After school, Hugh and Jonas rushed back to the dorms and changed into workout clothes. Hugh had a motorcycle but there chose to jog to the gym. Hugh was in great shape and was able to keep up with Jonas. He was excited to see Jonas loosen up when it was just the two of them. Jonas tended to laugh a little more than usual in private and his dimple showed a more often.

When they arrived at the gym, Hugh let out a curse. "This place is fucking huge."

Jonas chuckled. "You never came here? It's so close to school."

Hugh shrugged. "Only saw it from afar, honestly. Never considered going in until now."

Jonas looked up at the building and remembered the first time he saw it. He was only 7 at that time and was slack jawed. He had begged his parents to let him learn how to fight and they finally relented. It was the first time he met Chuck and they hit it off. Chuck immediately had a soft spot for Jonas and always took care of him.

Jonas's parents stopped caring about the gym after a couple of years, believing that the sport was under their status. But Chuck told Jonas to come whenever and he could still train when he wanted. Jonas made it a point to be there every day and was dedicated. When he got older, he tried to pay Chuck back by working around the gym. Chuck accepted the extra hands by letting him clean or work the front desk. A few times, he would train the new younger students.

Chuck believed working formed good habits and discipline. He tired to teach Jonas a number of lessons and strived to be a good role model. He accepted Jonas like he was a son and provided him with the affection that was missing with his real family. They had a strong relationship for years, but last year Jonas distanced himself emotionally. He stopped communicating and didn't show up every day like he used to.

Chuck was protective with Jonas and was distraught with worry when Jonas showed up completely bloodied at the end of his school year. Jonas begged Chuck to not let his parents know, which meant no hospital. The fighters all worked together to fix him up and kept him safe. Jonas' parents eventually found out where he was and created such a horrible scene at the gym. Chuck had to restrain his fighters from breaking Jonas' father jaw. But Chuck was the one who wanted to cause the most damage.

Chuck had threatened to take Jonas away from them and when they said they didn't care, Chuck took him in. He worked with a few colleagues and got him enrolled in Hawkings and in the dorms.

Chuck was a father to Jonas.

Jonas gripped Hugh's shoulder and helped lead him into the gym. They guys called out and waved at Jonas. Jonas returned the waves and nods. A couple of the guys came to greet him.

"Who's this?"

Hugh grinned and introduced himself.

"Wait, aren't you a King?" One of them asked. "Mad Dog, right?"

Hugh laughed. "That's right."

"We have seen some of your fights! You have great form. Have you thought about being a professional fighter?"

Chuck came up and pulled the guys off of Hugh. "Good to see you guys again. I didn't realize I made a King drag a punching bag around."

Jonas shrugged. "You technically made two. Millan is another King."

Chuck laughed. "I really should pay more attention to the emblems." He was excited to know that Jonas already had a friend, someone close enough that he would bring here. The gym was sacred for Jonas.

The guys started to gather around. A few graduated from Hawkings and the others admired the school and their principles. The Kings of Hawkings had grown as celebrities in the city's fighting world.

Everette hit Jonas' shoulder. "Who would have thought you would have made a friend, and with a King no less."

Jonas sighed and gave Hugh a pleading look. Hugh caught it immediately and knew that Jonas was hoping to keep his new status a secret, but there was no way he would. "Well, that's easy when Jo here is a King too."

Jonas groaned. "Hugh..."

Chuck laughed and hugged Jonas. "That is amazing, son!"

Jonas mumbled an embarrassed thanks. Chuck patted him affectionately on the back and directed him to the punching bags. Knowing that Jonas won't reveal anything about his school life, so he turned back to Hugh. "How did it happen?"

Jonas slipped on his gloves and started to hit the bag. His eyes would dart to the area, watching Hugh joke with the small crowd. These men kept him going when everything seemed to be falling apart and he considered them to be family. He smiled seeing his friend getting along with them. It was a true smile, and Hugh's eyes were fast enough to catch it.

Hugh's breath hitched, completely overwhelmed by Jonas' face brightening. He lost all words and could only think about how beautiful he was when he smiled. Jonas' grey eyes glimmer, his plump lips were perfectly arched, and that dimple was simply killer.

"He really just held out his hand and told Tank 'you're here to give me my crown'." He imitated Jonas' deadpan expression. "I mean, Tank wasn't thrilled but with a swipe to his feet, Jo tossed Tank down and took the emblem and then thanked him for the delivery. I never saw a battle for the crown end so quickly. And it was only lunch time on his first day of school."

Roars of laughter shook the gym and Jonas could only laugh to himself as continue to hit the punching bags.

