Hero

Danny went to the bar the next day to tell Matt and Lizzie about Oli being in hospital and he called his two friends from school and the guys under the bridge. Jordan never left the broken young man once, he stayed and watched him get better and stronger each day.

One day everyone came together to visit Oli who had never looked happier that all his friends were together with him. Even though they'd never met each other, his friends all got along great and Jordan loved how happy he was.

When he took Oli home he stopped off at his apartment so true younger boy could pick up some of his things.
He came out with two bin bags and Jordan was surprised.
"Is that it?"
"All I wanna keep."
"Are you sure? You can takeover if you want."
"No I don't want anything else. Thank you." He helped him in the car and they went back to his place.
"Yeah so...well you know where everything is...I reckon we need to go out and start looking for a sofa bed or something cause I'm not sleeping on that couch forever-
"At all." Jordan turned to the younger man.
"What?"
"You're not sleeping on the couch Jordan, I am."
"No you're not Oli you've been in hospital-"
"And I'm fine now so shut up. You're letting me stay here Jordan, I can deal with sleeping on the couch."
"Fine...then we're definitely getting a sofa bed." Oli smiled and sighed.
"Can I make you and Danny dinner?"
"Nope, you can help me make dinner for us two, but you're not doing everything."
"Jordan!!!" He whined.
"Oli!!! What?" He mocked the teen who stuck out his lip.
"Let me do something!! I feel guilty for not doing anything!!"
"Shut up."
"I'll start hitting on you if you don't let me do something." Jordan rolled his eyes but inwardly he freaked out, they both knew he wouldn't be able to resist the younger man if push came to shove.
"Fine. Go for it." He turned round, deciding to make Oli realise that he wasn't ready and back down. Oli was shocked and bit his lip.
"What? Too young? Too immature? Not ready to do this yet? My thoughts exactly!! Now-" Oli suddenly yanked Jordan down into a kiss and he began putting his arms round the younger man's waist before he realised what he was doing and held him at arms length.
"Stop it. You're not ready."
"Why would I kiss you if I wasn't ready to?!?"
"Because you want to prove to me that you are!! Because you don't want me to think of you as a child?? Because you're a horny little teenager and you want it, but when it comes down to it you know as well as I do that you'd be fucking terrified. It's too close to what's been happening to you Oli, it's not right." The younger man stood in place for several minutes while Jordan bustled around in the kitchen getting the ingredients for dinner.
"You're right..." He said hoarsely, Jordan nodded.
"I know."
"Do you think of me as a child?" He turned to the other man who was looking at him sadly, he sighed.
"No."
"You do, don't you?"
"No Oli, but I do feel....very...protective of you. I don't know why but I do. I can't...until you're in a place where us maybe doing something wouldn't mentally scar you, I can't let myself think about you like that." Oli nodded.
"I'm sorry. Don't look so sad." Oli nodded again.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing, I just...you're so nice it's difficult to be mad at you." Jordan laughed.
"If you'd've met me a few weeks ago you wouldn't be saying that."
"Maybe. But just so you know, while I won't hit on you or be suggestive in any kind of way, as you said I'm a horny little teenager so...unfortunately I WILL be thinking of you...in that way." Jordan fought back a groan, making Oli giggle and he came into the kitchen to help him with dinner.

As they ate Oli asked him about what he had been like when he took drugs, and why he stopped, and all other kinds of questions, none of which Jordan minded answering in the least.

"Jordan?" Oli said that night as he settled down on the couch. Jordan looked back at him, he looked skinner, smaller somehow from the back, all swaddled up in blankets on the couch.
"Yeah?"
"Thank you for letting me stay here." He said in a small voice and Jordan smiled.
"You're welcome."