AGAIN TW FOR MENTIONING OF KIDNAPPING AND ACTUAL KIDNAPPING (kinda).

"What? Why not?" Marucho asked.

"Because, it is a danger to our plan for you to go see him again." Frederick replied.

"But you promised that I would be able to see him this week." Marucho argued.

"Well, I lied." Frederick said. Marucho glared at her, of course she lied. Why wouldn't she lie? He expected her to be better, but he had too high of expectations.

"Get some sleep, you have another doctor's appointment tomorrow." Frederick closed the door and Marucho sighed. When were things ever going to go his way? He put the stuff he was working on, on the floor and curled up in his bed. Great, now he didn't even know when he was going to see Allie again. It would probably be months before he gets the chance to even see his face again.

And, off topic, he also had to go to the doctor's tomorrow. He would be left fingerless. He really wished he had never shown them his hand. He wrapped himself tight in his blanket until it was almost impossible to move his arms away from his body. He laid in that tight comfort and pouted.

It wasn't favorable, but it was what needed to happen to get Allie back. He tried to smile at the thought of being able to spend every day with Allie, but he didn't even know if it was going to happen.

A knock on his door woke him up. He yawned, "yeah?"

"Get ready, you have that appointment today." Frederick reminded him. He heard her walk away and he started to get ready. After he was done, he walked into the kitchen to eat whatever Frederick made for breakfast. Pancakes. He grabbed a plate, saying 'thank you,' but getting no reply.

He sat at the table and started eating. Frederick sat across from him and did the same. Unusual for her not to talk, but he wasn't going to make the effort to talk to her either. When they were done, they put on their shoes and headed out the door. He got the same feeling as he did the previous times. That feeling of anxiety squeezing from your heart to your throat, seemingly plugging it.

But Marucho convinced himself again that it was going to be fine, he was going to be fine. It would be just like the other times, completely painless. He would just be without his fingers. And that's not too Allie, he's been without them before.

They arrived at the doctor's office and they ushered him into the patient room. He sat in the bed and stuck out his hand for Sora Perse to see. Sora Perse inspected it and then looked at their tools.

"Okay, for this type of surgery, I'm going to need to put you on anesthesia. Is that okay?" Sora Perse asked.

"Yeah, that's fine." Marucho replied. Sora Perse smiled and started to prepare for the surgery. Marucho didn't remember much after that.

When he woke up, he saw that it was already dark out. He giggled, feeling woozy. He saw some string looking things coming out of his arms and pulled them out. He got up off of the bed and his legs started to wobble. He fell back to sit on the bed, then fell onto his back. Bed is fine. He didn't need to go anywhere. Sora Perse came into the room and saw the dizzy Marucho.

"Oh, you're awake!" Sora Perse said.

Marucho nodded, "but are you awake?" He laughed at his own 'joke.'

"Okay, I might have done a bit too much this time. Oh my god, I'm sorry. I'm used to working with grown aduls and I thought the dose for a grown man would be about the same for a teen of your age-"

"You talk a lot." Marucho said. Sora Perse shut her mouth. Marucho sighed.

"Your mom is going to come pick you up soon." Sora Perse said. Marucho's eyes flashed open.

"Mom is coming to get me? She never does that." Marucho said.

"What do you mean, she picks you up after every surgery." Sora Perse said.

"No, I always walk home. She's not going to pick me up." Marucho said, trying to stand up again but falling back down.

"Marucho, I think you should just stay here and wait. I'll go make sure that she's coming." Sora Perse said. Marucho nodded. Sora Perse left the room an Marucho attempted to stand up again, this time, he was more successful. He walked a few steps, dragging his feet as he walked. He saw a walker in the corner, he just needed that.

It was weird, usually he wouldn't feel like this after a surgery. He reached out for the walker and his arm was stopped. He looked at his right hand and saw something clipped to it. He unclipped it and continued to the walker. He grabbed onto it and saw it was one of the ones with four tennis balls on the bottom. He placed his balance on the walker and started to move out of the building.

