Justin felt someone shaking him roughly and opened his eyes, startled. “Who the fuck are you?” The man asked angrily. “I’m sorry,” Justin told him getting up. He ran and grabbed his bag. “I’ll leave.” “You are damn right. Leave my house now!” The angry man yelled. “I’m so sorry,” Justin said as he ran off of the man’s porch. He ran until he was out of breath then sat down under a tree and tears fell down. His body hurt so much. He just wanted to sleep for a few hours. Three days ago, he had been found sleeping in an abandon warehouse by two men and had barely made it out alive. They had kicked him around and laughed. Then they had left him there bleeding and shaking. When Justin had enough strength, he had gotten up and limped away, needing to find a safer place. Since then he had been looking hopelessly for a place to sleep. His stomach was growling; reminding him how hungry he was. He hadn’t eaten in days. When it started raining, Justin got up to find a place to cover himself. He had only walked a few blocks when the rain stopped, but he was already wet and soaked. He was about to turn into the alley when he saw a woman carry a box inside the building. He walked closer and saw that the door was held open by a bigger box. He licked his lips and looked around. Not seeing anyone watching, he slipped through the door. Once inside the building, he ran up the stairs. He was sure that there had to be some place where he could hide for a few hours and sleep. *** Brian came home after work. He was tired and all he wanted to do was take a hot shower and go to bed. He didn’t want to think about Michael or Lindsay or Babylon or tricks. He just wanted to forget that the world existed for a few hours. When he was done with his shower, he dried off and got in the bed. When he was falling asleep when suddenly he heard a tapping noise coming from the ceiling. For the past week, he had been hearing that same sound, off and on. . Looking at the clock, he noted that it was ten thirty. He sighed too tired to deal with that at the moment. When Brian woke the next morning, well rested, he went to the kitchen and left some coffee brewing while he went down to get his newspaper. On his return, Brian found his door completely open. He knew he had only left it ajar. He moved slowly inside the loft and saw a guy shoving something into his backpack. Brian didn’t know why, but he yelled and tried to get the guy. Startled the guy ran but Brian caught him by the waist and pushed him down. Brian grabbed the back pack and the guy pulled on it too. The thing ripped a little and they watched as apples and bottled water fell into the floor. Brian was taken aback. The guy took the opportunity to reclaim his bag and run away as fast as he could. Brian sat up and grabbed one of the bottles. He asked himself, “who would try to steal food?” then answered his own question, “someone that was hungry…is hungry." Getting up Brian went to close the door and then picked up the two apples and the bottle of water that were on the floor. He put them on the kitchen island and stared at them. He sighed and went to take a shower, trying not to think about what had happened. Things could have gone differently. The guy could have tried to steal something else. He could have gotten killed. He just decided not to think about it for one more second. *** When Brian got home around nine, he was ready to change and spend his night at Babylon. He was taking off his clothes when he heard the tapping noise. He went to the kitchen, opened the drawer and took out a key. He was tired of it and he was going to find out what the hell was making it. Walking out of the loft, he went up the stairs and to his storage room. He frowned when he saw the light on. He turned the knob slowly and to his surprise it was unlocked. He took a few steps around the boxes he had put there a long time ago. There, in the middle of the floor, was someone lying on top of some old rugs, with an old sheet to cover himself. Brian’s mouth hung open at the sight. He looked that the guy’s foot that was tapping on the floor before it stopped. A few minutes later and the tapping started all over again. He looked around and saw a bag lying close to the man. It was the same bag that Brian had been pulling at this morning. Quietly he moved until he was hovering over the guy. “I gotcha,” he said as he held the guy down. “No!” The guy screamed as he tried to turn around. “Let me go! Please!” Brian turned him around and stared at him. He stared at the guy, noticing how filthy the guy was from head to toe, but there was no mistaken the intensity of the blue eyes. “Who are you?” “Justin,” he whispered. “I’ll leave. I’m sorry.” Brian didn’t let him go. “What are you doing here?” “I was trying to sleep,” Justin muttered. “I’ll grab my things and leave, I