Steven wasn't kidding. Ruby ended up seeing him almost everyday. They became inseparable. If Steven's other friends were there Steven still didn't turn Ruby away or ask him to leave. Ruby was included in everything. Brendan came back home but he and Ruby had a disagreement- why was Ruby spending so much time with this older boy? The only thing that came up to separate them was Ruby going to school.

And then one night Ruby turned up at Steven's house. It was late. Steven opened the door, his parents once more at some important society event. He hadn't expected them home this early but instead of his parents in front of him he found Ruby there, looking like a complete mess. The plain red t-shirt ripped in several places and hanging off one shoulder of his small frame. One of the legs of his pants ripped too. His breathing was irregular and he was shaking. There were a few cuts on his face, and arms, many of them bleeding.

And yet, Ruby's expression was cold, fierce, almost like he was so determined to not be weak, to not cry that the boy looked haunting.

Steven had never once seen him cry.

"Ruby, what the hell happened?"

"I can't go back home tonight. Can I stay here?"

"Of course, but-"

"Don't." Ruby said. Steven let him in, then took his hand, leading up to Steven's room.

"Sit," Steven commanded. Ruby did so, Steven got some supplies from the bathroom. Bandaids, bandages, disinfectant, cotton wool… He returned to Ruby. The poor boy looked lost and destroyed sitting on the edge of Steven's bed, his ripped shirt hanging off him. Steven put the supplies down beside him.

"How far are all the injuries?"

Ruby didn't answer.

"Damn it Ruby!" said Steven angrily, "answer me. Where are most of your injuries?"

Ruby responded by removing his shirt with a wince. His shoulders moved awkwardly. Bruising covered Ruby's torso, the majority of it across his shoulders and shoulder blades, some on the right hand side of his stomach.

Steven closed his eyes for a moment, coming to grips with what he was seeing. He then began to clean his friend up. Every time Ruby winced Steven felt a surge of anger at the person who had caused it. He tried to be as gentle as possible. When he reached out to gently clean blood oozing from a cut on Ruby's shoulder Ruby automatically shied away.

"Shh, it's just me," Steven whispered.

Ruby hadn't had someone be so considerate, so gentle, for a long time. Out of nowhere tears started pouring down his cheeks. Steven kept cleaning, letting Ruby spill the built up tears and wipe them away.

Then Steven stopped. He was staring at a cut along Ruby's inner arm that was different, older, a scar… one like the ones Steven had seen on some of his friends. He knew where it'd come from.

"Ruby, you're 10, what is this doing here?"

Ruby turned his face away.

"Ruby I know what this is. You have to stop."

Ruby bit his lip.

"Something has to be going on for you to make scars like these. Look at you! Bruising, cuts… can you please tell me?"

Ruby didn't answer.

"Fucking hell Ruby! TELL ME."

Ruby's lip wobbled for a moment and closed his eyes, the swearing had gotten to him. He quickly twisted round to Steven and shouted, "IT'S MY DAD, OK? IT'S MY DAD. He always," tears flood Ruby's face again, "He's always doing this to me. He hates me. It's all my fault."

Steven froze, "Norman did this to you? He always…" he'd known that something was weird in the relationship, that something had been going on but he hadn't thought it was this bad, this abusive. He hadn't thought Ruby was getting … so hurt… "How is this your fault?"

"He hates me, he hates me."

"How is it your fault, Ruby?"

"It's my fault my mother died," Ruby murmured, "And I'm not the son he wants. I'm girly, and like clothes, and making clothes and I hate battling. I'm not strong, I'm weak. I'm not good at school… and I remind him of her… I'm completely worthless, I'm not needed, the whole damn family would be better off if I wasn't there…" Ruby huddled up. The young boy was surprised when warm arms hugged him and pulled him out of his circular position. He pushed his head against Steven's chest as he sat there sobbing, blocking everything out. Steven rocked him.

"I want you to cut that crap now. You're not 'girly'. You're you. And you're special. And no matter what your father says you ARE important and I like you the way you are. You're the most valued person in my life right now, and you managed that in just a short while. I care about you so stop hurting yourself, please. Stop believing all the shit your father spits out. You can sleep here whenever, okay? As soon as he starts turning you come here."

Ruby nodded against Steven's chest. He clung to the older boy tightly.

That night Ruby told Steven everything- about his father and his mother. Her death. How he believed he was the cause. How his father did too, and the hatred for it. His relationship with his brother, the only person he'd cared about as everything had changed and how it was crumbling before his eyes. He wanted to ask Brendan if he blamed Ruby too, but he was too scared to. How he hated himself now, most of the time he just wanted to disappear or to have never been born. How even he felt that he was worthless.

And Steven had to listen to his best friend tear himself apart. He'd become close to Ruby but Ruby was not the sharing kind. There was so much he didn't know.

So Steven admitted to Ruby that his parents had always envisioned him being the Champion. And while he wanted to do it too there was so much pressure. His parents were always 'out in society furthering the Stone name'. He wished they'd just… spend time with him. And all Steven's old friends were pushing too. Steven had to become the Champion. He couldn't tell if they wanted a piece of the fame that came with the Stone reputation or really liked Steven…

Ruby took a long time to calm down and stop crying. Steven spent a while just holding him as the sobs subsided.

"Ruby?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you ever going to tell me about the hat?"

"After I scared Sapphire my personality changed," Ruby said, "I didn't want to be tough, or mean, or so scary if it was going to cost me the people I wanted to be with so I became… softer, weaker, more… 'delicate'," Ruby spat the last word out, "Going from my kindergarten class to school after I changed was tough. Kids thought they could push me around. My Mum and I talked. She knew I was nervous about it. She made me a hat, a kind of prank. I still loved pranks. The hat was made to look like hair. It fooled all the kids in my class; they thought I had white long hair. Mum and I loved it. She died two weeks after that. I make a new one the same way she did every time I grow out of one."

Steven nodded. It was a sweet but terribly sad story.

"I guess you know now," Ruby sniffled, "The thing you asked that night."

"Yes, I do," Steven said, with a smile. "You say your personality changed but you're not weak or delicate like you say."

"That's what I've been told."

"Well you're not. You're tough and you survive a lot more than most would be capable of. Maybe the old stuff is just lingering beneath the surface."

"I don't know about th-"

"Just think about it, okay?" Steven interrupted.

They were getting tired, and Ruby was undeniably exhausted. Steven laid back in the bed, Ruby lying beside him. Ruby looked sleepily, with red rimmed eyes and ruby orbs, into Steven's clearer ones.

"Steven… I don't think I could survive it without you."

"It's nothing," Steven yawned, "Just stop hurting yourself, okay? It doesn't just hurt you- but the people who care about you."

"Barely anyone does."

Steven replied a little angrily, "Well I do, and I'm telling you to stop."

Ruby nodded and Steven relaxed. They both slowly closed their eyes and drifted to sleep.