Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Tyler had been at the facility for as long as he could remember. Sure he had a few fuzzy memories of an older blonde lady with sunshine for a smile and a younger boy who he's never quite sure is himself or a brother. A tree house in a beautifully kept garden and darkness and screaming and everything tainted red and then... nothing. Most days he decides it's better that he doesn't remember.

For the last 16 years Tyler's life had been nothing but the same concrete wall with a tiny window that he could just about see a field through and three lots of shiny metal bars.
The Facility was cold but his fellow 'patients' and the Doctors, Dr Wentz and Dr Way, were the closest thing to a family Tyler could remember, (even if the doctors did occasionally drag him off to conduct 'research'.

Tyler couldn't really complain, he didn't have it half as bad as some of the other kids in the facility. His cell had an actual bed instead of a cot and the floor was covered with a fluffy carpet so his feet didn't get too cold plus he had multiple pillows and blankets as well as his very own ukulele and notebooks. The other 'patients' rooms looked like prison cells but Tyler's... Well, he'd been there longer than anyone else, he was the first and his room was home. The Facility was all he'd ever known.

Tyler had often wondered why the doctors favored him over all the other kids; vibrant, super smart Hayley, handsome Brendon with all his wit, Melanie who was cute as a button but sharp as a knife, Alexander and Jack who shared a cell because the screaming got too loud if the two boys were ever pulled apart.

They'd all trickled in over the years, maybe 50 kids in total until there was only 10 of them left; Tyler, Hayley, Brendon, Melanie, Alex and Jack, Dallon, Cassadee, Ashley and the newest recruit in the cell next to Tyler's who's name no one knew yet. He'd only turned up a week ago, tall and muscled and almost silent, Tyler was positive he wouldn't last the month.

Tyler was right.

After the first time Dr Wentz took the new guy down to the lab he never returned. A failure is what they called the 'patients' that needed to go to the labs in their first weeks and weren't strong enough to survive the 'orientation treatment'. Tyler had never had it but he'd seen it happen more times then he ever wants to think about.

Sixteen years at the Facility and it didn't even really feel like a prison anymore, considering all the horrible things Tyler had done in his life, the doctors were always brilliant with him. Hell, Dr Way had even brought him a cupcake a few months ago and told him it was his 21st birthday with the biggest grin Tyler had ever seen. Dr Wentz even brought him a new notebook and pen set, ruffled his messy brown hair with a smile that sent warmth through his veins.

They don't take him down to the research room for a whole month and its the best month of his life.

He can't help but wonder if he ever had a family that treated him as well as the Doctors do... He doubts it.

-----------

Joshua Dun had a pretty good life up until just after his 17th birthday. He had great friends, made good grades, loved his family and his part time job at the guitar center, where they let him play the drums whenever he wasn't working.

He had it good, had come out as bisexual with little hassle, was given a french bulldog puppy he named Thor for his birthday a few weeks ago, was applying for collages out of state with his best friend Debbie. Life was great until you know, it wasn't.

It was an average Tuesday when he was taken, stolen from the side of the road as he was walking home from work by a gang of darkly dressed people wearing masks. He must've hit his head when they threw him into the van because he could have sworn one of them turned to smoke and reappeared to trip Josh and tangle his skinny limbs in ropes.

They drove for what felt like hours, the whole journey he was thrown around in the back, hands and feet tied too tightly, his eyes covered by a surprisingly soft piece of fabric even as his head bounced off of the metal bench.

His heart was pounding so hard he thought it might burst out of his chest.

"Hey! Can you shut him up, I've got a headache."

Josh didn't even realize he was making any noise.

The voice sounded pretty young, female, almost musical. A toe pushed into Josh's now bruised ribs making his gasp.

"Shhh Dun, we're almost there." The new voice was definitely a dude, deep and warm sounding, what felt like a finger tip grazed his tear wet cheek. Josh jerked away from the touch so quick he smacked his head on something metal. A lilting laugh filled the van.

"Try not to hurt yourself before the boss has a chance to hurt you first."

Josh gulped feeling more salt water filling his eyes and prayed this was some kind of fever dream that he'd wake from asap.

-------

One thing that the other 'patients' got to do that Tyler didn't was to go out on missions. They were told it was to 'make up for the terrible things they had done in the past', but no one cared past the fact that they got to go outside, even for just a few hours.

They usually went in four person teams, three 'patients' and one of the guards/trainers in tow, tracking shock collars fastened eternally around his friends throats to make sure they didn't misbehave.

They all laugh and crack jokes as they're let out of the cell block and geared up for their mission whilst Tyler has to stay behind, never allowed to leave, even for a moment.

Tonight Zack is the guard on mission with them, a huge hulk of a dude, covered in tattoos and the cause of a few crushes around the Facility, he's personally not Tyler's type but he can see the appeal in all those gorgeously tanned muscles.

Tonight Melanie, Cass and Dallon are the lucky ones; a mind reader, super strength and Dallon's unique ability to turn into smoke points to this being a kidnapping mission. Looks like the cell next to Tyler's was gonna be filled.

Dr Wentz strolls into the holding area with his signature grin, waving at the kids as he walks past heading straight to Tyler's cell where he stands pressed against the bars of his open cell reeling with jealousy.

"Hey Ty, I know you're upset that you're not going tonight but we need to keep you safe, you're special okay?" Dr Wentz voice is always so gentle and understanding, draining all the fight out of Tyler almost instantly as he puts a friendly arm around his shoulder and shakes him goodnaturedly dragging a smile to Tyler's lips.

Tyler wonders if that's Dr Wentz's power, emotional manipulation, making you feel all warm and fuzzy so you don't fight back, hmm maybe?

"Do you remember what we talked about last week?" He ask gently, his soulful brown eyes staring into Tyler's own. Tyler nods.

"There's people out there who want to hurt me and I'm here for my own safety."

Dr Wentz smiles softly and motions with one hand for Tyler to continue.

"Because I'm special." Tyler blushes pale pink at that. The Doctors were always telling him that he was special, that he was chosen, that he was the glue holding everything together.

"Exactly my boy! Now try to relax and talk to the others for a bit, okay? I heard Brendon saying that you haven't hung out with him lately so go see him. Lights out isn't until 10 tonight, so make the most of it."

Tyler nods again, returns the smile as much as his face will allow which isn't much. He can't help but shake the heaviness in his chest, the itch of something dark in the back of his head.

"Good boy."

------------

"Get his feet."

"I've got his head, you get his feet!"

"Noooo, the feet are the heaviest part Cass should get his feet."

"Oh for gods sake I'll carry all of him, jeeezz."

Josh squeaks as he's heaved up into someones (tiny) arms, Cass apparently, she smells like vanilla and it throws him off.

Who the fuck were these people? What did they want with him?

"You're special Joshua." It's the lilting voice from earlier but this time it's whispering in his ear sending shivers down his spine. How did she know what he was thinking?

"Where are you guys taking me?" he's almost crying again, fear like an actual hand constricting around his throat.

"Dude you need to chill out." A male voice, somewhere to his left, the same one who prodded him in the van.

"You children need to stop freaking him out, right the doors open in you go I'll take Joshua from here."

Another males voice this time much deeper than the other, older, coming from somewhere above him. Then Cass is passing Josh's limp with fear body over to someone else and then light is filtering in under the edges of the blindfold. Too bright lights like the kind you get in a hospital.

"See ya later alligator!" The same girly voice sings before what feels like soft lips are fleetingly pressing to his cheek. The hallway falls silent other than the heavy foot steps of the guy carrying him.

"We're here."
For a second Josh thinks he's talking to him but then someone else answers and the blindfold is ripped from Josh's eyes.

"Perfect, thank you Zack, if you could place him in the chair."

Zack. The guy that's been carrying him shifts him in his muscled arms slightly before heading over to what looks like a dentists chair covered in straps. Josh begins struggling, kicking and punching out with every limb, a scream ripping from his throat sounding almost inhuman as Zack wrestles him into the chair, the owner of the second voice in the room swims into Josh's view to help restrain him. He's short and broad shouldered with straight black hair and pretty hazel eyes. Josh feels a wave a calm splash over him.

"Now, now Joshua, calm down."

Every muscle melts to mush. The restrains click tight around his wrists and ankles. A huge needle is nestled into the side of Josh's neck. Fuck it hurts. He wants to cry, wants to scream; wants his mom.

"Okay Joshua, you're okay. My names Dr Wentz. Now, you've gotten yourself into a lot of trouble, setting fire to yor high school killed four students Joshua, and the judge at your trial decided to send you here to help you... reform."

Josh doesn't understand what's happening. Setting fire to his school? Josh hadn't had so much as a detention in his entire life. What the fuck was happening.

"Now, we have a feeling you may be as special as the people who brought you here so we're just going to do a quick test okay?"

Josh finds his head nodding in agreement. No! No! Its not okay! LET ME GO.

His mouth won't move. Holy shit that can't be good.

The paddles in Dr Wentz hands look dangerously like defibrillators with spikes in the center.

"Now, just remember, you've been very bad Joshua, you broke the law and now you have to face your punishment."

Josh can feel the tears slicing down his face. No, no, no. This was a nightmare, he'd wake up any second now, late for school, the scent of pancakes washing up the stairs.
The paddles hit his chest and suddenly nothing exists but the white hot agonizing pain, shattering and melting every part of his body until his brain gives up and gives into the darkness.

---------------

Tyler spends a couple of hours curled up on the fake leather sofa in the rec room with Brendon and Hayley just chatting about whatever comes to mind.
Second only to Tyler, Hayley had been at the facility the longest, Ty had been here since he was six and five years later Hayley turned up, a tiny ball of fire who had 'accidentally' burnt down her family home and was sent here as she was too young and too strange for prison, considering she was the one who combusted into flames in the first place.

Brendon was older than Tyler by three years but had only been at the Facility for two, he'd been brought in for robbing several banks... using his mind. Being a technopath was one of the coolest things Tyler had ever heard of and he constantly wished they were allowed more technology so he could watch Brendon in action, but that was only allowed when he was out on missions which Tyler was never allowed to go on.

Tyler's powers were strange, Dr Wentz said he was almost too powerful and that people out in the world wanted him for their own gain. Would use him for evil. Tyler had apparently killed his whole family as a child without even realizing it. He had to be very careful what he thought sometimes, because sometimes it came true.

Sometimes the darkness creeped up his throat and anything that got close would die. Sometimes his eyes were blood red and everyone's faces became blurry. Sometimes even Dr Wentz couldn't calm him down and they had to tranquilize Tyler, tie him to his bed, blindfold him. He almost drove Melanie out of her mind once when she tried to venture into his trying to help calm him down. She still wasn't comfortable being near him alone. Tyler was a monster.

A blur whizzed into the room stopping Hayley and Brendon's conversation mid sentence as the blur crashed into the wall opposite the sofa and became Alex and Jack.
Alex and Jack were both tall and thin, their hands always clasped between them unwilling to let go, Alex was all caramel swirls from his hair to his eyes, he was slightly softer in his build whilst Jack was sharper, with jet black hair and jutting bones. Together they became one. Jack always dragging Alex along at super speed and Alex protecting Jack with his pure kinetic energy that he could, and did, fire at will.

"They're back from the mission and there's a new kid."

Tyler wasn't sure which of them spoke as they tended to merge into one person, especially when they both crawled into the vacant armchair opposite the couch, Jack taking up the seat whilst Alex perched both on the arm and across Jacks lap.

"No way! Is he like us?"
"Is he cute?"

Hayley and Brendon shout at the same time.

Tyler chuckles under his breath at his friends.

"Don't know if he's cute, but Zack's taken him to orientation so if he survives then he will be like us I guess." Alex chews on his lip as Jack speaks, he looks worried for the new guy, as that had once been him and Jack.

They'd both been just normal guys, best friends from birth, but when they came out as gay and were kicked out by their respective parents they went on the run, stole a bit here and there before the Facility caught them. They both went through orientation and survived but neither would speak of it and they had refused to leave eachother's sides since.

"I'm sure he'll be stronger than the last guy, Wentz doesn't tend to have two faliures in a row." They all nod at Brendon's words all silently hoping that he's right.

Tyler doesn't need to hope. The voice inside his head knows this guy is special. Ty can feel the darkness creeping up his spine, glances down and sees his finger tips are turning black.

"I'm beat you guys, see you tomorrow."

He flees the room to a chorus of 'nights' and almost sprints back to his cell burying himself in the mountain of blankets.

I won't lose control. I won't lose control, I won't.

The darkness fades but the uncomfortable feeling in his chest makes a home.

Sleep comes quicker than it ever has before.

Tyler sleeps.

---------------

Josh wakes up slowly, blinking the sleep from his eyes seems almost impossible, the thought of going to school makes him feel sick, he wonders if his mom would let him skip, god he feels like shit, like he was...

Fuck!

Josh sits up so quickly his head spins.

He's lying on a pretty comfortable cot bed that's pushed up against a concrete wall, a thick pale blue blanket pulled up to his chest, his chest that feels bruised in a way that nothing has ever hurt before.

He manages to straighten up a bit more and swings his legs over the side of the bed, his back pressed against the cool wall.

He's in a cell... A prison cell.

The walls are a pale grey, the floor what appears to be lino like what his mother has in their kitchen back home, there's not much to look at, just a small screen divider in one corner that has a toilet and sink behind it and a tiny writing desk and wooden chair pressed up against the concrete wall to his right. On his left is another cell that looks a hell of a lot more comfortable than his own.

A plush grey carpet lines the floor, there's an actual bed, wooden framed and piled with blankets, theres a desk pretty similar to the one Josh has but its littered with notebooks and pens and isthataukulele?

What the heck?

On second glance Josh realizes the pile of blankets on the bed has someone underneath them, the only thing visible from under the cacoon being a tuft of brown hair and one chocolate colored eye.

"I know you're there." Josh calls out hugging his knees to his sore chest sounding slightly braver that he felt.

The lump in the blankets slowly sits up, the sheets falling away to reveal a boy a few years older than Josh. A very, very cute boy, with a head of messy brown hair that was shorn shorter on the sides, a strong jaw with a slight dusting of stubble and huge doe eyes that were framed with thick black lashed. His left arm encircled with thin black band tattoos.
Josh's mouth went dry.

"I'm Tyler, you don't need to be scared." The boy's, Tyler's, voice was soft like silk, he rose to his bare feet gracefully, digging his toes into the thick carpet with a slight smile, before crossing his slightly larger cell to sit against the bars separating them from each other.

"J...Josh. Me. I mean, I'm Josh." Wow, smooth Dun.

Tyler's lips curled up into a grin that makes Josh's stomach flip almost as much as that thing last night.

Oh god, Josh was gonna be sick.

He made it across the tiny room just in time to hurl up everything in his stomach, the slosh of vomit hitting the porcelain causing him to hurl even more.

"Hey, Josh? Josh? Are you okay?" Tyler's worried voice cut through the ringing in his ears enough to bring him back to the present. Flushing the toilet with one hand, wiping his mouth with the other he flops against the divider with a sick sounding sigh.

"Do you need me to get Dr Wentz or Dr Way?" Josh turns to face the other boy who was on his knees trying to reach into Josh's cell, panic etched into every line of his handsome face.

"No! No, I don't want to see anyone who works here. Fuck I don't even know what here is? Dr Wentz told me I'd killed someone? I don't remember? That doesn't sound like something I'd do... Fuck I just want to go home."

It was getting harder and harder to breath, god his heart hitting his rib cage hurt like a bitch.

"Fuck Josh look at your hands!"

Tyler sounded so shocked that Josh did what he said without even thinking to find that his were gone, no not gone, he could still feel them he just couldn't see them.

"Holy shit dude you're invisible!" Josh spins to face Tyler but Tyler can't see him.

"How do I get it to stop!"

"Come here, come to where I am." Tyler's eyes are trying to focus on where he heard Josh's voice from but it's hard when he's invisible.
Josh stumbles over to the bars and drops to his knees making Tyler jump as he brushes against his tattooed arms.

"Okay okay." Josh isn't sure if Tyler's reassuring himself or Josh but it suddenly doesn't matter as his skinny arms are winding round Josh's shoulders and curling him to his chest, well as much as he can with the bars in the way.

"Try and match my breathing okay? Gosh this is so strange I can feel you but your see-through dude!" He huffs out a breath against Josh's neck and next thing they know Josh is visible and in Tyler's cell, curled up on the older boys lap.

"Woah."

"How? How did I do that?" Josh's eyes are as wide as saucers as he gazes into Tyler's whose are shining bright, a grin stretching his face.

"Wow you really are special." He says, pulling the younger to his chest in a proper hug that Josh can't help but to melt into. "Welcome to the facility Josh."

------------------------------

They spend a couple of hours just talking curled up together on Tyler's carpet as the sun starts to rise. Tyler trying his best to explain the Facility to Josh and his new found powers, (that are pretty sick in Tyler's opinion). The younger boy starts to drop off again after all the excitement, his head slipping off of Tyler's shoulder and into the older boy's lap, Tyler's legs had gone numb ages ago but he doesn't want to disturb his new friend. God knows he needed the rest.

Josh had been asleep about half an hour when Dr Way appeared at the front of Tyler's cell, glancing in with a smile on his way to Josh's before he stopped in his tracks, mouth dropped open as he noticed the newest patient curled up in Tyler's lap.

Dr Way was pretty different to Dr Wentz, he was taller and very skinny with short white blond hair and crazy eyes. He always wore the standard white hospital coat but his had patches on the back and his security card had 'Call me Gerard' written on it in black sharpie. If Dr Wentz was like Tyler's stand in father then Gerard was like his mom. Gentle and understanding and never ever there for any 'tests' or experiments. He was a friend, well as much as he could be.

"How did he..?"

"He phased through the bars after he went invisible whilst having a panic attack."

Gerard's eyes bugged out of his head in surprise.

"Well shit, kids more special than we thought, I've got to tell Pete, I mean Dr Wentz about this." He was so excited pulling out the weird computer thing the Doctors always carried and tapping away happily. "Think what else he might be able to do! Two powers manifesting in the same day? It's incredible."

Tyler didn't like the way Dr Way was talking about the new boy. Josh was terrified, Josh didn't know why he was here, Josh hadn't had powers before orientation, and now they were gonna run tests on him, find out what he could do like they did with Tyler. They were gonna hurt Josh, no one was allowed to hurt Josh.

Black tendrils swam up Tyler's hands and throat, his eyes burning crimson, one black hand twisting protectively into Josh's thick blue curls.

"You hurt him and I will end you Dr Way."

Gerard span to face Tyler and nearly jumped out of his skin, his hand held computer smacking the floor and cracking open. Ty could see Melanie's head poke out from her own cell before dissapearing just as quick, fear in her eyes.