promise.” Brian was on his knees straddling Justin. His hands were firmly on the blond’s chest. And for some odd reason he felt like helping the guy out. “I’m going to get up but don’t try to get away.” Justin nodded. Brian stood up and Justin did the same. They stared at each other and then Justin reached for his bag and tried to run. Brian slammed him against the wall and grabbed his left wrist. “Don’t move,” he grabbed Justin’s bag away from him and then took a step back letting go of the smaller man. “Give me back my bag!” Justin shouted. “I’m Brian. Come on,” Brian told him. “And turn off the light.” Justin frowned not sure what to do. He could leave and find another place to sleep but he needed his sketches along with the few things he had. He knew that Brian wasn’t just handing them over that easily. Justin sighed as he turned off the light and followed Brian. “Could you give me back my bag?” Brian looked back and shook his head. “Come on.” “No!” Justin hissed and stopped. “I’m not going to.” Brian sighed and stopped. He walked back to Justin and arched a brow. “I just want my things and I will leave,” Justin assured him. “Where?” Brian asked. “Where are you going to go?” “That’s none of your business,” Justin told him looking away. He had no place to go. “I’m just,” Brian looked at Justin and let out a deep breath. “I’m just trying to help you.” Justin looked at Brian and shook his head. He knew that no one did anything like that just because. “I don’t think so.” “Look,” Brian told him. “You can take a shower and maybe eat something and then you can go.” Justin thought about it. He could eat food and have a bath. “You can leave after that. I will give your things back,” Brian then pointed to the gray door. “Come on.” Justin stopped for a second not knowing what he was getting himself into but at that point he would do anything to have some food. He prepared himself for the worst and kept alert just in case something bad was about to happen to him. *** Brian was sitting on the stool looking at Justin’s sketches. He was waiting for the blond to get out o the shower so he could order some take out. He was amazed that Justin’s drawings were so good and going to waste. He looked in the direction of the bathroom and then at his watch. The blond had been in there quite a while. It had taken him a while to convince Justin to go get a shower but finally he had managed. Tears ran down Justin’s face as he stood under the shower. The warm spray hitting every spot on his skin was like heaven. He hadn’t taken a shower in such a long time and never thought he would again. He didn’t have a clue as to why Brian had let him but as he didn’t care. As soon as he was done, he was taking his things a leaving. He needed to find a place where he could sleep. He hated that he hadn’t been more careful. So far the storage room was the best place he had found. Taking some of Brian’s shampoo he washed his hair. He wished he could stay under the shower forever but the water turned really cold. He closed he knobs and got out grabbing a towel that there was. He frowned when he didn’t see his clothes. “Brian?” “What?” Brian was in the bedroom holding some clothes. He stared at Justin’s upper body and frowned momentarily. The blond was really skinny, he looked sick. “Where are my things?” Justin asked worried. “I threw them away. They were no good,” Brian told him. “Here, you can wear this.” “What about my sketches? And the things I had in my bag?” Justin asked. “They are in the kitchen,” Brian told him. “I’m going to order us something to eat.” Justin grabbed the cleaned clothes and smiled. He put them on quickly and then went out to the kitchen. He stared at Brian for a long time. None of them knew what to say. “Why are you helping me?” “I really don’t know,” Brian told him. He looked at Justin’s sketches. “I was looking at your work.” Justin glared at him. “You had no right!” “You had no right to break into my house and still you did,” Brian pointed out closing the book. “Sit down.” Justin walked over to the stool and sat down. “That was different,” Brian arched a brow. “What was?” “I did it out of necessity, not because I wanted to break in,” Justin sighed. “It doesn’t matter anyway.” “They are really good,” Brian smiled when Justin looked up startled. “You really think so?” Justin asked. “I don’t have to lie to you,” Brian got up and walked over to the fridge. He took two bottles of waters and then took one to Justin. “Why are you living on the streets?” Justin opened the bottle of water and took a sip. He stared at the floor not sure if he should tell Brian. He looked up at the hazel eyes and saw the worry on them. “My parents…they died in a car accident a year ago. I was in Europe and no one called me. After a month I called my mother...” Justin smiled briefly. “She was always