1

Mark’s POV

Three months. 

That’s how long I’ve been away from everyone and how long I’ve yet to see the outside world. You’d imagine with my long disappearance that maybe I went on a vacation or decided to go off the grid. But that’s where you’re wrong. 

I was walking home one day after coming out of work. I got out at midnight since I have several jobs to keep paying the bills. Since I was little I was always neglected by my mother. My father wasn’t even a part of the picture. And thank goodness. Years later I found out he had murdered an innocent family trying to rob them to buy drugs. I wondered why my mother never told me. She wouldn’t have gained anything from telling me. But she wouldn’t have gained anything if she didn’t tell me. 

I moved away from home as soon as I turned 18. I tried running away before but child services found me under a bridge at the crack of dawn sleeping under a cardboard box. They returned me despite me insisting that my mother was a horrible woman. Instead my mom lied saying that I was a bad kid and always getting dramatic. They believed her. They actually believed the lies she spat out. 

Needless to say that day was full of pain as she threw furniture at me. I ended up locking myself in the bathroom for three days straight and only finally came out when I heard her leave the house. 

My 18th birthday rolled around. Unlike other 18 year olds who got a nice party and cake and maybe even a car and money, I was packing. At 4 am I got up and packed all my essentials into a bag. I didn’t have much. I took a small journal I kept that was given to me by my high school English teacher who treated me as her own son. 

Ms. Johnson was such a nice woman. She knew about my struggles because one day I came in with a black eye. Everyone assumed it was because I got hit with a tennis ball since I was on the tennis team. Ms. Johnson saw through my lies and found out. She always offered me food and a place to stay when things at home got rough. But she died in my senior year of high school from a heart attack. I cried and attended her funeral. I guess she remembered about me because she left me $2,500 in cash. 

At first I refused the money but Ms. Johnson’s granddaughter insisted I take it. I did but didn’t use any of the money. It wasn’t until I finally concocted the plan to run away that I found purpose in my money. I packed the money in my bag but held onto a few hundred bucks in my pocket. 

With one final look, I saluted goodbye to the house that had caused me so much torment. I left a note on the table telling my mom that I’m leaving. I’m pretty sure she didn’t care because a missing child report or search was never made for me. 

“What about college?” you may ask. 

I didn’t go. Despite me being good at tennis and having amazing grades, I simply couldn’t afford it. Applying for financial aid was hard because my mom never gave me answers. Ms. Johnson tried to help before her passing but it simply wasn’t enough. I left school not even graduating with a diploma. I moved away, to another city in search of a better life. 

I was able to find a small apartment that paid under the table. It was cheap but the apartment was bad. Creaky floors and leaky taps. Plus it was located in a sketchy part of the city. It was still better than the place I used to call home. 

I worked at a pizza place for a while until I was laid off because the shop was closing. I found another job at a gas station until I quit because the manager tried to touch me. When no one did anything, I left. 

At this point, I was desperate for money. I didn’t want to use Ms. Johnson’s money since that was my way of remembering her along with the journal. So I worked three jobs part time to make ends meet. 

I slept for six hours, the rest of the days filled with working my ass off. I never had time to go out with friends because I didn’t have any. I never went on a walk or out to eat. It was just me alone with loneliness that can cause one to go mad. 

Five months later I was walking home at midnight. It was a long day. Some Karen threw a slushie at me at the movie theaters because I told her that her son needed to sit in his own seat rather than on her lap. My shirt got sticky but Martha, someone who I’m starting to consider a friend, gave me a spare. 

Martha was someone who I met a few days into my movie theater job. She was my age and beautiful. We talked sometimes about random things. I told her about my life and she told me about hers. She told me that she could’ve gone to college but decided it wasn’t for her. Her parents were mad but gave her money to start a life. She only worked at the movie theaters to get experience on how it is to have a job. She didn’t need the money since she had enough. She’s tried giving me her paycheck but I decline it because I don’t want to seem like a beggar. 

The cold from outside has to be in the low twenties. I shivered. I should’ve brought a jacket. Oh well. I’ve made worse decisions before. I walked for a while until I heard the sound of footsteps behind me. I turned around and saw no one. 

“It’s just in your head.” I told myself. 

I continued walking but the footsteps came back. I felt paranoid so I stopped walking. For a millisecond I heard a footstep before the person realized I stopped so they also stopped. Now I knew for sure I wasn’t imagining things. 

I sprinted fast and ran down the barely illuminated street. The shops were closed and the windows covered in graffiti as trash littered the floor. 

The sound of my stalker’s footsteps got faster as I breathed faster to get oxygen to my lungs. I felt myself wanting to collapse but I persevered. I entered a dark alley to use as a shortcut. I’ve only used this street twice and that was because I was close to being mugged. I ran through the alley but the sound of footsteps behind me got closer. I was near exiting when a hand came around my mouth. 

I tried screaming but the person gripped my mouth hard which muffled my screams. I kicked but was dropped onto the floor. I was positioned to look at the man who captured me. He wore a black mask and concealed his face as much as possible. He pinned me down with one arm and the other searched for something in his pocket. 

A needle. 

He brought it closer to my neck. I tried pleading but it was as if he didn’t hear me. Or maybe he did but didn’t care. Looking back now, I should’ve screamed. But I was frozen as the needle got closer and closer to my neck. I was shocked. I couldn’t move. 

Tears ran down my face. My life flashed before my eyes. My life… flashed… before my eyes. I thought about how useless my life was. How pathetic it was. Constantly running away from trouble. Fearing for everything. Never having anyone for me to love. Ms. Johnson flashed but she was dead. Martha flashed but we weren’t that close. My mother didn’t care, my dad was in prison, and my boss would probably fire me if I were to get killed before they even knew. Do I really want to live? Will anyone miss me? 

Would Martha care? My boss? The police system? Surely they wouldn’t investigate my disappearance since I was just a low class worker who had no one. I would probably be searched for a few days before they gave up and declared me dead. Then all my possessions would be thrown away by my rent collector. 

I sobbed quietly at these thoughts. I felt the needle sting into my neck and a hot liquid injected. My body became numb and my last thoughts were ‘When will someone love me?’

I woke up to a loud bang. I jolted awake but groaned in pain as my neck ached. I observed my surroundings and was in a lightly lit room. There was barely any furniture except for a couch and a drawer. Also the chair that I just realized I was tied in. I wiggled around but the thick ropes began ripping into my skin. I stopped when the cuts burned and itched. 

From the corner of the room the door opened and in came a man. I couldn’t make out his face since the room was still dark. He got closer and it was an old man. He had salt and pepper hair and had wrinkles. He smirked at me. 

“W-what do you want f-from me-e?” I whimpered out. He giggled deeply at my horrible question. He didn’t answer but rather got closer to me. I jerked my face back to avoid him getting closer. 

He brought his hands to my face and touched my cheeks. He rubbed them softly and I sobbed. His fingers felt weird and rough. I rubbed his thumb until he slapped me hard. 

I let out a shriek of pain. My right cheek burned and I put my head down to protect myself more. He grabbed my cheeks forcefully while bringing my head up to look at him. I saw fury in his eyes. Why was he angry? Was he angry at me? What did I do?

“So, you dared tell my wife what she couldn’t do?!? Who are you to order her around?!” He spoke in a threatening voice. It worked because I cowered in fear. Who’s his wife? I don’t remember ordering anyone around. 

“Thank God she spilled that drink on you earlier.” He said and it clicked. The Karen. I struggled as I tried to break free. This man is psychotic. I didn’t do anything wrong. I just followed normal procedure and he’s blaming me for his incompetent wife. 

“You’re gonna have to pay for yelling at her.” He said as he reached his hands to my waist. 

“I-I d-didn’t yell at her!” I pleaded. He ignored me as his hands got closer to my waist. I braced for the worst until I felt his fingers in my pocket. He pulled out my wallet. I signed in relief because I thought he was going to do something worse. 

He opened my collapsing wallet that I’ve had for years and searched through it. He grunted angrily as he threw it on the floor as he clutched ten dollars in his hands. I didn’t have much on me. 

“Seriously! Surely a lousy kid would’ve had more money!” He threw the money on the floor and pulled out his phone to call someone. 

“Brad. I got a kid here who insulted my wife. You want him?” WANT ME? What does he mean want me? I panicked and shook in my seat aggressively.

“Calm down!” He said as he held me down to stop moving. I couldn’t stop. I hated the situation I was in. I was just walking home. Now here I am, strapped to a chair in some guy’s house awaiting my impending doom.

I jerked more and more while the guy tried to hold me down to stop me. The cuts on my wrists from the rope didn’t hurt anymore. It did, but my body ignored the pain to focus on the bigger picture here. The man stood up and he went to the corner of the room where the wooden dresser was. He opened it and I stopped moving to see what he was doing. He pulled something out and I stopped to get a better view at what he was holding. I squinted my eyes to see better in the dark and saw it was a baseball bat.

“W-what are you doing?” I asked as I cowered more into my seat. He walked towards me and raised the bat.

BANG!

I was hit in the head hard. I felt the top of my head feel warm and tingly. Then I felt wet. I didn’t know what I was but I put two and two together and guessed it was blood. Slowly I began to spiral out and became nauseous and dizzy. I saw stars in my vision as my kidnapper chuckled slowly. My eyes drooped and closed until I was out.

A sudden sting of pain woke me up and I jolted. I gasped and brought my hands to my arms where the pain came from. I came to the realization that my hands were free. I observed my wrists and saw blood on them. They stung when I touched them, feeling the inflamed cuts begin to harden from the scabs forming. 

The pain that woke me was a burn. It was circular and had ashes all over it. A cigarette burn.

“Oh goody. You’re awake.” A random voice said. I jolted to the left and saw a man standing there. He was different. I didn’t know who he was and frankly I didn’t care. I was hoping he would let me free but my luck so far has been the worst. 

“Now we can have some fun!” He smirked mischievously. I began to hyperventilate. Not again. I didn’t do anything wrong! I never did anything wrong!

I’ve always been a law abiding citizen. I never jay walked. I never littered on the floor. I never even so much as stolen a candy bar. I’ve already suffered enough. I had no parents, barely any friends, and the only familial figure in my life was dead. I had three jobs and slept enough. I maintained a healthy life. And instead God decides to punish me. Why have you forsaken me?

“Heard from a buddy that you insulted his wife.” 

“No, I didn’t.” I breathed in desperation.

“Don’t lie to me boy! I know you did!” He raised his voice. His voice was raspy. Not in a sexy way but more in that one teacher who you hated with a raspy voice. It actually hurt my ears and I wished I was him so I could clear the voice for him. His eyes were dark and brown. They had a look of hate filled with disgust. 

“But I didn’t! I swear on my life.” I pleaded only to be met with a kick to my stomach. I screamed and sobbed a bit while clutching my abdomen. I breathed like my life depended on it. I heard my kidnapper laughing hysterically at my suffering.

“Why are you doing this to me?” I cried while looking up at him. 

