"So what do you all do exactly?" Matty asked quietly, his tone still hushed and nervous as Adam fixed him with a hard stare.

Matty had made his way inside eventually after his impromptu confession, only to be met by a sweet girl with dark hair named Sasha who had immediately set him up with a warm cup of tea and a hot meal, which almost had Matty crying all over again much to his chagrin.

George had disappeared with the other boys, and although Matty knew they were most likely talking about him since he'd given George permission to let them know why he couldn't go back home, he didn't even attempt to eavesdrop, he was too focused on shoveling as much chicken into his mouth as he could without choking to worry about anything else.

When George had returned with Adam and Ross in tow, they hadn't immediately said anything. Eventually, the silence had gotten too much for Matty, and after he had finished his plate, his curiosity had bubbled to the surface, eclipsing the soft spikes of fear that shot through him whenever he considered speaking to anyone that wasn't George.

Sasha had excused herself once she had made sure everyone was comfortable, fending off Matty's numerous thanks with a soft kiss to his cheek and a fond smile. Matty was stunned at her kindness, at everyone's really, and he found himself wondering if he had stumbled upon a secret world where the occupants truly cared for each other and carried no ill will in their hearts.

"We live," Ross shrugged, his eyes dancing over to George who had slipped himself into the open space behind Matty on the sofa, ending with Matty practically in his lap since there wasn't all that much room in the first place. "We drive around and do whatever we like, we look out for each other, we steal to survive, we smoke, and drink, and just take each day as it comes."

"None of which you're probably old enough to do," Adam cut in harshly, his thinly veiled hostility causing Matty to shrink back against George's chest in the hopes of finding some form of comfort.

"I'm fifteen, I'll be sixteen in April," Matty huffed after briefly debating if he should lie about his age or not, but he decided to be honest in the end since George had promised that he would be safe with him no matter what, and Matty trusted his word, even if that made him seem ridiculously naïve.

"Huh," Adam scoffed, but he dropped his complaints for the time being, so Matty counted that as a win.

"Don't worry about Adam, he takes a while to get comfortable around new people," Ross smiled in a reassuring manner, the upturn of his lips seeming to be entirely genuine even though Matty knew he was still a bit skeptical of his presence as well, "and if George likes you, then I'm sure we will too. Now, do you want me to have a look at you? I'm not a proper doctor or anything, but I might be able to help patch you up a bit?"

"I - I'm sure I'll be fine," Matty protested, although his ribs did ache, but he doubted anything would help with that besides some painkillers and rest.

"Let him look love, you've been wincing all night," George urged him, and as silly as it was, Matty was already helpless to deny George anything, not after he'd saved him from the streets.

George gasped harshly as Matty carefully inched off his shirt, displaying the splotchy bruises that still hadn't faded away. It looked worse than it felt, but Matty was a bit surprised that his skin was so mottled almost a week after the injuries had been inflicted.

"Fucking hell," George cursed hotly, his eyes going wide and dark in a way that might have scared Matty if anyone else was donning that expression.

"Shit," Ross breathed out before shaking his head slowly. "Let me go get the first aid kit out of the van, I should have some wraps in there."

"This is why we can't send him back," George spoke up, his gaze locking onto Adam's who was staring at Matty with a sorrowful look in his eye.

"Please don't," Matty added on, his throat going hot and tight as Adam bit on his lower lip roughly. "If you don't want me around, that's fine, I'll find somewhere else to go, just not home."

"You can stay..." Adam finally agreed with a brief nod, his voice emitting a bit strangled as if he was trying to hide whatever emotions seeing Matty in this state had invoked in him. "I'm still skeptical about this, but I won't condone you to that again. George is right, you need a family, a proper one, and if you're willing to help us out, then you will always have a place here."

"Thank you," Matty whispered, his heart swelling in his chest when Adam graced him with a small smile.

And even though Matty was still scared and confused, for the first time in far too long, he felt safe here, and accepted, wanted even, and he would do anything to keep experiencing those newfound sensations for as long as possible.