When Adam awoke after a nap, he looked over to Betelgeuse and studied him sleeping and how adorable he looked curled up in his tiny ball. As much as he wanted to hug him and pinch his cheeks, he resisted the urge and got up and dressed to make some lunch. He turned around when he heard a familiar grumble. Betelgeuse's waking up moan.

"Hey Hamud!" Adam smiled and kissed him. He knew that his choice of Hebrew nicknames was appreciated.

"Hey Matok." Betelgeuse got dressed and put some bread in the toaster when he realised Adam was making eggs.

"You know, I was just thinking, you and my mom seemed to get along really well last night." Adam mentioned.

"Really? Did she say something?" Betelgeuse asked with a smile.

"No. I could just tell. My mom likes most people, but she needs to get to know them really well first. She normally questions people a lot. We call it 'police', but she didn't need to do that with you." Adam answered.

"She seems like a nice person."

"Yeah. I was thinking, could we meet each other's parents one day?" The taller male looked in confusion at the sight of Betelgeuse trembling slightly and biting his bottom lip. A few tears welled up on the surface of his eyes and all he could think about was all his scars and marks and what happened to cause them. He was hoping that Adam wouldn't ask that one question. That question always turned on the waterworks. "Are you okay? What's the matter?" Adam asked the question and the youngest just broke down crying, finding it hard to breathe. Lydia walked out of her bedroom to see what happened and he ran up to her and hugged her close. Adam stood there, dumbfounded, unsure of what to do. Lydia returned his cuddle and told him everything was okay.

"What happened Beej? Hey, what happened?" She asked but Betelgeuse just sobbed more.

"What did you do to him?!" Lydia shouted at Adam accusingly.

"Nothing. I think. I just asked him if I could meet his parents and he broke down." Adam explained and Lydia pondered for a moment. She got a look of realisation and whispered something to Betelgeuse who nodded sadly.

"Aww. Poor baby boy. It's okay. It's all right nothing's gonna happen to you. No one will hurt you." She whispered.

"What's going on?" The eldest asked, stepping closer.

"You wanna tell Adam?" Lydia asked and Betelgeuse nodded. "Yeah. Can you talk? Want me to talk for you?" She asked but this time Betelgeuse shook his head.

"Want me to get you talking first?" She asked and got another silent nod. She started to breathe heavily in a pattern and let her best friend join in and mimic her. He stopped crying and let Lydia wipe his tears. Betelgeuse moved to sit next to Adam who held him against his chest, awaiting the explanation.

"M-my d-d-dad left a-a-a-and M-m-mom a-a-a-ab-" Betelgeuse paused to cry.

"It's all right. Take your time. Steady breaths. Don't worry. Try again." Adam smiled and got a nod, pulling his lover's legs so they were over his lap as he held him. Betelgeuse was still struggling to talk but he was happy that Adam was patient with him.

"I'm Sorry. Dad left when I was 13. I don't know where he is. And my mom. She. she abu-, gosh, it's so hard to talk about. She neglected and abused me. I was scared that you'd want to meet her. I can't face her again. She doesn't even know I like guys or where I am. She's why I ran away from home." Betelgeuse explained slowly to his lover and looked to Lydia for approval. She gave him a nod and assured him he did an excellent job.

"She what?" Adam started crying. He was both upset and angry. He was upset that his boyfriend had to experience abuse growing up and he was mad at his mother for thinking it was acceptable to hurt him. He was also mad at Betelgeuse. He couldn't help but feel like he was not trusted enough to be told this. Nevertheless, he let the smaller male cry into his chest. After a few hour-long minutes, Betelgeuse stopped crying and Adam adjusted himself so he could see Betelgeuse's face and his cute eyes.

"You look tired. Do you want to go to bed?" Adam asked and Betelgeuse smiled and nodded.

He got scooped up into his arms and carried to his room where he got set down onto his bed. "Get comfy." Adam commanded sweetly and Betelgeuse obliged, curling up into a tight ball. Adam pulled the covers over him and something dropped off the bed. He picked it back up and examined it. It was a small, scruffy mouse teddy that was wearing a little pink shirt. It was coming apart and the colour in the shirt was faded.

"Please don't make fun of me." Betelgeuse pleaded when he realised what he was holding.

"What? about having a toy?"

"Yeah. The shirt is made from one of my father's old ones. It's a mouse because he called me Mousey." Betelgeuse explained, looking embarrassed. Adam chuckled and handed it to his lover, understanding it must mean a lot to him. Betelgeuse grabbed it with no hesitation and cuddled it. He saw Adam about to leave and panicked. "Wait! Please stay with me. At least until I'm asleep. I'm scared." He pleaded and Adam laid on the bed next to him,

"You look so cute. My little Bug Burrito." Adam giggled. Betelgeuse was thankful for Adam's kindness.

"Can you cuddle me?" Betelgeuse asked in an innocent voice.

"Of course. Cuddle with my little Buggy!" Adam wrapped his arms around him. He slipped his hand under the covers and stroked his belly, making Betelgeuse fidget, moving his hand away. Pretty soon Betelgeuse was sleeping peacefully, still holding his teddy, but was hot and sweaty, so Adam pulled his shirt off and placed it in the wash basket. "Na night." Adam kissed his forehead before leaving, leaving the door slightly open because he knew it made Betelgeuse feel safer. He understood why now. When he went back into the living room, he saw Lydia and Barbara, who'd just got back in from having coffee with her newly engaged friends Charles and Delia, talking and laughing.

"Oh, hi Adam." The blond-haired person greeted him.

"How's he doing?" The goth asked.

