Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

[Live at the Emmys carpet]

Reporter Jacob Marshall: And here with me is the rising star Andrew Minyard on his first appearance at the Emmys!

Andrew Minyard: [Looks bored]

Jacob Marshall: So Andy, can I call you Andy?

Andrew Minyard: No.

Jacob Marshall: [Laughs] So how are you enjoying your first adult party?

Nicky Hemmick: [Off screen] That’s called an orgy-

Andrew Minyard: [Looks off screen] Nicky.

Jacob Marshall: [Laughs again] Don't be shy Andrew, all boys your age are curious about sex. [Wiggles his eyebrows] Speaking of: do you have a date for tonight?

Andrew Minyard: [Looks around slowly] What do you think?

Jacob Marshall: Well what about your co-star Renee Walker?

Andrew Minyard: Who?

Jacob Marshall: Oh don't be like that Andrew! We all know that you and Renee are rather close. [Sly smile]

Nicky Hemmick: [Hand barely in the frame] Okay that’s enough-

Jacob Marshall: There's no need to be shy! We all know that there's something brewing between the two of you.

Nicky Hemmick: That's not approved-

Andrew Minyard: [Raises a single eyebrow]

Jacob Marshall: I’m sure the two of you have been using this event to get in some action. [Winks]

Nicky Hemmick: Oh no-

Andrew Minyard: Are you proud of yourself for saying that to a child?

Jacob Marshall: [Blinks in surprise and gives a nervous laugh] What?

Andrew Minyard: I thought so, fucking weirdo. Who talks about a child's sex life? A pedophile that’s who.

Jacob Marshall: [Looks stunned] I-

Andrew Minyard: [Grabs the microphone, pushes Jacob Marshall out of the way, and stares directly into the camera] I’m gay dipshits. 

Nicky Hemmick: [Still off screen] Oh my god-

[Commotion behind Andrew Minyard and Jacob Marshall]

Andrew Minyard: The next person who says anything to the contrary will be met with my fist in their face, got it? 

[Camera shakes]

Andrew Minyard: Good. Now fuck off. [Throws the microphone at the camera before storming off]

[Camera pans to follow, showing a tired Nicky Hemmick]

Nicky Hemmick: [Sighs heavily]

-

Andrew slammed the door behind him, letting it slam in Nicky's face. He could deal with it. He always did. 

Andrew tugged at the various rings decorating his fingers and tossed them onto the little decorative bowl Renee gave him that sat on his dresser. He tiredly stripped out of his outfit and hurriedly got into his comfy pajamas. There was once a time in his life where even changing felt like a daunting task- if he wasn't fast enough then something bad would happen. Someone would whisper in his ear how he was 'waiting for it', that he 'wanted it' even as he begged and pleaded for it to stop. But now he had his own room with a lock and a guardian who always knocked. He could take as long as he wanted to change or do anything really. 

Andrew threw himself onto his bed, staring up at the glow-in-the-dark stars on his ceiling. He still thought it was a stupid idea, one Nicky had gotten from one of his various parenting guides he sometimes left lying around. Something about being a grounding sight after a nightmare. Andrew thought it was horseshit, he just didn't have the motivation to get himself on a ladder to remove them. 

Somewhere on the floor his phone went off, no doubt various texts from Renee or the other actors from The O'Reilly's set that had somehow gotten their numbers on his phone. They had just finished up with the last scene for the last episode for the series and many of the older cast members invited everyone out for a celebration dinner. Andrew had only been interested in the promise of free food but one look at Nicky's tired smile made him rethink his strategy. Nicky had been up for even longer than Andrew had, going over potential new scripts, watching over Andrew as he slept in between takes, checking in on Aaron and Erik and probably a hundred other things Andrew didn't know about. He had bags under his eyes and Andrew couldn't look him in the eye. Besides, he didn't want to go out with all those people anyways. He just made a deal with Renee for her to order him and Nicky food and drop it off later. That way Nicky didn't have to think about dinner and the cast members could pretend that Andrew cared about their celebration. 

Andrew closed his eyes, his ears picking up on the shuffling of feet against the carpet getting closer and closer to his door. Nicky never knew how to be quiet so the knock on his door didn't startle him. 

"Andrew?" Nicky's voice flitted through the door. It was tired and filled with affection Andrew still didn't understand. He had been convinced just a few years ago that it was fake, something Nicky pretended to have in order to have access to the money Andrew was making, but it was real. Baffling, he knew. "Do you have enough energy to come down for dinner? I’m heating up some leftovers- I've got some cupcakes for you too. I got you chocolate with chocolate icing and a shitload of sprinkles, just like you like it." 

Andrew just hummed, his bed was big and soft and covered in pillows and soft, warm blankets. It was telling him to stay right there, fuck food and fuck responsibilities because it was time to sleep forever. Andrew was more than okay with that. He could lay in his bed forever and without fear of anything happening. Every bed before had come with a price, but this one didn't. It was no wonder he gave into its temptation so easily. 

"Alright," Nicky said as if Andrew had said actual words that actually meant anything. He was so stupid, Andrew didn't know why he stuck around. "If you change your mind you can come down whenever you want. I'll leave a plate by your door when I’m done if you don't come down, just make sure to eat okay, honey? Okay great!" He tried to sound overexcited like usual but it didn't really work, he was just too tired for it to work.

Nicky's footsteps faded into the background, further and further away from Andrew's door, but Andrew didn't bother getting up for at least half an hour. Kinsley had messed up too many scenes with his crying and it drained Andrew, not even his naps could make up for the loss of energy from all that. He really just wasn't good at dealing with emotional people like him. Being alone in his room was a good restart to his system. 

When Andrew finally made it downstairs, Nicky was half asleep at the table with a few take out containers in front of him. It seemed Renee had been by while Andrew was bundled up in his multitudes of blankets. Nicky didn't even notice that Andrew had come downstairs until Andrew purposely stomped his feet onto the tile. 

Nicky jolted awake, blinking away the sleep from his eyes. He looked at Andrew and gave a tired smile that Andrew couldn't look at. "Hi honey," he said genuinely happy that Andrew graced him with his presence like a damn idiot. "Renee dropped off some food- don’t worry I still have those cupcakes in the fridge for you. Why don't you sit down, I'll go get a plate and some forks, Erik did the dishes earlier and I'll make him do them again so don't even worry about that-" 

Nicky only shut up when a yawn interrupted him. Andrew knew he would go on and on if nothing stopped him. He was allergic to silence. 

Nicky scurried around the kitchen, yawning up a storm, gathering a bunch of dishes they didn't need. He settled everything on the table, letting Andrew pick and choose what he wanted from the selection they had. Andrew snatched the pasta dish he knew Renee ordered for either Erik or Aaron and poured the whole thing onto his plate, ignoring the smile Nicky gave him. 

It was blissfully silent as they ate, Nicky finally calming down now that he was eating after a long, long, shooting day. Andrew appreciated it. He was still relatively new to family dinners like this- full of warmth, plenty of food on the table, a family that didn't expect anything from him, much less something he couldn't give- and he was sure Nicky knew that because he gave a damn. Quiet dinners were easier for Andrew to handle, especially after such a long day. 

Footsteps ruined Andrew’s peace and he could tell by the sound that Aaron was making his way down the steps. Too bad he wouldn't be getting any pasta. Andrew was proven correct when Aaron and his blanket draped over his shoulders came into the kitchen. He looked tired, probably from all the studying he had to do because he was a loser who didn't have an eidetic memory. Unlike Andrew who wasn't a loser and did have an eidetic memory. 

Aaron let out an ugly yawn and shuffled further into the kitchen and Andrew debated tripping him. He stopped right next to Andrew and sleepily glared down at him. "Look who finally decided to show his face. Almost thought Nicky put some fuckass mirror in the kitchen." 

"Hey, my mirrors aren't bad." Nicky frowned. He was ignored. 

Andrew twisted spaghetti around his fork and hummed. "I could say the same about you." He said. "Although a second glance would confirm that you're you. I’m not ugly." 

"We have the same face!" 

"And I wear it better." 

Aaron looked like he would smack Andrew or push him out of his chair if Nicky wasn't there to immediately scold him. "You’re an ass, you know that right?" 

"I’m well aware." Andrew confirmed. He wasn't exactly known for having a cheerful personality, despite what his character on The O'Reilly's may have suggested. Another reason he was glad filming was over- he didn't have to keep up that painful smile anymore or pitch up his voice to mimic happiness. 

Aaron, clearly the loser of the battle, slumped into a seat and let out a big yawn. 

"Why are you up, kiddo?" Nicky asked, preparing a plate of chips and French fries for Aaron. He set the plate in front of Aaron and brushed back some of Aaron's overgrown hair from his face. "You really need to get some sleep, you can't take your finals if you're asleep." 

Aaron, too tired to bat Nicky's hand away, just grumbled something into his chips. 

Andrew wondered if he could upgrade his brother for a better model. "He’s right," he chimed in. "How will the graders read all the smudges caused by your drool?" He asked with faux innocent concern.

Aaron scowled at him. He was going to get wrinkles alongside those dreadful eyebags. "Why don't you shut it?" He asked. 

"Where’s the fun in that?" 

Nicky shook his head, a fond smile on his face. "Okay, okay, enough, both of you: eat." He ordered. 

Andrew didn't have to listen to him, he was under no obligation to listen to anything Nicky said. He stabbed his fork into his pasta and shoved a giant forkful into his mouth. Aaron sleepily munched on his chips and fries. It was, dare Andrew say it, nice. All that was missing from something out of his five year old self's day dream- before he knew just how horrible the world really was and what it would make a seven year old pay- was a fat, fluffy cat sleeping peacefully on the table. 

Aaron finished his snack first and got up with another yawn, his eyes barely open now. He looked horrible and if he wasn't already heading for bed Andrew would've shoved him onto the couch to force him to sleep. Aaron dropped the plate into the sink and shuffled by, stopping when he was standing right behind Andrew. "You’re not taking a new job right away, are you?" He asked, his voice doing this thing Andrew didn't understand. 

Andrew leaned back in his chair, thinking about the set he had been on in addition to The O'Reilly's. It was only a small part that had only required a few days of filming on his end, barring any reshoots that would no doubt happen once the rest of the movie finished. It was far more professional than The O'Reilly's and the only person his age was an annoying nepo baby named Kevin Day, son of Irish actress Kayleigh Day. He was too much of a perfectionist and had yapped at Andrew about routines and nutrition and all that shit. It made him glad he wouldn't be on that set for long. "I’ve got a small job I've been doing," Andrew admitted. "Only a few days of re-shoots. I'll probably take a couple of months before going back." 

Nicky had been looking at potential scripts but it was a preliminary screening, to make sure there would be nothing in there that would be triggering for Andrew to read. At the end of the day it was up to Andrew to choose his roles. So if he wanted to, he could take a small break before jumping into his adult career- if he still wanted to do that. Maybe he would disappear and find some boring job in a boring state where no one knew him. He'd become the center for a bunch of conspiracy theories. It would be fun. 

"Okay." Aaron said. He let out a loud yawn and if he kept that up, Andrew would end up yawning too. "You deserve a break, Drew." 

"Shut up." Andrew muttered. 

Aaron, rudely, ignored him. "I’ve got a new game we could play. It’s pretty fun and since I've already played it I'll finally beat you." 

"Supposedly." 

Nicky sent Aaron to bed before another argument could start- which meant he only delayed it until after everyone had had a full night's sleep- and stayed with Andrew until he finished his dinner. Even though no one asked him to do that. "Have a good night's sleep, Andrew," Nicky said with a tired smile. "You deserve it after working so hard." 

Andrew looked away from him, digging his feet into the floor. He rarely knew how to react to Nicky and his stupidity. 

Nicky came over and very slowly reached out. When Andrew didn't pull away, he happily ruffled his hair, looking far too happy at being able to perform the simple gesture. "Don’t worry about the dishes, I'll make Erik clean them. And my cutie will make us pancakes in the morning, sounds good, yeah?" 

"Don’t call him that." Andrew hissed out, slapping Nicky's hand away. It only made Nicky smile more. 

"Aw, you don't like my nicknames?" Nicky teased. 

"You can’t call that mountain of a man something so cutesy." 

"But that's the whole point! I like seeing people's expectations being shattered to pieces!" 

Andrew rolled his eyes and got up from his chair. "Whatever you say." He dismissed. He headed back to his room, with Nicky sending out one last good night and an 'I love you' that only made Andrew race to his room and slam the door shut. 

He took a minute with his back against the door to just breathe. Nicky could be overwhelming, Andrew wasn't used to it, not like this. There wasn't a price he had to pay for it, there was no one he loved more than him sneaking into his room to take. It was unconditional, no strings attached and Andrew sometimes just needed a minute. 

Andrew dragged himself back into his comfy bed and buried himself deep under the layers of blankets. Sleepiness hit him quickly and with each passing second it was harder and harder to stay awake and there was no reason for him to stay awake. 