“Because…” he kicked me again, “it’s fun. I like seeing you in pain.” I received another kick on my back and screamed again. 

He walked to a table nearby and rummaged his hands through it. I heard the clinking of metal hitting one another. I worried about what he had there. Last time my other capture pulled out a baseball which he proceeded to hit me on the head with. So my anxiety went up when the clinking stopped and panic set in. He turned around and held a serrated knife. 

The serrated knife had a red handle and the blade was long. The blade had ridges that looked sharp. The ridges were swigly and shined in the light. He came closer to me and held the knife towards me. I moved back until my back hit a cold wall. I shivered at the contact and panicked even more. I was cornered. There was no escape.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“What does it look like? I’m gonna cut you.” He said nonchalantly. I tried to imagine how the blade would feel. Those ridges making excessive cuts that were deep. Unlike a normal knife which made clean cuts, a serrated knife had no smooth edge. It was rough which scared me.

My capturer got closer to me and grabbed my arm. I winced at the pain because the cuts have yet to heal. He didn’t care and forcefully held my arm out towards himself. He brought the blade closer to my arm and let the blade touch my skin. It just laid there as he glided it across my skin. The roughness from the blade hurt my skin a bit.

“You ready kid? I don’t care actually.” In a quick movement, he dug the knife into my skin. I screamed louder than ever. He sliced into my arm aggressively like I was bread. The ridges hurt like a bitch. I screamed and my voice slowly hurt. My throat was starting to strain from my screaming. I wished I died at that moment.

This pain was unbearable. I didn’t deserve this. At least I think I didn’t. 

After a few minutes of him making cuts on my arm, I passed out. My mind couldn’t handle the pain and so it decided to shut down to avoid even more. My mind went blank. I feared. But this time for the unknown. Before I never worried about the future. Whatever happened I could deal with because my life was uneventful so everything was planable. I could adjust quickly. However, that quickly gets thrown out the window when kidnapped.

Because this time, I worried. I didn’t want to know what would happen to me tomorrow. It was uncertain. And I think that’s worse than knowing. Knowing means you’re expecting it. You can mentally prepare yourself. But not knowing leaves your mind open to interpretation. Your mind can think of the most vile subjects, which not only scares you about what happens, but distracts you from the bigger picture. 

Cold. Lonely. Sad. Wondering.

I wondered how someone like me ended up in this type of situation. All for doing my job. Did I really deserve this? That man must’ve been crazy to kidnap someone just for talking back to his precious wife. Honestly they both deserve each other for being crazy.

It felt like a few hours passed and I woke up. My eyes adjusted a bit to the room’s lighting. Immediately once I felt half way conscious, a searing pain in my arm jolted me fully awake. Tears escaped as the pain didn’t seem to subside. I looked down at my arm and saw the nastiest gashes I’ve ever seen. I’ve seen my fair share of cuts but this takes the cake. It ran sideways through my arm. I became even more horrified when I saw there were several. Blood oozed from all the gashes and dried on the side of my arms and floor as they dripped. My whole arm was a deep crimson color. Enough to blind me eyes.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Seven gashes on my arm, each emanating their own horrible pain. My body didn’t pass out. I was a bit thankful that my mind shut down when he made them. God knows what I would’ve done if I was forced to endure that pain. The door to the room opened and in walked the man who made the cuts on me earlier.

“Oh you’re awake?” He sounded confused. Why? Was I supposed to die? He held a few bandages and walked closer to me. I instinctively pushed myself back while still coddling my injured arm.

“Calm down kid! I’m just gonna get you fixed up. Okay?” He said and I stupidly nodded yes for him to get closer. He sat on his knees on the side where my arm was injured. He applied alcohol which stung a bit and then wrapped them up. 

I felt relieved. Maybe this was just a one time punishment. Maybe he’ll let me go soon.

“Ready for round two?” He said snarkily.

I jumped and shook my head no aggressively.

“N-no. Please sir. I just want to go home!” I begged while my vision got cloudy from the tears. He laughed at my current state.

“HA! Let you go? So you can run off to the police and get me arrested? As if. You’re staying with me until you become useless.” He laughed and I broke down crying. All I wanted was to get out of here and go back to my small apartment. I wanted to lay on my creaky and broken bed. I want to eat frozen meals in my pajamas. I want to watch T.V. all day until the sun sets.

I wanted to go home.

I was there for THREE months. Stuck in a dark room. The only time I saw sunlight was when my capturer allowed me a few minutes outside. And by outside, he meant a small den that had sunlight. Still, it was nice.

The torture didn’t stop. He used several items on me. He would come in at least once a day to do something horrible to me. I was beaten, gagged, thrown, stripped, electrocuted, slashed, and at one time almost raped. 

He had come home drunk and was angry. For no reason. He barged into the room I was in and I smelled the alcohol off of him. He stared at me with lustful eyes. He got closer and began to try to remove my clothes. He grabbed my ass hard and I pushed him off of me. For the first time, I was happy that he listened because he left the room. He brought up the incident the next day and blamed the alcohol. I guess he remembered that I pushed him and that day’s punishment was one of the worst. Now I have ‘fag’ cut into my left arm.

In those three months, I wished someone would kill me. I thought about taking my life at that point. Everytime he left a knife on the floor, I would pick it up and hold it to my wrists or neck. I would hold it there for minutes doing nothing. Until I dropped the item and sobbed quietly. Always after my failed attempt, the kidnapper would walk into the room. A part of me believes that he deliberately left the items on the floor to try to get me to kill myself so he didn’t have to do the work. It was sick.

So that’s where I’m at right now. Laying on the floor panting. My kidnapper had just finished making me kneel down on frozen peas. It hurt but slowly the pain numbed. I stared into the blotchy ceiling and thought ‘Is there someone out there that cares for me?’

I hope there was. I’ve been gone for three months. At least I think it’s been three months. But… I’ve been gone for a long time. Did the police give up looking for me? Have I been declared dead? Did anyone even attempt to look for me? Am I going to die alone?

I prefer death at this moment over enduring more suffering. I’m giving death permission to take me away. I’m giving death permission to give me death.

2

Finnick’s POV

I sat on my desk surrounded by files, most of which were useless. This doesn’t make sense. How does an innocent everyday American disappear out of thin air?

I was first handed this case one month into the start of the investigation.

Sitting on my desk, I overheard some of my fellow detectives and some of the police officers from the precinct discussing the case.

“How does one vanish out of the blue? It makes no sense.” said Lt. Isaiah.

“Not sure. This case is puzzling as hell.” said Officer Pham.

“Y’all wanna go to the bar after work. Drinks on me!” said Detective Carlos. 

I despised Detective Carlos. I always saw him as more of a joke that was hired for April Fools. To this day, I’m waiting for Chief Eric to pop out of a random bush and say “April Fools!” cause this is not funny anymore. How does he even have a job here? And why was he given this case when he’s not qualified enough?

After the men left to go harass Chief Eric’s secretary, I stayed behind and worked on filling out my papers. I had just finished looking into a drug criminal who’s been tainting our streets with narcotics. We finally caught him after a few months of nothing but following him based on tips from citizens. 

It was 9:00 pm right now. I actually like this job so I’m willing to stay after hours to work. Chief doesn’t mind as long as I don’t drink or have sex in the office. A knock sounded from the wooden door which echoed in my room. I jumped up, startled by the noise. I looked up to the door as it opened. In came Pamela, the Chief’s secretary. I wondered why she was still at work but remembered that she and the Chief are having a sort of fling.

I once talked to Pamela, asking her why she doesn’t tell the Chief about the harassment from some of the men. She says that as long as they’re not touching her, she’s fine. I was saddened because she believes that her being borderline sexually assulted is not a big deal. She swore to me not to say anything. I didn’t want to say yes but agreed since I want her to tell him when she’s ready. And I hope that’s soon. 

“Detective Finnick, Chief Eric wants to speak with you.” She said in her sweet innocent voice. How the Chief landed her, I don’t know. Might’ve been luck. I wish I had luck.

“Pam, just call me Finn. We can skip the formal callings.” I said to her. She giggled.

“Oh Finn, what am I to do with you?” She waved at me bye and I waved back. She walked out of my office and I stood up, making sure to brush any dust off me. I straightened my tie which I had loosened up earlier. I kept my sleeves rolled up, revealing my muscular and tanned arms.

“You wanted to see me, Chief?” I asked, poking my head into his office.

“Yes, Detective Finnick. I wanted to talk to you about Mark Hudson’s case.” He spoke in a raspy voice. He took a sip of his coffee but didn’t look up at me.

“Oh actually I’m not on the case so I can’t say anything. You can ask Pham or Lt. Isaiah. But I’m pretty sure they’re getting drunk right now.” I spoke, scoffing at the mention of tweedledee and tweedledum. 

“That’s not what I wanted to talk to you about. I wanted to let you know that the case is being handed to you.” He looked at me with his tired dark brown eyes. I thought he was joking at first but this is Chief Eric. He’s essentially like God in this place so when he asks you to do something, you do it with no questions!

“Are you sure, sir? I think you’ve assembled a great team to handle the case.” I cringed when I called those three great. They’re anything but. 

“Please, those knuckleheads don’t even know what they’re doing. I trust you. After your last case where you caught Walter, I can see you are an amazing detective.” I blushed at the compliment. The Chief is not known for handing compliments like mints. If he said I was amazing, then he sees potential in me.

“Thank you, sir! You won’t regret this decision! I’ll make sure to put 110% percent of my effort!” I cheerily said.

“I didn’t expect less. Take the night off. You have a big day tomorrow.” He smiled at me before he looked back down at his papers.

“Yes sir! Good night. And thank you!” I waved at him. He waved back and I exited the office.

“So the Chief complimented you. Don’t let it get in your head Finn.” Pam laughed and I punched her softly back. 

I returned to my office to collect my items. I looked at the picture frame of me and her . I smiled and missed her. Tears flooded my eyes as I sniffled.

“I miss you so much.” 

I put the picture frame down before I dropped it from my crying. God I missed her. She was amazing. She reflected the best in me.

“Come Finny! You gotta catch me!” She said as she smiled though one of the bushes in our backyard. I laughed and jumped towards it to catch her.

“I gotchu-” I trailed off when I didn’t see her. I looked around and tried to find her. I began to panic. I hope she didn’t go off into the woods. I hated those woods. They always scared me.

“CASSY! WHERE ARE YOU! THIS ISN’T FUNNY ANYMORE!” I yelled for her. I searched until I reached the edge of the forest which connected from our house. My legs shook as I worried for her. 

Just as I was about to step into the forest, the bush behind me rustled.

“BOO!” Cassy said, jumping out of an azalea bush. I screamed like a girl which caused her to laugh even more.

“CASSY! IT’S NOT FUNNY!” I screamed at her.

“Oh my gosh. You should’ve seen your face.“ She laughed more until she turned blue. I laughed at her struggling to catch her breath.

