The Broken Dove

by xXDemonic AngelXx

Strong, or weak, is what Tyler's friends believe verses his father. His home life is tearing his school life apart, Reid trying desperately to help his falling friend. But the older man has a strong grip in Tyler's mental state, Tyler balancing on the cliff of insanity and depression, wondering how much he can handle before he falls.

25. Fight or Flight

Chapter 25

It was a long two weeks. Swimming begun, midterms occupied all time, and Tyler forced himself to stay sober through it all. He didn't want to risk spending anything off of his card, his father's latest lesson finally causing Tyler to learn something, even if he was upset with the thought that he had finally let his father win. Reid was always anxious to pay for anything, since his fortune was hardly touched compared to the money that was always coming in courteous of bonds or stocks or anything of the sort his family had managed to sink their teeth into. Aaron had even begun texting Tyler, asking if he wanted to come by, and what was up. Tyler said he'd love to stop by, but due to certain circumstances he wasn't able to repay back anything he used. Aaron pursued otherwise, Tyler finally complying and heading to Aaron's the Thursday before Spring Break.

"So what's got you so nervous?" Aaron asked, laying out two full lines.

"Do you really want to know?"

Aaron looked at him before glancing back down at the rails. "I do, but not until after you take the line. I know it's not Perry-related, but it's really disturbing how much you've changed over the last few weeks."

Tyler looked at him, before tapping the rolled up twenty against Aaron's. Quickly inhaling, he felt the burn, quickly shuddering at the bitterness. He gritted his teeth, quickly stopping because he didn't like the feeling his teeth had. Before he was able to open his mouth, the drop hit the back of his throat, the crave of a cigarette quickly running though his mind. He waited a minute, swallowing a few times. Shaking his head, he looked at Aaron, feeling cross-eyed but refreshed.

"Do you really want to know, no matter what the details?"

Aaron looked at him. "Is it that bad?"

"It is. Minor details including my father beating me into submission, oblivion, whichever seemed convenient at the time, and fearing that a friend may just happen to kill me because I look at him wrong, no matter the façade he's choosing."

Aaron began dumping out another bit, barely a dent in the ball he possessed. "Why does your dad beat you?"

Tyler couldn't stop himself. Maybe it was new ears, or an outlet, or maybe some sort of outside opinion that he thought would help, but he couldn't shut up. It was probably the drugs. "I don't know. It's family tradition. Maybe I'll have kids of my own and inflict the same pain that I've suffered through, because that's the only form of love I've ever been shown. So I don't want kids. I'm never good enough, never quick enough, in anything, he loves..." Tyler caught himself, his breath caught in his throat. "He loves any opposition that is forced against him. It's a challenge he will defeat, no matter what the consequences . It's what I've grown up with, and I don't even know if I'll be returning here after break."

They tapped their bills again, Tyler quickly sniffing the next line down. "How are you pulling everything off then?"

Tyler glanced at the clock on the wall, seeing it was almost two. "I don't know. Tomorrow are the final tests, and I just have to fight through the crash later. Maybe I'll be so exhausted going home that I won't feel him kill me."

"What? What are you talking about?"

Tyler slipped. He didn't mean to say the last part. The quiet room hummed in his ears, his heart beating solidly, his lungs beginning to need air. "I feel he's secretly trying to kill me, through his lessons and what not. I guess I can say it's either something I've come to accept and expect, or something that is just going to happen."

Aaron was quiet, scraping his card against the powder, creating a pile. "So that explains the drugs."

"No nightmares that way," Tyler said quietly.

"Well, I hope you come back after break. I'd hate to hear that something bad happened. Why not stay at Garwin's?"

"My dad doesn't care for him. It's completely his rule whether or not I'm allowed out of the house."

"If I was staying in town for the week, I'd say come to my place, but we're leaving for Florida tomorrow evening. Unless you want to sneak over, I'll leave my window open."

Tyler shook his head. "Thanks. I highly doubt I'll be able to sneak out, but I'm pretty good at picking locks if you have a back door or something." Tyler gave a short laugh. "Sometimes, it's not what you know, it's who you know. Don't worry about me, lock everything up as normal, but if I need to escape, then I will find a way and borrow your room for a day. That's all I will need. You won't even be able to tell that I was there."

Aaron looked at Tyler, staying silent until Tyler met the serious gaze, unable to look away. Reid had never even looked at him with such ferocity. He came close, but for whatever reason, Aaron was able to go one step further. "You better stick to that. I plan to see your ass back here after break. If you can get in without setting off the alarm system, whatever you want is yours to use. Promise me that at least."

Tyler just looked at him, trying to find a flaw in his features. His eyes, his mouth, his hands, arms, anything, but it wasn't there. Tyler nodded, unable to speak his gratitude. This was the backup he needed. Reid could only do so much, but this, this was the safety net he needed to succeed, to live through this break. Without word, Aaron dumped out another bump, splitting it into a total of eight pieces, each decently proportioned. "Welcome to truth or dare. It's just after two a.m. and I know you enjoy your morning-get-me-up shower. Blame Pogue for that knowledge. Anyway, we have almost three hours to go through four lines, but loser is done for the rest of the evening, forfeiting the prize and everything it offers. Agreed?"

