A/N: This one'll be a million times better than the last one, I promise you! I've also decided not to do the prompts in order. It's just easier and nobody likes a predictable piece of fiction.

Arty Thrip: Well, Alcyfis created the pairing. I suppose it's because they're the only Dunmers in the Dark Brotherhood but I'm glad she did!

WhyInTheWorld: Yeah, I like my other Alvanus story better than the last chapter of this fiction too.

Commentaholic: I already did an Alvanus story, yes, but, hey, one is never enough!

Helping Hand

Banus hit the ground with a painful thump,

"Shame of my flesh!"

"Let's see how the little nancy fares in the cold!"

"Here's your stinking dress! We'd burn it if we kept it!"

SLAM!

Banus gazed for a while at the lovely, ruined dress beside him and sniffled. It started to rain and Banus tried to get up but slipped back down again in the watery mud. He was fully crying now. He finally managed to get himself up, covering himself in mud from his many falls, sobbing and hugging the dress to his chest. He wanted to wait on the doorstep for his parents and sibling to relent and let him back in but he feared another round of punishment and so, he did the only rational thing his eight-year-old mind could think of: he ran from the door and away from his home.

He blubbed all the way, until a voice from the alley yelled,

"By Mephala, will you SHUT UP?"

Banus jumped so much that he slid backwards onto his backside in the mud again. Unable to take it anymore, he pressed his fists to his face, bawling,

"I said, SHUT UP!" Something pulled him up by the scruff of his neck and he found himself staring at a pair of flaming red eyes set into a furiously sea-green face, "I'm trying to get some sleep here! What's the matter? Did you ruin your little sister's dress, eh, rich boy?"

Banus could only wail harder and do nothing as he was hastily dragged out of the street,

"Be quiet, will you? You'll wake up everyone in Bravil and I am not going to take the blame for making you upset!" The stranger's voice became a harsh whisper that at least allowed Banus to bury his face in the dress and stifle his crying somewhat, "For the love of Mephala, what the hell did you turn up that racket for?"

"M'parents..." Banus choked, "...they threw me out..."

"What?"

Banus finally got a look at the face of the person. He was a Dunmer boy like him with a sharp chin and nose and straggly brown hair. He looked about twelve and, by the look of his clothes, he was either a beggar or very poor. The sort of person his mother pointed out to him on walks with warnings to avoid them,

"Why'd they throw you out?"

Banus was almost going to start crying again but his sobs were silenced by a look from the boy. Even though he had been told not to go near them, Banus realised he was near one now and nothing was happening so, emboldened by this revelation, he said, truthfully, "Because they saw me wearing a dress."

The boy's coppery eyebrows raised in alarm, "Just because of that? And, I thought my parents were touchy!"

"Huh?"

"Yeah, I was given the old heave ho out the door three years ago. All because I said I wished I could marry another boy. Well, it did build up until then. That was just one time too many."

"One time too many what?"

"You know," The boy waved his hand, "acting like you're not male. Thinking boys are better to marry than girls. Indulging in girlish habits." He said the last thing with an intense glare at Banus, who felt like the boy had read his mind,

"Why don't they like it?" He asked, voicing the thing that had been going through his head for months,

"Personally, I blame the Divine worship. It's those stupid priests that drill it into everyone's heads that we're Evil's bedfellows or whatever other rubbish. No good comes from listening to it." He gave Banus a sideways glance, "You said that your parents caught you wearing a dress. I suppose that's it, is it?"

"Yes." Banus' lip trembled despite himself, "Well, it wasn't just the dress. I like playing with dolls too. I used to keep them all under a floorboard and take them out at night. I don't know why I did. The first time I did, Mama told me it was wrong but it was so much fun to play with dolls. I hated toy swords and boy's clothes. I felt more comfortable in dresses."

"Hmph, well, at least you had the sense to hide it for a while. I was open about it like a fool. They kept hitting me every time I was, calling me evil and telling me that doing what I wanted to was wrong."
"Is-is it wrong?" Banus just had to know and couldn't stop himself asking,

"Bah!" The boy spat on the ground, "Who cares about right and wrong anymore?" He paused for a moment, "You're not planning to go back home, are you?"

"Uh..." Banus wasn't quite sure what to do. He knew instinctively that he should but he was still scared of his parents,

"Don't bother. They won't accept you back no matter what you do and, even if they do, you'll be forced to act like they want you to or else you're out on your ear again. And, don't start crying again! I'm just saying it how it is! I found out that out twice!"

Banus managed to gulp down his tears before his sobs started again, "I-I'll go to m'uncle..."

"What makes you think this uncle of yours will be any different? Are you really that stupid, boy?"

Banus hung his head, making his dark, forcibly-cut hair hang limply over his face, hugging the dress to him like he would hold his dolls,

"What is your name, anyway? I don't want to keep calling you boy. It's what my father always used to call me."

"Banus Alor." He mumbled,

"Alval Uvani." After a moment of Banus staring at him in silence, he added, "That's my name."

"Oh! Ah, nice-"

"Don't say 'nice to meet you'. That's what parents tell you what to say. So, if you haven't got any place to go, come with me. There's a little cave out of town where I sleep. Nothing comes there except rats and a couple of mudcrabs."

"Okay." Banus managed his first smile of the night, hurrying to follow Alval, "Thanks."

"And, don't say please or thank you, either. Remember what I said about your parents telling you to say that?"

The velvet swished elegantly around him, the peacock blue complimenting his skin perfectly. The front hung a bit limply but that was to be expected. As Banus admired his reflection in the mirror, Alval appeared at the door. His irritated expression lightened at once as Banus turned a glowing smile on him, "I love it, Alval. It's such a pity I can't wear it in public."

"Well, such is life." Alval shrugged, "Such is rotten, narrow-minded life."

"Well, I'll live." Banus shrugged, "Oh, did you ask the Listener about my application to become a Speaker?"

"Yes. It'll take a bit of persuading but, give it time. You'll be on the Black Hand in no time."

"Great! I can't wait to get those robes."

"Robes?" He paused, halfway up the stairs to their room, "Why are you so anxious about getting robes?"

"Well..." Banus blushed, "...robes are a...kind of dress, aren't they?"

Alval rolled his eyes, "You and dresses!" before walking upstairs to wait for his lover. As he took off the dress, Banus inwardly thanked Alval again for giving him so much of a helping hand ever since he had been thrown out of his home all those years ago. He'd never say thank him out loud, of course. Even after all this time, he didn't like it one bit.

A/N: I have heard of boys who are apparently naturally effeminate so I decided to incorporate it into this oneshot. It made sense to make Banus more effeminate than Alval to me.