“KIDS! LUNCH IS READY!” Mother yelled from the patio. We returned to the patio laughing, eating our sandwiches and sipping lemonade. 

I wish I could’ve gone back to that day. I wished I could’ve told her not to go into the woods. I wish I could’ve told her that we should go inside and play. But that moment will be one that I’ll remember in full regret.

I was already at home. I guess thinking back to that time must’ve made me go on autopilot. I did my normal night routine. I ate a quick dinner and watched a bit of TV. I watched Lucifer on Netflix. Despite my other coworkers saying how much they hate the show for falsely depicting the work of a detective, I still liked it. 

I went to sleep. Alone. 

I thought about the fact that I was dating no one. I guess I was dating my work, which is not something you really brag about. Now that I think about it, I mainly work because back at home, I have no one to go home to. I have no one to kiss goodnight or say hello to when I walk in. I’ve tried dating in the past, men and women, but no one has been the right one for me.

Waking up the next morning, I walked into the precinct. Upon walking in, I got nasty stares from the former workers on the Mark Hudson case. Not my fault y’all suck. 

“Good morning Mr. Martin. Here are the documents for the case. Conference room 2 has been left for you. Chief Eric wants to know who you want to be assigned with you.” Pam said upon walking to my office.

“Umm, I’ll take Chang, Baker, and Reed. Thank you!” I walked into my office and put everything down. I walked out and made my way to the conference room. Upon walking in, I was met with the three men I asked for. I chose these men because they’ve assisted me before and I prefer their work habits and attention to details.

“Good morning, sir.” Baker said. He was always respectful to his superiors, which I liked.

“Good morning gentlemen. Today we are working on the disappearance of Mark Hudson, who vanished one month ago without any trace. Chang, rundown please.” Chang perked up and held a file in his hands with the basic info about the case.

“Right. Victim is 19 year old Mark Hudson. He disappeared on July 13 at 1:30 am. He was last seen walking out of the Old Hat Theater after 12:45 am finishing his shift. He is a male, 5’10 with black hair, white skin, blue eyes, and slender build. He’s been missing for a month and three days as of right now.”

“Okay. First let’s observe all the information the previous team gathered.” I said. We went to the large board that was full of pictures. It wasn’t until looking closer that we saw it was all a mess. Nothing made sense there.

“Hmm, Reed, do we have any leads?” Reed looked through the documents. 

“No. None. It seems like the previous team didn’t do anything.” DAMMIT. A damn person is missing and here were these idiots doing nothing. Who knows what is happening to Mark right now. If he’s alive, we could’ve prevented a month’s worth of pain. 

“Chang, Baker. I need you two to go to the theater and ask around for Mark. Find out anything that happened. Reed. Go to the theater but follow the path to his house. Ask any businesses for their surveillance videos. I’ll grant you access to the street cameras. I’ll go to his house to look around for anything. Got it!”

“YES SIR!” They all responded. They all left to go do their tasks. 

“So, you’re acting all high and mighty.” said Detective Carlos.

“What do you want, Carlos?” I hated the sound of his voice.

“I see you already sent your grunts to do the dirty work. Are you just gonna sit here and wait for them to come back and take the credit?” He smiled, thinking he was saying some wise shit.

“Actually, I’m on my way out to help too. Cause unlike you three, I’m worried about Mark and want to see him come back! So don’t walk into here and try to say that I’m lazy when all you and your buddies did was slack off, possibly delaying the rescue of Mark! God knows what’s happening to him right now! I swear to find him and it’ll all be thanks to the help of me and my team, not you! Now get out of my way and let me do my job! I suggest you do the same!” I said to him. I looked at the window and saw everyone looking at us. I huffed and walked out the conference room, bumping into Carlos’ shoulder. 

“Pop off Finn!” Pam said, giving me a thumbs up. I smiled. 

I got into my car and sat in the seat for a while. I looked at the photo of Mark. His light brown hair shined in the driver license light. His blue eyes sparkled. His fair skin was beautiful. He had a small smile on his face. But I saw through it. I didn’t know much about Mark. Hell, we had nothing about Mark. He was a mystery. But that doesn’t mean his case can be brushed off. I caught myself staring at the picture, entranced by it. 

His features hypnotized me. The longer I looked, the more I wanted to find him. The more I wanted to see him. Touch him. Hug him.

SHIT!

I put the picture down and drove off to his home. It was located in one of the more sketchy parts of town. I’ve heard stories of officers who’ve come here and had horrible experiences. I shivered as I remembered them. I got out of my car and walked to the barely standing building. This building is definitely not up to standard and is probably violating several safety violations.

“Hello, sir, how can I help you?” A man’s voice said from the lobby.

“Umm, hi. I needed to see the landlord and ask a few questions.” 

“That’ll be me.” Another voice said from behind the counter. Out came a rustic looking man. He looked like he could snap anyone in half.

“Hello. I’m Detective Martin. I wanted to ask you about Mark Hudson.”

“Hmm. Rich, do you know a Mark?” 

“Uhhhhhh, yes! The quiet one on the third floor. The one who comes in at the middle of the night.” The one who greeted me said.

“Oh yes! Mark. Haven’t seen him in a while. His rent was due last week but I gave him an extension since he always paid on time. Is he alright?”

“Actually, no. He went missing a month ago and hasn’t been seen since.” I said.

“Oh God! Well, I’ll answer any questions if you want.” He said, sounding worried. It made my heart flutter, knowing that even the smallest people in our lives can care for us.

“On the night of July 13, where were you?”

“Umm, me and Rich were watching TV. We stayed up all night because our heater broke so we stayed up.”

“Did you get a call from Mark at all that night?”

“I don’t recall.”

“You did! He called letting you know to keep the gates open because he was coming in late.” Rich said. 

“Right! He called saying that an accident happened at work and he was stuck behind.”

“Did he say anything about the accident?” I asked.

“No, just that he needed to change. Then he hung up.” the buff man said.

“Is that all?” I asked.

“Yes. Sorry we didn’t have any more info.”

“It’s fine. Thank you. Any information is useful. If you remember anything, give me a call.” I handed him my card with my phone number. He grabbed it and shook my hand. I waved to the two, admiring how the two looked at each other. I smile while walking out of the building towards the car.

I looked at the picture again. I felt myself falling for him. Which is crazy because I’ve never seen him in person, just from a photo. But I still felt something for him.

I put the car in drive and went to a coffee shop to get something quick. I got a simple latte and drove back to the precinct. I entered and saw many coworkers looking at me in awe. Yes bitches, it was me who snapped at Carlos. I did that!

I waved Pam hello and entered the conference room. The three were back and stood up upon me entering.

“Did you guys get everything?” I asked them.

“Yes detective!” Reed said

“Perfect. Let’s review all the information. Chang and Baker?”

“We went to the theater and spoke to the manager. He was no help because that day he didn’t clock into work.” Chang spoke.

“Right. But who was working that night?” I asked.

“A girl named Martha. She said that she and Mark are pretty close. She said that Mark has told her personal information about his past.” Baker spoke.

“Well, what did she say about his past?” I was curious as to Mark’s past.

“Well, she informed us that Mark ran away from home when he turned 18. His mother was a drug user who beat him and his dad went to county before he was born for murdering a family. He’s lived here for over a year.” Chang spoke while going through his notes. I felt empathetic towards Mark. Living a life with no one you have. Poor thing must feel extra lonely right now, thinking no one cares for him.

“What happened the night of his disappearance?”

“Apparently that night before his shift ended, he got into an altercation.” Chang said.

“Altercation?” I raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah. Mark had asked a woman to put her son in his own seat since the child was sitting on his lap. The woman refused and Mark told her that she’ll have to leave the cinema. The woman got angry and threw a drink at him.” Baker said.

“Who was the woman?”

“Woman was named Edith Asher. We checked the cinema records. She attended the cinema with her younger son.”

“Hmm. Put her on the list of suspects. Reed, what’d you find?”

“I checked some of the cameras and saw the route Mark took.” Reed went to the map on the wall and got a red marker.

“First, he exited the theater at 1:00 am. He took Walnut Avenue and took a right on Reseda Street. He walked for five minutes. Then he took a left on Winston Avenue and walked for twenty minutes. Halfway through the walk in Winston, he began walking faster. I saw a person following him.”

“Who was the person?” I asked.

“I don’t know. They made sure to cover their face. When he turned a few times, probably to check if he was indeed being followed, he started running. He made it to Grant Street and took a shortcut into the alleyway. There were no cameras in the alley and that’s when he was no longer seen. Then a black car drove away from the alley. I tried to see where the car went but it seemed to have vanished.”

“Dammit! We’re stuck again!” I seethed. Just when we were getting somewhere, another obstacle blocked us.

“BUT… I did find this.” Reed reached into his suitcase and pulled out a sterilized bag. Inside was a needle.

“I found it in the alley where Mark disappeared. I can run it through the database to see if any DNA matches for Mark. I’ll also collect the serum used in the container to see what it is. If my theory is correct, Mark may have been kidnapped and drugged.” I was proud of my team for finding all of this. We did more work in one day than the previous team did in one month.

“Excellent work team. I talked to his realtor and discovered that they received a call from Mark a little after 12. He usually comes late but came much later so he requested for them to keep the gates open. They waited but he never came.”

“Should we start planning everything on the board?” Reed asked

“Yes. Print everything out and assemble a timeline.”

We printed everything out and formed a timeline. We looked at everything we did. In the middle was a huge picture of Mark that looked right at me. Surrounding him was all the evidence we had collected. The needle, route of his trail, pictures of the man following him, and possible suspects. Them being Edith Asher, Martha, and the realtor.

Another month passed by, and we were stuck. We struggled on formulating a timeline. We crossed out Martha and the realtors from the suspect list because they showed their innocence.

However, Edith was a different story. We visited her house and asked her about Mark. She closed the door on us and told us to go away. As of right now, we’re trying to get a warrant. We’ve tried to play nice with them but at this point it’s ridiculous. A person’s life is on the line. If they had nothing to hide, they wouldn’t refuse the warrant.

“I GOT IT!” Baker said.

“Here’s what I think happened. After the altercation, the woman may have asked someone to kidnap Mark. It sounds like a stretch. But anything is possible! Just hear me out. Think about it. Why do you think Edith isn’t allowing us to question her. She emanates guilty energy.” 

We stared at Baker like he was crazy. Until Reed spoke up.

“That… actually sounds plausible. It does sound crazy, but possible. Detective Martin?” Reed asked me. They all turned to me and I walked to the board.

“Let’s plan it out. Write everything down and let’s see if this can make sense.” We worked at putting the information together. After a few minutes, it all came together. The information made sense.

“Chang, ask the judge if they can speed the process for the warrant. Let him know about our findings. Boys, if we’re right, then we may have found Mark!” The mood in the room lifted and we cheered in excitement. 

After another three weeks, we got the warrant. We showed the warrant to Edith at her house. She refused until we detained her for uncooperation. We entered the house but found nothing. Did I say nothing? I meant a room that was stained with blood and instruments that I didn’t want to imagine what they were for. The husband was also arrested and we took them into questioning. 