Tyler nodded, Aaron gesturing towards Tyler to begin. "I choose dare."

Aaron grinned. "Twenty sit-ups and thirty push-ups in a minute."

Tyler stared at him, glanced at the clocked, and positioned himself. "Fifteen seconds, top of the minute, begin."

"And...go."

Tyler forced his energy towards beating Aaron, wanting to save all his lines until the very end. The truths were almost painful, a few embarrassing moments coming up. They had even challenges against each other, barely ahead of the limits. At four, Aaron had only done a quarter of his bit, Tyler none, the game about to change. Tyler's heart began to beat faster, knowing ideas were about to get creative.

"Truth, truth, truth...let me see. Have you ever successfully committed suicide?"

Tyler felt his heart skip a beat. He glanced at his line and knew Aaron noticed. Either way was answering yes. "In eighth grade, I was gone for a week. The first two days were in a hospital, the next four were in a rehab center, basically, going through my depression. Reid attempted as well shortly after."

Aaron was quiet, randomly chopping up his line then straightening it back out. "I remember that. You said your parents took you on a cruise and Garwin went out to New Jersey. Pretty realistic in that sense."

"Yeah, it was a huge disbelief to my parents. You don't know the persuasive power my dad has amongst individuals. He managed to convince the therapists it was all in their head, and then he proceeded to beat the shit out of me for causing everything in the first place."

"Well, you better come back after break. That's all I can say. It's depressing that my suspicions are true, but why go that far?"

Tyler breathed out, eyeing the line. Deciding fuck it, he took the short quarter, wanting something else to focus on for the moment. "It was my dad. He pushed me further than I was accustomed too, and I was tired of dealing with all of it. So I popped a bottle and a half of advil, a shot of peroxide, and a shot of vodka and whiskey to wash the taste away. But Reid found me, and the paramedics brought me back after a few minutes. While I was in rehab, Reid tried as well, since he couldn't handle the fact that he found me, dead, and didn't want to deal with the nightmares anymore."

Aaron nodded, letting out a sigh. "That's impressive. But not as impressive as the dare you're going to impose on my behalf."

Tyler gave a slight grin. "I dare you to perform a perfect handstand for sixty seconds."

Aaron looked at his bit, before giving in. "I'll need that, dammit." He shuddered with the drip, heading to the center of his room, positioning himself before placing his legs in the air. Tyler timed the seconds, Aaron holding still. Tyler grinned, next picking dare himself.

"I dare you to see me before every class tomorrow, so I can give you a bump, and if you can't handle that, then I dare you to kiss Garwin during the passing period of sixth and seventh."

Sweat beaded along his forehead. His mind rushed, planning his schedule. He thought he could get away with it, but it had to be inconsistent. "It has to be precise. The first three periods we have to meet up right after the bell. The next two can be at the two minute, and the following two I'll meet you at three minutes too, or one minute before the two minute bell. I highly doubt Reid will notice the pattern, but he will notice me disappearing, and you have to be invisible. I accept your challenge, as well as the dare for failing." Aaron grinned, a bit darkly, Tyler choosing to ignore. It was a hard dare to accept, but he thought he could pull it off. If not, well, he was decent at making excuses. "So, truth or dare?"

"Dare."

Tyler grinned. "I dare you to wear your speedo to practice tomorrow, and get there early to show off to the girl's team. But not just show off, I mean flaunt, to all of them. Ass rolls and booty shakes and everything. Every move has to be towards them, with the winks. Otherwise you better lose your jammers during practice."

"Wow." Aaron sat back, giving a dry laugh. "Wow. Okay. Now I almost regret my dare for you. Almost. Fine. I accept. I have more in store than you can imagine."

Seeing it was almost four thirty, Tyler stretched. "Half hour left. I'm ready for my next dare."

Aaron looked at him, smirking. "Well, well, well. I dare you to do ten front flips from my bed to the floor in a minute."

"How do you know I can even do front flips?"

"What do you think you guys do after we win a meet? You, Garwin, Danvers, and Perry, always doing your damn front flips into the deep end before we sing the school song."

"Yeah, but that's water. This is like, a bed...and a floor. How about, ten front flips, no time limit?"

"Fine. But you better put some pep into it."

"Well, yeah. You know I'm not pathetic."

Tyler positioned himself, trying to remember how he did it. At least he was comfortable with the fact that he probably wouldn't have too much of an issue with the pain if he messed up. He jumped, pulling his body together, then released, landing on the ground. He fell forward a little bit, surprised the thud wasn't louder.

"One," Aaron counted, Tyler shaking his head and getting back on the bed, jumping again. It became easier the more he did it, the tenth almost perfect.

