someone who loves you wouldn't do this

by only-some-loser

When bad people need money, they do bad things. Including trafficking their teenage son. BTHB: non-con

AN: I'm not kidding when I say this is probably the darkest thing I've ever written, and I've written a lot of suuuuuper dark stuff. So be mindful. I will let you know that the ending is pretty hopeful, maybe even happy. Still, make your own adult decisions.

I've been working on this fic ever since it was requested by irishKitty23 in the comments of my other OBX fic, so it is dedicated to that lovely user. Hope this isn't more than you bargained for lmao.

The title is taken from the song Family Line by Conan Gray.

Let me know what you think, and I hope you enjoy!

TW: contains non-con and human trafficking by a family member.

---

The first time Luke mentioned anything about it, JJ was thirteen, and although it had made him uncomfortable, JJ had been sure that his dad didn't mean it.

JJ had been at his house - not his home - rummaging through the cabinets and fridge, hoping to find something to eat that wasn't completely rotten, moldy, or otherwise inedible, even by his own poor standards. He was always mooching off John B or Pope or Kiara, and that wasn't fair to them, especially to John B or Pope. Both their families were struggling just like him, and it wasn't fair to put the financial stress of another mouth to feed on them. Even if JJ couldn't find enough food to bring them some, just finding enough food for himself would be better than nothing.

But, as per usual, there wasn't anything in his house to eat. It wasn't that there was just nothing that JJ wanted to eat, there was absolutely nothing in his house for him to eat. The cupboards only held dishes that weren't as clean as they should have been, and the refrigerator held rotting meat, spoiled milk, and of course, copious amounts of beer. JJ had put the meat and milk into the fridge himself when he noticed they'd been left on the kitchen table. At the time, he'd hoped that he'd found them there in time to save them. Of course it hadn't mattered.

The telltale sound of the screen door creaking open and falling closed had JJ's shoulders tensing on instinct. He'd been lucky enough to avoid his dad for the last few days, and had hoped that he'd be able to get out of the house and back to the Chateau before he ran into the man. But of course those hopes were pointless too.

"Don't even start," Luke practically growled at him as JJ slowly closed the fridge. JJ knew better than to respond. He kept his eyes on the ground as he turned to face his father. "I know there ain't no food in there, you don't gotta remind me."

"I'll pick some up," JJ said, knowing the only solution was to make himself useful. All of his money made from mowing lawns for a few bucks always went straight for food anyway. It was pointless to think that it would ever be any different. Maybe when he was a little older, and even disreputable places would be willing to hire him, then he could save a little bit of money every now and then for things other than food, things like clothes that weren't ripped beyond repair or shoes that weren't literally falling apart. JJ wasn't stupid. He knew his poor nutrition would keep him from getting as tall or broad as others, but it wouldn't hold puberty off entirely, and yet he still wore nearly all the same clothes he had when he was ten years old, with the exception of a few of John B's and Pope's clothes that the two of them had already outgrown, and he hadn't yet. JJ would've been lying if he said he wasn't jealous of Pope's consistent nutrition and healthy family life, or even jealous of the amount of food that was always in John B's fridge. It certainly wasn't as much as it should have been, but it was always more than JJ ever had.

"Damn right you will," Luke said with a nod. "I don't keep you around to be a completely useless waste of space, no matter how close to it you get."

JJ didn't respond. From his father, that was almost a compliment. Still, it was best to be silent.

Luke tossed a pile of mail onto the already overflowing kitchen table.

"Damn bills," he muttered with a shake of his head. As if to emphasize his words, the lights in the house chose that exact moment to go out. Their power had been shut off again. JJ fought to keep his breathing slow and even. Things were steadily approaching dangerous territory with his dad, and freaking out about it wasn't going to help.

Luke let out a short, barking laugh, almost a scoff.

"Don't you worry about that," he said. "I got some money comin' in later. That power'll be back on in no time, and the rest of these damn bills'll be taken care of. I always got some way to take care of things." He looked up from the bills and over at JJ with a grin. "Hell, I'd whore you out before I let 'em take the house." Luke chuckled like he'd just said some hilarious joke and shook his head. "Maybe when you're older," he added with wide eyes before turning away and breaking into full on laughter.

JJ just stood there, his heart in his stomach. There was no way that his dad was being serious. He was just high, or drunk, or something, and saying random nonsense. His own father would never do that to him, no matter how bad their financial situation got. Regular beatings from his father were one thing, but pimping out his thirteen year old son? Absolutely not. That just wasn't something that Luke was capable of. It couldn't be.

Luke walked right past JJ towards the fridge, grabbed a beer from it, and went to go lounge on the couch without another word towards his son. He didn't even look at JJ again.

JJ knew better than to waste that opportunity. As quietly as he could, JJ snuck out the back door, his backpack already having been firmly in place between his shoulders, full of slightly fresher clothes and a few shoplifted candy bars for John B. JJ was on his bike and on his way to the Chateau before he could give himself another chance to think about his father's words.

'Maybe when you're older' kept ringing through his mind, no matter how hard he tried to push it down. If, in the coming days, John B or Pope or Kiara or even his father himself noticed that he was acting a little more like a child with his wants or interests, they didn't say anything.

The second time it happened, Luke made sure to mention just how serious he actually was, and JJ had never been more terrified of anything in his entire life.

JJ was fourteen, and was working a real job at the same marina as John B. They had been so excited to get the jobs together, attached at the hip as they were. Even if they generally worked on different boats, they were still together, and had all of their shifts together too. JJ had more money in his pocket than he'd ever had in his life, enough for the bare minimum of food, and occasionally a new pair of socks. Basically, it was the best he'd ever lived, and it was from honest work. JJ wasn't sure if his father had ever had an honest job a day in his life.

But if things were good for JJ, they were perfect for John B. His best friend worked mostly on the My Druthers, owned by the one and only Ward Cameron. The Cameron family was one of the wealthiest families on the island, and their eldest daughter, Sarah, was about JJ's age, and John B was completely obsessed with her, along with basically every single other teenage male on the island. John B didn't get to interact with her or even see her that much at all, but every single time he did, he made sure to tell JJ about it, and the way that his face lit up told JJ all he needed to know. No matter how much John B tried to deny it, no matter how much he went after other girls, he was well and truly pining after the one and only Sarah Cameron, and even though JJ was pretty sure it was never gonna happen, the joy that the very idea of it brought to John B was enough to bring a smile to JJ's face every time too.

It was that very reason that JJ was the one who got fired, instead of John B.

They'd been messing around, as they were known to do, as they cleaned some random boat together. It wasn't a boat they usually worked on, but their boss had asked, so of course they did. JJ and John B sprayed each other with cleaning supplies as they ran around the yacht, paying no mind to anything other than their teenage antics. It was only when John B accidentally sprayed windex directly into JJ's mouth that JJ decided they should probably be done.

"Alright, dude," he said with a laugh, spitting the taste of the windex out of his mouth as much as he could. "We gotta get back to work."

"Oh, since when are you the one to be responsible?" John B asked him, a grin splitting his face. He grabbed the still dry mop and held it out like a sword, the floppy end in JJ's face. The two laughed as John B continued shoving the mop at his friend.

"Dude, come on," JJ said through his laughter, batting away the mop as much as he could against John B.

"No, you come on," John B uncleverly retorted. He began waving the mop around with big, sweeping motions. JJ ducked under it, then watched in horror as the mop hit a lamp with enough force to send it flying off the counter, and over onto a glass table, shattering both.

JJ clenched his hands into fists to stop them from shaking from the instinctual panic that rose up within him at the sound of shattering glass. It was okay, it wasn't his father, it was just an accident.

"Oh, shit," John B whispered. "That's not good."

"No," JJ forced out from behind the lump in his throat. "No, it's not." JJ forced himself to take a deep breath before continuing. "You get back to work, I'll clean all this up, figure out what we're gonna say."

"No, I should really be the one to clean it up, it's my fault-."

"Don't worry about it," JJ interrupted, forcing a grin. "Besides, I've got way more experience cleaning up broken glass than you do." If John B thought his joke was funny, he didn't show it. John B just sighed, nodded, and turned away, cleaning bucket in hand.

JJ turned back to the mess in front of him and ran his hands through his hair. John B was gonna get fired for this. They'd been messing around, and John B had broken what was surely an incredibly expensive vase and an even more expensive table. There was no way that he would get away with just a slap on the wrist. The kook that owned the yacht surely wouldn't stand for that. John B wasn't going to get to see Sarah Cameron at all anymore. He was going to lose that happiness in his life.

JJ stopped in his mindless cleaning. John B wouldn't lose that if JJ said it was his fault instead. Yeah, JJ would get fired instead, but John B wouldn't. His greatest friend in the world would still have that source of happiness that was seeing the kook princess every now and then. To some people, that wouldn't be a good enough reason, but JJ knew that John B didn't have that great of a life either. He got happiness from seeing Sarah, so JJ would be damned before he allowed that source of happiness to be taken away from him. It was a no brainer, really. Of course it was worth it. JJ would find another job somewhere else, it would be fine. He could take the beating that would surely come from losing the job, and life would go on. It wasn't as if he weren't going to get beaten for something else anyway. At least this time there would be a real reason.

His mind made up, JJ snuck off the yacht the moment he was done cleaning all the glass up. He made his way towards the marina's front office, and, with a deep breath, knocked on his boss' door.

The conversation went about as well as JJ had hoped it would. He was, of course, fired, but his boss hadn't made it humiliating or anything. The man had appreciated that JJ had been upfront with him, and hadn't shouted or raised his voice even once. It was a far cry from what a punishment that JJ was used to looked like.

As JJ left the office and began to make his way out of the marina, he was stopped by a familiar voice calling his name.

"Hey, JJ!" John B called out, jogging up the dock to get to him faster. "What the hell, dude? Where are you going?"

"To look for a new job," JJ answered with a shrug. "I got fired."

John B blinked in confusion. "What?" he said.

