I don't really know what trigger warnings this needs but Josh gets fucking kidnapped so just beware. There will for sure be non-consensual moments/sexual assault, panic attacks, mind-fucking as a whole, insane co-dependency, abuse (mental and physical), malnutrition/starvation/dehydration, and obviously Stockholm Syndrome.
Also the term 'daddy' is being used in this but it is not a kink thing so please don't sexualize it. You'll understand what I mean when you read.
Josh was fucking pissed.
He had left school right before a history test to go surprise his bitchy girlfriend, Debby. She had texted him and told him she was staying home sick so he thought it would be nice to bring her some stuff and cuddle with her while she got better.
He ended up walking in on her fucking someone on her living room couch.
Leaving the shit he bought there, he left the house and began walking home. There was no way he was gonna go back to school after ditching and then catching his now ex-girlfriend cheating on him.
Josh's music blared through his earbuds as he walked down the sidewalk, his hands angrily shoved into the front pocket of his hoodie.
As he was walking, he saw a van turn the corner and drive past him, taking a right at the end of the street. The anxiety Josh always had tugged at his brain but he willed it to go away. He was just being paranoid. Deciding he didn't have time for this shit, he turned the volume up on his headphones all the way and stared at the ground. He would be home in five minutes and then he'd be fine.
A few minutes had passed and he saw that same van turn the corner again and drive past him. Josh took a shaky breath and picked up his pace. Once was an occurrence, twice was a coincidence. Three times would make it a pattern.
He reached his neighborhood and only had two more minutes until he got home. He'd be safe then. Crossing his arms, he kept staring at the ground as he walked. For some reason the small gesture he made over his chest made him feel safe.
He could see his house from where he stood. Almost there.
Suddenly, he felt an arm wrap around his stomach and a rag cover his face. Before he could even process what was happening, everything turned black.
---
As soon as Josh woke up, he thought he was going to throw up. He didn't know where he was but he knew the horrible stench around him made him audibly gag.
He went to cover his nose but stopped when his hand was yanked back, hitting the wall. He then realized why that had happened.
He was handcuffed.
Paranoia filled his whole being as he looked around, seeing his was in a cold, wet, grey room. He was sitting on a thin mattress with various stains on it, his hand chained to the steel headboard. Josh vigorously rattled it, causing it to clank around and fill the room with the deafening sound. "Fuck, fuck, fuck," his breathing hitched as he felt himself start to panic. He gave up and trying to get free, instead resting his head on the cold brick walls behind him. Closing his eyes, he let tears slip down them. He was going to die. He knew it.
He heard the door creak open and a guy walked in. He had fluffy brown hair and tanned yet also paled skin that covered his hollow face and thin figure. He was carrying a tray with saltine crackers and a glass of water on it.
He started to walk towards Josh and the pink haired scrambled backwards, the handcuffs jangling. The guy flinched at the noise ever so slightly but kept walking. He neared Josh and stopped right before the bed, setting the tray on the mattress. Josh finally looked up at his face and the two locked matching, scared, brown eyes. "I'm sorry," the guy whispered, his voice scratchy.
Josh blinked, not knowing what to say. The guy looked familiar. Extremely familiar. Josh opened his mouth, about to say something when the mystery man scurried out of the room, the door banging shut behind him. Josh's stomach filled with dread when he heard the door lock.
He attempted to rattle the handcuffs again but stopped when they rubbed against his wrist. A pained sob escaped his lips as he just sat there, helpless.
Suddenly the door opened and Josh's hopes lifted. However, they were shot down when he saw someone different enter the room. He was a lot older than the same guy as before and he had a terrifyingly stern look on his face. Josh tried to scoot backwards but was already against the wall.
The man approached him and bent down so he was eye level with Josh. "You're going to learn real quick not to get on my bad side," he spoke. "Stop fucking rattling the handcuffs or I'll cut your hands off."
Josh instantly stopped.
The man gave a wicked smile. "Good boy. You're smart. You're already learning the ropes."
Josh just gulped and watched with wide eyes as the man stood back up and walked closer to the bed, sliding the tray of food towards him. "I can't..." Josh said, shaking violently out of fear that the handcuffs kept rattling anyway. He had never been this terrified in his life and under different circumstances he would have fought for his freedom. Except he didn't know what this guy was capable of.
The man seemed to realize what he meant and he nodded. "Do you want me to feed you?" He asked, his voice softer than before.