It took him almost five minutes, his body feeling sore, but it was a good work out. "So, truth or dare, Aaron."

"Truth."

"What's the creepiest thing you've ever seen?"

Aaron pondered, tapping his bill on the table. "Probably when I was seven. My grandmother's doll looked at me, smiled, and said, 'you'll die next year.' Clearly, I didn't, but we ended up going back a year later. Again, the same damn doll looked at me, smiled, and said 'don't ever come back.' My grandmother passed away two months later, so we've never been able to go back. The funeral was even out here instead of New York."

Aaron shuddered. "That, and I had a dream about the doll a few years back. It was the same setting, same stupid smile, same fucking voice. 'Don't sleep, ever again,' she sang, and oh look, I haven't been able to since then."

Tyler looked at him. He had goose bumps prickling up his arms and across his back. "Wow. You really think it's because of the doll?"

"Yes and no. That was an extremely stressful year for me, so I could've psychologically done it to myself, especially because I still stress out that I was never able to complete everything."

"That was when your mom died, huh?"

Aaron nodded, Tyler quickly picking dare to try to hopefully humor the situation. Aaron looked at him, thinking. "This one, and then I get one, and then the winner. Agreed?"

"Agreed."

"I dare you to keep this night in between only us. No words to anyone."

"Seriously? Well, of course. Dare accepted." Tyler leaned back and looked at Aaron, wondering if was going to choose dare. "And, now, for you, truth or dare?"

"Dare."

"Then I dare you to keep this night in between the two of us. No words to anyone, or around anyone."

"You're a bit more clever. Of course I accept your dare. Now, let's finish our lines, and I'll give you your surprise, and I expect to see you after every period. Otherwise, you know."

Tyler nodded, tapping bills once again. Tyler took two quick breaths, beginning to feel antsy. He could tell he was on the rise, and it was going to be hard to hide it all day, especially around Reid. He was just going to have to drink a lot of water, and remember how to be normal. Tyler watched Aaron divide a bit of his bag, put a hefty amount into another small bag. When he was finished, he handed it to Tyler, emergency written across the top. "It's a poor means of communication, but you're in a rough spot. Take this as you please, and slide it back under the door when it's empty. I'll refill it then, and you can pick it up anytime. If you ever need my help, if you can manage to get it slid under the door I'll come find you. Silly, but, you never know. The offer is there."

Tyler stared at the bag, slowly lifting his eyes up to Aaron. "This is so generous of you. It's time to start being friends in public or something."

"No thank you. Garwin is fun to fight. I'll acknowledge you every time I see you, but nights like these are well worth it."

"Thank you. I needed tonight."

Aaron nodded, Tyler leaving and heading back to his room. He quietly entered and grabbed his shower things, putting his emergency bag in the back of his nightstand. He quickly went to prepare for his day and get the last of his studying in.

~/~

The stress of the tests were able to distract Tyler and calm him down to a simple leg shake. He successfully met Aaron every period, losing Reid in a crowd and appearing a minute later. He felt panicky but confident through most of the questions, taking his time when needed and doing his best to logically figure everything out. The end of the day came too fast, everyone in a hurry to get heading home.

"Where are you heading tonight?" Reid asked him as they were heading to swim practice.

"I don't know. I'm programmed to say my house. I can at least finally park back at my room. I don't want to think about anything anymore. Just shut myself down for a week."

"Well, let me know what you decide."

They reached the pool and quickly changed, heading out to the deck area. A quarter of the team was already stretching, Tyler and Reid pausing when they saw Aaron. Tyler had to turn away, Reid's jaw dropping. Aaron was doing exactly what Tyler dared, and it was smooth. It was like he had a routine practiced and performed. The girls couldn't stop watching, some staring, most giggling and forcing themselves to turn away.

The guys were getting a laugh out of it, Reid joining in. "What the hell is this? A special Friday treat?"

Aaron heard him, turning around, swaying his hips and arms. "You're so jealous. You wish you could move like this for the ladies. You're nothing more than a rock in the waves."

Reid stayed quiet for once, but Tyler saw a red tinge begin to creep across his cheeks. Practice began soon, their coach yelling at Aaron to stop acting like a fag. Practice was simple, Tyler sneaking to the scale afterwards. He was tired but restless, hungry, and mentally drained. He looked at the numbers, watching them settle into place. He gave a short grin, but he didn't find what he was looking for.

"Any better?" Reid asked over his shoulder, Tyler over reacting and falling off, rolling his ankle as he fell towards the floor. Reid barely caught him, apologizing. "That was uncalled for on my part. Did you make your goal?"

"No, not like I hoped. But there was progress. Four pounds." He limped back to his locker, finished dressing, following Reid out. He caught Aaron's eye on the way out, his new friend giving a quick wink. Tyler nodded, his heart slowly dropping. He felt his phone buzzing in his pocket, seeing who was calling. "Hi mom."