"Tyler calm down, we're not gonna hurt Josh okay, we just need to see why he's manifested in such a way. He could be in danger."

Tyler could taste Dr Ways fear in his mouth as the doctor took a step closer to the bars of Tyler's cell.

Tyler growled deep in his throat, and when he started to speak he didn't even sound human anymore.

"He is mine. You touch whats mine, hurt whats mine and I will tear this entire place to the ground. You know I can."

"Yes, yes of course Tyler, we're not gonna hurt him okay? He can even stay in your cell. Do you need me to get Dr Wentz, we don't want you to hurt Josh now, do we? You know how you get when you lose control."

Tyler tilted his head to one side in thought and Gerard had never seen anything more menacing in his life. There was a reason Gerard and Dr Wentz treated Tyler differently and that was that they had zero way to control him, if he ever truly decided he wanted out, there's nothing they could do. Dr Way prayed that Tyler would never realize.

The shadows were creeping up the walls, blocking out the lights, the other 'patients' in the block were leaning out of their cells trying to figure out what was going on,the cell walls quake slightly, Tyler's eyes switching from bright red to solid black as he raises one hand palm out to Gerard, his lips quirked in a sinister smirk that makes all the hairs on Gerard's body stand on end.

"I'm sorry Tyler's isn't here right now." Tyler's lips were moving but his voice was from another plain, a demon right infront of the Doctor's eyes. Gerard casts a glance at the camera hanging from the ceiling hoping to heaven that someone was watching and would come save him but the camera was cloaked in shadow, useless.

"Ty..." Josh's voice was almost a whisper as the young boy shifted in Tyler's lap, his eyes fluttering open and suddenly all the light was back in the cell block almost blinding and Tyler was Tyler again, honey colored eyes and slightly bronzed skin.

"Hey buddy I'm here, you're good."

Josh smiled sleepily before slowly sitting up coming face to face with Gerard's terrified face, beyond pale, eyes bulging. He shrinks back into Tyler's chest, the elder boy cooing slightly brushing a long fingered hand through his hair comfortingly.

"Shh, you're okay, Dr Way here was just opening the cell so we can go get some breakfast, right Gerard?"

Dr Way nodded furiously dropping the keys three times before finally activating the mechanism that opened every cell on the block. The hallway was suddenly awash with noise as everyone strolled out of their rooms heading to the cafeteria.

Tyler motioned for Josh to go first, smiling reassuringly, staying a step behind as they walk past Gerard. Tyler pauses momentarily and when he turns to face Dr Way his eyes are bright red.

"Remember what I said Doctor. Tyler's not the only one in control here."

Chapter Text

The cafeteria was pretty homely considering it was inside of a prison.

The walls were painted a pale yellow and there were two large tables in the center of the room with dark brown wooden chairs placed round them. A door stood off to the left which needed both a physical key and a code to open and presumably lead to the kitchen. Two armed guards stood either side of it, and every now and then an older lady with lavender hair would enter the room holding plastic trays with the patient's meals on.

The room was already full of the other patients when Josh and Tyler entered and Josh could feel his anxiety building in his chest at the thought of all these people having powers and being criminals but then Tyler's hand curled around his own and he could suddenly breathe again.

"The guys are cool I promise, you hungry?"

Tyler's voice was so soft, only just loud enough for Josh to hear, and gosh were his eyes pretty, like coffee on a Sunday morning when his parents weren't looking.

Josh nods, trying to fight the blush that stains his nose as Tyler grins brightly, dragging him by their entwined hands to the first table where a girl with fire engine red hair and two boys, also holding hands, were sat.

"Hey guys, this is Josh, Josh this is Hayley and JackandAlex."

"Stop saying our names as one!" The two boys practically in each other laps say simultaneously before giggling and pressing their lips together in a chaste kiss. They look so in love that Josh's stomach twists in what he thinks is jealousy.

"Hey ignore Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, I'm Hayley." Up close the red haired girl is beautiful and her grin has a tiny gap between her front teeth that instantly reminds Josh of his baby sister.

"Josh." He offers quietly with a tiny smile, Tyler squeezes his hand re-assuredly before gently pushing the younger down into the seat next to Hayley, slinking into the one next to him.

"I'm Jack and this is Alex." The darker haired of the two boys sat opposite Josh says with a cheeky grin, wrapping one of his skinny arms around Alex.

Josh feels a wave of calm wash over him, they all seem nice, nothing like the murderers he was expecting.

"So Josh, what's weird and wonderful about you?" Alex asks leaning his head on to his boyfriends bony shoulder.

"Ermm." Josh turns to look at Tyler who's still holding his hand, their fingers twisted together like they were made to fit this way. Ty smiles softly sensing Josh's discomfort.

"He turned invisible this morning and phased right through the cell bars." Tyler sounds proud, almost smug and all Josh's insides warm like he's just drunk hot cocoa.

"Dude that's sick!" Alex almost shouts, holding up his palm for Josh to high five, he looks to Ty in confusion who just nods his head towards the caramel boy in question and Josh slowly and gently taps his palm against Alex's.

"That's awesome! You could like just totally get out of here right now? Can you phase someone with you? Does it work on anything or just through bars?" Hayley's green eyes are alight with excitement and when she places her dainty hand on Josh's shoulder he's surprised to find its hot, like touching a the outside of a just brewed coffee pot.

"Woah, woah chill. He's been here like 8 hours and this morning was the first time he even knew he had powers, plus he'll get collared soon like you guys so he won't even be able to use his powers properly anyways."

Josh can't help but study Tyler's gorgeous face as he speaks, the frown lines in his forehead, the downward turn of his pouty lips, he's lost in the older boys features before his words strike a chord.

Collared?

Josh looks to Tyler's throat to find it bare of anything but the neck of his standard soft blue t-shirt that everyone seems to be wearing. He turns to face the others and there around everyone else's throats is a thin black collar with a minuscule red light that flashes randomly.

"What do the collars do? Why aren't you wearing one?"

Tyler heaves out a breath but then Hayley beats him to the punch.

"The collars are the Facility's safety net, y'know they're tracking devices, shockers, they can moderate how much of our powers we can use and if you're really unlucky..." Hayley trails off looking grim just as another boy, older than even Tyler, flops down into the chair next to Alex, the wooden legs scraping against the tiled floor making everyone cringe.

"If you're really unlucky they can blow your head clean off, boom! Gone." He makes an explosive gesture with his hands grinning almost manically.

"Thanks for that Brendon, why don't you just scare the boy to death!" Alex mutters sarcastically earning a hair ruffle from the new guy, Brendon.

"Ahhh, new boy's fine he has the great and mighty TyJo looking after him."

Tyler makes a slight movement with the hand not holding Josh's and Brendon's chair suddenly shudders and slips sending the older boy sprawling onto the floor with a surprised laugh.

His laugh is contagious and soon all of the kids in the cafeteria are giggling as if it's a normal thing for chairs to go flying, hell maybe it is but Josh can't keep his wide eyes off of Tyler, did he just move that chair with his mind?

"Why don't you wear one?" Josh asks without thinking his voice not shaking for once. The carefree smile stretching Tyler's face blanks and he separates their hands to run his fingers through his messy hair.

"Tyler's a whole new world of freak." Brendon jokes finally back on his seat, arms stretched across the table to nudge his moody friend.

No one else speaks and Josh can't tell if Brendon's being serious or not but as he looks to Tyler for more information the older boy won't meet his eye.

Josh clears his throat, catches Hayley's worried glance out of the corner of his eye.

Josh feels cold now that their hands aren't touching. He has to distract himself before the panic sets in.

"So, erm, what powers do you guys have?"

Jack's the first to speak up breaking the awkward silence. "I'm super fast. Like think of the Flash and then make him more handsome and that's me!"

Alex cuffs him round the back of the head with a fond smile.

"I can manipulate fire." Hayley says snapping her fingers and creating a tiny dancing flame above her fingertips that disappears just as quickly.

"Alex can control kinetic energy." Jack answers for his boyfriend, nudging the caramel boy in question until he forms a spinning ball of purple looking lightening into his palm.

"That's sick!" Josh exclaims bouncing slightly in his seat making Alex blush. "What about you Brendon?"

Brendon smirks but his eyes seemed sad, "I'm a technopath which means I can make, manipulate and break apart anything to do with computers, which also means that this little thing here," he taps on his collar that's slightly thicker than everyone elses with dead eyes, "is coated in this weird substance that means I can't use my powers at all whilst its on, or else I'd be out of this hell hole quicker than Jack comes during sex."

"HEY!" Alex and Jack both shout at once causes everyone to laugh, even Tyler.

"What about you?" Josh asks with a small smile taking Tyler's larger had back into his own earning himself the most gentle look he'd ever been on the receiving end of causing the butterflies in his stomach to go nuts.

"I'm.... Different." Tyler mumbled sounding embarrassed.

"Tyler's stronger than all of us combined." Hayley interrupts with a sweet smile at her oldest friend, "He can do pretty much anything he wants if he thinks hard enough about it."

Josh's eyes are bugged out of his head almost comically. "Is that why you don't wear a collar?"

Tyler glances down at the younger boy and shrugs, dragging their joined hands to his lap.

"They don't work on me."

Chapter Text

Conversation dies down slightly after Tyler fails to properly answer Josh's question and then the lavender haired lady who the kids all call 'Granny' brings over bowls of porridge with strawberry jam swirled in it and conversation stops altogether.

Tyler doesn't really know what to tell Josh. There's no easy way to say;

Hey I think you're cute and so the darkness that lives inside of me has decided that your mine and oh by the way I murdered my whole family and I can literally suck the life force out of people. Wanna go on a date?

Ugh god! What was he gonna do? What if he lost control for real and got all blurry again, he could almost feel the pressure in his finger tips, no, not here. Deeps breaths, eat your porridge.

"Hey Tyler, can I speak to you please?" It's Dr Wentz standing a few feet from the safety door that leads down to the labs.

Josh shudders and pushes his thin body against Tyler's in fear who instantly coos in reassurance.

"Hey Buddy, I'll be right back, Dr Wentz isn't gonna hurt me, stay with Hayls okay?"

He takes the younger boys pale face in his hands deep mocha eyes burning into his own, Josh nods slightly and his eyes flutter closed as Ty presses his lips to his forehead.

Eight hours around this gorgeous boy and Tyler was already in too deep.

"Hayley..."

"Your toy boy's safe with me go see what Dad wants." She makes it sound like a joke, but her eyes are hard, glittering with worry. Tyler lifts up the corner of his mouth in an attempt to smile, before letting go of Josh and strolling towards the labs.

Dr Wentz stays quiet as they leave the cafeteria and head down the pristine white hallways towards his office, there's quiet jazz playing through invisible speakers that's supposed to be relaxing but always manages to put Tyler on edge.

He hates these hallways. It's easy to pretend this place isn't a prison sometimes but these hallways always serve to remind him what hell he was actually trapped in.
They reach Dr Wentz office and he uses his key card to open the door, instantly flopping down onto the huge leather desk chair leaving the suede armchair across from his desk open for Tyler.

"Sit please."

Tyler does as he's told. He's not used to being out in the lab area, normally if he's been dragged here he's lost control or they need him for an experiment, or he's 'ill' and needs 'treatment'. He has no nice memories of being here.

"Dr Way says you threatened him this morning."

Tyler balks. What? When did he? When Josh was asleep and... Shit, had Tyler gone blurry whilst holding Josh? He could of hurt him, he could have killed him!

"Tyler!"

Ty snaps out of his panicked thoughts meeting Dr Wentz, Pete's, worried eyes. A woosh of serenity settles into the room but although Tyler's aware of it, it doesn't seem to help.

"Were you in control when you threatened Dr Way?"

Tyler tries his hardest to think, Josh was scared, curled against him asleep, Gerard was excited, Gerard was going to hurt Josh.

"Errmm... I don't know? Josh was curled up in my lap and he's fine so I couldn't have become totally blurry right? I would've killed him? I don't remember threatening Gerard, I wouldn't!"

Pete's brow furrows at Tyler's words, a strange expression on his face that Ty can't quite decipher.

"This boy's only been here today and you're already close? You already care about him."

Tyler blushes.

"I mean, Josh is special, I don't know why but I just, I know he is and I don't want him to get hurt-"

Tyler cuts himself off feeling the black curling up his arms, his finger tips as dark as pitch as he claws at his throat.

Pete's eyes are so wide the whites are visible, he pushes out of his chair taking a step away from Tyler whose struggling for breath, his heart pounding so hard it physically hurts.

"Dr Wentz whats happening to me?" Tyler cries, eyes burning, breath burning, every muscle in his body aflame.

"Just stay calm Tyler, deep breaths, remember those excersizes Dr Way taught you."

Pete can't believe his eyes, Ty's throat was turning as black as coal, his hands the same color now gripping at his fluffy brown hair.

A scream tears through the office, papers flying around as a wind picks up out of nowhere, the over head lights suddenly muted as if the shadows had actually come alive and then.... Stillness.

Tyler flops down into his seat, head bowed, skin stained black leaving just his face his normal tan.

He doesn't move.

"Tyler? Son? Are you okay?"

Dr Wentz goes to press the panic button under his desk but is stopped as a tendril of black shadow becomes solid, twists around his wrist and pulls his hand away. He hits the leather chair so hard the air is punched out of his lungs.

More shadowy ropes tie his body to the chair.

He can't move an inch.

"Ty, Tyler buddy! What are you doing?"

Pete tiess to send out calming waves but he's too panicked. He has no idea what Tyler's truly capable of.

This could quite easily be his death.

Tyler lifts his head slowly, smirk firmly in place twisting his features until it doesn't even really look like him anymore. His normally hazelnut brown eyes are phosphorous red, the whites as black as his neck.

"Tyler's not home right now, care to leave a message."

The cackling laughter sends shivers down Pete's spine, that voice... It doesn't even sound human.

"Who are you then if you're not Tyler?" He asks, trying to sound brave but knowing he wasn't fooling this, this monster.

Not Tyler laughs again, rising to his feet cockily.

"I'm hurt Doctor. You don't remember me?" He stalks around the desk, swinging his lithe body up to perch on it's top, facing Pete and swinging his legs like a child.

"I suppose it has been quite a long time for you. Tyler was, 6? 7? I can't recall. He's so much bigger now, stronger. I remember that night so clearly, little Ty was so upset over his parents arguing, he begged them to stop, begged so loud he awoke me from the pits, I crawled out of the darkness and murdered the lot of them for him. Do you seriously not remember me?"

Pete was sure his heart had actually stopped, all this time when Tyler blacked out he'd say-

"You're Blurry?"

"Dingdingding! We have a winner!" Blurry sings, red eyes alive as they danced with mirth.

"Now, I love Tyler, sure he's a bit of a bore sometimes but we're one and the same! Now, we both know you can't hurt Tyler anymore because that's when I come out to play..."

Blurry pauses eyes boring into Pete's threateningly who nods frantically in agreement, pulse fluttering under the thin skin of his neck, Blurry can taste his fear in the air, bets his blood would taste even better.

He shakes his head, back to the point.

"Now, new kid, Joshua. He's special. We can feeeeel him, and if you hurt him Dr Wentz," he slams his black palms down heavily onto the table causing it to creek dangerously under the sudden weight, Pete's jumps in fear the shadow ropes tightening even further almost cutting off his air supply.

"If you hurt what is our, what is mine, I will slit your throat and suck the soul from your body." Pete gulps in fear, holy shit he was gonna die.

"Hey, did you know your shadow is a physical manifestation of your soul Doctor?"

Pete shakes his head, no. Speaking almost impossible with how tight the binds around his throat are.

Blurry clicks his tongue in disappointment. "Shame on you Dr Wentz. How about a little demonstration."

The light seems slightly brighter for just a second just enough to cast Pete's shadow across his desk, Blurry grins with the sharpest incisors Pete's ever seen before curling his hand into Pete's shadow right where his heart would be.

"ARGGHHH! Fuuuuuuuuuuckkkkkkk!!!" He screams so loud it feels like his throats tearing apart, white hot agony radiating from his chest.

There's pounding on his office doors. Guards yelling asking if he's okay. The door won't budge with Blurry's shadows keeping it closed. The pain is so intense he can't cry out again.

"I reckon that's my cue to leave, remember what I said about Joshua."

Blurry jumps down from his perch, saunters back around until he's in front of the armchair Tyler has occupied. He curls his tainted fingers in a mockery of a wave.

"Until next time Doc."

Pete knows that voice will forever haunt his dreams.

The inhuman smirk drips off of Tyler's face before his body hits the floor with a sickening thud, his skin back to normal save for the smallest trickle of blood leaking from his nose.

The office door swings open and in sprints Zack, Rian and Jeremy, his personal guards, weapons raised and faces twisted into confusion.

"Sir?" Zack asks his gaze flickering from the black and blue bruises circling his boss's neck to the too still body of Tyler lying on the floor.

Pete takes the deepest breath possible, rubs at his tender neck with a wince and when he speaks his voice is husky.

"He had an... Episode. Take him back to his cell and move the new boys stuff in there with him."

Zack nods holstering his weapon before scooping Tyler up into his huge arms as if he were a baby.

He turns to leave but Pete stops him with a shaky, "Wait!"

"We need to find a way to control him," he casts his watery brown eyes to the boy laying limp in Zack's arms, the boy who was like a son to him, the boy who had almost killed him, "and if we can't control him... We need to find a way to kill him."

All three guards gasp, sending shocked glances at each other. They all knew how Pete felt about the boy.

"Tell the research team to take him for trials tomorrow afternoon, they need to try and make him a collar. And Zack..."

"Yes sir?"

"Be careful with him."

Zack nods firmly and turns to leave flanked by Rian and Jeremy.

Pete opens his bottom drawer and pulls out the expensive bottle of whiskey his husband Patrick had brought him for their anniversary. He pours a glass and chugs it in one go, drops his head into his hands and for the first time in a very long time, he cries.

Chapter Text

Josh likes Hayley a lot. She's smart and funny and she laughs with her whole body. He clicks with AlexandJack too, especially when he finds out that him and Jack were born on the exact same day.

"We're like twins!" Jack squeals bouncing from his seat in Alex's lap to squish Josh into a bony hug.

"We're burfday twins for lyf!"

Alex and Hayley roll their eyes in annoyance, perfectly in sync but internally Hayley's just happy that Josh doesn't seem too freaked out.

She definitely doesn't want him to catch on to the fact that it was Cass, Dallon and Melanie that brought him here. If he knew that... Hayley shudders from the thought.

She wishes she knew how Tyler was doing, she hates when he leaves with Dr Wentz, he always comes back upset or in pain. Always spends the next few days holed up in his room scribbling in his notebooks. The tests they do on him... It's not fair that someone as sweet and gentle as Tyler has spent his whole life trapped in this hell hole.

