#badthingshappen

Hotland was a boiling and infernal town but it was also very insidious and mysterious.

There lived a particular personality, the most intelligent and devious man in the Underground.

A man you found fascinating but fearful and enigmatic as well. He was a crazy scientist and it was clear his experiments could not be defined as innocent or safe especially when you could be one of them.  

A primordial fear flowed through your veins every time you thought about him, it was a feeling as hot as the lava that covered this land of desperation and terror.

You did not define yourself as a sinner, you had chosen the pacifist path even if it was the worst path you could ever chose. You only wanted to spread friendship and joy but you found yourself in the wrong place. In the least joyful and friendly place of the planet. You were in the wrong Underground and here the supreme rule was only one: kill or to be killed.

You decided not to kill anybody but to be killed by someone because, perhaps, your nature was sinful just like the others but you were different from others, you were a devout, humble and unconscious sinner.

His name was Gaster and he fascinated you more than everybody else in this mad world. You would have done anything for him, even though you were aware that he did not love you, he would never share your feelings because they were pathetic and accepting them for him would have meant admitting to feel mercy toward a human. The only pronunciation of the word “mercy” was forbidden here.

The man who spoke with hands appreciated your courage, despite you were a human, an inferior creature but, at the same time, interesting and ironically indispensable for his ambitions. Without you, his greatest dream would not have come true.

Your determination was fundamental to his plans and to the liberation of his people.

He was stern and intolerant but something about you made him change his attitude and he even learnt how to be affable and understanding in his cruelty.

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“You made your decision, I'm impressed. No other human has ever gone that far.” Gaster spoke in the austere tone of a professor who encouraged his favourite student to do their best even when this best would mean to sacrifice their own life.

Science was a precious treasure, a strong instrument, but sometimes it was immoral and led people to make atrocious gestures to satisfy their hunger for knowledge. Gaster was a man of science, and his science was as ruthless and merciless as him.

"I’m not about to change my mind. Moreover, I don’t want this decision of mine to be considered as my defeat. I thought a lot about it and there’s no alternative. No other solution.” you declared even if your tone was not disappointed nor wretched. It was the tone of a person who knew their destiny. Of a person who was ready to accept the consequences of their decisions and was proud, determined, to face their own fate. Maybe it was the same voice of a martyr because this was your fate. The fate you have chosen, nobody forced you, you were the only architect of your own fate.

"To be a human, you're brave... And very determined..." he confessed, scanning your soul as it shone brighter than the sun. Your soul was as red as passion, like the fire that burned in the core of this city.

Your determination would finally release the monsters from their prison. This was your decision. Your destiny.

 Gaster spent most of his life studying human souls. The day he’s been waiting for has finally arrived.

He craved for your soul, he desired it more than anything else, maybe he was a little bit egoist and he did not want to share it with the other monsters or, at least, not immediately because as a scientist he had the duty of studying it and discover every secret of it.

Strange how Gaster found you, a miserable and worthless human, so fascinating. Because of your soul, he saw you with the eyes of curiosity.

You were his grandest experiment, you wanted to give everything of yourself to Gaster because the sentiment you felt for him was sincere. This feeling was senseless, how could you fall in love with the person who wanted to study you? It was crazy and you were crazier to deceive yourself like this.

He wanted to use you as his special guinea pig but, despite his madness, you were fascinated, you esteemed his science and you wanted him to love you but it was an illusion. A mere infantile desire. You could only show how much you cared by donating him your soul. In this way, your memory, the memory of your brave and heroic gesture, would be treasured in his mind.

In addition to this, there was a perverse fantasy that resided in your painful soul. Something you were unable to explain to yourself or, maybe, it was another symptom of insanity.

You wanted to be him and only him the owner of your soul, you did not want it to be touched by anyone else and maybe you did not even care about the fate of the monster race, not anymore. The only important thing to you was his satisfaction and you were willing to eradicate your own identity to please him. A sick feeling, the blindness of love, this could not be called love but an unhealthy desire. The same that criminal felt for their executioner. Something horrifying and that should not be possible but you could not do anything to stop it.

You were attracted by his intelligence, his mathematical and calculating mind. By his cold and complex personality. Maybe you were attracted by his psychopathy, too. You were the exact opposite of him, he was what you could never be, and this filled your soul with torment but, at the same time, with passion and determination. The determination he searched for and you were going to donate you.

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Your naked and inert body was lying on the bed in his cold and aseptic laboratory.

He was there, he looked at you with two curious pair of orbs. There was no malice in his eyes, because for him you were nothing but an experiment. A body to be dissected and studied in order to understand something more about human beings and their strong soul.

King Asgore was unaware of this little experiment because he would never understand Gaster's studies. He would never have accepted and respected his job as you did. You were his victim, but also the only person who had appreciated his work, illuminating his gloomy life with the light of your enchanted soul. He could not change his mind, this experiment had to go on and feelings were no longer important. Science did not need feelings.

With his sharp scalpel, he caressed your skin and he was tempted by an unhealthy tenderness.

Perceiving the cold blade, your muscles tightened and a shiver ran through your spine but it was not cold but euphoria, the insalubrious desire to be reduced in pieces by him, your beloved torturer.

He was enchanted, watching your face filled with anxiety, your warm skin was sweating thanks to the blade of his scalpel with which he would cut you in two.

Even your soul was trembling, shining and blazing like a sun and your soul would have been his for the rest of the eternity because human souls were immortal.

After having contemplate your body, he made a profound nick on your torso, your blood dripped as a red river. Your breath was irregular, it hurt like death and you screamed, even if you did not want and the loss of all that blood made your vision blind.

Then he licked the blade of his scalpel, tasting you warm blood. The blood of the human he did not know to love, because he was too sick for loving someone or realizing it.

This was the cuirass of your soul, your body, which he was destroying. Your EKC was running wild, and you were even unable to perceive the beat of your heart. It beat fast for him, for the insane love you had for him. It was wrong. You were dying and nobody could save you now.

It was your decision, a mortal decision and you were fine with that.

You breathed your last breath, unable to exist any longer and unable to assist at the rest of the experiment.

 After your death, Gaster has been unable to consign your soul to the king because Asgore did not deserve it, any monster deserved it and Gaster decided to keep it as a memory of you.

Keith scanned the white area.  Everything was sparkling and blinding as the sun hit the snow.  Allura had sent him and Lance on a mission alone together, but they had crash landed on this unfamiliar territory.  

“Have you ever seen so much whiteness in your life?” Keith squinted as he asked Lance, who seemed to be just as much in awe as he was.

“First time for me,” Lance said.  

Keith turned to him, dumbstruck.  “You’ve never seen snow before?”

Lance shook his head. “First time for everything I guess.”

They continued walking and saw a rundown shack up ahead. Keith turned to him.  “We should go check it out.”

Lance folded his arms. “Are you serious?  We don’t even know who’s living there.”  

Keith exhaled loudly and shook his head.  They had been arguing about everything all day since they started the mission.  He wasn’t sure how much he could take.  “Lance, we’re stranded.  Our lions aren’t functioning right now, our radios are down, and we’ve got nothing to eat.  What do you expect we should do?”

When Lance realized he was right, he set off with a huff, with Keith following right behind him.  Turns out the shack was deserted.  It was dirty, and items were disheveled around the house. It looked like it had been deserted for years.  There was a circle made of rocks that Keith assumed was for a fire.  Pots and pans were in the kitchen on the counters. They checked around, but there was no food.