Josh already thought he was going to throw up and eating something wouldn't help but he saw how thin that other kid was and didn't know when he would be offered food again. He nodded slowly and the man had a predatory smirk on his face. He grabbed one of the crackers and bent back down in front of Josh. "Open up for daddy."
Josh hesitantly opened his mouth. He was going to comply for survival. He wouldn't try anything until he knew he was safe. Well, safe enough for someone who had just gotten kidnapped. He ignored the way his stomach twisted at the man calling himself 'daddy' and took a small bite of the saltine cracker in front of him. "What's your name?" He asked as Josh chewed weakly, his gag reflex threatening to react to the unavoidable smell in the room.
"J-Josh," he stuttered once he had forced himself to swallow.
"You stuttered. Are you scared, Josh?" He questioned as he helped Josh take a drink of water.
Josh nodded, gulping down the liquid. The man took the glass away as Josh's tongue was silently begging for more. "Don't be scared," he stood up. "Daddy's gonna take good care of you," he pressed a kiss to Josh's forehead and began walking back towards the door. However, he stopped as he hand touched the handle. He turned back around. "Call me anything other than Daddy and it won't be good for you. That's a promise."
And with that, he left.
That's when Josh went into full panic mode. His breath hitched as tears collected in his eyes. He couldn't wipe them away so he blinked a few times until they fell and he looked at his cuffed hands. His wrists were definitely pink. He tried to wiggle out without making anymore noise but it only irritated the skin more.
That only increased the severity of his panic attack his breathing became ragged. Tears spilled down his cheeks and he let a sob escape his lips. Nothing that ever mattered before mattered anymore.
He would rather have a shitty girlfriend that cheated on him. He would rather have his dad yell at him for forgetting to taking the trash out. He would rather have his mom smack his legs when he had them on the coffee table. He would rather have his siblings annoy the fuck out of him everyday for the rest of his life. Hell, he would rather be dead than sitting here like a chess piece, waiting to be moved for someone else's benefit.
He didn't know how long he sat there trying to calm his own breathing down but he eventually passed out from exhaustion, falling into a fitful sleep.
---
Two days.
Josh was pretty sure it had been two days. Based on how many times the sun and moon had changed places through the small window in the room when he wasn't sleeping his exhaustion and fear away, he guessed it had been two days.
In those two days, no one had come back down. He started to quickly realize why the room smelled the way it did because how the hell was he supposed to piss when he couldn't move and there was no wear for him to even relieve himself. He had resorted to just pissing his pants when he couldn't hold it any longer. He was wearing jeans too so that definitely didn't help his discomfort levels.
He had somehow gotten to the crackers left on his "bed" and eaten them all up the day before. He drank the water too. It took all of his energy to consume the food and drink and it all tasted stale but he didn't have any other choice.
The pink haired teen was losing all sense of reality due to how little energy he had. He had pissed himself once again a few minutes ago. He didn't have a choice and instead of being embarrassed like he was the first time he just let it happen. He was too exhausted to care.
Josh was slipping in and out of consciousness when the door opened again for the first time in days and the man from before walked in. He looked at Josh sadly and walked over. "Look at my baby boy," he cooed, moving Josh's greasy hair off of his forehead. "Struggling all alone. Do you want Daddy to make it better?"
Josh found himself nodding. "Please," he croaked out, speaking for the first time since the man last came in.
The man pulled out a key from his pocket and unlocked the handcuffs. Josh's arms went limp by his sides and he was so weak he couldn't even bring himself to move them around. "Your wrists are raw," the man pointed out. "Let me get the first aid kit," he told Josh before walking out the room.
Josh blinked a few times before realizing the door was left cracked open. His heart began beating rapidly. This was his chance.
Mustering up all the energy he could, he stood up from the bed and bolted out the room. Dread filled his whole body as he saw the stairs that lead to the exit but he scrambled up them (only tripping twice) and threw open the door.
He stopped for a moment, trying to find an exit, when his eyes landed on the boy from before. He was sitting on a couch in what Josh assumed was the living room, reading a book. When he saw Josh his eyes snapped up and his eyes widened. "You need to get back downstairs. Now."
"I—" Josh froze.
"What the hell?"