Surprisingly, the pair were able to spill everything about what happened. Edith revealed that after her argument with Mark, she called her husband to teach him a lesson. She didn’t know he would actually kidnap him and needed to get rid of him. They sold him to a family friend who is currently in possession of Mark. The pair’s kid was taken to his aunts and the pair was arrested and are awaiting trial.

We found the man who had bought Mark. Trevor Dean, an ordinary everyday man. We waited for a few days to find the right time to go in. Since this was a kidnapping case, we didn’t need a warrant. On the day of the operation, I requested to be in the recon team. The chief hesitated but agreed. I don’t know why I joined. I guess I wanted to see Mark and make sure he was okay. I wanted to show him that not every person is horrible. That he has someone that will look out for him. 

“Alpha Team. Ready in position?” Chief Eric asked.

“Yes Chief!”

“Gamma?”

“Yes Chief!”

“Alright men. On the count of three, we enter. Remember, shoot only when threatened. Our goal is to rescue Mark and arrest Trevor.”

“ONE”

“TWO”

“THREE!!”

3

Mark’s POV

“SHIT!” my capturor screamed. I cowered, fearing for my life. Whenever he’s angry, it’s met with me strapped up covered in bruises and cuts. I heard him throw something, thankful it wasn’t me. 

“Trevor?!? Why would you do that?!? I don’t care! What about me?!? FUCK YOU!!” He screamed. Who’s Trevor? What happened? I sat there trying to piece what’s happening. Suddenly he barged into the room. 

“GET UP!” He told me. I followed his order and got up, wincing when the cuts on my leg hurt. 

“W-where are we going?” I asked with a shaky voice. 

“It seems that the man who kidnapped you sold me out. We gotta leave before the police come.” I got a little hope. Hopefully they can come find me because being alone is really starting to take a toll on my mental health. 

We exited the room that I’d been in for months, only getting out twice or so. The house was relatively clean. Made me wonder, this guy’s house looks normal but had a person kidnapped in their basements. Who knows what other secrets other people have but don’t tell anyone. 

“Hurry up! We need to leave now!” He screamed at me. I was trying to stall to hope that the police would come any moment. I don’t pray, but God! Please give me a blessing right now. That’s all I ask for. 

“Once we leave, I’ll have to kill you so no one find you-“ He was cut off by the sound of the window and doors breaking on every side of the house. I had to cover my ears from the loud noise. 

“PUT YOUR HANDS IN THE AIR!!” An authoritative voice screamed. I quickly ran away in a different direction to avoid everything. I found a bathroom and hid in it. 

From the outside, I heard the constant banging of furniture. I assumed that my kidnapper was trying to fight back. I don’t remember how many men I saw. It must’ve been about 6. I ran and hid because I don’t actually know if these men are here to rescue or kidnap me. So I curled up on the bathroom floor and sobbed silently. I was there for a few minutes, but it felt like hours. 

I heard a knock on the bathroom door. 

I backed away from the door, worried that the man was back to take me and do something to me. I hyperventilated until a voice spoke on the other side. 

“Mark? Are you in there? It’s okay. You can come out. We’re here to save you.” A male’s voice spoke from the other side of the wooden plank that separated us. The voice was soothing for me. I felt safe and felt attracted to it. My mind is trying to find comfort and peace in that voice. 

I hesitated to open the door. I reached for the door knob. I was thankful that the man on the other side didn’t rush me and let me take my time. 

“It’s okay Mark. I’ll never hurt you.” I swelled at that statement. I opened the door instantly and saw a man standing in front of me. His black hair, green eyes that pierced through my soul. His tanned skin. His muscular body bulged through his white shirt. I made eye contact with him and he gave me one of the most beautiful smiles I’ve ever seen. 

“Hey. It’s okay Mark. He’s not gonna hurt you anymore.” I sobbed uncontrollably and hugged him. I sobbed in his shoulder, wetting it. He hushed me softly and rubbed my back. 

“Finnick, did you find him?” Another voice said. I jumped back, scared at the presence of another person. My rescuer looked at the other man, who looked Asian, and the other man walked away. 

“I’m sorry about him. Come with me Mark. We’ll take you to the precinct for questioning. Are you okay with that?” He asked me, still crouched in front of me as I sat on the floor crying. 

“W-will you b-be there-e?” I asked. I found comfort in him for some reason. Maybe because he was the first person in a while to show me kindness. He got up and held out his hand. I was confused at first until I understood. I grabbed his hand and he helped me stand up. My legs shook for a while, adjusting to my weight. He waited for me to get ready. 

We walked for a while, noticing the mess that was made earlier. I chose not to worry about it. I looked outside to the window and saw it was night. 

“W-what time is it?” I asked my savior. 

“Oh,” he checked his phone. “It’s 9:36 pm.” He smiled at me and I felt myself blush. 

What’s wrong with me?

We reached the front door of the house. I stopped for a moment. I haven’t left this house in months. I breathed in and out. I guess my savior saw me worried because he put his hands on my shoulder softly. 

“It’s okay Mark. I’ll make sure nothing bad happens to you. That horrible man is gone. He won’t hurt you. I promise I’ll Protect You .”

I stood at the door. I looked outside and saw police officers looking around the area. The light from the police cruisers flashed onto the house and the surrounding houses. I saw neighbors looking into the house to see what’s happening. I cowered in fear. We walked outside step by step. 

Upon reaching outside, I saw reporters who were talking into the camera. 

“Mark Hudson, who’s been missing for three months, has finally been found. The man who kidnapped him is in questioning- THERE’S MARK!” The reporter said. I made eye contact with them and hid behind my savior. Now that I think about it, I didn’t know my savior’s name. 

“Please step away from him!” He screamed at them as they got closer. They stepped back and my savior led me through the crowd which had gathered to see me. Police officers guarded me making sure I was safe. 

We reached an area on the street that was blocked off. Police tape surrounded the area. I shivered as the night wind blew around me. I welcomed it. It was a sign that I was free. My savior saw me shivering and handed me his jacket. I stared at the jacket. I guess he saw that I didn’t know what he was doing so he put it over my shoulders. I felt the warmth encompass me. I grabbed it to put it closer to me. I snuggled into it and smelled it. It smelled like bourbon and pine. I looked up and saw my savior looking at me with… admiration? He blushed, causing me to also blush. 

“So we’re taking you to the precinct for questioning. It’ll take a while but you’re gonna be safe. We‘ll need you to be honest so we can charge that man to the extent. Got it?” He looked at me. I nodded shyly. 

He led me to his car, a black sleek car. He led me to the passenger seat and let me sit down in it. Then he closed the door and went to his side to enter. He pulled out his phone. 

“Chief Eric. Yeah I’m taking him to the precinct. I’ll make sure he’s safe. Thank you sir!” He hung up and turned on the car. He drove and turned on the heater. The warmth made me feel better. I was free. 

We arrived at a building that was located in the downtown district of our town. He entered a garage area and parked his car. 

“We’re here. We’re gonna walk in and I’ll lead you to the area. Everyone in there will look after you.” 

“Okay.” I told him weakly. “I-I never got you name.”

“What?” He said. 

“I never got your n-name.”

“Oh, it’s Finnick. Everyone else calls me Detective Martin but I’ll let you call me Finn if you like.” He smiled at me. I blushed and went deeper into the jacket. 

We entered the building and everyone was looking at me. I hid myself behind Finn. He led me through a corridor that was located on the side of the main area. We walked down and he sat me on a bench located outside one of the rooms. He sat next to me. 

“Are you okay so far?”

“Y-yeah. I’m good. Thank-k y-you for saving me.” I said, avoiding looking at him. 

“Listen, Mark. When you are there, they’re going to ask you questions that may trigger anything that happened to you while you were gone.” I felt tears hit my eyes as I tried not to remember what happened. 

“Did anything happen to you?” I covered up the ‘fag’ written on my arm. I nodded yes but Finn didn’t ask me any further questions. 

“Detective Martin, is Mark ready for questioning?” A sweet female voice called. I turned and she gave me a reassuring smile. Finn turned to me. 

“Are you ready?” I nodded yes. We both stood up and a door next to us opened. It was a room with a table and chairs on either side. The room looked sad. It looked cold. I entered the room and sat on the chair. Finn stood next to me. Two more men entered, each wearing a badge and holding a pen and pad. 

“Hello Mr. Hudson. We wanted to ask you questions. It’s important that you tell us everything so we can get a clearer picture. If you feel at all unsafe, let us know and we’ll stop.” One of the men spoke in a soothing voice. It made me happy seeing people adjust their tones because they know that I went through something traumatic. 

“I’m gonna leave now. You’ll be okay here.” Finn spoke. He waved and started to walk but I grabbed his hand instinctively. He froze and I saw the other men looking at us. I hadn’t realized that the woman from earlier was also in the room. 

“C-can you stay with me, Finn?” I spoke softly, hoping no one else heard. But I’m pretty sure they did. Finn looked at me and nodded yes. He pulled a chair and sat next to me. I continued to hold his hand from under the table. I started to shake. 

“Mark. We’re starting. Is it fine if we record this? We’ll need it for the records.” Finn asked. I nodded yes. 

“Okay Mr. Hudson. Please state your name, age, and date of birth.” One of the men spoke. 

“Mark Hudson. I’m 19. My birthday is on March 25, 2003.” I said in a voice loud enough for him to hear. 

The following few hours were full of questions. 

“Where were you on the night of July 13?”

“Did you recognize the man who kidnapped you?”

“Who was involved in the selling of you?”

“Did you feel scared at that moment?” 

Then came the question I was dreading. 

“Did he hurt you?”

I choked on my voice. He did hurt me. So much. I nodded yes aggressively. 

“Can you explain to us what he did?” 

I retreated into Finn’s sweater. Finn had been by my side the entire time. Whenever I was scared, he allowed me to squeeze his hand. 

“H-he beat me. Hit me. Cut me.” I ran my fingers over my right arm which had the cuts from the serrated knife. Then I ran my fingers over my left arm which had the cursed word on it. 

“C-can we take a break, please!” I sobbed silently and crossed my arms on the table and sobbed into them. 

“Let’s give him a moment.” Finn said. I heard the door open and close. I looked up and saw I was alone with Finn. 

“It’s okay to be scared. Sometimes we all need a break from this place.” The door knocked and Finn went to open it. There was the woman earlier. 

“This is for Mark.” She handed him a bag and a bottle of water. He thanked her and closed the door. Finn came to me and handed me the items. It was a water bottle and a bag with a donut. 

“Eat up, dude. We’ll need you to have enough energy.” He said. I looked at the items before eating them. I made sure to eat slowly and not fast. I was starving but I knew not to be a slob. 

After a few minutes of silence after I finished eating, Finn sat next to me. 

“Are you ready to continue?” He asked. 

“Will you be with me again?” I said without stuttering. 

“Yes Mark. I’ll always be here for you.” He said and I blushed. 

