Kevin walked slowly down the streets, his head hung low as he passed litter and saw chewing gum stuck to the street. It was just on dark and the sun had finally almost set, people where just getting off work and starting to crowd up the streets in which he walked. He kept going not caring whether he bumped into people Kevin just wanted to get home. Somewhere where he would be warm and secure, somewhere he felt safe. Kevin turned the corner two blocks from his apartment building, he headed down the alleyway unaware that two figures had been following him; he felt a presence like someone was tracking him, Kevin glanced back but the alley remained clear. He walked faster trying to get rid of the feeling, but he hit something solid, hands grabbed his arms. Kevin heart started to race his mind running through what was he thought was about to happen. He tilted his head upwards towards the stranger; he closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around the familiar body.

"Don't scare me like that." Kevin breathed, muffled from the mans jacket, he was still getting over his panic attack.

"I'm sorry,” said the stranger, hugging Kevin back. "I didn't mean too, but when you didn't return at your normal time. I came to look for you." Kevin smiled; he just wanted to go home with the man he loved.

"I love you Eli, let's go home." Kevin said, eyes closed, smiling and heavily breathing in Eli's familiar scent. Eli nodded, they let go of their tight embrace and laced their hand together and began walking slowly back to their apartment. Eli felt uncomfortable as if someone was watching him, he stopped and glanced around but the alley still remained clear. Kevin surprised by the sudden stop by his boyfriend, he turned to Eli.

"Eli, what's wrong?" Kevin said, with a concerned look on his face. Eli still continued looking around even though nothing seemed to be out of place.

"Nothing, let's go." Eli was slow to reply, unsure if Kevin felt the same way. Kevin shot him a disapproving glance, and they continued to walk. But they both felt the presence that seemed to follow them the entire remainder of their short walk home. They stepped inside the elevator to head towards to their floor, Eli still wondering what it was he felt before; it felt as if someone was watching them. 'But why was Kevin in such a hurry before I caught him?' Eli continued to think not realising that he had reached his floor, the door had opened and he still remained in the same spot.

"Eli." Kevin said when Eli didn't move from inside the elevator.

"Eli!" Kevin yelled.

"Huh? What? Sorry..." Eli said surprised, he hadn't realised his mind had wondered off.

"Are you sure you're okay? What's wrong with you, you seem so out of it tonight?" Kevin asked still bewildered at how Eli was acting. It wasn't Eli to be out of it and not in control of his actions that was usually Kevin.

"Nothing important, I promise." Eli said now noticing how weird he was acting and how confusing his actions would be to Kevin. He laced his fingers together once again with Kevin's and continued towards their apartment. Once inside their apartment Kevin threw his bag on the entrance table and took off his shoes, as he rushed towards the kitchen. Kevin had forgotten to make himself lunch that day and didn't have any money to buy himself any food, so he just sat in the cafeteria with his friends. Kevin's friends had offered him food, but he politely declined their offers not wanting to be a burden to them. Eli had only just finished taking off his shoes, and hanging up his jacket when he heard a loud crash in the kitchen. Eli jumped, he was still day dreaming, but he soon came to his senses when he realised where the sound had come from, and what room Kevin had just entered.

"Kevin!" Eli yelled. Running to the kitchen to find Kevin sitting on the floor, holding his foot, with a small pool of blood starting to form around it. Eli kneeled down next to Kevin's feet and ripped the sleeve off his shirt, and held it to the wound on Kevin's foot. He picked Kevin up and took him to their bedroom and placed him on the bed.

"Hey Kev, hang on you'll be alright, just let me get the first aid kit, neh?” Eli tried to say calmly although deep inside he was freaking out.     

"Eli, don't leave!" Kevin quickly said looking up at him. Eli saw his tear stained face, he felt apart of him die inside seeing his lover in such a state.

"I'll be right back, okay? Eli said, trying to reassure Kevin.

