The next morning Cody had woken alone on the bed. He sat up, looking down to see that someone had cleaned him up. He narrowed his eyes at his thighs, only putting two and two together when the door to the bedroom creaked open and Quinn walked in.

"Sorry, we woke up late," Quinn trailed, tossing the towel on his shoulder on his drawer before kneeling to look through it for clothes. "The bathroom is empty. You should go take a shower before someone else gets in," Quinn muttered.

Cody nodded. "Yeah, I'll do that," he muttered, getting out of the bed before grabbing Quinn's towel and leaving for the bathroom. He brushed his teeth at the sink with the toothbrush Quin had given him one of the nights he'd slept over. Since then the brush hadn't left the family cup. Four brushes, and the weird cheap one that Quinn had managed to fish out for Quinn. Cody smiled at the thought. It felt like this was his home now in a sense. He slept over a lot, and he ate more food here than he did when he was at home.

What if I lived here? He wondered, looking at himself in the mirror. He shook his head before rinsing his mouth. No, he couldn't. That would be taking Quinn and his family's kindness for granted.

When he got back to Quinn's bedroom there were already clothes laid out for him. He wore them and followed the smell of toast and bacon to the Kitchen/living room where Quinn was waiting for him on the small dining table. They didn't talk much, but they gave each other looks. Quinn helped Cody butter his toast, and Cody helped Quinn finish off his mug of hot chocolate when he couldn't. It was still early in the morning, so the rest of the family wasn't up yet.

"What my mum said," Quinn started, looking over at Cody was they both took care of the dishes at the sink. "About what you'll do after graduation..." Quinn trailed and Cody looked away.

"I don't know what I'll do," Cody mumbled. He would eighteen soon, and Charles would use that as a reason to kick him out that's for sure. His anxiety and general battered look hadn't made it easy to get a part-time job of any sort. He didn't have experience. Going to school was even worse. He had nothing he liked about it.

"That's okay, we'll figure it out together," Quinn said, drying off the last bowl before putting it away.

The two left the apartment complex together. Quinn wasn't with his school supplies because it was still early in the morning, he just wanted to escort Cody home so that he could get his stuff. They had woken up late, so Quinn couldn't drop him off just before the break of dawn like they had planned.

The sound of dogs barking and birds singing filled the streets. The sun peeked from the horizon, shining rays of yellow light on the dirt floor. Cody and Quinn's hands separated when they reached the flat Cody lived in with his family. They were both anxious for what they knew would happen when Cody went in.

"I'm sorry..." Quinn trailed when Cody reached out to tug at his shirt. The smaller boy was afraid to go in. The reality had only hit him when the house had come in full view of them as they approached it. However, it seemed quiet. The lights were off and there was no one hanging around the compound, although Charles' motorcycle was parked by the stairs.

"It's not your fault we woke up late," Cody said, giving his boyfriend a smile. He didn't regret it. He waved Quinn off before heading to the front door.

The boy slipped into the living room of the home he shared with his brother and mother, his heartbeat picked up as he looked about for any sign of his brother or mother. He let out a sigh of relief when he didn't either of them before taking a seat on the couch.

The relief was short-lived because a door in the hallway creaked open, and Cody's eyes widened as he turned towards the hall to see his brother walk out of the entrance.

"Don't think I didn't notice you were gone. You didn't come home yesterday, did you?" the older boy said, walking up to the sofa Cody was sitting on. "Where were you?" Cody remained quiet, lowering his head instead.

He heard his brother groan "Answer me you piece of shit."

"I—I was at a friend's place." Cody managed to get out. He heard his brother laugh.

"Friend? As if you have friends," he said, walking behind the couch. Cody bit his lower lip, forcing his gaze to focus on the carpet below so that he wasn't tempted to look at his brother.

"There's only one thing you could be good at, and that's being a slut. Look at me before I knock your teeth off. You're even wearing a different set of clothes—disgusting," Charles said, breaking Cody's restraint. The smaller boy looked up at his brother but bit down on his tongue so that he didn't say anything in response.

Cody's brother was bulky and dark-haired, but they didn't look the same. He had a smirk on his face that told Cody he wasn't going to leave the scene without giving him a bruise or two.

"My mother could have left you. She could have abandoned the son of slut that stole her husband, but she didn't, be grateful," The older boy said, frowning down at Cody.

Cody could feel tears building up in his ducts. Grateful? At first, he had been, but after suffering years of physical and mental abuse, he wasn't sure what he should be grateful for anymore.

Cody's brother remained quiet for a while, and Cody even though he left until he felt a sharp pain from having his hand yanked and being pulled to a standing position. "You don't deserve to even sit down. You disgust me," Charles said as Cody blinked back tears.

Cody remained silent even though his hand felt like it was shattering from his half-brother's grip. Cody winched when his brother's grip only tightened.

Cody gasped. "Charles, please—"

"Don't use my name you piece of shit. Don't say my name, don't say my mother's name. I'm not your brother, and she's not your mother," Charles said, cutting the boy off before he could finish.

Cody gasped, staying quiet and biting down on his lower lip to avoid crying out. His arm hurt so much.

"When you're eighteen you'll be leaving this house and us. You won't get to annoy me by simply existing, and my mum doesn't have to remember the woman that stole her husband by simply looking at you—" Charles said, pausing as he yanked Cody some more, pulling the boy so that he stepped towards him.

Cody yelled, unable to endure the pain anymore. "Shit—"

"Shut up. You killed my father," Charles said, cutting him off. Cody's mouth was filled with blood from the force of biting down on his lip.

He swallowed, his eyes wincing from the taste of iron in his blood. He was going to pass out if Charles didn't stop. "I didn't do anything—"

"Your mum killed my father. What's the difference? If she hadn't made him move in with her, he wouldn't have been there when her house burned down," Charles said, squeezing Cody's arm until his skin was red and wrinkled under his grip. "The fact that you survived that day is a slap to my mum. It's like your mum's trying to live through you to mock us."

Charles let go of Cody when the boy coughed up blood. The smaller boy fell to the ground. He knelt, bending over and cradling his throbbing arm.

"Stay out of my way today. If I see you, I'll beat you up," Charles warned. Cody nodded through the pain. He closed his eyes and only knew Charles had left when the footsteps faded, and a door slammed shut.

The tears in Cody's eyes overflowed and Cody soon found himself bawling on the living room carpet. It wasn't the pain from his twisted hand. He was just tired of living and being a walking reminder of his mother. He felt sorry anytime he looked at Charles' mother. The woman didn't even look him in the eyes, and she never seemed interested in stopped Charles. In a way, she might have wanted to see Cody get punished a bit.

He was just so, so tired of simply existing and not living.

His throat hurt from crying and curling up into a ball didn't help. His mind instinctively thought of Quinn. It was still early, and maybe the boy hadn't left for school yet... No. He scolded himself in his head, not wanting to get Quinn mingled up in this. He remained on the floor for longer, feeling his hand throb and his boy convulse.

Quinn would want you to go to him. A voice said in his head between the pain. He'd want you to go to him, now.

Cody sighed, taking deep breaths as he sat up. His eyes narrowed at the front door, and his chest tightened. Yes, Quinn would want him to go to him, and Cody gave in, deciding that he should. Asking Quinn for help was not him being a nuisance. He got to his feet. They were wobbly, but he managed to walk well enough to make it out of the flat's front door.

Quinn. Was the only thought that remained in his mind as he walked through the streets barefooted with an aching arm and a clogged throat from crying.