Prompt: I think it'd be cool to have a bit of background on Siggy and Rogan from Conversion Academy. Maybe something about their birth families or the first time they met each other?
A.N.- Alright, I super apologize if this is a little shakily written, I unfortunately don't know much about the foster system/adoption system in the US as the only adopted kids I know were all from a different country. So I tried to do a little research before writing this but mostly I just tried to skim over those aspects, yikes. But here they are, the pre-Academy Siggeir brothers!
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Joseph didn't know how much more he could take.
His parents had started taking their tormenting to new levels. They weren't happy unless he was afraid.
"Please," he begged, tears pooling in his eyes as his father dragged him towards the basement. "Please, I'll be good! I promise I'll be good!"
His father whipped him by the arm so that he hit the wall hard. "Dumb Joe, when will you learn to shut your damn mouth?" he snarled.
Joseph snapped his mouth shut, tears spilling down his cheeks. Normally, he did keep quiet and just let it all happen. But not the basement. Anything but the basement.
His father dragged him towards the stairs, yanking the door open. Joseph stared at the dark basement in terror.
"Get down there," his father commanded.
"Please," Joseph whispered.
"Please," his father mocked before kicking him the back.
Joseph let out a yell as he tumbled down the stairs. He hit the hard, cold ground and laid there, trembling in pain and fear. The door upstairs slammed shut, cutting out the light.
Joseph forced himself to his feet, wincing at the pain in his body. He inched his way over to the corner of the basement, pressing his back against it and trying to adjust his vision to the darkness. He trembled harder, hugging his knees to his chest.
He heard a creaking from nearby and his breath hitched. He dug his nails into his legs, trying hard to fight off the panic rising in his chest.
He tried to hide his whimper, but it escaped in a soft exhale as the creaking got closer. His heart felt like it would explode out of his chest, the room swaying a little as he fought to keep his dizzy focus as steady as possible.
The figure exploded out of the dark at him and he screamed, recoiling back so hard that he smacked his head on the wall. He heard his father laughing, sitting up on the top step. His mother pulled off the mask she'd been wearing, also laughing now.
"Dumb Joe," she said, throwing the mask at him before going up the stairs. The two left the basement, slamming the door and locking it.
Joseph flung the mask away from himself as he fell over on the floor, curled in on himself. His tears dripped to the floor as his body trembled uncontrollably, terror and panic a tight knot in his chest.
"No more," he choked out, but the mask lying nearby taunted him.
***
