"What did I say would happen next time you stole food from me?" Father growled, towering over Sam.

"Y-you'd whip me." He answered quietly.

Father nodded and shoved Sam's shoulder so he spun around to face the wall. "Shirt off, hands on the wall." Sam did as he was told, bracing himself as he heard Father take off his belt.

There were a few seconds of silence when a sudden sharp ziiip whizzed through the air and Sam felt a searing hot pain strike across his back. He screamed as it came down again and again until he eventually fell to his knees, sobbing and begging Father to stop.

"Have you learned your lesson?" Father asked.

Sam nodded, wrapping his arms around himself. Another hard strike hit him across his shoulders. "I can't hear you."

"Yes sir," Sam said.

"Good." Father said, grabbing Sam's arm and lifting him to his feet. "Now get out of my sight."

Sam ran into the bathroom and turned on the cold water. He stood with his head hanging, watching the clear water mix with his blood. It hurt to move. His back felt like it was made of plastic and unable to stretch. He hated this.

Jayden was crying. Jayden didn't cry often, it was usually Sam who was the emotional wreck. This time though, Sam held Jayden tightly as the older boy cried. He was positive Jayden had a few broken ribs, and maybe a broken hand. Father came home angry again, something had happened at work and he blamed Sam and Jayden for it. Jayden got the worst of it.

Jayden gave a harsh laugh through his tears. "I'm sorry," He sniffed, "I'm supposed to be the strong one."

"No," Sam said, wrapping his arms tighter around Jayden. "No your not."

"But I'm older," Jayden said, tears still streaming down his face. "I'm seventeen, you've just turned fifteen."

"That doesn't mean anything," Sam said quietly. "We've both been through the same shit together. You don't have to be strong for me, we have to be strong for each other."

Jayden pulled back from Sam and wiped his eyes on the sleeve of his dark grey hoodie, one he seemed to favor. He looked so sad and pathetic, years younger than he actually was. Sam pulled Jayden into a hug again, Sam's arms wrapped around the other's thin frame. Jayden rested his forehead on Sam's shoulder.

Never did Sam expect it to end so abruptly, with Father grabbing Jayden by the back of his grey hoodie and yanking him over the back of the couch where they had been sitting. Sam whipped around, staring Father fearfully in his eyes. He quickly looked away, towards Jayden who was sitting on the floor, clutching his ribs in pain.

Father turned and looked down at Jayden, dropping the cigarette he had been holding onto the floor. "How dare you!" He shouted, stomping on Jayden's stomach. Jayden let out a rush of air, falling backwards and moaning in pain. "He is mine, not yours! How dare you touch him!"

Sam looked up at Father in disbelief. He was made because they had hugged? Did Father even realize what he did to Sam was so much worse? Sam glared at the possessive bastard and jumped over the couch, standing between Jayden and Father. "Its not his fault." Sam growled.

Father backhanded him across the face with so much force Sam was pushed away from Jayden and landed on the floor. Father sneered down at him, "Ungrateful brat," he muttered before grabbing Jayden by the front of his hoodie and lifting him up off the ground so his feet were dangling beneath him.

"Let him go!" Sam shouted, grabbing Father's muscular arm and pulling on him. It did nothing as Sam had lost any and all muscle he used to have due to undernourishment. He feared Jayden being hurt more than he already was.

Father swatted Sam away. "Get out of here, you brat!" He shouted, turning his glare back to Jayden. "I need to teach him a lesson about touching my stuff."

"Sam's not an object!" Jayden yelled in Father's face.

Everyone went dead silent. The tension in the room seemed to be screaming.

"Jayen you dumbass, he's going to kill you!" Sam finally shouted. Jayden used the moment of shock to get out of Father grip and run into the hall. Father snapped out of his stupor and chased after Jayden, screaming profanities. "No!" Sam shouted, following them into the hall. Father was going to kill Jayden. He was truly going to kill him. "No, no, no," Sam mumbled to himself running up the stairs after them.

Father had grabbed Jayden and slammed him into the wall, holding him up by the neck, glaring into his eyes while Jayden choked for breath.

"Stop, please!" Sam begged, tugging on Father's arm. Father dropped Jayden to the floor and he coughed, clutching his ribs in pain. Sam fell to his knees next to Jayden, putting a hand on his shoulder, only to be pulled back by Father.

"Don't fucking touch him," He ordered.

Father walked into his own bedroom and Sam hoped he would stay there as he turned back to Jayden. He cupped Jayden's face in his hands and looked into his light blue eyes. "You'll be okay, all right?"

Jayden nodded stiffly. "All right," his voice was tight. He suddenly glanced behind Sam, and his eyes widened and pupils dilated.

Sam quickly turned around and the hair on the back of his neck stood up when he came face to face with a handgun that could blow his head off in seconds. He put his arm behind himself and pushed Jayden back.

"Move," Father growled.

"No," Sam said defiantly. "You can't kill him. You'll have to kill me too."

He cocked the gun and aimed it right between Sam's eyes. "Fucking move."

"No."

Father pulled his arm back and hit Sam across the face with the gun, sending him onto his side. Sam screamed and clutched his cheek. He was pretty sure the bone below his eye was broken.

He swung around just in time to see Father pointing the gun at Jayden's chest. Sam launched forward to try and push the gun away, but a bang rang through the air, freezing Sam in place on his knees, arm outstretched.

Jayden's mouth dropped open and he looked down at his chest, where a hole in his hoodie was blossoming with blood. He looked up at Sam in shock, putting a hand to his chest.

"No, no, no!" Sam grabbed Jayden and tugged the grey hoodie off him and pressed it onto the wound to try and stop the blood flow. He tugged Jayden into his arms and held him in a hug, burying his face in Jayden's shoulder, vaguely aware of Father saying that they had to leave and running down the stairs.

"Sam?" Jayden said quietly. He didn't sound like he was in pain, he just sounded calm, tired.

Sam pulled back, keeping an arm around at Jayden's back to hold him up, and taking Jayden's hand in his other. "Jayden?" Sam asked, looking the older boy in the eyes. Jayden was no longer crying, but Sam felt tears running down his own cheeks.

Jayden gave sam a small, sad smile and lifted his hand to put it against Sam's cheek, the one that wasn't broken, running his thumb across the tears there. "I love you."

Sam let out a sob. "I- Jayden, I love you too."

Jayden's face seemed to glow, and he moved his hand around Sam, and hugged him. Sam held him tight, crying into his shoulder. He couldn't lose Jayden. He wouldn't be able to survive without him, Jayden has always been here with Sam.

He didn't know how long he held Jayden but it felt like eternity. All that mattered was Jayden. Sam only startled when Father yelled something up the stairs, that he ignored.

"Jayden?" Sam said softly.

There was no response.

Sam's hand tightened on the back of Jayden's shirt, and he realized that the Jayden's hand had gone limp in his. He pulled away and Jayden's head limply hung against his chest.

"No… No!" Sam shook Jayden. "No, wake up!"

He lay Jayden on the floor and put his ear on Jayden's blood-soaked chest. Sam heard nothing. Sam's world came to a halting stop as he realized the realness of the situation. A haze seemed to settle over everything.

Jayden was gone.

Sam was vaguely aware of being pulled away from Jayden by the back of his shirt, and down the stairs. Jayden disappeared from sight, but Sam could still see the pale, blood soaked Jayden in his mind. Sam still clutched Jayden's bloody hoodie in his hand.

He was tossed into the trunk of a car, but he didn't even feel it. Sam couldn't feel anything but a painful emptiness in his chest that he had never felt before.