Notes: Still working on Cyvasse but since that's harder to write, I came up with this. I love modern au's and this won't be as long as Cyvasse (hopefully). It will just be full of the boys' crazy antics and some romance. Don't worry, Theon's still the same loveable jerk we've grown so fond of.

Ned Stark had always known the Boltons were heartless bastards, but he had never thought they would stoop so low as to hurt an innocent child. But then again, the Bolton involved could hardly be considered a Bolton as his own father was ashamed to acknowledge the bastard as his blood. Yet there was no denying those pale grey eyes. They had filled Ned with dread, and even when the bullets rained down on Ramsay Bolton, those cold eyes still stared mockingly. They were no longer staring, thank god. All those eyes could see now was the darkness inside the body bag where his men had placed Ramsay Bolton's bloody corpse. It was currently being carried away, ready to join other merciless criminals in the morgue.

The boy was one of the few survivors, a skinny child of ten who had experienced too much for his years. He had always been fond of children so his disgust for the family had grown as soon as he heard about it. Ned's own son was ten years old, a cheeky, auburn-haired boy who liked to play in the snow with Lyanna's child. He had left Robb with his mother in Glasgow, along with his younger siblings. They were safe and sound but Ned could not help but think of Robb as Ramsay's victim. Ned didn't think he would be able to handle it.

There was a paramedic sitting with the boy. He was bruised and battered but he wasn't in any real danger. An inhaler was pressed to his mouth and as the boy took in deep breaths, the paramedic coaxed him, gently rubbing circles into his back. There were tear tracks on his dirty face, which Ned could see, was startlingly attractive. The boy was a pretty child. Even grime and the purple-yellow bruises Ramsay had given him could not hide that. It really was no wonder Bolton took him for a plaything. The man was the most insane person Ned had ever laid eyes on, but he had a good eye for beauty.

"Theon?" Ned's voice was soft but the boy still flinched. His breathing seemed to speed up so the paramedic grabbed his hand and held it tightly. "Theon, calm down. I'm a detective." He kneeled, something Ned had learned did the trick in earning a child's trust. Blue-green eyes stared at him warily, but they no longer held that deer-caught-in-the-headlights look Ned had seen when they found him. "I'm here to help."

Slowly, he took the inhaler out of his mouth. Ned noticed a ring on the boy's finger, the right one where Bolton had burned the back of his hand. There was a gauze wrapped around the burn but no one had taken the ring away. It looked to be made of real gold, too large for a child to wear comfortably. It was a kraken, its tentacles made to look as if they were writhing furiously. Ned Stark had seen the symbol before but on a different youth. Rodrik did not have the ring with him when they fished his mangle body out of the river, but he'd had it tattooed on his back, so large no one could miss it.

Ned was from Scotland but he knew who the most dangerous families were. Boltons were insane, cruel, and bloodthirsty. And Greyjoys were vengeful and unforgiving. They had never crossed paths before, thankfully, but Ramsay Bolton had changed all that.

Theon stared at him balefully, and Ned sighed. He was going to be busier than ever.

Aegon had no brothers. He had a sister once, and a mother and father, too, but they died in the hands of the notorious serial killer, Gregor Clegane, when he was but a year old. Besides his cousin Quentyn, he had no male relatives close to his age. And Quentyn Martell was the least entertaining person he had ever met. His cousin was the kind of boy who acted as if there was always a stick up his arse, the reason why his sister Arianne spoke badly of him. Like her, Aegon love him little.

They lived in the hotel his godfather Griff owned. Hotels are good places for children. They can annoy the receptionsists, slide things (or themselves) down the laundry shoots, press all the buttons in the elevator, and stay in the pool for as long as they like. But children can only enjoy their time when with other children, and Griff, despite being a good foster parent, was no child. Growing up in that big penthouse would have been lonely had Theon Greyjoy not moved in the suite below.