Josh turned around to see the man from before, holding a first aid kit with a scowl on his face. He set the kit down and started walking towards Josh. The pink haired attempted to move back but he was so weak he didn't make it far. The man grabbed him by his hair and held one of his arms behind his back at a painful angle. "No, no, no," Josh sobbed out, shaking his head at the man forced him back down the stairs. "I'm sorry
They reached the dreaded room and the man threw Josh onto the hard ground, pressing a boot to his chest so he couldn't get anywhere. "What did I say about getting on my bad side?" He yelled before moving his foot off his chest only to kick him in the side. "What!" Kick. "Did!" Kick. "I!" Kick. "Say!" Kick.
Every blow to the boy knocked the wind out of him and he was pretty sure at least one of his ribs were broken. "I'm sorry," he sobbed out once more, covering his face in his hands.
The man grabbed Josh by the hair again and looked him in the eye. "You're going to regret that."
He threw Josh back into the floor and his head hit the cement with a loud thud. The man went to his jeans and unbuttoned them before pulling them down. Josh instantly assumed the worst but his head was spinning with pain and he couldn't do anything to stop it.
However, the man left Josh's boxers on. Josh almost let out a sigh of relief but stopped when the other pulled out a pocket knife. "Please," Josh croaked, too dehydrated to cry. "They'll find me," he spat, feeling a sense of defiance enter him.
The man ignored him as he ran the blade down each of Josh's thighs. The pink haired yelled out in pain and he felt the blood leaving his body.
"You belong to me," the man spoke in a dark voice, pressing the knife into Josh's thigh once more. "Don't fucking forget it. No one's coming for you. You're mine. This will help you remember."
Josh tried to see what he was talking about but he passed out from pain before he could find out.
---
Josh didn't even try to guess how long it he went without human interaction that time. He was weaker than before and when he woke up after passing out he saw his thighs were stitched up other than the letters 'MB' imprinted into his thigh, messy and big.
Josh was so weak that he couldn't even get up from the floor. It was fall so the nights got relatively cold and the cement floor didn't help. He was so wrecked and broken that he didn't care anymore. He just wanted to feel safe.
The door opened and the man entered, a smile on his face. "Good morning, baby," he hummed.
Josh couldn't speak. His throat was too dry. He attempted to get something out but the only thing that he could muster was a strained noise. "Shh..." the man soothed, rubbing Josh's back. "We're gonna fix you up. I'm gonna make you all better."
Josh felt relief flood through his body. Anything was better than this. He nodded ever so slightly. "And you're not going to try and run again, correct?" He asked. Josh nodded again. His body was so empty and pained he didn't even think he could pick his own arm up. "Good boy. I'm gonna take you upstairs. I ran a bath for you. You've been down here long enough. Your punishment is over. Unless you piss me off again."
Josh just let the man pick up his weakening body and carry him out of the room bridal style. He let his head rest against the man's warm chest, breathing in the subtle smell of cinnamon. He was pretty sure he saw the same guy from two times before sitting on the couch once again but he was too delirious to be sure.
They entered the bathroom and the man set Josh on the counter while he stripped him of his clothes. He didn't even comprehend he was on full display for the guy he was told to call 'daddy'. The man lifted him back up and set him in the warm bath and Josh let out a sigh of relief when the water hit his skin.
The man laughed. "Feels nice, doesn't it?" Josh just nodded. "This is what happens when you don't cross me."
Josh went to ask if he could have a glass of water but all that came out was a dry cough. "Do you need something to drink?" Josh nodded once again. "Anything for my baby boy," he turned towards the closed bathroom door. "Tyler!"
A second later the door opened and the kid from before entered. "Yes, Daddy?"
"Can you get me a glass of water for Josh?"
Tyler nodded and hurried out of the room for a few moments before returning with what the man had requesting. "Thank you, baby," he pulled Tyler down by his arm and pressed a kiss to his lips. Tyler melted into it and when they pulled back his eyelids fluttered open and there was a soft smile on his face. "Go back to reading. When I get Josh settled down I'll come see you."
"Okay, Daddy," Tyler nodded before walking out.
The man held the glass to Josh's lips and as soon as the water entered his mouth he was gulping it down. "Thank you," Josh whispered out once the cup was removed. The man was being nicer to him now. He had been so affection and touch deprived for God knows how long that Josh was soaking up all this kindness.
"Of course, sweetheart," the man set the cup on the counter and picked up a bigger plastic cup off of the side of the tub. He filled it with water and began dumping it on Josh's body. "After I get you all cleaned up I'll get you in some warm clothes and some food. I'll get you tucked into bed too. You'll have Tyler's old room since he sleeps with me now. I hope you don't mind."