“Then yes! I’m ready.” I said and he walked out the door. A few moments later the two men came and sat across from me. 

“Ready again Mark?”

“Yes.”

Through the next hours, I explained everything that happened to me. All the horrors that I was made to face. Every pain and cut and moment of anything but happiness. I showed them my scars on my arm. They took pictures and Finn gasped at my condition. The questioning moved on to pictures of me. They took pictures of me in places where I had scars or injuries. Then they brought in a medic to analyze me. I made sure Finn was by my side. He kept his promise, he didn’t leave me. 

“Thank you for answering our questions Mr. Hudson.” One of them said. They walked out the room, leaving me alone with myself and my thoughts and Finn. 

“I’m sorry that happened to you. I should’ve been faster with my job! If I’d gone faster you wouldn’t have experienced this much pain!” He said and I felt my heart break at him blaming himself. 

“Finn. It’s not your fault. You did everything right. You saved me, which is better than still being there. You are the reason I’m safe right now. Thank you for everything.” I said and I stared into his eyes. We looked at each other for a while until we pulled back simultaneously. 

“Right. Umm, thanks.” He rubbed his neck nervously. 

We stayed in silence. But it was comfortable. I enjoyed it. The door opened and in came a burly looking man. 

“Chief Eric.” Finn responded submissively. 

“Finnick. I wanted to congratulate you on the case. You did amazing!” He patted his back and the Chief turned to me. 

“Mark. It’s nice to finally see you. We apologize for not doing enough. I handed the case over to Detective Martin because I knew he would be perfect. This man here did not stop looking and stayed up several nights. I hope you’ll be able to return to life normally. If you need any help, anytime, just call us and we’ll be there for you.” He said, sounding empathetic.

“Y-yes sir. Thank you.” I said softly. I was still weary around others. So far I’ve found comfort in Finn. 

“I gotta go. Make sure you fill out the witness reports before you leave. Have a safe night you two.” the Chief waved us. I waved back and he walked out the room. 

“Let’s take you home Mark.” Finn said, breaking the silence. I nodded in agreement. We walked out the room. We passed by all the other people working the night. Many were running around frantically. Some looked at me like I was an alien. I held Finn’s hand and he grabbed it back and gave it a comforting squeeze. I hid away from everyone else.

We entered his car and he once again turned on the heater. I layed down and he put the seat back for me to feel comfortable.

“Wait! You don’t know where I live.” I said, remembering that he didn’t know where to go.

“Don’t worry. During the investigation we knew where you lived. Just lay back and take a break. Lord knows you need one after what you went through.” He chuckled and ruffled my hair. I blushed for the millionth time that day. I layed back, letting the warmth envelop me. I closed my eyes and sleep overtook me.  

I was shaken awake and jumped.

“Sorry! Sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you.” Finn said, making sure to step back. As soon as I saw his face I calmed down.

“We’re here. Let’s take you home.” He said. I looked outside and saw that he was parked on the outside of my apartment building. The gates were still open.

“I called your landlord and told him you were coming so he kept the gates open.” He stepped aside, allowing for me to step out. The cold hit me and I wished I could’ve stayed inside the car and it’s warmth. But Finn was with me and he was my new warmth. He made me feel safe.

“MARK!!” I saw and it was Ned, my landlord. He rushed to me and gave me a hug. 

“Oh my gosh Mark. I was so worried. I had no idea you went missing.” He muffled his words into my shoulder. Rich came out from behind him and hugged me too.

“Nice to see you guys again.” I said and we broke apart.

“Don’t worry about rent. I’ll allow you to skip the past payment and the next four months so you can get back on your feet. Welcome back buddy!” Ned said. I sobbed a bit. They cared for me and that made my heart swell.

“Come on, Mark. Where’s your room?” Finn asked. Ned handed him a pair of keys which most likely were a copy of my apartment keys. When I was taken, all my belongings like my wallet and phone were disposed of. I entered the shaky elevator and Finn followed behind. The elevator was small so Finn was glued to me back. It was at this time when I noticed how tall he was. I was only 5’10. He looked about 6’2. But I can feel his breath warming the back of my neck. I felt my neck and cheeks heat up.

The elevators opened just in time before I felt my guy down there jump in excitement. I walked through the dimly lit hallway. I made sure to walk slow enough so Finn could catch up. He probably could catch up because of his long muscular legs. I reached my door and saw it for the first time in months. I stared at the door while Finn fumbled with the locks to open it. The door opened which snapped me out of my daze. All I did was look inside, fearing to get in.

“Mark. Are you gonna go in?” Finn said. I looked at him and took a small step. I walked in and immediately felt relief at the sight of my stuff.

“I made sure Ned threw out any food that was spoiled.” I thanked him.

“I’m gonna take a shower.” I said. The only time I took a shower was when my capturer hosed me down. But to take a shower in MY bathroom with my Dove soap and soft towels. I missed this.

“Okay well I’m gonna head out. Call me if you need anything.” He reached into his pocket and handed me something I hadn’t seen in a long time.

“MY PHONE!” I said. I grabbed it and turned it on and saw my Taylor Swift lock screen.

“Yeah. They found your stuff when we searched the house. I added my contact under Detective Martin. So if you ever need anything, just call me. Or you can walk into the precinct and ask for me.” I thanked him. I grabbed some clothes and went to the bathroom to shower. But I stopped at the door and turned to him.

“Actually, can you stay here until I finish? I’m,” I didn’t want to admit it. “I’m scared.” I said as quietly as I could. I looked at him and he sat on my poorly made bed.

“Of course I’ll stay. I’ll stay until you feel safe.” I smiled and went into the bathroom. That shower was the best shower of my life. I scrubbed every part of my body so hard until it burned. I must’ve been there for an hour. I finished and changed and walked out to see Finn laying on my bed watching my TV.

“Oh you’re done.” He looked at me and looked away quickly.

“I decided to watch some TV. I hope that’s okay.” 

“Yeah, it is. You’ve helped me all day. It’s the least I could do.” I smiled and went to bed. I layed down right next to him. I felt him tense up at our contact. 

“I hope this is fine.” I said. I didn’t want him to feel uncomfortable with me.

“Not at all. I’m fine. Ha!” His chuckled sounded like he was nervous. I looked at the TV and we watched a movie. At first I didn’t know what it was about. I recognized two actors, Timothee Chalamet and Armie Hammer. The few scenes I saw were intimate. I wondered why Finn chose this movie. 

“Are you okay?” Finn asked. I knew he wasn’t talking about one thing. He wanted to know how I was in general. I turned around to face him and looked into his eyes. My tears choked in the back of my throat and my vision blurred. I cried and hugged him. I sobbed into his chest and he hugged me back. He whispered things into my ear that seemed to calm me down a bit.

“I’m not. I tried to kill myself several times but I could never do it. But I think I’ll be okay. I hope you’ll be there for me though.” I sounded optimistic. I looked into his green eyes. He stared back at me. 

“I won’t leave you. You’ll always have me.” He hugged me back and I smiled. I’ve never felt like this to anyone before. I closed my eyes and felt myself drift off to sleep.

I woke up to a feeling of emptiness. I looked to my right and saw that Finn was gone. On the bedside table was a folded note that had ‘For Mark :)’ written on it. I opened it.

‘Mark. I hope that you wake up today in peace. Don’t worry about going to work. I talked to your managers and they’re willing to give you a few days off to get settled. I’ll be coming by later. Sorry I had to leave before I could say goodbye. I had work. I left some money for you so you can buy breakfast and if you want, a few clothes. I’ll see you soon! -Finn’

I smiled and looked at the amount of money he left me. I counted it and it must’ve been about $300. I swore to myself not to spend even half of it. And I’ll repay Finn for the amount I did spend.

I went onto my phone and saw a few notifications. I went to my contacts and scrolled a bit before I saw it. ‘Detective Martin’.

I clicked his contact and selected the edit button. I deleted the name he put and added my own.

‘Finn’

4

Finnick’s POV

I didn’t realize Mark had fallen asleep right next to me. It wasn’t until I heard remitting breathing and looked at his face to see he had gone to sleep. He looked so innocent when he was asleep. Like the world would be all perfect when he woke up. But after what he went through, I found it hard to believe how someone can just go to sleep. I didn’t know much about his past, just that he ran away from home. I admired his beauty. His smooth white skin, his brown hair that fell onto his face. And his lips. Those sweet plump lips. He started moving rapidly.

“No! Please! I didn’t do anything wrong!” He mumbled in his sleep. Out of instinct, I grabbed his hands and brought him closer to me. He stopped moving and I heard his breathing soften again. In his sleep, he hugged me and cuddled up next to me. I felt my mini-self start to get excited down there.

The movie at this point had ended. I chose to watch Call Me By Your Name. I’ve always liked this movie. Right now is the scene where Elio is crouched in front of the fireplace crying. This scene always broke my heart. The fact that the man he loved is with someone else and Elio can’t do anything about it. He cries for his lost loved while the world behind him moves on, not caring about the heartbreak he’s feeling.

Eventually sleep took over me and I felt my eyes grow heavy. Usually I don’t sleep easily but being with Mark, my brain was able to relax. I turned off the TV and adjusted myself. I pulled Mark off me slowly so as to not wake him. I turned and faced him properly. He got closer and hugged me again, his face settling onto my chest. His breath warmed my pecs.

I smiled, happily for the first time in a long time. And I went to sleep.

My phone alarm rang which jolted me awake. Mark mumbled and squirmed in his sleep. I patted him on the back like a baby to get him to sleep again.

It was around 7:00 am. Work starts in an hour so I had to leave. I got off the bed carefully and put my shoes on. I looked at the sleeping angel. He was hugging a pillow and snored lightly into it. I watched him sleep for about a minute. I went and grabbed a piece of paper and a pen and wrote him a note. Then left him some money. We couldn’t find his wallet at the crime scene and I think he doesn’t have any money. So I pulled out a few hundred to get him to buy some food and a few clothes.

He had lost a good amount of weight. His picture had him looking fuller. He was still lean but had some weight on him. Now he looks too skinny. Not that there’s anything wrong with being skinny. But he’s medically unfit and in danger. I’ll need to take him to a therapist soon.

I exited the small apartment before taking a quick glance at him.

I left and entered my car. I was surprised that it hadn’t been broken into or damaged. I got in and drove home. 

I entered my lonely house again. It felt off. Then I came to the conclusion it was because I had spent the night with Mark. He made me feel like I was home. This huge area feels empty. But Mark made me feel full. I took a quick shower and got dressed. I skipped breakfast because the precinct always has food prepared.

I entered the precinct and gave a hello to Pam.

“Where were you last night? I went to your house to talk but you didn’t answer.” She said, following me to the break room.

“Oh, I wasn’t home.” I grabbed the pot of coffee and poured myself a cup. Then I grabbed a maple bar doughnut and sat on one of the seats.

