Jeremy is a science prodigy who got an apprenticeship with who I will not name yet.
TW: swearing obviously umm...Michael is abused.

"I-I got it! I got the apprenticeship!! Christine can you believe this!?" Jeremy yelled, holding the letter close to himself as he squealed.

"Wow that's awesome!" Christine smiled widely as she seen how happy her friend was. "Now, if only I could get on Broadway."

"Christine you will, I'm sure of it. Oh God, I've gotta start packing soon. This is gonna be amazing!!"

"You'll call me right?"

"Of course Chris, you're my best friend."

"Aww, thanks Jeremy. Now you get going. I'm sure you're gonna have lots a fun at your new job."

"I can't wait."

***

"And this is where you're staying." Jeremy looked around at his room in absolute awe. It was huge. There were all sorts of computers and buttons everywhere. "I'll teach you to use those when you get your first subject. For now just stay here. And for whatever reason you leave, the door at the end of the hall is off limits." Jeremy nodded in understanding, his new boss closing his door.

He looked around the new room, examining it, making sure not to touch anything, cause he didn't wanna be fired on his first day...but that room at the end of the hall...sounded tempting. No, no he couldn't disobey his orders but...what if something important was down there...maybe this was a test to see what risks he'd take. Like an initiation...maybe. He'd have to check it out when his boss was asleep.

***

Jeremy snuck out of his room, every light seemed to be off, good. He ventured towards the end of the hallway and the door had a giant "off limits" sign but Jeremy opened it...because it was unlocked.

He climbed down a rather long fleet of stairs until he reached what looked like another house...but combined with a basement.

He turned on a light switch and looked around. It was pretty homey. There was a small TV in what he assumed to be the living room, and on the couch seemed to be a boy around his age sleeping...huh, he kinda looked like Jeremy's boss except younger and his skin was slightly darker.

He got closer to the boy and stepped on something, causing himself to trip and fall like the clutz he is.

"Shit..." He groaned, sitting up and realizing the boy was staring at him. "H-Hi..." Jeremy waved awkwardly and the boy got off the couch and went upstairs, and when he came back down, there was a woman who came down with him.

"Oh I wasn't expecting anybody to come down here. Usually my husband doesn't allow his apprentices down here." She spoke calmly, Jeremy could sense a mother like aura coming off of her.

"W-Who are you?" Jeremy asked, standing up and wiping his pants off.

"I'm Maganda, this is my son Michael...he isn't much of a talk except when it's just me...I think he has social anxiety...I say think because my husband won't let me see a specialist to get him checked."

"Oh...well I'm Jeremy." He stuck his hand out and Maganda shook it calmly. "I...didn't know Mr. Mell had any family..."

"Nobody does...he only married me so he could...so he could have a child to experiment on..." She looked down sadly and Jeremy's eyes widened in horror.

"He...he experiments on his son?" Jeremy asked and Maganda nodded. "I...I didn't know...I'm sorry."

"It's okay. How about you and Michael sit on the couch and I make you something to eat? My husband won't come down until tomorrow night."

"Oh okay..." Jeremy sat down, and Michael sat down next to him quietly. "So...you're his son?" He nodded. "Other than the...experiments... what's it like...being his son?"

"...awful..." Michael whispered so quiet that Jeremy barely heard him. "Even without the science...he abuses me...he won't...treat me like his son..." Michael pushed hair out of his face to reveal a black eye, Jeremy couldn't help but scoot closer and hug him a bit. "He forces Mama and me to stay down here...and it's cold...especially during the winter... I get so cold...there's no heat and it... it hurts... I've never been outside before...not that I remember anyways..."

"Oh my God that's...that's horrible...I wish I could help you..." Jeremy sighed sadly, looking at Michael's longing eyes.

"I wanna go outside... I don't know what's out there...but I wanna see it..."

"I have pictures." Jeremy smiled softly, pulling his phone out and looking at the texts between him and Christine's girlfriend, Jenna, who was a local photographer back where he lived. "This is the outside world..."

"It's so pretty..." Michael's eyes were wide as he stared at the photos. "What is this..magic rectangle?"

"It's a cellphone. You can contact people on it."

"...How?"

"It's...complicated, I'm a science prodigy not a tech prodigy."

"Tech?"

"God you really haven't been outside have you?" Michael shook his head and  Jeremy gently pushed his hair out of his face. "I promise... I'll get you outside Michael. I swear on it...actually, here." Jeremy unwrapped the red hoodie he'd been wearing from around his waist and handed it to Michael. "This'll keep you warm. Take it off when your father comes down here okay?"

"W-What is this?"

"It's a jacket, you put it on like...this." Jeremy helped Michael put the hoodie on and he zipped it up. "Warm?"

"Y-Yeah..." Michael smiled a bit, yawning and curling his legs up against his chest.

"You sleepy?"

"Mmhm..."

"Mahal, before you go back to bed, I made you and Jeremy some Tinola." Michael turned around happily and took the bowl from his mother gently.

"What is Tinola?" Jeremy asked and Maganda smiled.

"It's Filipino food. We're Filipino, well my husband is Ecuadorian but Michael takes after me. After you eat you should probably sneak back upstairs...I don't wanna know what would happen if Mike found you here." Jeremy nodded and began eating, thoroughly enjoying his food.

He stood up, ready to leave, but Michael grabbed his hand gently.

"Jeremy...p-please come back...I wanna see more pictures of outside..."

"I'll come back Michael...I promise." Jeremy hugged Michael, and Michael gratefully hugged back. "And I'll save you. Both of you...I promise." With that he waved and left, being just as quiet as he left as he had when he'd entered.

"Mama?"

"Yes Mahal?"

"Is it...weird that I feel like I love him?"

"No...he seems like a sweet young man...once we're out of here, we'll move into a house next to him, and you can visit him every day." Michael smiled yawning again and laying his head on her shoulder.

"Thank you Mama..."

"Mahal Kita Michael..."

"Mahal Din Kita Mama..." Michael felt his mother gently kiss his forehead abd he let himself fall asleep, cuddling in the hoodie Jeremy had given him.