AN: wrote this for KatieFlones :D enjoy, requests welcome ^_^

Tom flicked through the disney channels carelessly, enjoying his time in the house alone. Harry and Dougie were out at Harry's parents house for the weekend (they absolutely adored Dougie, and Dougie loved the attention) and Danny was out at the park playing football with a few of his mates from around the village. Truth be told, Tom didn't like the friends- one the few occasions he'd met them, they'd treated Danny as if he was the loser clinging in to the popular kids at high school- but obviously, they were Danny's friends.

Sipping his tea, Tom settled on watching Finding Nemo. The film had already started but he knew it off by heart anyway. Outside, rain began to drizzle down; knowing full well that Danny wouldn't come home just because of a bit of water, Tom anticipated a relaxing afternoon in.

Three hours, two films and a lot of rain after thinking this, Tom heard the door open quietly. At first he thought nothing of it, but after a second he frowned. Danny never opened doors quietly.

"Danny?" Tom called, turning away from the TV. There was no answer. Maybe he had fallen over again? Danny did that a lot, but every time he did it Tom made him go through the embarrassing process of sitting on the side and having his cuts wiped and plastered. Tom mainly did this because as a child he'd hated this (the point was to make them avoid falling down so they wouldn't have to sit through their mother fussing over them) and so did Danny- as a seventeen year old, he couldn't stand being treated like a child even if he was one. However, he was still Danny, and falling down was just a part of him. Usually he'd get back up and carry on; only if it was really hurting him would he go back home.

Tom got up and walked through to the kitchen, then stopped dead in the doorway and gasped.

Danny was sitting in the centre of the floor with his head in his hands. He was absolutely drenched- as in, water puddling on the carpet- and rain didn't get people that wet. His knees, uncovered by the shorts he was wearing, were scraped and bleeding, as were his elbows, and his shoulders were shaking. Hesitating for only a second, Tom strode over and dropped down next to him, putting a hand on Danny's back.

"Dan? What happened?"

Danny sniffed, then tried to get up. He stumbled and fell back, then pushed himself up again. Tom rose with him, but Danny just backed off.

"Nothing. Nothing happened!" The Northern accent was thicker than usual, as it always was when he was upset or tired. Tom stood where he was as Danny wiped his face violently then glared back.

"Danny, tell me what happened."

Danny made to run out of the kitchen but Tom leaned forward and grabbed his elbow, pushing him in to the nearest chair. Following his instincts as the father figure of the band, he knelt down in front of the now sitting boy and put his hands gently on his knees, avoiding the cuts.

"Danny, mate. Just tell me."

Danny gave a heaving sob and threw his arms on the table, burying his head in them. Tom waited patiently as he tried to speak and eventually got the words out.

"They said I was d- dumb and pushed m-me over and- pushed me in the pond, and then they h-held me under and then pulled me out and m-made me say I was s-s-sorry for being so stupid then they tied- tied me to the tree and left m-me there and I c-couldn't get out and these people came and laughed at me then untied me and I c-came back and- and- and my head hurts and- and..." He trailed off as Tom listened in shocked silence, then stood up. Danny cried out as Tom pulled him up then dragged him up the stairs after him in silence. He protested as Tom pulled off his wet clothes, but didn't fight- he was too tired. Tom went in to the bathroom and grabbed a huge towel, then strode back. He stopped before he entered the room, staring at Danny. The crying boy was just stood where Tom had left him in his underwear, with his hands covering his face, bawling his eyes out. Tom's rough actions had added fear to the misery and now he was a wreck.

Tom's fury at the boys from the park faded, and was replaced with pity and the love he felt for Danny- love that went a bit further than just paternal. He walked over and wrapped Danny in the towel, picking him up and setting him on the bed, then wrapping the blanket around him too. Tom grabbed another towel from beside the bed and gently dried the dripping curls until they were stuck out in random angles around the freckled face, then he held Danny close to him until the boy quieted down.

"Who did it, Dan?" He whispered. Danny sniffed before he spoke; the accent, again, was thick. He listed the names while Tom listened, then sighed contentedly as Tom hugged him, warming him back up. Tom frowned as he listened to Danny's breathing; it sounded a bit like Dougie's did after an asthma attack.

"I think you're coming down with something."

When Danny didn't reply, Tom peered down at him; he was dozing off on Tom's shoulder. The blonde smiled and leant over, laying Danny's head on the pillow, then kissed his forehead gently. Danny's eyes flickered open as he went off to sleep, Tom lying on top of him, enveloping his smaller body.

"Love you Tom..." He mumbled.

"Love you too, Dan."