Oliver and Sam sit on the floor, shoulder to shoulder, the past clawing its way up through Sam's chest.
He speaks without looking at Oliver. His voice is rough, like it's been buried under years of silence.
Sam:
"You remember the night I disappeared, three years ago? The one where I came back a mess?"
Oliver:
"Yeah. I remember every second of it."
Sam:
quietly
"I didn't get in a fight like I told you."
Oliver turns toward him, but Sam keeps staring ahead.
Sam:
"I was supposed to be under Leo's watch that day. Papa Leo. But he lost track of me — said I wandered off. That I was 'too quiet.'"
He scoffs bitterly.
Sam:
"I ended up near the south docks. Wrong place. Wrong time. A group of men caught me. Older. Drunk. They tried to rough me up, rob me. But then they found out what I am."
He swallows hard.
Sam:
"They found out I'm intersex. And something in their eyes changed. Like I wasn't even human anymore. Just… something to use."
Oliver's jaw clenches so tight it hurts.
Sam:
"They cornered me. One of them tore my shirt. I tried to run. I tried to scream. I fought. I bit one of them hard enough to leave a scar."
He finally looks at Oliver, eyes rimmed red but dry.
Sam:
"I got away before they could do it. I barely got away. I was bleeding. Shaking. And when I made it back home, Papa Leo was waiting for me."
Oliver:
softly
"Did you tell him?"
Sam:
"Didn't get the chance. He slapped me across the face before I could even speak. Said I humiliated him. Said I put the family at risk just by disappearing. Then he had two guards take me to the cellars."I can't blame him he was scared something will happen to me
Oliver's hands are trembling now.
Sam:
"I was punished for surviving. Locked up. Whipped. And the only time anyone mentioned those men? Was when Leo told me, 'Don't worry — they're ten feet below now.'"
Oliver blinks.
Oliver:
"He killed them?"
Sam:
"Yeah. Had them buried beneath one of our construction sites. Said I should be grateful. That he cleaned up my mistake."
Oliver:
fuming
"You were a kid, Sam. That was his failure, not yours."
Sam:
"No. I was a Vincent. That means you don't make mistakes. And if you do… you bleed for them."
He looks up at Oliver, and for the first time, lets him see everything — the fear, the shame, the scars that never healed.
Sam:
"That's why I hate James. Not because he looked at you. But because people like him smell weakness and use it. I've lived with that my whole life. I won't let him do it to you."
Oliver doesn't hesitate. He pulls Sam into a hug — fierce, protective.
Oliver:
"You're not weak, Sam. And I'm not going anywhere. I've seen every part of you, and I still choose you."
Sam exhales like he's been holding it in for three years.
Sam:
"I just needed someone to stay."
Oliver:
"And I did. And I will."
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