Keith shivered.  It was freezing out here.  They weren’t dressed for this kind of weather.  “Brrr,” he said, rubbing his arms.

“Cold?” Lance asked the obvious.

Keith rolled his eyes. “No, not at all.  I just like hugging myself.”

“I’m just saying that if you’re cold, there’s always you know, body heat to keep us warm.”  He turned away from Keith and then added quickly, “but that’s I mean, in dire circumstances.”  He cleared his throat.

“Right, right,” Keith said, suddenly needing to cough.  After a moment of silence, he had an idea.  Maybe they could pass the time while having fun.  He cleared his throat.  “So, I was thinking.  You’ve never seen snow, so wanna go play in it?  It should help warm us up in the meantime.”

Lance had to stifle the wide smile that threatened his chapped cheeks.  “Play?  Well, I guess since there’s nothing else to do.”

The two exited the shack and went back outside.  Keith gathered up a snowball and hit Lance when he wasn’t looking.  

“Hey!” Lance said as he turned around.  

Keith hit him with another one before laughing and running away.   While Keith was making another snowball, Lance attacked him from the side.   Once he gathered enough snow in both his hands, he ran farther out.  “You can’t get me!”

His feet suddenly lost traction and he was slipping around, falling to the ground.  He realized he was now on ice.  Lance laughed and came running towards him.

Keith picked himself up and started towards Lance, but he heard a crack.  He looked down, and half his shoe was covered in freezing water. Panicking, he cried out, “Lance!”

Lance didn’t understand. He was still smiling.  He pulled his arm back in preparation to hit Keith with a large snowball, when Keith put up his hands and waved them earnestly back and forth, yelling, “Stop!  Help me!”

Lance pursed his lips and lowered his throwing arm.  Once he registered the terror on Keith’s face, he ran hurriedly over to him.  “Keith, what’s wrong?”

The ice cracked again from Keith’s weight.  He shifted his foot and he came crashing down.  His whole body went under the water right in front of Lance’s eyes. Icy water froze his muscles and he could hardly breathe.  He thrashed around and was able to get his head back above water.  He sucked in a bunch of air when he felt Lance’s hands around his wrist.  

“I’ve got you,” Lance said. With much effort, Lance pulled his body halfway out of the water as Lance lay horizontal across the ice. More ice cracked around where Keith went down, and he hoped no more would shatter.  He pulled and he tugged.  Keith couldn’t help out anymore.  His legs were too numb that he couldn’t feel them.  

Keith was a deadweight in his hands.  Another tug and Keith’s frigid body was fully out of the water.  There was another crack and Lance saw to his right that another large chip of ice was threatening to pull apart.  In order to lower the weight on the ice, he slid Keith to safety. Lance crawled the rest of the way over to him.  

He quickly got them both onto the snow and off the ice.  They were breathing heavily and their lungs ached in their chests.  Lance knew he needed to get Keith warm or he might not make it.  His clothes were soaked and already frozen.  Keith lay there shivering, lips blue.

“Keith, are you okay?” Lance said, hovering over him.

“C-c-c-cold-d-d,” Keith stuttered as his body violently shook.

“I’m gonna get you warm, okay?” Lance began stripping him from his jacket and then his shirt.  He heard Keith moan, which made him work faster. “Stay with me, buddy.”  He saw his eyelids flutter and Lance yelled, “Don’t go to sleep!  Stay awake!”

Keith’s eyes flew open in a snap.  “Tired,” Keith mumbled.

“I know you are, but you’ve gotta stay awake.  For me,” he added.  Once his shirt was off, Lance did whatever he thought would heat him up faster.  He rubbed his hands all over Keith’s chest, specifically all around his heart, hoping that would save him.  The heart was a person’s lifeline, so he had to make sure Keith’s heart was warm.

His chest felt like a popsicle.  He had to do something.  He tore off his own shirt and picked Keith up, which took a lot of effort, and placed Keith against him so their chests were touching.  Now that they were basically hugging, Lance put his arms around him and held him close as he ran his hands up and down Keith’s bare back vigorously.

Keith hung limply in Lance’s arms, his head lolling to each side.  

“Keith, you still with me? You awake?” Lance asked.

Half asleep, yet conscious, Keith replied, “uh-huh.”

“Good, good.”  He then put his t-shirt on Keith since it was mostly dry, rubbing every inch of Keith’s arms and shoulders as he put it on, trying to improve his circulation.

Now for Keith’s pants. “I’ve gotta get your pants off you, Keith,” Lance told him.  This was no time to be embarrassed, but he felt his cheeks blush nonetheless.  Keith just moaned in response.  

Lance undid the button and pulled down the zipper.  He pulled the waist of his pants down, and luckily, Keith was wearing boxers.  He slid them all the way down and then picked up the half-conscious boy and cradled him in his arms.  He walked as fast as he could to the shack, closing the door.  The only light was the sun streaming in the window.

It was cold here, too, but at least there wasn’t a breeze.  Keith began to stir and ask where he was.  

“We’re in the shack. Are you alright?”

“I’m c-cold,” Keith said, still shivering uncontrollably.  

Lance wanted to go to the lions to see if communication was working yet, but he knew that would take a while, and Keith might freeze in the meantime.  “I’m gonna try making a fire.”

He searched the kitchen, and, in a drawer, he found matches.  He gathered items around the house that he knew would burn and struck a match, throwing it in the fire pit.  Within a few minutes, he had a decent fire going.  

He placed Keith closer to it and pulled him close and kept an arm around Keith’s shivering body. Without blankets, this would have to do, and Lance wasn’t complaining.  “Are you warmer now?”

“Yeah,” Keith said, and Lance could see a bit of color returning to his cheeks.  Keith lowered his head and placed it on Lance’s shoulder and then snuggled deeper into his side.  “Thank you for s-saving me.”

Lance smiled and felt his cheeks grow hot.  He tightened his grip around his waist, feeling Keith’s shivers turning into slight tremors.  The fire was working really well. “No need to thank me.  You would’ve done the same for me.”

Keith yawned and closed his eyes.  Now that he was out of the woods, it was safe for him to sleep.  Lance ran his hand up and down Keith’s side and arm and Keith’s hand moved to Lance’s thigh as he fell asleep.  

An hour later, they both woke up.  The fire was still going but was smaller.  “Keith, I think it’s time to get back to our lions.  I’m sure Allura and the gang are worried about us.”

Keith agreed, but before they left, they looked around the cabin to see if they might’ve missed anything that they could use.  Lance opened a closet to reveal an old piece of clothing that resembled some sort of animal skin with matching pants.  The boys looked at each other, making a face.  

“It’s either this or freeze to death,” Lance reminded him.

“In that case. . . “ Keith said, and reached for it.  He put it on and Lance whistled.  “Looking good!  Come on, let’s go!”

When they returned to their lions, they were working again and so were the communications.  Lance was able to relate to Allura what had happened.

“Does he need a pod?” she asked.

“I don’t think so.  He’s pretty much recovered.”

“Well, he’ll at least need to be checked out for any signs of hypothermia to be sure he’s okay,” Allura said.  “Thanks for taking care of him.”

They don’t talk. They stopped talking after Shiro returned from his second time being held captive. Now it’s just body language that maintains the communication between them, and even that one lacks on the best of their days. Hunk graciously accepted this long ago; everything to have Shiro near, still, to feel the heat of his body that tells Hunk that Shiro’s alive and well and in his arms, to hear the breathing, hot and short, subtle and warm—  to coexist alongside this man that shines more brightly than everything Hunk had ever seen.