"Yeah, I told the boss I broke the lamp and the table, and he fired me, so I gotta find a new job," JJ repeated, hands in his pockets in faux nonchalance.

"Why would you do that? I broke it, not you."

"I didn't like this job, anyway," JJ lied. "I needed an excuse to leave, and you gave me an even better one." It wasn't his best lie. He wasn't shocked that John B didn't buy it for a moment - although, John B was the only one who rarely ever believed his lies anyway, even when everyone else did.

"You and I both know that's not true," John B immediately scoffed in response. "You loved this job as much as I do."

"Not as much as you do," JJ answered with a slight smile. That was the truth. JJ did love the job, but John B absolutely adored it, if only for the times he got to see Sarah. "One of us had to go down, so why not me? You love this job more than me, so it made sense." JJ shrugged again, as if it were so obvious. "You do so much for me, anyway. Just let me do this for you." JJ didn't look at John B as he spoke. He was already saying things he'd rather not if he didn't have to. He didn't need to see whatever look was on John B's face too.

The sigh he heard from John B told him all he needed to know. John B wasn't going to press it.

"You know I love you, man," John B said, ducking his head to force JJ to meet his gaze.

"Yeah, man, I know. Love you too," JJ muttered. He held his hand out for the secret pogue handshake, gave John B a smile, and went back on his way. JJ could feel John B practically staring holes in the back of his shirt as he walked away.

Upon arrival back at his house, JJ clenched and unclenched his fists again and again. His dad was home. His dad was going to see the job applications he was holding. His dad was going to find out he was fired. His dad was going to hit him again. That's how the story always ended, his dad hitting him. It was better to just rip off the bandaid and get it over with.

JJ didn't look at his dad as he crept into the house. It didn't take more than a single second to know what kind of mood the man was in.

"What the hell are you doin' here?" Luke slurred. He was drunk again - when was he not drunk? "You're supposed to be at work, you little shit. Whatchu got there?"

JJ swallowed past the lump in his throat. "They're job applications," he said, just loud enough for Luke not to yell at him for being too quiet.

"What the hell do you need job applications for? You already got a job," he said. Luke took a deep swig from the tequila bottle and stood up.

"Not anymore," JJ said, his voice falling more than he should've let it. His eyes were on the ground, but he could hear Luke taking a few thundering steps towards him. JJ held his arms tightly against his sides in a reflex to make himself as small as possible.

"Speak up, boy!" Luke shouted, the stench of alcohol on his breath strong even from a few feet away.

"Not anymore," JJ repeated, giving everything he had to keep his voice from shaking. "I messed up, I broke something, I got fired, so now I'm looking for a new job," he said. He hoped that his immediate shift to looking for more work would win him some points with his dad, but it was stupid to hope that Luke would hear anything beyond the fact that JJ wasn't bringing him more money.

"You stupid little bitch!" Luke shouted at him with a punch to his jaw, immediately sending JJ to the ground with a cry. "You know I'm still lookin' for a job and you go and get yourself fired? Worthless piece of shit!" He emphasized his words with a kick leveled at JJ's ribs, uncaring towards his son's grunt of pain.

"I'm sorry," JJ cried out, forcing back tears. That never got any easier, but he could take this. He'd taken it before. He'd taken worse. "I'm already looking for a new job, I'll get one, I swear," he promised, but of course, that wasn't enough for his dad.

Luke got on the floor and grabbed JJ by the hair, yanking his head up and forcefully exposing his neck.

"Hell yeah, you will," Luke growled. "You're gonna get me my money one way or another, and I don't particularly care how. You're damn lucky I'm not already whoring you out, boy. You don't even wanna know how many bad men I could have lining up here to fuck you. You better be thankful I've said no every time somebody's asked. Because they have, and the older you get, the harder it is for me to tell 'em no. You should be thanking me," he seethed. JJ stayed silent, even as the grip in his hair intensified so much that he couldn't hold back the tears that had been brewing in his eyes. "Thank me!" Luke screamed in his face, the stench of alcohol nearly making him gag.

"Thank you," JJ immediately responded with a flinch and broken voice. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to turn away, but Luke's grip wasn't letting up.

"And what are you thanking me for?" Luke asked him with a sadistic smile.

"Thank you for not letting them fuck me," JJ forced out as more tears slipped out from behind closed lids.

"You better be thankful," Luke repeated. "'Cause if you don't get a new job, you won't have nothin' to be thankful for."

Without another word, Luke stood, keeping his grip on JJ's hair, and dragged him over to his room, ignoring his son's cries of pain. Luke opened the door and tossed him through, onto the floor.

"You get another job, or all you'll be is someone's bitch and a whore," he seethed. Luke slammed the door shut, and JJ could hear the telltale sound of the lock turning in its place.

JJ covered his mouth with his hand, and let out of the sob that he'd been holding in. He wished his dad had beaten him black and blue. He wished Luke had strangled him. He wished Luke had put out his cigarettes on his body and whipped new scars into his back with a belt. Any of that would have been less cruel than his father's words. Any of that would have been less cruel than what JJ now knew wasn't just a threat, but a promise.

Later that night, after JJ had calmed himself down enough to finish filling out those job applications, after he'd stuffed a bag full of anything he could need for at least a week, JJ carefully pulled open his window, and climbed out. He silently got onto his bike, and rode it to the Chateau faster than he'd ever ridden it anywhere.

When he got there, Big John was gone, thankfully, and John B was nowhere to be found either. That was okay. If he cried himself to sleep in John B's bed, there wasn't anyone there to see it - until the morning, when John B would carefully point out the bruise on his jaw and the tear stains down his face from the other side of the bed. That was okay too. With John B, it was always okay.

But JJ couldn't be around John B all the time. He couldn't stay at the Chateau forever, and there was no way in hell that JJ would ever bring John B back to his place. It was dangerous enough for JJ. He didn't even want to imagine what might happen to someone he loved if Luke was high out of his mind.

And, as usual, Luke was high out of his mind when, one year later, he let it finally happen.

JJ was fifteen, and spending less and less time at his own house due to Luke's increasing drug use and explosive temper. He spent a lot of time at work at the country club, and when he wasn't there, he was generally at the beach or the Chateau. But sometimes, his friends had their own family's to be involved with, which left him alone, and the unusually cold October day kept JJ off the beach. That left his house as the only place to go.

Things hadn't been too bad financially. Their power hadn't been shut off in months, and there was usually just a little bit of food in the house. JJ still avoided his father whenever possible, but despite the drugs, things hadn't been too bad. That gave JJ a false sense of security that he would regret for the rest of his life.

JJ's heart was already pounding out of his chest when he arrived at home. Luke was there, and one of his dad's equally awful friends was there too. JJ could hear them from outside the house. Their music was blaring, loud metal without any vocals or lyrics, just screeching guitars and pounding drums. That wasn't a good sign.

For a moment, JJ considered turning around and wandering aimlessly around Kildare for the next few hours, until it had been long enough that he wouldn't feel as guilty about ruining John B and Big John's family time. Big John had been acting strange, and was going on even more about the Royal Merchant. Both John B and JJ could tell that he was gearing up to leave again, but something felt different about it. Big John demanding a night to spend some quality time with his son just cemented it more in their minds that something more than usual was going on, but, of course, Big John wouldn't give them any details.

The beginnings of the storm made up JJ's mind for him. If he wandered around in that, then he was practically begging a Kildare County deputy to stop him and see if he was okay, if he needed a ride, and otherwise just ask him a lot of questions that he wouldn't want to answer, even when the questions truly were well intentioned.

Taking a deep breath and forcing himself to stay calm, JJ walked up the front steps and cautiously opened the door. He was immediately greeted with the burnt plastic, chemical smell coming from his dad's crack pipe. A quick glance at his dad's friend proved that he had one as well, and judging by their bloodshot eyes and dilated pupils, they'd already been smoking for a while.

"Well aren't you cute in your little uniform," his dad's friend, Frank, said with a scoff and a shake of his head. JJ had been at work at the country club, and hadn't yet changed. He'd been serving at a fancy luncheon all afternoon for the island's donors to something ecological. JJ hadn't paid too much attention to what it had been, but it was fancy enough that he'd been asked to wear the white dress shirt and vest in lieu of the usual uniform of a polo and khakis. It hadn't been all bad, since Kiara and her parents had been there. Kie hated being at the club, but the ecological cause was one she had actually supported as well, so it had been a good afternoon for the both of them.

JJ ignored Frank's comment, and instead walked over to the doorway to his room.

"The man just gave you a compliment," Luke said, his voice deadly serious enough to stop JJ in his tracks. "Don't be rude, boy."

JJ carefully turned his head and forced a small smile onto his face. "Thank you," he said, making sure his voice was loud enough to be heard over the music. Luke had turned it down a bit, but it was still plenty loud.

"Now go on and get us some beers, and clear these away while you're at it," Luke ordered him, gesturing to the empty beer bottles scattered throughout the living room. JJ nodded and immediately got to work at it. Any hesitation would be seen questioning him, and that would lead to another beating. Someone like Frank being over would mean that a beating would be extra creative, in the worst sense of the word.

"He looks just like his mother, doesn't he?" Frank pondered, clearly uncaring that JJ was right there and could hear him. "Pretty little thing."

Out of the corner of his eye, JJ could see his dad nodding and heard him chuckle. JJ gripped the beer bottles tighter as he picked them up to stop his hands from shaking. He could also see Frank staring at his ass whenever he bent over to grab a bottle off the floor. JJ went to the kitchen with the bottles he had just to get out of Frank's line of vision.

"You ever gonna let me fuck him?" JJ nearly dropped the bottles he was holding as his heart caught in his throat. He froze, listening to Frank as he carefully set the bottles down on the dirty counter. "You keep sayin' 'when he's older', well ain't he old enough?" JJ listened with bated breath for his father's response. He didn't hear anything. Luke was quiet, or speaking too softly to be heard over the music and rain.

