A/N: Ben and Tybalt are friends in this one, if not only because of circumstance. You'll understand.

*********************************

*Benvolio's PoV*

"Tybalt, you have to tell someone what's going on! You can't keep this a secret forever," I implored, pressing a peroxide soaked cotton ball to the cut on Tybalt's forehead. He hissed in pain, but shook his head nonetheless.

"Nobody can know, Benvolio. We've been over this."

"Please, Tybalt, you need to-"

"No!" Tybalt shouted, twisting around to face me.

"I don't need to do anything. If I tell someone, that'll make this whole thing worse. I couldn't do that to anyone, including you. We keep this between ourselves."

I sighed.

"Fine, but at least allow me one thing?"

"And what might that be?" Tybalt asked tiredly.

"I want to be there the next time something like this happens." I said firmly, my gaze set firmly on the bruises scattered around my friend's body. Tybalt looked at him in disbelief.

"Absolutely not! Hate to say this, but he hates you. If you're around when he's drunk, there's no telling what he'd do to you."

"That's exactly why I need to be there Tybs. I can't keep sitting here and doing nothing." I implored, dousing another cotton ball with disinfectant and wiping the blood off of Tybalt's forehead.

"I'm not backing down on this, Ben. I'm not letting you get hurt."

(Time-skip because I'm lazy, sue me.)

The garage door closed with a bang, and Tybalt jumped.

"Benvolio, leave, now." He ordered, pushing me towards the door. It was too late.

I couldn't see the kitchen from my place around the corner, but what I heard wasn't good. There was a clatter, and the sound of shoes being kicked off.

"What the hell is this?"

Tybalt ducked his head, hands trembling at his sides.

Tybalt was never scared. Or, so I thought. In that moment, I could practically feel the nervousness radiating off of him in waves.

"I asked you to do one thing, and you couldn't even do that! Honestly, Tybalt, you're useless." Tybalt's father's voice was clear, his words dripping with hatred, but they were easy to make out, which meant one thing.

He wasn't drunk. Tybalt said he was never like this when he was sober.

Shit.

"I come home after a long day at work, and I see this shit, Tybalt, really?" His dad was fuming, it made my heart pound.

"You can't do anything right!" He screamed, slamming a hand down on the counter. Tybalt flinched.

"I'm sorry, sir."

It was barely a whisper, but I heard it.

Sir.

Sir.

Fuck. My heart dropped. Before I could do anything, Tybalt's father was standing directly in front of him. He was seething. I was surprised he hadn't noticed me, but he did seem rather focused.

"You need to learn some respect, got that? I'm the one who takes care of you, who gives you food and clothing and your damn phone, and you have the audacity to leave my house messy?" He growled, taking a step closer to Tybalt.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Please, I'm sorry. Dad, please don't do this, please."

"Sorry doesn't cut it! You need to learn how to listen to me!" Tybalt's father grabbed his wrist and tugged it, hard.

"Do you hear me?"

Tybalt said nothing. His father shoved him until his back hit the counter and he stumbled.

"Do. You. Hear. Me?" He asked, pushing Tybalt back with every word. Tyb nodded feverishly, eyes brimming with tears that threatened to spill over.

"See, now I don't believe you." His father mocked, stepping closer and closer to Tybalt, who continued to shrink into himself.

Tybalt's father grabbed Tybalt's wrists again, pushing his son to the floor and kicking him in the side. Tybalt screamed, a sound so piercing and short lived that it made my heart drop.

"The fuck did I tell you about screaming, boy? Are you retarded as well as useless?"

Tybalt silenced himself, shaking.

I couldn't stand this anymore, I was livid. This guy had no right to do what he was doing to Tybalt.

Without a second thought, I marched into the kitchen. Fueled by adrenaline, I pulled Tybalt's father away from him.

"What the hell do you think you were doing to him?" I shouted, putting myself between the man and Tybalt.

"How I choose to discipline my child is none of your concern. I'm going to have to ask you to leave." Tybalt's father said levely.

"It becomes my concern once you put marks on his skin!" I shouted. My only concern was putting distance between Tybalt and his father.

"You'd better get out of my house before I put marks on your skin, boy."

My blood ran cold. With that simple sentence I lost all of my confidence.

"Not so tough now, are you, you queer fuck? Now step aside and let me talk to my kid before I make you move." Tybalt's father threatened, eyes filled with hatred.

My hands were shaking, and it felt like my heart was going to beat through my chest.

"N-no."

"Benvolio, fucking move!" He shouted at me, and I flinched.

"You can't touch him again, and you can't touch me! You'll go to prison," I said, voice shaking. Tybalt's father smiled cruelly.

"You won't have any proof."

My heart sank. Part of me knew he was right, that I should just step aside, let this happen.

But the other part still screamed at me. He was going to hurt Tybalt, I couldn't stand down.

"You want a punching bag, yeah? Fine, use me." I told him. Tybalt's father considered me for a moment. The fact that he was calm made my head spin.

"Ben!" Tybalt hissed quietly.

"Stop being a martyr," he implored. I ignored him.

"I won't let you hurt my friend!" I promised Tybalt's father. He laughed.

"What, like you can stop me. You're more pathetic than he is!"

I realized with a start that there were no rules in this house. The doors were closed, the shades drawn. I was at the mercy of a man with something broken behind his hate-filled eyes and I was terrified.

This was Tybalt's reality. It was horrifying. The unexplained bruises, the fear that never seemed to leave his face, the way he never truly settled down, constantly on edge.

My heart broke a thousand times for my friend.

"I'll try my best. You have no right to do this to him, to anyone, so you better believe I am not backing down," I hissed.

Tybalt's father rolled his eyes.

"Honestly kid, if people really cared about my worthless excuse of a kid, they would have done something about it already. But they don't, so none of this matters."

"I care about him! More than you ever have! You're a sorry excuse for a father, and a pathetic excuse for a human being. I don't care if this is your house, Tybalt's my friend, and you won't hurt him," I said. This conversation was making me sick. I never would have imagined that I would be doing this.

"Don't you fucking insult me in my house!" Tybalt's father was standing way too close, and I was terrified.

"Then leave your son alone!"

Apparently this was not the correct thing for me to say. Tybalt's father shoved me against the wall, pulling me down by my collar.

"You care to run that one by me again, kid?" He hissed, pulling my hair up so I was staring directly into his eyes. He pushed me further back into the wall.

"C'mon, Ben. Say it."

I shook my head feverishly, watching the room spin as Tybalt's father dropped me to the ground next to Tybalt.

"I'm going to get a drink, and you to better have gotten the fuck out of my house before I come back here, or there'll be hell to pay. I don't want to see either of your faces ever again."

Tybalt didn't need to be told twice. He grabbed my hand and pulled me out the door faster than I would have thought possible.

We sprinted towards my house, and I grabbed my keys from my pocket.

"Tyb, get in the car," I said, clicking the fob twice to unlock it and clambering inside. As soon as Tybalt slammed his door, I re-locked the doors.

"Okay, I know you said it was bad, but what the actual fuck just happened?" I asked. I rested my forearms on the steering wheel, just now noticing how hard my hands were trembling.

"I don't want to talk about this. Can we just go?" Tybalt said quietly, glancing behind us every few seconds. I took a deep breath and nodded, shoving the keys into the ignition.

"Yeah, yeah. Let's go."

*********************************
I know, I'm so mean to my characters.

Sorry, guys.

Peace.