Secrets and Things (MxM)

Chapter 86 - Where is help when you need it?

This time Leo rolled his eyes but he grinned along anyway.

"As I was saying, fourteen/fifteen was when everything went to hell. I guess you could consider that the beginning. Long story short, the orphanage was raided and what was raided... were the children, which included me obviously. We were... forced to join a human trafficking ring. More specifically, a children smuggling ring. Even more specifically, an Oddity children only smuggling ring. And we were forced in as the smugglers..."

Leo had expected something terrible to cause his employee to be diagnosed with such severe PTSD. But he didn't think it was this bad. He couldn't help but gasp in shock and look at Nero with enlarged eyes, worry pooling within them. He immediately wanted to jump across and pull the smaller man into his arms but said man clearly looked like he wanted some distance as he told his story.

Nero couldn't meet his eyes anymore at the point and ignored the growing lump in his throat his continued his recount. "Anyone who didn't meet the criteria of children and Oddity... was shot point blank in the forehead. All... the caretakers and... children without powers... were killed. That night alone killed half my family." Tears pooled in Nero's eyes and he didn't bother wiping them away when they streamed down. They're just going to reappear again soon anyway. On the other hand, Leo was having a really difficult time smothering the man into his chest and whispering comforting words and providing comforting kisses.

"The trafficking ring wasn't a small one either. It was huge and very difficult to dismantle without extra help. I used to read random facts news so I knew of them but the other children didn't and so they were just confused crying the entire time. It broke me and I couldn't do anything about it because I knew we were screwed. That alone was enough to diagnose myself with PTSD. But it just... gets so much worse."

Nero's broken voice basically shattered Leo's heart and he found himself halfway across the couch before Nero raised his hand to motion him to stop.

"I... I need to finish this and if you come any closer, I will break down and will refuse to go any further."

Leo gulped and accepted the decision but he clenched his fists in frustration and helplessness.

"We were treated like trash. Some of the kids were assaulted, both physically and sexually by the smugglers or guards. I was the unlucky bunch that experienced both. They never went till the end but hell, they were close. They had to keep their packages pristine after all.

We were all pushed into small spaces and forced to spend our livelihood in windowless rooms with barely any oxygen.

We were degraded by our 'caretakers' and verbally abused in every way, shape and form. Everyone, me included, would self-harm or have constant suicidal thoughts. Some went through with it, with nothing to lose. Others were too scared. Another bunch were caught trying to do so and the smugglers gave them punishment that's equivalent to Hell, as if it wasn't already bad enough.

I was going to go through with it, you know? But then I saw how the younger ones didn't have anyone to look after them, so I played the parent role and tried to comfort them as much as I could with my manacles."

Nero zoned out and began recalling the flashbacks, spilling his heart out while immersing himself in the past. He doesn't notice Leo's anguished and vexed expression nor his trembling eyes.

"The smugglers took us to auctions throughout the world and sold us off the richest yet dirtiest. No one knew what their fate was once they were sold off, it being a case to case dependent." Nero snorted with no humour. "The lucky ones were the ones who were treated as lowly slaves. But they weren't common, I'll tell you that much."