Caleb reached nodded lightly, "Greg..." he said remember what had really happened, from what he could remember Greg had accused them of being together, or more so that Caleb was wanting to be with Markus. He then refused to back down and continued to beat Caleb.

Caleb reached up and grabbed onto Markus' wrist for a second so he would hear what he was saying, "It's not your fault." he said firmly knowing that Markus would put it all on himself, he could tell that from his personality. Caleb knew he had brought it on himself too, maybe if he just admitted to being with Markus then Greg would try to understand, maybe it was the lying that made him so upset.

Caleb rid the thoughts from his mind, it wouldn't change anything now, it was all over with. Instead he wondered how he would explain this to his family, his dad would be throughly disappointed, and well his mother usually didn't care about Caleb as much as their other son. It would be so lonely when he got home, and he probably would hurt more on the inside, it pained him to think he'd have to be at home all this time with people who barely cared about him.

The nurse watched the two, it was really sweet to see, she almost had an inkling that there was something more going on here. She wasn't one to force the situation on the principle, so she would keep quiet and let the students approach it the way they wanted. "Dear, he will be okay to leave if you wish to take him..." She sent him a look of understanding hoping it would set Markus' mind at ease.

Markus sighed and placed his hand over Caleb's, "I know...but I should have at least figured it out before something like this happened." He took caleb's hand in his own and pressed it to his lips. It was a small comfort to be able to have a pulse. More a comfort to him really. Caleb hadn't rejected him right off the bat for this but it was still early.

Sighing Markus glanced at nurse and nodded. He would take Caleb home. If he knew where his house was. He glanced down at him leaning down to hug him gently around the waist before picking him up. "You are going to have to tell me where you live." He says quietly.

The nurse left the two alone, she had caught the very beautiful gesture of Markus kissing the boys hand. Clearly they cared for each other dearly, she found it very sweet. Without a word she left the room for the two of them.

Caleb would never be able to blame Markus for anything that happened, he would only blame himself first. Markus now picked up him which made Caleb wince at the pain, but he felt bad that Markus could carry him around. "You don't have to carry me..." he said lowering himself from Markus' arms, "I can walk." he said easily.

He stood a bit shakily but he felt like he could do it, he lowered his eyes when Markus asked him about where he lived. As much as Caleb didn't want to go home he knew that Markus would need to take him there, "Yeah..." he said walking forward slowly.

Markus frowned but let Caleb stand on his own. He sighed placing a hand on his shoulder to steady him. "Are you sure?" He asks sliding his arm over his shoulders. He sighed again as he walked them out of the office and towards the school exit. He would help him down the steps as well.

What was he going to tell Greg? How was he going to explain this to Caleb's parents? he could imagine they would be very angry. It almost looked like him and Caleb had gotten into a fight. With his knuckles bruised and if he were wearing shorts they would be able to see the bruises on his knees. The t-shirt he was wearing covered the bruise on his shoulder from when he tackled Greg. The guy was built like a rock.

He wanted to hug him a bit more but Markus knew it would hurt him so he just dropped his head as they walked.

"Yeah," Caleb said trying to smile as he walked slowly, they were able to get down steps luckily without too much trouble, as he was looking down he saw that Markus' knuckles were battered and it worried him almost immediately he took one of his hands into his so he could inspect it further.

"You're hurt too?" he didn't remember Markus attacking Greg in an effort to save him, but he figured as much now, "Do you need something, your knuckles don't look good." Caleb instantly forgot he was the one who was hurt in the first place.

Markus shook his head, pulling his hand from Caleb's. He half grinned at him as her guided them along, asking for direction. There was no time for that. The mostly injured one was Caleb. "Don't worry about it, I've had worse. I doubt you can say the same." He says running a hand over his head gently. "We're going to get you home. And if I have the use of your kitchen I'll make you something that'll help you." He grinned wider this time.

It was true his fingers might be a little swollen and there may be bruises but he had had broken bones and things that were way worse. A few days bed rest will put him back on his feet. he couldn't say the same for Caleb though. Who almost looked like he had been hit with a truck. Greg was close enough.

Caleb couldn't help but smile a bit as he leaned on Markus, partly for support partly because he just loved being near him like this. Caleb thought back in memory, "Only once before have I been in this situation, but I'll live, I always do." he had been beaten up countless times in his life, but this time was one of the worst.

He walked slowly leading Markus in the appropriate direction, "Hopefully my parents aren't home yet..." he said quietly, Caleb didn't want to think how they would react, it made him not really want to go home.

Once before. When...? It made him slightly angry. He wrapped both arms securely around Caleb, a sour look on his face. He was going to make it a point to warn people off of Caleb.

He found himself very protective of the boy. It scared him most when he had charged Greg knowing the boy was tougher then he was, thicker. His mind hadn't processed the danger until they had stepped from the building. Markus repressed a shudder. That could have gone bad for both of them if hadn't caught Greg off guard, but he didn't let that show on his face. There was anger, self loathing and definitely fear coursing through him. those were not a good mix.

