AN: proudriff, your lovely frequent updating schedule is rubbing off on me and I love it

When the door opened, Davey got his first real look at the infamous Snyder the Spider, and he could instantly see why every street kid in Manhattan was so terrified of him. He had a menacing look in his eyes, even if he wasn't directing it at anybody. But the second he turned that look over in Davey's direction, he wanted to run and hide. But he couldn't.

When Snyder spoke, he said three words. "You. Come here."

Davey assumed it was him that he was talking to, so with a shaky breath, he began to climb down from the bunk once more, but Snyder shook his head and stopped him.

"No. You." This time he pointed, making it clear that it was not Davey he meant, but Davey's little brother.

Davey looked over at Les, and the terror in his eyes made him angry. His brother shouldn't have to be that scared of another person at his age. So Davey put a hand on Les's shoulder, both comforting him and keeping him from moving. And he spoke up.

"No."

Snyder laughed somewhat abruptly, and the sound sent a chill down Davey's spine. "That's cute. Don't worry, you'll get your turn. But I asked him first. C'mon, kid."

Les made to get up, but Davey tightened his grip on his shoulder. "He's not going with you."

"Davey, he's gotta. We all do, it some point." Crutchie whispered to him.

"Not Les." Davey whispered back, still staring at the older man, who let out a growl of frustration.

"Fine." Snyder stalked over to their bunk, and Davey could feel Crutchie involuntarily flinching away from the man. Snyder grabbed Davey's wrist and yanked him off the bed forcefully. "You can be first, then."

Davey suddenly realized the ramifications of protecting his brother, and, though he didn't want to admit it, he started to panic. He didn't have a clue what this man was going to do to him, but he knew it wouldn't be good. It wouldn't be good at all.

He vaguely heard Les yelling for him, but he knew that Crutchie would comfort him the best he could. Because now, with Snyder pulling him out of the room, Davey's fear was starting to overwhelm him, and it was all he could think about.

After a few turns that Davey didn't keep track of (though he should have, in case he needed to escape), Snyder pushed him into an essentially empty room with just a table with a belt laying on it. Davey thought that to be strange, until he noticed the dried blood on it, and he realized what it was for.

Snyder must have noticed his expression. "You can't complain, kid, cause you asked for this. Get down on the ground."

Davey didn't want to. He didn't want to get into such a vulnerable position in front of this man. But the logical part of him knew that he would end up on the ground no matter what, whether it be by his own free will or by force. So he opted to use his own free will.

Apparently, Snyder decided to build anticipation. He watched Davey curled up on the floor, and slowly picked up the belt from off of the table, and began to talk.

"You wanted to be a hero for your kid brother, huh? Your friend, Jack Kelly, he liked to be a hero, too. He didn't like what he got for it." The man laughed, and Davey fought the urge to shudder. He wished Snyder would just hit him already. "And that crippled boy too, did you he has this sense of protection for the younger kids? He takes more than his fare share of blows, I'd say."

Davey gritted his teeth. He'd prefer the belt to this taunting.

"And it's too bad, really, that you decided to step in for your brother. He's gonna get his turn, as well. And it'll be fun."

With that, the belt came down on Davey's back.