Re: [punching, the redux]
Adrian thought they were doing this. Even as Patrick stepped out of the ring, he still thought they might be. Then Patrick grabbed his towel, and he realized it was over.
So this had been a mistake. He wondered if there should have been ground rules. He had never come into this planning on tearing Patrick's hair and beating the shit out of him, but that was clearly what Patrick thought they were getting into. He had asked him to do this out of raw jealousy, a selfish need to prove he could hold his own. It had never been about knocking out Patrick's teeth. Maybe it would have been better if it had.
Either way, he'd fucked this up pretty badly. He leaned against the ropes and watched as Patrick collected his things. He ran a hand through his hair, slicking it back with sweat. He didn't know what to say. Patrick thought he was witty, but nothing came as easily to him as it had before. Everything seemed really fucking hard. He hadn't expected that, but that was how it was.
The anger had drained out of him like a bled vein as soon as Patrick left the ring. He didn't move from the ropes, or try to stop him from leaving. "I hope you get what you need too." Maybe they could at least want that for each other, and work their way back. Right about now, all he really felt was drained, and confused, and sad. They couldn't leave things like this. He would have to do the legwork to make sure they didn't.