Shiro doesn’t look at him anymore when they make love. If making love is what this is still called.

Sometimes Hunk cries when they do this, screaming on the inside for even a glance at him, a split second of gazes meeting. He doesn’t ask for much, doesn’t want words addressed to him. He just wants to have Shiro look him in the eye. That’s all.

They finish each other in silence, even though Shiro’s harsh breaths still echo in his ears. He slips out, tucks himself in and leaves.

Hunk cries, the semen cooling on his stomach, the room chilly now that his body calmed down. He berates himself for caring this much. He wants to rip apart that side of himself, become a shell—  just like Shiro is.

He knows this is not Shiro, but he still holds out to— something. To the old Shiro, the old smiles and sweet words, the bashful side that Hunk found so endearing and that he’d tease Shiro about when they were alone, always gently and with an underlying fondness. They were in love and he can’t have that back because telling the team about this little secret means putting Shiro in the cryopod and have either Allura or Coran get into his head.

Subjecting Shiro to more torture is the last thing Hunk would ever do. He still doesn’t understand if Shiro was brainwashed and forced to be somebody else or if this was really a clone and Shiro was prisoner on some Galra warship, being tortured by the witch.

He wishes it’s the first option because that means that they have Shiro, that he can be reached.

His hands clench in the sheets, starved for the skin, the muscles, the arms and back that are just not there.

Why are they involved in this stupid war?

Why did he fall in love?

Questions to which he both has the answer and doesn’t.

They’re attacked in the hangar by two druids who came to deliver a warning. They fight, but they’re no match to dark magic. Allura is the only one who manages to hold her own against the two of them, but even she is reaching her limits.

The druids multiply and each member of the team is engaged with more than one enemy at a time. The tension reaches huge heights and Hunk is grazed by a dark lightning that only manages to leave a wound on his arm and not incapacitate him more than that.

But it’s then that he sees the three druids ganging up on Shiro and forcing him to step closer to the open hangar. It’s a decision Hunk doesn’t even make; he just acts on instinct because—

— he takes his bayard and materializes his cannon, but doesn’t fire at them on account of it hitting Shiro accidentally—  

— because—

— he runs several steps, enough so that, after his calculations, he’s at the perfect distance to throw the cannon and hit two out of three druids—

— because—

— it happens in two, maybe three seconds: the third druid is halfway through hitting Shiro with magic, as he has his back turned on the druid, and Hunk’s not a thinking man right now, least of all calculating or searching his mind for remnants of logic, as he jumps—

— because he is expendable.

Hunk falls over the edge, the druid evaporating around him.

Shiro watches him as if he’s looking at a blank wall.

Lance is the one that jumps after him, but it’s Yellow that catches them both. Pidge forces the bayard into Shiro’s stomach so hard that it sends the Black Paladin several feet away. There must be angry shouting and wrathful words coming from her, even as Keith is at her side, keeping her there, but not using too much strength as he, too, seems to mouth off things at Shiro. Hunk can see their contorted faces, the tense stances as Yellow flies them back up to the hangar.

But Shiro’s not getting up and Hunk has no more tears left to spill. Just a gaping maw that swallowed him whole.

Shiro comes back a couple of hours later with memory loss. He confesses that he has no idea what happened after they took him away. It confirms one of Hunk’s suspicions, but also allows for a ray of hope to unfurl.

He realizes this whole situation took a toll on him when he feels hatred towards himself for feeling hopeful after everything Shiro’s done to him. With his consent, yes. That doesn’t mean that it hurts less.

The hand wraps around his throat and it’s cold and too strong to fight off. There’s a cold glint in Shiro’s eyes and Hunk’s head thuds against the wall of his room, remarking with a bitter feeling that Shiro finally looks him in the eye. Another voice tells him that the one looking at him is not Shiro.

“He never cared about you,” the voice that sounds like Shiro comes forth like an Arctic wind, frozen and unforgiving. “The witch is brainwashing him as we speak. She’s cleaning every single memory he has of you and the others. Soon, he won’t even know what race you are. The perfect tool for the Empire to use as it sees fit. You all will disappear.”

He pulls and pushes Hunk into the wall, with more force, and pain blooms at the back of his head.

“We’ll… save.... Shiro… before…“

A sharp smile crests Shiro’s lips and it feels like the tear of a jagged, rusty knife from one side of the stomach to the other. The hand tightens and Hunk’s losing consciousness, spots already present in his vision.

Reality is slipping away from him and he fights the hand, claws at it, but it’s metal and it doesn’t relent no matter how much Hunk thrashes against it.

There’s nothing coming from Shiro, no expression, no words, not even a blink.

Darkness eats at his world, even as a familiar feeling, a long-lost warmth pours into him.

Hunk, I’m coming.

Running was a second nature. They’d been running for as long as Tyler could remember.

Twelve years. Ever since he was born.

Sometimes, Tyler liked to wonder what life would be like. If he wasn’t what he was. If he wasn’t different. If he hadn’t been born this way.

He could hear footsteps all around him. They seemed to echo throughout the trees. The boy tried to focus on just the ones behind him. The footsteps he knew. Jack was behind him.

Jack was always behind him.

It had been a long few days. For the both of them.

But Race felt guilt take hold in his chest again when he thought about his big brother telling him they had to run. Again.

Jack had had a chance. A chance to leave him behind. Have a normal life. A life he’d always dreamed about with a girl he loved and enough money to get himself out west.

He could’ve started over.

But a life like that came with a price.

“All you have to do is give us the boy…”

Race would never forget the eternity it took him to say it. No. To say that Tyler was more important. That he would never betray him like that. It had taken him thirty seconds. Thirty seconds that felt like a century to a boy who wasn’t even sure he’d blame his big brother if he’d said yes.

For a long time, everything had been okay. Two years. Two years where Tyler could go to school. Two years where Tyler could have friends and Jack could have a job and they could ignore the news warnings and propaganda spread all around their city.

Nothing could last forever.

Six months ago is when it started.

But they hadn’t known that.

A girl had appeared in Jack’s life. They’d met at a coffee shop that he frequented with the boy. They stopped there before school. Friday mornings They’d go there for breakfast.

She’d been perfect. Tyler couldn’t think of another person who could be more of a match for his big brother. She was witty and smart and bubbly and down to earth and she walked Tyler to school and asked him how his day was and Jack had wanted to marry that girl.

So he’d told her their secret. A secret that he guarded so carefully and so delicately and made sure that not another soul knew.

But he’d trusted this girl with more than his own life. He’d trusted her with Tyler’s.

Jack didn’t trust easily.

She said she loved him. She said she loved Tyler. And that was that.

And for weeks, everything had been perfect. Jack had been happy. His girl had accepted Tyler. His girl had become a part of their small, broken family.

At least… so they’d thought.

She’d introduced herself as Plumber. Katherine Plumber.

She’d lied.

And they’d had no choice but to run. They were good at running. Jack was good at running. They just hadn’t expected to be found so soon.

Tyler turned his head for just one second, just to be sure his brother was still behind him. It was then that he tripped, falling face first to the ground. Jack shouted for him. He tried to rush towards him. But something made him stop. Something over the boy’s head.

Jack scowled. There were angry tears in his eyes. He reached towards his belt and before Tyler knew it, a gun was trained at something behind him.

Someone behind him.

“Racer… my little prince?”

