Coming Home // Sidemen AU (Minizerk)

First Word

His dreams have merged into a much darker scene. And one a lot more recent.

It was feeding time, and he'd been overly eager, pushing himself as close to the door as he could now he was no longer kept chained up. It was a mistake, he'd realised that as soon as the door swung open roughly and his captor was standing there, a furious expression on his face when he spots Josh right in front of him.

He'd been too close to the door. How could he have been so stupid? It looked like he was thinking about leaving. That was selfish of him; after all, he'd been trusted enough to be left unchained.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" the man yells at him, sending a swift kick to his ribs. "Get back in the corner, you piece of shit," he snarled as the young man let out a muted cry of pain.

Josh scuttled back as quick as possible, the pain in his side like white lightening through his body, and pushed himself back up against the dark corner, hoping and praying that if he made himself look small enough then the other would let his misbehaviour go.

Unfortunately it was not to be. Instead of handing the thrown together mess that passed as food to him, a dark look passes through the man's eyes. Josh feels the undying surge of absolute terror when the man begins to undo his belt. His mouth goes dry and old scars ache in memory of the horrors that follow whenever "it" occurs.

Tears are streaming down his face now, and he's shaking so hard it almost looks like he's convulsing. There will be no pity for him from this man though, who seems to take pride in the fact he has the boy so scared. "You need teaching a lesson," the man simply says, before launching himself like a predator towards his prey.

The pain he feels in that moment is like he's experiencing the whole thing for real once again. The torment on his body that always left him immobile in the darkness afterwards. Except this time, there is not complete darkness afterwards, with only his harsh breathing to keep him company. There is another sound.

It was a voice...the voice from before...calming and familiar. And it was calling to him.

He was scared, and he was tired. It seemed like a great deal of effort to go towards that voice, but there was something about it that he just couldn't draw himself away from.

Through the darkness he fought his way, clawing his way towards the calm voice and then...

He blinked, closed his eyes, and blinked again. Streaks of sunlight penetrated the window and blinded him. He remembered this room, it had been filled with people who liked to poke him and stick things in him earlier...where was he again?

There are people surrounding him now but they are just blurs on the edges of his vision. Their shapes have no meaning to him.

He is scared. Only a few seconds ago he had been in that dark room being...being taught a lesson. Perhaps this was just another lesson...or perhaps he'd escaped and when he was found he'd only be punished more. He didn't think he could take much more.

Only one thing was keeping him grounded at that moment; that same steady, calming voice. One that he thought he knew but just couldn't quite pinpoint.

"It's okay." It was telling him. Was it really?

"...out of the fucking way!...Stop it!"

He hears the other voices suddenly, harsh to his sensitive ears, ones who sounded angry, and he is instantly on edge. Those weren't the voices he had been following. These weren't calming, these were mad.