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[center]with [@BrutalBx][/center]
[center][h3][i]TRIGGER WARNING FOR SEVERE CHILD ABUSE[/i][/h3][/center]
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[color=930101]“You think this is a fuckin’ game, boy?”[/color] Benjamin Boaz growled from his position towering over a seven year old Danny, eyes bloodshot and nose crusted with white powder as a sheen of sweat coated his skin. Danny was shaking so visibly one could almost worry he would pull a Flash and vibrate straight through the floor. Chest heaving, Beni grabbed a fistful of his youngest’s shirt and hauled the boy off his feet to dangle uselessly as he struggled. [color=930101]“Answer me!”[/color]

[color=ff7f50]“I-I don’t know!”[/color] The child cried, blood running down from his nose to trickle onto his shirt and by default his father’s hand as well. [color=ff7f50]“I don’t know what I did!”[/color]

[color=930101]“That’s the damn [i]problem!![/i]”[/color] Beni yelled before tossing the boy to the side, his small body rolling a couple feet before coming to a sudden halt as his back hit his mother’s legs.

[color=b8057e]“Why’d you throw him at me?”[/color] Alana asked before roughly shoving the boy away with one foot, arms crossed. [color=b8057e]“Throw him in his room if you don’t wanna look at him.”[/color]

Before Beni could reply, the front door flew open to reveal a haggard looking Decky Boaz, freshly in his double digits despite his size indicating otherwise. His eyes immediately locked onto his baby brother’s shaking and slumped frame at the other side of the living room. His heart stumbled before jumping right out of his chest and towards Danny, his body only following a moment later.

[color=dc143c]“Dan[i]-erhg![/i]”[/color] The back of his collar was yanked in the opposite direction of his body, cutting off his air supply and making him splutter and cough as he tried to take a breath. Beni dragged his eldest to the other side of the room, far from his brother, before throwing him like a ragdoll against the wall. Decky caught himself palms first before using the force to spin himself around, glaring at his father with his back against the wall. His eyes searched for Danny again, but all he got to see was the ugly, threadbare plaid of his father’s shirt right in front of him. A blow across his cheekbone sent him to the ground before he was hauled back up against the wall.

[color=930101]“You better learn to pay attention to me you piece of shit,”[/color] his father growled out, eyes wide and predatory. [color=930101]“Don’t you get between me and your brother when he needs punishment, or I’ll give it all to you and then some.”[/color]

[color=dc143c]“So do it!”[/color] Decky yelled, making his father jerk back in surprise before the scowl retook his features and another sharp [i]crack![/i] was heard through the room as Beni left a hand shaped mark on his cheek.

[color=930101]“You wanna take his beatin’,”[/color] Beni replied with a poisonous glare. [color=930101]“that’s just fine. Lana, keep the other watchin’.”[/color]

[color=dc143c]“Wait wh-”[/color]

[i]CRACK![/i]

Decky’s head whipped to the side, his body following after as he slumped halfway down the wall before pushing himself back up.

[color=930101]“You didn’t think he’d get off that easy did you? You taking his punishment doesn’t teach him anythin’ unless he fuckin’ [i]sees it![/i]”[/color] 

[i]CRACK![/i]

Decky got lost in the pain soon after, able to focus on nothing but staying conscious.

[color=ff7f50][i]“DECKY!”[/i][/color] Danny cried out, holding his injured shoulder but still reaching for his older brother.

[color=b8057e]“Nuh uh, you little leach,”[/color] Lana scolded, holding the boy’s jaw in a bruising grip and yanking him forward on his knees, making him stumble and- had it not been for the hand holding his jaw- almost crash his chin into the floor. [color=b8057e]“What do you think you’re doing? You think you can help? Think you can be his little hero?”[/color] His mother taunted, nails digging into his cheeks and drawing blood. [color=b8057e]“C’mon, [i]smile[/i], you just got out of a world of pain. The least you could do is [i]watch[/i].”[/color]

Danny whimpered and sobbed in her hold, whole body shaking and tears burning trails down his face as he watched his father deliver blow after blow on his older brother. The entire time, his mother held his face in place with one hand while alternating between a cigarette and a bourbon bottle with the other, not a care in the world as her child’s blood sprayed across the dingy wall with each hit. A few minutes in, she looked down upon feeling the weight increase in her hand and gave out an aggravated sigh at the sight, pulling her hand off Danny’s chin as though it burned her. The youngest Boaz had fallen unconscious, unable to handle the physical and emotional stress of the night.

