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Arjun was only 9 when the monster under his bed crawled out and clinged onto him for the longest time possible. The monster was none other than the woman who gave him birth. It all started with the death of his father. While the world came to believe that his poor father committed suicide, he knew what happened that day. A few of his mother's "friends" came and forcefully made his father swallow a bottle of sleeping pills while his mother gave instructions how to do the task without arousing suspicion of others. Arjun watched it all. His mother knew the little boy saw how his father lost his life. She wanted him to see, she wanted to install an unbearable amount of fear in his heart so that she could play him with just a string. And she just did that. 

Whenever Arjun saw his mother, only one thing flashed into his mind. Fear. Nothing else. He condemned any other kind of feelings. Disgust came close to that feeling but it never faced the surface like it deserved. He complied with her orders like a robot. He didn't even utter a word when she told the world that he was suffering from blood cancer to earn sympathy and donations from others. That woman was the incarnation of a devil herself. She was always power hungry, liked to be the center of attention whether the attention came from sympathy or fear. He didn't even say anything when she almost killed him by feeding him expired medicines on purpose to stimulate sympathy from people at the age of 13. She was a widow with an almost disabled son who was on the verge of death. People had to show sympathy, didn't they? 

The assault didn't stop there though. She made more attempts to send him to the door of death, he barely escaped each time, leaving him both physically and mentally exhausted. All of his torments came to an end when his mother was killed by one of her so-called lovers. Arjun was the happiest person that day. So happy that he blasted music and danced till his heart's content while her body rotted in the living room. He could care less. He finally felt free. Finally, at the age of 16 he felt like a person of his own. Before that he only felt like a doll controlled by his mother. However, he found himself imprisoned once again when he was handcuffed and arrested for the murder of his mother. He only said one thing when they interrogated him, "If I had killed her, it would have been so brutal that you would find yourself shivering." And he wasn't lying. 

Decades have passed yet he feels like those terrorizing memories are as fresh as daisy. He has never hated someone so much.When Avinash got him out of the prison, the first thing he wanted to do was revive her from death and kill her for making him suffer all those years. For making his father suffer. He wouldn't do so that's why he got his hands on her ashes and drained them into the toilet. 

Arjun closes his eyes to stop himself from getting flashbacks from those days. He was as skinny as the unconscious boy in front of him. His mother liked to keep him hungry, vulnerable. It made people think that they were too poor to even feed themselves which earned her huge donations from people from time to time. His mother once even managed to present their plight into the TV screen through a show which only boosted her to go on with it, making his life more miserable. Arjun wonders if the boy had gone through the same treatment. He has sealed his heart long ago but he can't deny that his heart cries out whenever he sees abused kids. Kiaan's condition has made his heart so tender that he is afraid it will break once again. 

"The corpse of a 58 years old man identified as Ravi Pandey, manager of Tribini restaurant, has been found by the dustbin near his work place. The cause of death is declared to be a gunshot to his head. Police are still investigating-" Avinahs turns the TV off. 

"Didn't you go overboard, Manav?" Avinash glares at the man. He should have dealt with the man himself. 

"Hey! It wasn't me." Manav yells immediately to defend himself. 

"It was me." Arjun says nonchalantly, closing the magazine he was reading. 

Avinash huffs but doesn't say anything. If Arjun has done it then there must be a reason for it. He isn't like Manav who likes to kill for his own pleasure. 

"This is unfair. Why aren't you yelling at him?" Manav complains, facing Avinash who just ignores him and sits on the chair beside Arjun. 

"Stop yelling, will you? The kid is sleeping." Rajeeb orders, grabbing Manav by his elbow and making him sit beside him, giving him a can of coke to make him calm down. 

"You OK?" Avinash asks to Arjun who grabs the magazine to avoid answering that question.

"You don't have to show the world that you are illiterate. You have the magazine upside down." Arjun huffs in annoyance and turns the magazine.

"I'm fine, Avi. Don't worry about me. Worry about the kid."

They found Kiaan in a public hospital in a very vulnerable position. So, they decided to take the kid back home and transfer him to the room where all the medical equipment is kept. They often need to get treated because, yeah, their work isn't to walk on flowers but fighting with bullets. From Avinash's informant they came to know the cause of Kiaan's condition. Arjun didn't even hesitate to put a bullet hole into that man's skull. As if his head was telling him to do so. He doesn't feel even an ounce of remorse when he kills bastards like that. 

The kid has been out for a while. Shivam has promised that it's just the medicine other than that the kid is fine. 

"So, what's the plan now?" Manav asks, taking a sip from his coke, "Are we taking him under our wings?" His eyes glow with anticipation as he asks. He looks as happy as a child receiving candy. 

