This was it, this was the address. Jacob knew this kid had rich parents, but he didn't expect his house to be as big as a mansion. The white building towers above the midget as he looks at all the intricate details on the walls and the fancy windows, his vivid blue eyes scanning over it all in awe. But he's here for a reason, so he snaps himself out of it and walks up to the door, knocking a few times.

Soon enough, the door swings open to reveal a younger kid, his blond hair a complete mess. His clothes are atrociously bright, and his shirt has some nerdy pun on it. And he has on these big, Harry Potter style glasses. But most noticeably, he looks to be younger than Jacob. And this kid is supposed to be Jacob's tutor.

Did he get the wrong address? This kid looks like an 8 year old with ADHD.

It's clear once the boy speaks that this is indeed the correct place. "Are you Jacob? Come in! What subject do you need help on? Is it science? Math? Actually, it doesn't really matter, either way it'll be fun~!" He speaks so fast that all his words slur together and sound like one big string of random sounds. Jacob heard his name in that jumble of words though, so this must be the right place.

Before he knows it, the excited blond grabs Jacob's arm and drags him into the house, practically jumping with joy. "My parents are busy right now, so we have the whole house to ourselves. Would you rather work in the living room or the kitchen?"

It takes a few seconds for Jacob to answer, the midget is too shocked by how big the inside is to speak. It's massive. Just the first room is twice the size of his entire house. "Living room..." The brunette manages to get out, gaping at what this kid lives in.

The younger boy giggles softly, and it is just the cutest sound Jacob has ever heard. It was just so innocent and pure. "We won't always be meeting in this house, my parents just like staying in this house to make business deals~ Don't be overwhelmed by the size." He leads Jacob down a fancy hallway to the living room, where a huge tv screen is on the wall. Practically a cinema tv screen. In this kids house. Jacob didn't even know that was possible.

"What was your name again?"

"Sam! Didn't you check who was going to be tutoring you?"

That almost sounded like an insult, so Jacob looks at Sam, but the boy looks so innocent, it's obvious he meant no harm. Honestly, Sam looks like the happiest boy alive. "Are you always this... Intense?"

Sam shakes his head, finally standing still for a full twenty seconds. "Sorry, I just... I've never had a friend, and... I never get to talk about math or science with anyone-"

Jacob feels his chest tighten as Sam explains himself, giving him a pitiful look. This kid is just too precious for him to handle. He sets his school bag down by the coffee table, which is surrounded by a few couches, so he takes a seat. "Is that why you want to tutor? I'm a grade above you I think, how are you going to teach me?..."

Being asked about that makes Sam beam with delight. "I know high school math, I'm pretty sure I can teach you your math~"

The brunette's jaw drops. How many times is this weird looking kid going to surprise him like this?! "You what? I... I barely know my multiplication-" Sam laughs, a carefree and giddy type of infectious laughter that makes a smile tug at Jacob's lips. "Oh, shut up, it's not easy!" He pushes Sam playfully, which makes the bright green eyed male laugh more.

"Let's just see what we have to work on, shall we?" He gestures to Jacob's bag, ready to get to work tutoring.

After a groan of reluctance, Jacob opens his bag and pulls out his school work, setting it down on the coffee table along with two pencils. The blonde immediately starts to scan over the problems, his eyes lighting up with anticipation. This is what Sam considers fun.

"Your handwriting is hideous but I see where you messed up. 1 + 1 is not 5." The bluntness that Sam has makes Jacob blush a little at his own simple mistakes. The blonde picks up a pencil and starts correcting all of Jacob's errors, which doesn't help Jacob that much, but once he's done, he starts to go over the reasoning behind the errors and how to remember not to make them again. That really does help Jacob.

"Sam, c'mon~! You should get out in the sun some more. It's only lunch!" Jacob pleads with the green eyed blonde for the fifth time this week. He hates seeing his best friend like this. He doesn't remember the last time he saw Sam smile, genuinely. And every time Sam flashes him that reassuring smile, it stabs through his heart like a knife. All he wants is for him to get out and get some sun. They're still kids after all, he shouldn't have to be cooped up with all this paperwork.

Despite the midgets efforts, Sam shakes his head. He needs to get this work done. The only time he has is during school lunchtime, he can't afford to throw it away. If he did, he wouldn't just be throwing his time away, he'd be throwing Simon's life away. So, just like every other time Jacob has asked, he shakes his head, continuing to get some paperwork done, ignoring the food he should be eating.

The constant rejection is harder to deal with than Jacob thought it would be. He knew it'd be hard, but it's like nothing he does has any effect whatsoever. Sam doesn't want his help. He doesn't want to deal with the brunette. He's just a nuisance. All Jacob ever wants is to let Sam have fun, help him see the joy in life again, but nothing he does actually gets to him.

