Hiya,

New fic, like i said i liked the idea of them meeting as kids, so this is my attempt at that. I have some ideas of where i could go with this story, like them throughout thee years and stuff, but am not to sure whether to carry it on. let me know if it's worth carrying on or leaving as it is:] but yeah, enjoy and review pleasee:D

Brendan sat in the alley he had come to know very well. He hugged his knees to his chest, keeping one arm wrapped around his torso from the pain. He cried silently into his arms. He had run out of his house as fast as his little legs would carry him. The tears were stinging his face against his fresh cuts. Now the adrenaline was fading, he started to shiver. He hadn't realised just quite how cold it was, but now, sat in nothing but jeans and a t-shirt, Brendan was freezing.

The tears come down thicker and faster now. He was scared, he didn't know whether to go back home. Or stay out here, freezing his ass off. In pain. Help far, far away because this was his alleyway. No-one comes down here. That's why Brendan chose it the first time he ran away, despite the cold, and the pain. It's the safest he has ever felt.

'Hello?'

Brendan froze. Someone was in the alleyway, in his alleyway. He didn't know what to do so he stayed quiet. He heard small footsteps getting closer. He drew his legs in closer to try and hide himself in the dark shadows. He winced at the pain he felt go through his ribs, let out a gasp.

'Are you okay?' the voice said.

It was a child's voice. Brendan no longer felt a threat. This person was just a child. Like Brendan was just a child. There voice was funny though, Brendan knew that people around here didn't have the same accent as him or his Da', but he hadn't heard this one before either.

'Who are you?' Brendan asked, wary.

The boy moved closer, his eyes were adjusting to the dark and he followed the voice. He stood, towering over the small boy on the floor. Huddled up. The other boy looked frightened, he sat down.

'I'm Ste.' He said looking sideways.

'Brendan.'

They sat there in silence for awhile longer. It wasn't uncomfortable, but it wasn't exactly comfortable. After awhile, Ste felt Brendan shiver next to him. His shivers were getting more violent and Ste worried about this other boy. He took off the coat he was wearing, he had a jumper underneath so he should be warm enough.

'Do you want my coat?' Ste asked.

Brendan didn't reply, he kept his head in his arm weeping silently, so Ste placed the coat around his shoulders.

'Thanks.' Brendan said.

They settled into silence again. Ste studied the boy next to him. He's older than Ste, but right now he looked so much younger. His shoulders moved up and down and Ste thought that he might be crying. His face was still buried in his arms and Ste felt the need to put an arm around him or something. He just looked so vulnerable.

'Are you done?' Brendan's muffled voice said.

Ste didn't know what he meant.

'What?' he asked.

Brendan lifted his head and turned to look at the boy next to him. Ste gasped. He had a cut on his cheek and his right eye was swollen. Ste didn't know what to do. What had happened to him? Why was he in this state? Was it the same reason that Ste was in this alleyway, in the dark. Did it happen to a lot of people?

'Are you done staring at me?'

Ste discarded the question.

'What happened to you?'

Brendan looked taken back. He wasn't expecting such a direct question. Usually people would just stare, or pretend they hadn't seen a thing. No-one ever really asked him why? Why his face was cut, why he walked funny.

'Nothing.' Brendan said, and buried his face back in his arms.

That was usually the reply Ste gave people when they asked.

'You know Terry then?'

Brendan looked at him as if he was an idiot. Ste suddenly felt self-conscious. What was it that he said that was wrong?

'Who's Terry?' Brendan asked.

'He's this man me mum brings back to the flat sometimes. He makes my face look like that sometimes.' Ste said matter of factly.

Brendan looked at Ste. He was curious about this boy. He was younger than Brendan, that's for sure. But in a lot of ways he seemed older. He had a skinny frame, but Brendan couldn't really distinguish anything else in this light.

'It wasn't Terry.' Brendan buried his face again. 'Whoever that is.'

'Who was it then?' Ste asked.

Why was this boy so damn pushy? He had a death wish that's why.

'No-one, for gods sake! I said it was nothing didn't I?'

They fell into silence again. Brendan wiped the tears from his face, careful not to hurt himself. He winced when the salty water grazed past the cut on his cheek. And fresh tears made their journey from his eyes downwards. He felt the need to hurt himself some more. He was showing more emotion than he should be. In fact, he shouldn't be showing any at all. He hit his fists down on the ground, letting out a yelp with the impact. He had to do this to punish himself for being such a 'pansy'.

Ste looked down at Brendan now grazed fist. He was gob smacked. Why had he done that? Surely that hurts.

'Well that can't be good for your hand.' Ste mumbled.

Brendan turned to him, eyes fierce and fresh with tears.

'So? It's my hand, not yours. Stephen.' He said, spitting out his name as if it was venom.

