Shattered Mirrors

John finished his shower, coming out in a towel that road low on his waist. "Hey, sleep well?" He asked with a smile as he started to get dressed.

"Pretty well, yeah," Alex chuckled, stretching. He looked around, his eyes landing on the time. "Shit. I gotta go," he said, getting up and getting dressed.

John sat on the bed, chuckling at Alex. "Alright. Call me, text me." He said.

Alex smiled when he was dressed and kissed John quickly. "I will. See ya later," he said before leaving the room.

John smiled and watched Alex go before he got up and gathered his stuff, having to get to a house show. He drove tot he show, Alex on his mind the whole time.

Alex had gone home and got dressed, driving to a conference that he had for most of the day. He spent his time attending some lectures, though his mind was with John.

John was sore by the end of the day, having a rough match at the house show. He laid down on his bed, having an appointment with Alex tomorrow. As he slept, he had one of his worse nightmares.

When Alex had finished at the conference, he headed home. On the ride, his mind was still rolling with thoughts of younger man that he had start a relationship with. A man who was also one of his patients.

Alex sighed when he arrived home, going up to his room and stripping down to his boxers, collapsing on the bed from exhaustion. He hated conference days sometimes. They were very stressful.

He close his eyes and wondered if he should text John. He looked at the time, not having realized how late it was. He shook his head, deciding he would see him tomorrow anyway, so there was no point. Little did he know what was happening to John.

John panted and cried in his sleep. He was reliving his childhood trauma, quite vividly. He almost felt the pain, the bleeding between his legs. The groping, rough touching. The feelings of violation returned. He woke up screaming, his face soaked in swear and tears. He cried for a little bit before thinking he should call Alex. But he decided he was seeing him tomorrow, so he wouldn't bother him. He laid down, but didn't sleep for the rest of the night.

Alex slept peacefully, unaware of John's turmoil. He dreamt of a life with John, where they were happy and peaceful.

He woke the next morning, feeling refreshed. He got up and did his morning duties before dressing and grabbing the stuff that he needed for work. He headed out, arriving at his office about a half an hour later. He unlocked everything and turned all the lights on, waiting for his first appointment.

John awoke the next morning. He looked and felt like shit. His hair was a little messy, bags under his eyes. His cheeks were tear stained and red, and John had no energy to doll himself up like he always did. He threw on sweatpants and a white t-shirt, grabbing his stuff before heading out, as he had a morning appointment with Alex. He checked into the office before walking in the room, plopping down on the couch with a a soft groan.

Alex looked at John, noting that he hadn't taken the time for his appearance like he usually did. "You okay?" he asked, strictly professional.

John shook his head tiredly. "No." He said, his voice scratchy from screaming and crying last night.

"What happened?" Alex asked. He was trying to keep his feelings out if this but seeing John like that pulled at his heartstrings.

"I uh, had a nightmare last night." John said quietly, pulling his knees up as he leaned back into the couch.

Alex nodded, figuring that was what had happened. "Tell me about it," he said, looking at John.

John sighed. "Just... shit from my childhood. Reliving it every night." He said quietly, his voice cracking at the end.

Alex nodded. "What happened?" he asked softly. People like John were always touchy when it came to talking, and they all reacted differently. He didn't know how John would react.

"WHat do you mean what happened?" John said nervously.

"During your childhood that you're reliving. What happened?" Alex asked, looking at him. He hadn't thought the question was complicated, but he was fairly sure John was just trying to avoid it.

John looked down. "Starting when I was about... 11 or 12, I started to going to my Uncle's house in the summer." he whispered. "He was nice at first. But then he got... client. He started hitting me. And hitting turned into him... touching me. He used to touch me... down there. And I'd beg him to stop be he wouldn't listen. Then he would take me down to his basement, tie me down and... r-rape me. H-He... He;d do it for so long. It could last hours." He cried. "Sometimes he'd sit on my chest, and I wouldn't be able to breath. It was a punishment I received if I did something wrong. I;d pass out..." He whispered. "And then in high school, I was bullied pretty badly by this kid, A-And... during a class one day, he molested me.... and um, he g-gave me a ride home one day b-but... he r-rape me in his car." He said, tears trailing down his cheeks the whole time.

Alex nodded, writing some stuff down. "That must have been horrible to deal with. I couldn't begin to imagine," he said, looking back at John. "What happened after high school? Did you go to college? Get away from all of that? Did you ever tell anyone?"

John shook his head. "I never told anyone." he whispered. "After high school I went to college for film-makinging. And on the side I got into gymnastics. I'd have went to the Olympics but... I had an accident." He said quietly with a sigh.

"An accident? What happened?" Alex asked, still in work mode but knowing they were getting into personal stuff.

John looked down. "I-I um... I dropped on my head." He whispered. "I broke my neck. My gymnastics career was done. So after I healed, I started training to be a wrestler." He said quietly. "I had to learn a whole new career." He sighed.