They needed to escape from here before he lost himself completely, before they all became something different.

Hayley's shook from her thoughts by Melanie's high pitched scream.

"Tyler's in trouble! I just heard him screaming!" Melanie's on top of the cafeteria table, her too big t-shirt more like a dress that she's clutching in her white knuckled fists.

Josh is across the room quicker than Hayley can almost track, phasing through the wooden table he was sat at without even realizing it.

Alex turns to meet Hayley's shocked glance with wide panicked eyes.

Fuck, Tyler.

"How do you know? What's happening!?" Josh's frantic, finger tips going invisible as he tugs gently on Melanie's top trying to catch her attention, Hayley can tell from where she's standing that his breathing's irregular and then suddenly Brendon's there, grabbing Josh by his bony shoulders and slapping his face as gently as he can.

"Calm down Invisible Boy, Melanie's a mind reader, if you shut up for two seconds she can tell us what's happening."

Josh blinks stupidly up at the older boy, can see the fear in his chocolate eyes as clear as day, Brendon may talk a big game but Tyler was family to him that much Josh was sure of.

"Sorry." He mumbles sheepishly, Brendon nods, one single jerk of his head before they're both turning as one to face the rocking girl on the table top.

"Nononononono, he's back, Blurry's back, he's got Tyler, he's got Dr Wentz, he's-"

Melanie's eyes roll back into her head before her body crumples flat.

"Shit!" The guard by the door's across the room in seconds flat checking Melanie's pulse and breathing out a sigh of relief.

"She's okay," the guard says softly, picking up the tiny girl into her arms, "You know what Tyler's minds like, she just needs rest. Zack just buzzed through and Tyler will be back in 5 minutes, there's no need to worry."

The guard has long black hair tied in a pony tail and lots of shiny white teeth that contrast strikingly with her dark skin. Josh flashes her a shaky smile letting his weight collapse a little bit against Brendon's solid chest. The guard shifts Melanie in her arms slightly, expression fond before she turns and heads back to the cells.

"See I told you everything was fine," Brendon announces with what Josh is coming to realize is his signature cheeky grin. "We got all worried over-"

The door to the labs slammed open and Zack strolls in, flanked by two other guards, an unconscious Tyler in his arms, blood dripping from his pixie nose, the whole lower portion of his beautiful face sticky with red.

"Annnnnd I spoke too soon!"

"TYLER!" Hayley's hair stands on it's ends alive with fire, it coats her hands and forearms as she places herself between the guards and the door out to the cell block. "What have you done to him!?"

Alex stands up and flanks her, palms buzzing with purple lightening his handsome face twisted into a snarl, Jack hovering just behind his boyfriend.

A girl Josh hasn't yet met steps up to the other side of Hayley, she has long wavy brown hair and steel for eyes. She punches her left hand into her right palm threateningly and it sounds like metal striking metal.

"Guys, calm down." Zack says softly, adjusting his grip on Tyler's limp form. "Tyler's fine he just overexerted himself."

Brendon huffs out a sarcastic laugh and steps slightly in front of Josh unconsciously shielding the younger boy. "Likely story!"

Hayley takes a half step forward, raising her dainty hands, the fire flaring up almost blindingly bright. Josh can feel the burning heat of it from five feet away.

The two guards flanking Zack raise their nasty looking machine guns.

Alex makes a guttural sound in the back of his throat in warning, the electricity sparking in the air around him.

"Children please!" Dr Way's voice rings out from behind Zack's mammoth shoulder before he's sauntering into the room with a weird black box in his hands. He presses one of the switches and suddenly every patient but Josh and Brendon hits the floor clutching their heads in agony.

"I'm sorry kids but you know the rules!" Dr Way announces sounding apologetic even whilst his eyes spark.

"Now, Tyler used a little too much of his powers earlier and now he needs to rest. Let us do our jobs or you'll all be on cell arrest."

Zack takes the momentary lull of patients getting back onto their feet to push passed everyone and head for the cells. Josh doesn't hesitate for more than a second to follow.

He catches up to Zack in three bounds, feels his heart pounding in fear at being so close to his capture.

"Is he really alright?" He manages to ask, voice barely a whisper as he watches Zack carefully lower his new friend onto his blanket filled bed.

Zack spins to face Josh, his pale green eyes sad. He perches on the messy writing desk and motions for Josh to come closer. The younger boy pushes down his internal panic and crosses the room.

Zack leans down until they're face to face, too close for Josh to feel comfortable, and when he speaks it's so quiet that Josh struggles to hear him.

"Tyler has more power than you could ever imagine Joshua, he lost control today almost killing Dr Wentz. Now, Dr Wentz thinks of Tyler as his own son, he's been here his whole life, the doctors literally raised him, he was the first ever patient here, the key to everything they're doing."

Zack's eyes are burning into Josh's as if begging him to understand, he looks so earnest, Josh can't believe this is the same guy that ripped him from his life just the day before. Hell, Josh doesn't believe that Tyler, sweet quiet Tyler who helped him through a panic attack and held his hand so he wouldn't be scared, would hurt a fly either... But wait, what was it Brendon had said earlier? Tyler's a whole new world of freak?

"Joshua, if Tyler can't get himself under control, or if the technician's can't find a way to control him..." Zack pauses, drags a huge hand through his short blonde hair, chokes on his next breath, "Josh they're gonna kill him."

"Wha-"

Josh feels like his legs no longer work as he collapses into the wooden chair next to the desk. His dark mocha eyes flickering over to the thin unconscious boy laying atop of the fluffy blankets. He looks sick, the dark circles ringing his eyes making him appear gaunt, the blood smeared across his lower face turning Josh's stomach. Josh hasn't even know

Tyler a whole day but he knows that he needs him. There's something drawing Josh to this strange boy. He'd never felt this way about someone before. They needed to protect him.

"We can't let them hurt him."

Zack nods solemnly.

"I started working here at the Facility almost ten years ago when Tyler was just 11. I taught him how to play ukulele, I nursed him through the flu, shit, I gave him the puberty talk! He's like a little brother to me."

He sighs all the air out of his lungs strolling the short distance to Tyler curling him up into one of the blankets, his face fond.

"I know you have no reason to trust me, I know I'm the 'bad guy' here, but believe me when I say I want to help you, all of you."

He turns to leave with one last pleading look at Josh who simply nods.

Zack's almost out of the cell when Josh blurts out; "You want to help us even though we're all criminals?"

Zack's soft smile confuses Josh but he chooses to ignore it, he needs all the help he can get at this point.

"Yeah," he chuckles, "even though you're all criminals."

He leaves Josh to the silence of Tyler's cell. The younger boys head is spinning, he has no idea what's going on here. He doesn't remember setting fire to his school, doesn't remember a trial or being at a police station. He remembers Zack carrying him through the Facility hallways, wasn't there a van? Masks of some kind. Ughhhh why can't he remember anything?!

A rush of tiredness hits Josh like a fist to the gut and suddenly nothing really matters besides laying down next to his vulnerable friend, curling up to the elder's chest with a content sigh.

Everything would be fine as long as he sticks with Tyler.

He drifts off to sleep quicker than he ever has before, dreams of black shadows cradling his body lulling him into the abyss.

Dr Wentz hovers just outside the cell out of sight until he's sure both boys are asleep then with deep regrets he slides the bars shut, locking them tight for the foreseeable future.

Chapter Text

Tyler woke slowly, his nose being tickled by the head of thick black curls nestled against his chest. Josh.

His head's pounding like crazy and the bottom of his face feels stiff as if something has dried on it. Knowing Tyler’s luck it's probably blood.

He raises a shaky hand to his face, gently touching his nose with his pointer finger… Hmmm nothing hurt, well other then his head, so his nose probably wasn’t broken. He didn't remember passing out or getting into bed, and the headache and blood on his face all pointed towards over using his powers. Fuck, who had he hurt this time?

He tries to remember yesterday, digging into his foggy memory but he comes up almost empty.

He’d taken Josh for breakfast that much is clear, and then Dr Wentz had called him into his office, he was walking down sterile hallways soft jazz making his skin crawl and then… Ow fuck!

A sudden blinding pain was striking through his brain, an eerie chuckle echoing in the background of his clouded thoughts.

What the fuck was happening to him?

The boy in his arms shuffles in his sleep bringing Tyler back to the present, Josh's head tilts back slightly and rocks onto Ty’s shoulder revealing his gorgeous face, his dark eyebrows furrowed in frustration even in his sleep.

Without thinking Tyler brushes along the younger boys brow with his finger tips as gently as possible attempting to smooth the stress from his forehead.

Josh wakes up after a split second of the gentle pressure, the smudge of his black eyelashes flutter against pale lavender eye lids and then deep coffee brown eyes are gazing sleepily up into Tyler’s own.

Gosh this kid was pretty.

“Hey, you’re awake are you feeling okay? You had us all really worried yesterday.” Josh is speaking before the rest of his body even registers it’s awake, reaching out to pat at Tyler’s cheek with a careful palm, face pinched with worry.

“My head hurts,” Ty manages to choke out, his throat as dusty as the nonfiction shelves in the library, “throat too.”

“I’ll get you some water, don’t move!” Josh orders, springing from the bed getting a foot caught in the hundreds of unneeded blankets and tumbling across the room to the partially hidden sink. There’s a #1 Son mug resting on the ridge that he quickly rinses and fills with luke warm water.

He turns to move back to Ty but decides the older boy seriously needs to wipe the blood from his face, so he grabs a wedge of toilet roll, getting it damp and then strolling back over to the bed.

Tyler is struggling to sit up by the time Josh crosses the tiny room, his face looking gruesome in the shadowed lighting of predawn, especially the way its twisted up in pain.

“Hey, hey, careful, let me help. Zack said you over exerted yourself yesterday so you need to take it careful today.”

He passes Ty the mug of water and then grabs him carefully under his armpits struggling with his almost dead weight but eventually getting him upright.

“Shit does this place have a gym I think I need some kind of weighted workout for my noodle arms!”

Tyler chuckles huskily before taking a long gulp of the water almost draining the whole cup in one sip. God that felt good.

Josh takes the empty mug from Tyler's shaking hands placing it on the floor by the bed before motioning to the older boy's face.

“Do you mind if I clean up your face? You’re kind of… bloody?” He winces as he says it, holding up the saturated tissue.

Tyler nods trying not to move his head too much. The pounding's lessening the more he stares at Josh, as if his very presence was healing. Ty's lips quirk into a smile.

“Nose bleed?” He whispers, rasping like he was an avid smoker.

Josh takes his jaw into his hand angling the older boys face so it’s sort of tilted into the security light that shines into the cell.

“Mmm, I think so, Zack didn’t say exactly. Hold still.”

The younger boy works quickly, soft dragging pats around Ty’s mouth and nose, his tongue clenched between his perfectly straight teeth in concentration. He’s so close Tyler can count the adorable freckles scattered across his nose like stars. He’s up to 27 when Josh gently lets go, muttering a ‘done’, under his breath, close enough that Tyler breathes the word in rather than hearing it.

“You’re beautiful.”

The words slip out of Tyler’s mouth unpermitted causing Josh to flush as red as the bloodstained tissues he’s holding.

"Uh, sorry I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable, I just.."

"No, no don't apologize," Josh's cheeks were the brightest thing Tyler had ever seen save for maybe the grin that suddenly lights up his face even more, "I think you're beautiful too."

Tyler's heart does a funny little thump in his chest and before he can really think it through he's curling his long fingers into the hair at the base of Josh's neck and slotting their mouths together. Josh squeaks in surprise before melting against the older boy, his hands grasping at Ty's bony shoulders as the kiss becomes heated.

They pull apart when breathing becomes necessary, panting into each other's mouths eyes wide in awe and suddenly they're laughing, carefree giggles that echo of the dull cell walls, clinging to each other with happiness swelling in their chests.

"We're definitely doing that again." Josh announces, pressing a tiny chaste kiss to Tyler's nose. Pale pink paints it's away across the bridge of Tyler's nose and the tops of his ears.

"Ahhh I can't believe I made you blush!" Josh crows, the air leaving his lungs in a huff as the older boys tackles him to the bed. The kiss for what could be minutes or hours for all Tyler can tell, until Josh ruins the moment by yawning right in Tyler's face.

"Whoops, sorry must be more tired than I thought."

"That's okay, more kissing later, more sleeping right now." Tyler's grinning even as he yawns, his mouth stretching weird enough to cause Josh to burst out giggling again.

Tyler grins properly, pressing his lips to Josh's in an almost heartbreakingly tender kiss that has Josh gasping for breath, before he moves them both, turning Josh onto his side and dragging him against his chest, arms twined tightly around his skinny body.

They fit together perfectly, like puzzle pieces just broken enough to wedge in to place with no chance of separating.

"G'night Ty."

"Night Josh."

The elder touches his lips softly to the back of Josh's neck, breathing in the slight scent of vanilla from the boys hair.

Maybe Tyler could have something good for a change.

Maybe the facility wasn't hell after all.

Maybe Tyler had finally found his angel.

Tyler drifts off to sleep a slight feeling on unease creeping through his bones.

Blurry raises his head, red eyes the only thing of color in the grey twinge of dawn, he watches over them whilst they sleep.

It was only a matter of time.

Chapter Text

They take Josh before Tyler even wakes. Drag him down to the labs despite his screaming, tie him down to the dentist looking chair.

Zack’s nowhere to be seen and Josh has never prayed in his life but as the nameless lab tech straps a thick band of leather across his mouth separating his teeth he prays for the huge older man to burst in and save him.

“Joshua, try to calm down, I’m Dr Roy, we’re going to do a couple of quick tests and then fit your collar, we only took you whilst Mr Joseph was asleep to save time and trouble, we’re not going to hurt you.”

Dr Roy looks slightly like Josh’s mother, early 50’s, pale blonde hair and big blue eyes but that’s where the similarities stop because her eyes are blank, her mouth lined with downward creases and he couldn’t imagine what her face would look like if it could ever force itself into a smile.

She sends shivers down his spine.

He tries to nod but he’s tied too tightly and the leather’s too thick to form words around.

She seems satisfied that he isn’t going to do anything stupid.

“Okay, it’s very simple, we’re just gonna give you a tiny shock to activate your powers then we’re going to set the collar to the correct frequency to suppress it, we will then turn the collar off and you will be free to use your powers at will because you’re not a threat.”

Her icy blue eyes bore into Josh’s own making him flinch.

“You’re not going to be a threat are you Mr Dun?” She makes it sound more like a threat then a question.

Mocha eyes widen in fear.

“Good, okay, begin.”

A tech to Josh’s left, a young male with messy black hair and inhumanly blue eyes, fastens the familiar black collar around Josh’s neck but what he’d never noticed was the large metal spike that was inserted into the base of his neck until the tip touched his spine.

“It connects to your cerebral cortex.” The tech says with a small smile, fastening the collar securely making Josh wince in pain, fuck that hurts.

“Sorry.” The tech murmurs, patting at Josh’s mussed up curls affectionately before stepping over to a weird looking computer thing that's covered in a mess of multi-colored wires and flashing lights.

“Subject 22467 is ready for processing.”

Josh doesn’t know what that means but whatever it is it doesn’t sound good.

“Engage.” Dr Roy says her voice robotic as she fiddles with the dials on the small black handheld object that Josh recognizes as the same thing Dr Way used in the cafeteria yesterday.

Lightening. Lightening in his veins. This is what death feels like. Holy fuck every part of Josh’s body was being torn apart and melted and glued back together in hell.

The pain stops as quick as it came. Josh’s body feels so sensitive that even the salty tears streaming down his cheeks is almost unbearable.

“Patient 22467 is showing signs of multiple mutations, 80% of his physical body turned invisible with a possible 100% under the correct situation.” Josh’s swimming in and out of consciousness but Dr Roy’s voice is clear even though the darkness is pulling at him.

“Turn up 35% and engage again, lets see what he’s made of.”

Nononononono, fucccccccckkkkkkkkkkk!!

Agony, white hot, slicing, was he even human anymore? His body was coming apart at the seams. At this rate there’ll be nothing left.

“He’s phasing through the table, abort! Abort! Grab him!”

Dr Roy’s screaming as if Josh has the energy to do anything other than hit the floor underneath the torture chair, floppy haired lab tech curls his muscly arms around Josh’s convulsing body securing him back into the chair.

“He’s remarkable! We’ve never had two powers in one patient before! Oh it’s so fascinating don’t you think Andy?”

The lab tech, Andy, stays quiet, his crystallized blue eyes stuck on Josh.

“I think he’s had enough for one day, we have enough info to get the collar working,” he pauses, brushing Josh’s damp curls off of his forehead with a gentle hand. “We don’t want to kill him before we get the answers you’re looking for.”

Josh tries to thank Andy with his eyes but he only manages to let his tears slip out.

Andy bites at his lip, diverts his gaze.

“Yeah, yeah I guess you're right, take him back to Joseph’s cell and then take Tyler down to the lower levels, Dr Wentz has requested he’s fitted with a collar.”

Andy looks beyond shocked as he looks up at his boss, eyes like saucers, mouth hanging wide.

“Tyler? But, the last time they tried he killed three techs?!?!”

Tyler killed three techs? Beautiful, gentle Tyler? No, no way. Josh refused to believe it.

“Yes, he tried to kill Dr Wentz yesterday, it’s time he was dealt with properly, and if you’re worried about being killed then make sure you run once you drop him off. Now, outta my sight I’ve got to get working on Joshua’s results.”

Josh is pretty sure he spends the whole trip back to his and Tyler’s cell unconscious, Andy’s strong arms keeping him tight against his side. He keeps mumbling apologies but

Josh can barely keep up with the thoughts in his own head let alone what the tech is saying, although he is aware of the fact that he keeps flickering in and out of being invisible.

When they get to their cell Tyler is sat in the very back corner cloaked in darkness, huh, Josh didn’t realize how dark their cell was before.

“Josh! Get the fuck away from him Biersack or I’ll tear your throat out.”

Tyler’s voice is unrecognizable, as if three people are talking at once, way too deep compared to his normal voice, and hey, since when were his eyes blood red? Was this what Brendon was talking about?

“Hey, Ty I’m just bringing him back okay, he’s fine, right Josh?”

“Don’t,” Tyler hisses, “ever talk to him. Open the cell, give him to me and maybe you’ll live.”

Josh can feel Andy’s heart pounding against his shoulder blade, can feel him literally shaking in his boots as he fiddles with the key card for their cell.

“Ty?” Josh finally manages to whisper, straining to open his eyes enough to get a good look at the older boy. He’s cloaked in shadows, his face somehow sharper, more defined, his eyes almost glowing.

“Tyler’s not here right now baby, but don’t worry I'm looking out for you both.”

The cell's bars stutter and open, creaking ominously as they slowly reveal Tyler, or Not Tyler apparently. Josh’s brain is way too fried for this.