With a sigh, he nods and picks up his lunch tray from the table. "Alright. Well, if you need me, you know where to find me. It really would be good for you to get outside and take a break. Even if it's just for one period of one school day. But I can't force you." It takes everything in him to keep the pain from reaching his voice, but he manages. "I'm not abandoning you, I'll be here for you when you're ready to accept my help." With that, he reaches down to pick up his backpack and sling it over his shoulder before walking off with his lunch tray.

He can't stay around Sam. It's crazy to say this, but being around Sam is toxic. He misses the happy, nerdy kid he used to be. The excitable and curious boy with the cutest smile and laugh. Now... Now his laugh is silent. Some of what's happened makes sense, but why did his laugh have to change? Jacob loved hearing and seeing the blonde laugh, but now it's silent. Now it's missing that life and energy. Someone sucked the life out if his Sam and he doesn't know how to put it back.

It's all he can think about as he makes his way to the outside door. He can't even get the guy to come outside with him to have some lunch together for one day. For just one period, 40 minutes. Now that's just too much to ask for.

Luckily, since it's a little chilly out today, nobody else decided to have lunch outside. So Jacob is able to go over to the picnic bench in peace and set his things down without anyone around to judge him. He's not even hungry. No, everything hurts too much to be hungry. So instead of eating, he sets his food tray aside and puts his head down in his arms, crying.

Maybe if he was a better friend, none of this would've had to happen. He knows Sam said it's not his fault and that there was nothing he could do to stop it, but that can't be true. He could've done so much more to save Sam before it was too late, but he was pathetic and cowardly, and now Sam is trapped in a blackhole of guilt and sorrow, and he can't reach him to help pull him out. Not to mention, now his grades are starting to drop since his best friend/tutor has chosen work over being a kid. It all just hurts. And it's all hi--

His train of thought is interrupted by the sound of someone nearby. Jacob looks up quickly and glances around, not seeing anyone. But then he hears it again, and he focuses on the direction the sound came from. The forest just outside of school property? Why would someone be there? He wipes away his tears to clear his vision, sniffling softly. "Who's there?" His voice is hoarse, but that can't be helped. What steps out of the trees is definitely not what he expected though.

Some dude with overgrown, curly blond hair covering nearly all of his face and clothes that look like they came from a dumpster. His shirt and pants are all torn, bloody, and dirty. He looks like he just stepped out of a cave or something. Now that it occurred to Jacob, he sees it even more. This blond guy is also very tall and looks pretty strong, just like what you'd think of a caveman being. But he's also absurdly skinny, even from a distance Jacob can see his ribs, the individual bones, which is concerning.

The guy doesn't say anything, he just looks at Jacob like he's some kind of foreign alien, his electric blue eyes scanning everything for any signs of danger. Those blue eyes... Jacob doesnt know why, but he's just drawn to those beautiful, big blue eyes. The rest of this guy could use some obvious work, but those eyes...

The midget pushes himself up from the bench and wanders over to the edge of the school grounds, looking at this guy through the fence. "Who are you...?" It's debatable if the stranger even understood what that question meant, he certainly doesn't look like he understood. And the moment Jacob gets close to the fence, the stranger scrambles back, as if Jacob was going to somehow kill him through the fence. "I'm not going to hurt you... I'm Jacob. Do you have a name?" He says in a gentler tone, trying not to scare the stranger any more. He finds the blonde intriguing, he wants to know where he came from, why he's in the woods, what... happened to him.

The stranger keeps his distance, struggling to make his mouth form the sounds needed to make a word. "J-J-Ja... J-Jac--"

Unbeknownst to Jacob, the stranger was just trying to repeat his name. Very slowly. He doesn't realize this and assumes he's trying to say 'Jay.' "Jay? That's a pretty name~ How old are you?" The stranger doesn't even look to be a teenager, which is even more concerning. Another lost soul... Just like Sam...

The stranger doesn't seem to understand the concept of age, tilting his head in confusion, his curly locks bouncing with the movement. It's clear this guy is very confused about every little thing going on. It doesn't look like he even knows this is a school. He just looks... Frightened. Like a scared child that just got thrown into the world. But those eyes... Those eyes! There's still hope in them. There's still life. Maybe Jacob can't help Sam, maybe he's too stupid to understand how to help someone he's known for a few years now, but maybe... Maybe he can help this boy.

Just the thought of seeing this boy smile instead of looking all paranoid makes Jacob feel better. Like he has a purpose, like he can do something to help at least one person again. But... They're separated by a fence. He's climbed over this fence many times to skip the rest of school, but he has no idea if it's safe to be with this stranger. Still, the kid obviously needs help. He's not in good shape. Nobody who looks like a caveman is in good shape. After debating in his head for a few moments, he decides it's worth the risk. "Can I hop to your side of the fence?" He asks slowly, trying to make motions to explain as he talks to help the stranger understand what he's saying. When he gets no response, he assumes that means yes and goes back to grab his bookbag before returning to the fence. He tosses the bag over, the thud on the ground making the boy jump and hide behind a tree trunk. Then, he backs up to get a running start, leaping up to get over the fence. Since he's done it so many times, it's easy for him to be successful.