"If the kid wants that." Avinash replies. 

To be honest with himself, he doesn't know. He knows he has a thing for collecting broken souls and making an army for himself but he thought he was done when Rajeeb came along. It wasn't his intention to add another one. The boy seems too fragile to be in their fucked up world. 

"He will, I'm sure. Finally we will be 5 like the 5 letters of venom." Manav lets out an excited yell, receiving a smack from Rajeeb. 

"I'm older than you. How can you raise your hand on me, you insolent kid?" Manav smacks his head back. 

"Act your age first." Rajeeb says in a calm voice, rolling his eyes. 

Manav doesn't understand how Rajeeb can stay so calm all the damn time. Well, what to expect from a man who attended his final exams with a calm mind and scored the highest after a day his mother and triplets siblings had died?  

"Even if he wants to live with us, he won't be a part of us. He deserves better than the life we lead." Arjun lets them know, voice holding determination.

"I think he is waking up." Avinash comments when his eye catches a slight movement of his hand. 

Manav is the one to spring from his seat and go towards the bed to see if he's really awake. 

Kiaan groans in pain, his head hurting like someone is pulling on his hair angrily nonstop. Opening his tired eyes, he tries to adapt with the brightness of the room. He closes his eyes again, failing to keep it open. However, when he opens his eyes once again, he screams like a banshee. It feels like his heart has also jumped out of his chest. Manav's face is so close that it scared the shit out of him. 

"Damn, do I look this ugly to have such a strong reaction?" Manav mumbles. 

"Y-You…." Kiaan slurs, still feeling the shock seeing Manav in front of him. 

"You can speak now!" Manav yells, bringing Kiaan into a bone crushing hug. 

While Kiaan is confused, the rest of the Venom members know why Manav is so happy, and why he is attracted to Kiaan. Manav has always wanted a little brother or sister but his fate was too cruel to fulfill that innocent demand of his. It took his mother away before that. It's clear that Manav has already given that spot to Kiaan. And this idiot goes around calling himself a psychopath. 

"Let him go. You are gonna choke him." Rajeeb says calmly, bringing Manav away from a very confused Kiaan. 

"How are you, Kid?" Avinash asks, mustering a smile. 

It takes a minute for Kiaan to take it all in. Is he in a dream? He remembers leaving the house and working for that restaurant. And then the manager slapped him so hard that he passed out. He doesn't remember anything after that. Kiaan grabs his head and groans as the pain keeps intensifying, it doesn't help that he is confused and scared.

How did he end up here? Did they find him to question him about the gun once again? Didn't they believe his words? 
Why would they? He didn't sound genuine. Did they throw away his watch? They might have. It's nothing valuable. It's worn out. But that's the only token of his father's love for him. He was the happiest kid when his father gave him that.  He thought maybe his father was ready to accept him but that day never came when his father made it look like he was finally accepted. However, the watch remained his most valued possession. Of course, they wouldn't understand the sentiment behind it, would they?

"Hey, why are you crying? Does it hurt that bad?" Arjun whispers, worry thick in his voice. 

Kiaan slowly looks at him with tear filled eyes. Arjun looks different, his eyes are softer than his usual ones. Kiaan doesn't know if it's a good sign or bad. 

Arjun brings his hand to touch Kiaan's shoulder but Kiaan holds his hand before he can do that. 

"M-My……. W-W-Watch." And he can't control his tears anymore, seeing Arjun wearing the wrist watch he left. 

His sobs fill the whole room. Why is he wearing that? This watch is dirty, almost broken. It almost broke when his oldest brother stood over his hand the first time he refused to sign the property papers. 

Kiaan has seen Arjun wearing luxurious watches like his father used to wear. So, why is he wearing this? Is that because he accepted whatever Kiaan wrote? He sobs harder at that thought. He never felt this way. To be valued in this way. To anyone else it may seem like Kiaan is overreacting but he knows it's something he is experiencing for the first time in his life. 

"I….." Arjun seems to appear speechless for a second but he holds himself back together, "I really like it." 

And the boy does something unthinkable. He brings Arjun into a hug and breaks down in his embrace. It matters a lot to him that they didn't discard his letter nor the gift he left, they valued it like he requested them to do. He wasn't wrong when he wrote that they showed him that humanity hasn't run out yet.

"Hug him back." Manav says to a frozen Arjun.

So, Arjun listens to Manav's words and hugs him back. Finally, the guilt that he has been carrying over his shoulder resolves. It brings so much peace to his mind that he can't even explain. 

********

"Are you feeling well?" Shivam, their doctor friend, asks Kiaan who nods his head. 