PING 

Andrew snapped his eyes open, glaring at the glow-in-the-dark covered ceiling at being fucking interrupted. He was about to fucking sleep and yet. 

Andrew wrestled an arm out of his cocoon and slapped around until he found his phone on the nightstand that was going off. If this was Kevin with detailed instructions on Andrew's fifteen god damn lines then Andrew would be forced to kill him. 

Andrew, temporarily blinded by the light, blinked rapidly at his phone and froze the moment he saw the influx of headlines and articles popping up in rapid succession:

Breaking News: Court Records Surrounding Child Actor Andrew Minyard's Former Foster Brother LEAKED 

"He would sneak into my room at night and put his hand over my mouth," Shocking Testimony from Unsealed Court Records

"He told me he couldn't wait to have a pair of twins under him. That was my final straw." Andrew Minyard's Previously Unknown Testimony REVEALED

Andrew sprung up, his hands shaking uncontrollably as phantom hands reappeared like a stubborn stain that wouldn't die. Andrew’s heart was in his throat, desperately trying to escape as his eyes were glued to his words. 

His fucking words. 

Those were his. 

They were his. 

They were the ones he ripped out of himself on the stand for the audience of people who had never known what true horror was. 

Why were they there? 

Why were they printed out in front of him? 

Why were dozens of publications printing his words? 

Why? 

Why? 

Why? 

Why? 

Andrew threw his phone across the room, his chest heaving for air, sweat dripping down his face. He couldn't breathe. His words. He couldn't see his hands clearly. His pain. His chest hurt. Those hands. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't do this. They know. He couldn't handle it. They know. They all know. They all know. They know. They all know. 

They know all of it. 

All. 

Of. 

It.

Damn it all to hell.

Chapter Text

Entertainment Tonight 

Breaking News: Court Records Surrounding Child Actor Andrew Minyard's Former Foster Brother LEAKED

By Jacey Coleman

Anonymous sources inside the Oakland courthouse has leaked classified documents that reveal the abuse suffered by multiple children, including popular child actor Andrew Minyard, within a foster home. Information is still pouring out but even just a glance at the documents make it clear that this isn't your typical scandal. The records first released were the transcripts of the children's testimonies including Andrew Minyard who is best known for his role as Parker Cassidy on the hit sitcom The O'Reilly's. The testimony reveals a horror house that the kids had to face- story after story of sexual abuse at the hands of Drake Spear, the biological son of the foster parents. "He told me if I said anything, Cass would kick me out." Andrew, aged fourteen at the time of the trial, said on the stand. "He said that this was how brothers showed their love to each other and if I didn't go along then Cass would be so disappointed she would kick me out. I had to get along with him if I wanted to stay." When asked by the prosecutor why he believed what Mr. Spear said, Andrew Minyard replied with: "I was twelve. I wanted a mom." It’s horrific to think that such a thing was happening to anyone, even more so when its multiple young children who just wanted a safe house to live in. A man who started doing this when he was just a teenager knew exactly how to manipulate and control these children and the question has to be asked how he got away with these horrific crimes for so long. Multiple of the children say they were too scared to tell anyone, all of them, including Andrew Minyard, described in horrific detail the ways they had been taken advantage of and their injuries. So how is it possible that neither of the adults figured things out?

[Continue reading]

TMZ

"He would sneak into my room at night and put his hand over my mouth," Shocking Testimony from Unsealed Court Records 

By Derrick Wittmen

"He would sneak into my room at night and out his hand over my mouth and tell me to keep quiet if I wanted to stay." Shocking words spoken by child actor Andrew Minyard from his testimony at age fourteen. In a trial against his former foster brother Drake Spear, who was on trial for multiple counts of rape of a minor, child sexual abuse, child exploitation, and more, Andrew Minyard and many unnamed children exposed the horrific abuse they endured by Mr. Spear’s hands and the recounts are disturbing. "He always left me bleeding on the bed, whispering to me about how 'good' I was for him. That Cass would be so happy to see us getting along." Minyard claimed in the transcripts, his testimony matching what the other victims told on the stand. "I was forced to limp around the house in the middle of the night to clean up the blood. Sometimes I stayed in the shower until day broke." There are no concrete answers on who released the court records but its clear that someone involved in the Oakland courthouse or even the Oakland PD who would've had access to these court records released them. Why? That's still unclear, but whatever the reason we still have to acknowledge that its public for everyone to read. The abuse Andrew Minyard experienced before his current guardian, Nicky Hemmick, is now exposed to the public. It puts some of Minyards actions into context but it also raises some questions surrounding his potential future as just a few weeks ago Minyard announced to the world that was gay. What does...

[Continue reading]

People

"He told me he couldn't wait to have a pair of twins under him. That was my final straw." Andrew Minyard's Previously Unknown Testimony REVEALED

By Riley McLaren 

In news that has shocked the world, records of a criminal case where child actor Andrew Minyard testimony as one of the many victims of child predator Drake Spear, has been revealed to the public. The hundreds of pages of testimony have been leaked, revealing the horrific abuse multiple children who had been fostered by the Spears. Including child actor Andrew Minyard, best known for his role as Parker Cassidy on The O'Reilly's, which is about to start premiering their final season. In the documents, Andrew recalls the abuse he suffered and the manipulation he was subjected to- as well the self harm he committed to, quote, "regain some control over my good for nothing life[,]". When asked what made him reach out to Nicholas 'Nicky' Hemmick, his now current guardian who has adopted him and his twin brother Aaron Minyard, Andrew responded with a truly gut churning response. "He told me he couldn't wait to have a pair of twins under him. That was my final straw." It’s sickening to know that something like this happened to such young children, none of whom had any one to reach out to. It seems that Andrew reaching out to Nicky was a last attempt to get anyone to believe him, according to other bits of his testimony that was released. Its unthinkable that someone had been able to get away with these kinds of crimes, over a multitude of victims, for years with no one suspecting a thing. It begs the question on what happened in Oakland to lead to this...

[Continue reading]

ABC News

Failures Of The Legal System Exposed In Leaked Courtroom Records

By Travis Hendrick 

Recently courtroom records containing testimony of several victims of child sexual abuse, including popular child actor Andrew Minyard, have been leaked to the public. The testimonies contain years long abuse at the hands of Drake Spear, the biological son of foster parents Cassidy and Richard Spear. In a shocking and disbelieving attempt to discredit the witnesses the defense questioned every child on why they never came forward until then. Many children responded that they had, several times to different adults in their life but all were dismissed. "I told three teachers and they all told me I was lying." One victim, aged 10 at the time of the abuse, stated. "The cops glared at me and told me to get lost." Another victim, aged 11 at the time of the abuse, stated. "I was told it was a 'misunderstanding'." Andrew Minyard, aged 12 at the time of the abuse, stated. "My so-called 'uncle' told me that I had to be misunderstanding what was happening because my foster brother was a god fearing respectable man about to join the army. No one believed me until Nicky came to visit." It’s clear that Drake Spear got away with what he was doing for a multitude of reasons- the perception he had built up in the community, the dismissal by multiple adults who are legally required to report abuse, and the societal collective about foster care kids and the system. Even Andrew Minyard's own biological family member didn't believe him, choosing instead to believe a man he had no relation to. It was indicted in the rest of Andrew’s testimony that he wasn't believed by any of the adults around him except for Nicky Hemmick, who reported the abuse to the police and pushed for them to take action, because of his reputation as an unstable child in the system. "I was the problem child, getting thrown out of so-called 'good homes' because I was mentally unstable. No one cared about what was happening to me or why I was behaving that way." This is a problem across the board in several systems- not just the foster care system. Kids who are abused at home often act out at school or in other public places, earning them reputations as 'troubled' and then their circumstances are not followed up on nor are they protected as they should be. Children have a hard time processing trauma, leading to them acting out in ways that are difficult for adults who have the tools to self regulate their emotions and have the capacity to understand complex things that have happened to them. Maybe because of this, adults often forget that children are acting this way because they don't know how else to react. This case is a prime example of why we should pay attention to these children and not immediately dismiss their claims of abuse. Do children lie? Of course but there is always that chance that they are telling the truth and its better to at least follow up and make sure the child is safe. In this case, if Nicky Hemmick hadn't believed Andrew then none of these children would have been able to get justice and been proven right and many other children may have been harmed as well.

[Continue reading]

-

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP 

Everything was heavy, fuzzy and heavy. 

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP 

His arms ached and burned and itched and his head was full of cotton. 

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP 

His eyes were so heavy, it was too much work to open them. Why did he have to open them? 

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP 

Andrew opened his eyes, his vision blurry and his head spinning. All he could see was blurry white, everything spun around and around and around him. He couldn't lift his arms, they felt like they were encased in concrete. He couldn't lift them to stop the spinning. It was too bright. He just wanted to close his eyes again. He wanted to sleep, that's all he wanted to do. He didn't like the cotton in his head or the concrete on his arms. He wanted to sleep. 

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

Andrew opened his eyes, still heavy but it wasn't so bright. The room wasn't spinning, the lights were low and his head wasn't full of cotton. He blinked slowly, the details of the ceiling slowly coming into focus. Something warm was on top of him, a steady weight that didn't make him feel trapped. It kept out the cold. He flexed his fingers, they felt numb and tingle-ly until suddenly they didn't. 

Andrew inhaled sharply, his arms wracked with sharp familiar pains, all up and down his arms. He gripped tightly at the thin fabric beneath him- memories flooding his mind as the last of the cloud forcibly left him. 

Why was he alive? 

Why could he feel the pain of the stitches on his arm when he shouldn't be feeling anything? 

Why? 

Why? 

Why? 

Why? 

"Andrew?" 

Andrew snapped his eyes towards the sound of his name, startling at the desolate state of Nicky. Nicky was sitting next to him, the bags under his eyes heavy and prominent. His hair was a tangled, frizzy mess like he had run his hands through it dozens if not hundreds of times, his curls tugged and combed into nonexistence. His eyes were red and his face was pinched with so much worry it made Andrew sick. 

"Andrew?" Nicky called out again. He didn't reach out, his hands clutching at his pants so hard his knuckles paled. 

Andrew’s heart raced in his chest, his eyes focused on those hands and he couldn't look away. He could feel hands all over him, grabbing at him, touching and taking even when he would plead and plead and plead for it to stop. He didn't want to be touched- not even by hands so different from the past ones. He didn't want it. He didn't want to be awake. Why was he alive? He shouldn't be. 

"Andrew, are you in pain?" Nicky asked, his voice hoarse and heavy but still calm. It was strange, it wasn't right for him. "Does it hurt a lot? You sounded like you were in pain. I can get the nurse for you if you need it." 

Andrew didn't move. He didn't say a word, still unable to handle that he was there. Alive. Against his will. 

Nicky moved slowly, grabbing a cup from the bedside table and tried to hand it to Andrew. His face paled when Andrew flinched away from him. "Oh- I’m sorry honey, I wasn't thinking," he hurriedly said, pulling his hands away from Andrew. He settled them in his lap, crushing the cup until the water inside spilled out and over his hands. "I’m sorry, I just- I should've thought more. I’m sorry." 

Andrew looked away, an uncomfortable feeling in his gut. This was all wrong. All of this wasn't going the way it was supposed to go. He shouldn't be there, having to look at Nicky's pained expression while the memories flooded him. He shouldn't be existing. 

"Andrew, honey," Nicky tried again but Andrew couldn't look at him. He wanted Nicky to shut up. To stop talking. To stop making this harder than it needed to be. "Can you just tell me if you're in pain? I won't say anything else, I just need to know if you're in pain." 

Andrew’s hands clutched at the flimsy hospital fabric beneath him, wanting to rip off the warm blanket Nicky had brought from home. It was the one he would cover Andrew in during long film days or when Andrew was sick and had the chills. He wanted to throw it across the room and never look at it again. His arms ached and throbbed, the stitches itched like nothing else and he didn't want to tell anyone about it. He gave a curt nod and wished the floor would swallow him whole. 

"Okay," Nicky said too calmly, too steady for a man who would scream in horror if a spider got into the house. For a man so full of energy that he was always gossiping with everyone he could while keeping an eye on two fucked up teens. "I’ll ask the nurse to get you something. I'll make sure she doesn't touch you, so just get some rest. We'll deal with everything later." 

Andrew closed his eyes and wished he never opened them again.

-

Andrew should've known his luck was rotten. He should've known that he wouldn’t succeed in dying, that the universe just loved to fuck with him too much to let their favorite toy go. He really should've known better. 

But he was still frustrated when he woke up, the pain gone from his body yes but Nicky was still there, sleeping in a painful position next to Andrew in that fuckass chair. He was still alive with the knowledge that the whole world knew about the one thing he didn't want anyone knowing. Someone had taken his greatest secret and exposed it and for what? To spite him? To remind him that he could never escape that past because it would always be there? Andrew didn't want to deal with this. 

Nicky jerked awake, looking so exhausted that Andrew had to look away again. There was a gut wrenching pain in his stomach and he just couldn't handle it. "Andrew? Are you okay? Is anything hurting?" He asked. 