He heard a door slam and assumed that's the direction that he was supposed to go. He walked in that direction down the hall. He didn't recognize the hospital, but he figured it was because of how out of it he felt. He saw the door in the distance and walked faster to it. Once he got there, he realized that it was locked. But, he wasn't an idiot, so he just twisted the lock and opened the door.

There was a drop of stairs right there that he almost fell down but, thanks to the walker, he didn't. Well, technically it was a cane, but walker was the first thing that came to his mind. He didn't know the road he was walking on, his vision was blurry, waves flooded his vision and made everything seem like it was moving.

Was he moving? He didn't feel like he was moving. He looked down to see his elongated legs.

What the fuck kind of drugs was he given? The road swayed as he wobbled then he hit something. He looked down to see he now had four feet. Then he realized the other pair of feet weren't connected to his body. He looked up to see who's body those feet were connected to. A man. A tall man.

"Dad?" Marucho asked. His face was blurry, but Marucho noticed that the hole on his face was moving. Was he talking? Then he felt something touch him and he jumped back, falling because of his unsteady balance.

The man bent down to him, Marucho used his arms to try to pull himself backwards. They felt like jelly, and so did his legs. Was he supposed to feel like this? His arms gave out on him and he fell onto his back. The man was a complete blur now. This was how he was gonna die.

He woke up again and shot up. He wiped his hair out of his face and looked around. He didn't recognize this room. He started to freak out, pulling the blankets off of him and standing up quickly. His head hurt, but he paid it no mind. He stumbled his way across the room and to the door. At least he wasn't trapped in a basement or dungeon, the place had wooden doors. He twisted the knob and looked out into the room behind it. It was a living room, nice and clean. Marucho wouldn't expect a child kidnapper to have a nice house.

After seeing that there was no one in the room, he stepped out. He hobbled through the living room and to the front door. He tested the knob and saw it was locked. This time, there was no lock to twist, only a key hole. He walked away from the door to see if there was another exit. He went into the room beside the living room, a kitchen. And beside that room was the dining room. And that's exactly where he wanted to be. He saw the glass doors from behind the blinds. It led to a back yard.

And a back yard meant escape.

He walked faster to it, not noting his surroundings. He bumped into a chair and tripped. He caught himself by his hands and he felt pain shoot through his left one. He rolled to his side and grabbed it in pain. He bit his lip as to not make any more noise than he already has. He breathed in and out and continued. He couldn't let a little pain stop him, even if it wasn't just a little.

He stood back up again, using his right arm to push himself up. He walked to the door and pulled on the handle. Locked, but there was a twist lock on the backdoor. He untwisted it, and undid the latch from the top of the door. It opened and he was free. He stepped through the blinds and as soon as his foot hit the pavement outside, a hand was on his shoulder.

He didn't look back or hesitate, he just started running. His legs, feeling like they were made of bricks, moved forward in wide steps. One step, two steps, then a half step as his foot missed the ground and he fell onto the floor. This time, he turned to land on his back and not his arms. He pushed with his legs to go somewhere. That's when he saw the face of his kidnapper.

"I never took you for a kidnapper. I didn't even know you had a house." Marucho said.

Aura raised an eyebrow, "kidnapper? You passed out on the road."

"Yeah, yeah. Why didn't you take me home then?" Marucho asked.

"Because you aren't safe there." Aura said.

"I feel like this is some sort of manipulation." Marucho said.

Aura sighed, "just listen to me. You'll get to see Allie later."

"Okay this is definitely manipulation now." Marucho said. Aura wasn't in the mood for him. "But I'm listening." Marucho said.

"Okay, so you know that Tate came in the other day?" Aura asked.

"Yes." Marucho said.

"Well, she actually broke the deal when she pushed Allie's face away." Aura said.

