|| Side-By-Side || A Sprace Love Story

Chapter 43 - Bonus No.3

Warnings: Kidnapping, abuse
A/N, not my art.
Third Person POV
(Takes place in between or after chapters 24 and 25)

"We lost him again, Finch!" Albert exclaims, pacing.

"I know, Al. I know." Finch whispers.

"Where is he?!" Albert shouts, his hands pulling on his hair.

Finch just looks at the ground, shaking his head. "I don't know, Al. I don't, but I really wish I did."

They just stayed there in silence.

Finch looked up a few minutes later when he heard sobs.

Albert was sobbing so much he could barely breathe.

Finch wrapped his arms around his boyfriend. "I'm so sorry."

"I'm sup- supposed to- to- to-" Another sob escapes Albert's throat. "Protect h-him, Finch."

"We all want to protect him, Al." Finch whispers, running his hands through Albert's hair. "It's not your fault."

His red hair felt like silk in Finch's hands, and Finch always loved that. He loved playing with Albert's hair, and he though the red hair brought out his green eyes.

Finch couldn't ever imagine Albert without his red hair, it just wasn't him.

"You know Race; he can't stay in one place or cooped up for a long time. He needs to have his freedom." Finch continues. "He hasn't escaped our eyes for over two weeks and he was just told a lot of information that was overwhelming for everyone who wasn't related to the twins, never mind overwhelming to him, so it's no wonder that at the one free moment he got, he ran."

Albert sobbed again, breaking Finch's heart further.

"Knowing him, he wasn't trying to run from us, and you know that. He probably just wanted ten minutes of fresh air without three of us watching him like a hawk." Finch hugs Albert closer to him. "In those few minutes that he was alone, they probably got him."

Albert struggled to get out of Finch's grip, crying harder than he had been.

Finch holds him tighter. "We can try to protect him all we want, but at the end of the day, it's Race. Race gets himself into trouble more than Romeo will ever flirt with Specs: it's just how it works."

Finch rubs the palm of Albert's right hand, mentally awed at how soft his hands were.

You'd think that because of all the paper cuts, scars, and scrapes on his hands, they'd be rough, but they really weren't.

"Now, Al, we fight to get him back, and save the Higgins siblings once and for all, because we can do it." Finch kisses the top of Albert's forehead. "We can, and we will."

Albert nods weakly. "We will..."

"Come on," Finch holds Albert's hands and looks into his beautiful, green eyes. "Where's that DaSilva determination that I love so much?"

"We will." Albert sounded more determined this time.

Finch nods. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

"I'm going to go ask Spot if we can borrow a bunk while they talk," Finch tells his boyfriend, who groggily nods.

The next day

Finch walks into the Manhattan Lodge, concern covering his face.

Jack had sent Boots to find him at his selling spot.

Finch walked into the bunch room, finding Albert laying on his (Finch's) bunk, his head drug in the pillow, laying on his stomach, and holding Race's blanket.

Jack was sat on the bunk next to his, feet on the bottom railing, and his hands folded with a worried look on his face.

JoJo sat on the bunk next to Albert, rubbing his back.

The closer Finch got, the more Albert's sobs became clear.

Finch frowned.

JoJo looks up at him, immediately getting up so that Finch could sit down next to Albert.

"Albie," Finch whispers, sitting down next to him. "What's up?"

"The sky..." Albert mumbles, before sobbing again.

Finch lays down next to his boyfriend, turning Albert's head to face him. "Talk to me, please."

Albert opened his mouth to speak, but all that came out was a sob.

Finch frowns, caressing his cheek with his thumb. "Take your fine. Breathe."

After a few minutes, Albert spoke up again. "Race." His voice was weak and pained, and you could hear the fact that he was crying in his voice.

Finch pulled Albert into his arms, Albert nuzzling his head into Finch's neck, still crying a bit.

"We're going to get him back." Finch whispers, brushing Albert's hair out of his face. "I promise."

"I- I can't- can't lose- him," Albert whispers. "I don't- want to- to lose- any- of y-you."

Finch tightens his hold on his boyfriend, though he was sure to not hurt Albert. "And you won't, cause we're going to save him, and then we're all going to be okay and happy. Good with you?"

Albert hums, nuzzling his neck into Finch's neck, and tickling him a little bit.

Finch lifted Albert so that he was on top of him, and they were flipped, facing Jack and JoJo, who still looked concerned.

Jack looked warily at Albert, who was half asleep, half still conscious but pretty out of it.

"He wouldn't talk to us, he was sobbing too much." Jack informs Finch, his frown deepening. "He barely made it inside. I think he was crying before he got here and he didn't finish selling over half of his papes."

Finch frowns, playing with Albert's hair, again awed at how silky it felt and how easy it was to run his hands through his hair.

"He's having a rough time. Like all of us, he's torn up with losing Race again." Finch explains. "It's the second time in two days, and now I'm getting worried."

"I mean, I understand." JoJo responds. Finch nods. "Race is our best friend; we're known for being together. Him being in Queens has been hard on all of us, and Albert hasn't let himself relieve the emotion from the past four months. It's no wonder he's breaking now."

Finch frowns again, pressing a kiss to Albert's forehead. "I love you, bubby. We're going to get through this."

Albert finally fell asleep at that statement.

1018 Words