The Debt of Guilt [BxB]

2: before

February
1989

6 Years Earlier

It was three AM when Peter was woken up by the familiar sound of someone knocking on glass. He rubbed his eyes, crawled out of bed, and pushed open the flimsy window. Sure enough, Danny was stood in the snow, wrapped up in his Father's coat, a fresh bruise beginning to blossom around his eye.

"Oh, Danny." Peter sighed. This wasn't the first time the boy had come knocking at his trailer in the middle of the night. It wouldn't be the last either.

Danny offered Peter that smug little grin of his, "Evening, Pete." He greeted softly.

"What the hell happened this time?" Peter whispered back, shivering as the winter air began creeping into his tiny bedroom - which was really just a cupboard with a bed squeezed in.

"Well, bloody hell, Peter, you gonna let me freeze to death in the snow all night?" Danny rolled his eyes, climbing onto the generator which connected to the trailer home, "Get out the way." He nudged his friend aside and clambered through the open window.

"Will you shut up? My Mum's asleep."

Danny brushed the snow off of his coat, shaking the chill from his wild blond curls, "Relax, Pete." He collapsed back onto his friend's bed, "I'll be quiet as a mouse."

Peter sat down beside him, pulling his legs to his chest, "So, what happened?"

Danny shrugged, "The usual shit." He said dismissively, "Can I sleep here tonight? I'll be gone before your Mum wakes up."

Peter nodded, though Danny really didn't need to ask. Not anymore. Whenever he appeared with a fresh bruise, it was always a given that he would be sleeping at Peter's. That was just their unspoken agreement.

"Thanks, Pete."

"I'll go get you some ice." He stood up, tugging at his sleeves distractedly, "For the swelling."

Danny grabbed his arm and pulled him back onto the bed, "Don't worry about it." He smiled in an attempt to reassure his friend that he was fine. Peter could see through his fake smiles most of the time. But not always. And that scared him.

The shared body heat was appreciated on these ruthless winter nights, when the ice tried to creep into your bones, and the snow rained through your body. They kept each other warm, beneath Peter's itchy duvet, and the jumper his brother had given him two Christmases ago.

When morning came, Danny snuck out without making a sound, creeping across the snowy yard, and back into his own trailer. His Mother was still asleep, and his Father had left for work by the time he returned, leaving Danny to make breakfast in peace. He decked himself out in gloves, a woolly hat, and a scarf, before meeting Peter in the small clearing that separated their two homes.

"Sleep well?" Danny grinned.

Peter yawned instead of replying, and the two begun their trek to school, through the ice and the snow and their shared exhaustion.

When they arrived at their lockers, their friend was waiting for them, looking pale, and utterly terrified.

"You alright, Jen?" Peter frowned.