Chapter Text
Ben was starting to get worried about his fiancee. Joe had texted him yesterday that he was getting to the set of his new movie. It was still in the beginning of the shooting, and the ginger man was pretty excited, and the blond was helping him to rehearse the script. Joe knew that his last movie was a success but to survive in this business he needed to have more hits.
And then Joe never texted him again. It had been more than 24 hours. The british actor knew Joe’s process: sometimes he would spend hours in silence, trying to concentrate and to get in the character, but he always told him he was studying, and texted him after. However, now Joe wasn’t texting him at all.
They hadn’t had any fight or even a small disagreement at those days, which made everything weirder. Ben really wanted to give him space, but something on his guts was telling him to go see his lover.
He thought to not get right away there, so he’d stop first at Joe’s parents’ house. It was almost night when he knocked their front door, being answered quickly by John.
“Hi, Ben.” John politely smiled. “Come on in.”
“Sorry for being here without asking” Ben showed an apologetic look, stepping in. “but Joe is here? I called him and I didn’t get any answer.”
John frowned, blinking with suspect. “Well, he texted me to meet him tonight. Something about buying Roger a gift for his upcoming birthday, but...” John took his phone and clicked at his messages. “Yeah, he never said anything else.”
Now Ben’s heart got more tight. Something was really wrong.
“Did you check his house?” John asked while he texted his son.
“His car is in front on the house, but I thought of checking here first.” The actor replied.
“Let’s go there.”
John and Ben walked to Joe’s place quicker than they had to. The oldest man was worried now; his son used to text him all the time, John teasing him sometimes he was too affectionate, but to be fair he liked that his son was like that.
Now at Joe’s front door, Ben seemed a bit afraid. One day without talking could sound nothing to some people, but not for him. Since they had started dating that was the first time Joe spent a day out of radar, so something was off.
John knocked his son’s door, waiting some moments to knock it again. Nothing.
“Joe, babe, please open the door.” Ben begged, his voice trembling because he couldn’t help to feel anxious.
“Joseph, open this door.” John sounded more demanding, even though he was also nervous.
After the fifth knock they heard someone getting close to the door the opening it.
When John and Ben looked to Joe they understood why they’re worried. The ginger man was wearing the same clothes as yesterday and his eyes were red from crying. And when Joe’s eyes landed at his fiancee, his lips trembled again and started crying again, jumping on the blond’s arms.
The other two men looked to each other, worried and intrigued with the scene, but Ben hugged the actor either way. “I got you, love.”
They got inside the house and closed the door, walking to the couch. John ran to the kitchen to get some water for his son. When he got back he saw Joe nesting at Ben’s chest. The british actor looked helplessly to his future father-in-law, who sat in the other couch spot.
Ben caressed Joe’s hair, humming to calm him down, and the ginger was stopping his crying slowly.
John handed the glass of water to his son and he drank it in one go. Seemed he didn’t do anything but cry God knows for how long.
“Joe, what happened?” asked John, looking to his son.
Joe cleansed his face, sniffing. “I’m so fucking embarrassed.”
“Babe, you need to tell us so we can help you.” Ben grabbed his hand, John reassuring with a strong nod.
Joe loved the shooting day. Somehow he felt it’d be a good project. The movie cast was very good, and the script was one of the best he had read in awhile.
The actor was taking his phone out of the pocket to text Ben about his day when the director called him to talk about a scene they should make tomorrow.
They were chatting with enthusiasm about that day while they walked to the director room. Joe didn’t want to look too forward, but he had some things to say to the director. He always liked the movie making, and maybe someday he’d be down for being a director too; he’s a big Spielberg fan.
The first thing he could notice was when the man locked the door. Joe was hyped with their talk to care.
“So, I was thinking about –” Joe cut when the man grabbed by his shirt and pulling him into a kiss.
Joe lingered some seconds to realized that his director – who he’s assumed was straight – was kissing him in the mouth, and then he put his hands on his chest and pulled him away strongly.
“What the hell?” Joe passed his hand over his lips, disgusted.
“Come on, Joe, I know you want this.” The man said, in a tone he’d judge as a sexy one.
“I don’t! I’m engaged and you know that.” Joe was shocked. He respected the director until now.
“Yup, I heard about that. You and Ben Hardy. That’s a very wet dream of mine.”
“Ugh, you’re disgusting!” Joe tried to walk to the door, but the man was blocking him.
“Come on, man. Just a quick.” And he put his hand on Joe’s crotch, squeezing firmly the actor’s covered cock.
He petrified. Joe never imagined he would pass through this, and all he wanted was to yell, but he couldn’t find his own voice.
“I chose you because I wanted to get a piece of you. I have a thing for gingers” The man smirked, satisfied with himself. Joe started to hyperventilating. “Relax. This will stay between us.” and he leaned again.
