He looks up at a timid knock on the door.

"Tromboner, turn the light off. I don't look too pretty today"

"Shut up man, you're gorgeous. Get in here and watch the rest of "Tiger king" with me" Eric waves him over.

Adam shrugs and lets himself in. A white hand towel drapped across his broad shoulders. He's wearing three lengh shorts, that are tickling the bruises on shins. "Oh Babe!" Eric sighs. Adam sits down on the edge of the bed. With his back to him. His back is dotted in bruises. Red circular shoe prints decorated his lower back. Before Eric could lean over to touch him, he flinches in pain.

"Fuck!" Eric gets out of bed ignoring the Joe Exotic gift shop tour on TV. He creeps round to his boyfriend, kissing him on the forehead as he winces at the wound that Adam's covering with a bloody towel.

"Don't worry, blood makes it worse than it is" Adam nods at the TV.

"I'm gonna get you another towel!"

"It's alright"

"No hun, it's not!" Eric rushes out of the room, and gets another towel from the cupboard. He goes back in, takes the bloody towel and puts it in the wash. "You hungry?"

"Nah, eating hurts"

"I'm making a fucking complaint at that gym!" Eric asking looking for his phone.

"Tromboner don't be stupid!"

"It's supposed to be easy going kick-boxing. You look like you've gone Ten rounds with Max holloway! It's bullshit!"

"Eric don't!" Adam said turning to face him. "I give as good as I get, honest!"

Eric put the phone down and turns the volume up a little. For almost two years, he hadn't worried about his boyfriend getting aggresive towards him. After detention, his partner had turned into a teddy bear over night. This could all change tonight. He didn't want to embarass him. But he was sick of hiding this. He gets up and goes to the other end of the bed, near the pillows.

"Hun, what about beans on toast?"

"Stop fussing Tromboner. I said I'm good"

"Adam cut the shit okay?"

"What?"

"I know you go to the gym. But you don't go to kickboxing class. You never have. Jakub told me you went once and you hated it. Your military mates? Is it them? How long has this been happening? Are you getting bullied? When was the last time you went home? What kind of sick shit has your dad been doing to you?" Eric asked. He pauses as his boyfriend slowly wades himself up onto his feet.

"Adam please!" Eric cries out.

"I can't!"

"Babe we can! When your father is still teaching kids! He can't do that and then come home, and kick the shit out of you, we've gotta report him!"

"Tromboner mind your own fucking business!" Adam yells rubbing his shoulder.

"YOU ARE MY BUSINESS! I'm going over there to give that sick fucker a piece of my mind"

"Wait you can't" Adam bites his lips raising his palm to stop him from leaving.

"Babe you're too injured stop me! Your so called dad needs to take some fucking responsibilty!"

"He wouldn't..."

"Yeah because he's an abusive psychotic prick! What else has he done?" Eric yells. He watches Adam turn away from him and turn the Tiger King back on. He leans on the bed and grabs the bed sheet every so often to cope with the pain exploding in waves across his back. They watch Joe Exotic's staff sit down for thanksgiving dinner. A bunch of misfits that found each other. He wonders if Adam is jealous of what he sees on the screen.

"He wouldn't take responsibility Tromboner...Cause...cause he didn't do this"

"Bullshit. Like it or not Ad, I'm gonna get the truth out of him!" Eric said marching to the door in his florescent, Leopard silk pyjamas.

"Don't!" Adam rises up in pain with a jolt.

"I have to!"

"Eric my dad doesn't beat me. It's mum. This..." He croakes waving a limp hand over his body. "This was all mum...It's always been her..." Adam confesses, as Eric stops in his tracks and stares at him in horror.