The boy froze at the voice, sniffling as he turned to find a young woman, squatting down only a few feet away from him. The child didn’t move. “It’s okay, Tyler… I promise… it’s gonna be okay—”

“Stop making promises we know ya ain’t gonna keep.”

Katherine flinched, standing up quick and raising up her hands in a sign of surrender. Slowly, her eyes trailed up, over the boy on the ground. Her eyes softened when she caught sight of him.

Jack was standing tall, his stance firm but light. He was ready to run. But not before he pulled back the trigger of the handgun he held tightly in his gloved left hand. His right arm hung at his side. Katherine knew he was strong. That thing was aimed right at her head. He wouldn’t miss.

“Back away, Red,” the young man demanded, a scowl forming on his lips. Katherine felt something in her heart stutter. She’d never been so scared for her life. She could recall a story. A mama bear charging at a man harassing her babies. This man had that kind of look in his eyes. He’d kill her. He’d pull that trigger if she so much as looked down at the boy on the ground. Despite everything that had happened between them.

But she wasn’t the enemy here. “Jack… I am just trying to help him. You have to believe me…”

All the man could do was scoff. “Help him? By strapping him down to a table n’ running experiments on him?” he spat bitterly, not looking down at the terrified child on his knees between them. “They don’t know what they’re doin’. They’re gonna kill him.” It was the truth. The boy knew that, deep down. It just hadn’t been spoken aloud. Jack never spoke that aloud. “Now back. Away.”

Too scared to do much else, she did, taking two steps back. “Please, Jack, you have to trust me! I’ll get him out! He needs to come with me!”

“No, he needs me!” Jack sounded so desperate. The boy on the ground was sure he hadn’t heard the man sound so completely desperate since… since Dad. He was breathing heavily. His jaw was tight. “He needs me. He ain’t a government weapon, he ain’t dangerous, he ain’t some wild animal, he’s my brother!” His hand tightened around the pistol as he pulled himself together, rolling his right shoulder back and narrowing his gaze at the woman he was sure would never do this. “Back up. Away. Now,” he ordered again, finally letting his eyes trail down to the boy on the ground.

The kid had a bloodied lip and a bruising forehead. Jack’s gaze softened at the sight of him. “Racer, come over here,” he coaxed as gently as he could, though his tone was still firm and demanding. He extended a hand to the boy. The child’s big blue eyes darted between him and Katherine. He had terrified tears rushing down his cheeks. “C'mon…”

“Tyler, please, I can help you…” Katherine tried, locking eyes with the boy.

She knew it was a long shot. Knew the twelve year old had been raised by his big brother. Knew there was a certain loyalty and trust that came with that. A bond and admiration that she couldn’t come in between.

Jack glared at her slowly, before reaching further towards the child with his right hand. He didn’t dare lower his weapon. His right hand was stiff, scared, rushed, just like the rest of him. His gloves were fingerless. The cuts on his hands peaked out from beneath them. The ones that had been there for years. The ones that had since scared over. Race couldn’t stop himself from staring at them. “Kid… come. Now,” he demanded again, watching the kid’s eyes slowly trail up to meet his.

The kid reached out for his hand. He wanted to go. He wanted to get out. He wanted to be with Jack. He wanted to have a normal life. He wanted to go back to their normal life.

As normal as he could be. As they could be.

Sighing in relief, Jack reached to pull his brother towards him. But just as their fingertips brushed against each other, Race’s eyes widened. “Jack!” he cried out, just as the man felt something hard come down on his spine.

The pistol fell from his hand. His head spun. He fell to his hands and knees, breathing hard. His eyes widened as he went to reach for the gun, prepared to roll over and shoot whoever it was that stood behind him. A swift kick to his side sent him effectively down to the ground. He grunted, trying to remember how to breathe as he was rolled onto his back by someone’s boot.

Race screamed, backing up quick, ready to run. A bright light hit him right in the face. He was blinded. He didn’t want to leave Jack. But he knew he had to run.

Before he could even think of what to do next, someone grabbed the gun off the ground. It didn’t matter. There were several of them. They were surrounded. And their guns were so much bigger than Jack’s. “No!” he cried, rushing to his only family, ready to shield him. His hands burned. For a moment, all the boy could see was red.

It was then that something pricked at his neck. The way Race’s whole body went weak was almost immediate. His eyes started drooping. He reached up, feeling a small tube at the base of his neck, stuck in his skin. He pulled it away, trying to inspect it. It was a drug of some kind. He knew it was. If the shape and drops of liquid still inside it weren’t enough to tell him that, the way his knees buckled and his arms dropped definitely were.

He couldn’t speak as he fell to the ground. His eyes slid closed. He felt hands grab at him, trying to pull him up.

He heard his breathless big brother begin to beg. “N-no… d-don't… pl-please… h-he ain’t dangerous…” he coughed. “L-let him go-” The man was cut off. Race could only hear him grunt in pain again.

Jack coughed again as he heavily gasped for air. They’d just hit him hard in the stomach with the back of a semiautomatic. But he rolled over anyways, forcing his eyes open as he wheezed, beginning to army crawl over to his brother. It was slow and it hurt. But they were pulling his limp brother off of the ground and dragging him back towards some kind of truck.

“No! Don’t take them! They’ve done nothing wrong!” he heard Katherine scream. He gripped at the ground, reaching out for the child only for something hard to connect with his skull.

