***Trigger warnings for mentions of a panic attack and sexual content.***

Start the song. It's Organs by Of Monsters and Men.

There were gentle fingers threaded in Tyler's hair when he woke up. They massaged his scalp lightly, and soothed from the crown of his head to the nape of his neck. His face was still buried against Josh's chest, letting him know that it was the other boy who was helping him to stay calm.

Tyler's eyelids only opened halfway as he looked at the knitted patterns on Josh's sweater. His body was exhausted, and the cold air lingering outside of the blankets made the insides of his nostrils burn, shooting pain all down his throat. The scar tissue inside of it tended to make Tyler feel like the nerves had been knotted up and exposed within his throat, and the growing cold seemed to aggravate them. His throat felt a bit tight and swollen, making it hard for him to swallow. It wouldn't help to tell anyone that though because he wouldn't be able to leave and get help anyway. He had to stay. He had to push through this.

"I think it's snowing up there," Josh told Tyler quietly, his breath visible before him when Tyler looked up.

Tyler nodded although he didn't know for sure. He remained tucked against Josh instead, borrowing as much of his body heat as possible. He sniffled quietly, making pain shoot down his throat again.

"Do you wanna talk about...about what happened earlier?" Josh asked hesitantly.

Nothing had happened. Tyler had done what he was supposed to, watched Bea leave, spat blood into the dirt, and cleaned up the mess. None of that was uncommon for Tyler lately.

Since he couldn't really say that, Tyler simply shook his head. Josh nodded, his hand still soothing against Tyler's scalp. Jim was fast asleep on the other side of Tyler, his nose just barely peeking out from under the blankets. It was when Tyler looked over at Jim that Josh noticed.

"Your throat is swollen," Josh realized out loud. "Does it hurt?"

Tyler nodded, laying his head back down on the pillow beside Josh's. He winced when Josh's fingers brushed along his scar, gently locating his glands and feeling them too. It surprised Tyler how thoroughly Josh inspected his throat, even going so far as to tell Tyler to say "ah" and let him look at the inside. Tyler did not say "ah" since he couldn't really say anything, but he did open his mouth and let Josh look at his throat.

"It's swollen on the inside too, dude. It's not your glands or anything. It's by your scar. Also, how the hell are you alive, dude? The inside of your throat is insane," Josh said, making Tyler smile slightly.

He didn't really know how to reply, looking around for his notebook. Josh handed it to him immediately, watching as he wrote with a shaky hand. He took the notebook when Tyler handed it to him and read the words: "Jenna's dad fixed my throat. He salvaged what he could. Honestly it would probably be a lot more disgusting if anyone else had tried."

"So what do we do? How do we take care of the swelling and stuff?" Josh asked.

Tyler shrugged. They both stared at each other for a second, feeling a bit helpless. Josh's thumb lightly brushed over the ridge of his scar again. "Do you taste blood or anything?"

Although it wasn't true, Tyler shook his head. Josh seemed relieved, returning his fingers to Tyler's hair.

"Maybe they'll let you go home if they know you're not feeling well," Josh suggested.

Tyler shook his head. It wouldn't make any difference. If he left here, Gefjon would kill him and terrorize his family. If he stayed, he was the only one at risk of choking on his own blood and dying in the night. He had to stay.

"I'm sorry, Ty," Josh replied sympathetically despite not having heard Tyler's thoughts.

Tyler shrugged, scooting closer to Josh. Maybe it was because of the cold permeating their bones, but Josh didn't complain when Tyler got so close that their noses were touching. He just pulled the blankets up higher over Tyler and himself, hiding Jim away completely beneath the blankets. The little clouds that left their mouths and noses with each exhale billowed together between them.

Just when Tyler was almost asleep again, the cellar door opened again. The girls all came down, carrying bundles of blankets. Snowflakes clung to their hair and coats, proving that Josh's assumption about the weather had been correct. The boys both shivered even more as the cold slipped in, and even Jim seemed hesitant to leave the bed despite the new arrivals. He just lifted his head out of the blankets and rested it atop Tyler's shoulder so he could monitor what the girls were carrying toward Josh.