JJ dared a glance at the back door. Maybe he could make a run for it, but that would surely mean a worse beating later, and in the current deluge, he wasn't sure he would be able to successfully outrun Frank, who was not only nearly an entire foot taller than JJ, but weighed about a hundred pounds more and was currently high on crack cocaine.

"Where are my beers, boy?" Luke shouted at him.

JJ grabbed two from the fridge and brought them back over, hyper-aware of every movement that Frank made. As he set the bottles down in front of his father, he noticed a fat stack of bills on the table that hadn't been there before. His eyes widened at the realization of what that meant. JJ immediately began backing up and started shaking his head.

"He'll fight ya the whole time, I'll bet ya," Luke added with a grin as he grabbed the money with one hand and the beer with another.

"Oh, I'm countin' on it," Frank said, standing up. He immediately advanced towards JJ.

"No," JJ said, holding out his hands in front of him as he continued to back up, as if that would stop the monster in front of him. He finally got his feet to cooperate with him and bolted, dashing through the kitchen and out the back door, making it all the way to the back porch's screen door before he was grabbed in a bear hug from behind. "No!" he screamed, struggling and kicking and flailing as Frank pulled him back into the house and began dragging him towards his own bedroom. "Dad! Please!" he begged, but Luke just turned up the music and reached for his crack pipe. "I'm your son, you can't let him do this, Dad, please!" he screamed.

Luke remained silent as Frank dragged JJ into his bedroom and kicked the door shut behind him. JJ's heart was beating faster than he'd ever felt it in his life. It was beating so fast that he felt like he was dying. Dying would be better than what he knew was about to happen.

Frank manhandled him onto the bed, heedless to his kicks and flails and easily overpowering him. JJ's kicks were finally stopped by Frank's weight on top of him, straddling him. Frank grabbed JJ's slim wrists and held them together above his head.

"Don't do this, please don't do this," JJ begged him, all pride gone. He could barely even see Frank through his tears.

"You struggle so pretty," Frank said, his voice thick with lust. "But you cry even prettier." With those words, JJ knew there was nothing he could say. Frank was going to do this, and JJ's lack of consent was only making it better for the sick and twisted monster straddling him.

"No," JJ couldn't help but repeat as Frank gripped his wrists together with one hand, and took off his belt with the other. He tried to buck and twist out of Frank's grip as the man wrapped the belt around JJ's wrists and the bed frame and pulled it tight. "You don't have to do this, I won't tell anyone, I swear," JJ pleaded.

"But I will," Frank said, a sadistic grin on his face. "I'm gonna tell everyone about my favorite little whore." He began tearing JJ's vest and dress shirt, chuckling as buttons flew across the room. "And his perfect little body." His hands were on JJ's chest and stomach, heedless to the rise and fall of his chest, so rapid in near hyperventilation. Frank's hands went lower, and quickly tore off JJ's belt. His pants and boxers followed mere seconds later, leaving him naked under the mountain of a man. "And his tight little ass."

"Don't, please," JJ brokenly begged, despite knowing it wasn't going to make a difference. "I don't want this, I don't want this."

"Shut up, slut," Frank growled before slamming his lips down onto JJ's and forcing his tongue into JJ's mouth. Frank gripped his jaw so tightly to keep his head in place that JJ could've sworn he felt it crack.

JJ kept trying to scream, to fight, to do anything to make it stop, but nothing he did had an effect on Frank. It seemed only to spur him on. When Frank finally let go of his jaw, the man sat up.

"I bet there's a whole lot more that pretty mouth can do, but lucky for you, I'm not a patient man." He grinned and adjusted just enough to turn JJ onto his stomach, uncaring towards JJ's cries for him to stop.

What followed was, without a doubt, the worst pain that JJ had ever felt. It was a unique pain, unlike anything he'd ever experienced. It was sharp, and deep, and unending. JJ cried, and screamed, and begged, until all he could do was sob and wait for it to end. For a while, he'd thought that maybe, just maybe, his dad would throw open the door and come to the rescue, having seen the light and realized just how evil it was to have his son raped for money. But Luke never came. The door remained shut. John B didn't burst through and save the day, and his mother didn't come back and make it stop. JJ was alone with a monster for as long as that monster wanted, and there was nothing that he could do about it.

When Frank finally got off him, the pain abated only slightly. JJ knew his own blood was only one of the liquids he felt. He immediately turned onto his side and pulled his knees up to his chest as much as he could manage.

"Damn, that was a good fuck," Frank said. He slapped JJ's ass and laughed as he whimpered. "You're about to make your pops some serious cash. Cute as that little uniform is, I know we'd all prefer you with nothin' on at all, and it's not like you're goin' back to that day job. You're just a whore now, boy." Frank laughed again. "See ya next time."

Frank opened the door and left, locking it behind him. Over the music, JJ could just barely make out the sounds of the laughter of two men: Frank, and Luke. His dad was still there, and he was laughing. His son had just been raped, and he was laughing. JJ was still naked and bleeding and tied up by his rapist's own belt, and his father was laughing.

JJ dissolved back into wailing sobs, uncaring towards Frank or Luke hearing him. It wasn't as if they cared.

When JJ woke, it was dark out, and silent in the house. He hadn't even realized that he'd cried himself to sleep - or passed out from exhaustion, more likely. He was still in pain, but it wasn't as bad. Slowly, carefully, because if he tried to do it too quickly he would fail and then get frustrated, JJ moved his hands around as much as he was able to, stretching and contorting his fingers until he could reach the buckle of the belt. He'd been putting so much weight against the belt for so long that it had been stretched out more, and now had enough slack for him to undo the buckle, and release his hands. JJ whimpered at the sudden movement of his arms, which had been stuck in that same position for so long that his muscles ached. All of him ached.

In the light of the moon, JJ could see blood and bruising around his wrists. He didn't bother looking down at his sheets. He already knew what he would see. As carefully as he could, JJ stood up, biting his lip to keep himself from crying out. He kept biting down as he put on a pair of old, ratty sweatpants that he didn't care if he further stained. With a barely controlled groan, JJ pulled a sweatshirt out from under his bed and pulled it over his head. It was John B's sweatshirt, one that JJ had stolen a year or so ago. He kept away from where Luke would see it, and didn't tell John B that he had it - though he knew his best friend knew exactly where it was.

Just as he'd done a year earlier, JJ filled his backpack as full as he possibly could, slipped his phone into his pocket, listened carefully for sounds of movement in the house, and crept out through his window. By the time JJ managed to get outside, tears of pain were once again leaking out from behind tightly closed lids. He brushed them away and took a deep breath. He was out, he was okay now, he just had to get to John B and everything would be fine.

It was still raining, but it wasn't the pouring deluge it had been earlier. It was misting just enough to make it a very unpleasant walk - JJ knew without even trying that riding his bike wasn't going to be an option.

When he arrived at the Chateau, the lights were off inside, but the TV was lighting up the living room. As JJ got closer and could make out details through the windows, he could see some James Bond movie playing while Big John and John B sat on the couch, a bowl of popcorn between them.

Why couldn't Big John be JJ's dad? True, the man certainly wasn't perfect and left more often than he should and could accidentally be neglectful due to his one track mind, but he loved John B, and he would never do to John B anything that Luke had done to JJ.

By the time JJ got to the door, he was crying again, and this time, he couldn't stop. He wanted movie nights with a dad who loved him and dinners with a dad he wasn't scared of and time with a dad who would never traffic his son.

JJ opened the front door and walked through without knocking. He dropped his bag to the ground by his feet as his tears continued to fall. Big John and John B both looked over at him in shock and confusion.

"Please don't send me back, Bree," he said, shaking his head. "I don't wanna go back ever again, please don't make me go back." JJ was begging again, and he hated himself for it, but he hated the idea of going back to his father even more.

"Hey, hey, hey, it's okay," John B said, quickly standing up and pulling JJ into his arms. JJ collapsed against him, sobbing harder than he knew John B had ever seen him sob before. "You don't have to go back. You're with me, you're safe now."

JJ let John B guide them both to sit down on the couch, never once breaking off the embrace. The movie had been stopped and the lights turned on. JJ didn't know how long he sat there, crying into John B's arms, but eventually he began to quiet, and knew he was going to have to say something.

"Hey, kiddo," Big John said, crouching down in front of him. JJ kept his head pressed against John B's chest, but turned his head to face the man. "Can you tell me what's going on? Do I need to be taking you to the hospital?" His voice was low, and gentle, and loving - a far cry from Frank's jeers and Luke's shouts.

JJ remained silent. Of course he needed to go to the hospital, but that just wasn't an option. A broken bone was a lot easier to come up with a believable lie for than this.

"Please don't send me back," JJ said instead. "I'll die before I go back." And he meant it. For all the times that John B had begged JJ not to go back, to just stay at the Chateau, JJ had finally been pushed to the point where that was his only option. This was the breaking point.

"Don't say that," Big John gently admonished, running a hand through JJ's damp blond locks. "You don't have to go back. I promise I won't ever make you go back."

JJ felt some of the tension leave his shoulders at Big John's words. Big John wouldn't lie to him.

"Can you tell us what's wrong?" John B asked him, gently running a hand up and down JJ's back. JJ shook his head. He couldn't talk about it, not now, probably not ever. "Can you let us help you get cleaned up at least?"

After a moment, JJ nodded. He knew John B wasn't going to completely leave it alone, and he was lucky enough that he wasn't getting pressed for details.

"Alright, kiddo, John B is gonna help you, I'm gonna get you some water," Big John said with a soft smile as he stood. JJ tried to return it, but he knew it was forced.

John B slowly stood as Big John walked into the kitchen, forcing JJ to extricate himself from John B's arms and stand with him. Carefully, JJ limped over to the bathroom, purposely ignoring the way that John B was concernedly staring at him.

"I can, uh, I can clean up by myself," JJ said as he stepped into the bathroom, arms wrapped protectively around himself. "I'm not hurt bad, I just wanna shower. I need to shower," he added in a low voice, not meeting John B's gaze.

