A/N: Strong adult language, Adult scenes. Claire's just a friend in this one.
"Clay don't make me kick your ass out of this bed...get up!" Daddy yelled as he pushed Clay's shoulder. It wasn't fair. He'd been having such a good time with Daddy, they were sharing the same bed because Daddy couldn't afford to get a new one, it was great...most of the time. Daddy would try to pick fights with him to "toughen him up" or he'd spread the drawings pins on the carpet and make clay walk on them. Daddy was having fun sliding safety pin needles into Clay's calf muscles or stick screwdrivers in Clay's shin.
Clay didn't mind it, as long as Daddy stayed with him the whole night and didn't disappear, but tonight Daddy was getting anxious. He didn't think Clay was ready for another girl. Daddy said he had one picked out and he wanted Clay to monitor her house. Also If this girl had a partner, where the back and front doors were, how far away the neighbours were. It didn't help when Daddy rearranged a sofa cushion and found chocolate wrappers and soft drink cans. Now Daddy was obsessed with Clay losing pesky extra pounds.
Clay got up and put on slacks a shirt and a jumper. They walked to the park climbing over the locked gate. It looked empty and Daddy walked to the path and told Clay to get on the grass. It was sticky and Clay could feel his trainers sinking into the mud like quicksand. "OK Son, let's get moving" Daddy shouted as Clay started running, it got harder after each lap. The press-ups were torture, the crunches nearly broke his spine in half with Daddy's foot on Clay's back. Clay went back to crunches and after the twentieth lap, Daddy wouldn't allow him to go back home.
"Clay Clay Clay what's happened to you son?" Daddy asked. "That was terrible" He looked at his watch. "It's now one O'Clock, I don't want you back till three" "What?" Clay asked. "It's your fault for getting those Snickers bars, you couldn't just have one you had to have the whole pack didn't you? Did you offer me one? I wanna see what you've got when you get back" Daddy said as he walked off. Leaving Clay wet, dirty and alone. Daddy was right, he was always right, but he only had one piece of a Snickers bar that he cut with a really sharp knife so the chocolate piece was thinner. He let Claire have the rest of the pack, but he knew Daddy wouldn't believe him, Daddy never did.
Clay ran down the park path almost enjoying the wind blowing away his sweat, when he bumped into a figure and fell to the floor. "Fuck...watch it" The figure said about to run away, but Clay saw him turn around. "Sorry" Clay said heaving himself up. "What are you doing here?" The figure asked. "The park's closed" "Are you the guard?" Clay asked. "No" The figure said before running off. Clay wanted to know more, but kept himself to himself before getting back up and running in the opposite direction. Half an hour later Clay pulled himself up onto the nearest bench, his legs were exhausted and his jumper was sticking to his back.
"Hey"
"God..." Clay said, leaning back to see a figure in the dark but he couldn't make out who it was. "A guard's gonna be here in ten minutes" The guy warned. "I've gotta stay here until three" Clay said. "Get over the gate, see you by the lamp-post" The figure said as Clay wondered what to do. He could stay and get caught. Daddy would hit the roof, so he followed this ghosts instructions and met him outside the gate. "You run here a lot?" Clay asked. "Every night" The man answered. "Why you running til three?" The man asked. "Was told to" Clay said. knowing it would sound odd.
"Trainers...pain in the ass" The guy said as he started walking away. "Wait...Wanna talk...about trainers?" Clay asked. He didn't know where to go. Daddy wouldn't have him back yet and the only thing open were the bars. If Daddy smelt any cigarette smoke on him or they stamped Clay's hand, he'd be in deeper shit than the mud on his trainers. "I'm thirsty, there's a bar nearby" The guy said. "I'll wait outside then" Clay said. "Whatever" The man said as went to the bar and came back out less than a minute with a drink. "Aren't you gonna drink in the bar?" Clay asked surprised. "Nah, how long have you been training?" The man asked.