"You're to be home tonight."

"I just finished in the locker rooms."

"Good. See you soon."

Tyler looked at his screen, seeing she already hung up.

"Everything okay?" Reid asked, Tyler looking up and realizing he wasn't walking anymore.

"Ever wonder when parents stop saying, 'I love you, drive safe,' things like that?"

"When did yours stop saying those kinds of things?"

"It feels like it's been a long while now. I don't know." Tyler felt like he was becoming separated from reality. He didn't want to be around Reid right now, but he didn't want to go back to his parent's, either.

"Do you need me to camp nearby or anything?"

"No. Not even, thanks. My dad will find you."

Back in their room they packed their things, threw it in the hummer, Tyler taking Reid home first before attempting to calm his nerves and make it to his house. He felt the darkness emanating before he first saw it, his heart beginning to quicken. He didn't know if he was going to be able to handle this. He knew he had to, but he felt like a dog trying to drag his feet in the ground. He suddenly didn't want to see his father, or his mother, or his room and the bed his father had pressed him against...

Tyler pulled to the side of the road, shaking all over. He couldn't do this. He didn't believe that he could. He may not ever see any of his friends again. He may not even live to see the end of this week. Thoughts began circling around his mind, stupid little bees stinging the soft tissue. He looked back at the house, quickly digging in his pocket. Well, he could at least be high during everything. He pulled out his bag and his wallet, shoveling scoops down his nose, his face finally cringing and causing him to stop. He wiped at his nose, wiping the excess dust from the area onto his gums, then sucking off the dust from his card. He put everything back, pulled back onto the road and soon into his driveway. In anticipation he grabbed his bag and heading to his room. He barely had his back door shut before his bedroom door slammed open, scaring him. He pressed against the glass, bag sliding to the ground. He was frozen, nose trying to drip, the back of his throat burning. He sniffed, his father giggling.

"I know what that is. I know you're not sick."

Run.

Tyler turned, trying to slide the door open. His father rushed up, grabbing his sides, throwing Tyler onto his bed. A punch in his right side, crashing against his ribs held him still. Nose still running, his mind seemed to tell him that his body was injured, but it wasn't important as his irritating nose. It was weird having a lack of feeling in his side. He inhaled deeply through his nose, breaking his right hand free and pushing against his father, able to flip him onto his back. Tyler laid on top of him, trying his hardest to hold the man there and break his other arm free.

"I love it when you play rough," he whispered, Tyler's face forced towards the man, the man's mouth crashing hard. His father's free arm held him there, teeth biting Tyler's lips, trying to get him to comply. Before Tyler realized, he felt a pressure on his side, his mouth opening in surprise.

The tongue attacked, his father taking advantage of the moment and flipped Tyler so he was on bottom, feeling his father's hands rubbing his hips. Tyler was paralyzed, so high, his body trembling quite noticeably. His father desperately slid along Tyler's teeth, searching for the taste of the coke. Tyler's nose was on fire, and the thickness was in the back of his throat. He slowly slid out and slid along Tyler's lips, eagerly planting kisses down to his throat where he began biting, sucking hard. Gasps escaped Tyler, trying his hardest to control himself. He was growing excited, and the drugs only intensified his body's reactions. This wasn't how it was supposed to be.

"Let me touch you again. It'd be a pleasure to be yours again," his father whispered, heavy breaths coating his ears.

"No! You leave me alone!"

His father giggled, Using to shut the bedroom door and lock it. Tyler felt himself bound, being rolled over, his father taking off his pants. Tyler tried screaming, but his face was pressed deep into the sheets. A cold breeze came through, his skin feeling quite exposed. Nails dug into his protruding bottom, before the dreaded caress, finally releasing his voice into his sheets. With each thrust his father whipped his back with the power, the blood soon coating his legs and sheets. Tyler wanted to grab his power and fight the man off, but a release of ecstasy so powerful would most likely cause him to finish first. He tried pushing himself up and move around, but his father was planted firmly in his position.

"Oh, boy, oh my sweet, sweet son. Such a virgin is a beautiful sacrifice for the betterment of the family. You will survive your curse now. You will have the best of futures that the Lord giveth today. I promise you, boy, take my lessons with you everywhere you go, and you will be just as successful as anyone else in our family. I promise you that. Now, please cum for me. Release your sweet joy with me, ohhh, boy, you're so wonderful."

Tyler gripped his sheets, hurting so much. He felt himself harden, but thankfully his father came before he did. He held still for a moment before pulling out, Tyler's lower half feeling numb. "Now that you're bleeding everywhere, I might as well teach you the rest of your lesson. I don't believe that you passed your classes. And if you did, you cheated. I know you did. Talking to your teachers? Asking for extra credit or work to make up the difference? You're a cheater. You need to learn your lesson."