Andrew shook his head, his throat dry and scratchy and painful. He didn't want to use it. He didn't want to do anything. He heard Nicky slump in the chair and it was silent for so long that Andrew thought he fell asleep again, so he turned around but was once again met with Nicky's exhausted expression. 

Nicky ran a hand through his frizzy, curl-less hair and took a deep breath. "Look, Andrew, I know you don't want to talk about it- and you don't have to. I won't ask why, or anything stupid like that. If you don't want to talk about it you don't have to, but I'll always be here to listen, I need you to know that okay?" 

Andrew looked up at the ceiling, clutching at the warm, soft blanket on top of him. He hated that this blanket was so familiar to him. He hated that every time Nicky wrapped him in it he relaxed, he didn’t even stir in his sleep even though someone was so close to him. He should burn it, but he couldn't. 

"But I need to talk about it a little bit," Nicky continued. There was a tray over Andrew’s bed, covered in various sugary snacks that Andrew liked to eat and a cup of water on it. He hadn't noticed it before. It wasn't there when he first woke up. Nicky was an idiot, an incoherent idiot. "The doctors think it might be best if you spend some time at a mental health facility." 

"You’re finally sending the freak away?" Andrew’s voice was foreign to him, rough and cracking and it rubbed at his throat in a way he knew water wouldn't fix. 

"Andrew," Nicky chastised, his voice missing its energy and its overly played anger to make it seem non-threatening. "Don’t talk about yourself that way. You're not a freak and I'm not sending you away. Well, technically I'm potentially sending you to a temporary care facility but I'm not sending you away, you know? Maybe not, but I'm not giving up on you or giving you away. Don't you ever think that Andrew." 

Andrew let out an annoyed sigh at Nicky's ramblings. He didn't need a lecture. He didn’t need Nicky being so fucking stupid all the god damn time, especially not now. This was his opportunity to get rid of the problem causing thing ruining his life- who wouldn’t take it? Who wouldn't think he’d take it? 

"Andrew," Nicky said again, his voice trembling. "I’m your guardian and that means my top priority is taking care of you as best as I can- and sometimes that means knowing when to step back and letting people who are more capable of helping do just that. I want you happy and alive and chasing Aaron around to wack him with a pillow because he stole your candy." 

Andrew’s hands twitched at the mention of Aaron. He couldn't let Aaron see him like this. It might trigger a relapse in him and Andrew couldn't have that happen. He didn't want Aaron seeing him like this, not at all. 

"In order to do that, I need to step back and let someone who knows how to not fuck up take the lead. Just like when we got Aaron professional help." Nicky continued and Andrew could hear the pain in his voice. He could hear the tears he was probably shedding but Andrew couldn't look at his cousin. He couldn't see the love and concern on his face. He didn't want to. "But, if you really don't want to go then you don't have to." 

Andrew snapped his head to look at Nicky, at the way his hands were clutching his pants and that oh so familiar determination Andrew saw all the time on set, in contract negotiations, whenever he had to stand up for Andrew. Because he was always standing up for Andrew. 

"We can go home and figure it out. We can have at home therapy, take a nice long break from acting and maybe we can move somewhere far away from here? Anything you need we can do, we can figure it out ourselves if you don't want to go." 

Andrew’s stomach was in his throat, his breathing too fast and all those fucking emotions were trying to get their five seconds of feeling in. He hated this. He hated that Nicky was going this far, that he cared when he shouldn't. When he didn’t fucking have to anymore. He hated having the choice. "Fine." Andrew croaked out, unable to keep looking at Nicky. 

Nicky let out a huge breath of relief and slowly stood up. He came over and very slowly moved his hand into view, hovering right above Andrew’s forehead. 

Andrew hated that he nodded. 

Nicky smiled down at him, tired and relieved and full of too much affection even after what Andrew did. He very gently pushed back some of Andrew’s hair from his forehead. "Thank you, Andrew." He said. "Don’t worry, we'll find a place together that'll be a good fit for you, okay? And if anything goes wrong you just tell me and I'll deal with it." 

Andrew closed his eyes, wanting all of this to just go away. He was a fucking idiot to think it would end, to think he could escape this hellhole. He was an even bigger idiot to trust Nicky and yet he did. What an idiot he was.

Chapter Text

People 

Child Actor Andrew Minyard's Attempted Suicide

By Luke Walcot

With information pouring out about child actor Andrew Minyard’s testimony against his former foster brother, startling reports have come out about the actors attempted suicide attempt. Several eye witness statements have been flooding in about Minyard's arrival at a hospital near his home alongside blurry photos of an ambulance at the actors house. There has been no official reports from any of Minyard’s family or friends but local police have confirmed that the actor was transported to the hospital and the incident is being ruled a suicide. "There is no reason to believe anything else," local police stated to the press an hour after the ambulance was seen leaving Minyard’s home. "There’s absolutely no evidence to suspect that this was anything other than a suicide." Many fans worry that the constant media coverage of the actors testimony may have pushed him to this, stating that there had already been clear signs of the actors mental health struggles that were exasperated by the press coverage. "[Minyard] clearly had mental health issues and y'all pushed him off the edge with all this coverage I mean what CHILD would want all of this out in the press? One fan wrote on Twitter. I hope you all are proud of harassing a child to the point of suicide you vultures Another fan said in a quote tweet of a TMZ article discussing Andrew Minyard’s testimony. 

[Continue reading]

Variety 

No Cause For Andrew Minyard's Suicide Attempt Released, Fans Are Speculating Online

By J.C. Tyler

At 2:37 AM, a frantic call to 9-1-1 was issued by a member of Andrew Minyard’s household after the discovery of the actors attempted suicide. Within minutes first responders arrived and provided life saving medical care, saving the young actor then transported him to the hospital. Police conducted a swift investigation where they confirmed to the media that they were ruling the incident a suicide. The police chief himself stated that they had no evidence to the contrary and that all the evidence they had gathered pointed to suicide. When asked about the young actors condition, the chief was unable to provide any updates on that front. However, when asked about what led to this they have yet to release even a suspected motivation for the actions taken by the seventeen year old which has caused theories to run wild online. Many fans of the actor have pointed their fingers at online publications that wrote articles about the actors testimony stemming from a case against his former foster brother. In that case, Andrew Minyard was one of many victims abused by the biological son of the foster parents the Spears. He had been called upon to give his testimony at age fourteen and only recently were the transcripts of his testimony leaked to the public. "It’s hard for even adults to process trauma like this," a child psychologist said when in response to our emails. "It would be immeasurably harder for a child who has been shuffled through a system as chaotic and traumatizing as the foster care system to handle it in private. Having something like this dropped onto a child and having these wounds exposed to the world against his will- well, it wouldn't surprise me if it became too much for him to handle." 

[Continue reading]

[Transcript of a news segment]

Derek Smith: And in other news, teen actor Andrew Minyard, most well known for his work on the hit show The O'Reilly's, has been admitted to the hospital after an alleged suicide attempt.

Jaclyn Palmer: There is no official news about the actors condition but all of us at the studio wish for his recovery.

DS: There are also no official reports or statements by anyone close to the actor about why he took these actions but rumors being published in the press and online are that he did it due to the bombshell revelation about the abuse he sustained in his previous foster home.

DS: [Looks at his co-host] Do you think that's why?

JP: [Looks at her co-host in disgusted bafflement] Are you stupid?

DS: [Clearly off guard but puts on a nervous smile, glances at the camera] What?

JP: I asked if you were stupid because only a stupid person would ask another human that.

DS: Jac-

JP: [Puts a hand up to stop him] No. Don't talk over me.

DS: [Looks annoyed and glances again at the camera]

JP: First of all, he’s a kid. We shouldn't be speculating on why a child tried to end their life, especially not when they're still in the hospital. 

DS: I just-

JP: No. I already told you to not talk over me so shush.

DS: [Clearly taken aback]

JP: Secondly, are you stupid? This child already had so much on his shoulders as a child actor and then something so horrible about his past gets revealed against his will? That would push any adult over the edge never mind a child. So what do you think? Lord almighty some people need to start using their brains again. 

-

The mental hospital was too neat and orderly. The walls an annoying off white that would get on Andrew’s nerves the longer he looked at it. He couldn’t believe he had agreed to spend who knew how many months in this place with a bunch of fucked up kids. Even if he was one of those fucked up kids himself. His arms pulsed and ached underneath the bandages that made Nicky cry whenever he saw them. The stitches pulled at his skin and itched constantly making Andrew want to pull them out. 

Nicky was speaking to the director of East Haven when Andrew returned to his side, his hands gripping the packet they gave him tightly and his face pinched with guilt and nervousness. He wasn't exactly thrilled to be sending Andrew away and had spent every night in the hospital with Andrew talking to Erik about his worries when he thought Andrew was asleep. It was the only reason Andrew hadn't climbed out of a window when he was changing into the clothes provided to him by East Haven. They were basically beige scrubs that weren't restrictive but also weren't easily tear able- probably so no one could rip a long enough piece of fabric to hang themselves with. They had taken all of Andrew’s personal belongings too, cutting off contact with the outside world. That would be both good for Andrew seeing as he wouldn't be able to see the headlines about himself but also annoying. He wouldn't be able to talk to Aaron or Nicky very easily. 

"We have a variety of programs for Andrew to take," the director was saying with a plastered on smile. "Of course he will be required to attend one-on-one therapy twice a week and a group therapy session once a week. But other than that he will be able to engage in whichever activities he wants." 

Andrew threw himself into the chair next to Nicky, his aching arms crossed over his chest. The wounds stung but he ignored it. He didn't buy anything the director was saying- he doubted that he'd actually have that much freedom or that these programs really existed. He was sure they would just lock him up in some common room and let him and all the other fucked up kids rot. He didn't tell Nicky that though, not after a glance at his pinched up face. 

Nicky crumbled up the packet in his hands, his eyebrows furrowed and he was leaning too far in his chair. "I’m just worried," he managed to get out. 

The director nodded in faux understanding, that stupid smile on his face. "I completely understand your hesitation." He lied. "This is a hard decision to make, but it’s in Andrew’s best interest." 

Andrew bit his tongue at that little sentiment. He had plenty of protests about others deciding what was best for him, about how every adult always tried to make decisions for him without ever asking him a damn thing. But he kept quiet. 

"I just want to be sure that this will be a safe environment for him." Nicky pushed. 

"Why don't we take a small tour then, while nurse Kelly takes Andrew here to his room?" 

Andrew looked over at the door, where the nurse who gave him his new drab clothes was now standing with a similar fake smile on her face. He turned back to look at Nicky, who was looking at him with that same worry he always had. 

"Is that okay with you?" Nicky asked. 

Andrew looked away, shrugging. He felt an uncomfortable twist in his gut that he couldn't explain. He wasn't afraid of being separated from the only adult who didn't hurt him, nor was he afraid of being in a mental hospital. 

Nicky sighed and slowly stood up. "Alright, let's go." 

Andrew got up and left with the nurse without looking back at Nicky. The nurse smiled at him, but Andrew didn't care. They walked through the boring, mind-numbing halls, making only a handful of turns and passing by various doors, some with windows and some without. Finally they reached a dead end hall with a fire door exit at the very end. There were a handful of doors all with windows and a peak inside showed that each room held two beds, some cabinets and shelves that didn't have any handles or bars, and a desk. The windows didn't have any way to open and Andrew would bet they weren't exactly breakable. 

The nurse came to a stop outside of room 13 and pulled out a key to unlock it. She pushed the door open and gestured for Andrew to step inside. 

He didn't. 

He peaked inside the room, noticing the pile of clothes on one bed with the other bed clear of such clutter. On one side the shelves were covered in broken and falling apart art projects with a fine layer of dust over them and the desk had a couple of textbooks and papers on top of it. Clearly Andrew had a roommate. Yay. 

"Your roommate is Neil Josten," the nurse said. Her voice was stressed and her smile hardened. "He’s in the activities room right now, but you'll meet him either at dinner or at bedtime. For now, why don't you try to get settled here while you wait for your cousin." 

Andrew gave a stiff nod. His body was tense as he forced himself to step inside his new room. The walls were the same off white that would drive Andrew insane, the sheets a boring white and the crappy mattress wasn't even a proper mattress but one of those plastic foam beds. 

Andrew's heart beat against his chest, something screamed at him to run away from this place and never let anyone catch him. This was it, this was actually happening and he had agreed to this. What had he been thinking? He tried to kill himself, yes, but he didn't need to be here. Watched and observed and locked up for who knew how long. There would be no personal freedom, everything about him would be controlled until he truly was insane. He should run. He should get out and say fuck all to his life as he knew it, anything would be better than this. 

"Andrew?" A gentle knock came at the door along with a worried voice. 

Andrew snapped his head to look at Nicky, completely set on pleading with the man to put a stop to this whole thing. He would be fine, he would promise to never do it again. But Nicky's worry was so evident on his face, he looked at Andrew like he was worried he'd break at a moment's notice again; and there was also guilt. Nicky didn’t want to do this anymore than Andrew did, but as the non-suicidal adult he clearly thought this was the best for Andrew. He cared too much for Andrew to argue. 