Once on the other side, the brunette brushes himself off and hops up to his feet, picking his bag back up. "C'mon, let's go somewhere a bit better than here~" He says as he gestures for the boy to follow, starting to wander off somewhere. Surprisingly, the stranger follows. He keeps his distance, but he does follow along.

Unfortunately, Jacob will never find out that Sam did decide to take him up on his offer. About fifteen minutes before the period was supposed to end, Sam got to the door to the courtyard and looked out at the bench, where Jacob's tray of untouched food remains with no Jacob in sight. With a sigh, he lowers his head defeatedly and heads back to the lunchroom to wait for the period to finish.

White.

As far as the eye could see. An endless white sheet. Death clothed in a disguise of innocence.

The flurry of snowflakes whips and stings Jay's skin as he holds Jacob close to his chest, trudging through the frozen forest. He can't feel his feet, bare and freezing in the harsh winter weather. Jacob needed the shoes more than him, Jacob needed the warmth more. The brunette is his life force, this little guy is a star. He shines as brightly as the sun. Nothing else matters but making sure Jacob makes it out alive. Jay will go through whatever it takes to get him to safety. The midget's frail and undernourished body can't stand this cold, endless blizzard, so Jay must be his warmth and his strength.

The walk has taken three days, without stopping for sleep or food once. Nothing else matters but Jacob. Just keep walking. If the blonde can't get Jacob to civilization soon... It doesn't matter that every bone in his body aches, it doesn't matter that he can barely even stand with the harsh wind trying to knock him down, it doesn't matter that using magic to keep Jacob alive is slowly draining him. Just keep walking.

Then...

A light.

Oh, thank god, a light! Civilization! Without hesitation, the taller male starts sprinting towards the light, hope returning to him. As he gets closer, through the maze of trees and snowflakes, he can see it's just one house. But that's all it takes. One person, just one person to bring Jacob back to life, one person to save the brunette when Jay's unable to.

He makes it to the door, knocking loudly to make sure he's heard by anyone inside. Oh, please let there be someone inside. Please...

The door opens, and a blurry figure appears. Jay can't quite make out what the figure is saying, it doesn't matter anyway. All that matters is "Save him..." He's run out of energy. He can't go on any longer. And as the world starts to get black and he feels the warm wooden floor against his cheek, all he can hope is that whoever opened that door has room in their heart to bring Jacob back to life.

----------

Warmth. Why is it so warm? Why is HE warm? He has to keep Jacob warm, he has to keep him alive long enough to-

JACOB!

The tall blonde comes back to consciousness with a start, quickly looking around at his surroundings. Where is he? Microscopes, books, and science equipment like the shelves where there should be family pictures. The walls looks worn down and old, yet still sturdy enough to stay standing. The couch he finds himself on sinks in under his weight, the fabric a little stiff and uncomfortable. In contrast, the blanket wrapped around him is fussy and soft, like a friendly hug.

But most importantly...

The familiar feel of Jacob's fingers running through his curly hair to soothe him as he tries to figure out where he is. The brunette softly pulls Jay back down so that his head lays in his lap, continuing to play with his hair to comfort him. "Shh, calm down, I'm right here. Everything is okay. This place is safe." He whispers as he wraps the blanket around the blonde again to keep him warm.

That immediately puts Jay at ease. Jacob has a blanket around his shoulders as well, and in his free hand, he holds a cup of something steamy. He looks perfectly fine, better than fine if anything. Nothing could make Jay happier than knowing Jacob is safe. He succeeded in his goal. Now he can relax and curl up against the midget, a small smile making it's way onto his face.

Jacob smiles brightly, taking a sip from that steamy cup before continuing to soothe the skittish boy. Soon enough, the owner of the house realizes Jay has finally woken up and decides to check and see how he's doing. The living room is set up so two couches are set facing each other, a coffee table in the middle. So, he takes a seat on the couch opposite the two boys. "How's he doing?" His voice is soft and gently, really just pleasing to listen to. Like the gentle whisper of a summer breeze.

It doesn't matter how soft the guy's voice is though, Jay startles and jumps away from Jacob, sitting up quickly and holding a hand out. His pendant, a blue crystal on a coppery chain around his neck, starts to glow as a ball of blue light shoots out towards the other. Jacob tries to stop Jay, but he's too slow. "No, Jay, he's good! He's Sam, don't hurt him!"

