"
Hale exchanged an amused look with Brooks. "Should I tell him?"
"She's your girlfriend," Brooks shrugged.
Will looked between them suspiciously. "Tell me what? What am I missing? Wait," he gasped, his eyes widening. "Do you guys have some freaky three-way relationship going on here where you share MJ between you?"
"Kill me now," Hassan muttered.
"There is no MJ, Will," Hale said. "She wasn't real."
Will looked stricken. "She...she wasn't real? You just mean she wasn't real-ly involved with you, right?"
"Oh, William. Maybe you should sit down for this. I mean that MJ the Manchester medical student does not exist as an actual person," Hale said, patting him sympathetically on the shoulder. "Sorry, mate. She was just an invention to get you off my back."
"But MJ..." Will looked genuinely heartbroken. "She was supposed to introduce me to her hot college friends..."
Brooks figured that was Will's indirect way of letting Hale know he was chilled with the whole gay thing. He was relieved. It was bad enough that Hale had lost one friend - although Brooks doubted Elliot would ever fall under that category again - to this, but at least he'd be keeping his best friend. And Calla, even though she'd bordered on hysterical in her accusations, didn't seem too upset that Brooks had stolen her crush.
So that was good.
"Honestly, no one but Will gives a shit about your made up girlfriend," Coralie said bluntly, ignoring Will's sound of protest. "The real question is, how long has this been a thing?" She flicked a long nail between them. "And how long have you," she directed the nail at Hale, "been gay? Or should I say, how long have you known? I've seen you stick your tongue down more female throats than I'd like to."
"Not very long," Brooks answered, not keen on picturing what Coralie had just described. "A few weeks, at most. On both accounts."
"This is a new experience for me," Hale added. "Being gay, that is. Let me guess, the other guys reacted similarly to Elliot? That's why they aren't part of this little welcome party, right?"
"Not quite so badly as Elliot," Kara said weakly, glancing guiltily at Brooks. This must have been awkward for her, standing with them while her boyfriend was being tended to by the nurse for getting in a fight over their very relationship. "They were a bit...surprised. Yeah, surprised."
"They just need some time to come around to the idea," Elsie said kindly.
"And Elliot?" Hale said bitterly. "He just needs some time, is it? Or perhaps a personality transplant would be better?"
Kara winced. "I don't know about Elliot. I'll talk to him about it, but he's pretty stubborn when he wants to be. I'm sure I can talk some sense into him, Hale."
"Don't bother," Hale said, in the same chilly tone he'd addressed Elliot with earlier. "I have no interest in ever talking to him again in my life. In fact, I'll seriously consider punching him with a knife if he ever tries to talk to me."
Kara looked aghast, but Elsie stepped in for her friend before the topic could linger in unwanted territory for much longer. "I guess a lot of things make sense now," she said thoughtfully. "Except one thing. I thought you were dating Reed, Brooks."
"You...what?" Brooks spluttered. It was such a bizarre thing to say he wondered whether they were talking about the same Reed. "Why the hell would you think that?"
Elsie looked mystified. "I saw you two kissing at Adam's party, at your house."
"Oh my god," Calla gasped, "how many guys have you been kissing, Brooks? And why haven't I been told about this either?! I feel like you've been leading a secret double life behind our backs this entire time!"
Brooks felt his face turning warm at all of their expectant gazes, at the conversation which had somehow shifted in a way that made it sound as if he was the one who got all the action, which as far from the truth as you could get. He'd only ever kissed three different people in his life, for gods sake. He glanced at Hale, who just raised an amused eyebrow as if to say, you're on your own here.
Brooks was relieved he didn't look annoyed. They hadn't brought up Reed since the discussion at his house, but he felt like this was final closure for it - something to be left in the past.
"For starters, I have not been kissing loads of guys. Not at all," Brooks said insistently, at Calla's skeptical look. "And I'm definitely not dating your brother, Elsie. He hates me. I'm pretty sure he was drunk at that party and didn't even know what he was doing when he, um, you know. So you don't have to worry about that."
"Oh, I wasn't worried. I'd love to have you as a brother-in-law," Elsie said brightly, causing Brooks to splutter in disbelief. Brother-in-law?! Just the terrible thought was enough to send his blood pressure skyrocketing. "Although, I much prefer this combination. You two are so cute together! Oh, I almost forgot - we need to figure out a ship name for you guys!"
Brooks blinked in confusion. "Ship name?"
"Of course," Kara said excitedly. "Hmm, let's have a think. This is a very important process. What about Hooks? Or Brale?"
"Sharp pointy objects or what blind people use to read? Oh, hell no," Coralie said, shaking her head in disapproval. "Those are just not good enough. We'll stick with just calling you Brooks and Hale."
Hale groaned. "Can we please just stop having this conversation?"
"What, you thought you could have a dramatic coming out in the middle of the cafeteria and not have this conversation?" Coralie lips curved into a wicked smile that instantly made Brooks nervous. It was the same evil look Calla wore sometimes, right before she did something crazy. The two of them would be great friends, Brooks was sure of that. "Please, Hale. We're discussing ship names and then we're discussing all the details of this - the how, the where, and all the nitty gritty stuff in between."
Hale retorted that there wasn't a chance in hell he was saying anything, certainly not to "the three biggest bloody gossips in the whole school", and they all descended into lighthearted bickering that didn't really mean anything. It was the kind of comfortable chatter between friends, and Brooks smiled, happy to stand back and just listen with his hand still intertwined with Hale's.
Everything was okay. Or at least, it would be okay. Maybe there would still be people in this school who weren't happy about two gay guys, the Elliots and Amandas and Johns, and maybe they would never be fully accepted. Brooks didn't mind. He was standing here with the people who he cared about and they'd accepted him, accepted them, for what they were. That was all that mattered.
Hale glanced at him and smiled, melting Brooks with that one simple gesture. "You good?" he questioned, in a low voice reserved for only Brooks.
And then there was Hale. Hale, with his heart-stopping smile and easy confidence and natural charm that could melt even the coldest of hearts and his inability to concentrate on anything school related, compensated for his ability to punch like his life depended on it. Hale, his boyfriend. Brooks felt giddy tingles run down his spine at the thought and marvelled at the fact he was really allowed to have him all to himself, lies and secrecy pushed aside.
"Yeah," Brooks replied, curling his fingers tightly around Hale's. "I'm good."
He would always be good with Hale at his side, because that's what they were. They were the nerd and the jock, opposites attract, a rollercoaster of ups and downs, a strange yet perfect combination that sounded like the best thing in the world.
They were Brooks and Hale.