Nicky tried to give Andrew a smile but it didn't reach his eyes. It made Andrew look away. Nicky stepped into the room, stopping when he was within hugging distance. Andrew knew that's what Nicky wanted to do, but he kept his hands to himself. "I know this isn't ideal," he said. "And you probably just want to go home but I promise you that I’m doing this because it's what is best for you." 

Andrew didn't say anything, his hands balled into fists by his side. He didn't know how to react to Nicky sometimes, to the stupid things he said and the stupid things he did that he had no obligation to do. He didn't like the twisting in his gut. 

Nicky sighed and reached his hand out, aborting the movement before he touched Andrew. He held his hand against his chest, the grief strong on his face. "I'll call you every weekend." He promised and Andrew hated how he knew Nicky would keep that promise. "So make sure you tell me if anything makes you uncomfortable, okay? If something is bothering you, no matter how small tell me. I'll make sure to annoy everyone here until they change it, you know how I can be." He tried to joke. 

Andrew looked down at his mental ward issues shoes, the clean white blinding but it was better than looking at his cousin. "Okay." He muttered. 

Nicky let out a relieved breath and Andrew could picture the relieved smile on his worried face with too much clarity. "I know this is hard on you, honey, but I promise it won’t be forever." He said. "Just remember that me and Aaron love you and just want you to get better." 

Andrew risked a glance at Nicky's face- it was too open, too full of foreign affection. There was too much care for Andrew to handle. "Okay." Was all he could say. But even then, Nicky didn't get upset with him.

-

Andrew only stayed in his bland room for about five minutes- just enough time for Nicky to leave the facility- before he decided to check the place out. He had to see how this place operated when the caring adults weren't around. If these people did anything that screamed abuse he was telling on them. Nicky was the biggest gossip around, he knew so many important people from being on set so he would do something if Andrew told him things. 

Nurse Kelly had abandoned Andrew soon after Nicky left, probably thinking that he would just stay in his room until dinner, so Andrew could explore freely. There were several wings of the place, many of which were free for Andrew to access. Most of them held a couple of residential rooms, all having windows on the doors and only locked from the outside. There was a wing with rooms dedicated to being private medical rooms which all the medical equipment locked up and out of the reach of kids. The padded cuffs attached to the beds made a shiver run down Andrew’s spine so he quickly left that wing, hoping he'd never end up there. 

He passed a couple of nurses on their phones at the various nurses stations, none of them giving him a second glance. He took note of every camera and potential blind spots. There was a wing for private therapy rooms at least from the names on the name plates next to the doors being all doctors. There were several of those doors, all too thick to let any sound flow out into the hallway. Even when Andrew pressed his ear against one of them, he couldn't hear a thing. It unsettled him in a way he couldn't explain. It was like every single time he saw that his new room in his new house didn't have a lock, it was always a bad sign of things to come. 

Andrew finally made his way to the activities room, a giant open space with a TV playing cartoons mounted to the wall; a couple of tables cluttered with cards, paper and drawing supplies, and puzzles; a large blue rug that stretched from the far wall to the middle of the room; short bookshelves that ran beneath the windows that took up half the wall with space between them for kids to read or hide; the artificial light buzzed above them all; and a desk for a couple nurses to watch over the kids took up the wall to Andrew’s right. 

But none of that interested Andrew. What interested him was the kid in the corner, hiding beneath the window and trying to use the bookshelf to hide his body from all the other kids in the room. While everyone looked like they had problems- a handful of kids had bandages similar to Andrew, some were severely underweight, some were acting like five year olds when they were clearly teenagers, and some had dead eyed stares- this kid was different. He had his bandaged hands in his brown hair, gripping it so tightly that Andrew saw small chunks had been ripped out. His knees were pulled up to his chest and his startling blue eyes were staring at the floor in what Andrew could only describe as pure, unfiltered panic. His whole body shook, his face covered in barely healing scars and he was muttering something to himself. All the other kids had clearly given him a wide breath, they made it very obvious that they were trying to ignore him but the air was filled with tension and uncertainty by those who were sane enough to understand what was happening. 

Andrew couldn't look away from him. He was like a strange little creature in a place full of strange creatures. He didn't know why he walked over to him but he did, his feet moving on their own before his mind could catch up. There was just enough space for Andrew to sit down next to him in the gap between the bookshelf and the wall, so he did. 

The boy flinched violently, gasping for air as he snapped his head up in a way that had to hurt. But he didn't react to it, his eyes were frantic in their search. For what, Andrew didn't know. He just sat there, his legs sprawled out in front of him. His annoyingly perfect white shoes stared back at him, mocking him for surviving. He leaned his head back against the wall and turned to look at the boy still frantically searching for something that wasn't there. 

His hands were out of his hair, loose strands he had ripped out slipped through his fingers without him noticing. He was mumbling to himself, repeatedly saying "where are they? Where are they? Where are they?" over and over again with increasing panic that Andrew remembered. 

He used to hide under his blankets, under the bed if he could, shaking and terrified that someone would sneak into his room and hurt him. Nighttime was full of fear and restlessness, if he fell asleep it was from exhaustion. The most he could ever hope was that he passed out during it so he didn't have to experience the pain or have it burned into his mind forever. He rarely got that lucky. Andrew wondered what haunted this boy. 

"No one will get you," Andrew whispered, his voice hoarse. His throat burned. He hadn't spoken in so long nor had he had anything to drink in hours. Nicky wanted to leave him with an overabundance of foods and drinks but he wasn't allowed to. They told him Andrew would be well fed here. Andrew didn't believe them. "I’ll make sure no one gets to you." 

The boy paused his muttering, his icy blue eyes wide and fixated somewhere in the distance. His fingers flexed before he settled his hands on top of his knees, pulling them closer to his chest as he shoved himself deeper into the corner. 

Andrew didn’t know what he was doing, what he was saying- he was fucked up, suicidal with only two or three people who'd miss him if he was gone. He could barely keep himself alive much less safe. What could someone as broken as him to for this boy? The boy was still on high alert, his whole body tense and his eyes wild and scared. But he wasn't muttering anymore, he wasn't ripping his hair out of skull, he wasn't so deep in his fear. 

Andrew slumped against the wall, forcing himself to relax as much as he could. The next couple of months would be hell and he'd probably wish he had succeeded but at least in the short term he could force himself to live for this boy. His life purpose for the next few months would be to keep this scared kid alive.

Chapter Text

[Transcript of an ABC News report]

Kyle Stewart: And we're just now receiving news that America’s latest true serial killer Nathan Wesninski, also known as The Butcher of Baltimore, has just been confirmed dead by FBI agents.

Jessica Harold: In an urgent press conference held last minute outside the FBI headquarters, Agent Towns declared that Wesninski has died in an FBI raid.

KS: Unfortunately there was little other information provided but we will keep you updated as this all unfolds.

JH: In other news, child actor Andrew Minyard has been recently admitted to a mental hospital for teens after his suicide attempt the other day. There is no news about his condition.

r/Serialkillers

Butchers death?? Are you kidding me??

seral_lit_302

I can't believe this. I mean srsly?? What do you mean the BUTCHER is DEAD!? He's the most prominent serial killer on the fucking east coast, hell probably all of america, and you killed him?? Now how thr fuck are we supposed to get any kind of answers from him? Im so mad right now I can't believe they fucking killed him

headand_hands_098

What gets me the most is that they didnt even give any kind of information about how he died. They just said he was dead and that's that no more info bye! Like hello? 

  ispyaheat 

  Right?? Like are you serious right now? What aboht the families that were waiting for this monster to be caught to finally get some answers about their loved ones? What are they supposed to do now?

    jetson_cri

    The butcher did so much for so long it would be impossible to figure out all of his victims without his help for it just feels like a slap in the face to those waiting for news on their loved ones

         seral_lit_302 

         Wesninski has been active for DECADES and they really think they've got all the victims? Absolutely not. That man escaped justice for so long obvs he was fuckong good at hiding bodies there's no way tje FBI is going to find them all its cl3ar they're out of their depth. Wesninski was smart and played them for so long now those idiots fucking killed him and doomed us all to endless questioning forever. Incompetent idiots

Ops @opspects

I just think the @FBI dont want to admit that they fucked up whatever they come up with will be a lie for sure

Jackle jackle @hoptoit1

Relying to @opspects i mean its what they do are we really surprised by this?

Hundred pumps Henry @fititfits

Didn't Wesninski have a kid???

Remus the fourth @pharoag

Replying to @fititfits holy shit youre right he does he had a wife too didnt he?

Bobby @rebob395

Replying to @fititfits @pharoag I can't believe a bastard like that could pull a bitxh ans I can't get a date smu

Remus the fourth @pharoag

Relying to @rebob395 dude....no.

Bobby @rebob395

Replying to @pharoag im just fxking sauing i cant belece that a dude like that could pull a bitxh likeHER and i cant even get a date

Remus the fourth @pharoag 

Replying to @rebob395 dude just no dont be jealous of a serial killer 

Sand is course @idontlikesand

Considering they didnt say anytbing about Nathaniel hes either dead or in witsec

Hundred pumps Henry @fititfits

Replying to @idontlikesand hes probably dead but I wouldnt put it past the fbi to pill some shkt like that

Really just dont @dsdsd30643

Replying to @idontlikesand @fititfits i sit really some shit if they're trying to save the kids life? That's kinda the whole point of witsec

James t. @twonsee

Replying to @idontlikesand @dsdsd30643 there's no way that kid survived im just gonna say thag 

-

Neil was a strange person, Andrew was realizing as he spent another day by his side. It turned out that the weird kid having a panic attack in the corner of the activities room was Andrew’s roommate. And it became clear how much the staff didn't like Neil's mental health issues. Ironic for nurses working at a fucking mental hospital, but what did Andrew know about the minds of adults? Apparently nothing. 

Neil only seemed to calm down in their room, staying huddled up in the horribly thin sheets on his bed after a silent dinner. Andrew hadn't really slept that night, in an unfamiliar place sharing a room with another person wasn't exactly ideal conditions for sleeping for someone like Andrew. But Neil didn't seem to trust him either considering he hadn't slept at all. But neither of them said a damn thing about it. 

They simply spent the night staring up at the white ceiling of their prison until they were both startled by the loud alarm that went off. Neil had crashed onto the floor at the sound, and Andrew had watched as he scrambled at the covers of his pathetic bed. His eyes had been wide and filled with pure panic, his breathing harsh. 

The nurse had come as Andrew debated what to do and had just looked annoyed by Neil. She yelled at them to get dressed and to stop knocking about before leaving the room. Andrew didn't like her. 

Breakfast was the same as dinner the night before, they got their shitty food and sat alone at a table in the white ass room in a heavy silence. No one spoke. The nurses had only paid attention to the severely underweight kids, trying to get them to eat even as they refused. No one paid attention to the fact that Neil simply stared at the food on his tray except Andrew. 

He watched Neil throughout breakfast, eating his hospital slop and wondering if he could steal Neil's muffin. He had assumed that Neil was just too tired to eat anything and had decided to try and get Neil to nap during their activities time. 

But, as Andrew sat next to him in what was definitely Neil's little corner, he realized how unrealistic that was. Neil wasn't as scared before Andrew showed up, he wasn't ripping his hair out or muttering paranoid delusions, but he wasn't able to calm down. His body was tense and curled up into a tight ball against the wall, and his eyes scanned the room every few seconds, his breathing got worst if someone got too close to them. 

Andrew still wasn't sure why he was allowed to sit next to him but he made sure to glare at anyone who came too close. He had a couple of books sprawled around them kind of like runes that warded off against evil or whatever it was that Vikings did. The facility hadn't technically lied to Nicky about the programs but the so-called programs had so far just been more like a free study period. The nurses watched from their desk while the thirty kids just did whatever they could in between therapy sessions. 

Luckily for Andrew and his silent traumatized buddy, they had a wide selection of books because Andrew doubted he'd be able to get Neil to focus on cards long enough for it to be entertaining for Andrew. He had tried to offer Neil a book but Neil didn't even seem to realize that Andrew or the book were there so he didn't push it. He was halfway through the first Percy Jackson book when the muttering started up and this time it wasn't from his paranoid buddy. 

"Is that really him?" Someone asked, glancing over at Neil and Andrew. 

Andrew held the book up higher to hide his face. He should pretend to be Aaron, what else was the point of having an identical twin brother for if not to pretend to be him in the fucking psych ward? 

"I think it is," another person whispered. 

"What’s he doing here?" 

"Why is someone like that in a place like this?" 

"You didn't watch the news?" 

"Holy shit it really is him." 

"Why’s he with the schizo?" 

Neil flinched violently  next to him, his hands buried into his hair, tugging violently. 

Andrew lowered his book knowing there was a nasty glare on his face that made some of the kids flinch. "Can you all just shut up?" He demanded. "Don’t you have psychotic breaks you could be having? Do that instead of talking about me like I’m not hearing this." 