pestering me. I remember that I yelled at her the last time she had called. I told her that I was big boy and I didn’t need her after me.” Brian sat down on the stool and listened. He saw the blond in front of him crying but didn’t move. Justin cleaned his tears and started again. “So, then after a while I called them but no one would answer me. I decided to cut my trip short to know what the hell was going on because I just knew…something had to be wrong,” he sighed and took a gulp of water. He put it on the counter and stared at Brian. “I came back to no…family. My family was gone. I had nothing. Not a thing,” he sighed. “I loved them so much and they…they are just gone now.” Brian swallowed not sure what to say to Justin. “Didn’t you have any close relatives?” Justin shook his head. “We never did. I always asked but…they both had told me that they were an only child,” he shrugged. “No friends?” Brian closed his water and put it away. “I never talked to anyone. There was this girl once, Daphne. We used to talk but then her parents moved away. I didn’t talk to anyone after her except…never mind,” Justin sighed. “There wasn’t anyone. I didn’t care. I thought I was going to be okay but…I wasn’t. The first few months I could stay in the house but then…I couldn’t pay for it and I had to leave.” Justin walked down the hall with his things in hand. He looked at all the things he wanted to save. The things that had belong to his father, his mother, his sister. He couldn’t save their things. He could only take his father’s wrist watch, his mother’s most precious possession, a hand mirror given to her by her mother and Molly’s teddy bear. His hands touched the walls of a house that was being stripped from him. His whole life he had live in that house. So full of love and no everything was dark and gone. And he was so mad at his parents for leaving him alone. He wanted to yell at them and scream, and he wanted to have them close and hug them and kiss them once again. Going down the steps made him want to scream but he kept calm. His chest tightened as he feared how his life was going to shape from now on. He was all alone now. He knew he was going to be okay. He would stay at the dorms and find another job. He was sure he was going to make it. Once outside he saw the trucks arriving. They were going to empty the house so they could sell it. Justin looked down and his bags and sighed. He just had to keep going because if he stopped for a second, if he thought about what was going on again he would explode into pieces. “How old are you?” Brian asked when Justin seemed to be on his own world. “I just turned nineteen two days ago,” Justin shrugged. “No big deal.” “Fuck,” Brian hissed. “Some kind of life you have been dealt.” “It could be worse,” Justin told him. “I could be dead.” Brian got up as he heard the buzzer. He smirked. “You are an optimistic, kid.” “I guess I am,” Justin told him. Brian went to let the guy in. He paid and came back with the food. Justin was still sitting on the stool. The two of them started eating in silence. Brian was worried that Justin was going to die right in front of him. He just watched amazed as Justin swallowed all the food. “Hey, take it easy. You don’t want to get sick,” he smiled. “I’m hungry,” Justin told him. Brian nodded slightly. “You can stay here,” “Really?” Justin asked smiling. “Thank you, that room is really warm. It's better than the other places I’ve stayed.” “No,” Brian said. “I mean here in the loft.” Justin stopped eating and stared at Brian. “Why?” Brian shrugged. “I don’t know,” he got up. “You can sleep on the sofa. Then tomorrow morning we are going to buy you some clothes and then on Monday we are going to work to see what you can do.” Justin didn’t have a clue as to what Brian was talking about. He grabbed one last bite of his food and then followed Brian. “What do you mean? I have no money.” “I'll buy it. You can pay me back later,” Brian told him as he moved to the bedroom to get a pillow and a cover. “How?” Justin asked as he followed Brian. “How am I supposed to pay you later?” “Once you start working they give you this thing call a paycheck,” Brian smirked at him and then pulled out a pillow. “Who is going to give me a job?” Justin asked. “I am. I saw your drawings. You are going to do great in the art department. We’ll cut your hair, get you some new clothes and you will be on your way,” Brian then pushed the pillow and covert into Justin’s chest. “Any more questions?” Justin let the cover and pillow that Brian gave him fall into the floor. He then rushed towards Brian and hugged him tightly. Brian fell back on the bed. He held Justin while he blond cried. “Thank you, thank you, thank you,” Justin said in between his sobbing. “It’s okay,” Brian whispered as he rubbed the blond’s back. Justin couldn’t stop