He carefully stroked the individual strands of hair away from JC’s face, so none tickled his nose or his eyes or anything else. Joey and Lance stood near the other wall, hunched together and whispering like he couldn’t hear them. JC was in his lap, sleeping.

“No,” Lance said. “Justin found him like that.”

“Justin… Where were you?”

A muscle ticked near JC’s eye; Justin’s fingers smoothed over it.

“They chose me again.”

“For a search? The fucking third time this week.”

“Joey…” Justin looked up then, at the warning tone. Joey was angry, he could see it, but angry at what, he didn’t know. He didn’t think Joey did either.

“It doesn’t matter. We could follow all their fucking rules and it doesn’t even matter.”

Lance watched Joey’s back as he walked away, Justin could see his eyes following, almost defeated but still loving. He thought they might be dying, they might all be dying, they just didn’t know it yet.

Lance caught Justin’s eyes and the defeat was still there, so was the love. They still had each other. “He moved yet?” Lance asked.

Justin shook his head.

Lance just sighed.

They didn’t eat dinner so much as poke at it. Justin spent most of his time watching JC, counting every mouthful he lifted in the standard issue spoon, brow creasing with worry when JC pushed the bowl away, still half full. He hadn’t been given much to start with.

“C, you okay?” Justin asked, leaning toward him.

JC nodded and stood, almost got away from the table before he collapsed completely.

Justin was at his side before he could hit the ground, supporting him, cradling him. He could hear the worried cries of the others, but he blocked them out. JC’s whisper hit his ears instead.

“Don’t let me go. They call me, don’t let me go.” JC repeated it several more times, shaking, almost cowering against Justin and the floor and the table leg.

"They? Who?" Justin heard Joey ask.

JC didn't answer, just whispered over and over again, "don't let me go, don't let me go."

“I won’t.” Justin wrapped his arms tighter around him, holding on, his nose in JC’s hair and his eyes, when they met Lance’s, were wet. “I won’t, C. I won’t.”