One of the girls who was just bones glared back at him, her thinning brown hair pulled back into a ponytail. She crossed her arms over her chest, her nails digging into her bones. "What’s the matter? You're a public figure." She taunted. 

Andrew rolled his eyes, lowering his book onto his lap. He didn't want to deal with this. Just because he acted didn't mean shit, it was a job he did to put food on the table and send his brother to medical school. It gave no one the right to demand anything from him. "And I tried to kill myself, big fucking deal." He mocked. "I’m sure at least half of the mentally unstable children here have tried it. I’m nothing special just because I have a job."

The girl scoffed. She wisely didn't come closer to them, Andrew was sure her legs would snap in half if she tried to stomp around in anger. "Doesn't explain why you're hanging around schizo." 

Andrew looked around in dramatics before he mimed shock and pointed at Neil. When the girl nodded, Andrew faked an immense amount of confusion and surprise on his face. 

"Neil, are you a schizo?" Andrew asked. He leaned in closer to pretend that Neil spoke to him. He could never tell if Neil was actually aware of his surroundings or not, hence him hanging around. 

Neil's breathing was harsh and shallow and his eyes were full of fear as he stared down at the floor. One would think that the medical personnel would put a stop to this all, but a quick glance told Andrew that the nurses were too busy on their phones to do anything about the panic attack Neil was having. 

Andrew leaned away with a nod. "He says he’s not, and since you don't have a degree in psychology I guess we'll have to take him at his word." 

The girl sneered at him but her opinion meant nothing to him. They were all fucked up kids who didn’t seem keen on life anymore so really what did her hatred mean in the grand scheme of things? She was killing herself because she was so afraid of being fat and Andrew would lay in the middle of the road and let a car run over him. Everything was so pointless. 

Andrew dismissively flicked his fingers at her. "Run along before the nurses decide to look up from their phones." Andrew didn't wait for the girl to stomp off in privileged and entitled anger before turning his attention fully onto Neil. "And you," he hissed. He quickly but gently gripped the back of Neil's hand, feeling the way he jumped and hearing the loud, strangled gasp he let out, and pushed Neil's head in-between his knees. "Stop that." 

Neil's body was tense, his shoulders hiked up too far to be comfortable, and for a moment he stopped breathing. But then, in a miracle, Neil slowly took a shaky breath in, then out. His body went limp beneath Andrew’s hand, falling forward with only his knees to hold his upper body up. 

Andrew rubbed his thumb against Neil's skin, leaning back against the wall and staring up at the white ceiling. "Life will suck less if you stop being such a rabbit, rabbit." He muttered, his chest tightening at the sight of his roommate coming apart by one single touch. He hated him so much.

-

Andrew was finding that meals were just uncomfortable for everyone involved. He wanted to chalk it up to the kids who refused to eat more than air and water but it wasn't that. The idea of them being watched while they ate bland food made by people who had never met a spice clearly made everyone's stomachs churn. Andrew could feel the eyes on the back of his head, multiple people watching him and Neil as they tried to eat. It was uncomfortable. At least back home Nicky was the only adult to stare at him when he ate. And Nicky only ever did that when he was waiting for Andrew to realize that he made his favorite or he wanted Andrew’s opinion on a dish or because he had good news he couldn't wait to share. Nicky staring at him and Aaron during dinner was always a positive thing, it never meant he was being forced to eat or having the amount of food he was eating being tracked. Andrew had it good with Nicky, didn't he? 

Andrew glanced up from his watery mac and cheese and saw Neil just staring at his food. He was picking at his nails, nervously biting at his lips as his blue eyes looked between the food and the nurses behind Andrew. Andrew raised an eyebrow at him. He may have brought Neil down from his panic attack earlier but he was under no delusion that it really did anything in the grand scheme of things. Whatever was the cause of the panic attack was still well alive inside Neil's head, Andrew just couldn't figure it out. 

Neil's eyes caught on Andrew’s, widening when they met. Andrew could easily read the fear in this boy’s face, so similar to what Andrew once saw in the mirror before Nicky took him far away from it. 

Andrew silently settled his plastic fork down onto the table, straightening up and keeping direct eye contact with Neil. He wasn't sure what Neil was afraid of, but he had promised that he would protect him and Andrew never broke his damn promises. 

Neil tugged and pulled at his fingers nervously, his eyes quickly glancing over Andrews shoulder before returning to Andrew’s. 

Andrew didn't need to look to know who was at the forefront of Neil's paranoia. He looked down at Neil's food, wracking his brain and trying to figure out what to do. He hadn't even heard Neil speak properly, he only knew that Neil thought someone was after him and it terrified him. He was calm when they were locked up in their room and he always walked sideways so he could press his back up against the wall. If he had to cross the room such as during meals he would make a mad dash for it and always chose a table that was as close to the wall as possible. 

Andrew stilled for a moment, an idea breaking into his tired mind. He looked at Neil, at his scared expression, and reached across the table to pick up Neil's untouched fork. 

Neil followed every movement closely. 

Andrew scooped up/stabbed some mac and cheese, a singular piece of disgusting broccoli, and a slice of ham and shoved it into his mouth. It was both disgusting and also bland as all hell but such was the food at this damn place. Nicky was going to pay a fortune for this and they couldn't even give them decent food. Whatever. 

Andrew made a show of chewing it and swallowing knowing that a fearful pair of blue eyes were watching. When he finished he tossed the fork onto the tray and resettled into his seat. "It’s fine," he said as nonchalantly as possible. "It’s not poisoned or anything." 

Neil's eyes were so comically wide that if they weren't in a mental hospital Andrew might have laughed, but, well, they were in one. Neil was looking at Andrew like he had grown another head, which, was ridiculous considering everything Neil had done in the last twenty four hours. He was the idiot paranoid enough to think that a mental hospital that housed a bunch of kids to the rich and famous would be stupid enough to try and poison any of them. 

"Don’t look at me like that, Rabbit." Andrew ordered, pointing his fork at Neil. "Just eat your food so we can leave." 

Neil's surprised expression didn't lessen but slowly, annoyingly slowly, he picked up his fork and stabbed some of the macaroni. Andrew pretended that he wasn't paying attention as Neil cautiously took a bite. Tears welled in Neil's eyes, his face blissed out in away that reminded Andrew of Aaron’s when Nicky made them a feast for their first night as a family. Neil wolfed down all of his bland food like it was a triple layer chocolate cake made by the world's greatest baker. Andrew couldn't help but wonder when the last time this kid ate was. 

Neil looked up at Andrew when his tray had been all but licked clean and Andrew scowled at him. He hated those bright blue eyes, the way this idiot was looking at him. He shoved his tray across the table. "Idiot rabbit." 

Neil snatched the tray and dug into the tray. He was starved, that much was true. At least it wouldn't happen again. Andrew sighed and watched in slight disgust. He added making sure that Neil ate was on his list of things to do in the mental hospital.

Chapter Text

Thinker_liver_liver

Soooo what even happened with that one dude who was being tried yk the one with that one kid actor minyard (is that it? Idk I don't keep up with celebrities i just remember this being all over the plave)

Under_water_bucks

I read theough the transcripts and looked up whatever court records I could find (many were sealed) it seems like he was found guilty on all charges but the time he got is a bit more hard to find. All I know is that he got a lot of time. It seems that it was all sealed bc of all the children who had to testify, maybe the people involved wanted the whole case sealed to protect the kids but yk that didnt really mean anything

Erinlin_runumup

Yeah maybe but like even in the released files all the kids except for Andrew were kept anonymous. Like I saw those documents and the names were all blacked out except for Andrew doesn't that feel targeted?

#I mean why else would only Andrews name be msde public? #we didnt even get all the records mainly just andrews like isn't that just fucking strange? #poor Andrew no wonder he dud what he idd 

5497 notes

Greater_flow107

Well its been a slamming c9uple of weeks for true crime fans first we get news of the butcher (the BIGGEST serial killer of our day) dying and then nothing else leaving us all to speculate about EVERYTHING and then we've fot that csa trial that recently dropped even if we only have some of the info 

flowerhoney 

Uh excuse you?? Why are you talking about Andrews trauma like its a fucking book club??? 

Greater_flow107

How am I doing that? Im just stating that we have a new case yo review??

Pretty-in-pink

Yeah like its a fucking book club! Andrews trauma isn't just up for you to view like a story!! This actually happen3d to him and its jot entertainment you jerk!!

Greater_flow107

I??? Know??? That???

flowerhoney

You sure as hell dont act like it

#this is why I dislike true crime #these are real people not storiee!! #I hope Andrew doesnt see this he doesnt need this shit on top of everytbing else

9036 notes

Minyarddoingwhatever

I really hope Andrew is doing okay and never looks at these posts aboht him

#some of yall need to take a learning empathy class fr 

134 notes

boobosbooties 

I bet the butcher was killed to cover up FBI secrets 

Why else would they kill him? He had to know some shit about agents maybe there were moles in the FBi or the whole agency was in on helping him cover things up

I_takw_food5

Or maybe he knew about shady dealings going on within the agency Wesninski was a huge play3r in the Baltimore social scene the dude had money and access to extreme power he probably knew a lot of secrets

boobosbooties

Yes exactly! Obvs the government wanted to keep his quiet to save themselves i bet the man had connections to the higher ups in the agencies 

#how much do you want to bet they director had him killed? #i bet Wesninski had some top secret info #or maybe some real embarrassing personal shit on people

748 notes

frozo_th3

Who the hell is Andrew Minyard??? Why is he all over my true crime TL???

Greater_flow107 

He's a child actor who was sa-ed as a kid and the transcripts of his testimony was leaked a while back

frozo_th3

Ohhhh okay? But that doesnt explain why my news on the Butcher is being invaded by this??

Under_water_bucks

Well its a huge story and the facts of the case are really interesting when you look into it like the dozens of ignored reports of abuse by several adults in all of the kids lives. I think one (maybe Andrew?) Even told a bio relative who told them it was just a misunderstanding. It's a bit of a fascinating case

frozo_th3

Oh okay maybe I'll check it out got a good link to get started?

Under_water_bucks

Yeah here [link]

#for anyone who wants it #irs an overview link that has other links in order of the time line etc #pretty good resource to get started #and to keep us busy until more news about rhe butcher comes out

1257 notes

-

Andrew thought that being a suicide risk would mean he didn’t have to do any of the school work he had done before but no. It didn't. What was even the point in being suicidal then? School was complete bullshit. But, Andrew learned pretty quickly that Neil was some kind of math wizard so he just passed his math homework onto him. It wasn't like Neil complained. But that didn't mean Andrew could pass everything onto the strange boy. Not with the tutor sitting right there. 

"I know that you don't think you need this," the tutor snarked. He was definitely jealous that Andrew was far more successful than him at such a young age. Andrew hadn't ever intended to become as big as he was, he didn't care. He just wanted to provide for his family. "But you need to have a basic understanding of how the world works." 

"Considering where I am, I already do." Andrew snarked right back. 

Neil, basically pressed up against Andrew (Andrew could feel him shaking), looked up from his precious math homework to stare wide eyed at him. 

Andrew pushed his face away. "Don’t look at me like that, rabbit." 

The tutor sighed. "Andrew, stop calling your friend 'rabbit'." 

"He’s not my friend." Andrew deflected. He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back in his chair, tilting his head back. The ceiling was white. The lights buzzed unnaturally. He felt like he was like the woman in The Yellow Wallpaper. He hoped Neil didn't mind him destroying the paint in their room when he finally lost his mind. 

"Andrew." 

"You know, you people aren't making a great case for staying alive." Andrew mused. 

"You do realize I have to report any suicidal ideation, yes?" 

Andrew let out a heavy sigh and dragged his stare down onto his tutor. He knew how dead of a look he had plastered on his face but the tutor didn’t flinch, maybe he was used to the dead eyed stares of suicidal children locked up after they failed to die. "No one appreciates my humor." 

Neil gripped Andrew’s sleeve, his fingers shaking so badly that Andrew would've assumed he had really, really early onset Parkinson if he didn't know that this boy was held together by pure paranoia and fear. Andrew turned to look at Neil, his icy blue eyes wide and twitchy. He kept glancing between Andrew and the tutor. Andrew had no idea what went through this boy's head, sometimes he wanted to saw it open to take a look. He wanted to know what made this kid so damn afraid that he needed protection from- that he felt fucking safe with- a suicidal kid with stitches still in his arms. 

Andrew had no idea what Neil was trying to say. He turned back to the tutor. "Scratch that, the rabbit thinks I’m funny. Don't you, rabbit?" 

Predictably, Neil said nothing. He just jumped in his seat and began to frantically hyperventilate because of course he couldn't handle an adult looking at him. Andrew brought his hand to cup the back of Neil's neck, hearing the shaky sigh leave his lips. He still shook like a wet animal (rabbit) but at least he was breathing properly. 

"Andrew, stop calling Neil a rabbit."