His vision went black before his cheek hit the ground.

~~~~~~~~~

Everything hurt. His head being the worst of it. But Jack could feel himself panicking.

It only took a second to remember why.

The man forced his eyes open, though everything was blurry. And bright. He closed them soon after. It was too painful. He tried to move, only for his limbs to scream out in agony. Hissing, the young man allowed his body to relax for a moment. Forcing himself up when he was in this much pain wouldn’t do anyone any good. Besides, he knew he was no longer anywhere close to his baby anymore. They’d moved him. He knew they had.

They weren’t in the woods anymore. The quiet gave that away. Nothing moved. He couldn’t hear the trees or the wind or the crickets. There was nothing besides his own breaths and someone else’s.

It wasn’t Race’s.

“You have a minor concussion. And some bruises on your back…”

Wishing he could roll his eyes, Jack scoffed. “No shit…” he muttered, slowly blinking his eyes open again, allowing his vision to gradually clear. He was on his back. Staring up at a white ceiling, white lights just the same. He turned his head just slightly to see metal bars to his left. He was in a cage of some kind. But Katherine wasn’t standing there, waiting to gloat.

Katherine was sitting against the wall on his right, her hair disheveled and tears rushing down her face, just as trapped as he was.

Forcing himself up, Jack groaned. His ribs were bruised, no doubt. His limbs were sore and stiff. “Where are we?” he forced out between clenched teeth. He didn’t look at her. Not directly.

Just because it looked like they were on the same side didn’t mean they were. He didn’t trust her. He couldn’t. Not after everything that she’d done.

“Manhattan…” she sighed, curling up even further and running a hand through her messy hair. “That’s all I know…” she admitted, hugging her knees to her chest as she watched him push himself to his feet.

He believed that much. She sounded horrified.

Pushing himself to his feet, Jack was forced to grip onto the bars for balance. It was harder to breathe when he had to support himself. Harder to think when he moved his head too much. But he had to focus. He had to get out of here. He had to get to Racer.

“It’s a fingerprint lock. Only Mr. Snyder can let us out…” the woman behind him stated. Jack’s heart dropped at the name. He blinked back the frightened tears that threatened to spill. “They won’t kill you… not yet… they said they want to keep you for something…” Her words were shaking. Her voice was weak. She was still crying. But Jack couldn’t find a shred of sympathy in himself to give her. “They aren’t trying to hurt him. They won’t, if they can help it… I know that—”

Rolling his eyes, Jack straightened up, taking a deep breath to steady himself. “Ya know,” he laughed out bitterly, almost turning back to face her and then deciding against it as he still gasped onto the bars tightly. “If I wanted you ta spout out your delusions, I woulda asked,” he spat, looking around for any kind of potential escape. The vents were too small. The door wouldn’t so much as wiggle. He was stuck.

The young woman sniffled and held herself tightly, shaking her head. She didn’t know what to do anymore. She was just confused. “Baby, I—”

“We trusted you.” The words were quiet but forceful. Jack clenched his jaw. “I trusted you with… with everything, Katherine. Everything I had, n’ you—”

“I tried to stop them… I did…” She was crying now. “Jack… I know he’s not dangerous. God, I… didn’t know that Snyder would… they asked for my help. They told me you were dangerous. They already had their eye on you n’ I… I’d never expected to love you both, okay?”

The words dig into Jack’s chest. He bit his lip hard, nearly drawing blood. “What, did Daddy not tell you that mutants are people too?”

Katherine sniffled and wiped at her cheeks with the heel of her hand. “I didn’t know it was about…” she began, only to cut herself off and shake her head, running a hand through her messy hair. “He’s not evil,” she insisted, almost growling. But it sounded desperate. Like she had to be right.

Fully whirling around this time, Jack scowled at her. “I used ta say that about my ma too, n’ look at her now…” he stated lowly, his gaze narrow and ready to kill.

A hollow feeling made itself known in Katherine’s chest. Out of all the things that this man could’ve said to her in that moment, that was quite possibly the scariest. She knew everything about these two boys. She knew where Jack’s mother was. “It’s… he’s not-”

“Ahhhh, awake now, I see…” a new voice interrupted, causing Jack to turn back around too quickly. His head spun as he stumbled back a few steps.

The old men that stood there laughed. Laughed at him. Laughed at him whom they’d kidnapped and entrapped. All after they’d dragged his little brother away from him. The fear that built up inside Jack at their confidence quickly melted into anger. He lunged forward, grabbing for one of them, the one with the fingerprint to his freedom, only for him to step away.

His arm was still out in front of him. His fist curled up. His nails dug into his black glove. He scowled hard. “Where is my brother?” he asked slowly and quietly, glaring at Snyder and then Pulitzer. “What did ya do with him?”

Another laugh escaped the man in charge. Jack seethed. He brought his arm back in. He gripped the bars tightly. His knuckles were going white. “You’re a bastard, ya know that?!” Jack yelled, wishing he could have a proper fight with this man.

But Pulitzer was not phased. He just took a step closer to the cage with a look that made Jack feel small. “I’d watch my mouth if I were you, boy,” the man scolded.

Jack’s eyes were dark. Murderous. And when he reached out this time, he was too quick for the old man to step away. He stood taller as the man gasped in pain. Jack pulled him back so his captors chest hit the outside of his small prison. And he twisted the man’s arm, just enough for it to be in agony, but only slightly less than enough to snap it.

“Jack!” Katherine exclaimed, pushing herself up and reaching to pull the young man away from her father. Though, she was more concerned about the gun that Snyder had pulled out than about whether her father’s arm would be alright.

The click of the pistol did nothing to warn Jack away. “I think I’ll break it,” he stated easily, looking directly into his captor’s eyes. It was satisfying to see the fear in them.

The gun was pressed up against his forehead. Jack still didn’t move. “Let go, Kelly. Unless you no longer care what happens to baby brother…” Snyder threatened.

For a lingering moment, Jack held on. He knew these men were going to hurt Race no matter what he did. But the way the threat played over in his head made his chest tighten. Without a word, and with his eyes still set on the man he wanted to kill more than he’d ever wanted to kill anyone in his life, he let the wrist slip from his grasp.

“Good…” Snyder praised, like he’d just taught a dog a new trick. Jack’s eyes trailed over to him, that dead look still clear in them. But Snyder was not frightened in the least. “Now… be a good boy and back away from the bars,” he ordered. Jack did. He didn’t have much of a choice. He crossed his arms and scowled hard. “Good. Now, I know you’ve never been good at taking orders, but we’re going to explain this to you slowly.” Jack’s jaw was clenched so tightly it hurt. He didn’t speak. “Anytime I tell you to do something, you do it. Say ‘yes, sir.’”

Fire burned throughout Jack’s veins. He wasn’t a soldier. He wasn’t a slave. He was a man who’d lost everything he’d ever had except for his baby brother. He’d survived for the past twelve years trusting no one, only relying on himself. He didn’t take orders. He didn’t need them.

But this wasn’t a matter of his own life. They wouldn’t just shoot him if he disobeyed. They’d hurt Tyler.

“Yes, sir,” he breathed, though his lips hardly moved. His arms were still crossed over his chest.

A small grin spread on Snyder’s lips, showing off his yellow teeth. It was odd that a man who prided himself in his riches had such poor hygiene. Then again, he was busy doing other men’s dirty work, Jack supposed.

“Father, please… stop this… Tyler is just a little boy… he needs Jack to keep him calm… just let him sit up there with him!” she begged. Even if Jack knew there was some good in her, it still surprised him that she was asking that. She understood that Jack’s presence did calm his little brother, even if he couldn’t touch him.

He looked up at Pulitzer, trying to read him. But his hopes weren’t up too high. This man had studied him. Jack was considered dangerous just as much as his brother. An enabler he was called by the government. He was quick and he was strong and he was creative as hell. He was known for finding ways out. And his captor knew that. “The mutant will be fine. As long as Mr. Kelly does as he’s told, we’ll do our best not to harm him. That’s more up to him…” he stated with a sigh, crossing his arms and looking at his daughter apologetically. Like this was something he had to do. Not something he’d chosen.

But Jack couldn’t let that one slide. “He ain’t dangerous. He’s just a kid! If you go at him with needles and things he doesn’t understand, he’s gonna try ta protect himself!” Jack explained, more than furious. Snyder was giving him a warning look. The young man didn’t care. He just stared Pulitzer down, ready for some kind of fight. “Just lemme see him! He’s just a kid… he needs me…”

“And the world needs a safe environment,” Pulitzer replied easily. “They can’t have that if you try and escape with him, now can they?”

Shaking his head, Jack growled. “The world doesn’t need a goddamn thing. He’s not some animal! You kidnapped a twelve year old boy who is just tryin’ ta live his life!”

“Enough of this. Just let me get what I need and let’s go. The sedative is gonna wear off soon,” Snyder urged, putting his gun away and turning around.

Jack didn’t have time to ask what they were talking about before Pulitzer pulled out a small syringe. He handed it to Snyder as he reached through the bars and grabbed Jack’s wrist.

If it hadn’t been for the warning look on Snyder’s face, Jack would’ve pulled away. All too easily.

But Snyder pressed the needle into Jack’s arm and took a bit of his blood. And all Jack could do was let them. Even if he did want to smack the smug look off of his captors face.

He wished for nothing more than to be able to kill these men.

“Father… please just let them be together…” Katherine pleaded again, looking so lost in that moment.

This time, something inside Jack did tighten. That’s all they were asking. He didn’t care about being out anymore. He didn’t care about flying out west or going to another country. He just wanted to be with his brother.

But Pulitzer shook his head. “It’s too risky, darling. I am sorry…”

Those were the last words he has to offer them. And then he was walking away. Back to Jack’s little brother who was probably scared out of his mind.

And Jack couldn’t do a goddamn thing.

So he turned and pounded his fists into the wall. It didn’t hurt. Not like it could’ve. He couldn’t break his hand right now. Not again. It wouldn’t help Racer. It would just make it all so much worse.

“He is not dangerous…” he insisted again to no one. He turned and slid down the wall until he landed on the ground.

“Jack… I’m so sorry…” Katherine didn’t move towards him. She just stood, unsure of what to do as Jack buried his face in his hands and tried to figure out what to do next.

He came up with nothing.

“That man killed my father…” The words were so quiet. Katherine wasn’t even sure they were truly meant for her. But she kneeled down in front of him anyway, her mouth hanging open just slightly. “I told you he died n’ an accident… that’s what Snyda’ told me after he did it.” The young man had tears in his eyes. He sniffled. “Race was six. Dad n’ him had the same…” he trailed off, shaking his head. “Dad was teaching him. N’ now all he has is me…”

Katherine’s heart just about shattered. She truly couldn’t imagine what that was like. “Jack… I’m sorry… I didn’t know…”

“It was my fault… I did this. I shouldn’t 'ave told you… he trusted me n’ I… I told him everything would be alright…”

Katherine reached out for his hand. She never expected him to take it.

But he did.

“We have to try and get to him…” the woman breathed, sincerity ringing in her light brown eyes.

Jack shook his head. “Katherine, I have no idea where we are! Much less where Racer is. I break outta here, I’ll be back in a second flat. I ain’t leavin’ without him.”

She brought his hand up to her lips and pressed a kiss to the gloves he wore. The gloves he always wore. The ones he only let few see beneath. “Jack… I know you have no reason to trust me. You can hate me for the rest of your life if you want to, but I want to help you. I know where Tyler is and I know a way to get him out. All we have to do is get out of this room…”

Jack looked up at her. There was hopelessness one his eyes. It was clear he was giving up. After all, he didn’t know what else he could do.

But Katherine tightened her grasp on his hands.

So Jack sighed. “Okay… what d'ya got in mind?”