A fist knocked the back of his head, right behind his ear, causing his eardrums to rumble. He lost sense of where he was for a moment, before slowly rolling his head and shuffling his hands lower towards his pants. Before he reached his waist, he was knocked onto the floor. He crashed, but it wasn't worse than a simple fall. He was dizzy, able to quickly pull his pants up and look at his father, trying to adjust himself. The man brought a boot across his jaw, Tyler feeling the bone snap as his head whipped to the right. He rolled again, the drugs causing him to stir and roll onto his fours, attempting to catch his breath again. He saw blood dripping from his mouth, unable to do anything about it.

"What? Do you need to get high again? Go smoke your shit? Inject your drugs, and try again?"

"Sure, that'd be real pleasant. May I have three minutes please?"

His father kicked him in the ribs, causing him to slide a little closer to the door. "You want three minutes?! Then right here, right now, so I know which part of your body to break first."

"No, no thank you. I'm good."

"You fucking little PUNK!" His father released his anger and disappointment, all hell raining loose throughout Tyler's physique. Within minutes his entire body was burning, the coke still coursing strong in his veins. He didn't want to be feeling this right now. He regretted the decision to be high through all of this, but at the same time, at least he didn't feel much. His mind kept telling him he was in pain, but he couldn't feel as much as normal. A severe kick in the stomach stopped his breathing, two more swift hits leaving him in dry heaves. His father let out a giggle, Tyler focusing on controlling his urge to vomit. His mouth was wet, unable to swallow too much at a time. "Guess what Baby Boy? Your friends are here."

Tyler forced his head up, briefly seeing the look of excitement coursing through his father's eyes. He let out his breath, but puked all over the floor. Tyler was punched across the face, falling into the mess. The doorbell rang. "Clean yourself up. I'm sure they're here for something more than just to see you. They'll learn their lesson."

Shaking, Tyler tried wiping his face off. He couldn't stop trembling. He wasn't sure if he was done retching. He hurt so much. He thought he heard his door slide open, but he only slumped over onto the floor. "Tyler!"

He rolled over and saw Reid, but that would mean... "Where's Caleb?" he choked out.

"Downstairs with your father. Jesus Tyler, what the fuck did he do to you?" Reid carefully helped him sit up, giving him a moment as nausea passed through him again. When they stood, Reid helped Tyler to the bathroom, Tyler choosing to sit on the floor and lean back against the tub, breathing hard. "What hurts the most?"

"Face," he muttered, the pain pulsing more with the movement. He heard the water start, something run underneath before it was placed on the side of his face.

"Are you sure there's nothing more?"

Well, yeah... But should I tell him? "Why do you ask?"

"I'm pretty sure there's more bruising and blood covering you right now than any white. Tyler, did he do it again?"

The tears fell out, his head hanging pathetically, swinging back and forth in an attempt at a "no." He couldn't admit it. He didn't want to. He heard Reid move, footsteps soon fading. "Reid, no," he tried calling, but his voice wasn't strong enough. His father was going to be relentless on Reid. He'd give up all focus on Caleb just to teach Reid a lesson. He carefully stood himself up with the tub, the counter, and then finally the wall, slowly following it out of his room and to the stairs. He had a flashback to Caleb's house, shaking so bad he almost fell. He made it to the stairs, trying to look into the living room, but the door wasn't at the right angle. He carefully stepped down the stairs, breathing hard, the pain switching areas. He heard voices coming from the study instead, heading down that way.

"He is my son and I will punish him however is necessary. You both need to stay out of this."

"You're a fucking monster!" Reid yelled, heavy footsteps echoing around, but then, there was nothing, followed by a slam.

"Mind your own business, boy." A chuckle. Tyler crept up to the door, peeking in. He saw Reid slumped close to him, but he was beginning to move. Caleb was towards the middle of the room, facing towards the door. Tyler's father had him cornered. At least the man's back was towards him. "I guess the coward decided to join the party anyway. I thought I told you to stay in your room?"

Tyler breathed out, not wanting to go into the room. He hurt. He only wanted to see what was going on in the confrontation. He wanted nothing to do with it.

"It's time, John. You're going to pay for everything that you've been doing to Tyler. This is beyond comprehensive. This is not how a family should function. Whatever sick, demented, twisted satisfaction you have with his punishment, it is going to end now."

"Oh yeah? Well, since the man of honor is sitting right outside the doorway, if you feel so motivated, why don't you bring him in to see him for who he is? He's wearing his true, luscious, beautiful colors bright tonight. Come on Caleb, call him in. Be the man you claim to be. Because I won't let you pass, so you better call him in."

Tyler saw Caleb stare his father down, keeping a straight face as he took a deep breath. "Tyler? Can you come here so I can introduce your father to death? Someone he's going to meet in the next few years anyway?"

Tyler leaned back around the corner, seeing Reid sit up, look around, and land his eyes on Tyler. "What are you doing Tyler? How did you get here?"

"Reid? Bring him in please. Now."

Tyler watched Reid look at Caleb, but nodded, apparently seeing something in his features that caused him to stand up. "Come on Tyler, let me help you up."

