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(Warnings for this story include SA, SH, purging (Throwing up)

     Zed stared at the wall which was once a home turned into a prison. He hated all the tests and all the things they did to him. He was scared to disobey, terrified of what they might do next to his poor little body that was already covered in scars. Doc would try to break out of his chains trying to protect his sister and brother, he couldn't let them do what they did to him.

     They would dig their fingers into his legs (thighs) and the sides of his body. It hurt from how hard they held onto him, they would even sometimes make him bleed. There was only one human he only really trusted in the lab and his name was Cub. Cub was quick to get him out of those types of situations thankfully and Doc seemed to grow a liking to Cub. Cub helped with most of their testing which calmed all three of them down a lot. Zed, Gem, and Doc. Doc would huff smoke out when Cub got near with a needle but the most he would do was scratch his back by accident. He never drew blood from him at least. They all still hated it, especially Zed when the men came to grab him and take him somewhere. They would dig into his skin and pin him still, he didn't like it so he would always cry. I wouldn't either.

     The barbed wire they tangled around him would always press into his skin, sometimes even getting stuck. He started eating less from the plates that they gave him because he found a sleeping pill in one of them. Yes, he trusted Cub with him giving food but he wasn't the one who made it.

     Every time they would force him to eat, a few minutes after they left, he would make himself puke it all up. Doc was of course upset at this but he didn't know how to speak English to Cub. Yes he knew how to write but he barely had his chains off, unless it was to be with both his siblings.

     Zed resorted to eating whole foods, like an apple, bananas, and more fruit like that. He loved strawberries, and he pondered some of the names of the fruits, such as kiwi. Wasn't a Kiwi a bird? So many of his questions were thought of as dumb, but Cub enjoyed listening to him when he would rant about small things like that. He loved the way Zed would giggle to himself.

     He usually talked about random things like this because of interest and to help deal with the trauma he was gaining. Especially from the people that would grab onto him. He was thankful for Cub walking in and taking him to a different lab room to be tested on safely. He felt safe in Cubs arms, he felt like a brother, or even a father to him.

     Then the breakout happened. Cub helped round up a few of the testing people and they fled from the lab. Cub was badly injured by the explosions and the guns. Zed was scared he wasn't gonna live. Until they met someone on the way.

     A very tall man with scars visible all over his arms and face. His hair was white and his eyes a deep crimson red. He looked pissed off but he tried to calm himself down in front of the kids before him. Doc didn't trust him one bit but he allowed him to take them home to help patch them up, especially Cub.

     The wounds were graphic and Zed tried to stay near Cub to comfort him, kinda like a dog to comfort someone. Zed didn't like all the blood but he had to be there for Cub. It looked painful, he could see Cub was trying not to cry. Zed helped calm him down for the most part and even held onto his hands, letting him squeeze when the two men were cleaning the wounds.

     The two men almost looked like twins. Two others walked in with bags of things and they looked shocked seeing the condition of all the tiny children. They introduced themselves at Xisuma, Ex, Hels, and Wels. The knight brothers were twins and had the same scars, just like Xisuma and Ex. Zed felt safe around them and got playful with them quickly. They always looked pissed off so Zed would try and make them smile. He usually got a laugh in return or a head pat. He loved head pats.

     But anyways, they actually had a home now. Doc kept an eye out from the 4 older men around Zed. He eventually got used to them and allowed them to show him around his now home. He felt more relaxed and calm. He felt safe to eat, even though it was hard to.

     On the other hand with Zed, he was about the same as Doc but he had a secret. They never knew about the scars he made himself. How he thought it was good to do such a thing since he missed it each time he would stop. He never told anyone about it, scared he would get in major trouble.

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     While he attended High School he eventually got caught. Xisuma seemed furious and he thought he was gonna get hurt but in reality Xisuma was really worried about Zed, not sure what he did wrong. Zed tried to reassure him he was okay but he wasn't taking that answer. Zed stopped doing it after that day. It was hard to do such a thing since it was so addictive, others helped him get through it. Was it really that bad.?

     Each time before he got in the shower he would stare at his scarred up wrists. He wasn't that ashamed of them but at the same time he was. He found it hard to move on from the past but so many people were here for him now, like his brothers and his dad, Xisuma. Well he saw him as a father figure, just wouldn't really say anything about it. He was scared it would ruin their relationship.

     Zed eventually made two friends in school, Tango and Impulse. He was always so hyper around the two but they didn't mind in the slightest. He was usually shy when they would first hang out. The flower has bloomed :D

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     Zed stared down at the mess he made on the floor. He wanted the foot out but he didn't wanna throw it up on the floor. 'Tango was gonna be upset..' He thought to himself. He started to panic but he couldn't move from where he sat on the bathroom floor.

     An hour passed and Tango got worried, Impulse was taking a nap so Tango went up to the bathroom and knocked on the door. Zed was scared to open the door but he did anyway. He looked ashamed of himself as Tango cleaned it up.

Tango: "Do you feel sick Zedy.? Do you need to go home?"

     Zed quickly shook his head and clung to Tango. He gently ruffled Zed's hair and lifted him up, going downstairs where Impulse was sleeping on the couch.

Tango: "Cuddle time then?"

     That made Impulse sit up a little and Zed smiled, nodding softly to the question.

Impulse: "To the bed then"

     Impulse lifted them up, startling Tango a bit. Zed couldn't help but giggle more as Impulse walked up the stairs. They had a special room for all three of them. It had a big bed and plushies everywhere. The plush suggestion came from Zed when they first met, Zed thought they wouldn't like him anymore because of it. It had fairy lights around the walls and had a kind of nature aethstetic. That was Tango's suggestion. There was a big tv for them to watch, Zed seemed amazed when he first saw the room, it was so pretty to him. They only used this room for sleepovers, which was every weekend. Impulse helped put things up in the room and he helped pick the softness and feelings of everything.

     They loved everything about the room, when one left the room Zed would grab one of the plushies and squeeze it. He did the same thing to their arms when they were in school. Neither of them minded but they never got the story of how Zed grew up. By the things he did, yeah, he definitely wasn't in a good place, but that didn't stop them from having fun with each other. Impulse made sure not to over push boundaries, along with Tango, since he was usually chaotic and reckless.

     They all loved each other and helped the other when they needed them. Zed was often the one needing help. Though being very short, he got stuck in multiple things. He had to be reminded constantly to take his pills before sleeping as well, so he could actually sleep through the night. Goats do get stressed easily after all.

     They all laid down peacefully in the cushions and blankets they had. Zed was in the middle, squeezed in between both Tango and Impulse's warmth. Zed liked it this way. He was safe now.

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Hope this was alright