It's too late. This magical ball hits Sam and sends the poor guy flying into a wall. He just wanted to see how the man who fainted on his doorstep was doing. When Jacob tells the taller male who Sam is though, he immediately flips his aggressive introduction. "Oh, hi! :D" Even if Jay didn't mean for that to be insulting at all, that was just rubbing salt into the wounds.

Jacob quickly runs over to make sure Sam is okay after setting his cup down on the coffee table, but the other manages to get up shakily, trying to ignore the pain. "I'm fine... I should've saw that one coming-" The younger male ignores Jacob's help as he hobbles back over to the fallen over couch. There's no way he's going to be able to flip it back over, so he doesn't bother trying, instead sitting down next to Jay. "You," he points to Jacob. "Get back to your seat. You shouldn't be running around yet." Then he looks to Jay. "Sorry for startling you, I didn't mean to. How do you feel? You've been out for a while."

Jacob reluctantly goes back to his seat as Jay answers. "How long?"

"A day or so. You also had severe hypothermia. So did Jacob. If you got here any later, he might have frozen." After a second, the younger male feels he might be coming onto strong and tries to bring it back a bit. "Sorry, I haven't even properly introduced myself to you. I'm Sam. Sam Broteez. And you are?"

"A day?!" Jay starts getting worked up once again. "We can't be here for that long, they'll... They'll find us again..." He suddenly pulls Jacob into his arms, using the midget as a stuffed animal to hug tightly. "They'll... They'll..."

Sam sighs softly, shaking his head. "Jacob kept mentioning a 'They' too... You guys don't have to tell me who they are or what they did. You're safe here. I help people who are on the run or can't afford a hospital, nobody is going to find you here. You can stay as long as you want." He reassures, looking at the taller boy with complete sincerity and truthfulness. "I will not force you to say anything you don't want to, but if you want to talk about what happened, my door is always open. I will not force you to let me help you, but if you would allow me, I would like to bandage up some of those wounds you have so they can heal. Nobody is going to hurt you here."

Jay hesitates. This guy is very hard not to want to trust. But he can't let his guard down. So he says nothing. His body does relax again at his words, but it's going to take a while for him to learn to trust someone else. And Sam will let Jay take all the time he needs.

Lights twinkle around the house, little paper snowflakes skatter around the walls but not in a cluttered way. They're arranged in a very aesthetic way. A few handcrafted trinkets and Christmas themed items furnish the home. The scrawny boy was keeping himself busy, measuring a piece of wood before sawing into it. He was trying to create something that could impress his father. He will continue to craft both day and night if there's a chance that it'll make his father happy.

Its not everyday that dad comes back. He's normally away on business trips for Christmas, so this is a great opportunity to make the best Christmas gift possible.

One of his cats hops up onto the workbench and the boy has to shoo them away. "Two fifteen, go hang out with 3 o'clock, it's dangerous up here-" He has so many cats that he refers to them based on when they normally show up at his house. The only cat he truly owns is a white cat he named Noon as a play on naming black cats Midnight. All the other cats are strays that he lets in and takes care of when his father isn't around. They come and go as they please.

The cat meows, ignoring his warning, trying to get the boys attention. His father is home. The cat heard a new human at the door.

He puts the saw down to look at the cat. "What? Do you need food or something? I already fed yo--" He hears the front door's lock being fiddled with. He immediately jumps into action. Time to lead all the stray cats to the back door. He runs over to the living room. "Alright guys, we practiced this! Time to evacuate." At the word 'evacuate,' all the cats except for his permanent cat spring into action as well, bolting down the hall to the kitty door in the back, running outside. Yes, he trained the cats. That's how much free time he has. This whole routine is pointless for a specific reason, but the boy does it anyways.

And they escaped just in time. The front door opens and the father saunters into the living room, tossing his keys down onto the coffee table before setting his briefcase down. "I see you've been busy at work, Ellie..." He does not seem pleased, sitting down on the couch and starting to take off his shoes so he can relax now that he's home.

"Dad! What a surprise~" Elliot reaches up to take his hairband out, since he knows his father doesn't like him keeping his hair up like that. His hair is pretty long, going a few inches past his shoulders. "How was work? How long do you think you'll be staying?"

The father sets his shoes aside and leans back against the couch, letting out a long sigh. "Probably not long, sorry bud. I can stay around for maybe two weeks if I'm lucky." He looks up at the ceiling, closing his eyes. "And you probably want to show me those things you made? You do know its pointless to make surprises right? I see everything you do." He gestures to one of the nearby cameras.

This is why the evacuation thing was pointless. This house has 24/7 surveillance. To an extreme. Every room in this house, even the bathroom and a few blocks down the street, is being recorded. Every second of Elliot's life is on a hard drive.

"But, it's different when you see it in real life~!" His fathers negativity is not enough to get him down.

But his positivity does not spread to his father. "Doubt it... But fine, show me your briefcase."