Tyler only watched him come closer, barely any strength to stand himself. He went into the room, having a hard time comprehending the gentle wood floors, the walls lined with the bookcases full, his mother's oak desk... They stopped, Tyler looking up, seeing his father, then Caleb, both watching him, though his father had shifted so he could keep an eye on Caleb as well as Tyler and Reid. Caleb's face dropped in color as he saw Tyler, taking in the blood, the bruising, the vomit splatters, but he didn't even know the worst.

"He's been raped."

Tyler threw himself from Reid. He didn't want Caleb to know that. If he made it this far down here, then he can just as well get himself back upstairs. He landed on the floor, beginning to drag himself back towards the door, which slammed shut before he was able to do anything. He flipped over, his father staring at him with such a cold glare he couldn't move. He briefly saw his father's eyes turn black, a sudden force sweeping him up and sending him flying across the room. Tyler couldn't react, next, only to then be floating in the air, gently falling down. He heard slams and grunts, trying to open his eyes to see what was going on.

Caleb and his father were trying to attack each other physically and magically. John pulled the items off his desk, throwing them at Caleb, who had a harder time blocking everything. Reid was pitching blows of power at John, trying to distract him. One quick sweep knocked Reid off of his feet, but he was back up in seconds. Tyler felt the buzz beginning to fade, but he still wasn't going to be able to fall asleep for a while. He had so much flowing through his veins right now, he'd be surprised if he fell asleep before dawn. I probably won't anyway so what's the difference?

As Tyler feared, he watched his father deliver a blow to Caleb that knocked him all the way across the wall. He turned towards Reid and didn't hold back. Tyler realized he was yelling, yelling at his father to stop. His friends didn't deserve this. No one did, except for himself. He willed himself to get onto all fours, but he needed to actually stand and grab his powers. His powers weren't going to do anything for him towards his father, but maybe he could dissuade the aggression towards Reid. He felt something stab him in the right side, between his ribs, causing him to drop to the floor again. He looked at his father, a small grin on his face.

Caleb began attacking John again, not holding back. Tyler watched his father turn, malice washing over his face. Reid gathered himself and began an onslaught as well, releasing a growl with each attack. Tyler finally covered his ears, the noise beginning to ring through his body and vibrate his chest. He was sure the drugs were fucking with him, spurs of pain finally burrowing itself in his mind, fading, appearing next throughout his body. He kept his eyes closed, trying to take calm breaths. He couldn't process how this had escalated so quickly. He had been so high, taken his tests, swam, took Reid home, got high again, and then beat, raped, cared for, ditched, and now his friends are fighting his father?

He opened his eyes, trying to register that he was still lying on the floor, on his side, as bits of books, wood and electronic pieces were scattered around him. He blinked a few times, not able to remember what Reid was wearing. Or and his father. He saw one person on the ground, another on top, and the third wasn't right there. He moved his head a little up, trying to see the rest of the room. He recognized Caleb, who was holding a book. He slid his head back, trying to figure out the two bodies. He looked for the brown hair, seeing his father on top, then seeing that Reid had him in a choke hold. Tyler rolled over, wondering something. He forced himself onto his knees, able to sit up as long as he didn't pinch his side at all. Carefully standing, Tyler made his way slowly across the floor, trying to bring himself together. He saw Reid's eyes were black, and distantly heard Caleb muttering something. The outline of a spell was over the two of them, Reid distinctly in a shield of black. Tyler made it close to the two, his eyes wandering lower. "Does this excite you old man?" He asked, eyes going back to the blue, the exact duplicate to his own.

There was no reaction besides his eyebrows twitching. Maybe he finally learned his lesson. Reid's grip tightened around his throat, his arm glowing black for as long as he held his arm tight. "Answer the question!"

When he relaxed his arm, the black faded, his father beginning to sneer. "This does. The thrill of two boys who think they can bring me down. My son, my ever faithful son. Never questioning, never thinking to look deep into matters, to figure out the why of the way things are. This is fantastic. You were my boy for almost nine years. Of course you had to bring in your friends to save you, but that's what Brothers are for. This is why no one has more than one child; it ruins the magic, it ruins the brotherhood of friendship, it ends tradition. But you found out one of the longest family traditions and if my work was done well, done right, it's not going to end here tonight. Wait a few years, until Tyler gets married and has a child. Give it a few more years, and you'll see... It's not going to end. Ever."

Silence.

Tyler cried out, letting his voice carry his anger as he grabbed his power, clasped his hands together, and focused all of his power in his hands. He dropped, slamming all of his weight onto his father's chest, right over his heart. He forgot Reid was under him, but he was done. He needed to get out of here. He needed more of his dust.

He turned from his father's gasps, standing up, trying not to pull his shirt off of his wet back. He felt so sick, so dizzy, so unreal. He was floating, but Reid's voice cracked through his mind, helping ground him for the moment. "Tyler, where are you going?"

