Work Text:
Part 1
He was done. David was finished with Sebastian. Now he just had to wait until Sebastian came to that conclusion and released him from his misery.
A few years earlier
David was nursing a drink in the corner of a New York bar when Sebastian came into his life. Inviting David along on photography trips, wanting David to be waiting for him, when he got back from a late night on a shoot. It made David feel wanted. Within 6 months David had moved Sebastian in to his penthouse suite. 16 months later Sebastian got down on one knee in front of their friends (who were never David’s friends, it turned out.....just people who enjoyed spending his money).
There had been some signs early on that all was not well. If David asked Sebastian to make a commitment to attend an event with him, Sebastian never would until the last minute. David often had to RSVP accepting for them both and then make excuses for Sebastian’s absence. When David tried to discuss this and how it made David felt, Sebastian accused him of not understanding Sebastian’s commitment to his work, and his need to be available in case something came up. What if that was the one big thing that would get Sebastian really noticed by the right people, take Sebastian’s career to the next level?
Over time, David became more and more unhappy. He cried easily, and was prescribed antidepressants. Sebastian said David's low moods were David’s fault. Their arguments were David’s fault. Sebastian would come home, barely say hello to David and then sit at his computer. If David tried to talk to him, Sebastian would be furious and another blazing row would start. Sebastian started to get more and more unpredictable in David’s eyes. During one row, Sebastian threw and smashed David’s phone. When David protested, Sebastian loomed over him and declared that as the phone had been a present from him to David, it was his to do with as he pleased.
The situation escalated. David was happiest when Sebastian’s work took him away and David didn’t have to second guess everything he did or said. When Sebastian was home, seemingly innocuous things would set him off. He never knew when he would have to dodge thrown items or organise for another punched hole in the wall to be fixed. If, when they were out of town, Sebastian was driving and got cross then David did all be could to calm the situation down. Begging to be careful, begging to stop and let David out didn’t work. Of course, David never drove. He couldn’t possibly drive as well as Sebastian.
When Sebastian tore David to shreds in public, completely humiliating him, shouting over all of David’s attempts to defend himself that it really hadn’t been he who knocked coffee over Sebastian’s white designer coat, David began to realise that maybe, just maybe, this wasn’t normal. Things wouldn’t get better. In the aftermath of every argument Sebastian would be so upset and promise to change, if only David could do better, too - but after 6 years, David realised he wasn’t the problem.
The realisation came when Sebastian told David that he had come to understand what was wrong. Sebastian wasn’t sexually satisfied with David. Might they invite a third into their relationship? Someone for Sebastian, because David was fine, wasn’t he? No complaints? What could David say? He agreed to think about it. By now, David was no longer terribly bothered, he just didn’t feel like he could be the one to call a halt to the relationship. Sebastian had agree to try therapy to help with his anger issues and had previously threatened to jump off a bridge, plus David had once found him late at night taking stock off their medication cabinet, as it would be easier to just end it all. David couldn’t risk being the one to make the call to finish the relationship in case that caused Sebastian to actually follow through with his threats – David didn’t want to live with that on his conscience. By now he had discovered that Sebastian was sexting other men, and suspected there was more going on but had no proof. He did manage to say no to opening the relationship, even if he knew he would be ignored.
David’s freedom came on Christmas Day. For only the second time since they met, David’s parents were staying with them. No one ever really figured out what kicked things off, but when Sebastian pushed David backwards from their bedroom door all the way through the apartment to the kitchen in spite of Johnny trying to stop him, David finally had a reason to leave that Sebastian couldn’t argue with. He couldn’t gaslight David into turning a blind eye to a physical incident. David left with his parents that day, and the family lawyers sorted the divorce and getting Sebastian out of his apartment.
Part 2
Now
Patrick was different. Patrick got cross, he was stubborn, and let things fester for far too long, often not wanting to deal with stuff in the hope that if ignored, they would just go away....but he didn’t lose his temper and blame David. He took responsibility for his own actions and feelings - even when those actions caused immense hurt. David’s walls began to lower as Patrick proved over and over that he wasn’t going to fly off the handle for no apparent reason. David learned he could talk to Patrick about anything and the only response he would get would be healthy communication, love and support. David mostly downplayed what had gone on with Sebastian, ashamed by his failure to see what was going on. Patrick didn’t put words in his mouth, but helped him to realise that, far from being normal, David had been in an abusive relationship. With that realisation, Patrick hugged him close, offered to help him find a therapist to talk it through with, and told him David was the best, and made Patrick feel right. He offered to find Sebastian and punch him, but David declined. He just wanted a quiet life in their strange little town where everyone fitted in.