“So where were you then?” She took the seat in front of me. I didn’t know if I should tell her. There isn’t a policy that says you can’t be with victims. But I’m pretty sure it is frowned upon. 

“I was with Mark all night.” I rubbed my neck as a hard blush filled my face.

“Awww. You like him, don’t you?” She cooed at me.

“I umm, oh look we got the flower cups today!” I tried to change the subject.

“Oh Come On! Finn, you’ve been looking for someone for a long time and no one has ever made you feel like this. You look happier than ever. If I were you, I would ask him out.” She said with her eyes full of admiration.

“I do like him. But I’m not gonna ask him out. At least not yet. He literally just got out of being kidnapped. He needs time to heal.” I breathed. Pam understood where I was coming from and put her hand on my shoulder.

“If he trusts you, I say you be there for him. He’s gonna feel alone throughout the following weeks and he’ll need a support system. As long as you’re there to help him, he’ll trust you.” She winked at me.

“Thanks Pam! You’re always right!” 

“I know!” We both laughed and went our separate ways.

I entered the conference room which we had conducted all the search in. I looked around the room and saw everything. All the work we had done. All the late nights and pots of coffee. And in the end, it was all worth it.

“Detective Martin! We did it!” Baker said.

“We found him!” Reed said.

“Yes boys, we did. And I think we deserve a celebration.” Chang walked in with champagne and glasses. It was great. We drank a bit and reminisced about the past two months. After we were done, we settled down and packed everything into boxes. All the work was taken down slowly and we put everything on record.

Although I did keep the picture of Mark with me.

“Detective Martin, Chief Eric wants to speak to you.” Pam said. She addressed me by my professional name, something we only do when it’s a serious matter. I got up from my seat and walked towards the Chief’s office. The vibe was off. Sinister. Pam gave me a look I couldn’t decipher.

I walked in and was met with Chief Eric. And standing next to him was Carlos.

“Finnick. Please, take a seat.” I sat and balled my fists. I gave Carlos a menacing glare. I could’ve sworn I did a low growl at him.

“What’s this about, Chief?” I asked in my most composing tone.

“First of all, I wanted to congratulate you on your successful work. You were able to find Mark Hudson and bring him to safety.” He said in a blank tone. This is expected when he thanks you. Don’t expect a huge balloon and cake and him kissing your feet.

“Thank you, Sir.”

“However, it’s come to my attention that you went home with Mr. Hudson and slept with him.” My eyes widened. How did he know! I glanced at Carlos who gave me a smirk. I wish I could’ve punched him.

“It’s not what it looks like-”

“Detective Martin,” shit he didn’t call me Finnick. “You should know that sleeping with recent victims, while not a crime, can be considered taking advantage of someone.”

“What do you mean?”

“The boy had just been found. And he was tortured to the extend. He’s vulnerable right now, and he may look at you like a beacon of home. Someone who will protect him.”

“HANG ON! I’m not taking advantage of him! I didn’t sleep with him! All I did was be there for him! He asked me to stay because he was scared! And I did!”

“That’s not what Carlos told me. He said that you want to date Mr. Hudson to fill your needs.”

I looked at Carlos with rage. I’ve had enough of this bitch. He’s done way worse things but dares to tell on me. I’m sorry Pam, but I can’t let this asshole walk around these halls anymore.

“Funny. Ya’know, Chief Eric, why don’t you ask Carlos what he does to your girlfriend before closing time.” I glanced at Carlos who shook his head as to tell me no.

“What are you referring to, Detective Martin?”

“I’m talking about the fact that he and his posse of imbeciles harass Pam to the point where she doesn’t feel safe. She doesn’t want to tell you because she thinks it’s not a big problem. But it is. He’s walking around making obscene gestures and cat calling her every time you’re not around! I’m the one taking advantage? What about him?!?” I pointed to Carlos who had receded into the corner of the office.

The look on the Chief’s face displayed only surprise, then anger.

“Carlos. Is this true?” Carlos nodded no but Chief wasn’t taking his bullshit.

“PAM! COME IN HERE!” Chief screamed. The door opened behind me and Pam walked in.

“Baby, is it true that Carlos has been harassing you when I’m not around?” His demeanor and voice changed. It was soft, caring. Pam looked at me and I nodded to signify it was okay. 

“Y-yes Eric. It’s true.” Pam looked down. Chief turned to Eric.

“YOU ARE FIRED, CARLOS! I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU STEP FOOT INTO THIS BUILDING AGAIN! I’LL MAKE SURE THE BOARD KNOWS ABOUT YOU AND YOUR FRIENDS ACTIONS!” 

We were left speechless. Chief rarely yells, just raises his voice.

“B-but, sir. Please. I can explain.”

“Save it, Carlos. Leave before I throw you out myself. It’s not like you don’t deserve it.”

Carlos simply looked down. He walked out the room and the door closed behind him. 

“Babe, can you tell me who else I need to fire?” Chief asked Pam.

“You may be excused, Finnick. Sorry for the mixup. I just want to let you know to be careful around Mr. Hudson. He’s in a fragile state right now. As long as you have no mal intentions, you’re free to do as you like.” He spoke to me. I simply nodded and walked out the room.

“Thank you.” Pam whispered to me. I nodded at her and walked out.

I went to my office and ingored the stares from everyone else. I didn’t have time to focus on what people had to say. Instead I sat in my office for an hour looking over my files. I had to fill out some paperwork regarding Mark’s case. 

‘Where is the victim currently residing?’ was one of the questions.

‘Mark Hudson is currently living in an apartment on 472 Slough Avenue.’ is what I wrote.

‘Who is his support system as of right now?’ was the next question.

This question puzzled me a bit. I actually didn’t really know. His landlord, but that’s mainly just for payment. Martha, but Mark said that they aren’t really friends. Still, I wrote their names down on the sheet so it isn’t empty. I heard a knock from my door.

“Come in.” I said. It opened and Pam was there.

“Finn, someone is here to see you.” I raised my eyebrow. I never have visitors. I wonder who it is.

“FINN!” I heard a voice that recently has made my heart flutter. A lullaby that puts me to sleep. A voice that I want to wake up to and go to sleep to. A voice I want to hear until the day I die.

“Mark!” I said not too excitedly. I got up quickly and went to hug him. I embraced him tightly as if he would disappear at any second. I smelled his hair, smelling a sweet fruit taste. 

“How was your day so far?” I asked him. I hope he went out to do some business.

“It was okay. I felt lonely. Got a lot of stares. But I went and got some groceries and bought some clothes. Thanks for the money by the way. I’ll pay you back soon when I start working.” He said looking up at me. A hint of happiness was in his eyes. His blue eyes were entrancing.

“That’s great. Sorry I had to leave early. I needed to work.”

“It’s fine. What time do you get off of work?” He asked and looked down. I think he felt embarrassed by asking me.

“Umm, 6:45 pm. Why?”

“I uhh, I wanted to cook for you, as a way to thank you for being with me.” He said while rubbing his arm shyly.

I remembered that his kitchen was so small. I knew he wouldn’t be able to cook even a decent meal in that place.

“How about you cook at my place. I have a much bigger space and you can have more room.” I asked hopefully. This may seem like we’re moving too fast but I just want to be nice.

“Are you sure? I don’t want to be a bother.” Aww poor thing.

“It’s fine. Plus you can sleep over if you want.” 

“Okay then! I’ll see you then.” Mark reminded me of a small child who was just given his favorite candy after getting hurt. Mark stayed with me for two hours. During the time he stayed in my office, he sat in my chair away from the door. Every time someone walked into the office to deliver me papers, he would shy away and hide behind a book he read. 

We went out to get food from the break room. He followed behind me holding my hip. We got some stares but I chose to ignore them.

Finally it was time to go home. Mark had left a few hours ago to pack some things he was going to need to cook. 

“FINN!” Mark said when I entered his apartment.

“MARK!” I said back. He jumped and hugged me as I caught his frail body. He snuggled into my neck and kissed my lips. I looked at him with wide eyes and he jumped off me.

“I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to do that.” He lowered his head. I put my fingers under his chin to lift them up. I looked into his eyes. 

“It’s okay. C’mon! Let’s go home- I mean, to my house.” I laughed nervously. I hope he didn’t catch what I tried to say. He turned around and got a bag. I saw him struggling so I went to pick them up easily. I saw his face blush.

The ride to my house was in an awkward silence. I played a bit of music to drown out the ambience. We arrived home- to my house. 

“Woah! Your house is so big! How do you remember where anything is?” He awed at my foyer. I laughed.

“It gets easier when you live here after a few years.”

“Does anyone else live here with you?” 

“Nope. My parents are in a retirement home.” I responded, realizing I sounded lonely.

“Aren’t you ever lonely? You have such a big house but no one to share it with.” I looked at him and he looked at me.

‘I could share it with you.’ is what I wanted to say. Instead we continued to make eye contact. Until he looked away blushing, as was I.

“We should get ready. Where’s your kitchen?” He looked behind him in the corridor. 

“It’s down and then to the left. You go get ready and I’ll get changed. If you need any help just look for me. I’ll be on the second floor, third door to the right.”

“Okay. I’ll see you soon.” He responded. He walked down the hallway while I looked at him. I watched his ass move side to side. He turned around when he was at the end of the hall and saw me checking him out. I snapped out and ran to the stairs.

I got ready by taking off all my clothes. Then I took a shower. I walked out of my bathroom in only a towel. I removed my towel leaving me naked. Then the door opened.

“Hey Finn. Do you know where the- OH GOD I’M SORRY!” He closed his eyes as he saw my junk. He ran out the door and I caught a glimpse of blushing on his face. I chuckled lightly. I put on my briefs.

“What is it Mark?” I asked while cracking the door open to see him looking away from me. 

“I-I um, I was gonna, um, do you know, um, where the dongs- I mean, tongs are. I need them to cock- TO COOK the chicken. Oh god!” He said the last part softly. I bursted out laughing.

“Oh you poor thing,” I wiped my tears away. “They’re in the drawer on the island counter. Left side of the stove.”

“Umm, thank you sir- Finn.” And with that he walked, more like ran, down the hall to the stairs.

I finished dressing. This may not be a date, but I dressed as if it was.

I walked down to the stairs to see him in the kitchen wearing an apron. I swear to God, give me the strength to control myself.

“Hey Finn,” He looked awkward. Makes sense seeing as how he just saw my dick. Wasn’t expecting it to happen now but I was hoping eventually he would.

“Hello to you too, Mark. Sorry for earlier. I should’ve locked the door.”

“No! It was my fault. I should’ve knocked instead of walking in like it’s my house.”

‘We could share it together.’ I wanted to tell him.

“Why don’t we just eat. I’m starving after a long day.” I patted my stomach as it growled. We both heard it and laughed. 

We ate dinner and it was amazing. This man can really cook! It would feel better if I could eat his cooking everyday. But I noticed an eerie silence from Mark.

“What’s on your mind, Mark?” He snapped out of his daze to look at me.

“It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.” I knew he was lying. Even though I’ve only known Mark for a day, I could tell when he felt off.