"Okay," John B said with a gentle sigh. "As long as you're sure."

JJ nodded, still not making eye contact.

"I'll get you some clean sweatpants." John B offered him a soft smile before walking away, JJ closing the door behind him.

JJ took a deep breath, and turned on the shower as hot as he could stand it. He let the dirty sweatpants fall to the floor and carefully took off the stolen sweatshirt, sure to keep it from getting blood on it. His eyes were squeezed shut as he stood unclothed in front of the mirror. He needed to look, but he was scared. JJ was so tired of being scared. He opened his eyes.

What greeted him wasn't as bad as the beatings often were, but the bruises were in places they'd never been before. Hand shaped bruises appeared on either side of his hips, and the shape of fingers could clearly be seen on his jaw. There were bite marks on his neck and shoulders, and there was surely bruising and tearing in the one place that JJ was unwilling to look. Blood was stained down JJ's legs and around his wrists.

Taking a shuddering breath, JJ turned away from the mirror and got into the shower, hoping that the nearly scalding water would wash away the feeling of Frank's hands on his body, and get rid of the physical proof that he was ever there. With the physical evidence gone, there was very little that could ever be done to prove that it had happened at all. He would never make a police report, but even if he did, it wouldn't matter. The proof was gone. JJ didn't know how he felt about that.

After nearly an hour of scrubbing and scrubbing and scrubbing until his skin was raw and burned, JJ turned the shower off. He couldn't run up John B's water bill any more.

A soft knock sounded at the door.

"Yeah?" JJ quietly called out, keeping himself entirely behind the shower curtain.

"I've got some clean clothes. Can I set them inside?" John B hesitantly asked him. It hurt that John B was being so gentle. He was always gentle with JJ when he was hurting, of course, but this was so far beyond normal, and John B didn't even know what had happened to him. JJ was just acting so broken that John B probably thought he didn't have another choice.

"Yeah," JJ responded, just as quietly. He needed to get it together.

The door opened for a moment, then was quickly shut once again. JJ dared to peek out from behind the shower curtain, and, seeing that John B was gone and had left the clothes as he'd said, stepped out. Without the bloodstains covering them, there was even more visible bruising on the inside of his thighs and his wrists. JJ's bracelets, although now free of the blood, didn't cover them up as well as he would've hoped. JJ pulled on the clothes as quickly as he could manage, barely even stopping to give himself a cursory dry off. He left his hair dripping wet as he pulled the sleeves of the sweatshirt down to his knuckles.

Despite having grown a little, John B was still a few inches taller than him, and the clothes that JJ wore reflected that. The sweatshirt was only a little oversized, having been starting to get too small for John B when JJ stole it, but the sleeves were still a little long, and JJ couldn't quite fill it out. The sweatpants went past his ankles and covered most of his feet. JJ had borrowed that same pair before, and had rolled up the ends to keep them from dragging on the floor, but he didn't feel like it this time. He already knew he would be grabbing a blanket and wrapping it around his entire body.

JJ emerged from the bathroom, arms still wrapped around himself and hair still dripping wet. John B and Big John were seated on the couch, clearly discussing something - probably him. They stopped the moment they saw him, and Big John was the first to stand, a glass of water in hand.

"Come on, kid," he said. "You need to hydrate."

JJ nodded and stepped towards him. He reached out and took the glass, glad that his hand wasn't shaking anymore and he could actually hold it.

"Thanks," he muttered before carefully sitting down between John B and his dad. It hurt to sit, but JJ was too exhausted to keep standing. He took one small sip of the water, then several large gulps before pulling the glass away. It felt good on his throat, sore from screaming, but it did hurt a bit to swallow.

"Too busy to take the time to dry your hair?" Big John asked with a grin that wasn't quite as forced as the last one. He put his hand on JJ's head, causing JJ to flinch before quickly relaxing into the calming ministrations. This wasn't Frank pulling on his hair so hard that he still had a headache, it was Big John running his fingers through the wet locks, no doubt checking for bumps as he did so.

"You know me, always on the go," JJ replied, trying to force himself back to normal. It clearly didn't work, if John B's sad smile was anything to go by.

"Well I know just the thing to take care of that," Big John quickly retorted. He grabbed JJ's hood and pulled it up and over his head. JJ froze for a moment, then relaxed and actually smiled when Big John began using the hood of the sweatshirt to attempt to dry his hair. John B chuckled, and JJ couldn't help but do the same, the smile on his face the first real one since talking to Kiara at work earlier that day.

"Come on, Dad," John B said. "You know JJ's hopeless."

"Not with us, he's not," Big John replied in faux seriousness before pulling JJ against him and rubbing his fist over the top of the hood, bringing out another laugh from him. It felt good to laugh. It felt good to be with John B and his dad. JJ didn't ever want to leave. Hopefully, they had been serious when they said they wouldn't make him. JJ couldn't handle going back to his father. Now that Luke had been paid for it to happen once, he would surely get paid for it to happen again. There was no doubt in JJ's mind that if he went back to Luke, that's all his future would hold.

"Thanks for letting me stay," JJ quietly said after Big John released him and reached for the remote. He knew that staying one night would be no issue, but he figured it would be best to test the waters as to how long he could actually stay.

"You're more than welcome, you know that," Big John quickly replied. He put his arm back around JJ's shoulders and gently squeezed. JJ was comfortably squeezed between Big John and John B, their warmth wrapping around him.

"You can stay as long as you want," John B added. "You don't ever have to go back to him, right Dad?" John B was already looking over at his dad, and JJ carefully glanced over at the man out of the corner of his eye.

"That's right," Big John replied with a sad smile. "I don't know what you went through tonight, but I've got a pretty good idea of what you go through on a regular basis. If you want to stay here on a permanent basis, I'm not gonna kick you out. You're safe here, and you're not safe in your own house. I could never make you leave. It's as simple as that." Big John shrugged with a sigh. "Whatever problems might come from you staying here, financial or legal or otherwise, we will deal with when the time comes."

"You'll have to share a bedroom with me, since we don't exactly have a spare…" John B trailed off.

For a moment, JJ reconsidered everything. How could he put them out like that? The Routledges were certainly doing better financially than the Maybanks, but they didn't have the money or space to take in JJ. But what else was JJ supposed to do? There was no way that Kie's parents would allow him to live with them - he hadn't ever even been allowed to spend the night at their house - and he couldn't stay with the Heywards. Sure, they would let him stay a night, but he couldn't stay indefinitely without an explanation. JJ was sure that Bobby Heyward had suspicions about what Luke did to him, since Pope knew the bare minimum of what went on, but he didn't want the man to know any more. Staying with John B was his only option - aside from the permanent solution of taking himself out of the equation.

"Hey, don't worry about it," John B continued, likely sensing JJ's hesitation. He pulled JJ into his side and wrapped the blanket he held around them both. "We will figure it out, just like we always do."

"You being safe is the most important thing here," Big John added. "Like Bird said, we will figure it all out, and find a way to make it work. You boys have practically already been sharing that room for years. Hell, you even share the bed as often as you use the pullout one. We're gonna figure it out, kid, I promise."

JJ took a shaky breath in as he tried to stave off his oncoming tears. He was so sick of crying, but how could it not bring tears to his eyes when John B and Big John treated him like he actually mattered, like he wasn't a worthless waste of space?

"Okay," he finally replied. "Thank you, for everything." JJ let himself relax into John B's side as he tried to make himself calm down. Adjusting to relieve the pressure from how he was sitting was painful, but less so afterwards.

"We love you, kiddo," Big John continued as John B squeezed his shoulder.

"I love you guys, too," JJ all but whispered in response, unable to look either one of them in the eye. He pulled his knees up to his chest and relaxed further against John B, practically lying down against him now. He clutched the blanket wrapped around him and John B, covering as much of himself as he could.

"Want some popcorn?" John B offered, holding the bowl close to JJ's face, close enough that he could smell it. JJ's stomach rumbled immediately, reminding him that he hadn't eaten anything that day aside from the scraps off Kie's plate at work. He didn't exactly have an appetite, but JJ figured he should eat anyway, even something like popcorn.

JJ wordlessly took the popcorn from John B and started eating it, slowly at first, before realizing that he really was starving and began shoveling handfuls into his mouth. He could hear Big John chuckling, but he didn't mind. JJ only half paid attention to the James Bond movie that began playing once again, more content to just bask in the familiar feeling of safety that the Chateau always gave him. Maybe they were right. Maybe everything really was gonna be okay.

The next few days passed without incident. JJ wouldn't tell John B anything about what had actually happened that night with his dad, but John B was trying to let it go. If JJ wanted to tell him, he eventually would. Trying to force him to open up was never a good idea, no matter how much it would probably help him too. It didn't make much of a difference exactly what happened when it came to JJ's nightmares. Although they were definitely worse than they had been in the past, John B would still tell JJ the same things he always had: he was safe, and it was over.

In the days following JJ's arrival at the Chateau, everything continued as normal. They went to school, hung out with Pope and Kiara, and remained tight lipped about any changes. Pope and Kie didn't need to know yet that JJ was staying at the Chateau permanently. Him staying there for a few days or even a week at a time was nothing out of the ordinary, so they didn't suspect that anything was different. John B knew that JJ would have to open up to them about it sooner rather than later, but that was JJ's decision, not his. Pope and Kie barely knew what happened at JJ's house in general, and John B knew that JJ wasn't eager to change that. If they could tell that JJ was a little quieter, or wearing more of John B's clothes, or a bit more clingy to John B than he normally was, they didn't say anything.

On the fourth day after JJ arrived at the Chateau, JJ and John B were relaxing in the hammocks outside after school. Pope and Kie were both helping their parents, and his dad was still at work. It was a beautiful fall day, the weather having been warm enough to have the whole island in shorts and tee shirts - the whole island except JJ, who had been wearing the same sweatshirt stolen from John B that he'd been wearing ever since that night. The sweatshirt was covering the bruising on his wrists that looked suspiciously like ligature marks. John B tried not to stare, knowing how uncomfortable it made his friend, but it was hard not knowing what happened. All John B wanted to do was to fix it, and he couldn't. There wasn't anything he could do, and he hated it.