"I need to go outside. Just for a minute. I just...can't...right now."

And he moved again. He carefully took the stairs to his bedroom. He needed to see the mess again. He needed to confirm it actually happened. And then he needed to get high, and just clean it up. Just like every other time. He realized he was standing there stupidly in front of his door, afraid to look in. He raised his head, moved, stepping over the pile of vomit, not touching the bloody comforter, trying not to smear any other blood splatters on the floor. He could see where he had sat, laid, rolled...his stomach was on the rise. He opened his back door and went outside, pulling his stash from his pocket. He should've divided it up. He didn't need Reid to find all of it on him.

He inhaled the first bump and looked up. Caleb was doing something with a spell downstairs. At least Reid wasn't coming up yet. He took another three bumps. Carefully packing everything away, he stepped inside, welcoming the cool air from outside. He sniffed a few times, trying to get any excess dust into his lungs. He looked back around his room when he felt the urge to vomit. It came quickly, Tyler dry heaving before finally able to let something out, coughing and shaking. He fell back, wiping his mouth, breathing hard.

That hurt. A lot. Holy fuck.

He opened his eyes to flush the toilet, but a glimpse of red on the seat made him pause. He looked up, seeing a tinge of blood in the water. He flushed, forcing himself to stand and get a towel to start cleaning. He could do this. He had the strength. He stumbled out of the bathroom onto the ground, beginning to clean up the biggest of his messes. He heard what he was assumed was Reid, feeling his presence soon at the door. Tyler didn't want to say anything. Reid stood there for a while, finally asking as Tyler went to grab a new rag, "what are you doing Tyler?"

"I, I'm cleaning. It's my mess, you know, after all."

"What are you talking about?"

Tyler gestured around the room. "This, this whole room is a, a, a mess. I, I mean, look at, at the floor, heh? Yeah, it's, pret-pretty bad, yeah. And, and the bedding, that's, that, th-that is probably going to be the worst part, see? Yeah, there's a lot to do."

Reid stared at him, Tyler not knowing what to do, so he sat back down to get back to his mess. "Tyler, what is wrong with you? What are you thinking? This isn't your mess to clean! You know that."

"But, if it doesn't get clean, cleaned, it stains, s-smells, And, this, this is my room. My room. I, I can't, I don't want, just...clean. It's what I do. Every time." He felt tears rising to his eyes. He hurt so bad, but this was his punishment. Maybe the next one wouldn't be so bad if he knew he had cleaned his room. He needed a day or two with this.

"Jesus, Tyler." He felt Reid sit next to him and take the rag from his hands and tossed it to the side. Reid gently grabbed his face and forced Tyler to look at him. Tears were beginning to leak faster, eyes twitching to look anywhere else but at Reid. "How fucking high are you?"

Tyler burst into tears, hugging Reid. "I'm so fucking high, I'm so sorry. I knew what was going to happen, and I wanted to survive it. I wanted to last through it, just once, so maybe he could think I was stronger than I am. I didn't want to be calling you tonight. I didn't want to worry about this mess later. I didn't mean to, but I wish I had passed out. I just didn't want him to kill me, but I wish he did."

"Don't say things like that. I'm not mad at you. I can understand your reasoning. You've been high all day. You've been freaking out though so much these last two weeks, I figured it was some sort of release, a way to help you stay focused. I told Caleb we needed to come here right after you dropped me off, but clearly, it didn't work out that way. 'We need to let him believe we're not going to do anything, right away.' But you've been so fucked up all day, you've been wrapped in your own little thoughts about school and passing the tests. Which is okay. Your father clearly acted sooner than even I thought."

"Will you help me clean up, then we can go do whatever."

"Only after you share, and you show me your injuries so Caleb can heal."

Tyler leaned back, rubbing his eyes. He was getting a bit exhausted again. "Yeah, of course."

He limped to the bathroom, feeling guilty as he pulled the sack out of his pocket. The blood barely bothered him, it was all in his peripheral, but Reid breathed in deeply, probably seeing the drips from Tyler getting sick. "Are you puking blood?"

"Maybe. He kicked me pretty hard a few times, but I don't feel as nauseous."

Tyler wiped a spot off on the counter, handing the sack to Reid. He rested the back edge of his hand on the counter as he sat on the toilet, resting his face on his thumbs. He didn't want Reid to see how quick he was at dividing out a line. There was silence, the last of the power threatening to slip from Tyler's grip, leaving him completely defenseless to his injuries. Caleb was still downstairs, but he didn't know what could be taking so long.

"Do I need to be downstairs right now? Doing something or other with Caleb to my dad?"

Reid cleared his throat. "We, ah, thought so at first, like, a sharing of the blood or something, but it would've made your father stronger, because then in that case you would be giving him back something that is already his, through the blood, and strength, and the power... So, Caleb kind of rewrote a spell that pertains to your father from being able to get fifty feet from you without getting violently ill, and, well, if he touches you, he can...suffer...greatly."

