"I can't believe this shit," ranted Matt.

"I can't believe you forgot the guards check us," retorted Mick. His brother had tried to sneak some extra food at breakfast that morning. When one of the guards were going to check him like they always did, he had adamantly refused to be patted down, no doubt looking rather suspicious. They had eventually found a squashed strawberry in one of his pockets.

"Shut up!" snapped an irritable Matt. "They didn't have to take away my meals for the rest of the fucking day. You'd think I murdered someone or something."

"Are you seriously surprised?" retorted Mick. "You know how crazy the assholes running this place are. Remember that guy they starved to death because he talked back to a guard?"

Matt shuddered. "Thanks a lot, Mick."

Mick mentally kicked himself for his poor choice of words. He wasn't doing much to comfort his brother. "Sorry, man. Look, maybe it won't be that bad. It's only two meals, right?"

"Are you kidding? Haven't you noticed the pattern?" Matt asked incredulously. Mick had. Someone acted out, was forced to skip a day, was too weak to work the next, skipped a day again as punishment, and so on.

Until they starved to death.

"Now I feel like an idiot," groaned Matt. "Why didn't I remember the guards check us?"

"Hey, rookie mistake," said Mick. "You were hungry and not thinking clearly."

"But what am I going to do now?" asked a despondent Matt. "I'll just end up dead too."

"No, you won't." Matt replied quickly, immediately after Matt said that. Just the thought of his brother dead filled him with horror. He had already lost everything to this place, he couldn't lose Matt too. "Trust me."

Matt scoffed. "How can you know that?"

"Because I'll get food for you," assured Mick, trying to keep his voice steady.

Matt scoffed again. "Yeah, right. What're you going to do? Go up to the guards and beg them to give me food? Yeah, that'll go over real well with them."

Mick frowned. "You know, I might not help you if you act like that," he joked.

"Sorry, sorry. I'm just... nervous. But seriously, what can you do?"

"I'll find out a way," assured Mick. "Just trust me."

It was worth it. All worth it, to keep Matt alive.

He remembered the promise he'd made when he had come to Shaffer's. Protect Matt. Well, that and escape the goddamn place that he had gotten them imprisoned at. But even if he couldn't escape, he could protect his brother. Matt was all he had, the only thing he cared about at Shaffer's.

He saw his brother's expression of confusion and relief when the plate of food was placed in front of him at lunch, and the brief glance at Mick. Mick simply nodded in response, silently telling him to eat. Watching Matt eat the food had made everything worth it.

"Didn't I tell you?" Mick asked his brother afterward. "And you're getting dinner as well."

"How did you do that?" Matt replied.

Mick felt his stomach clench at the thought. "That doesn't matter," he replied. "But I won't be able to do it again. So try to stay out of trouble from now on," he added jokingly.

Matt nodded. "Well, thanks, Mick."

"Don't mention it," replied Mick. The smile his brother gave him made him feel like it was worth it.