"There's supposed to be some serious swells tomorrow," John B said, breaking the comfortable silence between the two as they laid in the hammocks. "Wanna go?" Normally, John B wouldn't even have to ask. It would just be expected that they would go surf together, maybe even skip class to go early. It felt weird to ask, but John B couldn't be sure that JJ would want to. He wasn't moving so gingerly or limping anymore, but he just wasn't okay. Things were different. They were getting back to normal, but more slowly than they ever had before.

"Yeah, yeah, maybe," JJ replied, fidgeting with his bracelets. "If we can find somewhere quiet, that would be really nice, actually." He smiled over at John B, and despite the coded message, John B smiled back. JJ was saying he only wanted to go if they could go somewhere that they would be surfing alone, without anyone else to see them - to see the bruises that were surely painting his torso. John B hadn't even seen them yet, with JJ being even more careful to hide his bruises than he'd ever been before. But still, it was something, and John B would take it.

"Great! I'm sure we can get somewhere quiet, especially if we skip after 4th period," John B suggested. He put his hands behind his head and let himself sway in the breeze. The island was always less crowded during the school year, and the beaches were the most quiet during work and school hours.

"Sounds good," JJ replied, mirroring John B's position, that smile still on his face. He looked happy and content for the first time in days, like whatever had happened to him, hadn't. John B wished that were true.

Both John B and JJ sat up at the sound of tires on gravel. Big John wasn't supposed to be home from work yet, and it was clearly the sound of a motor vehicle, not bikes, signifying that it couldn't be Pope or Kie. John B's heart dropped in sync with JJ's sharp intake of breath. It was Luke's truck, and Luke could only be at the Chateau for one thing.

"Get inside, go, now," John B rushed out as he all but tumbled out of the hammock and put himself between JJ and Luke's oncoming truck.

"John B," JJ said, his voice shaking with fear.

"Get inside," John B repeated, going so far as to give JJ a light push towards the Chateau. "I'm not gonna let him get near you."

JJ nodded, eyes wide, and dashed inside. The moment John B heard the door close, he quickly made his way around the house and towards the truck, just as Luke was stepping out.

"Get off my property or I'm calling the police," John B practically growled. "You're not welcome here. You never have been."

"Give me my son and I'm gone," Luke replied, a fake smile plastered over his face and his hands held up, as if to show he wasn't a threat. John B knew better.

"You're not going anywhere with him, so get the hell out of here." John B moved to stand between Luke and the steps up to the house.

"Yeah, I am," Luke said with a nod. "Make this easier on yourself and just give him to me before I make this ugly. You're not keepin' me from my little money maker."

John B pulled his phone out of his pocket. "Leave, right now, or I'm calling the cops and reporting you for trespassing."

Luke sighed, shaking his head. "Your funeral," he shrugged, then pulled out a revolver from behind his back and leveled it right at John B's head.

"Hey, hey," John B said. He held his hands up and took a step back, eyes wide.

"Boy!" Luke screamed, not taking his eyes off John B. "You get out here right now before I blow your friend's brains out!"

Luke and John B stood in silence for less than five seconds before Luke turned the gun towards the sky and fired off two rounds. John B flinched back, but kept his eyes on Luke and the gun.

"Get out here, boy!" Luke screamed again, and only a second later, John B heard the sound of the screen door opening behind him.

"JJ, no-."

"Don't hurt him," JJ interrupted. "I'll do what you want, just don't hurt him." A second later, JJ appeared next to John B, eyes still wide with fear. He was shaking, but kept taking steps towards Luke.

"There's my little whore," Luke jeered. "Go get in the truck, and your friend here doesn't get hurt."

John B could hear JJ's shaky breaths as he struggled to hold back tears, and saw him take another slow step towards Luke.

"JJ, you can't-."

"I have to," JJ interrupted. "I'm not letting you get hurt because of me."

"Shut up and get in the damn truck," Luke growled, all faux politeness gone from his voice. "You got five seconds. One…"

"I'm sorry, Bree," JJ rushed out as he moved quickly towards the truck and got in. John B could see him pulling his knees up to his chest and make himself as small as possible.

"Don't touch him," John B said as tears formed in his own eyes. "Don't you dare touch him."

"Oh, I'm not the one who's gonna be touchin' him," Luke chuckled, keeping the gun trained on John B as he slowly moved backwards towards his truck.

"You're not taking him," John B repeated, the full realization of what Luke was implying sinking in. Heedless to the gun pointed right at him, John B lunged towards Luke. He heard it go off as he tackled the man to the ground, but he didn't feel anything. They wrestled for it as the truck door opened.

"Bree!" JJ shouted as a blinding pain erupted at John B's temple. "No!"

He fell to the ground, half on top of Luke. John B could barely keep his eyes open as he felt blood pouring down the side of his face. Had he been shot? John B felt Luke shoving him off. He didn't have the strength to even look at him, much less stand up and try to protect JJ. All of his power was put towards staying conscious, but John B could tell that it was a losing battle.

"Leave him alone!" JJ shouted. John B could hear him fighting with Luke. That never ended well. John B pried his eyes open as he tried to push himself up onto his hands and knees. JJ was standing between him and Luke, trying to defend them both from his father's onslaught.

"Get back in the truck, boy," Luke growled at him. "I'll let him be if you just do what you're told for once in your worthless life."

"JJ," John B groaned. He needed to tell him to run, but his vision was still swimming, and he'd barely managed to even say his brother's name.

"You'll leave him alone?" JJ asked. "You won't hurt him?"

"I said what I said. Now get back in the damn truck or it won't matter what I said. Now, boy."

"I'm sorry, Bree," JJ repeated, his voice coming from a little further away.

John B managed to make it up onto his hands, but it didn't matter. JJ was already on his way back to the truck, with Luke's pistol jammed into his shoulder. John B pushed himself up further, and darkness immediately surrounded his field of vision.

"Jay…" he trailed off as the truck pulled away, JJ inside it once again.

John B's arms gave out, sending him back to the dirt. As the darkness fully covered him, John B could only think of JJ, and the hell that awaited him.

When John B awoke, it took him another moment to realize that he was awake. It was nearly as dark outside as it was while unconscious. He'd been out for at least an hour, maybe more. John B pushed himself up onto his hands as knees as quickly as he could, pushing past the wave of nausea that threatened to overtake him. He would deal with the concussion later. Getting JJ back was more important.

John B stumbled towards the Chateau, focusing on breathing deeply. He needed to make a plan and act on it. There was no telling what JJ had already been subjected to in the hour since he'd been taken.

The crunch of tires on gravel stole John B's attention once again. He snapped his head around, leaning on the frail screen door of the porch for support. John B watched in relief as his dad's truck pulled up next to the house. Tears formed in his eyes. He needed his dad.

"Bird, what's goin' on?" his dad asked the moment he stepped out of the truck, clearly having taken in John B's disheveled appearance. "Where's JJ?"

"He took him," John B forced out as he stumbled towards his dad. "Luke came, he had a gun, he forced JJ to go with him and he knocked me out. It's been an hour, maybe more, I don't know, but we have to go get him, Dad, you don't know what his dad is doing to him-."

"Slow down, slow down," Big John interrupted, putting his hands on John B's shoulders. "Are you okay? That's a lot of blood on your head."

John B lifted his hand and gingerly touched where the throbbing was coming from. The blood was dried, so that was good. At least he hadn't been shot.

"Yeah, I'm fine, he just pistol whipped me," John B muttered. "But Dad, what Luke's doing to JJ, what he already did to him, that had him so terrified a few nights ago begging us to not make him go back… Dad, he's- he's trafficking him. People are paying him to touch JJ, that's what happened the other night, he was ra-," John B broke off, unable to say it. "We have to get him out of there, Dad."

Big John immediately pulled him into a hug, a hug that John B gratefully returned. He allowed himself to melt into his dad's arms for a moment, not failing to notice that his dad was taking just as deep and measured breaths as he was.

"Yeah, we'll get him back," his dad said as he finally stepped back. "Get in the truck, I'll be right back."

John B nodded and did as his dad asked, while Big John jogged into the Chateau. John B had just buckled his seatbelt when his dad came back out, tucking a revolver into his waistband. That should've concerned John B, but only one word came to mind: good.

It was not a pleasant drive over to the Maybank residence. John B couldn't stop thinking about what was probably happening to JJ, what had probably been happening to him since the moment Luke dragged him back into that hellhole. When they got him out - because John B wasn't willing to consider the possibility that they wouldn't be able to save his best friend, his brother - would John B even be able to pick up the pieces? What would they tell Pope and Kiara? JJ wouldn't be able to lie to them forever, not about something this big.

"Simple plan, kid," Big John started. "We get there, we get inside, you get Jay back to the truck while I keep everyone else in line. If someone steps out of line, I do what needs to be done."

While John B wasn't keen on his father shooting anyone, there was no circumstance more worthy than this.

"But how do we stop it from happening again?" John B asked, trying to keep the fear out of his voice. "How do we keep Luke from coming back and taking him again like he did this time?"

Big John sighed, pondering for a moment. "You got your phone?" he eventually asked. John B quickly nodded. "Record it. I know, I know, it's awful," Big John continued before John B could cut him off. "But if we have proof of what that piece of shit is doing to JJ, then we have leverage. We tell Luke that if he ever touches that kid again, then we go to the police with that proof, and that proof will put him away for the rest of his miserable life. And if that fails, well, I have a very powerful connection these days that could probably get him taken out of the picture without anyone finding out, and get JJ safe with us permanently."

John B looked at his father. What was he talking about? They were pogues, from the Cut. If they had "connections", they wouldn't be either.