~~~~~~~~~~~

The world was a blur. Tyler couldn’t see anything, no matter how hard he tried. He could feel straps holding him down. But he couldn’t move to see them. He could only weakly pull at them in his daze.

He tried to cry out for his big brother. But the words got caught in his throat and all that made it out were small whimpers. He was cold. His… Jack’s sweatshirt was gone. His shirt was too. His chest was bare other than the straps that held him down. He tried to roll over. To curl up. But he couldn’t. His body was held in place.

“Jackie…?” he finally forced out in a small, weak voice. No one answered him. He tried to lift his head. That was when he noticed the strap across his forehead. He couldn’t move.

He wanted to lash out. Jack told him not to. He always said, only when no one was watching. Only when Jack was there and could protect him. Only when they knew that no one was there to catch him. Because he had to practice. He had to control it.

But he wanted to get to Jack.

He closed his eyes again. He couldn’t see anything. It did no good to keep them open. And he tried to focus. Even though he was scared. He had to get to Jack. Because they had hit Jack. They had hurt him. And they weren’t going to just let him go.

Race was young. He wasn’t stupid.

“C'mon, cmon,” he urged himself, only resulting in a sob when he couldn’t focus hard enough. Nothing was happening. Jack told him he had to focus. He had to do this.

But he couldn’t.

“Settle down,” a voice called from above him. That only scared Race more. He gasped and tried to struggle harder. A hand ran through his hair. It wasn’t Jack’s. He knew it wasn’t Jack. “Where’s the sedative? He’s squirming too much…”

He whimpered, trying to turn away. “Jack!” he cried out brokenly. His brother had always protected him from this. Always. “Jackie!” He let his eyes slide open. He could only see blurry figures standing above him. So many of them. He could feel his fingertips burning all over again. He was scared. He wanted out.

Someone in the background yelped. A sudden panic washed over the room. Metal clanged to the ground. His fingertips were still burning. “Sedate him!” someone screamed.

Something pricked at the child’s neck. And his eyes slid shut all over again.

He just wanted Jack.

~~~~~~~~~

“Where did you learn how to do this?”

Jack was reaching through the bars, a piece of plastic in his hand. It had been in his pocket. Just a little wrapper. He kept granola bars on him often. Just in case.

Race always got tired after he lashed out. It took a lot of energy for him to exert as much force as he did when he was scared.

Adrenaline always overtook him.

Jack didn’t want to think about it. Right now he had to focus. “Well… my dad had a lot of tricks up his sleeve. Ya see, when people think 'fingerprint lock’ they normally think no one but them can get in,” he explained absently, reaching around and trying to position his own thumb upright, trying to trigger the lock somehow. “Thing is, not many people wipe off a finger print lock. So… what’s left?”

“A fingerprint?” Katherine guessed, still unsure of what he was getting at. Jack Kelly never failed to surprise her.

“Exactly. Ya get a piece a’ plastic, ain’t too thin, ain’t too thick, ya find the fingerprint, and you’re lucky enough to put your finger in the exact right spot n'…” Just as he said it, something buzzed. And the door cracked open. “Voila,” he smirked, motioning to the door.

Katherine nodded at him, impressed as she reached up to wrap her hair in a bun, using the band that had been around her wrist to tie it. “Okay… let go find, Tyler.”

But just as she made to leave, Jack grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. She turned to him, her eyes widening for just a moment. He stared her down. “How do I know ya ain’t just tryin’ ta trick me again?”

It was a fair question.

And Katherine didn’t have an answer. “You don’t,” she replied, almost as if she were afraid of what may happen next. But she looked up at the man before her. She hadn’t meant to fall for this man. She truly hadn’t. “You’re just gonna have to trust me.”

Jack’s jaw tightened. But he didn’t argue.

He just walked out of their small prison.

And they began to run.

~~~~~~~~~

Tyler groaned as he tried to blink himself awake. It wasn’t nearly as quiet as it had been before. No. There were people around him. He could hear them.

He tried to move.

He couldn’t.

But he was no longer laying on his back. Instead, his stomach was pressed against the cool metal below him. His hands were still strapped down. Another strap ran over the back of his neck.

His shoulder felt sore. “Pl-please…” he whimpered, curling his hands into fists and trying to wiggle them free. “Please… I want Jackie…” He could control himself. He could do that much if his brother was there beside him.

It would be so bad if they’d just let Jack hold his hand.

He felt something run over his back. Something thin and cold. His neck was sore. His face was turned to the side. His big blue eyes finally forced themselves open. There were only two people that he could see. But he could feel hands on him. He could feel a needle in his arm. He whimpered.

The two that he could see had masks over their faces. They wore gloves. He couldn’t see their faces. He just wanted to see their faces.

“Boss, he’s awake,” someone said.

The child squeezed his eyes shut. And he tried to breathe.

“Hold him still. I’m almost done stitching him up.”

“Wh-what?” There was a gloved, cold hand on his bare back. Another gripped at his arm. Something hurt. But he couldn’t figure out what it was. He whined and tried to turn his head. Someone pressed it down to the metal beneath him. “Lemme go-lemme go!” he pleaded. “What’re you doing?!”