When he felt the director's lips on his again, Joe found his strength again and snapped his hand, making him take it away. With those few seconds of distraction Joe ran to the door and unlocked it.
Joe was closing the door again and he heard “Hey. I meant it when I said this will stay between us.” Now the man’s tone was threatening. “Say a word about it and I will destroy your so-young career.”
“I will kill this man!” yelled John, standing up from the couch.
“No, dad!” Joe was crying again, and grabbed his father’s arm, making him stop. “I can’t prove anything against him. We were alone.”
“But it’s not fair! He assaulted you!” John was out of his mind. And then he sat again and cupped his son’s face. “He harmed my boy.”
Joe left Ben’s embrace to hug his father, and he cried more.
He knew the industry had its dark side, with cases of alcoholism and illegal drugs till rape and abuse, but he never imagined he’d deal with something like that. And now he felt so naked, so...unprotected.
Ben and John didn’t know what to say, how to make Joe feel better. They wanted to make that sadness leave Joe, but he knew they didn’t have that power. As two persons that deeply love the ginger actor, they just wanted to take care of him.
Right now, it looked they had failed.
---
Roger knocked the door while he was holding a big ice cream cake that Ben told it was Joe’s favorite. In the second knock his future son-in-law answered.
The blond man smiled at him, and in the same moment he understood. “Ben told you.” Joe stated, and he groaned, mad. “I told him to not say to anyone.”
“Hey, kid, don’t be angry with him.” Roger got into the house without Joe inviting him. “I realized something happened when I video chatted him and he seems sad. How about we talk a bit over two pieces of this beauty?”
Joe looked at him and then to the cake. So he closed the front door.
Roger noticed Joe looked thinner and paler. In fact Joe hadn’t been eating well for the last three days, only feeding himself when Ben made him to. The blond and his father were taking turns to be with him, which at first seemed annoying but deep down Joe was grateful for. Ben wasn’t there right now because he went to his flat to get some clean clothes.
Until now Joe thought the situation was only between he, Ben and his dad. He begged to not tell to his mother, and he even pretended he was with flu and asked Veronica to not visit him the next few days (a way to not fall in front of his mother). But it seemed his fiancee had to share with his father.
Just great.
Joe took two pieces of the cake and gave one to the Queen drummer. They ate most of it in silence, Joe trying to not bring the subject up. The less he talk about it the better.
“Joe, I like you because you’re Ben’s fiance and John’s son, but specially because I feel I can trust you.” That caught the ginger man’s attention, and he looked up. “So I’m going to tell you something that I never revealed to anyone, not even to my family, or to Freddie and Brian.”
“Okay.” Joe was curious now.
“So...When we got back to the studio for the second album, there was a new CEO, and he said he really liked our music and such, and then he started to stick around in the studio, watch the album recording and all.” Roger poked the cake distractingly with the spoon. “I knew something was odd, but I let it slide. It’s business.”
“Then he was talking with me, Freddie and Brian, trying to be friends. We liked, because according Brian we could make some demands and maybe he’d accept more easily. I thought it was too nice to be true.”
Roger snorted and then Joe noted how the story would end.
“One night I lingered at the studio for some stupid reason I don’t remember now, but anyway. He approached and started to cheap talk with me. Next thing I know he was with his hand on my thigh and asked me how much it’d cost for me to stay one night with him.” Roger finished, exhaling.
“So you understand me.” Joe pointed, seeing on Roger’s eyes what he was feeling now.
“But, unlike you, who were at least more polite, I kicked him in the balls.” Roger took a bite of the cake to his mouth.
Joe, without mean meaning, laughed. Maybe hearing that someone else did something made him feel a bit less sorry for himself.
“He deserved it.” Joe commented simply.
“Indeed, just like the man who assaulted you. Anyway, he never appeared at the studio again.” Roger said, clapping his hands. Seeing Joe’s eyes falling to his plate again, the blond said “At that time, twenty years ago, that’s what I could do, but the times are different now. You can accuse him formally.”
“I can’t. And it wouldn’t make any difference.” Joe sighed, tired.
Roger put his chair closer, feeling that Joe needed this. Someone who could make him do the right thing.
“It would, Joe. I bet you’re not the first one who he did this, and when you give the first step, other victims will appear.” Roger said, with an encouraging tone. “As you, they deserve to be heard.”
Joe bit his own lip. He knew that, but he was too afraid.
“But this will affect my career.” Joe commented.
“Probably, but it’ll also show how brave you are to step up for your own rights.”
A more sincere smile rose at Joe’s lips, and Roger felt he did something good there.
“I couldn’t ask for a better father-in-law.” Joe put it as a thank you.
“I’m glad you think that.” Roger blushed with the complement.