“Please tell me, Mark. I want you to be able to tell me anything.”

“Fine. I, I wanted to tell you that I like you. Like, a lot.” He said and I couldn’t help but blush at his shy face. 

“Oh.” is all I said. OH!? OH?!? The man confessed that he liked me and all I said was ‘Oh.’

“I mean, I like you too actually.” I shyed away, refusing to look at him.

“Really?!” He sounded excited.

“Yeah! Ever since I first saw you, you were so innocent. I wanted to just hold you after what you went through. But I didn’t want to scare you.”

“Nonsense. I liked you too when I first saw you. You were the first person in months who’s shown me care and value. You made me feel like I matter. Some would say I became clingy to you, but I think I love you. That may sound too early, but I do.” A few tears came out of his eyes.

I reached to his side of the table. He flinched when I raised my arms towards him. But he softened when I hugged him. I held him. I let him sob into my shoulder. I truly do care for him. I honestly feel like we may have something here. I may finally find someone whom I can love and be loved back. 

Minutes passed as we hugged on the chair together. I felt the need to protect him. He’s been through so much, that I feel that he deserves to be loved. 

“Let’s go to bed shall we?” I said. He pulled away and looked at the ground. He nodded.

“C’mon, I’ll show you where you’ll be sleeping.” I secretly am wishing that he’ll ask if he can sleep with me. 

“Will I be sleeping with you?” He asked while he walked behind me.

“Do you want to?” Please say yes.

“If you don’t mind, I do.”

“Okay then. You’ll sleep with me. I promise not to do anything to you or make any advancements. Unless you want me to.” I smirked at him. 

“Finn, stoooopp!” He giggled. He really should laugh more. It sounds amazing.

We got ready. Mark changed in my bathroom. I gave him a spare toothbrush and he took a quick shower. Meanwhile I changed into my pajamas. 

“Hey, are you fully clothed?” Mark’s voice sounded from the other side of the bathroom door.

“Yeah, it’s safe.” The door opened and he walked out.

“I thought you said you were fully clothed.” He looked at my exposed torso.

“I always sleep shirtless.” He blushed and trailed his eyes to my muscles. 

“See something you like?” I joked. He looked away, suddenly finding the lamp to be interesting. 

“Let’s just,” his voice cracked until he cleared his throat. “Let’s just go to sleep.”

We both got into bed. He went to the right side and I went to the left side. At first we were on opposite ends of the bed. I was too afraid to move closer in case I scared him. I turned away from him because his face hypnotizes me.

“Finn?” His voice resonated within the quiet room.

“Hmm?”

“Can I move closer to you?”

“Oh uh, yeah, sure.” I tried not to sound eager. 

I felt movement and then warmth next to my body. I turned around and was met face to face with the man I’m falling for. Even in the dark night, his eyes shined. 

“Can I ask you a question, Finn?” He said.

“Yeah.”

“Will you be my boyfriend?” He bit his lip. 

This is honestly my first time in my adult life someone has asked me out. Usually I go on dates with people only to find that they aren’t the perfect match. But someone asked me out, I was inexperienced. I’ve always wanted a girlfriend or boyfriend. 

“Nevermind. It’s fine if you don’t want to.” He said. I guess I didn’t say anything for a while.

“No, I mean. Yes, I’ll be your boyfriend!” He squealed.

“EEH! Thank you.” And he kissed me. Except this time, I kissed back. Because I knew right then and there that I had the same mutual feeling.

“You’re too innocent for this world.” I hugged him again. 

Sleep started to overtake me. For once, I didn’t want to go to sleep. My biggest fear was that this was a dream and Mark wasn’t actually here. I pinched myself on the shoulder.

Yep, this is real.

I watched my prince asleep in my arms. He was beautiful. He’s suffered so much. And now I hope that I’ll be able to give him the love that I can.

5

Mark’s POV

I slept happily again. Before, I used to sleep with the thought that no one loved me. But for the past two nights, I had slept feeling my best. And they all have one thing in common.

Finnick.

I honestly didn’t know why I love Finn so much. I still remember the day I first saw him. 

He was so patient with me while I hid in the bathroom. He talked to me slowly and reassured me that my kidnapper would never hurt me. I remembered when I opened the door and saw him standing there. I hugged him so tightly I was scared. 

I formed a connection with him right then and there. 

I’m not going to thank my kidnapper. 

“If he didn’t kidnap you, you would’ve never found Finnick!” Some may say. But he doesn’t deserve the credit. 

He didn’t help me, he hurt. 

Finnick was bound to find me. I know it. Even if I was never kidnapped, I would’ve found Finn soon. He was waiting for me, and I was waiting for him.

I turned and saw Finn sleeping next to me. He had his arm wrapped around my waist. His glowy tan skin shone in the morning sun as it came through the window. His stubble is freshly shaved. His muscular chest rose and sank as he breathed in and out. 

“Finn. Wake up. I’m hungry.” I poked his pecs. 

“Mmm, don’t wake me Jess.” He said still asleep. Who’s Jess? 

“Finn. Fiiiiiiinnnnnnn.” I need him to wake up or else I’m gonna eat something else near me.

“FINN!” I screamed.

“WHAT? What’s wrong Mark? Are you okay? Did anyone hurt you?” He said fast as he held both my cheeks with his hands and searched for bruises.

“No. I’m just hungry.” 

“Oh. Let me go make breakfast. You can get ready right now.” He said. He stood up but covered his crotch area with his hands.

“What’s wrong?” I asked. He proceeded to blush heavily.

“Umm nothing. You should go to the bathroom right now. Like, now!” He sounded nervous.

“Okay! Okay! Let me just get my clothes.” I got off the bed and moved towards him. I walked past him but the space between us was small. He walked and felt something hard poke my ass. 

“What was that?” I said looking at him.

“I’m sorry, Mark. They just happen randomly! I can’t control them!” I pondered what he was talking about. Then it hit me. And I started laughing.

“I’m just gonna go shower. I suggest you take a cold one too.” I smirked at him and he turned around to face away from me. 

I showered and cleaned myself up. I exited the bathroom and heard the sound of utensils moving from downstairs. I entered and saw Finn still shirtless with his back turned to me. I admired all his muscles. He’s a detective. How does he have time to work out? 

“Oh you’re here! Great. Food is on the table.” I turned to the table but didn’t see his dick on it. Just an omelet and coffee.

“Thanks Finn.” I went to the table and sat down. I dug into my food while Finn came to sit next to me. He also started eating. After a while, we sat in silence.

“Umm Finn.” I said.

“Hmm, yes?” He responded looking at me. I tried not to get lost in his green eyes.

“Who’s Jess? I heard you say their name when you were asleep.” I asked and noticed his demeanor change. He tilted his head down.

“She was my sister.” I took notice of the word ‘was’. 

“What do you mean ‘was’?” He tensed but still didn’t look at me.

“She- she died a few years ago.” I didn’t say anything. Instead I hugged him like he does to me when I feel bad.

“We were little when it happened. We were playing outside when we went to eat lunch. After we finished, she wanted to continue playing outside. I told her no, that we should go inside since it was getting late. I should’ve pushed harder. I should’ve been a good older brother and put my foot down. But I loved her, so I let her go. And then- then…” he sobbed into me. I held him.

“She went into those damn woods. I always hated those woods. They scared me. She ran in and I called for her. She never responded. I spent thirty minutes looking for her until I told my parents. We looked for her and so did the police. When we found her, she was dead. Someone had killed her. After that, I searched for whoever killed her. It’s how I grew to love being a detective. Son of bitch was caught eventually. But I still miss her. It’s all my fault.” He sobbed more as I held him.

“It’s not your fault. It’s him who hurt her. You were being a good older brother. You protected her. If she was here right now, she would be so proud of you.” I smiled while kissing his forehead. My words seemed to calm him down. 

“I bet she would probably be hugging you right now asking how you managed to get me to turn soft. Jess always tried to get me to date someone.” He laughed. I comforted him while he told me stories about his sister. 

I wish I could’ve met her. She sounds like an absolute gem. Like someone who can make even the angriest person happy. Just like Finn.

“We the jury find the defendant, Howard Kid, guilty of first degree kidnapping!” The jury said. I sighed in relief while tears came out. 

I was informed that my capturer and kidnapper were being charged. They asked me to come on the stand to give my story. At first I didn’t want to. I was scared to look those men in the eye. The men who caused me months of torment that I feel I may never recover from. Finn was able to persuade me to go since with my testimony, the men’s charges would be increased. Apparently the jury is convinced more easily when they see the victim and their suffering.

The whole time I was on the stand, I looked at Finn who made sure to keep me calm. There were times where I cried nonstop but the thought of Finn made me be more courageous. 

Finn hugged me as the rest of the charges were announced. Attempted rape, attemtped murder, torture. I cried into Finn.

We got home. Home, wow. Didn’t realize I called Finn’s home our home. I locked myself in the bathroom and cried in the bathtub. I couldn’t stop crying. 

“Mark. Are you okay? Do you need anything?” Finn’s deep relaxing voice calmed me immediately. 

“I just need a minute.” I said while my voice croaked from crying. It all just kinda came back to me. The pain I endured, the suffering, isolation. But the thing that probably hurt more was the idea that someone out there didn’t care for me. I was alone with no one to care for me. 

After a few hours of crying, I came outside the bathroom. I smelled the scent of sweet pumpkin. I walked down stairs and saw Finn holding a tray of pumpkin muffins.

“Oh hi Mark. I wanted to make you feel better so I made you muffins.” He smiled and put the tray down. He handed me a muffin and I took a bite of it. The flavor enveloped me and I savored every bite of it. 

“Thank you Finn. I’m sorry for doing that.”

“Mark. You should not apologize. You’re allowed to feel like that after what you went through.” He held my hand.

“It’s just, I have so much baggage on me. I’m hurt. I need help and I don’t want you to feel like you have to be there for me just because we’re dating.” I didn’t want to say it, but I am willing for Finn to leave me to save himself. I know I’m broken. And I’ll need help. 

“I’ll never leave you, Mark. I love you so much. I want to stay here with you. Because no matter your flaws, I love that you’re perfect for me. I love you Mark.” He kissed me. I kissed him back.

“So… can I eat the muffins?” We ate the muffins while we talked. 

He’s the one for me.

“MARK!!!” Martha screamed as I walked into the theater. Finn had dropped me off so I can go talk to the manager to switch my hours to the day shift. I didn’t expect to see Martha. I hadn’t spoken to her since four months ago. I actually missed her.

“Martha! I missed you!” Martha gave me a huge hug. I felt tears land on my shirt. When we pulled back, I saw her crying.

“I missed you so much. I thought something horrible happened to you. And when they found you, I couldn’t bring myself to call you. I felt horrible for being no help.” She sobbed and I held her.

“Martha, please get back to work- Oh Mark! How’ve you been?” My manager walked through the front door. He stopped when he saw me. I saw tears and guilt form in his eyes.