-

"Carrots for the rabbit, huh?" Andrew asked as he took a small spoonful of Neil's food for their ritual testing. Neil wouldn't eat the food if Andrew didn't test it first, which Andrew thought was rude. Neil was willing to let Andrew get poisoned to save himself, but whatever. It wasn't like Andrew was clinging onto life. He wasn’t necessarily actively suicidal anymore, but he knew that he wouldn’t do anything to stop death if it happened to come by looking for him. So if, for some god damn reason, the food was poisoned he wouldn't really care. He'd just die and it wouldn't be his fault. That would be easier for Nicky and Aaron to handle, to live with. 

Neil didn't say anything, but outside of his mumblings when did he speak? Never. That's when. 

Andrew put Neil's spoon back onto the tray and gestured at the food. "Eat, or else you'll regret it." 

Neil looked cautiously from the food to Andrew, lingering on Andrew’s face for a few seconds too long. He grabbed the spoon when Andrew raised an eyebrow. Andrew just went back to his own bland food, listening to the soft mumbles of the other kids locked up. The nurses hadn't eased up on their predatory gazes, but after a couple of days Andrew had seemingly gotten used to it- although Neil clearly hadn't and Andrew had no idea how long hed been locked up. He just ate his food with his weird little pet in silence that wasn't exactly peaceful but it wasn't suffocating. Before Andrew and Neil could finish their bland meal, a nurse Andrew didn't recognize came up to their table. She ignored the violent flinch Neil gave and the way he leaned his body far away from her, protectively holding his tray closer to him. Andrew just gave her a curious glance before going back to his food. 

"Andrew," the nurse spoke. 

Andrew ignored her. He was busy. "Neil, pass the salt." 

Neil, the idiot, looked around the empty table for a salt shaker that didn’t exist. Andrew hated him so much. 

"Andrew Minyard." The nurse pressed. 

Andrew was so scared. He just rolled his eyes and threw a pea at Neil. He hated that he liked the stupid way Neil's eyes widened and he let the pea hit him. Andrew should stab him with a fork. 

"Andrew, it’s time for your first therapy session." The nurse pushed on, maybe used to disobedience in suicidal kids. 

Andrew didn't move. He really had no interest in having a therapy session with some random person provided by a facility that couldn't even provide decent food. At least with Nicky he would've searched carefully through therapists and would've driven Andrew as far as he needed to if he had to. He wouldn't have left Andrew in the care of some wackjob or someone Andrew didn't like. He had none of that safety here where their priority was monitoring him, not caring for him. But, he did promise Nicky. And yet if he wasn't difficult that would be against who he was as a person so Nicky should've expected some resistance and dramatics. 

"Andrew Minyard." 

"Keep eating rabbit," Andrew sighed. Neil had completely stopped eating, his attention fully on the nurse because he was a paranoid little shit. Though, Andrew guessed he could understand. He remembered being a little kid, scared of all the adults and fearing that they'd take the food away from him. Sometimes they did, sometimes they didn't. "Remember what I said- if your paranoia was letting you remember that is. You do have a rabbit’s brain." 

"Andrew, we've told you to stop calling your roommate a rabbit." 

"Have you seen him?" Andrew genuinely asked, pointing at Neil with his fork. "Such paranoia in such a tiny body. Ready to run the moment his fucked up little brain screams danger." 

THUMP 

Andrew and Neil jumped, Neil fell out of his seat and onto the floor in a frantic panic. 

Andrew flexed his fingers, forcing them to stop shaking. He wasn't that child anymore, he wasn't living in a home that spoke in slaps and punches. He was fine. Nicky would raise hell the moment he snitched. 

Neil was panicking on the floor, his eyes clouding over as whatever memories he had took over. Andrew didn't even have the time to reach out before he took off- running out of the cafeteria driven by pure fear. 

Andrew glared at the nurse. "Now look at what you've done," he spat out, a cruel, dead smile taking over his face. "You've scared the rabbit. Now I have to go rescue him." 

"No, you'll be going- Andrew!" 

Andrew pushed out of his seat as the nurse spoke, marching his way out of the cafeteria to find his missing rabbit. The room was tense, like one wrong move would set off an explosion, one wrong step and they'd be electrocuted to death. Great. 

Andrew hurried his pace, following the nonexistent trail of a scared little kid throughout the white facility. He found Neil in their room, balled into a corner with his hands in his hair and muttering to himself. 

Andrew silently closed the door behind him, knowing that if the nurses caught up to them they'd be helpless to stop them as the door wouldn't lock from the inside. 

"They’re here, they're here, they're here," Neil repeated over and over again his fear drowning out any reason he may have once had. 

Andrew sat down next to him, taking note of how he didn't even react to the whole ass human now sitting next to him. 

"They'll find me, they'll find me, they're going to find me-" Neil choked on the words, tearing out strands of his brown hair without flinching. Tears welled in his icy blue eyes as his body shook violently. "I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry." 

Andrew slowly reached out and brushed his fingers against the back of Neil's neck. Neil flinched but he didn't pull away. His hands stopped pulling at his hair. Andrew cupped the back of Neil's neck, a firm anchor for the rabbit to focus on. "Enough of that," he said calmly. "I told you before: no one will get you while I’m here." 

Neil took a shaky breath, the only sign that he was listening to a thing Andrew was saying, that Andrew’s efforts weren't in vain. Andrew sat there with him, not moving even as his arm cramped up and the sweat from their skin turned uncomfortable. He just sat there with Neil until finally the panic passed and he slumped against the wall, exhaustion finally hitting him. 

"Finally tired yourself out, rabbit?" Andrew asked, his voice small and not as snarky as he intended it to come out. "A miracle," he said when Neil didn't answer.

As Andrew pulled his hand away from Neil's neck the door to their room opened and Nurse Temper stepped inside the room. "Andrew Minyard." She hissed out. 

Andrew stayed where he was, staring the woman down. He dared her to send Neil spiraling into a panic again. 

"Up. Now." She demanded with an authoritarian tone that Andrew despised. "You’re late to your appointment. We follow a schedule here, young man." 

"Oh, I thought you let suicidal teens run amuk for the shits and giggles of it." Andrew said in mock surprise as if this was completely unheard of. He could hear Aaron rolling his eyes from miles and miles away, even if he didn't know why he was rolling his eyes. Aaron always rolled his eyes at Andrew’s 'dramatics'. To think, there would be a time where Andrew missed his brother’s annoyance. 

Nurse Temper wasn't impressed, her lips were turned downward in a nasty scowl without any of the familiarity that Aaron’s held. "This is no time for your theatrics, young man." She hissed. "Up. There'll be no more dilly dalling." 

"Oh would you look at that," Andrew faked surprise, kicking his feet together and staring at them in wide eyed shock. He looked up at Nurse Temper. "My feet have a mind of their own, they don't seem to be listening to me." 

Temper wasn't impressed, her hands on her hips as if that was intimidating. At least when Nicky did it, he always looked like that one emoticon so he was entertaining. "Andrew." 

Andrew looked back down at his feet, pointing to them. He kept knocking them together. "See? I’m trying but they don't want to. What can you do?" 

Nurse Temper took a very loud stomp into the room making Neil flinch besides Andrew. He could feel Neil tense beneath his fingertips. He couldn't have that when he just brought the rabbit down from the ledge. 

Andrew let out an annoyed sigh and slowly got up. Neil had pushed himself further into the corner, his knees pressed so tightly against his chest and his hands hurriedly tried to pull his hair to cover his face. Andrew couldn't let all his hard work go down the drain over this bitch. He stood up slowly, made a show of it with his arms out stretched to show that he really was going to do it. 

Nurse Temper wasn't impressed but she exited the room and stood right by the door frame, waiting. Andrew wanted to drag this out, to drag his feet against the floor and make this woman lose her shit. He could tell Nicky so many things about her then, could tie this place up in so many lawsuits that they'd have to shut down- but there was a terrified kid next to him who was scared to his very bones. 

So Andrew took a deep breath and took a step forward, not getting any further than that when he felt someone grab the sleeve of his mental hospital issued shirt. Andrew turned around, his body tense and his hand balled into a fist. He knew who it was, but it didn't stop the ice cold fear from flooding his veins. He saw Neil tightly clutching his sleeve with two fingers, shaking with desperation pouring out of him. His icy blue eyes pierced through Andrew’s empty shell of a body, sending an unpleasant shiver down alongside the reigniting fear. 

"What, rabbit?" Andrew demanded, his tongue heavy in his dry mouth. He forced his hand open, dragging his palm down the side of his pants, slowly, controlled. He could feel the stitches press against his side. They itched. He did nothing about it. 

Neil's intense stare didn't let up, he stared into Andrew’s eyes, it felt like he was looking at the eye of the storm and it did nothing to ease the knots forming in Andrew’s stomach. 

"Rabbit." Andrew pressed. 

Neil tugged at his sleeve but Andrew didn't budge, he stood his ground. Neil didn't try again. 

"Andrew." Nurse Temper interrupted, her voice felt like bricks being added to Andrew’s shoulders. He wished she would shut the hell up, that the earth would swallow her whole and leave them alone. 

Andrew didn't dare break away from Neil's gaze not until he managed to lift his arm up and brush away Neil's hand from his sleeve. He couldn't risk whatever Nurse Temper would do for one of Neil's paranoid delusions, if he wouldn't talk then Andrew could only assume this was due to whatever monsters plagued him. Monsters that had nothing to do with Andrew. 

Neil didn't protest, but Andrew felt his piercing gaze on him even, it seemed, after he left their room and had several walls between them. Those eyes would haunt him. 

"Who's the doctor?" Andrew heard himself ask. 

The nurse’s footsteps echoed against the white walls that seemed the stretch endlessly around him. "Dr. Proust." Nurse Temper said, her voice hard as rock. "He specializes in r- extreme abuse in adolescents." 

Andrew gave her a warning look out of the corner of his eye, his stitches itching and aching and his fingers twitching against his arms that were folded across his chest in a pathetic attempt to feel put together. Neil's eyes were still on his back, intense and disturbing. What had he wanted to tell Andrew? What was that crazed rabbit so fucking scared of? "Let’s get this over with." Andrew said through a numb tongue. "I’ve got a rabbit to get back to."

Chapter Text

Serial Talk Transcript of Episode 59 "The Butcher Pt. 2"

00:00-01:30 — [Intro comprised of police sirens and news anchor clips ending with a bloody scream that fades into static]

01:32 — Steven Harrison: And Welcome to Serial Talk, your one stop place for all things serial killer. I’m your host Steven Harrison

Derek Leons: And I’m your co-host Derek Leons. Welcome back to our next installment focusing on the Butcher of Baltimore, America's latest true serial killer!

SH: [Audibly excited] It’s still so insane that's there such a huge serial killer this day and age! It's always felt like these things were in the far past.

DL: [Laughs] Yeah, right? Like it seems like serial killers are something from another time. When people still stupidly opened their doors to strangers or were stupid enough to hitch hike across country. Not to knock the fact that there are still a lot of active serial killers who aren't caught- it’s just that this case is so insane.

SH: Exactly! This case is overflowing with information and there's so many twists and turns in this high profile case that we need to have so many episodes dedicated to different aspects. 

DL: Yeah, we've got like five more episodes planned. [Laughs] And that's just what we have planned. Who knows how many we'll end up with. 

SH: Which is why we'll dive right into this episodes topic: Nathan Wesninski's wife and son, Mary Hatford and Nathaniel Wesninski.

DL: This is probably the most interesting part of the story of the Butcher- outside the murders, of course. Those are really interesting, his orders of operations was a sight to behold.

SH: But the disappearance of his wife and son is what the focus is of today.

DL: [Chuckles] Of course, of course continue.

SH: [Clears his throat] So, Mary Hatford, a British woman, married Nathan Wesninski in 1997 when she was eighteen. According to statements from her family the two met when Wesninski was at a conference in London and instantly hit it off. Her brother says that the two got married only six months after they met and Mary packed up her life in England to move to the states. Then in 2000, she gave birth to their son Nathaniel.

DL: On the outside everything looked fine, like they were a happy family, but during the whole investigation the FBI found several calls made by their neighbors about domestic disturbances and a few times CPS had even been called.

SH: Hold up- I want to pause here to divert from the facts a bit.

DL: Go ahead dude, the stage is yours.

SH: Thanks man. [Laughs] Anyways, I just want to say that Mary should've left then. Like, the first time Wesninski hit her she should've taken her son and left, you know? Clearly Wesninski was a bad guy, right? He didn't limit his violent fantasies to his victims so this lady knew who he was and she not only had his kid but she didn't take him and just leave! I mean- come on!

DL: My problem is that she only takes Nathaniel years later and she doesn’t even take him and herself to the FBI, she took them on the fucking run. Like, I’m sorry, that has the be the stupidest thing in the damn world. You know your husband is a monster and for years you do nothing, but when you've finally had enough you don't go to the FBI and bring down a monster of a man? Instead you go on the run with your what? Eight year old son? Traumatizing him even more than living with a serial killer did.