"Wait, so the deal was already broken? Why isn't Allie out yet?" Marucho asked.

"You can thank Frederick for that one. She was supposed to tell you that Allie was getting out. But then she started talking about our back-up plan instead." Aura said.

"That's why you kidnapped me?" Marucho asked.

"Stop saying that I kidnapped you." Aura said. Marucho laughed.

"Wait. So is Allie getting out today?" Marucho asked.

"Well, if you would like him to." Aura said.

Marucho threw his fist into the air, "YES! ALLY'S GETTING OUT OF THE PRISON AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO LIVE TOGETHER AND BE HAPPY-"

"And where are you going to live?" Aura asked. Marucho lowered his fist.

"I don't know. The mountains?" Marucho said. Aura face-palmed.

"You can't just expect to be okay living in the mountains. You need shelter, food, water, clothing, and other things." Aura said.

"Well, we'll find that stuff on our own." Marucho said.

"Look kid, I'll give you a place to stay. Okay? I'll also give you resources and everything else you need." Aura said.

"What's the catch?" Marucho asked.

"I'll know where you live. But I won't do anything with the information. Really, it's a commensalism thing. You gain something and I'm unaffected." Aura explained. Marucho had been really trusting so far. Way too trusting.

He didn't know if he should refuse such a kind offer just because it was a kind offer. Or if he should accept it and pay for it later on. Aura was a good person, right? He never called Allie a demon. He always called him by his name. But does that mean that he would really just let Marucho and Allie leave like that.

"What are you thinking about, kid?" Aura asked.

"Are you sure that there's no catch. Because I feel like if you're giving us all this stuff, you must benefit off of it as well." Marucho said.

"I have no reason to benefit off of it. I just don't see a point in keeping Allie in the prison if the deal was already broken." Aura said. Marucho wasn't convinced.

"You know, there is more than just one option. You could choose to run away with Allie and live together as a first option. You could also leave him there and run away yourself. Or, you could stay the same and instead help prove his innocence to the rest of the town. What do you think?" Aura asked.

In option one, the entire town would frown upon the two of them. They also probably wouldn't let them just be free. They would search near and far for any sign of the two boys. Unless the location was far enough, they would be caught. But, if it was far enough then him and Allie could just live together, and be happy. But there chance at survival and growing old together would also be a problem.

"How far away is this house that me and Allie would be staying at?" Marucho asked.

"Well, from the prison, it's about a three day walk. From your house, about a five day walk. But don't worry about being found, you are way too far for the townspeople to care about your whereabouts." Aura explained. It was like he read his mind.

So, a nice peaceful life with Allie. It seemed like a pretty good option.

Then there was the second option, running away. He had done it before. But this time, Allie's life was at stake. Even if the deal was broken, he didn't think that the town would care too much for keeping Allie alive for no reason. But, Marucho would be free. Free from everyone stealing from him. From responsibility, from worry. But he would be without Allie. It would be easier to escape without him, but he didn't want to think of having to leave him alone.

Then, there was option three, to prove Allie's innocence to the rest of the town. This option would mean that they wouldn't have to run away. They could stay in the village that Allie grew up in. And even more, Tate and Paul would be brought down and him and Allie could live in the barn together. Allie would be able to live the life that he wasn't able to live when he was a child. He would no longer be shunned or feared purely based off his looks. He would be happy. But even then, some will discriminate.

And Marucho wouldn't be free in this outcome. People wouldn't just let such a precious asset live without giving something. He would still be forced to give himself away, Allie would be threatened now that the entire town knew about him and Marucho's relationship. The only way that him and Allie would be able to live on the farm together would be if Marucho still gave himself up to the town. But, they would live longer, and Allie would be almost completely safe.

So, what mattered more: Being completely free with Allie, with a low chance of survival? Leaving to save himself to ensure his escape? Or to prove Allie was innocent and get revenge, giving himself up instead?

Marucho sighed, "I choose-