Hey, I sat down to write another chapter of Denial and this came out…I guess I was feeling a bit angsty. This story will have abuse of all kinds, heaped upon poor little Gabe. This will be a m/m pairing, but it’ll be a little while before it gets to that point.

Chapter 1

His fist connects with the side of my face and my body tumbles to the ground. I lift my head up; I can only see through my right eye, the other is too swollen for me to open. The plush carpet of my room feels good beneath my fingers, I grasp onto it.

“What did I tell you Gabe?! I’ve told you over and over yet you still manage to fuck things up!” He’s livid, face red and puffy. He stares down at me and I know he really hates me. I wish he didn’t hate me.

“I’m sorry.” I mumble, but I know he heard me. I keep my one eye locked on him anticipating his next move.

He sighs and throws his hands up. “I know you don’t mean to be so stupid but I just get mad when you don’t listen to me.”

“I know.” My body releases the tension that’s been mounting since he started hitting me. He’s calmed down.

“I told you to clean the gutters three times yesterday. You still haven’t done it.”

“I’m sorry, I’ll do it tomorrow. It’s a Saturday, I don’t have school.” God, please let him leave me alone.

“Alright, go clean yourself up. Aren’t you going over to your friend’s house?”

“Yea.”

“Well, I want you back by tomorrow afternoon. I’m going out, so call my cell if you need anything.” I watch my stepfather’s retreating form as he opens my door and exits the room.

I lay back on the floor, mentally going over all the aches and pains shooting through my body. I lift my hand to my nose; it comes back into view covered in red. Great, I’m bleeding.

I lift myself up, my head swims and I see stars. Maybe I’ll just nap for a bit. I fall back into the warmth of blue and close my eyes.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Gabe, Gabe wake up.” Someone is shaking me. I don’t want to wake up.

I reluctantly open my good eye, and Niall is standing above me. “Niall? What are you doing here?” My speech is slightly slurred, I try to move but everything hurts.

“Gabe, what did he do to you?”

I don’t answer him. What can I explain that he doesn’t already see? Instead I notice that I’m still on the ground. I glance at the clock on my dresser across the room. I have to squint, but I see that it’s 5:45. I was supposed to be over at Niall’s by five. “I’m sorry I didn’t call, I just kind of fell asleep.”

He glares at me, “Don’t you fucking apologize for being late. Steve obviously decided to use you as a punching bag again.” He bends down beside me.

“Niall, just drop it.”

“Whatever.” I can tell he’s not pleased, but he helps me get up. I lean on him as he practically carries me to the bathroom down the hall. He sits me down on the toilet seat. He steps back and examines my injuries without ever touching me.

“You look awful. Why don’t you take a bath.” As he says this he steps behind me and starts the hot water. Steam rises as the tub fills.

“Ok.” I wait for him to leave.

“Well, aren’t you going to undress?”

“I’m not going to while you’re here.” Please just let him go away, I’m ashamed enough already.

He huffs, “Gabe I’m not leaving you alone. You probably have a concussion, and I need to see the damage so I can help.”

“Niall, please.” I’ll beg if I have to.

“No, I’m sorry Gabe but I’m fed up with this. You need some help, so let me help you. I’m not going to back down like I have before.” Is he still talking about the bath?

“Fine.” With my consent he helps me pull of my shirt.

“Gabe, when did he do this?” My chest is littered with bruises.

“Today.”

“Liar, bruises don’t form that quickly. You’re fucking black and blue.”

I sigh, “Sometime last week.”

He growls, “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“You didn’t need to know.”

He checks the water level in the tub and turns off the tap. “Gabe, I need to know because I care about what happens to you. Don’t you get that?”

I look at my feet, “I understand, really I do. It’s just not something I like to talk about.”

“I know. Let’s finish undressing you.” He lets me lean on him as I stand. I have trouble with the button of my jeans. I don’t say anything as he brushes my hand away and undoes them for me. A few minutes later I’m naked and shivering.

“God, I’m so cold.” He leads me to the tub; he practically lowers me into the water.

“That better?” He sits down on the toilet seat facing me.

“Yes much better.”

He watches as I fumble with the shampoo, washing my hair. He is patient while I clean my body and face. The water is tinted pink when I’m done.

