Our Boys

The Past

Five years earlier

"We're gonna be in so much trouble if we get caught!"

"Lighten up Si! What, you worried about your YouTube career? Thought you were intent of setting up this summer camp thing now anyway."

"Shut up Callum."

"Yeah, shut up Callum."

"Aww, does your boyfriend fight all your fights for you Simon?"

Simon rolled his eyes, the motion making him feel slightly dizzy. He and the lads had been out for the night, for some YouTuber Award convention thing he didn't really care for, and now instead of getting a taxi back to the farmhouse Cal, also known as Callux, had decided to sneak into an abandoned shopping centre and dragged him JJ and Deji with him.

Simon just wanted to get home and check on Tobi, the nine year old boy they had adopted last year after JJ met him through some charity event. He had quickly become the light of both men's life and Simon missed him greatly even when they were away for just a few hours.

Allowing the others to stumble forward ahead of him, as he was trudging through the dark and dingy building, a noise to his left startled the young blond man.

"Who's there?" he called out.

In that split second moment of time, it would have been difficult if not impossible to say who was more surprised; Simon Minter, or the small child Simon had dead in his sights.

"Shit!" Simon quickly raised his hands instinctively to show he wasn't a threat and took a deep breath to steady his nerves. Just twenty minutes spent searching the old, abandoned shopping centre had left him both edgy and frustrated. "What the fuck are you doing here?!"

Big, blue eyes peered up at him through a tangle of long, chestnut brown hair and a small mouth turned down in a pout. "Nuffin'."

Simon gritted his teeth and wiped one hand across his face. He couldn't be bothered to deal with smart mouthed kids as well as a drunk boyfriend. "Go home before you get arrested for trespassing," he said, well aware that he was also doing exactly that.

Clutching a crumpled fast-food bag in his hands, the boy ducked his head and began walking past the annoyed, tipsy man.

"Didn't you hear me? I said go home!"

"I am. Home's over there." The child stopped and pointed to a stack of broken crates piled in one corner of the shopping centre's main walkway.

Spoken so matter of factly, the statement caught Simon's attention like a gunshot. He looked again at the boy and really 'saw' him for the first time. Dirt and grime seemed to cover every inch of bared skin as well as the ragged t-shirt and shorts. Tiny bare feet looked almost as dark as the child's matted locks of hair that hung just to his shoulders.

"Shit." Simon spun around and called to the others. "Guys, I need you back here."

There was a slight pause and then a voice answered, "What's the matter Si, you throw up?"

"No. I...I just need you to come back." Simon would have said more but the child was once again making his way to the pile of rubbish. "Wait a minute."

Blue eyes were turned once more in his direction but for the first time they held a hint of fear. Dropping quickly to one knee, Simon did his best to force his lips to curve into a non-threatening smile. Judging by the boy's expression, he definitely needed to work on his charm.

"My name is Simon. What's yours?"

"Not supposed to talk to strangers."

Where the hell were the others? Surely they weren't so drunk they'd passed out somewhere. Thinking quickly, Simon tried some sneaky, adult-to-child logic. "But you know my name now so I'm not a stranger."