SH: And! And she got him and herself killed because of her stupidity. I know this is the most recent development that we were supposed to get to before this tangent- but Mary Hatford's remains have been found buried in a beach in California by the FBI. The remains were found a few months ago but no one knew it was A. Connected to the Butcher case and that B. It was indeed Mary's remains.

DL: Excellent point, Steven. Mary could've saved herself and her boy if she just went to the FBI in the first place. Like come on, they were clearly already looking at Wesninski for all the murders it’s not like they wouldn't have believed her. Her and Nathaniel would've been put into WITSEC and they would be alive right now.

SH: I know they haven't found Nathaniel's body but come on, it’s obvious that the poor kid is dead. It’s not like a kid would be able to survive that kind of life without his batshit mother around to guide him. 

DL: Honestly, what was her plan? Like, she knew this wouldn't have been able to last forever. From what we've read in the released files Mary and her son had several encounters with Wesninski over the years sometimes in countries in Europe! It wasn't like they had never crossed paths again, Mary was keenly aware that Wesninski could and would find her again. So what the hell was she thinking?

SH: Clearly she wasn't. I mean, why else would she flee like that?

DL: [Loud laugh] You're right, who’s stupid enough to steal five [Bleep] million dollars from a damn serial killer in the middle of the night? 

SH: [Laughs] An idiot that's who.

DL: It’s just a shame her son got caught up in all of this. Poor kid, he didn't deserve having such a selfish mom.

SH: But hey, they haven't found his body yet.

DL: [Loud Groan] Don't you start with the conspiracy theories dude. We do not have time for those!

SH: [Laughs] I’m [Bleep] with you man. There's no way that kid survived. 

DL: Harsh dude.

SH: But it’s the truth, ain't it?

DL: Has to be, but you don't have to be so direct about it. [Chuckles] Anyways, let's have a quick commercial break before we get back on topic.

06:43 — [Jangling music plays as a commercial starts up]

-

Bang 

Andrew woke with a start, his eyes snapping open and his body instinctively pressed itself against the wall. His heart pounded in his chest as he gathered himself. He wasn't in those places anymore. He wasn't a little boy without any means to defend himself. He would never hurt him again. Andrew took a shaky breath, his hands clutching his blanket tightly but his heart kept beating harshly against his ribs like even it didn't want to stay with Andrew. Like it knew that it wouldn't be safe with him. 

"One, two, three, four, five," Andrew whispered slowly, the echoes of a concerned but warm and steady voice bouncing around his head. "Eins, zwei, drei, vier, fünf." 

He did it over and over again, switching between the languages until his heart calmed down and he could finally make out the white walls of the facility, the glimmer of moonlight lighting the space, the empty messy unkempt bed of his roommate, and the clear absence of said roommate. 

Andrew slowly sat up, his back pressed against the wall and the blanket wrapped tightly around him, his eyes fixated on the mess before him. 

The blanket was slowly slipping off the pathetic excuse for a mattress, covering the space between the bedframe and the floor but it did nothing to stop the frantic, ragged breathing, the gasps for air that Andrew was acutely familiar with. 

Andrew carefully slipped off his mattress, his feet silent as they hit the floor. The mattress creaked as he stood but Neil was too far deep into his panic to notice from what Andrew could tell. He looked around, the only clock they had said it was just past three am. 

Andrew knelt onto the ground, slowly pushing the blanket away so he could see Neil, on his stomach, staring right back at Andrew with those fearful cold blues. Andrew startled, memories swirling in his head. But he pushed past it, shoving it all down into a place he could never find it again. He slowly got onto the cold floor, letting the blanket fall back into place, hiding them from the rest of the world. Andrew felt exposed like this- with his back open to anyone who found them- but he stayed put, eyes focused on Neil. He pushed away anything that wasn't useful to calming the rabbit down, his own fears and memories be damned. 

"They found me," Neil choked out, his fingers twitching against the floor where they were pressed against. "They found me." 

"Who?" Andrew asked. "Who found you?" 

Neil choked on his words, his chest heaving with the effort it took to get any kind of air into his lungs. 

Andrew reached out, almost unconsciously, his hand cupping the back of his neck. This was reality, not the nightmares of ghosts past. 

Neil clawed at the floor as he gasped in a breath, tears filling his eyes as he stared right into Andrew’s eyes. "My father," he said, the words sounding like they had been ripped out of him. 

Andrew’s fingers twitched against Neil's too warm skin, his eyes wide as he stared at this strange little rabbit. He actually answered him, he gave him an actual answer to his question. Andrew swallowed around a lump in his throat. He had to tread carefully or else everything would go to shit. He leaned a bit closer, flexed his fingers out to still them. "Neil, focus on me," he said calmly. 

Neil's hand jerked towards him, but he didn't try to reach out and touch him. "He found me," he said in that panicked, harsh and terrified voice of his. "I got- I couldn’t- mum-" 

Andrew pressed down harder on Neil's neck, ignoring the tears streaming down Neil's face and the desperate gasps for air. Neil's check pressed against the cold floor causing him to gasp, a shiver racked his body so hard Andrew could feel it beneath his fingertips. 

"That’s it," Andrew said, his thumb rubbing against Neil's skin. "Whatever happened is over and done with." He promised. "It’s just you and me, no one will ever hurt us again. They can't get us in here." Andrew wasn't sure if he was comforting himself or Neil with that promise. 

Neil's body shook and trembled with his silent cries, his face red and covered in tears. His hands clutched as the smooth floor and he didn't stop even as his nails broke and bled. "Mum-" he choked out. "I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry-" 

Andrew clasped his free hand over one of Neil’s, prying it away from the floor and letting Neil dig his nails into Andrew’s skin. It’s not like it was an unfamiliar sensation for Andrew. "Enough of that," Andrew told him. "You’re just a child, there's no need for the world to be on your shoulders." He echoed. 

Neil hiccuped, startling himself into taking deeper breaths. Andrew mimicked his breathing to Neil’s, guiding him into slower and deep breaths- in and out, in and out, in and out- without any guilt. Finally, Neil slumped against the floor, his body exhausted now that the adrenaline was out of its system. Andrew was too used to that feeling, felt it night after night in all of those different houses where his safety wasn't a guarantee. 

"Try to sleep, rabbit." Andrew told him, his hands still holding onto Neil. He wouldn't let go until Neil told him too, he knew how valuable a grounding touch could be. If Neil needed it all night to sleep without nightmares then Andrew didn't mind staying up all night- he probably wouldn't go back to sleep anyways. 

Neil’s eyes were half lidded, his blue eyes hazy and unfocused even as a few stray tears fell down his fucked up face. 

"I’ll stay right here," Andrew promised as Neil's eyes flickered close. "No one will hurt us tonight."

Chapter Text

[Transcript of a news segment from an FBI press conference]

Agent Browning: [Standing at a podium with several agents around him. In the background is a dark blue curtain and two flags, one the American flag, the other design is obscured by an agent. Several cameras are flickering] On [Cameras going off, obscuring his voice], several of our agents stormed the Wesninski mansion and took down Nathan Wesninski in the act of murdering a young man he had abducted a few days prior.

[Muttering from several reporters, more cameras clicking]

Browning: [Raises a hand to quiet the noise] The victim unfortunately succumbed to his injuries at the hospital but rest assured that the hospital staff didn't everything in their power to not only save him but also make sure he was no longer in pain.

Browning: [Lowers his hand and looks down at the podium] We searched Wesninski's mansion, as per the search warrant, and discovered a mountain of evidence of Wesninski's crimes against not only the people of Boston but countless others across the country. We have evidence of his embezzlement of one of his companies, insider trading, distribution of drugs and other illegal substances, and of course the countless murders he has committed. 

Browning: [Looks up from the podium] We are still in the process of identifying all of his victims, but rest assured we will not stop until every last one is identified and we can bring closure to their friends and family. There are still those who assisted Wesninski in his crimes- all of whom have already been arrested by my colleagues- who will face prosecution for their actions. There will be accountability for what has happened, even with Wesninski deceased there will be convictions for the horrors that happened. 

Browning: [Pauses and looks around the room] We will now be taking questions.

[Several hands go up, muttering from various people is heard]

Browning: [Points to someone in the audience] Yes?

Female Reporter: [Stands and a microphone is given to her] Thank you, Agent.

Browning: [Nods]

F. Reporter: [Clears her throat and looks down at her notes] You stated that Wesninski was killed in an attempt to rescue a victim, can you elaborate on that? Wasn't there any other way to stop him that would have left him alive so that he could be prosecuted?

Browning: [Clears his throat and shuffled with his papers on the podium] Unfortunately there was no way around it. Trust me when I say this was the last thing we wanted. Our mission was to bring him alive so he could answer for his crimes, however our top priority was the safety of any victims. We felt as though there was no other way to ensure that the victim left that basement alive and an internal review agrees with this assessment. Next?

[The woman sits down and several hands go back up]

Browning: [Points at another member of the audience]

Male Reporter: [Stands up and receives the microphone. Looks down at his notes] You've stated several times that your teams priority was the victim being tortured by the Butcher and yet you were ultimately unable to save him- but you haven't disclosed who this victim was. Is there a reason for that? Doesn't this person's family deserve information about their loved one?

Browning: [Nods] Of course, however we've already identified this victim and are acting in wishes of the family. Their family stated that they wish for their family member remain anonymous so as to preserve the memory of their life. As I said before, we will do everything to make sure victims are reunited with their families and we will make sure to respect the families wishes concerning their loved ones. Next question.

[Male Reporter sits down and more hands raise up]

Browning: [Points to a member of the audience]

Female Reporter 2: [Stands up and takes the microphone] Thank you.

Browning: [Nods]

F. Reporter 2: [Looks at her notes] You stated that there are several individuals who assisted Nathan Wesninski with his crimes who will face prosecution but what extent did they participate in? Were they also present for the murders? Or were they only present for the white collar crimes Wesninski also partook in?

Browning: [Clears his throat] There are about fifteen individuals we could directly connect to Wesninski and his various crimes. Only four of them were present and assisted with the murders: Lola Malcolm, who assisted Wesninski in torturing his victims and disposing of their bodies; Romero Malcolm, who acted as alongside with Jackson Plank, as helpers to whatever was needed including kidnappings and body disposals; and Patrick DiMaccio, who was Nathan Wesninski's right hand man and body guard. All four have been captured and will be facing prosecution for their crimes. The others were only involved with Wesninski's financial crimes and will be facing significantly lesser chargers. Any more questions? 

[Continue Reading]

Knife-leftover

Did yall see that press conference with the fbi about the butcher? Crazy stuff cause like wdym he found FOUR other people to help him murder people?????? What is this??? The mafia?!?!?

Iowunad

I mean yeah?? At this point it basically was the mafia the dude dealt with drugs and firearms (o think dont qoutw me) and some of his murders were legit hits. Its a modern day mafia syndicate 

#I totally figured the mafia had died in this modern age #i mean its all online and easily tracable #no one can say Nathan Wesninski wasnt an overachiever who got shit done

834 notes

Hundred-throw07

Ugh I really hope they release more info can you image what those families are feeling?

#honestly it was more of a pr move than actually informing the public #they knee about this guy for decades and only just now did something??? #if I were the family of those killed id sue them cause wtf

396 notes

Twibstrck57

Anyone notice how there was no concrete mention on what happened to Nathaniel Wesninski? Like at the end of the press conference they admitted that they had found Mary Hatfords remains on a beach but they didnt say anything about Nathaniel they just said he was dead

And whats with this sudden respect for a victims privacy? 🤨 this is the fbi right? The same agency willing to throw anyone under the bus to make a name for themselves right?

Pointy-l3af

Maybe bc its such a high profile xase they dont want to risk the publics anger by going against the wished of the family? Not that the people in the true crime fnadom care that much

Pop-the-bucker

Well its possible that Nathaniel survived whatever encounter he and Mary had with the Butcher and was killed somewhere else and with the butcher dead (good job fuckasses, killing the one person who could tell you the important shit) we'll probably never know. Those in his circle arent likely to confess to anything even when hes dead if they did all that (although its really strange that 5 fucking people knew each other and were just chill with committing so many murders for fun, that's an anomaly for sure)

Loud-errly6

Imagine that Nathaniel is actually that last victim and he actually survived lol

#I doubt it #but if im right #🫵🫵

1045 notes

-

Neil's memory since he saw his father's body hit the concrete ground of their basement was hazy. He remembered, vividly, the loud BANG of the gun firing, the bullet hitting right between Nathan’s eyes. The loud THUMP of his body and the clattering of his cleaver both falling against the concrete. 

He remembered staring and staring at his father's dead body and the pooling of blood for endless minutes as his uncle tried to speak to him, remembered how he couldn't feel the ache and pains of his open wounds because it was all finally over and he won. He remembered the hysteric laughter he let out that turned into uncontrollable sobs as a flood of emotions hit him all at once. 

He didn't remember anything after that- it was all hazy and fuzzy and there wasn't anything he could hold onto for context. He could remember the sound of agent Browning and agent Towns' voices but not the words they spoke; he could remember the feeling of panic as they moved him from the hospital to the mental health facility; he could remember an abstract concept of things he had done inside the facility but there were no clear details. 