With all the care of someone dragging a sack of manure, Alana dragged her youngest into his room by the back of his collar before tossing him onto the floor and closing the door, pushing both locks in place before turning the key lock for good measure. She then returned to the living room to see her oldest on the ground with his back leaning heavily on the wall while his chest rose and fell with a few stutters in between. 

Decky’s face was a bloody mess, one of his eyes was swollen shut and there were deep splits on his cheeks from where his father’s knuckles had landed. His shirt, already a baggy and threadbare mess, had the collar completely torn apart while the rest of the fabric stayed stretched out from Benjamin's fists twisting into it, leaving the upper half of his chest exposed to reveal the trail of blood running all the way from his nose to his torso. As she watched, more blood poured out of his nose and trickled its way down the path until it got absorbed by the fabric hanging at his sternum. Benjamin was standing over the dazed boy as his shoulders rose and fell with labored breaths, though for very different reasons than her son. 

[color=b8057e]“Looks like he’s still got some fight left,”[/color] She mentioned, raising an uncaring eyebrow at the boy she previously thought unconscious as he struggled to lift his head and give his father a one-eyed glare, arm shakily pushing his torso into a straighter position. [color=b8057e]“Can’t even take a beatin’ right, what a fuckin’ burden.”[/color] A harsh [i]thump[/i] and gasp rang out behind her as she turned her back to them, making a beeline for the untouched line of coke on the table. With her latest cigarette still between two fingers, Alana knelt down and quickly took in the line, rubbing her nose harshly afterwards. Hopping up from her spot, she turned to Beni and Decky with her eyes blown wide and a sneer on her face. [color=b8057e]“‘S’all you’ll ever be, too.”[/color] She flicked her cigarette butt at her eldest and watched in fascination as it landed on his exposed chest and sat there, causing him to jump and wince harshly as the cherry burned a small gash into his skin before he could knock it off. Decky let out a harsh breath as the pain set in, the exhale wet and rattling.

[color=b8057e]“Huh,”[/color] she huffed out in intrigue, pulling out another cigarette and lighting it, passing it to Beni as she knelt in front of Decky, gripping his jaw the same way she had Danny’s earlier. [color=b8057e]“Guess we’ll have to make sure you don’t forget.”[/color]

In a mock of a loving gesture, Alana slid a hand to grasp the back of his neck as he attempted to steady his glare onto her. She smiled coldly as the cigarette was passed back to her, taking a hit before thrusting the burning end into the spot just below where the other cigarette had hit him. The reaction was immediate: Decky convulsed violently against the pain, and Alana tightened her grip on his neck painfully, holding him in place until his skin put the whole thing out. This continued for the next thirty minutes until both of the Boaz adults had run through their cartons, his father eventually having had to hold him down on the floor by his shoulders because of his struggling. 

The end result was an angry, inflamed red word stretching from the middle of his chest, over his left pectoral and across his left collarbone. For the rest of his life, Decky would have the reminder of this night. [b][i]BURDEN.[/i][/b] His eyes were wide and glassy, his arms limply spread out on the floor as he stared at the ceiling without really seeing it, a small whimper making its way past his lip’s defenses every few seconds. 

[color=930101]“God, I can’t fuckin’ stand the sight’a ya right now.”[/color] Beni spoke up from his place crouched over the boy. With a grunt of exertion, the man got himself up before grasping the dark locks of his eldest son’s hair and dragging him ruthlessly to the door, tossing him out and sliding the locks into place behind him with a final [i]click.[/i]

Bruised, battered, and broken, Decky stayed slumped half over their front stoop for the next five minutes, mumbling his brother’s name over and over in a hoarse whisper.