Elliot happily runs off to his room to fetch the present he made for his father. It only takes a few seconds, then he runs back to the living room, proudly holding it out to his father. The thing he was working on earlier is a separate present. He makes his father multiple presents.

It's a very useful briefcase. He had done some studying on how they work and made a bunch of blueprints to find ways to make them more efficient: ie. Lighter while still being able to carry the same amount, or utilizing more organization, or being able to store more for the same weight. Or all combined into one. He spent weeks drafting and redrafting designs for this. The final product is immaculate. Sleek and modern while bearing some personal touches, like his fathers name embossed in the well treated leather. And there are some fancy patterns engraved around the edges to add a more expensive look to it. It looks professional. And the inside of it is pretty similar to a normal briefcase, but it does have some differences to add more capabilities and functionality to it, based around the specific needs of his father. Not everyone uses them the same way, so they have to be more generic. But a specific person has a more specific style of use. So, Elliot can skew the functionality towards that.

"Elliot... I have a briefcase."

"I know, but... Just hold it, please?"

The father reluctantly sits up to take the gift from Elliot, opening it up and inspecting it. "... You're going to be an entrepreneur one day."

"That's the plan~!" Elliot smiles and hops onto the couch next to his father, just happy that he didn't totally reject the gift. Thats a win in his books. "One day I'm going to be just like you."

"Good luck with that, kid..." The father sets the briefcase down next to his old one before sitting back against the couch again, gently placing an arm around Elliot. "You might be able to craft, but you have no spine."

"I'll hire people to be my spine!"

His father snorts for a second. "Alright, you do that~"

Elliot smiles brightly and moves over to be closer to his father. Not exactly cuddling with him, they're not exactly the cuddling kind of family. That half hug his father gave him is very affectionate in terms of this family. "I should be able to have your other gift finished before you leave again."

"You don't need to worry about that. You should be focusing your efforts on getting into a good college. And finding a way to pay for it."

"I already have that covered~" Elliot shrugs. "Did you get anything for me?"

"No, sorry."

Elliot may put all this effort in to make his father happy, but it will never be reciprocated.

This was the best he could do. He tried his best. Sam just got done trying to create a makeshift Christmas tree. It looked a lot like that small Christmas tree from Charlie Brown. But... A lot worse- He made it out of paper. Simon's young though, he shouldn't care, right? The material objects aren't the point, the point of a holiday is to be with family.

Sam's still too young for employers to take him seriously, not to mention, he has murder on his crime record already. It was proven to be a false accusation, but its still on his record. Nobody wants to hire a child with murder record. He doesn't have the money to buy an actual tree or any ornaments. They can't have the luxury of decorating a tree together.

Simon probably wouldn't even like decorating a tree anyway...

He sighs softly and sits down as he looks at the tree, barely able to stay standing on the kitchen table. That thing is going to topple over any second. Maybe he should just turn himself and Simon in to social services... They could have a real tree. And probably give him a better life than Sam has to offer.

"Looking good, kid!" His fathers voice rings out, the words slurring together as the larger figure stumbles into the kitchen. Probably looking for another bottle of beer. "Wish I could offer you some cash, but..."

"Yeah, yeah, mom gave it all away before offing herself. You could at least get a job..." The blonde grumbles, mostly to himself, grimacing at the disgusting smell surrounding his father. That guy could really benefit from taking a shower or brushing his teeth. And maybe vomiting less, that'd help too.

"What did you say to me?" The father whips around to look at Sam.

"Nothing, nothing, sorry." Sam adverts his gaze to the ground, folding his hands in his lap. "Do you need anything?"

The man grumbles and pulls a fresh bottle of beer out of the fridge. "We're running low on beer..."

"I'll add it to the shopping list."

"Good. And uh... Sorry." After looking at the tree again, that pathetic looking tree, he feels a little bad for yelling at Sam. "For how things are..." He hesitates before awkwardly patting Sam on the back. Then he stumbles back into the living room to collapse on the couch.

The young boy nods, biting his bottom lip to keep himself from crying. That's literally the nicest thing his father has said to him for a few years now. And that fact in itself stings.

He then feels his phone vibrate in his pocket. He quickly takes it out to see what it was. Jacob sent him a message: "Mind if I stop by?"

It takes him a few moments to respond. He's still ashamed to have anyone stop by the house, its a wreck, his father is a mess, and Simon is probably destroying something, but its nothing Jacob hasn't already seen. "Sure."

"Good, cuz I'm already here :)"

That gets a faint smile out of the blonde. He gets up, making his way to the front door. When he opens it, he finds Jacob standing outside in a puffy jacket and a scarf, holding a small plastic tree in his hands. On of those tiny, one foot tall trees you can find at Walmart or Target. The brunette has a big smile on his face, just like always. "I saw you trying to plan out what looked like one of these during lunch the other day, so I thought I'd get you one."

