the book of fluff (that usually isn't)

kidnapped pt. 2

so tomorrow's my first day of school but i really don't need to tell you because i won't be on any less

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Meanwhile, the fans were going crazy with worry. Everyone was. First their sunshine had disappeared, and then their angel. They were all trying to help figure out where Mitch Grassi and Scott Hoying were.

Working together, they managed to find a lead. The security cameras of a restaurant had captured a conversation between Mitch Grassi and a strange man on the day of Mitch's disappearance. They didn't have audio, but it was clear that Mitch was angry and the man was annoyed. By the end, Mitch had gotten into a car with the man, and the police ran the license plate to figure out who it was.

The man's name was Martin Rainwater. He had a criminal record and had been arrested twice for theft and assault respectively, but both times he'd received parole and had gotten out years earlier than originally planned.

Three officers, Officer Brown, Officer Ellis, and Officer Dukes, were sent to Martin's address with a search warrant. "This is the police, open up!" Officer Ellis demanded, knocking on the door. There was a sound like a man shouting and someone else crying from inside, and a few moments later, Martin opened the door. "What?" he practically spat, crossing his arms over his chest. Officer Ellis calmly held up her badge, and Officer Dukes held up the search warrant. "We believe you have something to do with the disappearance of Mitch Grassi and Scott Hoying of the a cappella group Pentatonix and have been given permission to search your house. Please step aside." Outraged, Martin threw a punch at Officer Ellis, but she easily dodged it, and Officers Brown and Duke wrestled his arms behind his back as Officer Ellis began to search the house.

She followed the sound of sobs to a room across the hall from what appeared to be Martin's bedroom. As she got closer, she could hear another voice consoling the distraught person, murmuring unintelligible words of comfort. Officer Ellis opened the door, and she was meant with a heartbreaking sight. Scott Hoying was sobbing in Mitch Grassi's arms, his clothing disheveled as though it was hastily thrown on. Mitch was running his fingers through Scott's hair and rocking them gently, and he quickly looked up at the sound of the door opening. He appeared so relieved to see her, but he didn't say anything just yet. "Scotty, look. We're saved. I told you everything would be okay, didn't I? They're going to take the bad man away, and we'll be safe. He won't hurt you again," he murmured to Scott, brushing his tears away. Scott whimpered quietly and looked up, and even he relaxed at the sight of the police officer.

"Hello. My name is Officer Ellis," Officer Ellis told them kindly, showing her badge. Mitch offered her a small smile, carefully untangling himself from Scott's arms and standing. Scott whimpered and reached for him frantically, but he cried out softly in pain when his chains jerked his arms back to the wall. Mitch frowned and knelt back down at his side, setting a comforting hand on his leg as Officer Ellis crouched to undo his bonds. As soon as he was free, Mitch helped him stand up, and they followed Officer Ellis out to the police car.

Martin was arrested. Scott and Mitch were taken to the hospital, and after they were treated, Scott managed to squeeze himself in bed next to Mitch and cuddled up to him. Mitch leaned his head back against the pillows and ran his fingers through Scott's hair, sighing quietly. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For protecting me."

"I couldn't let him hurt you, Mitchy."

"But... you let him do whatever he wanted to you. What did he even do in that room?"

Scott shuddered and buried his face in Mitch's chest. "I don't want to talk about it."

Mitch frowned, but he didn't push, resuming his fingers movement. Scott didn't emerge from Mitch's chest, even when the door opened and a nurse came in. "You two have some visitors," she said softly, and two young girls came in, clearly fans. Mitch offered them a small smile, and even Scott peeked out at them. "Hi," one of the girls whispered. "Um, everyone was so worried while you were gone, and on behalf of the entire fandom, we would like to give you a gift that a lot of us contributed to."

"Thank you so much, but you guys didn't have to do anything..."

"We wanted to. You guys have been such great inspirations and you've saved so many of our lives, and we wanted to show our gratitude."

The other girl got a book out of her bag and gingerly placed it on Mitch's lap, being careful not to hurt him. Scott carefully sat up as much as he could, and together, him and Mitch looked through the pages. They were notes from the fans, each one saying how much Scott and Mitch have helped them and inspired them and that they hope that wherever they are, they're okay. "Thank you so much," Mitch whispered, blinking away his tears. "Come here. We don't look the best right now, but do you guys want a picture?"

"You still look perfect as always," the second girl said, giggling weakly, but she and her friend moved closer and took an awkward picture. Scott didn't like being so close to someone that wasn't Mitch, but these girls were more than a foot shorter than he was and obviously much weaker, so they didn't scare him too much. He tried his best to smile for the picture and hug the girls back, but he didn't fully relax until they were gone.

"Our fans are so sweet," Mitch murmured, resuming running his fingers through Scott's hair. Scott nodded slightly and closed his eyes. "Mhm. But I just want to be with you now. Other people are scary."

"Oh, baby... You're okay now, I promise. We both are. We'll get to go home, and we'll get back to working on Pentatonix and Superfruit stuff and everything will go back to the way it used to be, more or less. We're okay now."

"I know that. It's just... Everything seems so scary now. I don't want you to get hurt."

"I won't, sweetheart. Everything is okay now."

Scott sniffled and fell silent, burying his face in Mitch's neck. Mitch ran his hand up and down Scott's side, his own eyes slipping closed. When Scott draped his arm over Mitch's waist, Mitch set his free hand on Scott's arm and rubbed soft circles into his skin, quietly beginning to sing a lullaby.

Scott's muscles relaxed and he began to drift off, Mitch's angelic voice soothing him. Mitch didn't stop singing until Scott was asleep in his arms, and his lips curved into a smile as he kissed his forehead. "Sleep well, Scotty," he whispered, and then, he closed his own eyes and fell asleep.