A/N: Hi lovely people! I know it's been forever and I'm sorry about that. I've missed writing so much. But it's just a hobby for now and difficult to find time for. I hope you're all well, I've missed you ❤️

This is unedited. Editing will eventually happen...hopefully soon. 

Chapter 4. 

 Tommy felt those lips against his neck and a current of heat spread from the area.   

"Wh-what are you doing?" He said, startled. 

"Hm." Blake's hand ran slowly down Tommy's chest, to rest warm on his hip. "Just helping out a friend." 

Tommy's belly flipped and his fingers clenched around the blanket. 

"You think...we're friends?" He croaked. 

"'Course we are." Blake spoke softly against Tommy's ear, making him shiver. 

"Oh." Tommy sniffled and wiped his running nose. His heart was beating like a hummingbird, but a tremulous smile turned up the corners of his mouth. He was frightened by Blake's proximity, but he liked it too. The warmth and the pressure of skin was the most thrilling thing he'd ever felt. 

Blake kissed his throat again, hand drawing up over his ribs and down again. 

Tommy felt that pleasant warmth again, this time lower, and with a cold shock of horror, he realised his cock was stirring. That happened to him sometimes, but if he ignored it long enough, it eventually went away. But there was no way he could ignore it now. 

"I, uh." To his mortification his voice cracked and he edged towards the edge of mattress. "I need to go to the bathroom." 

For a terrifying instant, Blake's hands tightened and Tommy thought he wasn't letting go. Then he was free and stumbling towards the door. He shut it firmly behind him and splashed cold water onto his face. His hands were shaking and his cock ached between his legs. 

Tommy grit his teeth and pinched the inside of his arm, hard. 

Slowly, the pain made his cock soften, leaving him panting and trying to stifle the sound. A few years earlier, a nurse had explained to him - when Tommy had dared to ask, as his scraped knees were cleaned and bandaged - why his penis got hard and why it felt so good to touch it. 

The nurse's face had hardened and she had said that Tommy was never to touch it again. The only time that was acceptable, was in the marriage bed between a man and his wife. She had said that Tommy was a good god fearing boy and if he wanted to go to heaven, he would go to confession and ask the Lord for forgiveness. Tommy didn't know what happened in a marriage bed, but he was too shocked and frightened to ask by then. 

He caught a glimpse of his face in the mirror, skin splotchy and eyes red with tears, and winced. His head was starting to hurt with tension. 

He had been in the bathroom for far too long and Blake had to be wondering what he was doing. It was tempting to just curl up on the tiled floor and stay there. Instead, he made himself walk back into the dark bedroom. 

"Blake?" He whispered. 

"Yeah?" Blake sounded calm and sleepy from the direction of his own bed. 

Tommy's head went light with relief and his eyes welled inexplicably. 

"Goodnight." He climbed into his bed and turned into the warmth Blake had left behind, along with his smell. 

"You alright, Tom?" Blake asked gently. 

He wasn't alright. He wanted Blake to hold him again, but he knew he shouldn't ask. His body might betray him and if the other boy found out, he wouldn't want to be Tommy's friend anymore. 

"I'm fine." He said, tears sliding down his face. 

....

Tommy woke to a pounding headache and a stuffy nose. He had only slept a few hours, like the day before, and he walked unsteadily behind Blake like a sleepwalker. 

He didn't have much of an appetite at breakfast, but he managed to finish his milk and swallow a few bites of toast. He perked up briefly during mass to cast an anxious look towards the confessional stalls. He dreaded the day he would inevitably have to kneel in there. 

Exhaustion descended again, during a geography lesson. He missed a question and was whacked upside the head. That didn't help his headache any.

He knew several teachers now thought him lazy. He couldn't afford to become a bad student. Not as an orphan, with no family to fall back on. He promised himself he would sleep earlier tonight and study harder. 

When the bell signalled break-time, Blake took his arm firmly and steered him to a common area. 

"Just sit for a bit, alright? I'll be right back." Blake smiled at him and left Tommy on a couch by the window. 

He looked out at the lake and the fields beyond. He wondered what would happen if he walked out there. If he could survive on his own, setting rabbit traps and catching fish, like the boys he'd read about in adventure novels. His grandmother had never approved of those, but his teacher had argued that boys his age would benefit from reading something besides bible scriptures. 

He must have nodded off, because he startled awake at the sound of a crash. He rubbed a hand over his gritty eyes and focused on a youngster being pushed over a chair by an older boy and then whacked with a switch on his bare backside. 

There was broken glass and liquid scattered across the floor, no doubt the source of the crash, and more boys were filing into the study to watch, eyes alight with excitement. 

Tommy jumped again, when Dom dropped onto the cushion beside him. The boy eyed the crowd with distaste. 

"Ghouls." He muttered and turned to look at Tommy. "Where's Blake?" 

"Ghouls?" Tommy repeated, confused. 

"Yes! They're all ghouls, enjoying the show." Dom hissed, leaning close to Tommy, so he wasn't overheard. 

"Should I fetch a master?" Tommy flinched when the boy started to cry, jerking and trembling against the blows. Several of the onlookers snickered and a few called out in mock sympathy. 