Theon had brought along his sister Asha and Uncle Rodrik with him, but Aegon paid no attention to them. He heeded only the miserable child, who was quick to take him in as a friend, and later as something near to a brother. Theon had no brothers himself. The first one had died and the second was in jail. Even when they were around, Theon hadn't been fond of them, because their favorite thing to do was to tease him until he cried. He had a better relationship with his sister, and though they cared for each other's wellbeing, they didn't show affection. Greyjoys, Aegon learned, were not an affectionate folk.

Sometime later, Aegon introduced Theon to Margaery and Loras, but even after he'd met them, it was always the two of them. Aegon had been friends with the Tyrells longer, but Theon was easier to talk to. Aegon could break out of his cool façade and make a complete fool out of himself, and Theon could strip himself naked and dance on tabletops for all they cared about shame (though Theon did dance on tabletops in public whenever he was more than a little drunk) They knew everything about each other, from their favorite foods to their first kisses. Aegon's had been Margaery. They were only six, then, and Aegon had proposed to her with a half-eaten Snickers bar, kneeling in the sandbox the way he had seen others do it in movies. Margaery had pressed her chapped lips against his then dumped him as soon as she was finished eating the chocolate. That was the only time he'd ever been kissed and dumped on the same day.

Theon's first kiss was a harder story to swallow, because it led to more dangerous things. Theon's first kiss was with a grown man named Ramsay Bolton who later kidnapped and took advantage of him. The kiss had led to beatings, knife cuts, and several things Theon did not mention to anyone but the police. Even Aegon did not know the whole story, and Margaey and Loras knew only the kidnapping part. The rest was with Theon and he seemed determined to die without spilling his secrets.

There were still traces of Ramsay's torture. The scars crisscrossing on Theon's back would never fade, and Aegon wondered when Theon would ever stop fearing fire. Probably not until the skin on the back of his right hand turned smooth again. The flesh there was red and wrinkled and slightly flaking. This was why Theon kept his hands gloved, whatever the weather.

And there were the nightmares, the ones none of his friends could stop. Theon would wake up in the middle of the night, gasping for air as his hand searched for the inhaler that was always at his bedside. Aegon's constant worry was that Theon might have an asthma attack after one of his nightmares, so severe he wouldn't be able to call for help. And damn the boy for being so proud. One of the things Theon hated the most was his asthma and even when he was already having trouble breathing, he still wouldn't use his inhaler. Not in public, anyway, not where anyone could see him. His stubbornness made Aegon want to strangle him sometimes.

The boy was loud and annoying but he was Aegon's brother, and after he learned of what had happened to him under the hands of Ramsay Bolton, he became highly protective of him. Theon hated it and he would sometimes complain to them, muttering about being treated like a baby. "Well, if you weren't so daft," Aegon always replied, only fueling Theon's anger even further.

He wasn't sure if Theon was ignorant or actually allowing himself to be ogled. He was a pretty boy with his wavy dark hair, blue-green eyes, and that tiny fleck of a mole on the corner of his lips. Aegon was attractive as well, but Theon was the real magnet. There was something about his lean frame and ever-present smiles that attracted so many pervs. It also didn't help that he liked to wear too-tight jeans and loose shirts that slid down his shoulder whenever he moved. Right now he was exposing way too much collarbone, and the creepy old man across the aisle was practically pouring drool on his lap.

"You should really stop borrowing my shirts, Theon. They're too big for you," Aegon muttered after shooting the stranger the Death Glare. Margaery had taught them that. Unfortunately, the man was unfazed so Aegon grudgingly went for plan B. He pulled Theon's shirt back then laid an arm across his shoulders. Theon attracted less attention when people thought they were together. This was a risky thing to do, especially since Aegon's being a Targaryen made him famous. He'd already read more than one tabloid where he was rumored to be gay. Loras had shown him enough of them already.

The gayest thing Aegon had ever done was be forcefully kissed by a very drunk Theon and Loras. The latter had even brought his boyfriend Renly to join in the fun, and Aegon had hated every single, slobbery moment of it. Mostly because Margaery had been there and was laughing at him. Aegon wasn't sure if his love for her had started in that Snickers marriage proposal eleven years ago, or if it had stopped then suddenly returned sometime during puberty when Margaery suddenly sprouted an impressive set of breasts. Swimming in Harlaw had never been the same after that.