Josh shook his head. Anything was better than the cold, hard, stained floor. "Thank you," he repeated.
"Don't thank me," the man replied. "I'm just doing what's best for my baby boy."
He kept washing Josh and eventually got his body and hair washed. "Do you want to stay in for a little bit while I go talk to Tyler?" He asked.
Josh began to panic. He couldn't be left alone again. "No," his eyes widened. A sob left his lips. "Please. Don't leave me."
The man nodded and scooted closer to the tub. "I'm not going anywhere," he assured, running a hand through Josh's wet and now-clean hair.
Despite the reassurance, Josh kept panicking. "Please don't leave me. I can't be alone," he cried out, reaching for the man's hand. Being touched helped anchor him.
The man seemed to notice this. "Do you want me to get in?"
Josh instantly nodded, needing to be held. He couldn't be alone again. The man smiled and stripped himself of his clothing and crawled in behind Josh, pulling the pink haired close to him. Josh curled up against his chest but he still felt stressed. "Please," he cried out.
"What can I do to help?" The man asked, rubbing Josh's shoulders.
"Just keep touching me. I feel tense. Like I'm going to explode."
"Do you need me to touch you down there?"
Josh stopped. He thought about how long he had gone without masturbating and how often he used to do it. He was tense too and it usually calmed him down when he was high strung. However, he didn't know this man. He just knew he was giving him all the affection he needed. But he didn't want that kind of affection from someone he didn't know.
Josh went to decline when the man's hand drifted down next to his dick. He went to pull away but the man began massaging all the areas around it. Josh lost focus of what he was doing as a gentle moan left his lips. This was definitely helping.
He didn't know how long the man touched him before he orgasmed but once he did the man helped clean him off once again and he drained the tub.
He got out and dried off before helping Josh out and drying him off as well. The pink haired hadn't even noticed the folded clothes on the counter but once most of the water was off of him the man helped dress him before dressing himself. "Do you feel better, baby?"
"Yes," Josh nodded, curling up into his chest as the man pulled him in for a hug.
"Yes what?"
"Yes, Daddy," Josh spoke against his shirt, taking in that intoxicating scent of cinnamon.
The man helped him to a bedroom he assumed was Tyler's old one. He set him in the bed and pulled the blankets up to his chin before walking towards the door. "I'll be back soon I'm gonna go make you some food."
"No!" Josh yelled, tears welling in his eyes. "Please."
The man sighed in defeat. "How about I get Tyler to come in and lay with you while I'm gone?"
Josh slowly nodded. He just needed someone with him. "Okay."
The man smiled and walked back over. He pressed a soft kiss to Josh's lips and the pink haired found himself kissing back, his heart grabbing at the attention he was receiving. "I love you, baby."
"I love you too," Josh replied, not wanting there to be any consequences if he didn't say it back.
The man smiled and left the room. Josh felt his anxiety spike but it quickly disappeared when the door opened and closed again, Tyler walking in. "Hi," he said quietly, standing by the doorway.
"Hi," Josh replied. "You don't have to come sit with me or anything if you don't want to."
Tyler didn't respond at first, instead just crawling under the covers of the double bed next to Josh. He hesitated for a moment before grabbing his hand and holding it tightly. "I remember you," he finally spoke, his voice shaky.
"What?"
"I remember you. We went to middle school together. We never talked but I remember having a class with you."
Josh turned his head in confusion, getting a better look at Tyler. That's when it hit him. He recognized him from all the missing posters that have been littered around Columbus for the past ten months. The guy in front of him had been gone for ten months. "Oh my God," his eyes widened. "You're Tyler Joseph."
"Technically it's Tyler Brady now," the brunette gave a weak smile, turning on his side so he was facing Josh. "He wanted to make things official."
Josh felt sick to his stomach. It seemed that everything that had just occurred was hitting him. He just let that man get him off in the bath. He thought he was going to throw up and he didn't even have anything in his system to throw up. Josh was only 17 which meant Tyler must've been 17 or 16 and he was apparently married to the guy that had kidnapped him. "I'm so sorry."
"Don't be," Tyler assured him. "I love him. So much. He treats me like a prince."