Some part of Tyler was incredibly relieved when Josh didn't push him away as soon as the girls came down the stairs. He was still playing with Tyler's hair and allowing Tyler to share his body heat. Although Tyler knew that whenever the girls all came down, it usually meant he would have to push his body too far, he felt calmer in the knowledge that Josh was here too. Not only did Josh's presence mean that he at least wouldn't have to sleep with Solána, crossing one girl off the list, but it also meant that he wouldn't have to be down here alone when they all left him.

Tyler was shivering again, especially when Josh was intercepted by Solána, who rolled him over onto his back and kissed him over and over again while asking him repeatedly if he was okay or cold or scared or uncomfortable. Jim was still pressed against Tyler, but the side of his body that had been borrowing heat from Josh was now exposed, making him shiver even more.

"Hey, sweetheart," Jenna cooed softly when she came to sit in front of him.

Jim sat up, watching her closely as if he was absolutely certain that he needed to protect Tyler from her. That left Tyler's other side exposed too, and his teeth started to chatter.

"Here, sit up. I stopped by your house on the way home and got some warmer sweaters, a thicker coat, some beanies, and wool socks," Jenna told him in a soothing tone.

He sat up shakily, letting her pull a thick sweater over the one he was already wearing. A grey beanie was then pulled over his ears, and then his legs were being eased out from under the covers so Jenna could pull a pair of wool socks over his old ones. He was still shivering, but not nearly as much. The new sweater was a turtleneck, blocking his swollen throat from view before she'd even seen it. He was grateful for that too as she pulled the blankets back over him.

"Can you handle this today? You look tired," Jenna checked in carefully.

The other girls were waiting on the steps though, and he knew he wouldn't have much of a choice. They wouldn't force him to do anything, but he would still feel guilty if he didn't. He nodded. Jenna studied his eyes again, trying to make sure that was true.

"Are you gonna need help?" She proceeded just as she always did on days like this.

Tyler swallowed, regretting the decision when excruciating pain followed the action, along with the taste of blood. Still, he nodded. Jenna nodded too, and suddenly his eyelashes fluttered as the scent of pomegranate overwhelmed him. The pain in his throat and body were just an afterthought now that he could smell what he wanted-what he needed-more than anything in the world.

He heard Josh gasp beside him, and Tyler wondered if he could smell it too, or if Solána was doing something similar. She had to be doing something though because Tyler didn't feel them leave the bed despite how uncomfortable Josh had been the day before with the idea of having sex in the same general vicinity as Tyler and Jenna.

Even when the taste of Jenna's lips and the feeling of her hands unbuttoning his jeans caused Tyler's mind to short-circuit, giving in to the pomegranate scent and making his brain temporarily turn off, he still didn't hear Josh and Solána leave.

By the time Tyler's thoughts started to reorganize and become functional again, the girls were gone. Only Solána remained, her fingers trailing along Josh's sweater-clad back as he slept against her chest. Tyler blinked, looking around tiredly.

Every inch of Tyler's body was sore. He was grateful for the effects of Jenna's essence though. He wasn't so sure he would've been able to get through all of that without it.

"Jenna's dad came home, so she had to go back upstairs before he came looking for her," Solána whispered to him when she saw that he was awake.

Tyler nodded, his arms aching as he lifted them to sign to her, "Is Josh okay?"

She nodded, but she looked solemn. "He was worried about you. He went to the dream place after, and he didn't come back until the girls were all finished with you. You were shaking after, no matter how many blankets we gave you, and Josh said he thought you might be getting sick or something. He said your throat was swollen earlier and that it felt like you had a fever. I used my essence on him though, so he wasn't really aware of what was going on with you until after he woke up. He yelled at the girls until they cried because they all slept with you even though you had a fever. He's worried about you."

Tyler rested his forehead against the space between Josh's shoulders, wanting Josh's warmth again but not wanting to intrude. Josh didn't wake up, still breathing softly against Solána's chest. He looked peaceful, but Tyler could see the dried tear tracks on his cheeks.

"I put him back under so he would sleep," Solána explained quietly. "He wouldn't take an anxiety pill because he didn't want you to wake up and be alone. He was panicking though, so I wrapped him in lavender. He's dreaming about a girl from Columbus."

It was clear to Tyler that Solána was hurt by that, but she wasn't willing to admit just how much. She was trying to keep Josh in his protected cocoon of sleep, regardless of what he needed to dream of in order to feel safe. Tyler offered her a supportive smile despite how weak it was. He had no energy left.