"A year" Clay said. The man knew he was full of shit but introduced himself anyway. "Name's Nick" He told him walking across the road. "I'm Clay" Clay shouted quickly following him. Clay was surprised when Nick let him in to his apartment but he went in all the same. If Nick turned out to be a psycho Clay could handle himself. He sat on the couch while Nick turned on the TV. "What sport do you do?" Nick asked. "I'm a...Triathlete" Clay lied. "Really?" Nick said nodded his head. "So how many cals are you losing?" Nick asked.
"Umm...cals...ten?" Clay said. "I knew it...what was that in the park?" Nick asked. "I like running...sue me" Clay said tapping his fingers on his jogging bottoms. "What do you do?" Clay asked Nick. "Fight...for whoever" Nick said. "Can you show me any moves?" Clay asked. "For your fake triathlon career?" Nick said. They both got up. "Hit me" Nick said. "As hard as you want" He held his hoodie up and left his T-shirt down and Clay couldn't help but notice he was good looking. Nick had a bruise on his neck but earnest needy eyes that hid something. Clay wanted to find out what.
Clay braced his hand as Nick turned to the side waiting for the punch. Clay turned his hand into a fist and stopped himself from shaking. "Should I?" He asked looking up at Nick. "Knock yourself out" Nick said. Clay braced himself and moved forward and punched Nick's ribs. Nick flinched and nodded. "Not bad" Clay watched Nick excused himself and watched TV, but then Clay got worried and pushed Nick's bathroom door open. Nick had pulled his clothes up and revealed his stomach in his bathroom mirror. Clay winced as he saw Nick's bruised reflection in the mirror.
"You hit hard" Nick said rolling down his clothes. "Sorry" Clay said walking on the bathroom tiles and brushing Nick's bruise with his hand. "Can you...ummmm, get me an ice pack? They're in the fridge" Nick asked but Clay had other ideas. He bent down on the floor and kissed Nick's bruise before looking up him. Nick leaned away from Clay and unbuttoned his jeans. Nick didn't really care about Clay thought about him right now with his bright bathroom light shining down on him. If Clay didn't want to do this he could always walk away.
"You want to?" Clay asked. "You don't know me"
"I don't have to know you" Nick said before Clay took Nick's boxers down. It didn't last very long. Nick's ass was cold on the toilet seat, Clay's legs were aching from the running. He came in Clay's mouth and Nick got off the toilet seat so Clay could use it. "Thanks" Clay said as he spat it out and flushed. Clay washed his mouth out as Nick pulled his boxers and his trousers up. He didn't want this to be awkward but it always was, with whoever came over. "Ummm...I've really gotta get some sleep, I've really got to train in the morning" Nick told him. Clay walked back out into the living room and looked at Nick's clock on his wall. "I've got an hour left" Clay said. "You wanna talk?" He asked.
"I mean why do you fight?" Clay asked.
"Clay it's a long fucking story and we're not friends...so...go" Nick said scratching his crotch.
"Nick down there...are you clean?" Clay asked pointing to Nick's crotch the place he'd been so close to less than a minute ago.
"You should've asked me that before you sucked me off" Nick said opening the door. Clay walked out of Nick's place and wondered around the streets until three. He opened the door and Daddy was waiting from him in the lounge. "Have fun?" Daddy asked. "Not really" Clay said as Clay went to their bedroom. "Clay you stink, you're sleeping on the floor untill further notice" Daddy said.
"OK" Clay said. Clay nodded and slept on the floor using one of his rolled up jumpers as a pillow untill Daddy took it off him. For once Clay was pleased he wasn't sleeping next to Daddy tonight. He didn't want Daddy nestled up close to him, touching his arm, smelling him, he'd find out and would want to know everything. Tonight had been a mistake, Clay had embarrased himself for a stranger, Clay had put himself in danger for fun with a fighter? What was he thinking? Nick was mad at him, Clay never go back to the same park now.
"Son I know you're awake" Daddy said. "You're gonna train over and over at that park until you're running's perfect...you hear me"
"Yes Daddy" Clay said as he rolled over and bit his tongue. Clay could still taste Nick along with the drizzle of blood marinating in his saliva. It was time to get up and wash his mouth out...again.