"What connection?" he finally asked, choosing to ignore the fact that his dad was asking him to record a horrific crime happening to his best friend.

"We don't need to really get into it right now, but I'm working with a guy who has resources. He's helping me to find the Royal Merchant," Big John said. "I was supposed to leave with him on a little expedition in about a week, but with everything goin' on with Jay, I don't know if I can do that anymore," he said, trailing off at the end as if he were realizing something for the first time. John B didn't ask what it was.

Big John parked the truck a ways away from the Maybank house, off the shoulder of the road and partly covered by the trees. He and John B both got out and crept quietly over to the treeline. It was dark - there weren't many streetlights in general throughout the Cut, but especially not on the poorest side, where the Maybank house was located - but that didn't mean they were going to just waltz right up to the front door.

John B ducked behind a tree when that front door swung open, his father right behind him. He peeked out as much as he dared, and saw a man leaving the house with a giant smile on his face. The man was one of Luke's friends, one that John B had seen before, but he didn't know his name. The man climbed into one of the several decrepit cars sitting in the lawn, and drove off, his headlights passing much too closely to John B for his liking.

"There could be any number of men in that house," John B whispered. "That guy just left, there's no telling how many others have already been in and out."

"I know, I know," Big John rushed out, his voice calming despite the circumstances. "Let's get to JJ's window, record what we can, see if there's any way to get him out through the window."

John B nodded and crept away from the tree, between the beater cars in front of the house. The closer he got, the better he could hear what was going on inside. Loud rap music was playing, the kind that JJ hated and always made John B change the station when it came on the radio. Through the cacophony, John B could make out the sounds of at least four men inside the main room, none of them being JJ. He looked back at his dad, then motioned towards the side of the house, where JJ's room was located. John B stopped right before he got to the window. Another sound could be heard under the rap and cruel laughter. Crying. A wail of agony echoed above everything else, punching a hole straight through John B's heart. He took in a shuddering breath as he realized what it meant.

"I know, kid, I know," Big John repeated. "Come on." He gently pushed past John B and got to the window. The look of heartbreak on his face when he peeked through it told John B everything he needed to know. "I need you to record what you can, I need to go stop them." Big John turned and quickly made his way back past John B, not giving him another moment to dread what he was about to see.

John B reached the window and peeked in, his phone already up and recording, despite how much he hated himself for doing it. JJ would die if he knew that there was proof of what happened.

But there was only sort of proof. By the time John B reached the window, the middle aged man was already half clothed, stuffing himself back into his ratty pants. It was another man that John B had seen around the Cut, mostly by the bars and common drug hangouts. He was chuckling and looking down at JJ, naked on the bed, curled in on himself, body shaking with sobs.

"Be seein' you soon, kid," John B heard him say, muffled through the window. "You're too good a fuck not to have again. Payday can't come soon enough." He laughed again, then knocked on the door. A moment later, the door was opened, and he left. Thankfully, someone else did not immediately take his place. John B tucked his phone away and started knocking on the window. Now was the time to get JJ out.

JJ immediately looked over at him, tears running down his face. He crawled over to the window and put his hand up on it, and rested his forehead against it. He wasn't trying to open it.

"Come on, buddy, open the window," John B prompted, hoping that he was loud enough to be heard by JJ, but not by anyone else.

JJ shook his head. "He sealed it shut," he said. "I'm locked in, I can't get out."

John B took a moment to look around the room as best he could in the low light. It had never exactly been full, but John B was pretty sure it was much more bare than it had been before. Anything that could conceivably be used as a weapon was gone, leaving the room with its bare bones and the plethora of cheap posters and JJ's artwork on the walls. John B pointedly did not look at the blood and bruises covering his friend's naked form.

"We're getting you out, okay?" he said. "Just hang tight-." John B broke off at the sound of a door slamming open and a cacophony of shouting from the main room. He needed to get over there. "Hang tight, I'm coming for you." John B turned and ran for the front door, trying to push the image of JJ's heavy flinch and panicked eyes at the sudden noise from his mind.

John B ignored his swimming vision and building nausea as he burst through the front door and stood right behind his dad, who, just as he said he would, held up the revolver, pointed straight at Luke. John B pulled his phone back out, still recording, and got quick video evidence of all the cash, drugs, and gun on the table, and men in the room. There was only one gun that he could see - aside from his dad's - and it was easily within reaching distance for Luke. The rest of the table was covered in lines of cocaine, crack pipes, other drug paraphernalia that John B would never touch with a ten foot pole, and an assortment of high value bills. Aside from Luke and the man that had just come out of JJ's room, there was another man about Luke's age that John B didn't recognize, and JJ's own uncle. It was getting harder and harder for John B to keep the nausea at bay.

John B took all of that in in the span of about a second and a half. The shouting took his attention quickly.

"Everyone shut the hell up!" Big John screamed. This time, it worked. "Here's what's gonna happen if you wanna live. John B is gonna go grab JJ and his things. We're gonna leave. None of you will ever see or lay a hand on that boy ever again. It's that simple," he said.

Luke laughed, relaxing back against the couch. For having a gun pointed at him, he looked surprisingly carefree.

"If you and your boy want the whore to yourselves so bad, all you gotta do is make me an offer I can't refuse," he said with a shrug. "If I knew even his own friends would jump at the chance to fuck him, I woulda started doin' this years ago."

John B bristled at Luke's cruel words, but his dad held him back. He could see the fury in his father's eyes.

"How's this for an offer? He comes home with me, and all of you get to live another day. How does that sound?"

"As if you'd pull that trigger," Luke chuckled.

The following gunshot had John B flinching back and Luke groaning in pain and clutching his shoulder. It looked like just a graze, with the bullet having gone more into the couch than into Luke. The man stared daggers at Big John, but he wasn't laughing anymore.

"Don't think I won't shoot again," Big John growled. The other men in the room held their hands out slightly in silence, eyes wide. Big John swiveled the gun from Luke to the man that had just walked out of JJ's room. "And what's stopping me right now from putting one between your eyes?" he asked. "For what you did to that boy, you deserve so much worse. He's fifteen, you sick son of a bitch." The gun swiveled to JJ's uncle. "And you, were you gonna fuck your own nephew? I should kill you right now, I should kill you all!" He took a step forward, his finger straying towards the trigger.

"Dad," John B quietly said, heart thundering in his chest. It's not that his dad was wrong, but still. Big John wasn't actually going to kill all of them, was he?

"And if the threat of death isn't enough, if you ever touch that boy again, I won't hesitate to call the cops," Big John threatened. "I've got enough hard evidence to get you all put away for the rest of your damn lives, do you understand me?!"

"Yeah, I got it," the one man that Big John hadn't pointed out directly said. The man was a tweaker, clearly high out of his mind. "No whore is worth that much. You got my word I won't have nothin' to do with the kid," he said, nodding repeatedly.

"Good. And the rest of you?"

The other man slowly nodded, as did JJ's uncle. Luke continued to glare, practically foaming at the mouth. Pure rage was emanating from every part of his being.

"Just give me a reason to pull this trigger," Big John warned.

"Fine, I'll leave the little bitch alone, long as I don't find out you're gettin' cash outta him," Luke finally said.

Out of the corner of his eye, John B could see his dad rolling his eyes.

"Bird, go get Jay, grab anything he wants to take with him. He's not ever coming back here," Big John said.

John B nodded and immediately went to JJ's door. He undid the deadbolt lock and carefully opened the door.

"Jay? It's me," he softly called out as he stepped in. John B didn't close the door all the way, but enough that it would give them plenty of privacy.

JJ was curled up on the floor, as far away from the bed as he could be in the small room. He'd covered himself with a blanket, and was clutching an old stuffed elephant against himself that John B hadn't seen in years as his breath came in quick gasps. He was still crying.

"Bree?" JJ called out, lifting his head and looking up at him.

"Yeah, yeah I'm here," John B said, fighting back his own tears - it was a losing battle. "I'm taking you back to the Chateau, just like I said. My dad is making sure they won't ever touch you again. You're not ever gonna see them again, not even Luke."

JJ nodded, but didn't make a move to stand up.

"We gotta get your stuff together. You're not ever coming back here," John B said. He crouched down next to JJ. "I'll stuff your clothes in a bag, you grab anything else you wanna have. That sound okay?"

"He locked the closet," JJ said. "I can't get to my clothes."

John B's anger stirred once again as he glanced over at JJ's small closet, which, as he said, was now adorned with a padlock, preventing JJ from even having access to clothes.

"That's okay, I'll break it off," he said, forcing his anger away. There would be plenty of time for that later. "Let me help you up?" he asked.

JJ nodded, extending one bare arm towards John B and keeping the other clutched tightly around the blanket and elephant. Exerting more effort to keep himself from getting dizzy than effort actually helping JJ up, John B pulled JJ to his feet, doing his best to ignore JJ's barely concealed sounds of pain.

John B grabbed a pillow that thankfully was free from blood and other bodily fluids, and handed it to JJ.

"Put anything you want to take away from here in there," he said, grabbing another pillow off the bed. That one did have a wet spot on it, but a quick sniff test proved that it was just tears, and nothing else. "I'll get your clothes."

JJ nodded, stuffing the elephant into the pillowcase. The blanket still wrapped around his too-thin body, he limped over to his desk and began rifling through his drawings and other personal items.

Secure that JJ wasn't going to immediately pass out, John B turned around back to the closet. There wasn't anything in the room he could use to break the lock off other than his own foot. Bracing himself for what was surely going to aggravate his concussion, John B lifted his foot and kicked at the lock at angle once, twice, three times before the lock snapped off and fell to the floor. John B caught himself on the door frame as he too almost fell to the floor. He forced himself to take a deep breath and push past the nausea and dizziness. He was going to be fine. JJ was the one who mattered. JJ was the one who had gone through the worst trauma imaginable. John B could fight through a concussion.