[color=f5d42e]“...Mob…”[/color] Decky’s head flew up from where it had been resting against his limp arms, his one good eye falling on Sonny Cernis in all his ragged glory. Sonny had his own cuts and bruises, and the other boy’s face was twisted up into something awful when he saw the state his friend was in, seemingly unable to choose between rage and dismay. It ended up in the most twisted grimace Decky had ever seen on Sunshine, and he didn’t like it at all.

[color=dc143c]“They kept Danny in our room,”[/color] Decky let out with a broken sob. [color=dc143c]“They made ‘im watch and now he’s in there ‘n’ I’m stuck out here. They made him [i]watch[/i], Sunshine.”[/color] 

Sonny’s eyes turned stormy, their normal pale green hue darkened to a dull gray with his rage. He dropped down beside Decky and hovered his hands nervously over all his wounds. When the battered boy turned himself over, Sonny’s eyes went wide at the sight of his chest. Catching sight of the other’s stirring emotions, Decky huffed out wetly.

[color=dc143c]"Don't do that, Sunshine, there's nothing you could do."[/color]

[color=f5d42e]"There's somethin' we could both do, actually,"[/color] Sonny declared, casting his gaze down the street to where you could see a few people camped out on the corner. [color=f5d42e]"They protect their own, right?"[/color]

[color=dc143c]"Can’t stop either of our parents without us ending up in the system,"[/color] Decky retorted venomously, but Sonny knew none of it was directed at him. [color=dc143c]“we just gotta wait for them to OD or somethin’. Give us time to avoid it.”[/color] 

[color=f5d42e]"Maybe,"[/color] he replied. [color=f5d42e]"or maybe we can make them hurt and scared once we help ourselves first."[/color]

And that? That had Decky pausing long enough to really consider the option. It could help him. It could help Sunshine. It could help [i]Danny[/i] if he plays his card right.

It...really wasn’t something he had any reason to turn down. So, with a determined nod and a, [color=dc143c]"Yeah...yeah ok, let's go,"[/color] he took the other ten year old’s hand and with Sonny’s help they limped their way down to the corner, stopping in front of all the teens that were sitting on overturned crates and barrels. The two stopped at the edge of the group, knowing they needed to wait to be acknowledged. Decky must have looked a sight, all bloody and bruised with torn clothes and nothing but some more blood to poorly cover his new brand. 

ReyRey sat on the stoop, a cigarette hanging from his mouth and the golden chains and rings that formed his tanned skin were illuminated by the street light. He glanced over around the strong body of one of his guards at the boys that now stood on [i]his[/i] corner. He allowed his dark eyes to track their wounds and the blood that covered them. Do what he did for as long as he did and you gain the sad ability to tell if a beating is for business or for pleasure and judging by what now stood before him, this wasn’t a business transaction.

[color=gold]”Someone get these boys a blanket and something to clean themselves up”[/color]

That broke the tableau as several crew members moved to do as their young leader told them. As the blanket was dropped over both of their shoulders, neither boy letting go of the other, one of the women came out of the house with wet rags and a bottle of antiseptic. Decky kept an eye on her as she approached, the warm rags dangling from slender, tanned fingers as a small smile makes its way onto her full lips. She crouches to their height once she's right in front of them, and hands each a rag, frown flickering across her face briefly as Decky takes a physical step back. Sonny looks between the two and carefully takes both rags and antiseptic from her. With a smile devoid of pity- nobody wants pity down here, to [i]be pitied[/i]- Tama Kraeter stood back up and headed back to her husband and boyfriend over by the street sign, keeping half an eye on the kids that were even younger than little Jonie and Maliq. The world today was just so wrong.

[color=f5d42e]"Thank you."[/color] Sonny called to her retreating back, already grabbing Decky's arm in a gentle grip and beginning to wipe the blood off the other boy. Decky continued to look around warily, barely flinching when Sonny moved to the next, more damaged arm. His good eye settled back on the older boy on the stoop. He had never personally dealt with ReyRey Gonzales, or indeed many of the people in his own neighborhood, but the man had taken one look at them and casually demanded comforts be given. Sunshine was wiping at his neck, working his way up to the sluggishly bleeding cut on his cheek. ReyRey seemed confident in his place in a way Decky had only ever pretended to, and he had the ability to change things he didn't like like Decky never could. Sunshine had finished his face with the rag, the cuts still bleeding but his face as clear as it could be.