"So I didn't kill him."

"Almost. His power saved him. I'm sure you shattered where his sternum is. He wasn't moving when I left, like he was paralyzed."

Tyler glanced up and saw two rails, one slightly bigger than the other, but both about three inches long. "Are you fucking kidding me?" Tyler asked, wanting to look back down.

"You had me do it. So fuck yeah. I'm not sleeping tonight. This will help me think about other things than you know...your beast of a father, your bleeding body..."

Tyler gave a small nod, watching Reid take his. It was quick, smooth, easy. He always looked great doing anything he did. Tyler never understood why this guy didn't constantly have a girl in his arms. Well, whether or not, I think he'd still be here for me right now. I mean, Caleb is and that's saying something. He blinked and saw Reid holding the bill out to him, beginning to stand when his power finally dissipated. He groaned and sat back down, the pain rushing into his mind again. He was staring at the floor, but it seemed to be getting darker and darker. He laughed. Whether it was audible or not, he laughed at the darkness trying so hard to take him away. The joke was on him though. Tyler was never going to experience the true bliss of sleep. He heard his father's voice, causing him to laugh even harder. He knew Caleb's spell wasn't going to help him. His father was going to break it.

"Tyler!" He thought he heard. He wanted to look around, but everything was so dark, and everything felt peaceful, and a joke. Everything that happened tonight was just one giant joke. He wanted to stop laughing, but the image of his father actually halting at fifty feet was so amusing. He felt smacking against his face, landing on the side that his father had kicked, hard. He gasped, letting out a slight yell. He fluttered his eyes, the room spinning on the side of his vision.

"Tyler, can you hear me?"

He looked towards the sound of the voice, seeing Caleb. He nodded, noticing Reid was a little further away, well, cleaning.

"Are you ready?"

He nodded, wondering if Caleb was actually going to try to heal him. There was a lot. He felt a warmth begin at his feet, but as soon as he began to relax, he sat up, scooting as quickly as he could away. "I don't want to be healed."

Caleb looked at him. "Why not? You need to go to the hospital then."

"I don't want you feeling my pain. There's a lot. You shouldn't have to experience it."

"How am I supposed to get mentally and emotionally stronger if you two don't let me in? Just because Reid has had a similar background, and you think he can handle healing you more, I believe that's false. I was there when Pogue was on the brink of death. And you're right there also. If anything, you're helping me prepare for the future. You can only be as strong as you train. Luckily, you and Reid make the training a bit more common. It's called tolerance. Clearly, yours is through the roof. Now, may I?"

Caleb held his hand out to Tyler, who finally accepted the offer and laid back down, trying to ignore the lashes on his back. Tyler gazed out into the bedroom from the bathroom, before closing his eyes. He felt his feet warm again, the feeling slowly creeping up his body. Caleb did well staying quiet, lingering in some places, but never very long. After the scan, Caleb took a deep breath and worked from his head to his toes, the longest amount of time lasting on his torso and back. When he finally was done, Tyler felt a bit rejuvenated, but saw Caleb's white face, sweat dripping down, having landed all over his shirt.

Tyler twitched and saw his room almost spotless. Everything was picked up off the floor; a bucket and rag ditched by the backdoor, where Reid had also stashed his old covers, already having decorated the bed with the backup sheets. He looked back at Caleb, whispering "thank you."

"You should be fine now. That was... I'm glad your father got as he deserved, in my opinion. You may agree, or disagree, but that's not what I care. I know the feeling of losing a loved one, especially in the position of 'father.' Yeah, it's hard for a while, but it's easier to get over a loved one who is actually dead, than I believe one that is trying to make you feel dead. This, what I went through just now, has been more depressing than seeing my father kill himself over the last twelve years. At least that was visible. This, this is all internal, and how you deal with it every day just shows how strong your spirit really is."

Tyler nodded, Caleb helping him sit up. "So, now that Reid has your room looking a bit better, and your father is still unconscious downstairs, where are you going to head off too?"

Reid looked at Tyler. "Um, my place? My parents know what's up, so they're expecting us."

Tyler looked at Reid. "Yeah, that sounds fine. Let's just grab my bags, after I change." He tossed his keys to Reid, who bounced them between his fingers before finally grabbing the ring. Tyler grabbed another pair of clothes, quickly changing in his bathroom, attempting to ignore the blood stains.

Reid and Caleb followed Tyler when he came out, Reid carrying the bags to the hummer. "I'm assuming you got everything?" Tyler asked Reid, who nodded. He looked at Caleb, who nodded as well. "I'd like to never come back here again, but if I must, I'd really appreciate if one of you two could always be with me. No doubt about it this time."

Both friends nodded, Tyler slipping into the front of the hummer and passing out.

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Boom baby. Probably one of my favorite chapters. I'm supposed to be napping...but...ugh. almost done with this story I accidentally drew out waaaay to long. enjoy!