The blonde man had held his breath after he had finally stepped into the place. He didn't know if Mark was still asleep, but he wished for it immensely. The bat in his sweaty hands suddenly felt too heavy for him, but at the same time, not heavy enough to knock down the other man, since fear had taken over Chester's body.
He gulped, and tried to see anything in the darkness, fearing opening the lights. He had to do this for Mike.
He waited for some time so his eyes could adjust to his surroundings, and he suddenly wished he could be a cat so he could see perfectly in darkness, this would surely appease him a bit. After a while, he finally understood that he was in a sort of club that seemed to have been closed for a while. There were spider webs everywhere, and most of the furniture was covered with blankets, giving the place an eerie feeling. It also smelled damp and there was dust almost everywhere...
Chester tried to make his way silently between the old furniture as he saw that there was a small stage up the front. He could only guess that Mark was sleeping somewhere backstage, but Mike... Mike could be kept anywhere. Still, he had said that his kidnaper was asleep, so surely they were locked up somewhere in the same room.
The blonde man could only hope that he was making his way in the right direction. He swiftly got up the stairs and walked on the stage to make his way toward the back, and finally saw three doors. Two were shut, and the other was wide open.
So he had two options. He took a deep breath. This was it, finally... He was going to do this, he was going to save his lover. He sure owed that to Mike.
He looked fixedly to one of the doors and something inside of him told him that that was the right one, so he stepped forward and prayed that it was unlocked when he turned the knob.
Fortunately for him, it was and he entered, squinting his eyes at the sudden light. The was a bulb attached to the ceiling by a single string. It was a weak light but it was enough to light up half of the tiny room.
When Chester got used to the brightness, he gasped and dropped the bat the moment he saw a chair under the light and the back of a person's head. He knew it was Mike. He could see his hands tied as well as he was facing his back and there were red marks due to the rough ropes that kept his lover's wrists together.
The noise of the bat hitting the ground made Mike flinch and whimper, and only then Chester noticed he was gagged. He was so scared and the blonde wanted to just cradle him in his arms and walk out with him. Keep him safe.
The blonde recomposed himself and grabbed the bat again, rushing as silently as he could to the half Asian's front.
That was when he saw Mike's state. He led one hand to his mouth to keep himself from sobbing as his eyes filled with water. He closed his eyes and shook his head as if it were going to erase Mike's bruises and cuts, and heal him. It was exactly like he had imagined. His white button-up shirt covered with his own blood, his right eye swollen and bruised as some blood fell over it and ran to his jaw until it dropped to his collar. He had a cut on his upper lip and his cheeks were heavily bruised, with tones of black and purple. He looked so fragile, so hurt, and Chester couldn't protect him from Mark.
"Mike... I'm so sorry." The blonde whispered as he dropped his backpack to the ground along with his bat and kneeled. He held Mike's face and saw as his lover cried as well, his tears wetting the already dried blood and dropping red to his shirt. The half Asian looked desperate as he tried to say something, shaking his head as his expression turned into one of pure fear. Chester sobbed but pulled the gag from his mouth, kissing him before he could say anything. He tasted the blood and the tears, but above all, he tasted Mike, and when they parted, the half Asian looked a little calmer.
"He knows, Chester you need to go, now!" He whispered desperately just as the door opened wide with a loud smack and Mark appeared at the doorway. Mike sobbed and closed his eyes, defeated. Chester gulped and trembled, but he knew he had to be strong, so he got up, bat in hand.
His grip tightened around the handle as he felt his heart quickened. A smile had appeared on Mark's face as he stepped more into the room and closed the door behind him, locking it, as his eyes never left Chester. Beside the blonde man, Mike had started to try and free himself as fresh tears stained his cheeks, as he yelled, he couldn't just sit there and do nothing knowing that Chester would surely end up in the same situation as him, or worse.
The blonde man took a deep breath before he began to run toward Mark, baseball bat in the air, as he lunged himself ready to hit the other man on the head, but unfortunately, Mark grabbed the bat with his two hands as he pushed it toward Chester. The tattooed man couldn't help but be flanked toward a drawer as he felt his back pressed against it, the handles digging into his flesh and he gritted his teeth while he tried to push Mark back, but he wasn't strong enough.