Ste became annoyed. Nobody called him Stephen, he didn't like it when his mum called him it. And he didn't like it when this boy called him it.

'It's Ste.' he said, defiantly.

'I don't care.' Brendan said.

Ste became more annoyed. He hadn't done anything wrong. He was just trying to be nice to this boy. Because sometimes Ste felt like being alone, tonight was one of them times. Sometimes Ste needed to get away. This boy clearly did too. There wasn't really another explanation to why else he would be in an alley, by himself, at night, in the dark, in the state that he was in. But he was being annoying. He was being mean.

'Well I'll have my coat back then.' Ste said, pouting into the darkness.

He tried to take it back but the older boy wouldn't let him. He held on with a firm grip.

'Hey, you can't do that! That's my coat!'

'You gave it me.' Brendan sulked.

'Yeah, because I was being nice, but I don't want to stay here any more. '

He tugged at the coat again and managed to free it from one hands grip. The hand that had just smashed its way to the floor. He got the it free from the other hand as Brendan's left hand went to cradle his right.

'What did you do that for?' Brendan whined.

'I said I was gonna take it back.' Ste was unsure now. He had hurt Brendan. He hadn't meant to do that.

Brendan broke down into tears and Ste panicked.

'I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you.'

'You didn't.' Brendan said, he stood up too quickly and keeled over coughing. A sharp pain had shot to his ribs from the sudden movement and Brendan didn't know how to handle it.

He fell back against the wall and recovered his position from earlier. Curled in on himself in a ball. Ste felt awkward. He wanted to comfort him, despite how rude he was, but he didn't know how. Instead he placed the coat back over his shoulders and they sat in silence again.

Ste decided to test his own ribs. He pressed a hand against them and squeezed his eyes shut at the pain. He had got the bruise a couple of days ago, but every now and then he would check the bruise. Whether it be in the mirror, or causing himself pain. He looked over at Brendan, only to find the boy was already staring at him.

'Are you hurt?' Brendan said, his voice soft and friendly. There was genuine concern there.

'It's nothing.' Ste said, in the same stubborn voice Brendan had used earlier.

He waited anxiously to see if Brendan had got his joke. Eventually he was rewarded with a little smile.

'What happened?' Brendan asked, serious now.

This boy was a mystery. First of: he had found Brendan's hiding place. No-one had every found his hiding place before. Second: he was showing Brendan kindness. Kindness that Brendan would get off his friends. That didn't mean they were friends though. And third: he had bruises. Just like Brendan had bruises.

'Was it Terry?'

'I thought you didn't know who Terry was?'

'I don't.' Brendan smiled. 'You just, mentioned him before.'

'Oh.'

'And... I have a Terry too.'

There was no harm in telling this boy. He wouldn't tell anyone, he was younger than Brendan and Brendan didn't dare tell anyone. And if he was in the same position, he would understand. He would know that they were not allowed to tell anyone. It was against the rules.

'What do you mean?' He asked, turning now so that he body no longer faced the opposite wall, but faced Brendan's body instead. He crossed his legs.

'His names Seamus.'

Ste was confused.

'Huh?'

Brendan looked at Ste.

'You said Terry makes you look like this,' he pointed towards his face, 'And hurts you here.' he pointed to his ribs.

Ste nodded.

'Well, Seamus does that to me. Seamus did this to me. He's my Terry.'

Ste understood now.

'Why does Seamus do it?'

'Because he can. Because of the alcohol. Because he has to, you see. He has to make me a man like him.'

He had Ste confused again. Did Brendan think he deserved this? Ste didn't know how many people this happened to, who would cover it up like he does. If it even happened to anyone else. Like Brendan does. If it even happened to anyone else. But he knows for a fact that no-one deserved it.

'You don't think you deserve this do you?' Ste asked.

'Of course not.' Brendan said shocked. Ste sighed relief. 'It's just something that has to be done.'

Ste sucked in the breathe he had just let out.

'No it's not.'

'Stephen,' Brendan began, Patronisingly. 'I'm older I think I know a lot more than you. What are you anyway. Like 4?'

Brendan laughed an emotionless laugh at his own joke. Because Ste clearly wasn't 4.

'It's Ste!' He said through gritted teeth. 'And I'm 11. How old are you. 100?'

There was no humour at all in his come back though.

'Nooo.' Brendan said as if he was saying 'Duh'. 'I'm 14, actually.'

Ste rolled his eyes.

'Whatever.'

They went back to silence. Silence was better than talking with this boy. Ste didn't know what went through his mind, and he got on Ste's nerves. A lot.

'Why does Terry hurt you?' Brendan asked.

'Because he can. Because of the alcohol. But not because he has. And not because he's making me a man. That's just stupid.'

Brendan turned to Ste. Rage filling his eyes. He look like Terry before the first hit would come. Ste held his ground. Reminded himself that this boy was not Terry. He was just that. A boy.