"I was going to leave once he fell asleep, but he's pinning me down. I'm afraid he'll wake up if I move him," Solána whispered. "I think he needs someone to hold him right now."

Once again, Tyler had to use the rest of his strength to help Solána roll Josh onto his chest instead of hers. Josh didn't even stir, too deeply immersed in the scent surrounding him to realize he'd been moved. Solána kissed his cheek before leaning over to press a kiss to Tyler's lips. He watched her climb out of bed, pull her shoes and coat back on over the rest of her clothing, and disappear through the cellar door.

As soon as the door closed, Josh was awake. He sat up, gasping and struggling to breathe as he looked around the dark cellar. Jim yipped quietly, trotting over to lie beside Josh, kissing his cheeks enthusiastically as he did so. Josh's confusion remained until he saw Tyler, and then he looked afraid.

"Are you okay? She was using that weird magic shit on you, wasn't she? Ty, you just kept letting them sleep with you. You slept with all of them, and none of them even noticed you weren't well until you coughed blood on Ashley's shirt. You nodded whenever they asked if they could sleep with you, but it didn't look like you were even inside of your body," Josh rambled out fearfully, his arms immediately wrapping around Tyler's aching body and pulling him in close against Josh's warm chest. "Are you okay?"

Tyler nodded despite how sick and withered he felt. He shivered against Josh when soothing fingers threaded into his hair again. He held on loosely to the front of Josh's sweater, closing his eyes.

"This is all so fucked up," Josh said, his voice trembling.

Tyler wrapped an arm around Josh, rubbing his back softly. His eyes remained closed. He was too tired to write Josh any messages, and he couldn't speak verbally, so he just had to try to convey without words that everything was going to be okay.

"I miss my mom and dad," Josh said after a moment, and Tyler knew he was starting to cry. "They're probably so scared right now. They know I would never run away. They have to know something is wrong. Does that mean they'll find us?"

Since Tyler didn't really have an answer for that, he just hugged Josh tighter. He squeezed his eyes shut when he heard Josh start to cry. Jim whined, pleading with Tyler to release Josh so he could lie on top of his owner and do his job, but Tyler couldn't release him. He just held onto him as tightly as he could, as tightly as he'd needed someone to hold him when he'd spent his first month down here completely alone. Josh's hand fisted itself in Tyler's hair, and Tyler didn't complain about how it hurt his scalp. He just held Josh and let him cry.

Josh cried until he had no tears left, and Tyler held him through it. When Josh had exhausted himself past the point of being able to cry, his grip on Tyler's hair released, and he tucked his face against Tyler's swollen throat. There was no revulsion or sudden horror that he was touching Tyler's disgustingly marred skin. He just sniffled quietly, his eyelashes brushing against Tyler's scar like butterfly wings as he closed his eyes.

"I'm glad you're down here with me. I wouldn't be able to do this if I was alone," Josh whispered in a hoarse voice.

Tyler held Josh closer, ghosting his palm across the short hair starting to grow from Josh's once shaved head. "You would," he mouthed, although Josh wouldn't hear.

Josh's breaths were warm against his throat, which soothed the aching just beneath the skin even if only a little bit. His fingers left Tyler's hair, loosely gripping the front of Tyler's sweater instead.

"Tyler?" Josh whispered. "I don't think you should sleep with them when you're not feeling well. With the cold, lack of sunlight, and questionable nutrition down here, I don't think it's easy for your body to get the energy to heal itself. You shouldn't be using your energy trying to knock them up when you need it to heal."

Tyler sighed. He knew that was true, but he couldn't promise that. If the snow had fallen today, that meant the Harvest was nearing its close. They were running out of time. He couldn't afford to stop now. If they didn't hold up their end of the deal, Gefjon wouldn't hold up hers.

Almost as if Josh heard Tyler's thoughts, he whispered against Tyler's throat, "If you promise me you'll focus on getting better, I promise I'll do your job down here until you're healthy enough to do it on your own again."

Tyler immediately shook his head, mouthing the word "no" over and over again. Josh couldn't sleep with all of these girls. He couldn't force himself to be that uncomfortable all the time just because Tyler was ill. Tyler would never forgive himself for that.

