TW: Self-harm, suicide attempt, racism, Islamophobia, homophobia, eating disorders

A Special Gift of Vision

Modern AU

Finch sits down in his homeroom one day in October and looks around as the teacher takes attendance.

The reason why he does this is to try to help and support people who need it. He has a special ability that no one knows about.

He can see things that other people normally can't.

After about a minute of scanning, he sees it. In a girl's pocket, there's a small bottle of pills. She sits across the room, grey hood drawn over her head, chestnut hair barely visible. Finch searches her upper half and finds scars running up and down her arms. A box of razors is concealed in the canvas bag over her shoulder.

He knows what she plans to do. She's planning to cut herself then O.D. in the girls' toilet. And he needs to stop this as soon as possible.

The bell rings and everyone rushes out of the room. Finch is the last to leave after the girl in the grey hood. He follows her to just outside the girls' bathroom and yells, "Hey!"

She stops, turns around and looks at him. Her eyes widen. She knows she's been caught and immediately begins to run. He sprints after her, not caring about the looks he's getting from people in the hallway.

Eventually, she reaches a dead end. She stops, crouches down to the floor and pulls the bottle of pills from her pocket. Just as she opens it, Finch slides down next to her and knocks the bottle away, the white pills spilling across the floor.

"What was that for?" she screams bitterly, angry tears streaming down her face. "Who gives a damn about me? Would anyone notice if I disappeared?"

Finch grabs her wrists and looks her dead in the eyes. "I care. I would cry for you if no one else did. Sure, I don't really know you, but it doesn't mean I don't care. You matter, and you need to stay strong."

The girl stops crying for a moment, then wipes her tears away with her sleeve. She gives him a fragile smile and says, "Katherine. My name's Katherine."

"Finley, but my friends call me Finch." He says, smiling back. He helps her up off the ground and says, "Take care. And give me your box of razors. You won't be needing those."

She hesitates, then reaches into her bag and hands him the box. Katherine turns to leave, but stops. She turns back around and gives him a swift hug and whispers in his ear, "Thank you, Finch." She rushes off to her next class, leaving him alone with a box of razors to flush and a bottle of pills to clean up.

But at least he helped her.

About a month later, Finch is sitting in the library and sees a slender blond boy, probably a junior, sitting a few chairs away. He has his head in his hands and a black eye that's healing. His cheeks are hollow and he looks like he hasn't eaten in three days. Maybe there's something more that is to be unveiled.

Finch looks him up and down for a few seconds and immediately sees what's wrong. There's a note shoved in the boy's pocket that reads 'Fag' in messy script, and there are bruises all over his chest. He's clearly been beat up by some seniors out for trouble, or perhaps his parents, or even both. The kid also seems very unhealthily underweight, but Finch can't pinpoint why.

"Hey, you okay?" Finch whispers, causing the boy to jump. He immediately stands up and leaves. But Finch knows that there's more to what he sees.

He goes after him and finds the kid in the bathroom, leaning against the sink and crying. Suddenly, the boy sticks his fingers down his throat and retches into the sink, most likely throwing up his lunch. He does this a couple of times, washes the sink and turns around to see Finch standing there.

"Not a word of this to anyone, you swear?" the boy hisses as he tries to leave. Finch blocks his path and puts a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Hey. Don't let whatever those jerks said to you get to your head. God loves and accepts you, and I will too." Finch says, trying his best to sound calm. "Don't do that again. All you're doing is proving to the bullies that you're vulnerable to them. And you're hurting yourself. Don't do it, understand?"

The blond kid does a bit of a double take, then leans against Finch's chest, crying. He waits patiently until the kid stops crying, and when he does, gives Finch a smile.

"Anthony." The kid says quietly. "Name's Anthony. What's yours?"

"Finley. But you can call me Finch."

Anthony smiles again, but it's a happier smile. He gives Finch a hug and says, "Thank you. And I'll try to get better, I promise." He runs out of the bathroom and leaves Finch alone, satisfied at his work.

Two weeks after the Christmas holidays, Finch is walking to calculus when he sees a small Muslim boy, perhaps a sophomore, slumped against his locker, head on his knees. His curly black hair is a mess, and he's clearly hurt by something.

Finch looks for a moment, and, for the first time, sees phrases and a memory that is relaying through the boy's head. He sees 'Terrorist!', 'Bomber!', 'Go back to where you came from!' and several more. The memory is of a much taller boy stealing his taqiyah off his head. This teen is clearly a subject of racist bullies.

Finch suddenly forgets about heading to class and crouches down by the small boy. "Hey, you okay kid?" he asks, sitting down next to him.

The black-haired boy looks up and immediately moves away. "Don't hurt me, please…" he begs desperately.

"I'm not going to hurt you. Don't let those guys get you down. I'd sit with you at lunch, on the bus, on the train, whatever." Finch says. He gives the boy a smile and continues, "I won't judge you for fasting. I won't judge you for wearing that cap. Just be you. That's all that matters."

The smaller boy smiles and gives Finch a tight hug. "Thank you for those words." He says. "I'm Nicholas. You are?"

"Finley. But Finch is fine." He smiles and helps the boy up. "Stay strong kid. See you around."

By March, Finch notices a lot of change in the people he helped over the last several months.

Katherine is proudly wearing short sleeves, her scars now fading a bit. She seems happier, no longer wearing the grey hoodie with the hood drawn over her eyes. She no longer hides any razors or pills in her bag or pockets.

Anthony looks much healthier now, and he's proudly holding his boyfriend's hand as he walks down the hallway. He doesn't care what people say now. He kisses his boyfriend in response to any homophobic comments.

Nicholas holds his head up high with pride. He seems to have made friends with another Muslim sophomore wearing a blue hijab. They walk arm in arm, now proud of their religion, knowing well that they are not what people say they are.

They all say hello to Finch as they walk past, and it makes him smile. He has helped these people to accept themselves, to love themselves the way they are.

His special gift of vision is truly a blessing.

A/N: Okay, this one was another doozy. It was written all in one go, and I don't even know how this idea popped up, to be frank, but it's here now. Hope you enjoyed! Remember, you matter, and whatever a bully says is mostly to try and cover their own insecurities. Don't let them get you down.

PS: My uploading schedule might become a bit erratic. I'm in eight grade now and schoolwork is killing me and it's only the first week of school smh... So updates might be a bit slow cuz i need to focus on school Just letting you all know now.