He could hardly breathe. He couldn’t focus. He was tired. He clenched his hands together even tighter. He didn’t want to hurt these people.

He just wanted to get away.

“Well, you are special, little one. We wouldn’t want you getting lost, now would we?” It was the one that had been in his home. The Spider. The one Jack hated so much.

Tyler didn’t like the sound of that.

“What’re you doing? I… I don’ wanna hurt no one…” he whimpered. “Please let me go…”

One of the people before him squatted down and looked at him sadly. “Hey… we’re just gonna run some tests—”

“I wan’ my brother,” the boy stated again.

The man before him looked between his big eyes. And he sighed. “Boss… he’s real small…” he sighed, clearly hesitant. The boy sniffled and wiggled around again. “Maybe we should wait—”

“He’s what we have right now. Don’t start going soft on me now, Delancey. We need him. We’re close to being able to figure this out.” Spider was talking. He sounded distant, like he was focusing on something else. “I had hoped the older one had the… ability… if their roles were reversed this would be easier… but this one will have to do,” he stated.

The child looked up pleadingly at the man who’d spoken out for him. But the stranger seemed to have nothing left to argue. “Please…”

“It’s for the best, little one…” another voice stated. Pulitzer. The most powerful man in New York. Something was wrapped around his lips. A muzzle of some kind.

Race whimpered.

But there was nothing else he could do except wait for whatever these people were going to do.

~~~~~~~~~~

Jack was squatting just outside what Katherine had called “The Lab.” He could see inside. He could see his baby brother. The child was laying on his back, his pupils dilated. The poor boy had a black muzzle wrapped around his face. It covered his nose and his mouth, wrapping tightly around his chin to make sure he couldn’t even open his mouth. Jack’s heart broke.

He looked like a trapped animal the way he was strapped down. He was blinking slowly, clearly trying to keep himself awake.

It wasn’t long before Katherine rushed back towards him, her phone in her hand. Jack didn’t care to ask how she’d gotten it or where she’d been, why she’d left him there.

All he could do was trust her. He had no other choice.

“I found out all I could…” she whispered. “They’re not far into the process. For years my father’s been working on a way to—”

“Separate the ability from the person, I know. He’s never succeeded,” Jack sighed. His hands were shaking only slightly. He had to keep calm right now. He could cry when Race was in his arms. When they were safe again.

“Yes… but… he took your blood too… at first I thought maybe it was just to have some kind of control or something. Or maybe they were just being annoying. But then…” Katherine looked up at him and bit her lip. He nodded at her, urging her to continue. “Jack… I don’t think this is about wiping out mutants…”

It clicked in Jack’s mind before she said it. They’d kept him. They hadn’t killed him. They needed him for something… “They’re trying to make more…” he finished for her. “That’s why they didn’t kill me…”

“They were gonna try and take it from him and give it to you…” she dialed a number and placed her phone up to her ear. “You’re supposed to be part of the experiment too…”

Jack’s eyes widened.

He hadn’t expected that.

But he shook himself out of it quick, turning back to the boy who had silent, pathetic tears sliding down his face. “Whatever… that's… what have they done ta Tyler?”

Nodding and glancing over at the child, Katherine sighed. “They put a tracking chip in his shoulder and took some of his blood. Apparently, right as Snyder was going to try out his new machine, Tyler lost control. He knocked out two scientists. They did use one of Snyder’s other projects while he was sleeping. But they got no results…”

Without thinking, Jack let out a small sigh of relief. “Okay… how do we get him out?”

Katherine smiled at him and put up a finger, silently telling him to wait a moment. And then she began talking into her phone. “David… now.”

An alarm went off. Jack jumped. Katherine did too.

Shouts were heard. Jack peaked around the corner again. His baby brother was breathing hard, trying desperately to keep control. He really didn’t want to hurt anyone. Even if they were going to hurt him.

The people around the child just sighed and left the room through the other door.

Jack looked at Katherine in confusion. She shrugged. “That alarm means my father called a meeting,” she whispered. “We have about two minutes before they figure out something’s up.”

That was all he needed to hear before he was up and running over to that child.

Tyler whined as he was left alone. He didn’t want these people touching him. He didn’t want them to do anything to him.

But being left alone was much worse.

Though, it wasn’t long before two new people were standing above him. His vision was still blurry. But he tried to make out the figures.

He didn’t have to. Not as one spoke. “Oh, Tyler…” All he could do was moan out what would’ve been his brother’s name. It just came out as a muffled whimper.

The strapped were being pulled away. He tried to blink his vision clear. “Hey, hey… calm down, kiddo, I’m here. I gotcha… just relax,” Jack whispered to him.

Katherine ran a hand through the boy’s hair as Jack gently lifted his head up and unbuckled the thing that was keeping his baby brother silent. He threw it away the second he could and then scooped his dreary boy up into his arms as Katherine carefully pulled an IV from his arm and checked him over for any more injuries.

The boy’s legs were wrapped around his waist in no time and Race lazily threw his arms around his protector’s shoulders, letting his head lull into the crook of his neck. It was clear the child was hardly awake enough to even cry. So Jack held him tight.

“D-did they hurt you?” the boy breathed, shaky hand trying to reach up for Jack’s hair.

The young man melted. “No… no, baby… I’m okay…” He looked up to Katherine, not knowing what to do next. “Where are we goin’?” he asked.

She smirked. “I know a place…” Then she spun on her heels and began to run. All Jack could do was follow, his brother still held tightly to his chest.

~~~~~~~~

She was knocking on the door of the small apartment with force. “David! It’s me! We need help!” It was raining. It was cold and it was raining.

Tyler hated the rain. Jack knew that Tyler hated the rain. But all the boy could do was sniffle into his shoulder. Jack wished he could give the boy his shirt. Anything to warm him up. His torso was still completely bare.

The door was opened hesitantly as a man stepped out. He was tall, with dark hair and guarded brown eyes. “Where is he?”

The young woman motioned to the child that was clinging to his big brother. He was starting to wake up a bit more now. But the drugs were still in his system. He couldn’t run.

The man, David, reached for the boy. But Jack flinched away. He hadn’t meant to.

Seeming to understand, David raised up his hands in a sign of peace. “Hey, I’m just trying to help. He’s got a tracker in him. Let me get it out and we can help you run,” he rushed out, gesturing for Jack to step inside.

The still cautious young man looked from the stranger back to Katherine and then down to the child in his arms. He felt the boy tighten a fist into the back of his shirt. He pressed a kiss to his baby brother’s hair before stepping inside the apartment and finding a table in the middle of the main room, laid out with a sheet across it.

“Lay him down, quick. David can get the chip out,” Katherine stated, rushing over to the other side of the kitchen.

Jack looked the man up and down before he was able to lay his little brother down on the table. This man looked harmless enough. And Jack didn’t have too much of a choice.

They were right behind them. He knew they were. If they didn’t do this, they’d have the boy back again. And Jack couldn’t let that happen. So he carefully placed the boy on his side and nodded to Katherine’s friend.

But the second his baby brother was out of his arms, the kid was panicking. “Jackie?!” He could see the kid’s eyes shoot up, looking for him. He reached down and grasped at the kid’s hand.

“I’m here, kiddo… I’m right here. Just relax, okay?” he coaxed gently, reaching with his free hand to smooth down the boy’s hair. “It’s okay… it’s gonna be alright… I promise…”

“’m scared, Jackie…” the boy admitted. Sometimes it amazed Jack how open this boy was with him. Before Race, he’d never experienced anything like it. Having someone who just so blindly trusted him and relied on him. It was terrifying and yet it made Jack’s heart melt.