There weren't many clothes in the small closet, but John B grabbed what he could and shoved it into the pillowcase. He didn't see anything else in the closet that JJ had any particular attachment to, so once he'd fit the clothes and ratty hats into the pillowcase, he turned back to his friend, still only clad in a blanket.

"Do you want some of these now?" he gently asked, holding out the pillowcase. JJ nodded, and set his own pillowcase down. John B could see some drawings, school supplies, and polaroid pictures of him and the pogues, as well as a lump at the bottom that could only be the stuffed elephant.

John B turned around to give JJ privacy, despite the urge he felt to know how badly JJ was hurt. He could find out later, once they got home. He was sure that JJ would want to shower, and would also refuse the hospital, but after what he'd been through, hopefully he'd be willing to let John B help him.

"Okay," JJ muttered a moment later. John B turned around, seeing JJ in a pair of ratty sweatpants that hung too much off his hips and a shirt with far too many holes in it. It was no wonder that JJ was always stealing John B's clothes, when his own were in such poor condition. He had no socks or shoes to speak of, not having been wearing either when Luke abducted him from the Chateau, and having already brought all the socks and boxers he owned with him when he fled to the Chateau those few days ago. Those boots were the only pair of shoes that he owned.

"You ready to go home?" John B asked. JJ nodded again, wiping a tear away the moment it escaped. "Alright, you stay behind me, okay? I'm not gonna let them touch you. I promise." JJ nodded again, but he was shaking. He looked at the door and shook his head. "It's okay, I'm right here. I'm not leaving you." John B carefully held out his hand, and waited for JJ to take it. He moved to the door, giving JJ's hand a gentle squeeze. "Don't even look at them, okay? Don't listen."

Once JJ nodded, John B opened the door, and began walking out, pulling JJ behind him. He glared daggers at the men while JJ kept his head turned away, squeezing John B's hand so hard it ached.

"Don't you forget who you belong to, boy," Luke growled as they quickly passed by. "I own you!"

"Shut up!" Big John yelled just as John B and JJ got out of the house, his gun still trained on the men.

"Come on, all the way to the truck," John B said, forcing himself to ignore the sniffling he could hear behind him. He kept pulling JJ along at a steady pace, not stopping until they reached his dad's truck. John B quickly opened the door and helped JJ up into the backseat, then slid in next to him, immediately relaxing back against the leather. His head was pounding, and he was pretty sure it was only a matter of time until he threw up. He ignored it.

"Bree, your head," JJ said, his voice breaking. Of course that was what JJ was concerned about now that he could see it. There was still blood caked on the side of John B's face from getting pistol whipped. JJ reached out, and John B let him carefully prod at the wound, knowing how many times he'd done exactly the same to JJ.

"I'm okay, I promise," he said. "I'm okay, and you're gonna be okay, alright? You're safe now. He can never hurt you again, my dad is making sure of it."

JJ nodded as tears welled up in his eyes. He let himself fall against John B until his head was in John B's lap, facing the back of the truck. JJ held onto John B just like he'd been holding onto that stuffed elephant. John B let his own tears fall unchecked as JJ sobbed in his lap, even as the driver's side door opened and Big John hopped in, gun once again tucked in his waistband.

"They're gonna leave him alone," he said. "If they don't, it's prison for them all. Either way, I'm gonna talk with my contact about becoming Jay's legal guardian. No matter what happens, he's gonna be okay. He's with us no matter what, now."

John B nodded. "Thank you," he breathed out, some of the knots in his stomach lessening knowing that his dad had it handled. He didn't know how Big John would make it happen, but he trusted him, and that was enough.

JJ pressed himself even further into John B, gripping him tighter.

"How many were there?" John B couldn't stop himself from asking, his voice so low it was almost a whisper. "Before we got you."

After a moment, JJ replied, "four."

John B took a deep breath in as he fought a losing battle against his own sobs. He held onto JJ tighter as Big John drove them back to the Chateau. It was okay now. JJ was going to be fine. He was safe now, and that was all that mattered.

When they got back home, JJ wordlessly slid out of the car and into Big John, who supported him. He wasn't crying anymore, but the tear stains on his face hadn't yet dried. John B climbed out after him, carrying both pillowcases full of JJ's belongings, and moved to his side, ready to take the lead if JJ were to decide that he would rather have his support instead of Big John's. But JJ wordlessly allowed Big John to keep an arm around his shoulders and moved with them towards the house.

The Chateau was dark and quiet, a sharp contrast to the scene at the Maybank residence that John B and his dad had arrived upon. There was no loud, obnoxious rap music about taking advantage of women and doing drugs and getting guns, and there were no sadistic and depraved men eager to traumatize and torture a fifteen year old boy half their size.

John B flipped on the light and dropped the pillowcases the moment he stepped inside, immediately illuminating the somewhat unkempt living space. There were no drugs scattered over the small table, aside from a single burnt joint, and only a few empty beer bottles around the room. It was the normal amount of mess for any house on the Cut, maybe even less. It was a far cry from the hellhole they'd gotten JJ out of. Nonetheless, John B was unable to resist the urge to grab the used joint and beer bottles and scoop them into the trash, if only to make the space even more different from the Maybank house. It shouldn't have been necessary, since the Chateau always felt warm, just due to the decor and how light flitted in through the windows, and the hellhole was always cold, with its white walls and how the light always felt glaring. The dark wood of the Chateau and the light given off by all the lamps scattered about made it feel cozy and warm, no matter the time of year. John B just hoped JJ felt the same about it.

When John B turned away from the trash can, JJ was already sitting on the couch, curled up mostly on his side. His eyes were blank as they stared past John B, looking at nothing. Big John sat on the other side of the couch, as far away from JJ as he could be, but still close enough that JJ could reach out if he wanted to.

"You're safe now, kiddo, I promise," Big John said. "Nothin' like that is ever gonna happen to you again. Can you look at me, buddy? Just so I know you're hearin' me?" After a moment, JJ turned his gaze towards Big John. He only kept eye contact for a few seconds, but nodded. "Okay, good. Now John B is gonna stay with you, I'm gonna make a call, that okay?" JJ nodded again, turning his gaze towards John B as he moved towards the couch.

Big John reached out towards JJ for a moment before clearly thinking better of it and retracting his hand. He gave a sad smile and stood up, nodding at John B and heading for his office, leaving John B alone with his traumatized best friend.

John B sat down on the couch next to JJ, closer than Big John had been, but not close enough to be touching him. He stayed quiet as JJ turned from his right side, where he'd been laying, over to his left, to lean against John B. The whimper that left JJ as he moved sent another pang of heartbreak through John B's chest. How had he let this happen? John B had always hated himself for not being able to protect JJ from Luke, but this was really a new low.

"I'm so sorry-."

"Stop," JJ interrupted before John B could continue. "This isn't your fault, so stop. It's mine, I'm the one who would never let you call the police, no matter how much you begged me, so it's my-."

"No, no no no," John B interrupted right back, shifting himself and JJ to be able to look his friend in the eye. "This isn't your fault. You didn't ask for any of this, you didn't want it, and you didn't deserve it. You have never deserved it. I know why you didn't want the cops, and not calling doesn't make it your fault."

"It didn't even matter, did it?" JJ pondered, his gaze turning downward. "The thing I was so scared of happening if I went to foster care happened anyway, and because of- because of my own dad." He looked back up at John B, tears once again filling his eyes. "No matter how bad it got, I always thought he still loved me, deep down, ya know? But now…" he trailed off for a moment, wiping at the tears that had started to fall. "Why doesn't he love me? What did I do wrong?"

"Nothing," John B immediately responded, gently pulling JJ into his arms. JJ let himself be held, his hands coming up to grip John B's shirt as John B wrapped his arms around the younger boy. "It has nothing to do with you. We all love you so much. Pope loves you, Kiara loves you, my dad loves you. JJ, I love you more than anything. You're my brother, man. You're my family just as much as my dad is, and he loves you like he loves me."

"I love you, too, Bree," JJ whispered in response, not moving from where John B was holding him.

"We're gonna get past this. I'm gonna be here with you through it all, I'm gonna help you get through this. Whatever you need, you just say the word, and I'll do it. I'm not gonna leave you, okay? I'm never gonna leave you," John B repeated as he held JJ. He started running gentle fingers through messy blond locks and carefully rocking him back and forth despite his nausea. If JJ was still crying, he was doing so silently. John B certainly was.

Big John's office door opening stole his attention. The man walked out, a relieved look on his face.

"Hey, boys," he softly greeted. John B nodded at him, and JJ shifted just enough to look over in his general direction, but still firmly in John B's arms. "Some good news, I'll have some papers to sign in the morning," Big John said. "So will Luke. If he knows what's good for him, he'll sign 'em without a fight. There'll be some DCS interviews I'm sure, they'll have to make sure that this is a safe place for you to live, that I can provide for you, stuff like that. But I will be your legal guardian, that's for sure. I'm in business with someone with a lot of influence, and he needs me. If he wants my help, my research, then he'll do this. He knows that. For this, I trust him."

John B nodded, allowing himself a small smile. "Ya hear that?" he asked JJ. "You're gonna be my brother for real." He felt JJ smile against him and nod.

"Bird, help JJ get cleaned up, then you two should get some sleep. I know you're both exhausted. I'm guessing neither one of you is hungry?" John B carefully shook his head. He was still too nauseous to eat. JJ shook his head against him. That wasn't a surprise, considering the circumstances, but he'd likely be famished in the morning.

"You want a shower?" John B asked him. JJ nodded against him, but didn't make a move to get up.

"I'll leave you boys alone," Big John said. "But if you need anything, I mean anything, anything at all, you come get me, okay? I'm just down the hall." He ducked his head, likely trying to catch JJ's gaze. "You know I love you, kid, right? I love you like you're already my own. Bird knows that. I hope you do, too. I love you both." JJ nodded, but still kept his head resting against John B's chest. Big John gave them another soft smile, and walked away.

"Come on, bud," John B quietly prompted, gently nudging JJ. He nodded again, finally lifting himself up and slowly standing.