Andy very carefully steps forward and passes all of Josh’s weight into Tyler’s arms, the older boy instantly curling Josh to his chest pressing reassuring kisses to his cheeks. Josh hums in his throat happily.

“Close the cell.”

Tyler’s tone leaves no room for argument but Andy must have a death wish.

“But, Dr Roy needs you to go down for-“

“Did you not hear me you dirty, scum-of-the-earth human? Do I need to make it clearer for you?”

Josh must be more out of it than he thought. Tyler’s arms and throat are pitch black and all the shadows in the room are swirling up into the air, twisting around Andy who’s suddenly screaming, floating above the ground, the shadows an inky black noose around his slender neck.

He drops like a lead balloon as Tyler lowers his outstretched palm.

“Get out before I finish the job, tell Dr Roy that Tyler won’t be around for the rest of the day so she’ll have to wait.”

Andy’s up and out of the cell quicker than Josh can blink, the cell slamming shut and his footsteps frantically echoing down the cellblock as he sprints to safety.

“Hey baby boy are you okay?” Pitch black fingertips as smooth as velvet wipe at the dried tears on Josh's cheeks. Tyler’s voice is deeper than normal but just as gentle but it’s not Tyler, even as spaced out as Josh is he knows that for sure.

“I, err I think so?” Not Tyler heaves him up into his arms before settling onto a pile of blankets on the floor by the desk dragging Josh into his lap and completely relaxing.

“Who are you?”

Not Tyler’s blood red eyes bore into Josh’s, his lips quirked into a smirk that Josh didn’t think Tyler’s face was capable of.

“My name’s Blurry, I’m Tyler’s… not so better half.” He chuckles and Josh feels all the hairs on his body stand on end but for some reason he’s not afraid, even if his body is literally screaming 'predator' at him.

“Where’s Tyler?” Josh’s voice sounds weak even to his own ears but he can’t help but melt into Blurry’s embrace causing a content purr to emit from his chest.

“He’s here,” he taps at his temple with black stained fingers, “When he gets stressed, or angry, or worried he calls on me, whether he knows it or not, and I crawl out of the abyss and come to his rescue.”

Josh is silent as he thinks it over, that was obviously what Zack meant when he said Ty had lost control of his powers. He’d lost control of himself and Blurry had taken over.

“What are you?” The words are out without thought and Josh panics wishing he could take them back.

Blurry laughs instead of lashing out like Josh expects, lifting one of his stained hands to play with Josh’s curls.

“I’m basically death itself, King of the shadows, keeper of darkness. One touch of my black fingertips can stop the heart of even the strongest god. Brendon was right when he called Tyler a whole new world of freak. Though technically I’m the original Freak.”

Long, thin fingers playfully twist Josh's curls relaxing every bone in his body.

"I... don't really know what to say to that." Josh admits causing Blurry to huff out a laugh.

"Yeah, I get that." Blurry's crimson eyes are crinkled in amusement as he gazes at the younger boy. "Are you feeling any better now? Room's stopped spinning?"

"Hmmm yeah, my neck hurts though."

Blurry's fingers trail further down Josh's neck to where the spike is inbedded in his skin and suddenly the pain is gone.

"Wow that feels, wow." Josh feels almost loopy with how good Blurry's pain-sucking-powers are. "Hey, not that you're not awesome but is Tyler coming back any time soon?"

Blurry's grin softens and his arm tightens around the younger boy's shoulders.

"He'll be back tomorrow I promise, I just wanna make sure they don't take either of you for a little bit, I just want to keep you and Ty safe, baby boy."

"Oh, ok. That's cool." The blush on Josh's face is hot enough to cook an egg on.

"And Joshua," Josh turns his face slightly to meet Blurry's intense gaze,"if anyone hurts you or you're ever scared I want you to shout for me and I will come for you."

Josh nods pressing their bodies closer together his brain feeling foggy.

"If anyone hurts you or Ty, I will tear them limb for limb and bathe in their blood."

Ice slips down Josh's spine and he knows without a shadow of a doubt that Blurry would back up his words with the needed actions.

It worries Josh that instead of scaring him it just makes him feel safe.

Chapter Text

Their cell stayed locked for three days with their food being brought to them by Hayley and Brendon who could only tell them that Dr Wentz looked shook up and that all the guards had taken to carrying the collar activation boxes with them at all times.

It seemed weird to Josh that everyone seemed to know Blurry wasn’t Tyler and didn’t seem confused by it when Tyler himself didn’t have a clue.

Not that the rest of the patients really got along with Blurry, he would flash his crimson eyes and snarl at anyone who got too close to Josh through the bars and if Melanie even so much as glanced in his direction she was instantly crippled to her knees. Josh had tried to tell Blurry off but he just pressed wet open mouth kisses to Josh’s neck and suddenly thinking was impossible.

The only person Blurry liked was Hayley. Josh secretly thought it was because they were both fire red and a little bit unpredictable, Hayley was kind and gentle whilst at the same time had the ability to become a raging inferno at a moments notice willing to burn the whole world to the ground and Blurry understood this, Blurry would do the exact same thing.

It also took three days for Tyler to reappear, Blurry was worried Josh could tell, for all his talk of being in control of their shared vessel he’d confided in Josh that the longer he was in control the harder it was for Tyler to take back over and he was currently refusing.

“He’s curled up in the room in our head, he’s worried about you to the point that he won’t just get up and take over. TAKE OVER JOSEPH JESUS CHRIST!” Blurry screamed one afternoon startling Josh into rolling off of their shared bed.

Josh was growing ever fond of Blurry, even if he was at his core slightly terrified of the demon, he knew he’d never hurt Josh, everyone else, definitely, but never Josh.

Blurry was all the parts of Tyler that the older boy was terrified of, he was the darkness underneath Tyler’s light, the anger beneath Tyler’s apathy, the fire stoking Tyler’s steady smolder.

They needed each other to be whole, Tyler made Blurry human and Blurry made Tyler… Miserable.

It’s the middle of day three of Blurry being around when Josh is awoken from his daily nap by a tired groan from the older boys side of the bed. A gentle tilt of his lips and he flutters his eyes open coming face to face with the beauty that was Tyler.

“Morning Blurry.” Josh murmurs wrapping his scrawny arms around Blurry’s waist tucking his face into the elders chest.

“Morning, what’s blurry?” Tyler’s voice is like crushed velvet to Josh’s ears and the younger boy feels the happiness swell in his chest as he crushes the elder boy to his body.

“You’re back you’re back you’re back!” He sings rocking them side to side as much as he can with them both lying down. Tyler’s chuckle sends warmth sliding down Josh’s spine and he separates them for just a second so he can smoosh their lips together in a desperate kiss that startles an ‘Umpff’ out of Ty.

“Hey Joshie, not that I’m not insanely happy with the good morning but what do you mean I’m back? Where did I go?” Honey glazed eyes full of concern gaze into Josh’s own bringing a soft pink hue to his cheeks, fuck, was he not supposed to tell Ty about Blurry? How could he not now? He’s missed three days.

Fuck it!

“Ermmm, well you know how you black out when you over use your powers?” Josh asks tentatively.

Coffee eyes widen in panic.

“Oh nooo! What did I do? Who did I hurt? Was it Dr Wentz? Oh my god I killed him didn’t I! Fuck!”

“Hey, hey, Ty baby breathe, you’re okay, deep breaths.”

The older boy rattles a breath in through his lungs, his eyes flashing crimson for the slightest of moments before he’s calm again, hands clasped in Josh’s, their foreheads pressed together in comfort.

“You didn’t hurt anyone, well you almost strangled Andy, the lab tech, but that’s not the point because it wasn’t actually you…”

Tyler’s eyebrows knit together in confusion and Josh doesn’t know how he can say this, god this was hard.

Josh takes another deep breath that has Ty looking even more confused than before.

“Okay, so the thing is, everyone’s been keeping a secret from you and I don’t know why but its big but you have to trust me that it’s real because you’ve been gone fore three days Ty and this is serious so you have to trust me, okay?”

Tyler nods and because their heads are still pressed together it makes Josh nod too, they both chuckle softly sharing breaths.

“I trust you with my life Joshua Dun.”

Josh’s heart swells so big it almost chokes him, his kilowatt smile almost blinding the older boy.

“Me too, I mean I trust you with my life too and that’s why I think you need to hear this. Okay, whew this is difficult.”

Ty twists their fingers together, “Go on, I can take it, I’ve got you.” His voice and smile are so gentle Josh could literally cry.

“Okay, so the thing is when you black out it’s not because you’re losing control of your powers,” He pauses to gauge Ty’s response, the older boy nods, his jaw tense, his grip on Josh’s hands tighter than before.

“Right, so you don’t lose control of your powers per se, I’m not even 100% sure what powers are yours to be honest, hold on I’m getting off track. You don’t lose control is what I’m saying, Blurry takes over your body and protects you. Blurry has been in your body since you were a kid, he’s a demon and he’s sworn to protect you and now me too. He takes over when things get too much, he’s the one who threatened Dr Way and almost killed Dr Wentz and who attacked Andy, not you. Hell I’m not sure you even share the same powers like I said!”

Josh has to stop to breathe. Tyler resembles a deer in the headlights, his doe eyes huge and damp with unshed tears, his usually tanned skin milky white in shock, his grip painfully tight in Josh’s.

“Ty?”

It takes almost a full minute for Ty to properly look at Josh, wet tracks making their way down his handsome face that Josh reaches up and gently brushes away, the elder boy’s shaking, a tremor wracking his frame.

“He’s… in me? He’s always been in me, he’s my darkness, I see him in my dreams, I… I thought he was a dream, I didn’t… He looks just like me but his eyes are red and he’s dirty, covered in like tar or something, Josh, why is he in me?”

Josh doesn’t know. He didn’t think to ask. He feels sick at the terrified look on his best friends face.

“What does he want from me?”

The tears fall free now getting the soft blue material of Ty’s shirt damp, before a sob that's almost a scream tears itself from Ty’s mouth, manic brown eyes glare dazed at Josh.

“He killed my family. That was the first time I blanked out and when I woke up Dr Wentz was there and everything was black and red and on fire and bloody, oh my god he’s in me, get him out! GET OUT!!”

Tyler drags dull finger tips across his chest almost drawing blood before Josh tackles him to the squishy bed, pins his wrists, sits across his hips almost getting thrown off as the elder bucks and twists and screams.

"GETOUTGETOUTGETOUT!"

“Baby please, please calm down. Ty please, he’ll take over again to calm you down you need to breathe okay, it’s okay, it’s gonna be okay I promise. I promise.”

A wave of peace washes over the cell and Josh can’t believe the fact that he’s happy to see Dr Wentz.

Ty’s breathing settles out almost instantly his body going limp under Josh, brown eyes going cloudy. Shit, not good.

“Joshua if you’d please get off of Tyler that would be greatly appreciated.”

Dr Wentz’ voice is calm and even against the metallic grinding of the cell opening, he steps in as soon as the gaps big enough for him to fit and starts over to the boys. Josh scrambles off of Tyler’s relaxed form putting his body between Pete and Ty like a human shield, he feels like a mama bear, willing and strong enough to protect her young no matter what.

“Mr Dun, please move.”

Josh stays put, he can feel Pete’s calming energy bouncing against him trying to force him to obey, to become placid. No way, not this time. Josh throws up his mental walls, picturing a shield that nothing can penetrate and then suddenly a slightly blue-tinged shimmer cloaks his body hovering like something out of a syfy original. Josh can physically see Pete's powers moving around him unable to get close. Josh grins, sharp and pointy, huh seems like Blurry has rubbed off on him a bit after all.

Pete’s jaw falls open in awe.

“How are you doing that!?” He gasps, eyes wide, Tyler momentarily forgotten.

“I don't know.” Josh’s gaze lingers on his hands which are phasing in and out of view, his form vanishing and reappearing almost too quick to track.

A bolt of lightning strikes the back of his neck and his knees connect with the floor with a crack despite the cushiony rug.

Stupid fucking collar.

Dr Wentz strolls passed Josh’s shaking form heading straight for the bed where Ty lays, his expression serene under Pete’s influence.

“Hey little buddy how you feeling?”

Tyler smiles dopily at his childhood nickname.

“I feel woozy and Joshie said theirs a demon in my body.” He sounds like a scared little boy and Josh’s heart breaks hurting him more than the electricity currently paralyzing him and his powers.

“Okay buddy we’re gonna get you feeling better you alright to walk or do you want me to get Zack to carry you?” Pete’s voice is so gentle and so is his touch as he brushes back Tyler’s hair from where it's getting in his eyes.

“I can walk.”

Pete helps the dazed boy to his feet wrapping an arm around Ty’s waist, they head for the cell door, Ty waving at Josh with sleepy fingers as he passes and then they’re gone and the cell down slams shut and Josh can finally feel his limbs but nothing matters now because Tyler’s been taken and he knows what that means.

They were gonna break him apart and leave him that way, control him like they controlled everyone else. Tyler deserved more than being a lab rat, they all did.

They needed to get out and it needed to be now.

If only Blurry was here.

Chapter Text

Blurry feels like he’s been run over by a bus and then thrown off of a cliff into a boiling vat of acid.

Everything hurts. Everything.

Where is he? This didn’t look or feel like the inside of Tyler’s head. Tyler’s head was shadowy yes and sometimes not a nice place to be, but it was shaped like his old family home, shaped like the forest he used to play in when he was very young, it’s filled with music and the smiling faces of his friends.

This place is an abyss of agony.

Blurry didn’t know which way was up, couldn’t figure out what was happening and worst of all he couldn’t find a way to take over Tyler’s vessel to help the boy out of whatever hell he’d found himself him.

Shit, where’s Josh? Is he here too or is he safe?

Blurry tries to scream out for the younger boy but all that comes out is garbled nonsense.

What the fuck is happening?

~

Tyler lays curled up on a hospital bed in the lower levels of the facility, it's the room he’d first been put in when he was brought here as a child. It still smells the same, vanilla and antiseptic.

The walls are still the same pale blue, the sheets on the bed are almost too soft, covered in little yellow ducklings. There’s a nightlight in the wall shaped like the moon.

Tyler’s not sure what’s going on but the room is spinning slightly and everything’s kind of… Blurry.

The thought causes him to choke on a sob, memories he never wants to think about again slice at him with knives.

Tyler has a monster living inside of him that carries out all his darkest thoughts. Josh had said none of the deaths, none of the evil done in his name was Tyler’s fault but it was, he knew it was. It had to be.He’d wanted his parents to stop screaming so much that he’d literally raised a demon from hell.

Who did that? How fucked up was he?

He could feel his pulse starting to rise to crescendo, he's sure his heart's going to explode and repaint the walls until suddenly he’s melting back into the cotton soft sheets, burrowing his heavy limbs under the comforter he remembers loving as a child.

Where was Josh?

The younger boys beautiful mocha eyes flash into his loopy mind. Sweet, innocent Josh who had befriended a demon and the body said demon possessed.

Beautiful, soft, pretty, baby boy Josh.

Josh should be here, they share a bed now.

A hysterical giggle burst from Tyler’s lips, his grin stretching his face with the thought.

Tyler shared his bed now, he was like a real grown up boy. He and Josh just needed to get married and then he’d be really grown up. An actual adult.

They could buy a house together get some cats that they spoil like they're their children, Ty could get a job at a music shop maybe and Josh could go to collage and make loads of friends.

They could have cook outs in their big back yard, Hayley burning everything to a crisp but it not mattering because Jack can run to a takeaway and get burgers for everyone in literally 3 minutes flat.

They could all be happy. They could all be free.

That makes Tyler sad.

Fat, salty tears drip down his face. It didn't matter what he wanted, they were trapped in this hell hole til kingdom come.

The door to his childhood room swings open and there stands Dr Wentz and Andy Biersack, (who's neck is ringed with deep black bruises a la Blurry).

"Hey buddy, how you feeling?" Pete's eyes are warm and Ty feels his calming presence as comforting as the blankets currently cocooning him.

"Hey, I'm okay, spinny though." Ty's voice comes out all slurred and soft, his mouth feels like its full of cotton candy. Trippy.

Pete's mouth quirks into a sideways smile as he crosses the room to perch on the edge of Ty's bed.

He shares a look with Andy that Ty is too slow to catch and the younger man heads to Tyler's other side, fiddling with some wires that lead from a box on the tiny bedside table to the collar around Ty's neck.

Wait.

Tyler tries to bring his unresponsive fingers to his throat where he can now feel the thick leather and plastic circling his neck.

"No!" He croaks, eyes panicked, heart pounding against his rib cage even as he feels Pete trying to calm him.

"You're okay Tyler, it's to keep Blurry out of your head nothing else I promise. He's dangerous, you know that right? He tried to hurt me, he hurt Andy too."

Andy flinches at the mention of Blurry, his piercing blue eyes meeting Tyler's for a split second before he straightens up, handing the little black box to Pete and then leaving the room without a backwards glance.

The door slams shockingly loud in the stillness of the room.

Tyler barely notices.

There's no voice in the back of his head, hell, there's hardly any thoughts or anything, he can't enter the house that's his mind. There's what looks like a man in the window but its too dark to see, maybe if he heads up the driveway-

"Tyler, are you listening?"

Ty snaps his gaze back to Dr Wentz and nods one jerky shake of his head, ugh his neck feels like jello.

"The collar acts like everyone else's but it also pumps a small amount of this special concoction into your bloodstream that keeps Blurry from taking over, you're safe now, we can keep him gone."

Pete grins so bright Tyler has to squint.

Blurry's... gone?

Tyler tries his best to curl up the corners of his lips in a smile but he can tell it comes out as more of a grimace.

"Can you try using your powers for me? Could you move the nightlight maybe?"

Can he? With Blurry gone is he anything at all?

"I'll try." He slurs, Pete helping him sit up right. Tyler reaches out his hand using just his middle and pointer finger, making a gentle arc, focusing on the bright glowing moon.

The night light hurls across the room shattering into a million shards that rain down like falling stars.

Dr Wentz jumps in fight, tries to cover it up with a cough flooding the fear tinged room with summer like feelings.

Tyler glares down at his hand in confusion. He'd never had a problem doing something that simple before.

"Maybe its the dosage, I'll get Dr Roy to tweak it a bit." Pete's smile looks as forced as Tyler's feels.

Ty reaches out to touch the back of Pete's hand as the doctor gets up to leave.

"I wanna go back to see Josh."

"Soon little buddy, I promise."

The room's too dark with the nightlight gone.

It's too quiet in his head now that it's empty.

Don't let him be gone.

~

Josh is going stir crazy with Tyler gone and his cell door bolted shut.

He spends three hours pacing the room worrying his foot prints into the squishy carpet. His stomach growls in the otherwise silence of the cell and he knows it won't be long till Brendon or Hayley or maybe Mel brings him lunch.