Markus' frown deepened. He didn't sound like he wanted to go home at all. Not that there was much choice but he wondered if it was even a good idea. But again there was little choice in the matter. He would take him home and stay with him as long as he could. His mother would call him if she needed him.

Sighing he glanced up at the the place they had been directed to.

Caleb enjoyed being in Markus' arms like that, he knew it was out of worry, and his want to keep him safe, but that didn't stop the feeling that washed over him. They had slowly made their way to his place, which wasn't much to speak of, a simple house, that wasn't too fancy, or too poor, just in the middle.

From the looks of it there was no one else home, which made him at least a bit relieved. "You are welcome to come in if you want," Caleb said walking up his steps, he fished around for his keys and after sometime he finally came across what he needed. The door opened to reveal his average sized living room.

Caleb didn't take anytime to wait, "My room's in the basement," he said leading Markus in the right direction. Once they were down there, it revealed a rec room that not only was for the family but around the corner there was what looked to be Caleb's room. There wasn't too much decoration, but there was a lot of computer equipment around and of course a tv, and even a couch farther off to the side. There also were quite a few bookshelves filled to the brim.

"You can stay as long as you like," he said with a smile, "There's even a fridge down here." Caleb nearly lived down here by himself most of the time.

Markus nods not having let go of Caleb at all really. He was weary of him falling or fainting again. He knew he would have a heart attack if he did. Sighing Markus followed Caleb through his home. It was a quaint house and looked lived in. Unlike their almost sterile-looking apartment. Which had to be kept nice because it would set an example for the rest of the building.

He was surprised to see that Caleb lived in a basement and not surprised at the same time. There was a certain solitude to a room under the house. He liked his privacy as well. His eyes trailed over the computers and electronic devices, then to the book shelf. Much more decorated then his room. In fact his room looked almost psychotic in comparison. It just never occurred to him to actually decorate his room.

When Caleb invited him to stay he let a small grin curl his lips. "I think I might then." He says taking Caleb's hand as he sat on the couch and pulling the boy into his lap gently. His arms wrapped around his narrower frame, resting his forehead on Caleb's shoulder. He just wanted to hold him for a bit. This incident had hurt him greatly for sure. Especially since he was partly the cause for it.

Caleb had actually never had anyone over like this before, mainly because he never really had a close friend before. He weakly sat on Markus' lap, his energy was fading by the second. He smiled and rested his head against Markus' this felt nice, although he could feel heat rise to his face, not because he was embarrassed, but his body was working over time right now.

He closed his eyes lightly with a small hum, "Thank-you for saving me..." his voice was quiet, to Caleb, Markus had now become almost a hero for him out of some fairytale. Caleb stroked Markus' hand lightly, tracing his cuts, as much as he loved the fact that Markus was there for him, he was sad that Markus was hurt in the process.

He could feel Caleb relax against him. He must be tired. He remembered the time when he started foot ball. That had been torture. he had woken up to every muscle in his body protesting after his first game. Obviously he has been able to work through it but still.

Markus laced their fingers together. "You are welcome." He murmurs still resting his head. He almost hissed when Caleb traced the cuts on his knuckles. It was a minor pain. Nothing to get worked up about. He shook his head resting against the back of the couch and wrapping his arms tightly around him.

Markus was quite a bit tired himself. It was still early in the day so other then today's events not much was going on.

Caleb sighed, "I'm sorry that you got hurt... that shouldn't have happened, maybe if I didn't..." he thought back to how Greg was acting towards him and he figured maybe if he just gave in and told him the truth he wouldn't be so mad, Caleb trailed off and didn't finish as his thoughts took over.

Markus hugged him around the middle. "I am fine. You however are going to have to tell me." He murmurs half asleep. His head was a little groggy but he was able to keep himself aware. Even tired his mind was turning over the events that had happened. Greg had acted very well before hand. It was about the time it seemed that Greg, not that he had ever been, a good friend. He was trying to sift through what ever there was to fix this. There was almost nothing he could do about fixing this. "What do you mean by you have been beaten before?"

Caleb felt comfortable in his arms in such a way it set his mind at ease if only for a second. His eyes were downcast as he thought of how he should explain to Markus, it wasn't something he discussed often, or ever for that matter. "I... well as you know I;m not the popular type and I've always been that way, singled out I guess..." he raised his head up to stare off into the distance, his look was strong. After all that he had gone through in his life he worked hard to get to a point where he was content with himself.

"There was another time in junior high... I decided to stick up for myself, and it didn't end well..." He thought back to the very day, Caleb had been expecting his usual shove into his locker, or being dropped into the dumpster outside that occurred nearly every day. That day something suddenly snapped inside him, he had taken the boys hand off of him and shoved it away angrily. After much pushing and shoving it wasn't long before the boy had the advantage, Caleb still wasn't muscular compared to most boys his age.

Markus rubbed his hands along Caleb's arms. He could feel the tension in his shoulders. It was probably the reason he had reacted to him as he had the first time. It was unsettling to say the least and he could feel the anger building up in him. He had never had an awkward time at school. Maybe with when he was a freshman in HS but hey, almost everyone had that time. There was very little in the way of transition. It made his stomach churn to think that people could be like that normally. His mother would have his hide were he to act with such disregard for others. If other mothers did not teach their children such it really was a shame.