"Alright. Still shaken up. Gave him his teddy and got him down for a nap." Adam smiled.

"Yeah. His attacks always make him tired. And the teddy is called Mousey." Lydia explained with a saddened expression, smiling at the last part.

"What? He had another attack? What happened?" Barbara asked, startled.

"Just got some bad thoughts about... HER." Lydia explained.

"Aww. Poor little boy. Did he take his tablets?" Barbara asked.

"Nah. He can take them when he wakes up. Let him rest."

"You mean stuff like that had happened before?" Adam asked.

"Yeah. he's got PTSD." Lydia explained.

"He's got that WITH ADHD and mental health issues?" Adam looked down sadly.

"What's up?" Barbara was the one who enquired.

"I-I can't believe he didn't tell me. Does he not trust me?"

"Don't get upset Adam. He didn't tell us either until we first saw him having an attack. We'd recently started living together. I got home and he was on the phone, sounding very gentle and quiet. All I could make out was 'I know mom but- may I finish? Okay I'm sorry. Yes, I'll come home.'. As soon as he hung up, he just collapsed and broke down completely." Barbara recalled. "He came back a few days later with a bruised and cut face. He was in a right state. Could barely walk."

"His shirt was blooded too. We had to bin it." Lydia added.

"Poor guy." Adam said with sympathy. After an hour, everyone got worried about Betelgeuse, so Adam went to check on him. He was still asleep with Mousey. Adam sat next to him and kissed his forehead, waking him up. "Morning Sleeping Beauty. You, okay?" He asked in a sweet voice.

"Please can you get me some water?" Betelgeuse asked, his mouth dry.

"Yeah. Hang on." Adam left to get him a drink to hydrate his boyfriend. "I'm back- oh are you asleep again baby?" Betelgeuse was turned over in the bed, so Adam thought he had fallen asleep.

"I'm awake." Betelgeuse turned over, snuggled tight in a blanket.

"Here. Drink the whole glass and take your tablets. I need to make sure you're okay." Adam kissed his cheek, watching to confirm he did as told. Adam held the water since Betelgeuse had his arms in the blanket and looked particularly cute and comfortable.

He felt Adam lay on the bed next to him, playing with his hair. Even though Adam made it so comforting, he couldn't stop thinking about his mother and everything she did and said to him. He remembered her cornering and hitting him whilst he cowered and cried in fear. He remembered every little insult she said to him. Betelgeuse tried so hard to focus only on Adam playing with his hair, but he couldn't stop thinking about her. When Adam heard him whimper, he knew how much he was hurting. "Betelgeuse, look me in the eyes," Adam said, trying not to sound demanding. Betelgeuse hesitantly looked at him, letting out a small sniffle. Adam held his face in his hands, "I love you. I know you need time to erase what she did to you, but I want to give you better memories.". Betelgeuse smiled a little bit as Adam pressed a kiss to his forehead, hugging him once more, pinning him to the bad whilst he straddled his waist. Adam kissed his forehead again, whispering about how loved he was. Betelgeuse felt relaxed and a blush creeped up his face.

"I liked that." Betelgeuse admitted. Adam giggled, pressing another kiss onto his face. Betelgeuse was still feeling a little down, but Adam made him feel better. He kissed Adam on the lips, feeling Adam smile into it. Adam kissed him again, stopping to look into his eyes. Betelgeuse tilted his head curiously.

"I love you." Adam kissed his forehead again, moving his hand to Betelgeuse's stomach, tickling him. The youngest giggled, pushing his hands away.

"You're a jerk!" Betelgeuse chuckled, letting out a full laugh when Adam tickled him again.

"You were saying?" Adam asked.

"Stop tickling me. Please!" Adam gazed down at Betelgeuse and gently kissed him.

"Hey, c'mere." Adam muttered softly, pulling Betelgeuse into a cradle hold, rubbing circles into his back. Betelgeuse couldn't bring himself to let go and stop clinging onto Adam. He buried his face into his shoulder, waiting for the anxiety to calm down, focusing only on the comforting circles being rubbed into his back by a firm yet gentle hand.

Adam and Betelgeuse shared a sweet moment of affection before deciding to see Lydia and Barbara. Adam gathered the smaller male into a hug who lifted his arms and hugged Adam. He buried his face in Adam's chest, wrapping his legs around his waist. Adam hugged him back tight, picking him up and walking to the door. When he left the room, he felt a bit of extra weight on himself. He knew that feeling, Betelgeuse was relaxing in his arms already. Adam stepped out into the hall and walked out near the living room where he saw Lydia and Barbara sitting on the sofa.

"Oh, Beej is back. How are you feeling?" Barbara asked.

"I'm feeling better. How was your coffee?'' Betelgeuse asked.

"It was good. The soon to be married Jones' couple went on and on about having a big lavish wedding. Oh, they also wanted a price to hire you for music." Barbara said.

"Wait what? I've never done anything like that before. I have no idea." Betelgeuse panicked.

"We can worry about that later Buggy. I just want you to get better." Adam nodded.

"Babe? Please can I have forehead kisses?" Betelgeuse asked in an innocent voice, pouting his lip. Adam chuckled and pulled his boyfriend against his chest, gently kissing his forehead. Betelgeuse adjusted into Adam's arms, entranced by his scent. "Hey A-Adam?" Betelgeuse froze, looking up at Adam.

"You had a question for me baby?" Adam kissed his nose.

"Oh yeah. Did you wanna go on a date tomorrow?" the green haired man asked.

"Love too Ahava Sheli. My katan Zeisele." Adam kissed him, holding him comfortingly.