God, they need a plan.

It's ridiculous, there has to be a way out of here, surely combining all 10 of the patients powers and with Zack helping them it should be easy.

But, where would they go? He couldn't go home they'd find him straight away and hell, his family wouldn't be able to put up 9 frightened young adults in their three bedroom house. Fuck.

They'd have to run then, use Brendon's powers to rob ATMs for cash, and Melanie's to convince people to help them, Zack could pretend to be their adopted father or something...

Ugh! This would be so much easier if the collars didn't exist or if Blurry and Tyler could work together.

What was the point of Josh having all these powers if he couldn't do anything-

Wait.

An idea started to bloom in Josh's head.

He closes his eyes and tries to reach out with his mind.

'Melanie, Melanie it's Josh, bring Brendon to my cell please? Blurry's not here you're fine. Please, I don't know if you can hear me. I have a plan.'

Josh opens his eyes and waits unsure if Mel's powers even worked that way.

It takes less than 10 minutes for Brendon to appear holding a plastic tray with a sandwich and juice carton on it. His handsome face twisted into a coy grin.

"Dun, Mel said you wanted to see me." The older boy gets as close to the bars as possible before sliding the tray into Josh's cell, the food goes unnoticed as Josh gets a glint in his eyes that Brendon thought he'd never see in the younger boy.

"I wanna get out of here, and I know you do to, I've got like 60% of a plan, you in?"

Josh smirks and if Brendon didn't know he and Ty were kind of a thing he'd probably try hitting that. He shakes the thought from him head, not the time.

"Dude all I've ever wanted is to leave here. What's the plan?"

Muscled arms cross over the elders chest as he decides to put his faith in the new kid.

"I reckon I can phase you out of your collar."

Brendon's eyes widen almost comically.

"I just need to practice."

Brendon grins. "Well in that case eat your lunch, you're gonna need your strength."

~2 hours later~

"Ugh, it's not working!"

Josh pants collapsed on his knees, his sweaty forehead pressed to the cold steel bars of the cell. Brendon sits crossed legged the other side now flanked by Hayley.

"You can do this Josh you just need to concentrate." Hayley doesn't sound convincing even to her own ears.

They've been at it for hours, Josh trying his best to control his phasing through the bars before they attempted him trying to phase the collar through Brendon and out the other side.

At the minute Josh can't even get himself to go invisible. He wants to scream but they can't draw anymore attention to themselves.

"Maybe we're going about this all wrong," Brendon starts jumping to his feet, "you said you phased into Ty's cell whilst having a panic attack and then again when Dr Roy had you... I have a plan! Don't go anywhere!" He's off sprinting down the cell block before either Hayley or Josh can blink, the heavy section door echoing all the way back to them as it slams shut.

"What do you think he's-" Hayley's cut off as a sudden wind almost blows her over and then Brendon's back flanked by a windswept AlexandJack.

"Brendon said you've got a plan to get us outta here?" Jack shouts giddily his scrawny arm tight around Alex's waist making both of them almost vibrate with excitement.

"Yeah he has but he's having... Performance anxiety, if you catch my drift?"

Hayley singes the edges of Brendon's hoodie making him yelp.

"Sorry, sorry no double entendres I get it!" He grins before his expression goes serious.

"Right here's the thing, I don't think Josh's powers work unless he's under some kind of physical or emotional stress so what I think we should do is get Alex to electrocute-kinetic-blast-whatever him and see if that works."

Four jaws drop in unison.

"ARE YOU CRAZY!?"
"THAT COULD KILL HIM!"
"FUCK YEAH!"

Hayley, Alex and Jack scream all at once making Brendon wince and cover his ears.

"No, no guys, Bren's right it's the only way."

If you look up determined in the dictionary you'd find a photo of Josh's face.

"Are you mad!?" Hayley screams again this time at Josh, her gorgeous forest green eyes wide in fear as she clutches at the bars.

"Hey, I'll be fine," Josh reassures her, pressing his palms to her hands, "and hey, I bet Alex has great control of his powers."

Alex and Jack share a look that doesn't strike confidence in Josh at all.

"I accidentally blew up a stray cat I tried to stroke once..."

Josh blinks about a hundred times in quick succession as everyone lapses into the awkward silence.

"Yeah but that cat was probably a dick!" Jack announces squeezing Alex to his side causing him to smile nervously.

Shaking his head to clear it Josh moves away from Hayley and the cell bars to stand in the middle of his and Ty's cell. He takes a huge breath letting it out super slowly, bracing himself for what is about to happen. God he must be crazy.

"Alex you got this, just try not to blow me up maybe?"

Alex moves away from Jack, his huge caramel eyes bright and honest as they gaze into Josh's. "Are you sure? This is gonna hurt."

Brendon snorts off to one side making Hayley throw him the dirtiest look Josh has ever seen

"I'm sure, I trust you."

Alex flushes pale pink across the bridge of his nose.

"Okay, you guys may want to step back a little bit."

Hayls and Brendon take a step back together, Hayley putting her tiny self slightly behind Brendon's body using him like a human shield but if he notices he doesn't say anything.

Jack stays just slightly behind Alex who doesn't even try to make him move. They were one and Jack could move quicker than lightening anyways, he'd be fine.

"Ready?" Alex's asks Josh, his voice soft and calming even as purple sparks gather in his palms, his caramel eyes burning with lilac flames.

All the hairs of Josh's body are suddenly standing on end, his heart pummeling his rib cage. Fucking hell what was he doing?

"Do it."

Alex swirls his palms in a slow curve before throwing a perfectly round sphere of energy at Josh. It collides with his chest, burning through his shirt and scorching his ivory skin.

Fuckfuckfuckingfuck that hurts, holy shit!

The scent of burning skin fills the room.

"JOSH!" Surprisingly its Brendon's voice that drags Josh from the agony that's burning his body, "Dude do it now, you're disappearing!"

Josh curls his body in on itself before rolling up to his feet, his side hits the bars with a thump that almost makes him cry out.

Okay, focus Josh, you got this, you're a ghost and ghosts don't need no doors.

There's a tiny tug just above his belly button, he envisions himself in Hayley's arms and then suddenly, floop, he's through the bars and Hayley and Alex are squished underneath his weight.

"YES! WOO!" Jack's dancing around their sprawled bodies cheering happily, his grin almost bigger than his face.

Josh meets Brendon's eyes with a smug tired grin.

"Round 2?" The older boy sort of jokes biting his lip.

Josh giggles almost hysterically as Hayley starts to berate the older boy from her place in the pile up under Josh's limp body.

They were one step closer to freedom, even if every part of his body killed, that was all that mattered.

Chapter Text

Blurry stands silently, staring out of the downstairs window of the house that makes up Tyler’s mind.

Whatever had messed him up earlier had worn off slightly as he was no longer caught in the spinning blackhole of nothingness, he was still trapped though. He still couldn’t reach out to Tyler, still couldn’t escape from the house, still couldn’t take over.

It was worrying to say the least. If he couldn’t see through Tyler’s eyes he wouldn’t know if his host was in trouble or if Josh, sweet little Josh needed help.

For the first time in his thousands of years of life Blurry felt helpless.

It had to be some kind of drug that was blocking him from Ty, something like the collar Brendon was forced to wear.

At least Tyler would still be able to use his own powers, telekinesis was no joke, but without Blurry’s powers guiding him his control was probably shot.

Gods this was awful.

The sun starts to set in Tyler’s mind, the lights of the house sparking to life. There’s nothing but driveway and fields to look at, boring boring boring- wait!

There’s a shadow at the end of the drive, a boy cloaked in darkness.

Tyler?

Blurry smashes his fists against the glass over and over again, pounding and screaming for the younger boy until his throat is raw and his hands are bleeding.

Tyler raises a hand, his spindly fingers reaching out and spread wide.

A single word reaches Blurry on the breeze.

“Help.”

Tyler vanishes as quickly as he appeared.

Fuck, Blurry needed to find a way out of here, and quick.

~

“Ugh dude I think I’m getting more and more creeped out about the fact that you’re gonna be in me.”

Brendon fake shudders as Josh rolls his eyes at the older boy.

“As if you wouldn’t love a pretty boy inside you Bren.” Jack jokes with a cheeky grin from where he’s sat with Alex on his lap, the older boy pokes him in the ribs making him squirm.

Brendon sticks his tongue out in response.

“Oh yeah real mature comeback Breadbin” Hayley laughs, she’s got her back pressed up against the cell block wall outside of Josh’s cell wrapped up in one of Tyler’s blankets that Josh had managed to phase through with him on the 6th time he’d successfully done so.

After three times of being blasted by Alex he was finally able to bring the correct emotions to the surface to phase without the agonizing pain of kinetic energy burning his skin and one of the only shirts he owns.

He’s been practicing shirtless for the past hour and there had been no complaints from his audience.

He’s starting to get tired now though, his curls are weighed down with sweat and his skin is shining in the shitty light of the hallway, every part of his body is starting to ache, especially the nasty looking burn on his chest that Alex keeps apologizing for every 10 minutes or so. But it was all worth it.

He could now phase through the bars of his cell and even through the bathroom screen. He wanted to try through the cell wall but Hayley had told him it would set off all the alarms in the entire place.

“Try phasing out of your pants.” Brendon suggested with a wink that probably would’ve been attractive if he didn’t have his tongue lolling out of the side of his mouth.

Hayley playfully smacks him round the head.

“Okay, do you guys think I’m ready? Bren do you trust me not to break you?” Josh leers jokingly almost making Brendon choke on his tongue.

“Who are you and what have you done with sweet innocent Joshua Dun?” Jack chuckles, holding his hand out for a high five that Josh returns happily.

Brendon springs to his feet and smacks his hands together.

“I am wayyy more than ready for this shitty thing to be as far away from me as possible.”

“Right, we need to smart about this,” Hayley starts sending a serious look around the group, “until we talk to Zack and the others no one can know we managed to get Brendon’s collar off. So Josh will phase it off then Bren will do his magic and make it so that it doesn’t work and then he’ll put it back on with no one the wiser that he’ll have full control of his powers. We all good?”

Josh thinks Hayley should run for President.

“Yeah sounds ace!” Brendon almost shouts bouncing on the balls of his feet in excitement.

“Once his collar’s been deactivated we need to make a plan to get Tyler and get out with as little hassle as possible then we run and we don’t look back.”

They all nod in unison at Hayley’s plan.

They could do this.

They were going to escape, together.

~

“He’s the tear in my heart, I’m alive, he’s the tear in my heart, I’m on fire, he’s the tear in my heart take me higher than I’ve ever beeeeennn…”

“That sounds good, did you write it?” Zack asks Tyler who’s sat cross legged on the middle of his bed with his ukulele in hand singing softly to himself. He blushes at Zack's question, messing with his hair in embarrassment.

“Yeah, it’s for Josh.”

Tyler’s still a little bit slurred, his edges slightly blurred from the serum his collar keeps pumping into him. Pete had lessened the dosage but it was still keeping Blurry at bay and
Zack still wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not.

Blurry scared the shit out of the older man but, well he’d always kept Tyler safe, Josh too, so how bad could he really be?

An image of Melanie screaming in her bed, eyes clouded over as she convulsed for almost 12 hours appears in his head. Zack shudders.

“Josh deserves everything but at the moment all I can really do is write him a song so… That’s what I’m doing.” He lifts his head to grin at Zack, his dark brown eyes looking slightly sharper now.

Zack smiles softly from where he’s perched on an office chair he’d stolen from one of the other rooms.

Pete had told him to keep an eye on Ty to make sure the collar was working but Zack had his own reasons for keeping close.

Melanie had pulled him aside earlier and had sort of hinted that Josh and the others were going to try and escape and Zack had subtly hinted that he would definitely do whatever he could to help.

God these kids were going to be the death of him.

“Hey Ty, did I ever tell you about the log cabin my wife and I own in Colorado? It’s beautiful, right in the middle of nowhere by this crystal clear lake and there’s woods all around and it’s just 10 minutes from this quaint little town. You’d really love it there, you should take Josh someday.”

Tyler’s smile drops his lips tugging down into a frown.

“That doesn’t seem like something I’m ever going to be able to do, no offense.”

He looks so dejected Zack’s heart aches, the elder gets up and crosses the room sitting right next to the younger boy. He keeps the smile on his face for the watching cameras but drops his voice to lower than a whisper, Tyler having to strain to hear him.

“Josh and the others are working on an escape plan. We’re gonna get you out buddy.”

Zack’s green eyes remind Tyler of forests, forest that he’ll apparently be able to see again soon.

“You’re coming too right?” He whispers, eyes glassy.

Zack nods, “Yeah buddy, you couldn’t keep me away if you tried.”

Ty’s heart was swelling in his chest, his old friend hope coming back for a visit. Could he really believe he was gonna be free of here? God he hoped so.

“They’re really gonna try?” Ty whispers his voice sounding desperate even to his own ears.

“Yeah Josh is attempting to phase Brendon out of his collar as we speak. Get practicing using you telekinesis without Blurry’s help, you’re probably gonna need it.”

Tyler’s grin stretches his face so wide he’s afraid it might crack. They were really trying. They might even succeed.

“Definitely!”

The light bulb dangling from the ceiling explodes. Tyler shrugs sheepishly in apology.

He was going to do everything in his power to help them escape.

Even if that meant letting Blurry free of his cage.

~

Zack Merrick married a beautiful blonde lady named Jenna Black, (now Merrick) in 2009 when he was 25 years old.

One Jenna Merrick who has the most piercing blue eyes, perfect curves and a butter wouldn’t melt personality that made everyone around her fall in love.

The two love birds had been childhood sweethearts back home in the suburbs of San Diego, both from tiny families with little money but big hearts. They’d both gone to the same college together, got tangled up in a huge amount of debt, living off of instant noodles and beans for almost four years. They were pretty desperate by the end of school and The Facility offering 22 year old Zack a full time job with zero experience was a godsend. The fact that it came with a pretty hefty pay check attached sweetened the pot even more.

After only six months of Zack working there they had enough money to put a deposit down on a tiny one bedroom house that soon became home and then three years after that they brought the most beautiful log cabin out in Colorado where they spent a month every February to go skiing and to relax. It's their own little oasis that no one knew about but the two of them. Their sweet escape.

They were young and in love and everything was perfect, they were ready to start their family.

They’d been trying for kids for almost four years before they realized something was wrong and finally worked up the courage to get checked out. When they were told they’d never be able to have kids, Jenna’s whole world fell apart.

She was born to be a mother, she had so much love to give, what was she going to do?

It took a while but Zack convinced her to quit her job as a secretary and to try volunteer work instead, whether at the local pets shelter or at the halfway house for kids in the system.

She fell in love with helping people. It became her reason for living.

Finally she had a purpose, finally she had somewhere for her love to go.

Zack had always come home from work with stories of the kids at the facility, sometimes happy, but most of the time sad.

Jenna still wasn’t 100% sure what the facility was, some kind of juvenile detention center mixed with a rehabilitation ward? Who knows?

Zack worked security so he wasn’t that sure himself, or so he said.

One thing he did talk about was a patient named Tyler, a boy that had been there almost his entire life, a boy who was practically the son of one of the doctors that worked there.

From what Jenna could tell Tyler was very sick and Zack loved him like a little brother.

Lately Zack had been down, worried about things that he wasn’t allowed to discuss. Jenna knew he would tell her eventually. Zack may look threatening but he was a huge teddy bear at heart with a squishy center that couldn’t deal with being upset.

That’s why she wasn’t at all surprised to get a phone call from her husband one random Tuesday afternoon in August saying he was going to help break the kids out and that he needed her help.

Honestly the things she did for this man.

“Baby, I know this is out of the blue but the facility is a hell hole for these kids, they’ve done nothing wrong and this place is destroying them and they might… The doctors are talking about killing Tyler, they’re saying he’s dangerous but he’s not, he’s not Jen, he’s just scared. And the new boy, Josh, they kidnapped him, there’s not a smudge on his record, I know I sneaked into the records room, he’s totally clean not even a detention, they just took him from his home and they’re trying to brainwash him. They’ve been experimenting on these kids baby. Oh God, I’m gonna help them escape but then we need to hide, we'll have to go on the run. I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry to drag you into this.”

Jenna’s heart almost exploded out of her chest. Kidnapping? Brain washing? Killing? What the hell was going on?

“Zack, Zack shh it’s okay, they need help right? They’re kids and they’re scared and they have no one to help them so we have to help them! Oh! The cabin, the cabin’s off the books, no one knows about it. So we grab the kids and I’ll meet you there, we’ll sort everything out, we’re gonna be fine Zee, we can do this, we were born to help these kids, I can feel it.”

Her husband almost sobs out his breath.

“I love you, I love you so much you don’t even know. Pack up everything we need and take the truck, we’ll be there in a week tops. Be safe.”

“I love you too, be careful, rescue these kids babe.”

It doesn’t take long for Jenna to pack up the truck, most of the stuff they needed was already at the cabin.

Was it wrong that she was excited about this? She could give these poor kids a home. Open her heart to them.

She’d never been more determined in her life.

They were doing the right thing.

They were gonna save these kids.

~

Josh takes a deep breath steadying himself as he stands right in front of Brendon, the elder boy shaking ever so slightly even as he tried to appear calm.

“You ready?” Hayley whispers resting her tiny hand on Josh’s shoulder.

He nods in response, rolling the tension out of his shoulders.

“I can do this.”

Brendon gulps. “God I hope so, if you phase back to solid whilst you’re halfway through me I will never forgive you for making me an corpse ugly.”

Josh cracks a weak smile at Brendon’s attempt at humor.

“You’re already fucked if you think you’re pretty Bren!” Jack laughs earning himself a middle finger for his troubles.

“Alright, alright,” he turns to face Josh, their eyes locked, “let’s get this shit show on the road.”

Josh nods before he retreats inside of himself, reaching down towards his belly with his mind, he thinks of Tyler being dragged away from him, he imagines the white hot pain of the machine Dr Wentz had struck him with, presses his palm to the messy wound on his chest from Alex. He finds the little button in his stomach, tugs it and suddenly he’s gone, his body no longer a solid, he’s a ghost.

He floats forward and it’s as if time has stopped. He reaches out, curls his see-through fingers around the collar fastened around Bren’s neck careful not to touch his skin and then he pushes, takes a step, and then another, moving through the older boy is different to moving through the cell bars, his insides are pink and Josh gags trying not to think about it until-

Josh flops to the floor suddenly solid, Brendon collapses to his knees and heaves up the contents of his stomach all over the lino, Alex, Jack and Hayley groaning in unison. The room spins sickeningly and Josh almost copies Brendon for a second before the moment passes and he struggles to his feet clutching the collar in his hands.