Sam doesn't know what to say, so he just runs up to pull Jacob into a tight hug. Jacob is a little taller than him, so he does have to reach up to be able to do so. "Thank you... I just..."

"I know, I know. This is the price of being able to feed everyone for a day, so you didn't want to buy it." Jacob sets the tree down on the front step before hugging Sam back. "You still deserve to have a good Christmas though." It always pains him to see the kid killing himself to give his family everything he can. A child shouldn't have to do that. He will always try to help alleviate some of that stress. "By the way... I also saw you didn't have a heavy jacket... I'm wearing two jackets right now, one is for you. And don't say that you don't take handouts. This is not a handout! This is the Christmas spirit~" Great excuse. Probably the only season he'll be able to get Sam to accept gifts during.

The blonde chuckles a little and lets go of Jacob, not wanting him to overheat or anything now that he knows more information. "I did give my jacket to Simon. He started preschool, I didn't want him getting sick." He picks up the tree before gesturing for Jacob to follow him inside. "Would you like anything to drink?"

Jacob follows him inside, shutting the door behind himself before taking off his jackets. "No, thats fine. You don't have to worry about tha--" He sees the paper tree. "Thats adorable~"

"Oh, shut up~ It's going in the trash now."

"No, it most certainly is not! Do not throw that out! Its the cutest thing ever! Quality doesn't matter, look at how much effort you put into it."

Sam rolls his eyes, setting the new tree down on the table. "If you want it, you can have it. I just didn't want one of the first Christmases Simon will be able to remember to not have a tree."

"Adorable~" He lays the jackets over the back of one of the kitchen chairs. "I think I will take it if you don't want it. You put a lot of thought into it."

"Go ahead." Even though he's acting like he doesn't care, that does mean a lot to him. Someone is appreciating his efforts. Someone notices, someone cares. "Is there anything else you came over for?"

"Can... Can you help me with math?"

Jacob lies in the concrete cell, waiting for Jay to be brought back. He still doesn't understand what the point of this entire place is. This is the second time they've been stuck in this cell. They escaped once before, but... Were they ever truly free?

His thoughts are stopped in their tracks as the cell door opens and the blonde is shoved into the cell before the door shuts again. His necklace is glowing enough to illuminate the room in a red tint. His frail body does not look like it can withstand much more abuse. Yet, the man looks completely fine. At least, his expression. He still looks as dead as ever, uninterested in anything. Despite being covered in fresh wounds and blood.

The cell they're in has no furniture or anything, its just a concrete box with a jail-like door and one jail-like window thats a little too high for Jacob to be able to see out of. All it does is let the cold night air inside.

By now, Jacob has learned not to bother trying to talk to Jay. The guy just won't respond, at all. He wants to talk, but he knows that could get both of them in trouble.

The taller male picks himself up from off the floor, sitting up. Normally, he would go straight back to his corner in the cell to start drawing in his sketchbook again, but this time, he doesn't. He reaches up and takes the necklace off. The chain burns his hand when he touches it, leaving a scar across his palm. He quickly tosses the necklace aside. He then looks up at the brunette, opening his mouth to say something, and then giving up.

Jacob quickly sits up, extremely intrigued. "It's okay. I'm listening. Do you want to write it out on paper?" He's not sure if the guy even knows how to talk.

The blonde shakes his head, taking a few minutes to compose himself. Jacob gives him as much time as he needs. He's already given the guy three years, he can wait longer. "I-I... I..." His voice is very quiet and anxious. He can't look Jacob in the eyes as he speaks, he just stares at the ground. "I'm the r-reason m-magic... exists... A-And they w-want to reverse i-it..."

Jacob wants to hug Jay or comfort him in some way, but he doesn't want to invade his personal space, so he resists the urge. "What do you mean?"

Jay takes a deep breath. This is very difficult for him. This is his first real conversation. Ever. "T-The particle... I-It was supp-pose to make mag-gic possible. B-but they messed up. S-so they need a cure. And t-they can't do t-that without access t-to the s-source of magic i-in the first pl-place-"

"... Okay... So, I don't want to make you uncomfortable, alright? But... May I hug you? You seem like you could use it. Thank you for opening up to me, and you don't need to explain it all right now, unless you want to. It may take me some time to fully understand it al--"

"Wh-what's a hug?" Jay looks back up at the smaller male, unsure if he should accept his offer. Though, that uncertainty doesn't show in his expression, just his eyes.

Jacob hesitates for a moment before getting up and walking over to be closer to Jay. He's careful to be slow as he moves, not wanting to startle him at all. Then he sits next to him. "What I'm about to do is not meant to hurt you. And if you don't like it, you can push me away. I just want to show you what a hug is. I don't mean to force you into anything or make you uncomfortable." He explains, and once he makes sure he doesn't get any negative body language in response from Jay, he spreads his arms out and hugs Jay. Gently.