Continuing to pet the child’s damp curls, Jack nodded. “I know, Racer… but it’s gonna be okay… because what do ya got?” he asked quietly. He locked his eyes on those beautiful blue ones. “Huh?”

Sniffling and letting out a small sob as his hands both tightened around one of Jack’s, the boy looked down. “I got you…” he whimpered, curling up, wishing to be closer to Jack.

The man nodded. “Yeah…” he breathed. “You got me…” He gently pet the kid’s hair back, making sure he could see the child’s whole face. The boy really did look terrified. But as Jack’s hand continued to run through his blond curls, the boy’s body seemed to relax a little bit.

Gaze trailing up to David, Jack gave him an almost warning look, as if to tell him he better not cause this kid too much pain. He knew it more than likely had to hurt a little. But after what the child had just been through, he didn’t think he could handle more.

The other man in the room gave him a small nod as he leaned down to carefully inspect the small incision made just beside his shoulder blade. “Okay, pal…” he whispered, allowing a gentle smile on his face, even though the boy was facing away from him. “The cut is still new, so this might hurt a little bit, but I know you’re a strong kid, yeah?” he asked, so gently.

Looking back up to Jack, the boy nodded shyly, sniffling and gripping his big brother’s hand tighter. Jack gave him an encouraging smile before he stood a bit, kissing the tip of his brother’s ear. “You’re alright, kid… it’s okay…” he promised as he carefully watched David’s hands hover over the boy’s back.

To his surprise, the man breathed and closed his eyes, focusing intently yet not looking down at the child he was supposed to be helping.

He was stunned to see a small, golden glow shining off the young man’s hands. He couldn’t believe his own eyes. “You're… you’re a—”

“I can see lights, but they’re still blocks away,” Katherine called, rushing back into the room, biting her lip as she saw David working.

Shaking his head, Jack focused back on his baby brother. “How long do we got?” he asked, shushing the kid when he whimpered and gratefully taking the cloth from Katherine’s now outstretched hand. He let his kid move his hand up towards his mouth as he tried not to move too much. But the boy couldn’t help that he was trembling. Jack took the warm cloth to the boy’s neck and forehead, trying to calm him.

Hesitantly, the woman bit her lip before speaking. “About ten minutes…” she informed, not missing the panicked look that David gave her, losing his focus for just a moment.

“Ten minutes?” he questioned, beginning to move just a little faster. Race let out a pained cry. When Jack looked down, he saw bits of red energy emerging from the boy’s fingertips.

“Just keep doing what you’re doing,” she encouraged, running a thumb over Race’s forehead. The kid really was trembling beneath her hand.

“Shhhhhh… you’re okay… you’re okay…” Jack coaxed running the damp cloth through the child’s hair and wiping at his cheeks, trying so hard to let him know it would be okay. “You’re doin’ so good, baby… so, so good…”

With a small sigh and urgent hands, David reached and easily pulled a small, thin device from Tyler’s back. “Alright. I have the tracker. It’s off now,” he explained, squeezing the thing in his hand and then placing it on the table behind the small boy. “I’m just gonna get you a bandage, okay, buddy?”

“N’-n’ then we’s goin’ ta Santa Fe?” the boy asked between shaky, watery breaths. He peaked up at his big brother.

“Then we can go anywhere in the world you wanna go,” Jack promised, squeezing at the boy’s hand. “I promise… ya just gotta relax…”

The boy nodded and held tighter to his hand. The red lights still danced over the boy’s fingers. Jack continued to try and calm him as David turned and rummaged through his drawers quickly, coming back with a large, stick on bandage. He carefully placed it over the boy’s wound and smiled down at him. “See? That wasn’t so bad, huh?”

The boy sniffled and curled in on himself. Jack let out a small, sad laugh. “Yeah… so… you can—?”

“Manipulate technology. Some people call it technopathy,” David offered, rounding the table to face the boy who Jack was helping sit up. “What can you do, kid?”

The boy looked at him, completely terrified. “Wh-what?”

The stranger slowly and calmly reached for the boy’s hands. Jack let him lift them up. Red sparks were still jumping from the boy’s fingers as he began to breathe normally again. “You have a gift, kid… what is it?”

Jack watched the exchange curiously.

Everything slowed down for a moment when Tyler must’ve realized that David was… like him.

With a smile, David raised up his hand. They flashed gold as the lights began to flicker and the television behind him crackled to life. Tyler watched in wonder as it all happened around him.

Jack pet his hair. “Tyler… he can… well, he can… he move things… just by thinkin’ about it… n’… he can… hold energy… just in his hands.”

Without a word, the boy lifted his trembling hands from the man’s grasp. And he took a deep breath, gathering a transparent, red ball in his hands. David’s eyes widened. “That’s amazing… Tyler—”

“It hurts people…” the boy sniffled, his arms shaking all the more as he let the ball dissipate into the air. “I… I don’ wanna hurt people…”

David’s heart broke for the boy. He looked towards Jack who looked so sad all of the sudden. And then he turned back to the boy who looked down in shame. “Hey… ya just gotta learn to control it. What you have ain’t nothin’ ta be scared of… it’s an amazing thing…” he promised. “It’s a gift, kid…”

Katherine came rushing back into the room. Jack hadn’t even noticed her leave. But she handed Race a shirt. It would be too big on him. He slipped it on and hugged himself tightly before Jack pulled him back into his chest.

Tyler let himself be wrapped up in his embrace. His gaze stayed on David for a long time before Jack stood and he was turned away from the man. He just held tightly to Jack and let the man bounce him gently in his arms like he was still just a baby.

Reaching out, Jack shook David’s hand. “Thank you… really… thank you, Davey…”

The man smiled but squinted at him. “It's… it’s David,” he corrected.

Katherine put a hand on his shoulder. “If he gives you a nickname, it’s because he likes you. Not the other way around,” she stated, handing Jack a set of keys. “Now here. I’ll hold them off as long as I can. You need to get out of the city. There’s money in the car downstairs—”

Jack shook his head and grabbed the woman’s wrist. “Ace, I am not leavin’ you here.” His voice was firm. His eyes were determined. “I am not leavin’ you here with them. No way! Come with us!”

It surprised even him when he said it.

He didn’t take it back.

“Katherine… come with me…”

Katherine stared at him. He was standing there with the most precious thing in the world to him in his arms and yet, he still wanted her to go with him. She looked towards David who only shrugged. “He sounds pretty desperate, Kathy…” he laughed, rubbing a hand over his neck and giving her a smug smile.

Jack glared at him.

Katherine giggled, uncertain tears in her eyes. But she nodded. “Okay…”

Jack grabbed her by the wrist and rushed towards the door.

And the small, makeshift family gave David one last grateful look before they were gone.

He looked out the window and smirked.

He might as well give them a bit of a head start.

A/N: So… when Jack breaks out of their cell… that wouldn’t work so easily. But… it is what it is. 

Anyway, thank my friend bexlynne for making Davey a technopath. For Race, think almost like Scarlet Witch, just… not a witch. He has a lot of abilities, Jack just doesn’t know all of them yet because he himself doesn’t have superpowers. Race doesn’t know because he’s scared to use his powers. 

Anyways, 

As always, thanks for reading! Make sure to tell me what you liked, what you didn’t like, what you’d change or what you’d improve by leaving me a review! Love you, fansies!