“Eli.” I hugged him. He awkwardly hugged me. 

“So what brings you here today?”  Eli asked. He started sweating. I felt bad. Both Eli and Martha felt guilty for something that wasn’t their fault. 

“I wanted to talk to you regarding my work hours.” I said. 

“Of course! Of course. What is it you wanted?” He looked genuinely like he cared.

“I wanted to know if I can shift my hours to the day shift?” Martha stood behind me as she tried to hold back her tears.

“Yes. Of course. It’s good to have you back, Mark!” Eli hugged me, which caught me off guard because in the few months I’ve known him he’s never been a toucher.

“You gotta catch me up on everything!” Martha said. 

It was nice to talk to Martha again. I think we might actually be friends now. I told her about Finn and she squealed. She told me about her family and how they too were worried about me. It felt nice. I guess I was wrong.

There are people out there that care for me.

Returning home, I was embraced by the warmth of Finn’s house. I had lived here for about three weeks at this point. Not once has Finn ever said he wanted me to leave. It’s kinda like he wants me to stay. And I was fine with that. I got to be with my boyfriend who’s shown he cares for me. And for that I’m grateful.

“So I was thinking, how’d you feel about us going on a date. We’ve been dating for almost a month. I think it’s time we go on an actual date.” I turned to him and smiled.

“Of course Finn! I’d thought you’d never ask!” I hugged him and kissed him. He kissed me back.

We usually only do small pecks. But right now, we were in the moment. I kissed him more aggressively. He returned the effort and also kissed me back. He licked my lips. I was hesitant to let him in. But his tongue felt so good. I decided to let him slip his tongue in my mouth. 

It felt weird at first. I don’t know about you, but tongues feel off. But after a while, I got used to it. Our tongues swirled and we exchanged saliva. I never want this moment to end.

“I love you, Mark. Truly.” He split away from me and we both panted while we caught our breath. His hair was messy from me running my hands through it. I touched his cheeks to make sure he was real. 

“I love you too.”

“C’mon. Let’s go get ready for our date. We don’t want this to get too far. Unless you want to.” He smirked at me and I blushed.

“Shut up!” I laughed.

It took me three hours to get ready. I wanted to choose the best clothes for our first date. I’ve never been on a date before. I always had to work to pay the bills and go to school. I’ve gotten asked out only to reject them. So thankful that my first date is with Finn.

I chose my clothes after deciding for thirty minutes. It was a standard button up navy blue shirt with black pants. Simply, but nice.

“MARK! GET YOUR CRUSTY ASS DOWN HERE!” Finn’s voice boomed throughout the house. I giggled at his wise words. 

I walked down stairs and saw Finn standing there at the front door. Oh. My God. Finn looked stunning, handsome, amazing, and delicious. He wore a white button up but his sleeves were rolled up. His arms looked strong, like they could choke someone. His shirt hung on close to his body and his shoulders stood strongly. 

“Wow, you look so perfect.” Finn said. I saw him eyeing my outfit. 

“Me? Look at you. I’m worried cause people will be looking at you when you’re mine.” I said. I shocked myself because I’m never this expressive with words. 

“They can look all they want but I’ll always be yours.” He came up to me and slung his arm over my shoulders. His tall figure towered over me. If he ever fell on top of me I would die for sure. 

“Let’s boogie!” He said. I laughed sarcastically and we walked out the door. We went into his car. I still recall the time I was in here. I did a bit of research and saw that usually it’s the police who take kidnap people to the station. Only in this case, it was a detective who took me.

“I got a ques.” I said. I didn’t feel like saying the word ‘question’ as a whole.

“Hmm, what is it?” He didn’t take his eyes off the road but I knew he was giving me his whole undivided attention.

“When you rescued me, why did you take me to the precinct and not a cop?”

“Oh, ya’ see. I kinda formed a crush on you at that time. Even though I didn’t meet you, I found you attractive just from your picture. I needed to find a reason to take you myself. When you were afraid of everyone and only wanted to be with me, I took that chance. I really just wanted to spend time with you.” I saw a blush form on his face.

“Ya’ know, it’s kinda weird. A detective finds a kidnapped person and then sleeps with them in their house.” I said, remembering when I asked him to stay with me in my apartment.

“Yeah, the Chief had a talk with me to be careful around you. Told me not to take advantage of you. I agreed with him but when you asked me out, I knew that I had to be with you.” 

“Best decision of my life.” He added. 

I picked up his idle hand and kissed it. 

Dinner had to be one of the best moments of my horrible life. Throughout the entire thing, Finn made sure I was comfortable. He got a table located away from everyone, he made sure I was comfortable, and he let me order anything I wanted. Sugar Daddy yes please! Just kidding, he’s just Daddy. 

“So, what should we do now?” I said as we drove back home.

“Wanna go to the lake, it looks really nice at night time.” He said. I’ve never visited the lake before. Always too busy. I thought ‘Why not?’. What’s the worst that can happen?

I promise that’s not foreshadowing.

He drove a little longer. I saw the scenery as the moonlight shone onto the pine trees. The lake is a known spot for lovers. Many come here to get engaged. 

I saw the lake come into view. It was large and there was an island in the middle. The moon reflected onto the still water.

“C’mon, let’s go!” Finn had stopped the car. He got out and came to my side and opened the door.

“Wow, I guess chivalry isn’t dead.” I joked. He punched my shoulder lightly and laughed. 

He led me through a dirt road. The sides were lined with lamps that illuminate the path. The sides had tall cherry blossom trees. Petals fell onto my hair. 

I walked a little further while aweing at everything. I spun while looking up as it snowed pink flowers. When I noticed Finn wasn’t next to me, I turned to see him standing a bit behind with his phone out.

“What’re you doing?” I asked, covering my face with my hands.

“You look so cute. I just had to get this on video.” He walked to me and held out his phone. I saw the video of me enjoying the flowers.

“You’re so beautiful.” He said. He leaned down and kissed me. 

“The lake is this way.” He said while splitting away from me. I had an idea in my head. I walked fast up to him and tapped his head.

“Catch me if you can!” I said and immediately started running. I turned and saw him looking confused. Then he started running. I heard his footsteps catching up to me. I ran even faster. I saw a clearing and ran towards it.

I almost reached a large tree when I was tackled. 

“GOTCHU!” He said while pinning me down. I giggled.

“Why’d you say gotchu, I’m not a fucking Pokemon.” I laughed. He laughed too. 

We stayed in that position while our laughter died down. The grass I landed on was soft. Small white and yellow flowers bloomed. I looked up to Finn. He looked at me deeply. The moon perfectly aligned with his head, making him look angelic.

“If I could, I would fuck you here right now.” He said while kissing my neck. I moaned when he moved around until he found a spot that made me curl my toes.

“I- ooh, fuck yes! Finn, we could get caught.” I said while moans and whimpers escaped my lips. 

He stopped kissing my neck, while I whined for more. He picked me up easily and led me to the tree that was positioned near us. He sat me down on the other side that overlooked the lake. 

“There, now no one can see us.” He said. Technically he was right. This spot faced away from everything. No one would be able to see what we were doing. But I knew better than to have sex in public.

“I don’t feel like fucking in public.” I said. He laughed.

“What’s funny?” I asked.

“Well, we’ve never talked about it, but are you the bottom?” I felt embarrassed. I was smaller, and when we kissed he easily dominated me.

“I-I don’t know. Shut up! I think I am.” I said.

“Fine. We’ll try it out one day. Just not here.” I breathed in relief. 

“Aww, I’m not gonna leave you with blue balls tho.” I said. I unzipped his pants.

“What’re you doing, Mark?!” He said. 

“Giving you a blowjob. My gift to you after giving me a wonderful day.” I said. He didn’t fight me back.

I continued unzipping his pants. His pink briefs were exposed. I pulled his pants a bit lower. I saw his dick hard. The outline of it looked huge. I was kinda scared to put that in my mouth. But I’m a fighter. I was tortured for three months. If I can endure that, I can endure anything.

I pulled his briefs down slowly. I made sure my fingers brushed against Finn’s v-line.

His dick sprung and hit his stomach. I got a much closer look at his dick. It was… BIG. The tip glistened with precum that I felt the need to lick. I did small kitten licks.

“Mark, please suck it already.” He said in a low voice. But I could hear the disgruntled tone.

I went ahead and sucked it. And sucked and sucked. We almost got caught when a security guard came to look around. But we were able to get up and move around the tree to avoid him. We hid while Finn’s dick was still hanging out. 

“That was the best blowjob ever.” He panted. I finished swallowing his load while he zipped up his pants. 

We returned home after an… interesting day. Definitely one for the books. That book is small however. All of my favorite days had one thing in common, they were all with Finn. Finn really did change my life. I met him at one of my lowest points in life and he pulled me out of a dark place.

“We’re home!” He said. Yes this was my home now. I moved out of my apartment after Finn told me to live with him. I agreed because I wanted to be closer to him. 

We got out of the car and entered the house.

“We should get a dog.” I said.

“Really?” He said. 

“YES! It could be like our child.” I said not thinking about what I said.

“That is until we get an actual child.” He said.

We went off to bed and layed down side by side. Him on the left and me on the right. This was how it always was. We had our own spots, but they were together. We slept together, cooked together, and went shopping together. 

“Wanna christen the bed?” Finn asked.

“FINN!?!” I said and I hid in between his pecs.

“What do you see in the future?” I asked him when it got quiet.

“Want me to be honest?” He said. I nodded looking into his green eyes.

“Well, I see myself marrying you. I’ve only known you for a few weeks but I feel like I’ve known you all my life. I see myself introducing you to my parents. I see myself raising a kid with you. I see myself being with you until I die.” He said.

Tears ran through my eyes. I couldn’t comprehend the fact that he saw all of that, with me. A 19 year old who was a high school drop out with a dad for a prisoner and a junkie mom. I somehow managed to find someone who wanted to spend their life with me.

When I look at him, I feel a flame in my body burning in my heart. It tingles my bones and skin. I feel the need to dedicate my life to the man who saved me. I want to surrender to him, but his voice, happiness, and love will always give me the strength I need. Give me the love that I so long craved for. I want to cry in pure gold when I see him. But even all the gold and diamonds will never amount to how priceless he is. When he kisses me, all my pain goes away. When he touches me, all my scars go away. When he looks at me, the world goes away. A smile that heals me. He’s always by me, making sure I never walk alone. Everyday he surprises me, but I still feel like I know everything about him. He’s my guardian angel. He holds a piece of me with him. I’ve dedicated my heart to him. I worship him. I wake up to him and go to sleep with him. If I could, I would hold him forever, and make sure that he never lets go. Just as how I’ll never let him go. He is my soul, my life, my heart, my everything.

“I love you so much, Detective Finnick Martin.“

“I love you too, Mark Hudson.” He kissed me.

“And I promise to always be with you. I’ll never let anything bad happen to you. Because you are mine, and I am yours. You’ll never have to worry, because I’ll Protect You. “

The End