“GUYS I DID IT!!!”

They all cheer, Hayley practically throwing herself into Josh’s arms tackling him back to the floor. Even Brendon attempts to shout in glee before he has to throw up again.

“Ugh, you guys are so lucky you don’t have to go through that.” Brendon jokes once he’s stopped spewing. He turns to face Josh trying to hide the grin on his face and failing.

“You’re never allowed inside of me again!”

Josh bursts out laughing and drags the other boy in for a hug.

“Deal.”

"Alright people on to phase two!" Hayley announces holding a hand out to help Brendon get back on his feet.

Once he's upright he grins, flexing his fingers and cracking his neck, a tiny amount of electricity sparking at his finger tips for the first time in two years.

"Game on.

Chapter Text

“Sir, there’s been some suspicious activity outside of Joshua Dun’s cell, a group of patients have been helping him test his powers, he’s been phasing in and out of his cell all day. He’s getting stronger, it’s… troubling.” The security guard's tall and broad, his dark hair shaved close to his skull, Dr Wentz struggles to recall his name.

“Ahh, Dun, yeah he's a feisty one, he’s probably trying to entertain himself whilst Mr Joseph is in solitary, if it’s worrying you that much, you have my permission to activate his collar 24/7.” Dr Wentz pauses to rub at his tired eyes. “Hell, activate all of their collars at this point, we have no use of their powers at the moment, there’s been a lul in payment from the government and they’re refusing to pay until they see some results, we’ll be using Mr Joseph in the demonstration on Friday so it would be good if the rest of them were kept quiet.”

The security guard nods firmly, “Of course sir, we will do our best as always.”

Pete smiles wryly, “You’re dismissed.”

The guard salutes and turns sharply on his heel leaving the room in a smooth march.

“He’s definitely military that one.” Dr Way’s voice chuckles from the hidden room behind Pete’s office, the door gliding open with a computerized click.

Gerard’s white hair looks almost green under the too bright lights.

Pete sighs slouching down into his seat his brow creased in worry.

“Hey, it’s going to be okay Pete, Tyler will show them his powers the government officials will piss their pants in fear, we’ll show them we have control and then Ty can go back to his shared cell with lover boy and everything will go back to normal. Promise!”

Pete gazes at his best friend’s delighted face, his cheeks rosy and his eyes sparkling. It turns his stomach. Gerard was losing sight of their goal. The kids were becoming subjects.

He runs a shaky hand through his hair, fuck.

“You’re right,” Pete agrees forcing a smile, “we’ll go see Dr Roy later and make sure everything’s sorted for the presentation. Zack said the serum’s working but Tyler’s still a little bit out of it so we’ll have to sort out the dosage before Friday.”

“We’ve got this Pete,” Gerard promises clutching at his friends shoulder with a small smile, “Everything we’ve dreamed of, we’re almost there.”

Ten years of his life dedicated to their cause and the thought of hurting Tyler again has Pete rethinking everything.

“Yeah brother, we’re almost there.”

~

“You guys have no idea how good this feels!” Brendon exclaims from where he’s sat on the floor in front of the beat up tv in the rec room randomly switching it on and off using his powers. He hasn’t stopped smiling or messing about with his powers in the few hours since he deactivated his collar. Josh thinks the elder boy's face might crack if he smiles any wider.

“Dude I was watching that.” Alex fake moans as Brendon turns off some shitty music video that would’ve given them all headaches if he’d left on.

Brendon sticks his tongue out at him making the caramel boy crack up laughing.

“So guys serious note,” Hayley speaks up from where she’s laying on the sofa with her head in Josh’s lap, “Who do we tell out of the others? Dallon practically works here now, he goes on more missions than anyone but he's a good guy? I don't know, and I don’t think I’ve even spoken to that Ashley girl. We definitely have to get Cassadee out she hates it here and it would be super handy to have her strength if things get ugly.”

The other boys all agree adding in their own comments but Josh has zoned out.

Josh didn’t know they went out on missions. What did they do? Were they allowed out in the world?

Wait.

Cassadee.

Cass-a-dee.

Cass could be a nickname for Cassadee, the girl he’d seen the other day in the cafeteria who’d stood with Hayley ready to fight the guards, that had to be who they were talking about. Cassadee with long chestnut hair and the lingering scent of vanilla that wafted his way as she strolled past.

Cassadee who had super strength.

The night of his kid-napping swims into his mind.

A lump forms in his throat that's painful to swallow around.

“Hey what can Dallon do I don’t think I’ve met him?”

Josh tries to keep his voice steady but he’s not sure he’s managed it by the way Jack raises an eyebrow at him.

“Ahh dude Dallon’s sick, he can turn his whole body into smoke and he can like get under doors and through key holes, it’s so cool!” Brendon tells him enthusiastically rolling onto his back to see Josh better.

“It helps that Brendon has a huge boner for the guy.” Jack adds winking at the older boy who uses his newly freed powers to get the lamp behind him to shock him slightly.

“Ahh you fucker!”

It starts a fight, Alex being gently pushed to the carpet and Jack tackling Brendon until they're rolling all over the place, Hayley giggling uncontrollably into Josh's knee.

Josh fakes a smile at his friends antics but his brain is spiraling.

Were his friends the ones who kidnapped him?

At least Cassadee and Dallon for sure but had Hayley helped? Or Mel? Or Tyler?

The thought makes him feel sick.

God he wishes Tyler was next to him.

He wishes he could speak to Blurry and find out if that was the reason he didn’t like the others getting too near to Josh.

Everything had to be a lie.

Josh never burnt down his school, he never killed anyone. He was a good boy from a good family. They were trying to brainwash him and they were succeeding.

God he needed to get out of here.

~

Once Zack left Tyler alone he sat plucking aimlessly at his ukulele strings before realizing that the elder man hadn’t shut the door properly.

All the doors down in the lower rooms locked as soon as they clicked shut for security reasons but if the door didn't fully close then...

Tyler's off the bed and across the room as quick as a flash, well maybe slightly slower than a flash considering all his limbs are groggy and noodle like.

He crashes into the door frame sliding his fingers into the space between the door and the wall, edging it open ever so slightly, pressing his face to the tiny gap to check that the cost is clear.

Nothing. No one. Nada.

A giggle bubbles it's way out of his throat and he tries to stifle it with his fist.

His body lurches forward slightly swinging the door open wide. Whoops. Maybe the drugs were stronger than he thought.

There was no way he was getting back to his and Josh's cell without a little help from his friend... Well the demon that possesses his body.

Ty takes a second to retreat into his mind looking for Blurry.

The house appears empty from his place in the driveway, it's daylight so he can see everything perfectly and there's no figure standing in the cracked window, but, wait, the front door is wide open, it appears to have been kicked repeatedly with heavy dents in the bowed wood.

The smell of smoke is lingering in the air, heavy and cloying.

Where the hell is Blurry?

Tyler snaps back to the present, the way he'd twisted his neck irritating the fucking metal spike now embedded in it. Fucking collars. Fucking facility.

The coast is still clear so he slinks out into the corridor, moving down the hallway with his back pressed to the wall, his skinny legs shaking slightly. Totally stealth like.

Ten steps to the entry door that leads back to the metallic lifts that lead to the upper levels which leads to his and Joshie's cell which means it leads to Josh. It also means he needs a key card and a proper key to open it. Shitshitshit.

Where was Brendon when you needed him.

There's a flashing panel on one side blinking at him mockingly. He smashes his fist in to it, screaming at the top of his lungs.

Less than a minute later there's heavy footfalls pounding down the hallway, up,2,3,4,up,2,3,4 perfect little soldiers making all their lives hell.

As soon as Tyler can sense them behind him he turns on his heel to face them thrusting his palms out with a guttural scream sending the three security guards slamming into the wall opposite, their guns flying towards him clattering to his feet. He steps over them striding towards the groaning soldiers struggling to their feet.

He’s done. Done with this place, done with being experimented on, done with worrying about his friends constantly, done with the cell block and the fact that he and Josh could never be a proper couple and ARGGHHHHH!

He lifts one guard up by his throat hurling him across the room in his rage.

Dr Wentz appears at the end of the hallway his face white in shock. He grabs the little black box attached to his belt slamming his finger down on the activation button.

Lightening attacks every cell in Tyler's body but he barely feels it.

Fuck this place. Fuck Dr Wentz. Fuck being a good little boy and following the rules.

He lifts his arms, black smudging at his fingertips, curling up his veins, eyes flickering between red, black and honey brown.

One of the guards catches him off guard his huge meaty fist connecting with Tyler's jaw with a sickening crack. Tyler throws him away with a flick of his wrist, like he's nothing before he begins laughing manically, moving threateningly towards Pete with a mouth full of blood, he feels it drip down his chin.

He feels rabid, free for the first time in his entire life, he feels powerful, no wonder Blurry loved being in control so much.

Something solid connects with the back of Tyler's head sending him sprawling across the room, unconscious.

Inside of his head Blurry grins.

It was finally time.

~

Dinner that night was some pasta dish that didn't taste like much apart from the crazy amount of pepper Josh had accidentally covered it in.

He's sat at one of the two wooden tables in the cafeteria squashed between Brendon and Melanie staying quiet as everyone else discusses the plan of escape in hushed voices.

There's only one guard on duty tonight, the lady that had run to Melanie's side when Blurry attacked her, there was no sign Zack or of either of the doctors. It's strangely quiet and Josh's suspicious.

"I'm in." Cassadee announces before Hayley has even finished her pitch, the dark haired girl's grin sharp as she cracks her knuckles.

Ashley had stayed in her room when they tried to talk to her and Dallon appeared to be out on a solo mission so it was decided that just the 8 of them would escape with Zack.

Somehow Josh was okay with that even if he flinches every time Cassadee looks in his direction her slate grey eyes confused.

The guard’s walkie-talkie bursts to life in a jarring screech of static.

“Lower levels,shhjghvtty, escaping,dshhhcjjjjjjjjjjjjh, god dammit, STAY DOWN!”

The guard casts her eyes to where Josh and the other patients are sat frozen in shock.

“Don’t do anything, stay in the cafeteria finish your food I’ll be right back.”

She sprints from the room fumbling with the security door as she goes, the heavy metal and glass slamming shut behind her, the whole room falling into silence.

“We should go now whilst everyone is distracted!” Cassadee announces springing to her feet.

“What about Tyler?” Josh whispers, he’s got a bad feeling about this.

“It’s probably Tyler they’re running to, or Blurry I should say.” Melanie says her musical voice soft and timid.

Josh can’t help but think she’s right.

“Can you not hear what’s going on?”

Mel shakes her head making her pigtails swing, “Too much lead and iron between the floors it blocks my powers.”

They all fall back into silence.

“Whilst the guards are all gone I can fix everyone’s collars?” Brendon offers. They all agree lining up one by one to be freed from their shitty prisons.

Josh’s stomach rolls at the thought of Tyler being all alone with the guards and doctors. He needs to get down there and save him.

“No, we should go now. Tyler needs help, Zack will be down in the lower levels with the other guards he can help us. We can do this, get everyone free and then we strike.”

They all turn to face Josh with their jaws dropped.

There’s a few beats of silence before Hayley speaks up her forest green eyes locked with Josh’s own.

“Are you sure? This will be our only shot, if we mess up that’s it we’re done for.”

Is he sure?

“Yeah, we go now, Brendon finish up everyone’s collars, everyone buddy up we do this in teams, no one gets left behind. Don’t use your powers until totally necessary, if they think our collars are still working they’ll underestimate us once they do that we hit them hard, I’m talking everything you’ve got guys, no holding back.”

Alex’s collar is the next one to become useless, his grin widens showing all his teeth; when he raises his hands the balls of kinetic energy seem brighter than Josh remembers.

“I’ll show these guys for keeping me at half power!”

Jack’s next, “You know I’m with you burfday twin.”

Hayley’s starts smouldering around her neck as soon as Brendon’s fixed it, “I burn even hotter without this shitty thing, I’m in!”

Brendon moves on to Mel who flinches at his touch. “Don’t deactivate the whole thing, just the tracker and the electric thingy, I have no control without it I’ll be useless.” Her big brown eyes are sparkling with tears.

“Sure baby girl.” Brendon tells her softly with a smile placing his hand on the thin leather feeling all the little tiny clicks and beeps in his head. The computer chip more than happy to do it’s god’s bidding.

“Now me!” Cass shouts almost crawling over the table to get to him. Brendon chuckles pressing his palm to her skinny neck taking less than a minute to deactivate it.

“Your turn boss.” Brendon jokes motioning to Josh, the younger sticks his tongue out at his friend.

He puts his hand on Josh’s neck like he had with everyone else but this time he leans close to his ear whispering so only Josh and probably Mel could hear.

“It might not be pretty down there, you sure you’re up for this?”

Mocha eyes meet deep brown, both full of worry.

“Even if I die trying, none of you deserve this, we’re getting out.”

Brendon nods at Josh’s firm words.

“Lets get this show on the road!” Jack shouts punching the air with his fist in excitement.

“Hayley, plan?” Alex asks.

The tiny red head takes a deep breath to steady herself.

“Brendon and Cass go first, Bren opens all the doors and Cass will be his back up, next Mel, Josh and I will go followed by JackandAlex, we take the lift down to the lowest levels, Josh and I will go for Tyler, Jack and Alex and Mel you find Zack and Brendon and Cass will make sure we have a clear run to the parking lot under the building, that’s where Zack keeps his car and that’s how we will get out.”

Every nods in unison, steel in their postures, fire in their eyes.

“Any questions?”

Brendon speaks up from where he's across the room, his palm flat to the control panel on the door.

“Yeah I have one, does anyone have the key? I can hack the keypad but it needs a physical key as- what are you doin-“

Cass crosses the room with steady strides and now that her collars gone, she punches straight through the steel just above the handle, the mechanism clicks open and the door swings wide into the sterile hallway behind.

“Any other questions?” Hayley asks with a chuckle.

Brendon’s gone white as he looks at Cassadee who’s now putting her long hair into a pony tail with dainty fingers.

“Nope, nope let’s go.”

They set off in their allotted teams, Josh’s heart pounding against his ribs so hard he knows it will bruise.

Please let this work, pleasepleaseplease.

Chapter Text

Tyler comes to himself slowly his deep chocolate eyes flickering open coming face to face with… a mirror?

No, it’s definitely his face, but he’s different, black inky skin covering hands, wrists, almost all the way to his elbows and then smudged over collar bones, up his neck, outlining his jaw.

His face seems sharper, his eyes blood red and a smirk that looks almost seductive on his pouty lips.

Holy shit.

Blurry.

“Finally you’re awake!” Blurry cheers his face, Tyler’s face, stretched into a cheeky grin as he flops onto the bed next to his counterpart making him bounce slightly.

“What? How?”

Tyler’s head spins, his wide bambi eyes looking around in every direction, he's back in his room, duck egg blue walls, children’s sheets, steel door bolted shut.

“How are you out of me?”

Blurry laughs and it sends shivers down Ty’s spine making all the hair on his arms stand on end, what the fuck was happening?

“You need to calm down first your heart’s beating dangerously fast and I can’t suppress your powers at the moment so if you get too stressed you might blow up the room.”

Blurry’s eyes glow with mirth, actually fucking glow like they’ve got fairy lights in them.

The demon gathers Tyler’s shocked body into his arms and shuffles back on the bed until his back is pressed to the head board, Ty between his thighs, back pressed to Blurry’s chest.

“Deep breaths Baby you got this.”

The hot breath against Ty’s ear makes him think of Josh and a whimper escapes from his throat. Blurry shushes him, rocking them slightly until he calms down. His heart beat getting close to normal again.

“Josh is fine, I’m kind of in that annoying girls head, she’s with him and they’re coming for us.” He reassures Tyler, smoothing his messy brown locks away from his sweaty forehead.

“How are you here?” Ty whispers, incredibly quiet sounding broken.

“It’s complicated, and dangerous. It won’t last long, hopefully just long enough to help you guys escape. The serum the doctors are injecting you with is pretty much killing me so I had to get out of your body and into this… shell? It’s not 100% real but I’m solid and I can use most of my powers so, it will do for now.”

Tyler feels himself relax into his demon’s embrace.

He thought being with him would make him feel angry, disgusted; he killed his parents, slit their throats and played in their blood and yet…

Blurry’s the only person who’s always been there for him, a hundred and twenty percent on Tyler’s side, doing everything in his power to keep him safe.

How could he hate him for that?

“Thank you for not hating me.” Blurry whispers his soft pillowy lips brushing Tyler’s neck as he speaks; his voice sounds almost shaky for the first time his arms tightening around the younger boy.

“Thank you.” Ty says in response. “For everything.”

They sit in silence for a couple of beats matching each other’s breathing and coming to terms with being on the same team.

“What do we do now?” Ty asks turning as best he can in Blurry’s grip to face him.

It’s strange seeing his face looking vengeful, Blurry’s eyes blood red and his teeth razor sharp.

“We wait for the right time and then we fight.” Red meets brown, “And then we win and we leave this place and never ever come back, or we die trying.”

“We’re gonna burn this place to the ground.” Tyler announces stronger than he’s ever felt, determination literally burning at his veins, the side table cracks under his powers, Blurry grins.

“That’s my boy.”

~

They’re crouched behind the last security door between them, the hallway full of security guards and the room Tyler seems to be trapped in.

Brendon has one of his palms pressed flat to the door and is hacked into the security feed to see what’s happening.

“Right there’s three guards this end of the corridor and four at the far end, they’re all heavily armed and are anxious, they know something’s going on, they’ve tried to set off the security alarm but I’ve disabled it. I’ve also cut off all of their connections to the security feed, they’re in the dark.”

“Great job man.” Josh congratulates with a soft smile patting Brendon on his shoulder reassuringly.

“Okay, Josh, as soon as that door’s open you need to be invisible and heading for Tyler’s room, Brendon I’ve changed my mind slightly, once you’ve opened this door you take Mel and Cass back to the elevator and you head down to the garage, hopefully Zack will be there waiting for you, Mel call out to him and double check he got the plan.”

Hayley takes a deep breath, her dainty hands shaking so badly that Josh grabs them in his own, lacing their fingers together, she flashes him a toothy smile in thanks. Josh ignores the fact that she’s kind of cooking his hand a little bit, now wasn’t the time.

“Alex and Jack you’re with me and Josh, we’re gonna take these assholes out.” The boys nod affirmative their hands clasped between them.

“Let’s get this show on the road!” Cass whisper shouts, one arm wrapped around Mel’s waist to comfort the shaking girl.

“Melanie,” Alex says softly his eyes locking with the younger girl, “you’re gonna be fine okay? And if anyone comes at you, you destroy their mind okay, you have our go ahead.”

She nods, her eyes comically wide, tiny hands clasped into fists as she stands slightly taller in Cass’s embrace.