'MY DAD IS NOT STUPID!' Brendan roared, and it echoed into the night.

Ste shivered into the silence.

'He's your... he's your dad?'

Brendan looked defeated. Baffled. Ashamed.

'Terry isn't your dad?'

Ste shook his head. Of course Terry wasn't his dad. His real dad would never treat him the way Terry does. He felt a pang in the pit of his stomach. A longing for his dad. His real dad.

'No. I already said, he's just this man me mum brings home. My dad wouldn't ever touch a hair on my head.'

Brendan looked down.

'Yeah, well my dad teaches me. How to be a man. It hurts now. But it will help me later. I'm sure of it.' Brendan sounded more as if he was trying to convince himself than Ste.

'That's just stupid.'

'I'm not stupid.'

Brendan looked completely helpless. Ste felt the need to comfort him again. But again, he didn't know how. Instead he changed the subject.

'Yeah, well I am. Can never get anything right at school me.'

Brendan looked relieved at the subject change. He was grateful at Ste for doing that.

'I'm top of the class.'

'Well, maybe this new school. I'll be top of the class too.'

This statement brought Brendan back to his funny voice.

'Where was your school before?'

'Manchester.' Ste said.

Where was that? Ste seemed to note the look of confusion on Brendan's face and helped him out.

'It's in England.'

'Oh, why did you move to Belfast?'

'Because mum met Terry.' He said. It was simple as, nothing else to add.

'Why did you move?' Ste asked.

Brendan looked at him. He was clever. Not stupid at all.

'I thought you said you were stupid?' Brendan asked with a smile.

Ste returned the smile.

'I'm observant. You don't sound like everyone else around here. You sound the same, but different.' Brendan chuckled. That was one way to put it. 'So, why did you move?'

'Seamus met someone else. Someone that wasn't ma'. They had a family of their own so we moved here.'

Ste nodded and they fell back into the silence. Now it was becoming familiar, comfortable. Ste liked it.

'How did you find my hiding place?'

'Your hiding place?'

'Yes, mine. I come here to get away because no-one else does. Therefore it's mine.'

Ste shrugged.

'I had a hiding place of my own that I found a couple of days ago. I wanted to find it again tonight only, I couldn't. It's dark now, and it was light when I found it. So I just kinda walked around looking, and then I heard you.'

Brendan nodded.

'Did Terry hit you tonight?'

'Almost.' Ste said. 'That's why I wanted to escape.'

'Oh, what did you do?'

'Nothing. He came home right, and I could smell him. You know? Like whenever I get hit there's one smell that I can smell, and it's stale beer and sweat and cheap aftershave in one. And I knew what was coming, so I left before he had the chance.'

This boy intrigued Brendan. Brendan felt as if he could talk freely to him without being judged, or anything like that. He was just talking, and this boy would understand. He actually understood. There was something else about him too, but what? Brendan didn't know just yet.

'How did you get out? I find it hard enough to leave to meet my friends, and your younger. So I don't see how you managed to leave, because I'm pretty sure it's past your bedtime.'

And there he was. At it again, trying to put Ste down. Stephen made him uneasy, despite being the one person Brendan has ever spoken to about this stuff. He made Brendan doubt himself, and Brendan didn't like that. And there was this thing that Brendan couldn't quite put his finger on. That made Brendan feel uneasy.

'My mum's usually passed out on the sofa by this time.'

Brendan was shocked.

'Terry beats you mum too!' He shrieked his mouth making an 'O' shape.

Ste was just as shocked at the accusation.

'What, no. Mum will stay out the way, and Terry will let her. But she drinks herself silly.'

Brendan calmed abit then. Good, no woman should ever be hit. That was just... wrong.

'What about you? How did you get out?'

'My da' prefers me to leave after. He wants to get me out of his sight until I can learn to fight back properly. So when he shouts at me to leave, he doesn't really care where I end up.'

Ste understood how Brendan felt. It was the same with Ste. Terry wanted him gone from his sight, and Ste obliged.

'How long are you planning on staying out here?' Ste asked, 'Cause, I still want to find my place. And you've still got my coat.'

'I'll help you.' Brendan didn't really know where it came from. He just knew that he wasn't ready to go back home, and however annoying this boy was, he wanted the company. And hey, maybe his hiding place was better than the dank alley they were in at the moment.

Ste paused for a second. Did he really want this boy coming with him? He was nothing but rude at the best of times, annoying. To damn arrogant. But he was lost, in a way. He thought he deserved his beatings and refused to believe otherwise. And well, Ste was hardly going to find it by himself in the dark. Plus, he wanted the company.

'Yeah, alright.'

