This is my "What if Dylan first met Lofty when he was taking his rubbish out and Lofty was in the bin." Here you go...
Brief mentions of abuse.
Word count: 2011

It was a nice flat, he would admit. There was a nice bare brick wall feature and the sofas were especially cosy but the kitchen was small and the neighbours were noisy. The worst thing was that he still had to take the bins out every Thursday night. That wouldn't be a problem if the lifts worked. So it was down 10 flights of stairs with a dustbin bag in one hand and the hand rail in the other.

Tonight was Thursday. I went round and emptied all the bins, seperating the paper and cardboard for recycling, and began his epic journey down the many stairs into the cold of winter. I tucked a scarf round his neck for good measure and unlocked his door and walked out. As i breathed out a cloud of condensation shrowded his vision and he sacrificed the banister and stuffed a hand in his coat pocket. It was way too cold for this. I hummed a tune and began descending down the stairs, nodding in acknowledgement at a couple of people as they headed towards their own apartment. The end was in sight as i reached the bottom of the stairs and a ridiculous relief flooded through him.
I strided over to the large rubbish bins and heaved open the lid. I jumped out of skin and dropped the rubbish bag in his hand. There was a man who appeared to be sleeping in the rubbish bin. They say don't be prejudice but he could be a master criminal for all i know. I creep closer and look at him and decide that he seems like friendly person. However, looking closer i did notice that his arm was covered protectively around his ribs and he had a cut that covered his eyebrow. My sanity must have been dropped with the bag as i reached out my arm and placed it on his shoulder to see if i'd get a reaction. He moved slightly but his eyes kept shut. I gently shook this time and i got a groan, better than nothing, and his eyes seemed to be fluttering open.
"Hello, can you hear me?" I called a loud, seeing if i'd get more of a response. The man opened his eyes and they turned wider with what seemd like fear. His hands darted to his face and he cried out in pain; he must have aggrivated an injury.
"It's okay, i'm not going to hurt you. I want to help." I soothed, trying to stay as calm as i could. I had no idea what his mental state was like. He slowly lowered the hands from his face and looked up innocently at me. I noticed now that he was shivering so i pulled my scarf off and handed it to him. I was holding it out for a while and i nodded in encouragment. He picked it out of my hands and tied it round his neck. There was a look in his eyes like this was the best thing that someone had ever done to him. I knew it wasn't much but he already seemed to be shivering that little bit less.
I had no idea who this man was but i felt the instinct to protect him and shield him from harm. I noticed his breathing was quite laboured which was a sign of a broken rib so i decided that i would help him - properly.
I held out my hand and he looked confused
"You can't stay in there forever. Come on, i'll help you out." I smiled. Like a wild animal being tames he lifted his arm and clasped his hand in mine. I felt a shiver race up my arm and settle in my cheeks. His hands were a bit rough but i liked that. I held out my other arm to balance him as he began to stand up. His legs were wobbly making him look like a new born foal trying to walk.
He pushed hinself over the edge and i placed my hand on his hip and slowly but surely he made his way out the bin. He collapsed into me like a ballerina's arm accepting applause and he sobbed loudly. The gravity of his situation must have taken a hold of him.
"Ssh, it's okay. You're safe." I whispered. I stroked his hair soothingly. I didn't even know this guy yet it felt so natural for me to be hugging him.
"Let's get you out of the cold and clean your cut." I suggested. He nodded and i motioned for him to put his arm around my neck. He rested some pressure on my shoulders and i held his waist and we began to hobble up the 10 flights of stairs.
"You're probably hoping that someone on the bottom floor could have found you." I chuckled dryly
"N-no.... i'm glad you found me." He smiled through his gritted face.
"There's only a few more flights to go." I encouraged and he smiled at that.
After 45 minutes of shuffling and stairways we finally reached my front door. I dug around in my pockets for the keys. I smiled inwardly as i had my keys, that would have topped this whole experience off. I put the key in the door and helped him through. I helped place him on the sofa but he tripped over my foot and i could see that he was going to fall so i twisted is around so he would land on him and aggravate his injuries. I crashed into the sofa and he tried desperately to not fall directly on me but it failed miserably and fell straight onto me. I did call out in shock slightly but this position did give me the chance to look at his eyes. They were beautiful: a generous blend of brown and green.
"This is not how i imagined my Thursday night to go." Chuckled the man
"So who am i spending my Thursday night with?" I asked