“You’re not useless, if anything you’re one of the strongest ones here. You got that?”

Mel nods.

‘Thank you Alexander.’ She sends the message straight into his head making the older boy laugh.

“Okay everyone ready?” Josh asks sounding more confident than he feels.

His heart’s jack-rabbiting in his chest, his pulse sounding like an ocean in his head, this has to work, he needs Tyler back in his arms and they all need to get out of here alive.

“Ready.” The group manages to say at the same time causing a quiet giggle to echo around them.

Josh nods at Brendon who lets his eyes flicker closed, he focuses on the door unlocking every mechanism carefully. He opens his eyes when he’s done turning back to face Josh.

“Invisible-up Joshua.” He jokes forcing his trademark grin, before motioning for Cassadee to take his place.

Josh lets go of Hayley’s hands bringing them to his still sore chest pressing down on the wound until he winces, he takes the pain, ignites it and feels the weird cold trickle of becoming invisible dripping down his spine.

“Cass babe you’re up.” Hayley whispers.

Cassadee pulls back her fist; Jack presses a kiss to Alex’s lips, Josh breathes deep picturing Tyler’s beautiful face, Mel reaches out with her mind ready to bring anyone to their knees, Hayley begins to smolder.

“3, 2, 1…” Brendon whispers, “Showtime!”

Cass lets go, her fist smashing through the door like a stick through a pinata and then; chaos.

~

Jenna Merrick has lived a pretty normal life. She comes from a small family just her mom, dad and baby sister Annabelle. They had a tiny two bed house in the suburbs a few doors away from her best friend Zackary who would end up being her husband; her everything.

She’d had a normal upbringing, school and church and art camp in the summer months, she had a pet kitten named Luna who she loved more than anything. She made good grades and had lots of friends, hell, she even tried out for cheerleading in high school but decided after a year that she wasn’t into being popular and enjoyed spending time with Zack and their small group of friends instead.

She was eight the first time something weird happened, a tiny bird flew into the patio doors at the back of their house whilst she was playing in the garden. It struck the glass at speed before hitting the ground with a sickening crunch.

She was already crying before she make it to where the bird was laying, it's wing at an alien angle.

She picked in up into her tiny 8 year old hands crying her little heart out until suddenly, the wing snapped back into place and the tiny bird got back on to its feet, ruffling its feathers as if nothing had happened.

It pecked gratefully at the tips of her fingers before flying off leaving Jenna stunned but overwhelmingly happy.

She was twelve before it happened again, her beloved cat Luna had been hit by a car, Jenna was the only one around to see and all she had to do with cuddle the fluffy, bloody mess to her chest before Luna was back to normal her black fur spotless and silky soft.

Something warm burned in Jenna’s chest and it felt like happiness.

Nothing happened for years after that, well, none of the flowers she placed around her room or in the house ever wilted but other than that she sort of forgets about it.
It’s not until her and Zack are at collage together that anything major happens again.

Zack had been walking home one night from his part time job at the local cinema when he got mugged, three guys on one, almost impossible to win even for a tank like him, he took multiple hits to the face and chest and after taking out two of the boys the third one had panicked and stabbed him in the shoulder, leaving his knife embedded in Zack before he ran for the hills.

Zack had stumbled back into their dorm room bloody and weak, managing to stutter something about boys and masks and calling an ambulance before he was passing out on the floor near where their two single beds were pushed together to make one.

Jenna didn’t hesitate for even a second before pulling the knife from his shoulder carefully, placing it on the floor next to her, the wound on her boyfriend’s shoulder was literally pissing blood but she knew she could fix it; it burned in every atom of her.

She took a deep breath, filling her lungs with air and holding it whilst pressing her palms to the wound, she let the breath out feeling the warmth of her power as it came to life for the first time in years. Crystal blue eyes fluttered shut as she worked, feeling all the nerves and tendons and blood and flesh fixing itself together underneath her hands.

She stopped as she felt it knit close, quickly pulling her hands away before any of his bruises healed.

Zack was still unconscious but his chest was moving properly again, his breaths even.

Jenna sighed in relief so hard it caused her bangs to flutter away from her forehead.

She glared down at the black and blue bruises around Zack's eyes and jaw, the fat lip, there were tears gathering in her eyes as she picked up the discarded knife wrapping her bloody fingers around the sticky handle, her stomach flipping almost making her sick but she needed to do this, no one could know, not even the love of her life.

She carefully sliced the knife as shallowly as she could across where she’d just healed, enough to make Zack bleed but not enough to really hurt him. Then she was up and out of their room, out to where the garbage shoot stood and hurling the blade into it before running back to her room and grabbing the first aid box from under their bed.

When Zack wakes up it takes only a little lying to convince him that he hadn’t been stabbed and that he'd passed out because of a hit to the head and the sight of all the blood, his and the other boys combined.

Zack hated blood and had fainted in the past when they went and donated blood so he’s not suspicious of her.

Jenna hates lying to him but she knows it’s not normal to have these abilities. She didn’t want to end up in a lab somewhere getting experimented on.

It was better he didn’t know.

She keeps it to herself, and when she finds out she can’t have her own kids she realizes this must be the pay off, she uses her powers to give other people life, she’s given her life force to help other’s and now she can’t make a new life.

She’s devastated but she understands.

Now these kids Zack was rescuing needed her help, strange, powerful kids like herself, she could live with not having her own if this was the exchange.

Once Zack met her at the cabin she’s tell him the truth.

She couldn’t wait. For the first time, Jenna Merrick wasn’t afraid.

~

"Hey little one, Joshua's here." Blurry says gently shaking Tyler awake from where he's nodded off on his lap.

Ty sits up so quick he barely misses smashing his head into Blurry's chin.

"Careful there, he's out in the corridor, it's time to go, you ready?" Huge red eyes stare into Tyler's own, long fingers identical to his own curl around the point of his chin raising his head slightly. Tyler's gaze flits to the ukulele resting on the bed side table.

With the hand not holding Ty, Blurry reaches over and grabs it placing its worn leather strap over the younger's head so that it rests against his back safely.

"Anything else?" He asks gently.

"Just Josh," Ty says without thinking before adding, "and the others."

Blurry grins, it weirds Tyler out that it doesn't even really look like him when Blurry's wearing his skin. They look more like brothers than clones.

"We do whatever we can to save Josh okay?" Tyler wrings his hands in his lap, expression serious. "We do everything in our powers to save my friends and leave here."

"I promise you baby, we will never see this place ever again."

Blurry leans forward pressing a chaste kiss to Tyler's forehead before tugging the blushing boy to his feet.

"Get ready."

~

Zack strolls through the under ground car park whistling to himself like he always does, he waves at Hannah, the security guard who lets everyone in and out of the building, and makes as if he's heading to his own truck.

He switches at the last moment heading for the black van they use for missions, the stolen key that operates it heavy in his pocket.

He can't believe he's doing this, risking his job, his wife, their cosy life for superpowered kids he helped to capture.

God he hopes this makes up for all the bad he's done.

His beautiful wife will hate him when she finds out the truth.

No, never Jenna, pure, honest, amazing Jenna who loves him no matter what. They were destined and he knew she'd understand, if not right away than eventually.

Zack shakes himself for his thoughts lifting the bonnet of the van and checking the engine.

He'll need Brendon to disable the tracker in the van, Zack doesn't know enough to break it without setting off any hidden alarms. He pulls the back doors open wide for easy access before walking round to the drivers side that was in the line of sight of the exit door Mel said they would be running from. He climbs into the cab, keys in the ignition his Glock 20 in hand aimed at the door, safety off.

He's ready and in three days time they'll all be in Colorado huddled up in his beautiful cabin with the most amazing women in the world.

The thought of Jenna's kind smile and aqua eyes warms his heart; gives him strength.

'I'm coming baby, we're coming home.'

Chapter Text

Hayley, Josh, Alex and Jack burst into the corridor to the sound of all the guards guns being cocked.

Josh's heart is beating so hard he's sure if he was visible everyone would be able to see it thumping against his chest, he has to keep a constant pressure on his wound to remind him to stay invisible lest the panic he feels takes over.

“What are you doing here? Back to your rooms!” The guard closest to them orders his round cheeks turning red as he shouts.

Hayley smirks and for the first time Josh actually feels slightly scared of his friend, she definitely reminds him of Blurry when her eyes flare like that.

“No I think we’re good right here, right boys?” She asks, her red hair catching fire at the tips, the skin around her eyes turning coal black her eyes looking almost alight.

Josh had never realized how much of their powers the collars actually held back. If he didn't hate guards on principle he'd probably feel scared for them.

Alex lets his fist collide with his opposite palm threateningly purple sparks dancing in the air around him, Jack a constant shadow at his shoulder his sharp features twisted into a snarl.

“Now, now children, you don’t want me using my favorite toy now do you?” The guard threatens grinning cockily holding up the sleek black box that they had all feared up until earlier and shaking it like a toy for a puppy.

Hayley’s smirk grows into a full on grin that makes her look psycho, Josh shudders and tries to focus on sneaking past the last set of guards by Tyler’s door.

The guard rolls his eyes with a sarcastic sigh and Josh can hear the click of the activation in the silence that follows.

Nothing happens.

They knew it wouldn’t.

Hayley laughs the tinkling sound echoing off the ways like wind chimes.

“Get ‘em boys.”

Jack blurs into nothingness, fists and legs colliding with bone, Alex charges two huge balls of kinetic energy into his palms hurling them down the corridor.

There’s bullets and taser guns flying everywhere, Hayley throws a fiery fist at a guard who lunges to grab her burning through his protective helmet, the smell of melting plastic filling the room.

Josh can feel himself flicker in and out of being visible; he throws his fists trying to hit anyone in the chaos around him, the butt of someone’s gun smashes into his temple. His vision cuts, black blobs and constellations fill his eyes, he feels the guard’s fist cut straight through him as he phases without meaning to, the guard ending up breaking his hand on wall behind him.

A guard grabs Hayley round the waist and she bursts into flames from her head to her toes.

“Jack!” Alex screams as a bullet tears through Jack's shoulder, his body convulsing sickeningly hitting the floor with a thud that echo’s in Josh’s already ringing ears.

Purple lightning fills the room, Alex looks like some kind of vengeful angel as he fires balls of energy at full force, burning through bullet proof vests and shields.

The door Josh didn’t realize he was leaning on opens, he collapses backwards colliding with a solid chest. Wiry arms wind around his waist.

Tyler.

“Think again baby boy.” A husky voice whispers in his ear sending shudders down his spine. Blurry.

“Come on Blurry we need to help!”

Huh? That’s Tyler’s voice.

Josh rips himself from Blurry’s embrace spinning around so quick he gets dizzy, his head thumping from the hit he took earlier.

There’s two Tylers.

TWO TYLERS.

Josh feels faint and sort of like his dreams have been answered.

“Hey, baby you okay?” Blurry asks softly his crimson eyes almost soft as they gaze into Josh’s own confused ones.

“There’s no time to explain Joshie, when we’re out I’ll tell ya.” Tyler promises winding their fingers together and squeezing, something warm settles in Josh’s chest and he finally feels at home.

“Blurry time to shine.” Ty announces his eyes never leaving Josh’s.

“Party time.” Blurry jokes before turning round to face the chaos.

And chaos it is.

Jacks in handcuffs, passed out in a guards arms, Alex is screaming bloody murder, firing electricity left and right whilst dodging what now appear to be real bullets.

Hayley’s a ball of fire fighting hand to hand with a guard in a safety suit who's double her size.

Blurry takes a steadying breath, reaches inside of his shell, finds the core that connects him to Tyler and tugs, surprisingly it brings Tyler to his side, confusion in every crease of his face, he takes Blurry’s hand when he offers it though. For some reason he has trust in the demon.

The shadow's rise.

Darkness crawls up the walls, blocking out the lights until they’re dull yellow instead of white, the shadows creep up Tyler’s body painting his arms and neck to match Blurry’s.

Brown eyes cloud over until they're a milky white, Blurry's crimson eyes bleeding black.

Something doesn't seem quite right.

Josh reaches out a hand from where he's holding himself up against the wall but his fingers phase as he tries to touch Tyler's arm.

“EVERY BODY STOP!” Blurry commands and the room freezes.

The shadows come to life creeping up the guard's legs holding them in place like shackles.

Alex sprints to his boyfriend lifting his battered scrawny body into his arms. Jack doesn't move.

Darkness swirls round them but Alex doesn't notice.

Josh's stomach flips nervously.

Tyler and Blurry survey the room moving as one person, eerie in their synchronization. Their hands stay clasped tight between them and if Josh didn't know better he'd think they were the same person; their powers bleeding together until they were indistinguishable from one another.

"Put down your weapons." Blurry's voice booms echoed by Tyler's.

The guards comply as if in a trance, placing their guns on the ground as one. Hayley takes the opportunity for what it is and smashes her knee into the face of the guard who had grazed her with his gun as he bends down earning a satisfied laugh from the fiery girl.

Blurry and Ty's faces sport identical smirks.

Josh shudders in fear, they needed to leave now before things got out of hand.

"Let's go." Josh mummers finally finding the strength to stand without the wall, placing his hand on Tyler's shoulder. The older boy casts a blank look in his direction milky eyes more frightening than Josh could've imagined.

"Ty?" The younger whispers before Blurry and Tyler's merged voices ring through the hallway.

"Kneel." They command.

Everyone in the corridor, except for AlexandJack who are already on the floor, falls to their knees, Josh included. His bony knee caps smacking the floor causing his to shout out.

"What are you doing?!" Josh yells reaching up with flickering fingers to tug at the soft cotton of Tyler's sweat pants.

Blurry and Tyler speak as one.

"Shhhh baby boy. The time has cometh. We have all the power. We must use it."

Josh casts panicked eyes at Hayley who's struggling to get back onto her feet, seafoam green eyes as wide as his own. She's smoking from her finger tips as she tries to burn the shadows. It's no use. Whatever powers they're using... They're too powerful.

Alex doesn't even seem to notice what's happening as he presses shaking palms to the wound in Jack's shoulder. The elder boy is bleeding sluggishly still unconsious in his lovers arms.

Blurry and Tyler both hold out their hands that aren't entwined and one of the guards floats to his feet, Josh thinks he recognizes him from the cafeteria. The guard makes a gross gargling noise, his thick fingers clutching at his throat as black vines twirl around it, constricting so tight his eyes start to bulge.

Blurry and Tyler laugh, a disjointed sound that turns Josh's stomach.

What the fuck is going on? What are they doing!"

The guard's neck snaps, the grotesque sound echoing through the silent hallway so loud Josh knows he'll never wash the sound from his dreams.

Hayley cries out. This wasn't what they planned. They should be out by now.

"Who's next?" Blurry asks in a sing song voice as he turns to face Tyler.

Tyler hums smiling softly like someone had just asked him what flavor ice cream he wanted, he tilts his head in concentration, he never gets to answer however because someone comes skidding into the hallway.

"Ahhh! Dr Wentz how nice of you to join us!" Blurry and Ty announce once again speaking in tandem.

Shitshitshit.

Hayley's totally alight trying to burn through the shadows holding her to the ground but it's no use. Alex is in floods of tears as he tries to lift up Jack, his huge caramel eyes meet Josh's in desperation.

"Do something!" He pleads salt water streaming down his grimy cheeks.

Josh gapes like a fish.

What can he do?! Think Josh Think!

"I think we've found our next victim." The horror twins sing.

Dr Wentz goes ridged, the black box clattering to the ground as he's hurled against the wall, the shadows spreading his limbs wide. The wall he's pinned against starts to crack under the pressure. He won't last long here.

Fear haunts his dark brown eyes.

There's no hope but he tries anyway.

"Tyler, buddy please, this isn't you! Don't let this evil- thing destroy you! You're so good, I know you are. You're like a son to me please you have to fight it please-"

Pete's voice is cut off by the shadows tightening around his throat.

Blurry and Tyler take a step towards him.

"Like a son!" Blurry laughs, "You stole him and brought him here against his will, you used his blood to make more of your little freaks for you to experiment on, you ripped him from his childhood and pricked and prodded and electrocuted him over and over. And not just Tyler! Oh no! All of these kids and for what? I should kill you right now..."

Blurry pauses his grin wide and shark like, the shadows in the room so thick Josh feels like he's drowning in them.

Maybe he could phase out of these shadows?

"Actually, I am going to kill you-"

A deafening bang ricochets through the hallway. Tyler goes flying crashing into the wall Josh had been leaning against minutes before, a spray of bright red explodes from his chest.

Blurry screams feral with rage before he fizzles out of view becoming a huge swirling cloud of black smoke that's sucked into Ty's lifeless body through his open mouth.

They fall still.

Everyone collapses to the floor the shadows evaporating.

"Everybody out, come on!"

Oh Zack, thank god!

Josh goes to grab Ty's limp body now riddled with a bullet hole in his chest and holy shit there's so much blood. He gags, tears collecting in his eyes.

Oh God Tyler.

"Hayley help Alex, I'll get Josh, hurry before more guards come."

Zack's at Josh's side in an instant heaving Tyler's body into his muscly arms.

Josh stares in shock.

"Come on Dun, snap out of it! He'll be fine we just need to get out of here! Quick."

Zack turns on his heel almost sprinting for the elevator.

It takes a second for Josh's brain to catch up.

Dr Wentz meets his gaze from across the room as he clutches at his abused throat, thick confusion clouds his features.

Josh flickers in and out of view.

"Go." The doctor whispers his throat raw.

Josh doesn't need to be told twice.

Chapter Text

They're all in the van by the time Josh gets there, Brendon and Zack in the front and everyone else squished in the back.

He clambers in and Zack's already screeching towards the security exit before Josh has even managed to swing the back doors closed.

"Everyone alright?" Brendon yells through the sectioning window brown eyes manic and grin wide.

Jack looks slightly worse for wear, awake but bloody sat up in Alex's arms, his face even paler than normal.

"I think I'll live." He tries to laugh but winces instead. Alex shushes him before pressing soft lips to his boyfriend's temple. Josh's heart flutters in happiness.

Cass and Mel are cuddled up on one of the benches Cassadee's long dark hair creating a curtain as she lets the younger girl rest in her lap.

"We're good." Mel whispers with a pretty smile her delicate finger tips fiddling with the collar that still sits round her slender neck.

She's the only one still wearing it Josh realizes and quickly tugs at his own the leather band falling uselessly into his lap.

Cassadee smiles her shark like smile giving him a thumbs up.

Josh smiles back fleetingly before his gaze flits to Tyler whose laying unconscious in Hayley's arms, his chest bleeding but not as bad as he'd originally thought. He's too pale or Josh's liking but the black from his arms and neck is gone and he prays that when he opens his eyes that they're no longer white.