crying. He didn’t know how he was going to repay Brian back. He didn’t even know why Brian was helping him. He took a deep breath and Brian’s scent drove him wild. He really should have gotten up already but it was so comfortable being held by Brian. It felt safe. “Justin,” Brian whispered. “Thank you,” Justin muttered as his eyelids closed entirely. Brian looked at Justin’s face as the blond just lay on his chest and he was mad at the world. He couldn’t believe that people would let a kid like Justin just slip through the cracks and not help him. It was awful to think that no one cared. He sighed and pushed the blond off of him. He watched him for a while before he covered Justin’s body with the duvet. Getting the pillow and cover he walked with them to the sofa and put them there. Then he walked back to the bed and got in. He stared at Justin for the longest time trying to think of why he was helping the blond. He had no obligation whatsoever but something deep inside of him pushed him to protect the angel sleeping next to him. Justin had a rough break and if he could help then he would. Closing his eyes he went to sleep as well. *** Justin felt someone pushing him roughly and he was awake immediately. For a couple of seconds he thought it was someone telling him he had to move from the spot or that he had been caught on someone’s place and now had to leave. After all, that’s how his life was. He blinked a couple of times and Brian was staring at him. “Brain!” “What?” Brian asked frowning. “Come one, get up.” Justin threw the sheets away and got up. He was so happy that it hadn’t been a dream. “You can get a shower and then we can leave. I’ll buy us something to eat in our way,” Brian looked at Justin for a few seconds and then he was gone from the room. Justin smiled and ran to the bathroom. He took a shower and when he got out new clothes were waiting for him. He really didn’t care that they didn’t fit. They were clean clothes and it made him feel so much better. He still couldn’t believe that Brian was helping him. But already he was grateful for everything that Brian had given him that he didn’t care if the brunet changed his mind and told him he had to leave. “Are you ready to go?” Brian asked as he walked in front of the blond. Justin nodded and for the first time having Brian standing next to him affected him. His knees shook and Brian had to grab him and hold him. “Are you okay?” Brian didn’t know what was wrong with him. “I’m fine,” Justin looked up at Brian and just stared. Brian held him tightly and smiled briefly. He though Justin was breathtaking. He frowned trying to clear his thoughts. “We need you to get you to the hospital.” Justin shook his head. “No.” “Just to make sure that you are okay,” Brian didn’t let go of the blond. “I’m okay,” Justin held on to Brian’s arms. He wanted so much more right then. Kissing Brian’s lips was one of those things. “Are you sure?” Brian thought he was going to take the blond to the hospital anyway. Just to be sure that there wasn’t anything wrong with Justin. “Please, Brian,” Justin sighed. “I don’t want to go there.” “Why?” Brian caressed Justin’s face. Justin closed his eyes enjoying the feeling. He tried not to remember but the memories assaulted him. Justin ran to where Daniel was lying on the floor bleeding. He got on his knees and grabbed him on his arms. “Daniel! Daniel! No!” “You fucking faggot!” Chris yelled as he lifted the bat again. He brought it down hard on Justin’s shoulder. Justin fell to his side. He covered his head as Chris started hitting him over and over again. Tears ran down his face and the pain through his body. He wanted to help Daniel but he couldn’t move and soon enough he had passed out. When he woke up he was on the hospital. That’s where his parents told him that Daniel hadn’t made it. “I just don’t like hospitals,” Justin steadied himself and pulled away from Brian. “I’m okay, really.” Brian wasn’t so sure but he decided to just leave with the blond. They stopped at a Starbucks and got a coffee for Brian and hot chocolate and bagels for Justin. The blond ate three of them before he said he was full. Brian was happy that the blond was eating. “We are here,” Brian told him as he killed the engine. “What’s here?” Justin asked looking around. “We are going to get you a hair cut,” Brian got out of the Jeep and Justin did the same. When they were in the entrance Justin kissed Brian on the cheek. “Brian, I promise I am going to pay you back for everything. You are so great and good and…” “Justin,” Brian smiled and put a finger on Justin’s lips. Justin’s heart beat really fast. “It’s okay,” Brian opened the door for the blond. Justin went inside and looked back at Brian with a big smile. He was so happy that things were going to be okay or at least looked like they were going to be.