"And before you try to be all noble and think you can protect me or whatever, just remember that if you die down here, I'm alone," Josh said suddenly, making Tyler's stomach drop. Then he was moving to rest his head on the pillow beside Tyler's, their noses nearly touching as Josh looked at him seriously through pink, puffy eyes. "Promise?"

Tyler hesitated before nodding. He closed his eyes when Josh let out a shaky breath of relief, pressing their foreheads together. His hand left Tyler's shirt to hold his cheek, rubbing it softly with his thumb. The action surprised Tyler. It seemed intimate, like something no one but Jenna would ever do to him. He tried to force down the part of himself that wanted to melt into the touch, to cling to Josh and never let go. This was the weakness Gefjon had trapped him with: the need for affection and connection. He needed to feel like he meant something to someone, and he clung to anyone who showed him even a fraction of what he needed from them.

"I promise," Tyler tried to whisper, only succeeding in mouthing the word and spitting static out of his mouth. He wanted to tear at his throat, to reconnect the sliced vocal cords and use them to tell Josh everything he needed to hear right now.

Josh's eyes opened at the sound of Tyler's attempt to speak, his thumb still softly brushing along Tyler's cheekbone. He studied Tyler's eyes for just a moment before smiling at him tiredly. Tyler's heart felt strangled in his chest as he attempted to smile back. Hoping he wasn't pushing any boundaries too far, he pulled back enough to press a kiss to the tip of Josh's nose before reverting back to his previous position, his heart thundering in his chest.

Thankfully, Josh just smiled before closing his eyes again. "Goodnight, Ty," he whispered, his thumb still soothing the blush on Tyler's cheeks.

Tyler wanted to apologize immediately when Josh's hand left his cheek, and his head left the pillow beside Tyler's, but then Josh was tucked in against Tyler's throat again. Tyler let out a breath that he hoped Josh wouldn't know was from relief.

He nearly choked on it though when he felt soft lips touch the scar on his throat before Josh's arm wrapped itself around Tyler's waist. His breaths were warm as they slowly evened out, mingling with quiet snores. Despite the exhaustion and pain filling Tyler's body, he couldn't bring himself to try to go to sleep when Josh was wrapped around him like only Jenna had ever been.

Only Jim saw the blush on Tyler's cheeks, and he didn't judge. His tail wagged when Tyler looked at him. His head cocked to the side and his ears raised when Tyler mouthed, "This is bad," to the dog.

Jim simply snuggled against Josh and closed his eyes, not giving Tyler any sort of clue on how he should handle this. He was pretty sure he held his breath until he fell asleep. The inside of his throat burned so badly he wanted to cry, but the outside felt just fine when Josh's breathing kept it warm.

When Tyler opened his eyes, he was in the dream place again. Josh was still fast asleep in the same position as before, and Jim was dozing off on the other side of him. Tyler looked around without moving, making sure Gefjon wasn't wandering blindly through the meadow again. There was no one in sight. They were safely alone.

"Josh," Tyler whispered.

No response.

"Josh?" Tyler whispered a bit louder.

"Mmm?" Josh grumbled, not moving away from his hiding spot.

"I promise," he said, needing to hear the words the said aloud.

He felt Josh smile against his throat. "Are we in the dream place?" He mumbled tiredly.

"Yeah," Tyler replied.

"Does that mean we're naked right now?" Josh asked hesitantly.

Tyler squeezed his eyes shut. "I don't think we want to know the answer to that."

Josh laughed quietly. "Yeah, maybe not." He yawned before asking, "Does your throat hurt here?"

"No, I'm good," Tyler replied quietly. "I don't even have a scar here. It's like that injury doesn't exist anymore."

"Good," Josh commented. "I'm gonna go back to sleep, and I think you should try to do that too."

"Okay," Tyler agreed, taking in a deep breath as he tried to will his body to give in to the exhaustion that was overwhelming him.

The gasp that left Tyler's lips when Josh's fingertips brushed his skin as he wrapped an arm around his waist was completely unintentional, and Tyler was immediately humiliated by it. Josh didn't comment on it though, his breathing slowly beginning to even out. It took forever to fall asleep, even in his dream. Maybe that was good though. Maybe he needed to stay awake and make sure that Gefjon didn't come into the meadow. He didn't know. All he knew was that he wasn't going to let anything hurt Josh.