He finally let go of the weapon and bent down as the same time so Mark landed on the drawer while Chester ran toward Mike, but their enemy caught Chester by the leg and the blonde man landed flat on his chest as he felt his breath caught in his throat. He heard his lover scream something, but as he tried to get up, Mark pushed him down with the help of his boot, and he fell to the floor once again, moaning in pain as he felt his body crunched under Mark's weight. The other man caught both of Chester's arms and pulled them on his back fiercely, as he began to tie them together with some rope. The blonde man tried to wiggle from under Mark, but he was helpless. His eyes finally caught Mike's gaze as his eyes filled with tears.
"I'm sorry..." He mumbled and Mike shook his head.
"It's okay, baby."
"Shut the fuck up, both of you." The two gulped and Chester whined as Mark stepped harder against his back.
When the vile man was finished with tying Chester's wrists, he gripped the blonde man by the hair as the latter gritted his teeth and grimaced at the stinging in his scalp, and threw him to the ground, so he sat looking at his lover.
"I told you not to call the cops not anyone... you didn't. Instead, you came alone." He chuckled. "Bold of you to think I wasn't gonna listen to you, little Mikey-boy." He chuckled again but this time, stopped laughing suddenly and threw a hard punch to the half Asian's stomach, that had him gasping for air and Chester wincing at seeing Mike in pain, more tears staining his face. "You're lucky your excuse of a boyfriend obeyed my rules, or else you'd have a bullet through your brain right now..." Mark told Mike as he held his face roughly, digging his short nails on his cheeks as he did so. Chester whimpered again at that.
"Please don't hurt him!" He screamed. He couldn't see Mike hurting anymore... he couldn't take it. He seemed to always be the one who made others hurt. It was like that with Amber, and now with Mike. Except this time he wouldn't allow it, so he got up and tripped his way to Mark, trying his best to knock him off his lover, but, of course, he failed and instead, Mark threw him back to the wall. This time he hit his head and winced, wondering if there was any blood there.
"Chester, don't do anything stupid, please!" Mike pleaded his boyfriend, jumping in his chair and making it move, barely an inch, but enough for Mark to slap his face.
"You... you always ignore me, Mike. Stop talking like I am not here, goddamnit!" He screamed, his emotions finally showing and getting the best of him.
Now was the time to act, Chester thought. They were finally getting on his nerves and that would make him hesitate when deciding something, that would make him more distracted, he thought.
And as if Mike was thinking the same thing, he widened his eyes and looked at Chester and then at the bat, giving him a hint as they talked through glances. Mark was too focused on whatever thoughts of rage were going through his head to notice their silent conversation.
Even with every inch of his body hurting, Chester managed to silently move toward where the baseball bat was resting, as Mike kept his eyes on Mark so the latter wouldn't turn around and see what was going on. Chester swiftly gripped the bat with a shaking hand, and as he raised it to hit Mark behind his head, the latter suddenly turned around and punched the blonde man square in the face, as a cracking sound was heard, and Mike winced upon hearing the sound of his boyfriend's nose getting broken.
"Ow!" Chester covered his nose, his eyes watering as he let go of the bat, and Mark laughed as he took it into his hand.
"You really think you're smarter than me, huh? Haven't you learned yet, Chester? I'm the one in charge here, just like back at the clinic. Good memories."
And before Chester could react, Mark brought the bat down on the blonde man's head, just as he had intended to do, as the sound seemed to reverberate on the walls, and Mike couldn't help but scream as Chester fell to the ground, his body going limp as he fainted, and blood began to river down his head unto the floor. The sight was enough to make Mike go crazy, as he pulled on the ropes holding him down, until the chair's legs where hissing against the floor, and Mark couldn't help but laugh again.
Something suddenly appeared in Mike's eyes, a glimmer of hope, that he wished wouldn't appear too much on his face, as he felt the rope loosened. Mark was speaking now, but the half Asian wasn't listening to him, only fixing his gaze on his ex boyfriend, as he tried his best to free himself.
He felt one of the ropes finally gave in, but at the same time, Mark seemed to understand what was happening as anger flashed on his face.
"Oh, no, Mikey-boy, you're not going anywhere-"
He was about to take a step toward the other man, when suddenly, Chester pounced on his back, circling his arms around Mark's neck as he squeezed strongly and the other man gasped before Chester's weight finally made them both collapse to the ground.