Dom snorted. "Only if you want to get caned yourself. All seniors get to punish their fags." 

"Fags?" Tommy frowned.  

Dom looked exasperated and was about to speak, but Blake jostled through the crowd with a tray in his hands. He set it down with a rattle of porcelain and shouted. "Finish bloody up, Gerry!" 

The boy administering the beating looked back at Blake with a grin. His cheeks were flushed and his eyes looked fever bright. "Why? Do you want him?" 

"Yeah I do. I'm done carrying this myself and you've scared off all the others." Blake jerked a thumb at the tray. 

"Gerry's got a stiffy, the bloody perv." Dom whispered into Tommy's ear. 

"A what?" Tommy looked questioningly at the switch Gerry was pocketing. Dom sat back to stare at him, expression a mixture of amusement and disbelief. 

Sensing an opportunity for escape, the crying boy pulled up his pants and hurried to pick up the tray. 

"C'mon, Tommy." Blake waved for him to follow and Tommy did, heart pounding as he averted his eyes from the boys dissapointed stares. 

Dom reappeared beside Blake in the hallway and began chattering away. Tommy wasn't listening, he was watching the boy with the tray, who was tight-lipped and pale. 

He couldn't have been older than twelve, with blonde hair and red-rimmed green eyes. Tommy was certain that Blake had tried to help, but he was disgusted that he made the poor boy carry his things like a servant. 

"Here, let me take that." He said, reaching for the tray. 

The boy shot him a terrified glance and pulled away. "No, please! I can do it." 

Blake squeezed Tommy's shoulder. "It's alright, Liam. Tommy here is just new and doesn't know the way of things. You can take that to my room." 

The boy nodded and walked faster. Even though his backside had to be hurting him. 

Back in their room, Blake handed Liam a small stack of books. "Return those to the library and do your homework. If anyone gives you trouble, say it's mine." 

The boy smiled shakily and left. 

"Why did you do that?" Tommy asked carefully, praying there was a good reason. 

"If I'm not ordering him about, someone else will. Like Gerry." Blake handed Tommy a now lukewarm cup of tea and a biscuit. "Perks of being a senior." He added with a wry smile. 

Tommy took a sip, closing his eyes briefly at the familiar taste of strong black tea with milk. He used to be served a cup like this every morning before breakfast. 

He would sit propped up in bed, sleepily drinking tea as the chipper maid drew back the curtains and picked out his clothes for the day. His eyes were abruptly damp and he blinked rapidly. 

"Oy! What about me?" Dom demanded. 

"Sorry, Dom. I would have brought you one if I'd known you'd be here." Blake ruffled the boy's black hair and Dom sputtered, smoothing down the glossy strands frantically. 

"You know I hate that!" Dom spat, slapping Blake's arm.

"You're such a girl." Blake rolled his eyes. 

"Do you want mine?" Tommy offered reluctantly. He didn't want to give away his tea, but he was eager to make another friend. 

"No thanks. I don't share." Dom sniffed and folded his arms. 

"Have a biscuit and quit sulking." Blake tossed one at him and Dom laughed, looking slightly mollified. 

"What's a fag?" Tommy asked. 

"A fag is what we call the younger lads. They run errands for the seniors the first couple of years." Blake explained. 

Dom's jaw clenched and he drew up his knees, hugging them. 

"But why?" 

Blake shrugged. "Another rite of passage I guess...teaching us humility or some shit. I don't know."  

"Were you fags?" Tommy looked between them, including Dom in his question. 

"He just said all the boys have to do it. What the hell do you think?" Dom exclaimed, glaring at Tommy. 

Blake placed a hand on the back of Dom's neck and the smaller boy visibly calmed, leaning into the touch. 

"I was picked on by a real nasty bloke named Lawrence. He beat me for fun. Made me lick his boots once." Blake grimaced and took a big gulp of tea. Dom placed a comforting hand on Blake's knee, but his eyes were fixed challengingly on Tommy. 

"But...how can the masters allow that?" Tommy fiddled with a loose thread on his blanket, trying to ignore how uncomfortable Dom was making him. 

He felt as if he was intruding on something intimate and private, but casual touches just seemed to be what friends did. He hoped he would get used to it soon. He didn't want Dom or Blake to know he'd never had any friends before. 

Blake grinned, but his eyes were cool. "Who do you think came up with the idea in the first place? They don't care." 

Tommy must have looked as dismayed as he felt, because Blake set down his tea and moved to sit beside him, resting a calloused palm on his hand. "Don't worry. I learned to fight fast and as soon as Lawrence discovered I punched back, he left me alone."  

Tommy wet his suddenly dry lips and squeezed Blake's hand. "Will I have to do it too?" 

Blake's eyes softened and he smoothed back a strand of Tommy's hair from his brow. "Nah, you're safe. You skipped those years." 

"We're going to be late for class." Dom announced loudly and banged the door open. Blake practically leapt off the bed, his freckled cheeks reddened and he threw Dom an annoyed look. The smaller boy simply smiled sweetly.