He stands up and retrieves a towel from the linen closet on the opposite wall. “Do you need help getting out?”

“I don’t think so.” I begin the agonizing task of standing up. It takes me a moment but I accomplish my goal. He opens the towel and wraps it around me. I step out of the tub, water slips off my legs and drips onto the white tiles. He wraps one hand around my waist and leads me back to my room.

I sit on my bed as he rummages for clothes. “Will Steve be back tonight?”

“I doubt it; he said he was going out.”

He snorts, “Then he’ll probably be gone all weekend. You can stay at my house.”

He walks over with a pair of dark green boxers, sweat pants and a white t-shirts. “No, I’d better just stay here. I have to clean the gutters tomorrow.” I stand and he helps me into the boxers, the sweat pants and shirt follow.

“You can’t even get dressed without help. How are you going to climb a fucking ladder?”

I glare at him. “You don’t understand Niall.”

He helps me lay back on the bed, he sits down beside me. “No, I understand perfectly. You didn’t clean the gutters so Steve used that as an excuse to abuse you.”

“It’s not abuse. I’m the one that fucked up.”

“You’re joking right?”

“No.”

He rubs his face with his hands. “Gabe, I know that abuse victims think it’s their fault sometimes, but you’re smart you know what he’s doing isn’t right.”

“I know that.”

He locks eyes with me. “Then why are you defending him?”

“He’s all I have left.” I’m so pathetic.

His eyes soften, “You have me and Anna. Not to mention dozens of other people that adore you.”

“He’s the only family I have left.”

“He’s not your family. Your mom married him when you were six.”

“Well she must’ve seen something good in him.” He wasn’t always like this.

“He changed after she died.”

“I think he blames me.”

“He’s stupid, and wrong. Nothing that happened that day was your fault.”

“I called her at work and made her come pick me up from school.”

“You were sick.”

“I could’ve toughed it out.”

“At least you weren’t in the car when she wrecked.”

“No, I was already at home, asleep.” There is obvious resentment in my voice.

“Gabe, that was three years ago. You were thirteen, and you would’ve died too if you’d been in the car. Then what would I do?”

I smile at him, “Well you wouldn’t be giving invalids baths.”

“You’re not an invalid, you’re just temporarily incapacitated.”

“Oh, now that was a big word.”

He smirks, “Yes I know a couple of them.”

He leans over me and kisses my cheek. He’s always so affectionate with me. “When are we going over to your house?”

“Ah, so you agree to come, how about in a few minutes?”

“Ok, but I still have to clean the gutters.”

He shakes his head. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll come over here tomorrow and do it for you. Then I’ll hurry back and we can play video games all day.”

“I’m not even going to argue, I’m too weak to fight back.”

He frowns. That was supposed to be a joke, a small slightly twisted one, but a joke nonetheless.

“I need to call my mom and tell her everything’s alright.”

“Why? What did you tell her?” My heart starts beating faster. He didn’t tell her about Steve did he?

“Calm down, when I saw you lying on the floor I called and said we’d be late getting back.”

“So you didn’t say you found me broken and bleeding?”

“No, but she already suspects what’s happening. She’s tried to talk to me about it a few times.”

“You didn’t say anything did you?”

“No, I told her to ask you herself.”

I groan, “Why did you do that?!”

“Because it’s a good idea to tell someone besides me and Anna. My parents could actually help you.”

“I don’t want them to know.”

“You didn’t want me to know either.”

I look away. Of course I didn’t want you to know. “Well you do, and I trusted you enough to tell you.”

“More like you couldn’t walk and I figured it out myself.”

“Shut up, please don’t tell them.”

“I won’t, but I’m going to hassle you until you do.” That’s never going to happen.

“Whatever, can we just get out of here?” I sit up, and wince as I do.

“Sure, I’ll pack a bag for you.” Fuck, I really am an invalid; I can’t even pack my own bag.

I watch as he grabs my backpack and stuffs various clothes and underwear inside.

“Ready to go?” He shoulders the backpack himself, and comes over to the bed to help me.

“Yea.”

His hands are gentle as he guides me out of the room, down the stairs and out the front door to his car.

“You should call Anna.”

“I know, did you pack my cell?”

“Of course.”

“I’ll call her later.”

I guess she deserves to know I’m injured. She is my girlfriend after all.

Review!