"And today, he put down any challengers without using his fist. The first guy had a desk to the face because he interrupted class. The other challenged him at lunch but Jo ended up correcting his posture and showed him a couple of moves. The guy didn't want to fight after that and everyone else accepted his status. It was brilliant."

He continued to laugh and tell stories, but his eye always searched for Jonas. And Jonas reciprocated. Chuck noticed the looks and patted Hugh on the back. "You're a good guy for him. He really needs someone like you in his life, so thank you for that. But now, I am going to go kick his ass in the ring."

"Just be careful with the face. I really like that dimple." He said and caught Jonas giving him an exasperated look. "Love you sweetheart!" He called out across the gym.

The guys roared with laughter when they heard that and saw that Jonas flipped him off. But their laughs were cut short when they heard Jonas reply. "Love you too, babe."

Chuck was grinning hearing Jonas joking around. It had been far too long since he saw this side of Jonas, but then what High registered. "Dimple? You have seen him smile?"

Everett coughed. "That kid never smiles. What the fuck?"

Hugh shrugged. "He's a little stingy with them, but he does show off some amazing smiles."

Chuck grabbed Hugh and hugged him tightly, leaving Hugh shocked. He pulled back and looked a little embarrassed. "That kid is like a son to me and he just hasn't been the same since..."

Hugh sighed. "The whole Wolf thing?"

"So you know?"

Hugh nodded. "I put some pieces of information together and then we talked about it for a bit. I still don't know everything, but he still has time to spill the details."

Chuck sighed. "Thank you, Hugh. Really."

After realizing that Jonas was starting to open up a little more, he was amped up. Unfortunately he took it out on Jonas in the ring.

Jonas and Hugh were walking back to the dorms but Jonas was wincing every so often. "I forgot how heavy handed he could be. Shit."

Hugh stepped in front of him. "Hop on!" Jonas was about to refuse, but part of him liked the idea of wrapping himself around Hugh. He hooked his arms around Hugh's neck and rested his body on top of him. "Are you ok?" He asked when Hugh started walking.

"You're all fucking muscle, but I can handle it."

Jonas laughed and nuzzled his face in Hugh's neck. Jonas just wanted to stay like this, breathing in Hugh. Hugh tried to control his breaths because Jonas' lips were grazing his neck but it was distracting. It made a shiver run up his spine and a heat brewed in his stomach.

His mind wandered and remembered what Chuck told him about Jonas. He must have been closed off for a long while.

Hugh smiled softly understanding that he has seen and heard precious moments from Jonas; his laughs and smiles. Bestie soulmates? Old married couple? It didn't matter what they were. They just could be Jonas and Hugh, and that is all that matters.

Jonas was holding on to Hugh in silence, his thoughts similar to Hugh's. It had been a while since he felt like he belonged or had comfort. But he had it all with the man who was carrying him now. Hugh calmed him but also brought out a happiness that he thought died a long time ago. He just wanted him and Hugh to be like this always.

Jonas climbed off of Hugh's back when they got the dorm building and Jonas slowly climbed the stairs. "This is going to be killer tomorrow."

"I can carry you all day. Hugh's Taxi Service." He joked.

They entered the dorm and saw a group of guys sitting on the floor and couches. Travis was passed out on the kitchen table. They all greeted Hugh and Jonas, which woke Travis up. He rubbed his eyes and then let out a squeak. "What happened Jo?"

Jonas groaned, which drew the attention of everyone else. They always were concerned about their Kings.

Hugh laughed. "Jo sparred with Chuck today."

Travis looked up brightly. "The Chuck? My god what was that like?"

Jonas shuddered. "Hell. That guy is relentless in the ring."

Hugh winced remembering some of the hits. "Yeah... I'm glad I wasn't in the ring. Everett kept trying to talk me into it."

"But you saw Jo actually fight?" Travis asked and everyone looked up expediently, even Millan in the corner. Everyone was curious about his abilities.

"Fight? More like I got my ass handed to me." Jonas grumbled.

Hugh laughed. "Let's just say I would not win if he went all out."

"No way!"

Hugh grinned. "Isn't my sweetheart amazing."

Jonas rolled his eyes.

"I'm going to help him real quick. Travis, don't sleep at the table."

They retreated to their room and Hugh helped Jonas sit down on the bed. "Shower?" He asked.

"I don't think I can stand in there." Jonas said.

Hugh chuckled. "Alright. An early night, then." Jonas nodded, grateful to just lay down.

Hugh helped take off his shoes and tucked him into bed. He went out to help the others study and left Jonas to rest.