"I can do it myself," JJ said, though not unkindly, arms wrapped around himself.

"Okay, I'll grab some clothes for you, and drop your bags in our room," John B responded. JJ gave a nod and limped towards the bathroom. Once the door was closed, John B took a deep breath, forcing down his nausea. His concussion was not something he could deal with right now, but he didn't want to deal with his emotions either. He settled with carefully cleaning the dried blood off his head at least. That would have to be good enough. It had stopped bleeding quite some time ago, and cleaned rather quickly. If the nausea got so bad that he threw up in the kitchen sink while doing it, no one was there to know.

Once he was finished, John B grabbed the two pillowcases and brought them into his room, setting them down on the bed and grabbing the pair of sweatpants and sweatshirt that he knew JJ would want - oversized, and the softest either of them owned. Fresh clothes in hand, John B waited outside the bathroom door until he heard the water shut off nearly an hour later. He gently knocked on the door.

"Jay, I've got some clothes for ya, can I come in?" he asked.

The quiet, affirmative reply came almost a full ten seconds later - ten seconds felt a lot longer than it was. John B carefully opened the door, averting his eyes when he saw JJ standing in front of the mirror, hands on the countertop, only a towel around his waist. He'd seen JJ in only a towel more times than he could count, but given the circumstances, he felt like looking away was the right thing to do. Still, he couldn't pretend he hadn't seen the fingerprint shaped bruises, bite marks, and scratch marks littering his friend's torso.

JJ was silent, looking at himself in the mirror. He didn't acknowledge John B's presence, or reach for the clothes that John B set next to him.

"You okay?" John B asked, then cursed himself for asking. Of course JJ wasn't okay. How could he be?

"You know you mean the world to me too, right?" JJ finally answered, looking over at John B. His eyes looked empty, broken. "And I can never repay you and Big John for what you're doing for me?"

"You don't have to repay us," John B insisted. He took a step closer, wanting to reach out but knowing it wasn't the right move. "You're my best friend, I just want you to be okay."

"Then why do you bother?" JJ asked him. His voice broke and he looked away, down at the ground. "I'm not okay, and I'm never gonna be okay again. I was barely even okay before all this happened. I'm broken, and I- I don't think you can fix me this time. Maybe I should just take myself out." He shook his head and wrapped his arms protectively around himself. John B didn't fail to notice that his hands were shaking. All of him was shaking. JJ was falling apart and John B didn't have the slightest idea what to do.

"Don't say that," John B said. "I can't even begin to imagine what you're going through, and I don't know how to help you, but I will. I'll figure it out, and I'll do it. But you have to let me, okay? We can do this together, one step at a time. And right now, step one is putting on some dry clothes, okay? And we'll go from there, together. You're not alone."

JJ nodded, wiping at his eyes. Hands still shaking, he reached out and grabbed the clothes. John B turned around, and took that moment to wipe the tears from his own eyes. When JJ was finished, John B led him back into their bedroom and sat down next to him on the bed. His hair was still wet, but John B didn't mind when he rested his head on his shoulder anyway. JJ absently grabbed at one of the pillows, reaching in and pulling out the stuffed elephant he'd been holding earlier.

"This is the only good thing my parents ever gave me," he muttered. "They gave it to me together, on my fourth birthday. I remember them both smiling at me. It was the last good day we all had together. I just wish I knew why when she left, she didn't take me with her." JJ paused, taking a shuddering breath in. "If she'd taken me with her, none of this woulda happened. I don't know where she is, I don't even know if she's still alive, but wherever she is, it has to be better than with Luke, right?" He held the elephant against him as he relaxed into John B's side, John B's arm wrapped around his shoulders.

"I know, buddy, it's not fair," John B replied, the pain of his own mother's absence strong. "But you don't ever have to be with Luke again. You live here now, and you're safe here. If he ever even tries to touch you again, I'll kill him myself, I swear, okay?" he promised him, venom in his voice. "There's nothing that could stop me. Whatever you need, nothing's gonna stop me from getting it, from doing it, no matter what it is."

"I just need you here."

"I'm not goin' anywhere, you know that," John B quickly replied, running his hand up and down JJ's arm a few times. After a minute of silence, he continued. "How about tomorrow, we skip school and check out the break instead? We're supposed to get some great swells for this time of year." It was definitely an awful idea to surf with a concussion, but if it could help JJ, then John B would do it anyway. "It's not like my dad's gonna mind if we skip school after this," he added with a slight chuckle.

"You mean you don't think your dad would mind if I took a day off after getting raped by my dad's friends?" JJ's tone was his normal sarcasm, which was a good thing, but his words sent a pang so strong into John B's heart that he couldn't help but let a pained noise escape. "We may as well call it what it is, right?" he continued, his tone less jovial.

"Whatever's gonna help you," John B replied. If that meant being extremely blunt about it when it was just the two of them, then so be it. John B had no room to be upset about what they called it when it happened to JJ, not him.

"I don't know, maybe the break would be nice, if we could find somewhere quiet, like I said, earlier, before," JJ continued with a slight shrug. He was right, they had already been talking about skipping school and going surfing instead, only a few hours prior, before everything got so much worse. But in those few hours prior, JJ had been getting better, and John B was confident that he would get better again. He knew it would take even longer, but he was determined not to lose his best friend, his brother.

"Great," John B said, forcing a smile. "It's a plan then. We'll snag some beers from the fridge, take a joint or two, maybe I'll even let you drive the Twinkie."

"I don't have my license yet."

"So?" he asked with a genuine chuckle. JJ chuckled in response.

"True," JJ replied. "Maybe we don't tell Kie and Pope until later? I don't know what I'm gonna tell them yet, but they have to know something."

JJ was right, and once again, John B was at a loss to help him. Kie and Pope barely even knew what went on at the Maybank house in general, much less recently. They knew that Luke hit JJ, but they didn't know the extent of it, how serious it got. How was JJ supposed to tell them that not only was it so much more serious than they knew, but he'd also gotten trafficked by his own father? And on top of that, JJ was now living permanently with John B and was going to have Big John as his legal guardian. There was a lot to unpack.

"We tell them as much as you want to," John B finally replied with a shrug of his own. "If that means right now we just say you're living here now, and you don't wanna talk about the rest, then that's okay. Yeah, they'll try to pry at first, but only because they love you. When I tell them to drop it, they'll drop it." That was as good a plan as any.

"Okay," JJ responded around a yawn.

"Come on, bud. Let's get to sleep. You need it."

"But your head-."

"My head's just fine," John B lied, a sad smile on his face. No matter how hurt he was, JJ's first priority was always his friends. His love of others warmed John B's heart, and broke it at the same time, since it was only because of how unworthy of love he saw himself.

"I'll wake you up every hour," JJ said, his voice full of conviction.

"Okay," John B replied, unwilling to try to fight his friend on this. "Come on, bubba, unless you want the pullout instead?"

In lieu of a response, JJ just gingerly moved himself until he was under the sheets, still holding the elephant in one hand, and reaching out for John B with the other. John B turned the lamp off and crawled in next to him, leaving space between them.

"I need you here," JJ muttered, his voice barely a whisper. He didn't look up at John B, the dead giveaway that he was embarrassed. He didn't have to be.

"That's okay," John B insisted. He scooched himself closer to JJ and carefully took him into his arms, letting JJ rest his forehead against John B's chest and grip his shirt in his fingers. "You know I need you too," he whispered. And he did. Feeling JJ there, safe, with him, relaxed John B more than he'd been since before JJ had been taken that afternoon. "You're gonna be okay. I'm gonna be with you, and you're gonna be okay. I promise."

After a moment, JJ softly replied, "yeah, maybe you're right."

And he was.

That night, true to his word, JJ did wake up John B every hour to make sure he was still alive - although wake up is a strong phrase when neither one of them slept much between nightmares. The next day, they skipped school and went surfing on a quiet beach, just as they said they would. JJ smiled and laughed and didn't try to hide his bruises from John B. Neither one of them surfed very well that day, but that was okay.

When Kiara and Pope joined them after school, JJ withdrew back into himself again, once more putting on the sweatshirt and hiding the marks. Kie and Pope had definitely seen, but didn't ask. JJ let John B do most of the talking, explaining that he was staying at the Chateau until further notice, and that was that. Of course, they'd been concerned and wanted to know more, but one glare from John B and seeing JJ so quiet and tucked into himself changed things. They each carefully hugged him, letting him melt into their arms, and reminded him that they loved him, and that was that.

After that, JJ slowly started to come back to himself around them a little more. It was slower with Kie and Pope than it was with John B, but the progress was there. School and work were different stories, but John B knew that JJ just needed time. Big John was different too, but in a good way. He'd been talking about going off on another trip, but he didn't go. He was more attentive than he'd ever been, and more present, and caring, and responsible, and overall just a better dad than he'd been in a long time. It was an odd change, but one that John B was thankful for. His dad's tendency to be accidentally neglectful seemed to be melting away now that he had two sons instead of one. He kept it up even after DCS came and made sure the Chateau was a good enough living environment for JJ, and although he was still heavily invested in his research, he was more invested in his sons. Big John never did tell them who his contact was that had helped them, but John B was infinitely grateful to the anonymous man.

Not every day was a good day, but eventually, the good days outnumbered the bad ones. JJ was better fed, his ribs finally not all visible when he was shirtless, and he wasn't bruised anymore. It was strange, seeing JJ consistently without cuts and bruises and hiding a limp. But it was the best strange that John B had ever experienced.

When Big John finally asked John B and JJ to come with him on what he was sure would be his final trip to find the Royal Merchant, JJ was more than eager to go, as long as John B was too.

"Of course I'm going," John B said, looking fondly over at his brother. "You know I've always got your back."

JJ smiled at him and nodded. "Yeah, I know you do."

After everything that JJ had been through, that smile was the best thing that John B had ever seen.

No amount of lost gold would ever compare to the gold that was JJ.