Josh eyes scanned the boy's body. His shirt was riding up and he could see Tyler's ribs protruding out. His collarbone made a more prominent appearance as well as his whole face was sunken in. He was not being treated any way close to how a prince would have been. "Can you tell me anything about him?"
"I don't know much," Tyler admitted. "But his name is Matt. Don't call him that though. I made that mistake once and he broke my wrist."
Josh's eyes widened. That's when it dawned on him. The 'MB' were this man's initials. "My thigh—"
"I have them too," Tyler smiled. "That's a good sign. It means he likes you. He'll probably want to marry you too."
Josh definitely knew he was going to throw up. And that's what he did. He leaned over the side of the bed and dry heaved onto the hardwood floor until acid came up since there was no food to replace it. Tyler just rubbed his back as he did so. This must've happened to him before.
Once Josh stopped, he rolled back over onto the bed. Tyler felt his forehead. "You're burning up," he pointed out. His eyes drifted down and he let out a small gasp when he saw Josh's wrists. "Your wrists are starting to get infected too. Let me go get Daddy and the first aid kit, okay?"
Josh couldn't respond. He felt he was going to throw up again even though his stomach had been empty for days. Tyler got out of the bed and hurried out of the room.
A moment later he returned but this time with Matt in tow. "Baby?" He asked, approaching Josh. "Oh, honey," he put a cold washcloth on Josh's forehead. "Ty, can you clean this up?"
"Yeah," Tyler replied before walking out.
"I'm gonna clean your wrists and it's going to hurt like hell, I'm so sorry," he told Josh.
The pink haired couldn't reply. He was too weak once again. The small spurt of energy he had gotten quickly went away. Suddenly, he felt a burning sensation in his arms and he screamed out in pain. He want it to end. He couldn't take it.
He felt a hand grab his own and he looked over to see Tyler holding it, tears in his eyes. He was scared for Josh. The idea warmed Josh's heart. This was a different kind of affection. Tyler genuinely cared.
However, Josh couldn't process anything else because his eyes drifted shut as he passed out for the second time due to pain.
---
Josh woke up and saw it currently night time. The alarm clock on the nightstand was telling him it was almost two in the morning. He looked over and saw a small bowl of soup and a few saltine crackers. If this was the amount of food he was going to be usually getting, it was why Tyler was so skinny. It was no where near enough to keep someone healthy.
Despite that, he picked the bowl up and attempted to eat some. He got about half the bowl and three crackers down before he felt nauseous again.
He laid back down and stared the ceiling in boredom. He looked over and saw Tyler was sleeping soundly next to him. Josh smiled faintly. He knew he slept with Matt since the man had told him that earlier but he decided to stay with Josh tonight. Even if Matt had forced him into it, Josh still appreciated the gesture. Tyler definitely wasn't bad and maybe Matt wasn't either. He had made sure Josh was well and left him some food.
Josh let a sigh escape his chapped lips. Tyler stirred and wrapped his thin arms around Josh's waist as he buried his head in Josh's chest. He smiled and melted into Tyler's touch.
This obviously wasn't an ideal situation but having Tyler with him helped. Even if he had only known the boy formally for a few hours.
Josh slowly fell back asleep, the smile remaining on his lips.
---
Four weeks had passed since Josh was first brought upstairs. He was falling into a routine. A good routine at that.
He would wake up (sometimes next to Tyler, most times by himself) and meet Matt and Tyler in the kitchen for breakfast. Then Matt would leave for work and the two boys would have to entertain themselves until Matt came home at 6:30 and made them dinner. They would spend the night together before falling asleep and the cycle repeated.
That day in particular, Josh woke in a good mood. He usually woke up in a good mood anymore but today was better than usual.
He got dressed and made his way towards the kitchen. Tyler and Matt were sitting there already like every other day. Josh noticed two plates each with a single piece of toast and sat down in front of the one that Tyler wasn't at. Matt had his own meal of eggs, toast, and bacon but Josh was used to the amount of food he got by now and it didn't phase him.
"Good morning," Josh chirped happily.
Matt looked up at him with a smile. "Good morning, baby boy. How did you sleep?"
"Good, Daddy. Thanks for asking. A little lonely, but it was still good."
Tyler and Matt shared a look before Matt spoke. "I was thinking," he took Josh's hand and began rubbing his thumb. "That you could sleep in bed with Tyler and I."
Josh perked up at that. "Really?"