God, what had happened back then? Was Blurry in control or something else? How were they separate, how-

"Ty will be fine it's a through and through and I missed everything important, Hayl's can cauterize the wound to stop it bleeding and then I'll sort it out when we get to the mountains," Zack reassures the panicked looking boy sending his a gentle look using the rear view mirror. "OH SHIT, guys brace yourself!" He shouts, the kids all grab each other, Hayley curling skinny arms protectively around Tyler so he's not jostled.

The van smashes through the security divider throwing everyone all over the place, the security guard Hannah is on her feet screaming her walkie-talkie in hand as they literally tear the partition to pieces.

Cassadee laughs manically as if it's the most fun she's ever had which gets the rest of them giggling at the madness of it all.

They were actually escaping.

Suddenly brilliant sunlight is exploding into the van and for the first time in forever they're outside of the facility.

Josh wishes Tyler was awake to witness it, the sun huge and orange as it lights up the miles and miles of forests that the facility was nestled in.

Brendon tries to hide his teary eyes from the rest, the first time he's seen the outside world in almost three years, he was never going back there now, they'd have to kill him first.

They all sit silently for a while, Josh hovering on his feet to get the best view of the road before his adrenaline drops and he finally flops against the wall next to Hayley dropping his heavy head onto her shoulder.

She smells like a blown out match and something fruity like strawberries, he fills his lungs with it.

"You did it." She whispers only loud enough for him to hear, her huge green eyes glittering with happiness. He wraps his right hand around one of hers and reaches out to take one of Tyler's with his left.

Josh feels a grin stretching his face.

"We did it." He corrects her. She muffles a laugh sob into this side of his neck and when he looks around embarrassed he finds the same happiness in everyone's faces.

They did it. They were finally free.

~

Jenna pulls up at the log cabin just as the sun starts to set, the sun painting the sky with breathtaking hues of reds and purples.

The log cabin sits nestled on the edge of a forest boasting the best views of a beautiful lake and the mist covered mountains.

Jenna sighs with a grin stretching her lips.

Home.

It takes her four trips to drag all her bags into the cabin where the air smells dusty and white sheets cover all the furniture. The generator comes to life on the first try casting the whole house in soft warm light.

She feels at peace up here and she can't wait to meet her new family, to share all this tranquility with them.

Once the downstairs is brought back to life; the sofas uncovered, the plants coaxed back to green, kitchen quickly scrubbed and her Spotify set up swirling Motown classics around the house, Jenna heads up stairs to start on the bedrooms.

Five boys, three girls, her and Zack and only 3 bedrooms.

Luckily one of the guest rooms has bunk beds and the other has two slightly-larger-than-singles in. Her's and Zack room has their king size and a sofa bed that she could drag into one of the guest rooms with some help.

With the sofa bed and sofa downstairs they would be alright for the first few days at least then they could venture into town to the quaint secondhand shop for more beds.

Jenna starts singing to herself as she makes up the rooms, at the moment the cabin is cozy but empty but soon, soon it will be a home.

~

Tyler comes to screaming in agony.

"HOLYFUCKINGSHITWHATTHE-"

Hayley's wincing face comes into view as his eyes snap open. Her fire red hair smouldering slightly as it swings in front of his face.

"Sorry, sorry I'm so sorry!" She's muttering under her breath as she continues to press her flaming hand to the bullet wound in his shoulder.

Oh right, he was shot. Wait where's Blurry? Where's Josh?

Tyler feels his pulse skyrocketing.

"Ty, hey, baby you're okay I promise."

Josh, Josh is here.

Tyler swivels his head looking for the younger boy finding him perched just to his left a nasty purple and black bruise forming around his eye and a split lip smudged with dried blood.

Ty makes a chocked up noise that has nothing to do with Hayley and Josh just smiles his mocha eyes almost teary.

Why? What's going on?

Josh squeezes tightly at Tyler's hand just as Hayley stops with her burning and slumps to one side onto Mel's lap exhausted the younger girl instantly playing with Hayley's hair singeing her fingertips slightly.

"You did good Hayls." Zack's voice praises from somewhere Tyler can't see.

"Joshie." Tyler manages to whisper as he weakly squeezes back confusion painted into every line of his face.

Josh's face splits into the most stunning grin Tyler's ever seen causing his heart to stutter in his chest.

"We did it! We're free." Josh keeps grinning whilst he speaks, Jack and Alex whoop tiredly from the other side of the van both too tangled together to tell who's limbs were who's.

"Really?"

Josh nods, a chuckle breaks out in the van everyone taking in the fact that they were out and free.

Tyler mirrors Josh's grin before pouting his lips and making puppy dog eyes, Josh cracks up leaning down and pressing his battered lips to the elders.

Tyler never knew someone could feel like home.

They break apart after what could be seconds or days to Brendon and Cass catcalling them. Josh carefully gets him sitting up balanced against his chest so he can see everyone, alive, happy and whole.

"All right kids quiet down, we've got a long way to go before we're safe." Zack announces meeting Ty's gaze momentarily, trying to sound stern even though the shadow of a smile lifts at his lips.

"Oooh! Can we get drive through?!" Jack asks bouncing carefully in his seat on Alex's lap.

"Pleasssssseeeeeeeeeee!" Melanie joins in her huge grey eyes moist.

"We've been so good Dad." Brendon adds smirking as he pokes at Zack's ribs.

The ex security guard sighs so heavily it almost shakes the van.

"Fine! But you all have to hide in the back, no one can spot you, plus I only have like $30 on me so we can't go mad."

"Ooooh gimme your credit card." Brendon says making grabby hands. Zack points to the glove compartment where he'd shoved all his things earlier.

"It won't be much good I can't exactly use it without being traced."

Brendon's smirk gets cockier, Tyler didn't even know that was possible.

"Ahhh you couldn't with any normal human around but you have me the god of technology."

Everyone groans in unison making Brendon chuckle. He sticks out his tongue at them all in the rear view mirror before using a knife he finds next to Zack's wallet to carve out the radio.

"Holy shit what are you doing!" Zack shouts swerving the van in shock.

Cassadee snickers burying her laugh in Hayley's hair as they sit cuddled up on the bench. Trust Brendon.

"I can use the transceiver in the radio to change your cards id number and add a little cash to it so we can eat and get gas without getting caught." Brendon announces sounding smug.

Zack gapes like a fish.

"But that's stealing!"

"Dude you just broke 8 kids out of a top security prison!" Alex shouts from the back.

"Yeah and I can take you back too!" Zack grumbled under his breath causing said kids to laugh.

~

"Well, you've got five cracked ribs and your throat is a mess but you're okay, it could've been so much worse."

Dr Wentz lays enveloped in white sheets and sharp electric light, Dr Way hovers at his bedside with Dr Roy who's tapping away on her tablet with a pinched face.

"He almost killed you sir, we need to track down these kids, they're dangerous they've killed before and they'll do it again." Dr Roy announces sounding bored her steely eyes never once looking up from the screen.

"Last known location is 40miles east from here after that they just... Vanish."

Dr Wentz sighs and then winces at the pain in his neck.

"Send out the search team, send Dallon and Ashley too, find these kids." Dr Way demands his cheeks red with anger his eyes wild in the too bright lights of the hospital room.

Dr Roy nods sharply making eye contact for the first time before spinning on her heel and leaving the room her heels clicking obnoxiously against the tiles.

Pete flops back onto his pillow his eyes flickering shut.

God what has he done? Those kids; his kids, he didn't realize how scared they were how much they hated it at the facility.

A lone tear slips down his cheek. Dr Way misinterprets it as pain and clamps a firm comforting hand to his best friends shoulder.

"We'll find them Pete don't worry we'll bring them home."

He pats at his shoulder and follows Dr Roy's path leaving Pete on his own.

He can't face opening his eyes again.

He thinks of Tyler when he first got here, tiny and trusting, his huge brown eyes full of tears and his little fist clinging tight to Pete's lab coat.
He thinks of the boy who did this to his throat. His eyes empty and his soul black, possessed by a darkness Pete can't even begin to understand.

The tears fall free now he's alone.

'Run Tyler, don't look back.'

He hopes somehow Tyler can hear him. He hopes he knows he's sorry. He hopes he'll be okay.

~

They've been driving for hours, the world long gone dark lit only by the orange glow of street lights that casts dull light into the back of the van sending soft shadows over Josh's friends.

They'd stopped a few hours ago almost emptying the nearest McDonald's of food, Zack driving one handed as the other dipped mcnuggets into BBQ sauce and the rest of them all curled up together in the back stealing bites of each other's food.

They'd all cried in outrage that Tyler had never had it before and made it their mission to force him to try everything until his flat stomach had the smallest of bulges.

One by one they had all slowly fallen asleep, Cass, Mel and Hayley a pile of limbs tangled together on the side bench, Cass sat upright leaning against the wall with Mel curled against her left and Hayley's head in her lap.

AlexandJack were the next to go their hands clasped between them and their temples pressed together, Brendon had dozed off in the front seat his head bouncing against the window everytime Zack hit a pothole.

Josh and Tyler were fighting sleep not wanting to miss a second now they were back together, bright mocha eyes staring into chocolate brown, the sweetest smiles gracing their lips, skin pressed to skin anywhere they could reach, fingers and legs tangled.

Josh leans forward barely an inch and touches his lips to Ty's the elder responding immediately carding thin fingers through Josh's dark brown curls.

They pull apart breathing eachother's air, their smiles so bright they light up the darkness of the van.

"I'm so glad you're okay." Josh whisper brushing his thumb against the elder's cheek cradling his jaw with his hand. He's gazing at Ty like he's the most amazing thing he's ever seen and Tyler's chest feels fit to burst with all the happiness in him, he can't do anything other then kiss this amazing boy that has flipped his life upside down.

Zack glances at them in his rear view mirror, watching as they settle down giving into sleep like the others, Tyler winding skinny arms around Josh's broad shoulders bringing the younger boys head to his heart. They fall asleep like that, content smiles lifting at the corner of their lips.

Zack muffles a yawn with the back of his hand taking his eyes off of the resting kids that were sort of now his and focusing back on the road.

Four more hours until he could see his wife.

Four more hours until they were safe.

Four hours until they start they're new lives.

His headlights reflect off of the welcome to Denver sign and hope blooms in his chest.

Four more hours.

Chapter Text

Tyler wiggles slightly as he tries to doze. Josh lays fast asleep against his chest a grounding weight that he wouldn’t change for the world.

Tyler feels warm to his core and the noise of the engine humming along has been lulling him to the edge of sleep for over an hour but for some stupid reason he just can’t seem to get comfy.

He twists his neck side to side, trying to roll out the kinks that have formed ever since he’d gotten his collar.

Tyler sits up so quickly it sends Josh rolling to the floor with a thwack.

“Whha?” Josh slurs as he’s rudely awaken, tiredly blinking open his eyes in confusion.

Tyler’s on his feet and across the back to the separator in a second flat, “STOP THE CAR!” he yells his eyes wide in panic as thin fingers claw at his throat.

Zack’s eyes flick to the thick black leather circling Ty’s neck his eyes flaring in realization and in a split second he’s swerved off of the highway into a hard shoulder his hazards blinking orange light into the otherwise pitch black night.

Josh’s stomach lurches as everything clicks in his sleep addled mind.

They never removed Tyler’s collar.

By this point everyone ‘s groggily awake, blinking at each other in the dark trying to figure out what’s going on. Zack grabs his gun from his side holster flicking off the safety and exiting the van to check the perimeter for anyone following them.

Tyler’s lungs start to heave as he panics and Josh is by him in a flash smoothing down Ty’s messy chocolate hair with one hand and gently tugging the elder’s hands away from where he’s scratching up his neck leaving long red grazes.

“Brendon get back here!” Josh shouts without looking away from Ty who’s slowly losing it again, Mel lets out a small whimper from behind him that sends shiver down Josh’s spine. If Mel was scared then Blurry was at the edges of Tyler’s mind, crap, as much as Josh loved Blurry the last thing they needed right now was a demon with an attitude problem.

“What the? Oh fuck!” Brendon looks as sick as Josh feels as he climbs out of the cab running around the back the same way Zack had and throwing the back doors wide open to clamber in.

Tyler looks frenzied; his forearms slowly turning black, his chocolate eyes flickering red.

Nonononono not again, Tyler needs to stay in control or all hell will break lose. Something was wrong with him and Blurry, Josh was sure of it.

Josh panics as Tyler gets worse, the black starting to crawl up his slender neck and without really thinking about it Josh rears back his hand and slaps the elder boy round the face.

The slap echoes in the otherwise silence, Tyler’s dark brown eyes swimming with seawater and shock as they connect with Josh’s.

“Ouch,” Tyler whispers making Josh feels like shit but then black starts reseeding down Ty’s skin. The elder’s gaze flickers down watching the change before he meets Josh’s sad eyes again, Ty smiles softly; “Thanks, I think.” He murmurs one of his long fingered hands reaching up to rub at his sore cheek.
Josh leans forward to press a kiss to his lips but is shoved out of the way by Brendon.

The younger hits the bench, his head smacking the wall and his body only just missing Hayley who instantly winds their fingers together in reassurance even though her features are pinched in worry.

“Okay, okay, I can fix this.” Brendon’s muttering under his breath as he places his hands on either side of Tyler’s neck pressing at the thick leather encircling it.

“I’m so sorry I forgot about it.” Tyler mumbles causing Brendon to look at him for the first time, he grins even though it’s slightly wobbly.

“Not your fault bud, now hold still I’ve got to try and trick the tracking device into thinking we were heading the opposite direction the whole time.”

Tyler nods and falls quiet watching as Brendon activates his powers and gets to work before peering over the older boy’s shoulder to stare at Josh and Hayley who are squished together, shoulders touching whispering almost silently.

Something clicks in Tyler’s brain and suddenly he can hear Blurry again clearer than ever.

‘They’re sitting a bit close together don’t ya think.’ Blurry taunts sounding slightly pissed off, ‘She’s practically in his lap. Josh is ours Tyler, you better make sure he stays that way.’

Ty shakes his head trying to shake the thought, Josh does look comfortable with the flamed haired girl; holding hands, smiling softly.

Something hot and ugly burns in his stomach.

“Okay, I think we’re okay.” Brendon announces wiping his brow with the back of his hand.

Ty reaches up with shaking hands to undo the leather band letting it clatter to the floor.

Everyone lets out a sigh of relief.

Inside of Tyler’s head Blurry growls.

~

By the time Zack gets back in the van everyone has calmed down a bit. Tyler’s sat cross legged on the floor next to Brendon. Melanie and Cass have fallen back to sleep curled up in each other’s arms, Jack’s asleep too his head cushioned on Alex’s lap as Alex, Hayley and Josh sit chatting quietly all thought of sleep gone from their heads.

Zack sighs, holstering his gun as he steps into the back of the van everyone awake looking up as he gets in.

“Anything?” Brendon asks his brow creased in worry.

Zack shakes his head no, “Everything looks fine, maybe they didn’t even check if they thought all the collars were deactivated?” he pauses and scrubs a hand over his face. “I don’t know, god okay, I’m gonna get driving again we should be home soon, Jenna messaged on the burner phone I keep in case of emergencies and she’s worried we don’t have enough beds.” He huffs out a laugh and the kids join in. The low level of excitement creeping back into their bodies.

“She can’t wait to meet you guys.” Zack tells them smiling wide.

Brendon grins back wrapping his arm around Tyler’s shoulders and pulling him to his chest. “Ya hear that TyGuy, we’re gonna have a proper family!”

Tyler chuckles finally calmed down from a minute ago, his cheeks pink as he grins up at Bren before turning to face Zack.

“Do you think Jenna will let us call her mum?” He asks cheekily causing the elder to roll his eyes and lean forward to ruffle his hair making Hayley and Alex laugh.

Josh forces a smile but feels something settle heavy in his gut.

The rest of the guys didn’t have a family or if they did they wanted nothing to do with them, they were all alone in this world, all they have is each other.

Josh has a family.

Josh has an amazing mom and dad and brother and two sisters and his pet dog.

He's got Debby and his friends from work

Josh has a life outside of all this, a proper life with a picket fence and teaching kids to play drums on the weekend and applying to collage.

Brendon had been a thief on the run the same as JackandAlex, Hayley had been arrested for burning down her house, Tyler, well technically Blurry, had killed his family. Josh didn’t really know about Melanie and Cass but neither of them seemed in a rush to get back to anyone.

Josh could feel the sadness crawling up his throat forming a lump that was hard to swallow around.

Could he ever go home and hug his mom? Plait his sisters’ hair? Play video games with his brother? Go out shopping and for Taco bell with Deb? Would he ever see his family again when this all blew over or was this his life now? Always on the run never looking back?

Josh feels himself start to flicker in and out of existence as his eyes start burning with unshed tears.

“Josh, you okay?” Alex whispers from beside him reaching out to clasp at the younger boys shoulder in comfort. Josh can’t bring himself to lift his head or form a response other than nodding ever so slightly setting his tears free and letting them splatter onto the dark grey of his sweatpants.

“Hey Tyler I think Josh needs you.” Hayley says getting up from her place next to Josh and motioning for Ty to take it. The elder boy’s eyes almost pop out of his head as he takes in his boy. His broad shoulders circled in on himself and tears dripping down his face. Tyler throws himself next to him and drags the younger against his chest letting him bury his face in the soft fabric of his shirt, Josh reaches up and fists a hand in the material near his collar trying to ground himself as he sobs.

Ty wraps his arms around his frame. “You’re okay baby boy, we’re all okay.” He whispers running flat palms up and down Josh’s spine in what he hopes is a comforting manner.

Alex meets his gaze over Josh’s heaving body.

“What happened?” Tyler mouths causing the caramel haired boy to shrug his eyes full of worry.

Zack frowns down at the crying boy and shakes his head sadly before leaving the back of the van for the driver’s seat. He picks up the emergency phone from the dashboard and messages his beautiful wife letting her know they were almost there.

He knew taking these kids was a risk but he hopes to god he made the right decision for them.

He gets the feeling Josh isn’t the only one dealing with things the rest of them don’t know about.

He sighs and starts the engine.

They were almost home.

.
..
...
..
.

At the side of the highway, from the darkness of the trees, a small deer surrounded by swirling black smoke watches the van drive away it's eerie green eyes reflecting the headlights unnaturally.
A thin black band sits fastened round its neck blinking red light into the shadows.
A man materializes from the smoke and pats gently at the deer's head.
He smiles.

Chapter Text

Hey guys I've decided to end this part of the story here and continue the rest as a sequel that I will probably be posting in the next couple months or so!
I live in a tourist beach side town so right now is my busiest time of year and I have 2 jobs so thank you for baring with me!
And keep your eyes peeled for the sequel!

Love you all!
Stay street frens
/-I