Ste helped Brendan up, and with Brendan's arm around him, leaning on him for support they set of. They went out of the alley the way Ste had gone in. they wandered the estate that Ste lived on, Ste was looking for something familiar. He knew that once he saw the fence, they were there. The only problem was, Ste wasn't quite sure where that fence was.

Brendan unhooked his arm from around Ste shoulders, and bent down so that one hand was on his bent knees, the other clutching his torso.

'You okay?'

Brendan nodded and then stood straight.

'Yeah, just needed a rest. I think I can walk okay the rest of the way.'

They carried on, walking past estate after estate. Ste wasn't sure where exactly he was going, but he knew he was getting close when a fence came into sight. Ste wasn't far off then, when he had left his house. He had turned left instead if right, that was where he made the mistake.

They knew where they were going now, just waiting till they found the gap in the fence to climb through so Ste found himself focusing on Brendan. He was still clutching his torso, and was walking at a slow pace, but he seemed better.

'Is that it?' Brendan pointed towards the gap that Ste was looking for, he dragged his eyes away from Brendan and suddenly became excited.

'Yeah, yeah. That's it come on.' He ran towards it, Brendan a couple of steps behind him. 'We have to climb through, do you think you'll be okay?'

Brendan bent down, grimaced at the pain and held his breathe until he was through. He tried to get through as carefully as he could, but unfortunately that included getting his arse muddy. Ste crawled through after him and brushed himself of. He looked down at Brendan.

'Need a hand?' He asked reaching his hand down to him.

Brendan took it, and wiped his bum in the process.

'Ew!' Ste pulled a face as Brendan wiped the mud on his hands on Ste's neck. 'What the hell!'

But his anger soon disappeared when Brendan started to laugh. He had never seen more then the smallest smile and a pretend laugh. And to see him laugh, genuinely with light in his eyes, made Ste feel warmed, his smile was a nice one. Ste laughed with him and wiped it off his neck back onto Brendan's.

When the laughter faded Brendan looked at Ste.

'I'm sorry. About being um... the way I was back there.' It seemed genuine. Let's just hoped this new, nice Brendan stuck this time. 'It's nice here your place, honestly I can see why you like it here.'

Ste sensed sarcasm in his voice and he looked around.

The first time he had come here was the first time Terry had hit him. He hadn't expected it, didn't know he could feel so much pain, both emotionally and physically. But he had and he felt scared. He had looked at his mum for help, but she averted her gaze and continued to drink from her bottle. Ste felt tears burning at his eyes.

He wasn't sure what he had done wrong. He had walked to the kitchen to get some food, and Terry was by the fridge. He had waited for him to move but he didn't seem to be, so Ste asked if he could 'move please' and he spun around. Flipped. Slammed the beer he had just got from the fridge down on the counter grabbed Ste around the neck, backed him against the wall.

'I'll move, when I want to move.'

Ste felt his hot breathe in his face. That's when he got the first whiff. Stale beer, sweat, cheap aftershave. He shook under the hand.

'I-I just wanted some food-'

Ste felt the hand get tighter around his neck and he felt the wind taken out of him. The most excruciating feeling hit his stomach, and for a second he honestly thought he had died. But then he got his breathe back and the pain hit him.

He had run out of the house as fast as he could, not looking back. He wasn't sure where he was planning to go until he saw the gap in the fence and the field behind it. His eyes were immediately drawn to field because it looked like freedom. It felt like a place he could go and just be him. There was no-one there and it seemed to spread out for miles.

That day he was surrounded by green grass and flowers, and a cool breeze. He found a tree and had just sat. Not doing anything, just sat underneath the tree, until it started to get dark and he was too scared to stay there any more. But looking at it now, he was glad he had left when he did. It was pitch black, the only light coming from street lamps behind them and the moon and stars. It made shadows form, and this place no longer looked like the safe, serene place he had been to before. It looked sinister and he wanted nothing more then to leave.

'It looks better when it's the day time.'

Brendan nodded.

'Well maybe we should come back in the day time then?' He said, hopeful that Ste's answer would be yes.

'Only if you promise not to be so mean next time.'

Brendan smiled.

'Okay deal.'

He turned to go back home and his face fell. He was going to have to climb through that fence. Again. The second time was no better than the first and he felt the pain stronger than ever when he stood up again. To much movement had caused this.

'So, how will I know when to come here?'

Ste thought about his answer.

'You can keep my coat, and that way you'll remember you have to give it back and you'll find me. Eventually.'

Brendan screwed up his face.

'Your coats to small for me anyway. Why would I keep it?'

Ste pouted.

'Well I don't know. Just take it anyway otherwise you'll get cold. But remember that's my favourite coat, that is. I'll be wanting it back.'

Brendan smiled, 'Okay. Well I'll make sure I get it back to you then. Bye Stephen.'

He turned and walked away. A laugh building up inside him, that only escaped when he got the reaction he had been expecting.

'It's Ste!'