"Ben. But most people call me Lofty... don't ask." He chuckled. We awkwardly tried to shake hands but it was next to impossible due to the position we were currently in. We broke about giggling and we struggled to stop.
"My name is Dylan." I finally said.
"Nice to meet you Dylan." Replied Ben with a smile that was melting me to the core.
"Nice to meet you too. I should probably have a look at your injuries." I said concerned
Ben paled slightly at this and i knew it was going to be a senstive topic.
"O-okay." He stuttered
"I don't have to but i should really." I convinced
Lofty slowly nodded his head and i knew i'd have to tread carefully from here onwards.
I grabbed the first aid kit from the kitchen and sat on the sofa next to him. I grabbed some antiseptic and wiped the cut on his head. He winced slightly but i reassured him that it was fine.
"I'm going to have to put a couple of stitches on that cut but they're the dissolovable ones so you won't feel anything." I explained
"Okay." Whispered Lofty
I nodded and smiled at him. I reached for the tweezers and held a couple of stitches in my hand. I picked one up but for some strange reason my hands were shaking.
"It's okay." Smiled Lofty and he grabbed my hand, "guide me to where we need to go."
I tried to hide the blush creeping up my face and Lofty looked down at this feet. Hands gently resting against eachothers i traced up to his cut. With his hand for support i placed a couple of dissolvable stitches on his cut.
"Do you want me to look at your ribs?" I asked
"Umm. I suppose." Replied Lofty, voice laced with uncertainty.
I grabbed a roll of bandage and gave another nod of encouragement. I carefully lifted his shirt and tried to hide my gasp. His chest and stomach were littered with bruises of different colours. Some looked like they were injuries due to a fall but the others.... they looked angry and purposeful. I reached for the bruise cream and un did the lid.
"You can do this on your own if you-well if you don't want me to- i-." I babbled
"No, i-it's okay." Nodded Lofty
I squeesed some of the cream onto my finger and softly rubbed it on the worst bruises. I only put a dab on the minor bruises. I then got the bandage and wrapped it around Lofty's ribs. He winced a couple of times and i apologised perfuously.
"Do you mind me asking how you got these injuries?" I questioned gently.
"You've helped me so much, you deserve to know." Said Lofty, "I was at home and i decided that i was going to tell my dad that i was gay."
"You don't have to tell me." I assured him because i got the sense of where this story was going. A story strangely familiar. Lofty shook his head and looked up at me
"I had no idea how he would take it, but he'd always seemed understanding. He was in his bedroom and i told him and h-he said some pretty harmful words. I was so scared, i was backed up against the wardrobe and he-that's when he-he hit me. I wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. I grabbed my keys but he pushed me and i fell down the stairs. I hit my head and was dazed. I had no money, no family, nowhere to go. Then you found me." Explained Lofty
"I'm so sorry." I whispered.
"I'm not sure if i'm over it myself yet." Grimaced Lofty
"Are you hungry?" I asked, trying to change the topic.
Before he could open his mouth Lofty's stomach grumbled.
"I'll take that as a yes." I laughed. Lofty smiled at me sheepishly.
"Are fajitas okay?" I asked Lofty
"That's an awful lot of trouble just for me." Said Lofty
"It's fine! I was planning on having them tonight and, anyway, you can help! If you want... that is." I reasoned
"Okay." Laughed Lofty.
Lofty was in charge of chopping the peppers and i was in charge of the onions and mushrooms. While chopping we were chatting like we'd been close friends for years. The conversation seemed to flow and we were sitting down and eating dinner in no time.
"This is the best meal i've ever had!" Gauked Lofty after eating a hearty mouthful of fajita.
"What can i say, i'm a natural Mexican." I gloated
Lofty snorted loudly and i laughed along with him.
"Up for icecream and a movie?" I asked
"Sure!" Smiled Lofty. The blush had returned so i hastily turned round and delved into the freezer.
I grabbed the icecream out the freezer and let it melt for a bit. I gave Lofty a bowl and told Lofty he could choose a film to watch on Netflix. I put the icecream back in the freezer and ambled over to the sofa.
"Toy Story 3? Really?" I laughed
"I love this film!" Giggled Lofty. I pressed play and we sat and watched Woody and Buzz on their latest adventure.
"You've got some icecream on your cheek." Pointed out Lofty.
He lifted his finger and wiped it away. He face was near mine and i could feel myself leaning in closer and closer. Then our lips touched. There was an initial moment of shock but it was soon replaced with a stumbling ectasy of love and it all felt so natural... so right. Eventually we pulled away and we stayed staring at eachother in the eyes.
"Not a bad Thursday evening." Mumbled Lofty. I smiled at him and he rested his head on my shoulder. I looked down at him and realised that this was where i wanted to be forever and this was who i wanted to be with forever. So there we stayed.

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