Chapter Text
It all started when Chris ignored Adrian for a week. He ignored his calls, ignored his texts, and when Adrian showed up at his house—clad in his Vigilante uniform—Chris told him to "go away" and "stop being weird". Things only got worse from there.
It got to the point that Economos was texting and calling more than Chris; hell, he even got more texts from Adebayo. Then it happened. It finally happened. Chris called Adrian, needing to use his bone saws. Adrian knew what this meant. They were going to dispose of a body together.
He couldn't control his excitement. He sped down the freeway, running multiple red lights to get there, but when he arrived, he saw Adebayo out front. What the hell? Were they hanging out without him?
He had brushed that thought aside, justifying it in his head. She lived closer to Chris right now, he had probably called her after he called Adrian. But when Adrian approached and greeted the two, Adebayo had left. He tried not to think anything of it. He was going to get bonding time with his best friend after all, but when he entered the house and found the remains of an orgy, something finally snapped.
Chris easily justified it, although Adrian didn't really understand his thought process. It hurt that Chris partied with a bunch of strangers and Adebayo, not thinking about Adrian at all, but the second he was in a bind, he called Adrian to bail him out. But at least he was thinking about Adrian. At least he was getting his help.
The actual disposal of the body was perfect. Adrian got access to a part of Chris's house no one else ever did. He got access to Chris in a way no one else did. He helped him with a problem only known by the two of them. He won. Chris was his best friend, and Adrian had won the friendship competition.
But it kept happening. Chris kept ignoring Adrian, being mean to him. They had all met up for the rooftop party, he was teased, like normal, not that he cared. None of his friends opinions mattered; only Chris's. But Chris had come in with Adebayo, again. He said they had met in the stairwell, and Adrian had let it go, but for most of the night, Chris stood off by himself, watching the group or talking with Harcourt.
There was one glorious moment when Harcourt came over to Adrian, and Chris followed. They shared a brief conversation about orangutans, in which Adrian completely crushed the animal facts, even though Chris didn't believe him. But he made Chris smile and laugh, and it was like old times…until it wasn't.
At some point, Chris had slipped away and left the entire group alone. It wasn't until Chris needed some doors that he reached out to Adrian again. And when Adrian arrived to the location with the doors, Adebayo was there…again. Those two were always together now, and Adrian was barely a thought in Chris's mind.
Chris explained the situation to Adrian, and they tried to fit the doors in the doorframe. Eventually Chris left to meet up with Harcourt, and Adrian had some—admittedly nice—bonding time with Adebayo. He hadn't realized she was a prostitute. That was probably why Chris was around her so much, he was helping her through this difficult time with her new career after the divorce.
When they got the call to pick Chris up from Argus, Adrian hadn't expected him to be so bloodied up. It was scary seeing him look so defeated. Econogoat had saved Chris's life by booking him, something Adrian had made a note of to properly thank him for. Maybe a gift basket?
During the car ride, it happened again. Adrian was shut out of the conversation, Chris talking exclusively to Adebayo as if he was mad at Adrian's presence or something. He was right there, and yet, he was forgotten, ignored. And when Chris said he wanted to be alone, he didn't even look at Adrian, he didn't even acknowledge that Adrian was a possibility, an option to watch over him while he healed.
Then Adebayo got the text. The text that shattered Adrian's entire world. She had tried to hide it from him once she read the words, but Adrian had seen it: 'bestie'.
They both rushed back, knowing Chris was about to do something stupid, and Adrian ignored the jealousy in his heart in favor of protecting Chris; though he had no idea how he would react if he saw the man's stupid face. But none of that would be an issue. Chris had gone through the door and closed the portal behind him.
It was Adebayo that had gotten a verbal goodbye; it was Adebayo that had gotten the text; it was Adebayo that had found the letter--the letter addressed to Adebayo; and it was Adebayo that spoke Chris's goodbye to the group. And not once, had Chris addressed, mentioned, or even acknowledged Adrian.