Jay tenses up a lot, the physical touch reminding him of abuse at first. But after a second, he tries his best to reciprocate. Its not the best, he doesn't understand how to hug. But he's trying. Jacob smiles a little and holds Jay close, careful not to hurt him at all. "Why do they need you in particular?"

"T-The pendant wo-wont let me die. I'm th-the perfe-fect test subject."

"What abo--" Jacob starts to ask another question, but then Jay suddenly pulls him onto his lap and puts a hand over his mouth to make him be quiet as he stares at the door. He heard something outside and didn't want Jacob to get punished for speaking. Jacob does shut up for now, just taking the opportunity to cuddle into Jay's warmth a little. Once Jay lowers his hand back down, Jacob tries to continue. "Why won't it let you die? Don't you control it?"

Jay doesn't answer. He's done talking. That guard walking by outside scared him off from reaching out for now. Its not long before Jacob realizes this. "Thank you for telling me. It means a lot~" He smiles and rests his head on Jays chest. "Mind if I stay here tonight? You're really warm..." He asks a bit quieter now, to which Jay just nods.

The statement lingers in the air.

The two boys look at each other in silence.

'You're not alone.'

Those simple words made Jay go completely silent.

Jacob is too scared to say anything else or to even move, worried he somehow messed up. He watches that stupid necklace Jay has start to glow and turn red. The only sound in the entire forest at this moment is the sizzling of that necklace against the blonde's skin, burning into his chest. It pierces through the silence.

What is going through Jay's mind? It's impossible to tell. There is no emotion in his expression or composure. The only hint to what's really going on is the touch of sadness in his eyes. Those beautiful electric blue eyes. The one thing that will always give him away.

It feels like an eternity, just sitting there in the forest, waiting for some sort of reaction. Even if he can't detect any emotions from Jay, the shorter male can tell that he needs to wait for something.

...

...

...

...

...

...

Tears.

Tears start to form in Jay's eyes. Jacob immediately scrambles over to pull the taller male into a tight hug, climbing onto his lap. "You don't need to explain yourself, I love you. It's good to be upset, it's healthy. An--"

Jay quickly takes off his necklace and tosses it aside. The flower the necklace landed on shrivels up and burns to a crisp.

And just like that, Jay's entire composure collapses. He holds onto Jacob tightly as he breaks down sobbing, everything coming out at once. The necklace acts like a dam, everything was building up over time and once the dam is removed, it all pours out in a tidal wave of emotions.

Jacob smiles a little and just snuggles into Jay. "Take your time." It may seem strange to smile when your boyfriend suddenly starts sobbing, but it's actually not. Jacob knows that this might be one of the first times Jay has EVER cried, and thats not healthy. Crying helps relieve stress, and it is good for the body. It is good to release all that tension. Jacobs not going to try to make Jay stop, he's just going to be there. And wait. Sometimes that's all someone needs.

"I-It was... every we-week-" Jay tries to explain as he squeezes Jacob as if the smaller male were a teddy bear. "E-every w-w-week... in t-that... be-ed... F-For... I don't un-underst-stand ti-time..."

The brunette looks up at Jay, gently wiping away some of his tears with his thumb, not caring that more will just replace it. "Jay, you were very small in those drawings you showed me. You can safely say it was years."

"O-Oka-ay..." Jay gently pushes Jacobs hand away. And Jacob just accepts that, no need to push his boundaries accidentally when Jay is talking about being taken advantage of.

"You don't have to explain if you don't want to. You can if you want, and I will listen, but do not feel like it is an obligation or anything." Jacob clarifies as he goes back to simply snuggling into Jay's hold. The blonde nods, not saying anything else, just crying.

Several minutes go by before Jay starts to calm back down, now just sniffling a little as his grip on Jacob loosens so he's not accidentally crushing the guy. "Th-Thank you..."

"You don't need to thank me. I'm here for you, no matter what. I'm perfectly fine being your personal teddy bear if you need it~" That gets the slightest hint of a smile out of Jay. "And I know you would do the same for me. You're not alone." He looks up at Jay. "What do you want to do now? We can cuddle and talk about everything and nothing for the rest of the day if you want, or we can do something to get your mind off things, it's up to you."

Jay tightens his hold on Jacob slightly.

"Cuddle? Perfectly fine with me~"

"Okay... Are you ready for this?" Jacob asks as he looks at Sam cautiously, a little scared for his own life right now.

Sam buckles himself into his seat and readjusts the height of the seat. "Yeah. Are you sure you want to do this? Can you even see over the dash?"

"Sam, I'm not that short. I can see. Now... Before turning on the car, have your foot on the brake. That's the one on the left."

Sam thinks about that for several seconds. "... That's that way, right?" He double-checks as he gestures to the right.

"No, other left." Jacob sighs softly. "I'm going to die."