Matt chuckled. "Yes, honey," he leaned in and pressed a passionate kiss to Josh's lips. The now dark haired man (Matt made him dye it back to his natural color) kissed back just as intensely and smiled when they pulled away, tasting bacon on his lips. Matt kissed Tyler just as he had kissed Josh before standing up. "I've gotta get to work. I love you both so much."
"We love you too, Daddy," they replied at the same time, smiling on both of their faces.
Matt smiled at them one last time before grabbing his things and walking out the door. Josh heard three different locks before it went silent just like it always did.
He sat there and ate finished eating his toast as Tyler grabbed his hand. "I missed you, baby."
Josh sighed happily. "I missed you too."
"I brought the topic up to him, so you're welcome," he laughed lightly.
"Thank you," Josh smiled. "I love you."
"I love you too."
"Do you want to play Candyland?"
"Why? I win every time."
"I hate you," Josh laughed.
"Sure you do."
The two spent the whole day playing games, cuddling, and having Tyler read to Josh. It was a routine. Their routine.
They were currently doing two of those things simultaneously— cuddling and reading. Tyler liked to read to Josh and Josh liked to listen. He played with the small band that wrapped around Tyler's skinny ring finger, finding himself wishing he had one as well. He really did love Tyler.
He really did love Matt too. He was his savior. The life was living now was way better the one he had a month ago. He was actually loved now. And by two people on top of that.
"I love you," Tyler reminded, setting the book down. They had already read this one together twice and Tyler's told Josh he's read it two more times but they both loved it enough to keep reading it.
"I love you too," Josh smiled. Tyler looked over and pressed his lips to Josh's. Josh kissed back, basking in how passionate and lustful the moment was. Tyler slowly laid him down onto the couch and ran a hand through his curly hair.
Suddenly, the door opened and Matt walked in. The two didn't break apart, however. This had happened multiple times. The first time they had gotten caught, they had been terrified. But Matt simply smiled and said he was glad his two babies loved one another as much as he loved them.
Every other time after that, things got moved to the bedroom. This time was no exception. "Dinner can wait," Matt told them. "C'mon."
And they all shared love with one another that night like they had before. Josh felt like the luckiest person in the world. He was finally loved by not only one person, but two. He he never felt left out either. Matt or Tyler was always there and when those two were doing things together, he felt content waiting. He didn't feel used.
The two teenagers ended up not having dinner that night but Josh was okay with it because he fell asleep in a bed that he shared with his two soulmates.
---
"Josh?" Matt called out to the living room from where he was in kitchen about a year later.
"Yes, Daddy?" The now adult asked, walking into the room.
Matt took his hand and pressed a kiss to his lips. "Can you do me a favor?"
"Of course."
"I found us a new partner," he picked up a tray with saltine crackers and a glass of water on it. "Can you go give this to him? I don't want him to feel uncomfortable."
Josh felt his world stop. "What?" Was he not enough for Matt? Was he not enough for Tyler?
"It's okay, baby," Matt assured. "He's not staying. I just need to get my fix out and I don't want to hurt either of my babies. You've seen this happen before Tyler just usually brings the tray down. I did it before you came too. I actually wanted to keep you. That's why I came down after Tyler. He'll be gone soon. I promise."
Josh nodded slowly. "Okay..."
"I mean it. I love you, don't I?" Matt picked up his hand and twisted the ring around Josh's finger as a reminder.
"Yes. And I love you," Josh smiled, picking up the tray. "I'm sorry for doubting you. It won't happen again."
"It's okay, sweetheart. Everyone has slip-ups," he gently kissed to Josh's lips. "Hurry back up. Ty's napping and we haven't had alone time in awhile."
Josh grinned and made his was towards the basement. He grabbed the key off of the tray and unlocked the cellar door before opening it.
There was a boy sitting on the cot, handcuffed to the wall. He seemed to be around Josh's age, maybe a few years younger. He looked absolutely terrified. A small sense of sympathy surged through Josh but it quickly disappeared. This boy wasn't special enough to stay. That was his fault.
Josh hurried over to the boy and set the tray on the mattress. "I'm sorry," he spoke. He really was sorry. He was sorry that this boy wasn't going to stay alive because he wasn't special like Josh and Tyler were.
The boy looked like he was going to say something but Josh quickly left, locking the door behind him. He couldn't bring himself to care about the boy being locked away. He had better things to worry about like spending time with one of the men who loved him with his whole heart.