Frowning Markus held his arms securely around Caleb. He wanted to protect him, from everything that he could no matter how small. And despite the fact that this was impossible it was still his goal. "I'm sorry.." he mutters pressing a kiss against Caleb's neck. It was a silent apology for not being able to be there the instant something like this presented itself.

Caleb accepted the embrace with a small smile, somehow Markus had made the bad memories seep away into nothing more but the past. He then turned to him when he heard the 'sorry' come from his lips. "Please, don't apologize, it's not your fault, its the past, and I'm okay aren't I?"

It finally occurred to Caleb that Markus might continue to blame himself for whatever happened to him, and it made him feel uneasy. For the first time there was another person that cared about what happened to him.

Markus nodded placing his forehead against Caleb's neck. Just because it wasn't his fault didn't mean he didn't feel bad about not being there. There was a lot he couldn't do for him right now. Though he supposed he would feel bad for it anyway. It was obvious. He was becoming very attached to Caleb as he was now. He shifted his legs so Caleb was sitting in between them his eyes held an intense emotion as he stare at him.

Normally he would feel helpless in this kind of situation. But right now Greg had crossed the line in attacking him and he knew he was going to do everything in his power to protect Caleb. The resolve he had was strong, his eyes determined. He grinned slightly at Caleb and cuddled him against his chest.

"I think you should take a nap at least."

Caleb enjoyed being in Markus' arms like this, and he was only happy to allow him to move him into a more comfortable position. He could tell that Markus' eyes were on him, but he didn't mine, after all he had seen every part of him before. His cheeks turned a bit pink thinking of the encounter they had not so long ago.

Caleb turned to him at his works, "I suppose... although," he yawned, "I don't want you to leave..." he rubbed his eyes, Caleb was afraid that he'd be left alone, right now all he wanted was to be near to Markus it made him feel even just the slightest bit better.

Markus grinned at him as he yawned. He was so cute, just wanted to cobble him all up. Wait...he did not just think that. Blinking a few times he continued to grin smoothing his hand through Caleb's hair. His face was pink .he wondered what the boy was thinking about really. He almost chuckled at the possibilities really.

"Well you can use me as a pillow. Promise not to go anywhere." He says hugging the boy around the middle. He had no notion to leave just yet. And truthfully he didn't want to, but Caleb was going to need the sleep.

Caleb laid his head upon Markus' chest softly, his hand also moved up to the same spot. "I'm not keeping you from class am I?" he moved so he could look at him, guilt filled his eyes. Not only had Markus put himself in danger to save him, but now he might be causing him to miss class, not to mention what Greg might do to him later.

His eyes were filled with sadness, as much as Caleb loved being with Markus it made him wonder how their relationship would effect Markus negatively.

Markus patted Caleb on the head gently. "No. Anything I miss I can make up for later. I have the time for sure. Second semester I'm going to drop foot ball and focus on getting into the college close to here so I can stay home." He says trying to easy Caleb's mind. He needn't worry about his studies really. Caleb should be more focused on his own because he still had another year to go through. It would be the year Markus wouldn't be there. That worried him more then his studies.

Shaking negative thoughts from his mind, things he needn't worry about right noe, he wrapped his arms around Caleb giving a light squeeze. "Sleep. You look tired. When will your family be home by the way?"

Caleb's anxiety faltered hearing the assurance in Markus' voice. He was however surprised to hear of Markus leaving football, "Won't it be hard to leave football?" he asked thinking of how Greg might react even more violently, and of course end up blaming Caleb in the process. He also knew that Markus loved football, so it must be difficult for him to give it up.

Even though Caleb's body was worn and tired he couldn't make himself sleep he was a bit anxious about his family arriving home and finding the two of them, and as that thought passed through his mind Markus had asked him. "I'm not exactly sure, sometimes my parents are out later, sometimes not, they don't really tell me..."

((Sorry I haven't posted. @[email protected] I am alive again. I had to get over Tom...>.> he is kind of the person i based Markus off of. But I am back!))

Markus gave Caleb a lovely smile as he ran a hand over his hair. "It'll be hard but..." He trailed off thinking about the things he had put his mother through as a kid and even recently. He wanted to repay her especially since he had come to an understanding. He didn't regret any of the decisions he made or ones he was going to make. "I can always play some other time. It'll be fine and I can still cook if I really need to." He leaned down to whisper in his ear. "To tell you a secret I always wanted to be a chef." He grinned and leaned against the arm rest again. He gave Caleb another relaxed smile, pulling the boy a little tighter to him. "Well if this area isn't completely sound-proof, I'll move us if I have to."

((No worries I understand :) glad you're back! :D ))

Caleb smiles after he hears Markus' conclusion, "Really, a chef? That would be fantastic, you are so good at it!" he could picture Markus being really famous one day even after just tasting his cooking once, it was wonderful. "I really hope you try and do that." he smiled brightly as he was taken into a tight hug, but his cheeks then turn red as he looks into Markus' eyes, "Why would it need to be sound proof?"