Theon stuck his tongue out at his admirer, forcing Aegon to tighten his grip on him. "We should have taken your car," he said. He pulled some loose threads from the black glove on his right hand. He'd left the other one bare because of the heat.

"Rory's drunk." It's one time only, Aegon had argued when Griff threatened to fire their chauffer. Actually, Rory had driven them places drunk many times before but Griff didn't know that. While Aegon was protective of Theon, Griff was protective of him. He'd even had Aegon wear a tracker until he ripped it out on his ninth birthday, complaining loudly of wanting to be independent. Griff hadn't been too happy about that, but he'd obliged.

"You could have driven."

Aegon snorted. His family had died in a car crash, a freak accident that was all because of that damnable Clegane. Going to a friend's house already made Griff fuss over him. His godfather would have a heart attack if he ever saw him behind the wheel.

"I could have driven."

"You would crash the car with the way you speed."

"But I never hit anyone!"

"Not a good reason to run over someone, Theon." As soon as the words left his mouth, Aegon immediately wanted to hit himself. Theon bit his lip then shrugged his arm off. Theon talked very little of what had happened to him with Ramsay, but he had told a story of how Bolton had forced him to watch a girl get crushed under the wheels of a truck. "Her name was Kyra," Theon had said, crying. "She was good to me."

"Sorry. I'm a jerk." Theon scowled at him. "We'll get some coffee, you like that?"

It was only seven-thirty in the morning, way too early to go downtown, but Theon liked to make every second of the day count. Aegon hated it. He wasn't a morning person. But he couldn't complain because whenever Theon woke up early, it meant he'd had another nightmare.

Obviously letting them on, Aegon thought when Theon waved goodbye to the geezer. Hadn't he learned from Ramsay already? But Aegon kept that to himself. First rule of their friendship: never mention Ramsay Bolton.

The nearest Starbucks was a block away and though Aegon thought their coffee was too sweet, Theon could drink gallons of the stuff. He was a finicky eater but if you put enough coffee and sugar in something, he would gladly eat it anyway. It wasn't the healthiest eating habit but if you denied him his food, Theon would go for option B. And smoking could kill him.

Theon had a knack for attracting the unexpected. Really, the most surprising things could happen when you were with him. Like in Harlaw, when they were on a small fishing boat and had come way too close to a shark. Or that time when Theon tripped and found a wallet with five hundred pounds worth of cash (the wallet was never returned as Loras had thought it best to spend the money in an amusement park).. Aegon certainly wasn't expecting the rather large grey dog that was running up to them at full speed. It leaped, forepaws hitting Theon square on the chest, knocking him backward. The dog lapped at Theon's face, and visibly he shook underneath it.

For someone who'd undergone torture, Theon was surprisingly fearless. He had his weakness, of course. He was afraid of fire because of Ramsay and Aegon guessed the dog phobia had something to do with Bolton, too. A bulldog could already make Theon blanch and this dog was bigger than a German shepherd. Aegon took in the signs. The shaking, pale skin, and tightly-closed mouth meant Theon was getting nauseous.

"Grey Wind, no!" The dog's owner was a boy their age, almost as tall as Aegon which was really saying something. Aegon was six-four. The boy was probably an inch-and-a-half shorter, and looked as if he were still unaccustomed to his stature. There was an awkwardness to him that was actually endearing. He had a nice face, blue-eyed and slightly freckled, topped with a messy mop of auburn hair. The ropy muscles on his arms spoke of some outdoor sport like lacrosse or tennis, but his paleness gave Aegon a bit of doubt.

The dog snapped his teeth at Theon playfully before letting his owner drag him away. "I'm really sorry," the boy apologized as he pulled Theon to his feet. Scottish, Aegon noted. His accent was rather strong. "Did Grey Wind hurt you? I—"

Aegon really should have warned the boy. Theon didn't even had time to clamp his hand over his mouth. The next thing they knew the boy was wearing Theon's breakfast on his shirt and Theon was spitting the rest on the sidewalk.

"Oh." Theon straightened himself, stared at the vomit, then laughed. "Holy shit."