It was a constant circle of fear and paranoia he couldn't break until something warm and steady came into his life and didn't leave. It was safe, it grounded him back into the reality he couldn't picture or remember. 

And it sat right across from him at their table, glaring at his tray of food because they ran out of chocolate chip muffins and he had to get a blueberry one. 

Andrew was a strange person- he had platinum blonde hair, pale skin with dark circles under his warm hazel eyes that Neil really liked, his arms were bandaged and he seemed disgusted by the clothes they were given to wear. He loved sweets, he read so many books despite once telling one of the kids that he was allergic to them, and he watched over everyone like a hawk. Most strange of all was that he chose to stay near someone like Neil. Andrew could've easily ignored him, they only had to see each other at night when it was lights out. He didn't need to come up to Neil, he didn't need to talk to him or drag him back to whatever reality Neil could handle. 

But he did and it fascinated Neil. It stunned him because it was so unlike what Neil was used to. People all across the world had ignored him, they glanced at him and stepped away from him. They never tried to get closer to him, they distanced themselves from him and his mother just like she wanted them to. Like he needed them too. But Andrew? Andrew didn't do that and Neil couldn't understand why. 

"Can you stop staring at me like that, rabbit?" Andrew gruffed out, pushing around his peas with a look of disgust on his face. "I’ve already taste tested for food, so focus on that." 

Neil swallowed painfully, his throat dry from lack of water. He didn't look down at the food below him, his stomach twisting uncomfortably at the idea of eating food made by someone besides himself or his mother. The Butcher and his people rarely used poisons- they enjoyed the blood, the torturous screams their victims let out. They got off on the pain they inflicted on others, said it was a 'show' to enjoy. But, they would use them if it meant transporting extremely flighty people to their lair. People like Neil. He still remembered the overwhelming grief, fear, and resignation he felt when Lola covered his mouth with a cloth covered in chloroform. He had tried to fight it, he really did, he swore he tried to stay awake despite it all- but he was too weak. His eyes closed and he knew his mother would beat him in the afterlife. But he survived that, and he couldn’t- he just fucking couldn't, he couldn't, he couldn't, he couldn't- let it happen again. What if Lola had escaped? Browning sure as hell wouldn't tell him. What if he was still alive? What if he was waiting for Neil to mess up and take him back to the basement? Neil couldn't risk it. 

"Rabbit." Andrew’s voice snapped Neil back into reality, his steady hazel eyes firmly on Neil's face without being disgusted by the Butcher staring back at him. 

Neil couldn't help but stare right back, it was better than thinking about the what ifs that plagued him. 

"Eat." Andrew ordered, pointing with his fork. "And stop staring at me, I can't be that interesting." 

Neil's hand shook as he grabbed his fork. Andrew had tasted the food before him and he was fine. He was up and talking, he was eating without problem and if someone drugged this he wouldn't be able to do. It was fine. It was fine. Everything was fine because Andrew said so. "You are." He choked out, his throat rough and painful. He didn't remember the last time he spoke without the cloud of fear over him. Maybe when he was a baby? Before he knew what was happening around him? 

Andrew raised an eyebrow, his fork pausing half way to his mouth and Neil's lips twitched at the sight. "So he speaks." He said, quickly composing himself. "Yippee." 

Neil looked down at his food with difficulty, his feet shuffled against the floor. He wanted to run and run and run until he couldn't move, there was too much energy in his body. He scooped up a spoonful of peas, his heart beating rapidly in his chest, his hand shaking. It was fine. This was fine. He looked at Andrew, at his steady gaze and shoved the spoon into his mouth. 

Andrew’s lips pulled into a frown and he leaned over the table to push Neil's face away with his spoon fork thing. "Stop looking at me like that." He demanded. 

"Why?" Neil asked after roughly swallowing his peas. 

"I’m going to regret you speaking, aren't I?" Andrew sighed dramatically as he collapsed back into his seat. 

Neil didn't understand, so he frowned. He tried to read Andrew’s face but he couldn't tell what the boy across from him was thinking. In general he couldn't because Andrew shouldn't be sitting across from him, but he also didn't understand this either. 

Andrew scowled and threw a spoonful of peas at Neil. Neil didn't flinch. "I hate you, stupid rabbit." 

"Okay." Neil easily accepted. He knew how to deal with that, that was something he knew. 

Andrew rolled his eyes like he thought Neil was being difficult and went back to his food, muttering something about 'silly rabbits'. Neil didn't get it but he supposed that trying to figure out Andrew would be useless. So, he would just go along with him until it was taken away from him.

-

"Neil," A nurse called out, making Neil jump in his seat. 

His heart pounded harshly against his chest and his brain told him to run. Get out before they could get him, leave before they dragged him back to that blood soaked basement. He couldn't let them get him, he couldn't be found because if he was found they would never let him go. He would rip Neil apart. Neil couldn't do it he had to go he had to run- 

Neil hadn't realized he was standing, ready to run far away, until Andrew's warm hand on the back of his neck brought him back. It was okay. He wasn't there anymore. The scent of iron was just in his head. The walls were pure white, not stained with blood. He was fine. 

"Easy, rabbit." Andrew’s voice was steady, calm. He wouldn't be so calm if Neil was about to be ripped away to that damn basement. Neil clung to it. Andrew's thumb rubbed against Neil's ruined skin and Neil closed his eyes to focus on the unfamiliar sensation. When was the last time someone touched him without malice? He wasn't sure anyone ever had. 

Neil only opened his eyes when his heart had slowed down to a normal speed and the urge to run had gotten under control. Andrew was right there, a strong steady presence that Neil focused on. He seemed unaffected by everything even though Neil knew that couldn't be true. Andrew wouldn't be locked up in this place if he was. But Neil appreciated it nonetheless, it felt like Andrew was the calm in the eye of the storm. It was like, if Neil stuck by Andrew's side then the Butcher would never find him again. 

"See? That wasn't so hard, was it?" Andrew tried to mock him, Neil could tell though he wasn't sure why he could, but his voice was too soft for the bitterness to take control. 

Neil still shook his head, his dyed brown hair falling into his eyes, blocking his view of Andrew. He reached up but startled at the ghastly sight of his hands. They ruined his hands, his hands were beyond repair because of what they'd done to him. They would've done even more to him, they would've- 

"Idiot." Andrew cut through before the spiral could take hold. His hand left Neil's neck and he slapped Neil’s hand down. "If it’s too much, wrap them up. It’s better than getting a panic attack whenever you see them." 

Neil nodded and pulled at his sleeves to cover as much of his hands and arms that he could. Andrew didn't look impressed but he rarely did. He just swirled his finger and Neil, confused, turned around in a circle. 

Andrew looked even more unimpressed when Neil stopped in front of him. "Are you actually stupid?" 

"Yeah." 

Andrew pinched the bridge of his nose, his sleeve slipping down to show the bandages his forearms were covered in. It had been some time (probably) since Andrew arrived, Neil wondered why he didn't take them off. He was sure that the cuts had healed by now. He didn't dare ask. "Go with the nurse, rabbit." 

Neil looked over his shoulder, feeling his body tense up. The woman towered over him, her face unkind. She was like Lola, standing over him as she twirled her knife around her fingers, her eyes burning into his skull as she told him how she planned to chop up his body into tiny little pieces that no one would see and scatter him across the country. Neil didn't like her. How could he know she wasn't working with Lola? How could he know she wasn't luring him into a trap where he'd be brought back to that basement? 

Neil stepped closer to Andrew because Andrew would tell him what was real and what wasn't, right? Andrew took a good long look at Neil, then dragged his eyes to the nurse, all the warmth Neil felt when Andrew looked at him gone when he looked at her. That meant she was in cahoots with Lola, right? That meant she was going to hurt them, right? 

Andrew’s fingers tapped Neil's arm, giving him a little push. Neil only went because Andrew went with him. "She’s mostly harmless." He said. "She’s not some spy or secret agent for anyone. She's just a bitch with a nasty temper." 

Neil felt himself relax by a fraction, a very small fraction like maybe 1/125. He only got closer to the woman because Andrew was right next to him. He felt small under the woman's glare. He wanted to run. But Andrew held him back from doing so. 

The woman wasn't happy with Andrew being there- if she was anything like Lola she would slice both of them up until their insides spilled out then hand them a needle to sew themselves up- but she just frowned at them. "I only need Neil." 

Andrew gave an over the top shrug. "And Neil needs me, so here we are." 

The woman let out a sigh that rattled down Neil's body, kicking his body into high gear. He had heard those sighs all his life from everyone around him. It was never a good thing. "You have a visitor, Neil," the nurse said, her voice heavy and cold. 

Neil's blood ran cold. Those were never good words. His legs felt like lead but he knew he could force them to move, to run and run and run so the Butcher could never find him. He couldn't let him find him if he found him it was all over it would just end with Neil in a body bag and then it would- Andrew’s fingers pressed into the meat of Neil's arm, the only connection Neil could grab onto. 

Neil looked at Andrew as he spoke. "Who is it?" 

"Browning." The nurse said. 

Neil blinked slowly. Browning wasn't supposed to come by. Neil didn't remember any of their conversations but he knew that Browning didn't like him. He remembered the nasty tone of his voice, the annoyance at Neil's (probable) disobedience. The only reason he'd come by was if he was worried about Neil being a liability. 

"You don't have to." Andrew told him casually, like they were at a restaurant and the waiter was trying to sell him something. Like Neil wasn't dealing with a man who could throw him in prison just because he didn't like Neil's attitude. Neil wished it were true. 

"Can you-" Neil started before he stopped himself. He shouldn't burden Andrew more than he already had, he was seventeen and had been on the run for the majority of his life. He didn't need an escort to an FBI agent who thought too highly of himself. But Andrew was staring at him with warm hazel eyes, waiting patiently for Neil to finish his sentence. Neil was used to slaps and harsh warnings for speaking out of turn, not that it ever did anything to stop him. "Wait here?" Neil finally got out. 

Andrew waited a beat, maybe waiting for Neil to say more, but he simply nodded anyway. "Don’t rabbit away, rabbit." 

Neil couldn't help the way his lips twitched upwards, only able to stop himself from forming an actual smile. He wouldn't subject the Butchers smile onto Andrew, he was too good for the horrors of the Butcher. "Can't escape even if I wanted to." Neil muttered. He felt the harsh gaze of the nurse next to him grow cold. 

It eased after Andrew flicked her a nasty glare.

Andrew pushed Neil away, leaning against the doorframe in a casual manner that didn't fit where they were. Neil kept looking over his shoulder to look at him until he couldn't see him anymore. 

It was a stilted silence to the private meeting rooms that the facility had set up and Neil was escorted into the one at the very end of the hall. The nurse swiped her badge and the door opened. She ushered Neil inside and closed the door behind her. Neil heard it lock and he wasn't sure if that made him feel any safer or not. Sitting at the white round table was Browning, looking rather annoyed in his overly expensive suit (that, might Neil add, looked like every other suit he'd ever seen in his life). 

Neil slid into the seat across from Browning and waited for the man to speak first. 

Browning stared at Neil, his lip curling into a nasty frown. "We should've had you wear contacts." 

Neil slid his hands under the table, his eyes lingering somewhere near Browning's shoulder. He knew what he looked like- he was the mini butcher, the same face as a monster. Anyone who had seen the Butchers cold blue eyes knew that Neil shared them. Sometimes Neil wishes he could rip them out so no one, least of all him, could see them ever again. "What are you doing here, Bowing?" 

Browning's frown deepened. "Browning." 

"I said that." Neil pulled at his fingers, the ghost of Andrew’s touch lingering on his arm and the back of his neck. He wanted out, the sooner they got to the point the sooner Neil could escape this tiny little room and get back to Andrew. 

Browning sighed that same tired sigh everyone gave Neil. "There’s a lot of coverage on your father," he said. 

Neil flinched, his nails digging into his legs to stop them from moving. He couldn't run or else this man might shoot him. "And?" 

"And," Browning pressed. "I’m here to remind you that you're not to breath a word of who you are to another living soul," he leaned in closer, ignorant of the way Neil's heart pounded violently against his chest and the sweat beading at his hairline. "There are still people loyal to your father out there, searching for you." 

Neil felt phantom chilly eyes on his back, the ones that always managed to unnerve anyone. He felt them growing stronger and stronger, a weight grew heavier on his chest and it was too hard to breathe. He swore the monster was just on the other side of the door, waiting, just waiting for him to let his guard down so he could snatch him up again. "I know," his voice sounded weak, even to him. 

The Butcher would slice him up for it, sneer at him and his voice rang throughout Neil's head- every cruel word he spoke, every taunt, every insane laugh. Neil's shoulder throbbed, his face ached and he swore he could smell his skin burning. 

"You’re safe in here," Browning's voice was distant and patronizing but it was all Neil had. He didn't want to die. "But the minute you step outside these walls, anything could happen and no one will be able to protect you. You understand?" 

Nodding his head was the hardest thing Neil had done all day long.