[color=gold]”Wherever you boys came from, you ain’t going back, not tonight”[/color] ReyRey threw his cigarette down onto the floor as he looked upon the strangers now standing on his corner. He scratched the fuzz on his chin before reaching into his jacket and pulling out a wad of bills. He licked the tips of his fingers and began to count the dollars. He delegated a few from the bundle and handed them to one of his subordinates, whom then offered them up to the tear away teens. [color=gold]”Go to the Edge, tell them I sent you and you need a bed. We’ll make up a plan for you in the morning”[/color]

Both boys now stared at him warily, eyeing the cash being held out in confusion and fear. You didn't just [i]get[/i] money to spend. You had to lose something for it, and these two didn't really have anything left to give. Decky hissed and recoiled once the fibers of the rag tugged at the raw skin on his chest, finally revealing the inflamed brand to the cold night air, and every set of eyes on the corner. Sonny apologized to him quietly, still working at the wound while Decky forced the tears from falling. Every swipe of the fabric was like getting burned all over again, and his thoughts quickly settled on Danny. He squared his shoulders as best he could and looked to ReyRey.

[color=dc143c]"Thank you, uh, sir,"[/color] he started awkwardly, pleasantries and honorifics never really his thing, and speech slurred by his swollen jaw. [color=dc143c]"But my baby brother is still there-"[/color] [i]'so I'll just sleep outside the window,'[/i] [color=dc143c]"-so I can't go anywhere yet. We just...wanted to know if you had any spots open…"[/color]

[color=gold]”As a matter of fact I do”[/color] Rey responded. He jumped up to his feet and placed his hands into his jacket pockets. [color=gold]”Do what you need to tonight boys, take care of your business and your family. Come see me tomorrow. I’m sure you know where to find me”[/color] With that, R2, flanked by multiple serpent jacket clad youths took off into the night.

They watched him go with the blanket left over their shoulders, and many of the crew members following after him. As they turned to leave themselves, the woman that had come up to them with the rags approached again, this time with a lithe man with dark hair and soft, angled eyes. As they approached, the other man they had been with- a tall black man with messy scruff and a wool beanie- broke away and crossed the street, heading for the Edge of Sin.

[color=732eeb]"Intel is gonna talk to his wife at the Edge and make sure she has a dorm set up for you tw- three,"[/color] she told them, correcting her count as she remembered Decky has a brother. [color=732eeb]"Kam'll make sure the sheets are clean an' everything's stocked. Until we see you next-"[/color] she held her hand behind her and Slick passed her his beanie. She took her own off as well and secured them on both boy's heads, face neutral but kind as she ignored the flinches. They looked at both Serpents with wide eyes. [color=732eeb]"-can't have you freezing out there. It's supposed ta rain tonight so find somethin’a stay under, okay?"[/color]

[color=f5d42e]"Who said we were-"[/color] Sonny went to deny before a sharp look only a mother could give cut him off.

[color=732eeb]"None'a us are stupid, kiddo, but we also ain't pushy. You've got your business just like ReyRey said. But when you're done, we'll be here."[/color] She smiled at them before standing up from her crouch and backing up. [color=732eeb]"Now go on, we'll see you tomorrow."[/color]

The two boys stared at her in mute wonder for a moment before nodding slowly and beginning their trek back down to their houses.

[color=2e9feb]"We should introduce them to Jonie and Maliq, I'm sure Kam and Intel won't mind much."[/color] Slick spoke up as the boys disappeared into the darkness of the broken street lamps.

[color=732eeb]"My man, always knowin' what's on my mind,"[/color] Thunder turned around and smiled at her husband. [color=732eeb]"Everyone could use a few friends."[/color]

Those boys needed more than just friends, they needed people at their back, and if they continued on their current path then their kids would be perfect for that. They'd treat 'em right.