the book of fluff (that usually isn't)

hell and back pt. 2

this is bad

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"Mitch's parents have been contacted, sir," Officer Rodriguez reported the next morning at the police station. Chief Ramos nodded and sighed relievedly. "Good. As soon as they're out of the hospital, you two will take them to their house." Officer Smith hesitated, and he slowly shook his head, apologetically meeting the chief's eyes. "Actually, sir," he started, speaking slowly and carefully, "Mitch's parents did not want them. I did some research, and apparently they were not the ones who reported Mitch missing."

Chief Ramos frowned a little, confused. "They weren't? Then who did?"

"It was a young girl named Kirstin Maldonado, sir. She was Mitch's best friend, and she must've called the police when he didn't show up for school. I found her number and called her, and she told me Mitch had been kicked out by his parents for being gay, which was why Carlos was able to find him and take him."

"That's horrible."

"I know, sir. But luckily, she said she'd be happy to take Mitch in. She was crying when I told her he was found."

"And Scott?"

"Well, if you'll remember correctly, Scott's parents died in a fire thirteen years ago. I asked Ms. Maldonado, and she said she would take him in since he had nowhere to go. I've already looked into her track record, and she hasn't done a single thing that was against the law. She's trustworthy, sir."

Chief Ramos nodded. "Good. They'll go to live with her as soon as they're released."

Meanwhile, Scott and Mitch were still sleeping. Mitch's head was on Scott's shoulder and his arm was draped over his waist to prevent him from getting up. Their bodies were pressed together since the hospital bed was so small, Mitch being wedged between the armrest and Scott, but honestly they would've been this close even if they had a king bed to themselves.

Scott jumped awake when he heard the door open, his grip immediately tightening on Mitch as he looked up to see who it was. The nurse offered him a kind smile, and he relaxed, glancing down at Mitch to make sure he didn't wake up. Luckily, Mitch remained sound asleep, curling up in Scott's arms. Scott watched the nurse as she placed the tray of food on the table beside the hospital bed, making sure she kept a safe distance away from them. "Eat this, please. There's two of everything for Mitch to eat, too," the nurse told him softly, then she left the room.

Scott ran his fingers through Mitch's hair, not wanting to wake him. He knew how little sleep he got when they were stuck with Carlos, because usually their captor would force Mitch to have sex with him at varying hours in the night. As much as Scott hated it, he couldn't always protect him.

Scott refused to eat until Mitch had eaten first, so he stared up at the ceiling for another hour before Mitch finally stirred. Sleepy brown eyes blinked up at Scott, and the taller boy bent to press a soft kiss to his forehead. "Good morning, angel. A nurse came in earlier with food for you," he murmured, brushing his hair out of his face. Mitch nodded as he carefully sat up, rubbing his eyes. Scott grabbed the tray and tore open the yogurt, beginning to feed him the food.

Mitch obediently ate, but he only finished about half the food before he was full. Nonetheless, Scott kept feeding him, so Mitch turned his head and whimpered quietly to tell him. "Baby, you have to finish," Scott told him gently. "You're malnourished." Mitch sniffled and peeked up at him. "You are too. I'll eat if you do." Scott sighed, but he helped Mitch finish and let Mitch feed him.

When they finished eating, Mitch set the tray aside and cuddled up to Scott again, resting his head in his neck. The door opened again and Doctor Jameson made her way inside, and she smiled at the pair. "Good morning. Did you two sleep okay?" Scott nodded slightly and watched her closely, holding Mitch's head in his neck. Mitch scrunched Scott's shirt in his fingers, his gaze following the doctor as she went over to the window. "That's good," Doctor Jameson said gently. "Mitch, can you come back over to your bed? So I can treat your wounds?"

Soon, Scott and Mitch were all bandaged up, Scott more so than Mitch. As soon as Doctor Jameson was gone again, Mitch crawled back into bed with Scott, and there he remained for the rest of the day.

+++

Kirstin rushed around her house, frantically scrambling to straighten everything out for her new roommates. The police chief had called her and told her that Officer Smith and Officer Rodriguez were on their way with Scott and Mitch right now.

Soon, the doorbell rang, and she ran her fingers through her hair one more time before rushing downstairs. Officer Smith offered her a smile when she opened the door. "Hello, Ms. Maldonado. Scott and Mitch are here." Kirstin's gaze went to the couple with them, and her heart broke at the sight. Mitch was half behind Scott, holding onto his arm as he peeked out at her. He was trembling slightly, clearly terrified. Scott watched her carefully, and she was almost intimidated by his icy stare.

"Hi, Mitchy. Hi, Scott. I'm Kirstin," Kirstin spoke gently. "Do you remember me, Mitchy? We went to school together. We were best friends before you were... you know..." Mitch did remember Kirstin. She had been very nice to him, and he had enjoyed her company very much. "Yes," he whispered, hugging Scott's arm to his chest. Tears filled Kirstin's eyes, but she still smiled, unbelievably happy that he remembered. "Oh. I'm so happy. You and your friend will be living with me for a while, okay?" Mitch nodded slightly and followed Scott inside her house.

"Thank you so much, officers," Kirstin said, wiping away her tears. "Of course. Good luck with them," Officer Smith replied with a smile, and then, him and his partner left. Kirstin sniffled and regained her composure before she closed the door, turning to see Scott and Mitch. Mitch was still behind Scott, but he wasn't trembling anymore, and some of the fear had left his eyes. Kirstin offered them a watery smile, still trying to stop crying. "So, um, I made dinner, and your bedrooms are upstairs. Feel free to ask me if you need anything."

They ate dinner, and afterwards, Kirstin decided to watch a movie with them. Hesitantly, Scott sat down on the couch, and Mitch immediately crawled into his lap. Kirstin put on The Lion King, because she remembered how much Mitch loved it, and they settled down to watch it.

Mitch cried when Mufasa died, but he giggled quietly when Simba danced with Pumbaa and Timon. Both Kirstin's and Scott's hearts warmed up. It had been so long since Mitch had laughed.

After the movie, Mitch was almost asleep. Scott quietly thanked Kirstin for everything and carried Mitch up the stairs and into one of the bedrooms, setting him down. "Scotty?" Mitch mumbled when he felt Scott pull away from him, forcing his eyes open to look up at him. "It's time to sleep, baby," Scott murmured, softly pecking his lips. "Goodnight. I love you." Mitch whimpered when Scott started towards the door, reaching for him desperately. "No. Stay." Scott nodded and obediently crawled in bed beside him, and Mitch instantly snuggled up to his side. "Goodnight, Scotty."

"Goodnight, angel. I love you."

"I love you too, princess."