Living in Everyday Combat.

The sun shone brightly in the cloud-less pale blue sky. Sean kicked a rock from the pile of rubble, then jumped down quickly. Ian looked up, then looked back down when Sean shrugged his shoulders. "Nope, nothing."

Ian closed his eyes slowly, and turned away from Sean. He rested his hands upon the cracked marble of the street fountain. His patience was wearing thin pretty quickly. He was tired of searching for something, something he wasn't even totally sure they'd ever find.

Sean walked over to Ian, his hand coming to rest on Ian's shoulder blades. "C'mon. Lets look for a little longer. There must be something around here."

"Like what?!" Ian turned around in a flourish of anger. Sean stumbled back a little. He was terrified of the other's contained anger. It scared him to think that one day and one day soon, he would snap out of the blue. Ian's nostrils flared slightly. But Sean was frozen to the spot. He locked eyes with Ian. He wanted so desperately to throw his arms around him, tell him it was all gonna be okay, that'd they'd be fine.

Ian felt his shoulders fall, his mind acknowledging his apparent anger. He exhaled softly and turned back around once again. He didn't like being angry at Sean. It was never Sean's fault.

"Ian.." Sean whispered delicately and took a step towards the older male again. "It'll be alright," he continued to whisper, "we've just got to have some hope." He could see that Ian was loosing hope, and he mentally willed him to keep trying.

Ian looked up from the dusty waters of the cracked fountain. Maybe they had to keep looking. No clue of what they were searching for obviously, maybe it was something simple, just to let them know they weren't alone anymore. "Yes. Okay." He whirled around, facing Sean. "I'm sorry. Come here." He opened his arm out widely, a small smile playing back onto his grimy face.

Sean wrapped his arms around Ian's middle, linking his hands together on his back. Ian squeezed him tightly in a bro-hug. Sean laughed quietly and smiled. "C'mon. Let's go."

Ian smiled, and let his arms drop. Sean took off in the opposite direction to which they were stood, moving onto the next pile of building remains.

Sean pulled himself up, pushing his weight over a beam of wood. He kicked another rock, probably breaking his already broken toes even further. It soared through the air and smashed a window. "Score!"

Suddenly, out of no where, a crow shot through the air like a speeding bullet, speeding past Sean's face. He exclaimed loudly and leaned back. He turned his head in the direction the bird came from. He could see nothing. Sean jumped down and wandered across the upturned tarmac of what was formerly a road.

"Sean?" Ian's brow was furrowed. His gaze followed Sean as he moved so that he could see around the bend in the road. Ian stood up quickly and walked over to Sean. "What is it?"

"I swear I just saw someone in that building. In the window." Sean pointed, then took off. Ian paused than followed behind him. He caught up to Sean pretty quickly. He had always been faster, his preferation for land helping him to gain expertise in quick movements.

"Sean, wait!" Ian grabbed at Sean's hand to pull him back and Sean turned to him. "You don't know what's in there. It's unsafe." Sean frowned and shrugged. Sometimes, Ian's fear of anything dangerous annoyed him a little. What's life without a little thrill? A bore, that's what.

"I'll be fine. I'm not a baby." He muttered softly. Oh, so now Ian cared? No wait, shut up Sean. He shook his head slightly, as if shaking away the bad thoughts. He knew Ian had always cared about him, if so not in the way he wanted him to. He glanced at Ian again. "Trust me." Sean smiled simply and shook his hand out of Ian's, then pelted off into the building before them.

Ian groaned heavily, looking up at the building. It was dark, drab and dreary. Then, he saw it. The face, looking down at him from one of the windows. He gasped softly. Sean had just run into this building, unaware of the danger he was headed. Ian deliberated with his mind, then ran after Sean, pullling his bow out at the same time.

Sean was stood in the what looked like the foyer of an office. The desk was covered in a thick layer of dust. He ran his finger across the desk. It came away deep grey. "Ew." He said quietly to himself. He turned slightly, the sound of approaching footsteps making him edgy. He grinned when Ian walked through the door, bow raised cautiously. "I was wondering when you'd make an appearance."

"I saw the face. The one you saw. We have to get out of here. Now." Sean shook his head. Once Sean was intrigued by something, there was nothing to stop him investigating it. And Ian knew this. He knew he could not persuade Sean to leave the building now. He'd just have to be wary, constantly on guard. He walked past Ian and through the set of double doors. Ian followed closely behind, the apprehension clear on his face.

Sean walked over to a sign on the wall. "This is.. The manufacturing department of.. PULP! Ian, I'm gon' get me some new threads!" Sean said with a chuckle. When Ian didn't respond, he faced him. "Ian! Are you deaf?!"

Ian was not listening. His attention was elsewhere, on the corner of the room they were in. There was a stack of boxes piled up one ontop of the other, piled almost 50 feet high. Sean clicked his fingers infront of Ian's face, but Ian did not take his eyes off that pile of boxes. "Show yourself." Ian hissed, pulled the bow back into shooting position.

"Who are you?" came the soft reply.

"Show yourself!" Ian's voice was raised.

Slowly, the young girl walked out into the open. She raised her dagger warily. The black tresses of hair that fell down her back matted and knotty, framing her face like a picture. Her face was smeared with grime, a scar cutting through her cheekbone. Yet her face was filled with natural beauty.

Ian lowered his bow. His eyes were fixed upon her, astounded by her. She stood in a protective stance. Sean coughed slyly and and Ian came back from suspended animation. "Uh, sorry. We thought you were.. One of the.." He could not finish the sentence.

"It's alright. I thought the same. It's nice to see some more people who aren't crazy."

"More? You mean, there's others?" Sean spoke up for the first time. All the colour had drained from his face when Ian trailed off. He was truly mesmerised by this girl, and it scared him to think that Ian was not his to be jealous of. He could see how beautiful this girl was, despite her unkept hair, and dirty clothing. Her figure was slim, the black ragged shirt she wore hugging her waist. Just Ian's type. Nothing like Sean ever would or could be.

She nodded. "Myself. Aled. Oliver, but don't call him that, he hates it. He prefers Oli. Valerie. We cooped up a few months back. It's been tough, but we've managed to get by alright. What about you two? How have you, well.. Survived?"

"We stay in the forestries." Sean muttered quietly.

"Oh. Well. Let's not stand around gawping, c'mon. I'm sure the others would like to get acquainted." Sean and Ian glanced at eachother then followed her fast retreating figure. No-one spoke as they made their way through the many doors, neither Sean nor Ian having a clue of where they were headed. They did not dare look at one another. Sean did not want Ian to know he felt jealous of Ian's obvious feelings for this raven-haired girl.

She stopped walking abruptly, Sean and Ian skidding to a halt behind her. She shouted through a wooden board in the floor. "Oi! You'll never guess what I've found!" She stepped back and the hatch swung open. A head popped up, looking up at her, Sean and Ian. "Hi Aled. Let us in please." She grinned.

"Scarlett Davies, I don't know how you do it." The brown-haired boy muttered, his head retreating back through the hole in the floor. Scarlett sat on the edge of the gap then swung down, twisting around so she dangled down by her hands. She let go of the floor, then called back up.

"Come on down guys. We won't bite, promise." Sean and Ian exchanged another glance, then followed her down, into the unknown.