"Good. Now you need to eat something. You must be hungry." His stomach grumbles at that. 

Shivam gives him a bright smile while Kiaan's ears turn red in embarrassment. 

"Don't worry. It's not something we can control. I will send those clowns over to bring you food." Kiaan nods his head again. 

After that little crying session, he started feeling self-conscious again. It was just a heat of the moment or else he won't ever dare to hug Arjun. The gratitude was just too intense that he couldn't refuse the desire to hug him. But now, he is back to his usual self, the insecure self. For how long will their sympathy for him last? It's embarrassing to even think he is living off someone's sympathy. He is that pitiful. It makes him hate himself ever more. 

"They were very worried when you left." Shivam's words bring him back to reality. 

"Especially, Arjun. Trust me, I know that he is an asshole but a loveable asshole. It's hard to believe but he cares about you. All of them do." Shivam's monologue brings his self-hatred down to a notch.

Do they really? Why would they do that? He has been nothing but a nuisance to them. 

Shivam leaves the room and Rajeeb comes in with a tray of food. Rajeeb has always been the one good with handling such situations so they decided to send him and stay behind themselves. 

"How are you feeling, Kiaan?" Rajeeb asks, a small smile tugging at his lips. 

"G-Good." 

" It sounds like it still hurts to speak. So, don't need to put pressure on yourself to speak, alright? Your tongue hasn't healed properly yet." Rajeeb says, arranging the food, taking a spoon. 

Kiaan nods his head. His tongue does hurt but he wants to show his appreciation towards them. Too afraid that they will stop being nice to him if he doesn't do so. He knows he shouldn't think that way. Not everyone wants something in return but he can't control his thoughts. It's beyond him that someone is being nice without any reason even after all the things he has done. So, even though his tongue hurts, he wants to do his utmost best to answer them and make them feel his gratitude. 

"Arjun cooked this soup for you. I hope you like broccoli soup." Kiaan nods his head. 

He never liked broccoli, nor did he like tomatoes. Earlier in his childhood he used to throw tantrums over food but when he learnt that it didn't bother anyone if he stayed hungry day after day, when he realized no one was there to try to make him understand, he started eating everything that was given to him even though he absolutely hated it. Hey, beggars can't be choosers, can they? 

The soup is warm but not warmer than the kindness flashing in Rajeeb's eyes. When was the last time someone fed him so lovingly? 

When was the last time Rajeeb fed his triplets siblings so lovingly? They used to throw tantrums so much that his mother used to have a hard time with them. Luckily, Rajeeb was there to save the day. His brothers used to love and respect him a lot. They absolutely loved it when he used to feed them. He misses them so damn much. His hand trembles as he brings it in front of Kiaan's mouth to feed him. They would be of Kiaan's age by now if they were alive. He would be a proud brother, sending his little ones to college. That unrequited imagination brings tears to his eyes but he is fast enough to wipe those tears away before Kiaan can see them. 

Kiaan feels guilty, more than guilty. However, no matter how much he wants, he can't control himself from grabbing the plastic spoon from the tray and keeping it under his sheet, hoping Rajeeb won't see him stealing it. It's just so stressful to be sane right now. He is uncertain and overwhelmed with everything. He keeps his gaze down as Rajeeb feeds him, too ashamed to meet his eyes. 

Unknown to him, Rajeeb has seen the whole thing. Now, he has an idea why Kiaan stole Manav's gun. He will have to observe Kiaan more to know whether his theory is correct or not. He keeps feeding the boy, acting as if he didn't see anything at all. 

Rajeeb helps him with the medicine after that and asks him to take rest for a while. 

"We will talk later, Kiaan. I know thousands of thoughts must be bothering you. We will talk it out soon but you need rest." He gives the boy a closed mouth smile before walking away. 

"T-Thank…." Rajeeb looks back at that and gives him a reassured smile. 

"You are more than welcome, Kiaan." 

Rajeeb's kindness should assure him that nothing bad will happen to him while he is here, Arjun valuing his watch should have proved that to him before but he can't assure his heart. It also doesn't help that he still can't control himself from stealing. There lies his biggest insecurity. How will they take it? Even after a dose of sleeping pills, he finds it hard to sleep because both his heart and head hurt.

A/N: If you know about the famous case of "Gypsy Rose" you must know that Arjun's case is heavily inspired by it.

Actually, all the characters will have connection to reality. Some back stories will be inspired by the real life crime documentaries I've watched, some will be inspired by real life events I've seen around me.

Lastly, I've always struggled writing emotions. But I do hope I'm doing a decent job with this book.

Thank you all for giving this book a chance ♡