"You're not going to die~ And I told you, you didn't need to accompany me if you didn't feel safe."

"You're not allowed to drive without an adult with a driver's license accompanying you; I'm not letting you break the law."

"You chose to go with me; you can't complain." Sam puts his foot on the brake pedal before inserting the key in the ignition and tuning it. The car revs to life. The music suddenly starts at a way too high volume, and Jacob quickly reaches over to turn it almost all the way down. He keeps it at two percent volume so it can still vaguely be heard.

"Okay. Before you do anything, you need to readjust your mirrors. You can control the side mirrors with the buttons on the side of your door. You also need to put on your glasses."

Sam rolls his eyes as he adjusts the mirrors to his liking. "Who needs sight? I can see perfectly fine."

"Sammy... What does that sign down the road say?"

The blonde looks up and towards the direction Jacob is pointing, looking at the sign. After a few seconds, he sighs and opens up the little compartment between the two front seats, taking out his glasses case and putting his glasses on. Nowadays, he has a different pair of glasses instead of those thick-rimmed Harry Potter glasses he used to wear. Now, they're a sleeker-looking frame that complements the shape of his face a lot better. They make him look...

A subtle blush dusts the brunette's cheeks as he looks at him, finding himself staring for a little bit too long. It's hard to pinpoint when exactly down the line Sam went from looking dorky and cute to... handsome? Sometimes? The fact that the guy wears a full-on suit 24/7 definitely helps, combined with the perfect makeup and straightened-out hair. And his voice... It's so hard to tell when exactly it went from squeaky and higher pitched to this soft, breezy voice that is so soothing to listen to. The transition was so slow that it wasn't noticeable during the transition phase, only really noticeable whenever Jacob thinks back to how things used to be.

By the time Jacob snaps himself out of his thoughts, Sam has finished getting everything ready for himself. "What next?"

"Okay, you see that stick right there? That's how you change what driving mode the car is in. Since it's in the 'P' slot, the car is in park. You should always be at a full stop when changing modes. Since you are in a full stop, it's safe to bring that stick down to the 'D' for driving."

"... Whats the N? I'm assuming R is for reverse."

"Neutral."

"Neutral?"

"If your car gets stuck or runs out of gas and you need to manually push it, having the car keeping the wheels in a certain position makes it harder. Neutral lets them freely spin."

"Ohhhh... That makes sense."

"Yeah, so you won't use that option very often. It's important to know it's there, though." Jacob pauses for a few seconds. "This feels weird." How have they completely swapped roles? Why is HE teaching SAM something?

The blonde smiles a little and nods. Jacob doesn't need to explain what is weird; he already knows it. "I know." He puts the car into driving mode, keeping his foot on the brake so they still don't move. "Now what?"

"Okay... The car will go forward even without touching the gas pedal. As soon as you take your foot off the brake, it will move at about five miles per hour."

"Thats so slow-"

The shorter males lets out an annoyed sigh. "Samikins... Slow is safe."

"Yeah, yeah..." He takes his foot off the brake. As soon as the car moves, he brakes again, holding the steering wheel tightly, his knuckles turning white.

Jacob snorts. "I thought that was slow~?" He looks up at the blonde with a smile. "It's okay. You can always stop if it's too much. And this is why you're supposed to have someone with you. To make sure you're being safe. When you're ready, I want you to try to make it to the end of the driveway."

After having Sam tutor him for so long, he has picked up some tricks to help teach people things. First, you need to make sure they feel comfortable and don't get too upset with themselves if they get something wrong. Then you set an easy, obtainable next step. The most straightforward step possible so they have more confidence in their abilities and don't get frustrated or overwhelmed.

The blonde takes a few moments to gather his courage again, completely silent, before letting the car move again. This... This isn't that bad. He manages to resist the urge to stop until they reach the end of the driveway.

"Good job~ Now, let's try reversing back to the beginning of the driveway."

"But that's boring."

"Samshine, you just got scared by the car moving two miles an hour."

The tips of his ears tinge a shade of rosy pink. "... Shut up..." He puts the car into reverse to start going back up the driveway. He does that with no problem.

"Good~ Do you want to try going on the road? Normally, that's not a good idea for your first time driving, but you live in the middle of nowhere, so it's not like there are any other cars on the road."

"Okay..." He puts the car in drive again, returning to the end of the driveway and stopping.

"Before you pull out, you have to put your direction indicator on. That's the little stick to the left of the steering wheel. Moving it up and down changes which direction the indicator is on. We're turning left."

Sam tries to turn the direction indicator on. He puts the wrong one on at first before fixing it.

"Good. Now, you can get onto the road. And you will have to use the gas pedal now."

Sam does just that. For a while, he manages to follow Jacob's instructions perfectly fine. Since this was his first time driving, he stayed pretty slow and cautious, not taking any risks.