"N-neh…” Kevin stumbled across his words, as Eli raced into the ensuite bathroom, removing the first aid kit from the cupboard and the hand towel of the rail, heading back out to tend to his boyfriend. Eli sat down next to Kevin's foot noticing how his torn sleeve was quickly darkening with blood. 'I'm taking him straight to the hospital after I patch this up.' He reassured himself wanting Kevin to be in as good condition as was possible. Eli removed the torn sleeve noticing just how deep the wound was, stretching from one side of Kevin's foot to other. He cleaned up Kevin's foot as quickly as possible with the towel, replacing it with a pad, and compression bandaging Kevin's foot to reduce the blood flow. He looked up to Kevin; he was staring at him, crying but biting his lip to contain his screams. He didn't understand how he was containing them; Eli knew full well that if that were him, he wouldn't have kept quiet.

"It's alright..." Eli said, moving up the bed to embrace Kevin.

"... I'm going to take you to the hospital now okay? We don't know how much that damage actually caused." Kevin rubbed his head up and down against Eli's shoulder translating as a nod.

"Eli?" Kevin said, surprised he didn't stutter.

"Neh?" Eli rubbed the small of Kevin's back in hope that it would help to calm the younger boy down.

"Why are you the o-only one who is so k-kind to me?" Kevin pushed his head of Eli's shoulder to look him directly in the eyes. Kevin was the kid at school accused of being gay. It was true Kevin was gay, but he didn't see how it mattered, he was still human wasn't he? He'd had previous boyfriends before Eli but they'd all used Kevin in some way or another. His parents had disowned him supposedly they didn't know that they brought up such a foul minded child, accusing him of being a alien and telling him he'd never find true love with man. That's how he ended up living with Eli his only friend. Eli just looked at Kevin staring deep into his eyes.

"Because I love you Kevin, because I know the real you and who you are is absolutely beautiful." Eli knew that how he was raised, was completely different from Kevin. No one at school had accused him of being gay cause of his manly physique and his TC attitude. Eli too had, had countless boyfriends but he'd never really felt anything for them, well not compared to the way that he felt about Kevin. He had also come out to his family and friends, who were very surprised and extremely supportive towards Eli. Kevin smiled at Eli pulling him into a passionate kiss; he tried to move to sit on Eli's lap but yelped in pain as he put pressure on his foot. Eli looked at Kevin worried.

"Hospital, Now!" Eli said sternly, he hated seeing his boyfriend in pain, and by hated he meant he would take one hundred times the pain so that Kevin didn't have to take any at all.

"I'll be okay Eli." Kevin said trying to pull up another smile to reassure Eli but he remained unsuccessful.

"I don't think so." Eli said, picking up Kevin and sitting him on the couch in the living area, as he collected their phones and his car keys. Eli picked up Kevin once again somehow managing to get him out the door, down the elevator, and into his car in the basement. The short drive to the hospital was silent, as Kevin faded in and out of consciousness from tiredness of trying so hard to keep his screams contained. Once they got to the hospital, Eli carried a sleepy Kevin inside and found a nurse to help him tend to his lover. The nurse put Kevin in a room and told Eli that she would go find a doctor. The nurse soon came back telling Eli that visiting hours was over and that was no longer permitted to stay with their patient. Eli reluctantly agreed staring at Kevin, not wanting to cause a scene or more importantly risk waking Kevin up.

"If he wakes up tell him I’ll be back as soon as visiting hours are open again!" Eli begged the nurse. She happily nodded as Eli trudged back to his car to take himself home. As he was about to open the door to the apartment, he noticed a large brown paper parcel addressed to Kevin next to the door. He took it inside and placed it on the kitchen bench not giving it a second thought. Eli sighed.

"How did I manage to find the most beautiful, yet uncoordinated person in the world?" Eli said as he heavily breathed out leaving his mouth in a half smile. He cleaned up the kitchen placing the broken pieces of a ceramic bowl in the rubbish and going into the bedroom to change the sheets, and throw out his torn off sleeve noticing that he'd gone to hospital with a torn shirt on. He threw away his old shirt, and replaced it with a clean one as he got changed into his pyjamas that consisted of a black wife-beater and a pair of loose grey sweat pants. Eli lay in bed cold, he was so used to hugging Kevin it almost felt unnatural to sleep by himself. He then contemplated how he had managed to sleep by himself for most of his life. Eli slowly went to sleep his mind tripping all over the events of today but mainly to odd sensation that some one was watching him in the alley. But he didn't know, was what lay on the kitchen bench, the brown paper parcel addressed to Kevin, would cause them so much havoc in the months to come.