Upon seeing that, Mike didn't wait any more seconds as he finally managed to free one of his hands. He quickly undid the tight ropes around his other hand, before he got to working on the ones around his ankles, his eyes never leaving Chester and Mark as the two men wrestled to the ground, the blonde man trying his best to keep his lithe body on top of the other one so he wouldn't be able to get up.
Even if Chester was bleeding like crazy, he was still trying to protect Mike, and that was enough to make the half Asian snap as his anger at his ex grew and burned within him. With heavy steps, he approached the two men and grabbed Chester by the shoulders, making sure not to hurt him as he lifted him easily, the blonde still struggling and punching the air as he was dragged away.
"You've done enough, baby, I'm proud of you." Mike whispered softly as he sat his lover down before going to Mark, who was still on the ground.
He grabbed the older man by his collar and pushed him against the wall, making him laugh, showing off his bloody teeth before he spit some of it on the floor.
"You're sick, Mark." Mike said, disgust clear in his tone and features. That only made the older man laugh more and so the half Asian punched him across the jaw, shutting him up. He punched him again, and again, and again, and then threw him to the ground. "You're gonna regret ever hurting Chester... and me!" Mike groaned, spit some blood as well, and got on top of Mark, choking him.
He saw his ex getting redder by the second and then only felt a hard blow on the side of his head, knocking him off of Mark's body. The latter had grabbed a piece of ornament that had fallen from the drawers in the room and used it against Mike.
Chester was seeing it all. Mike struggling against his worst nightmare, hurting himself and risking himself again to save his skin. Mark grabbing his boyfriend by the collar and throwing himself around just like he had done to him a few moments ago. And that set him off. That made him angry, helpless. He wasn't strong nor did he know how to fight, but he had to do something about it. He couldn't just sit and watch his boyfriend die right there. He wouldn't let that happen. He would kill Mark if necessary.
And that was when he remembered. The knife. The goddamn knife that he had grabbed before leaving. He crawled to the bag and with shaking hands, grabbed the towel and carefully took the knife out. The two men were too focused on their fight to notice anything, so it was easy not to alarm anyone.
Mike was being choked, his back against the ground as Mark was on top of him, laughing at his despair as he gasped for air.
The half Asian's vision was fading slowly as well as his oxygen and he was feeling tired.
Chester gritted his teeth and with tears in his eyes and a extra strong grip on the handle of the knife, he ran towards them and stuck the sharp object into Mark's guts.
For one second everything seemed to have stopped. Chester gasped so loudly that it seemed like he was the one who had been stabbed. Mike gasped for air and caught his breath as Mark's hands got loose on his throat. He noticed blood dripping on his shirt and looked around, worried for Chester, and then he saw the knife stuck into their attacker's gut. Mark didn't make any sound, he just widened his eyes and opened his mouth as blood made its way up there and dropped to Mike's shirt under him. He only stayed there, static, not believing that yes, he had been defeated by Chester, the weak, pathetic teenager that he loved to terrorize.
The blonde pushed the knife further as he screamed and pushed Mark off his boyfriend, throwing him to the ground as his hands got stained with his attacker's blood as well as his lover's and his own. He pulled the knife and saw as Mark laughed one last time before going limp, a pool of blood forming under him.
Chester fell to his knees, dropping the bloody knife with trembling hands as he felt bile rising on his throat. He turned and, for the second time that morning, threw up.
Mike was still shocked and looking up at the ceiling, his blood soaked shirt sticking to his skin. He looked around and saw his ex's body limp and, kneeled by it, his boyfriend throwing up, so he got up and went to him, slowly.
"Ches... it's okay." He choked out, not being able to hold tears as what had happened finally hit him and he shook as he hugged the blonde man. The two sobbed together and shook as they shared their trauma.
Chester couldn't stop looking at his hands. He wanted to wash them. Wash the sins away from them. But he couldn't. He had killed a man and there was nothing he could do to change it.
"I killed him." He whispered as more silent tears fell from his widened eyes to the ground.
"You saved me." Mike sobbed into his shirt as he still hugged him from his back. "You're a hero." He kissed his boyfriend's nape.
"I'm a killer."
"No... you're a hero. My hero, Chester. He would've killed me." Mike insisted, hugging the blonde even tighter. "I love you. I love you. I love you." He repeated and repeated until Chester turned to him with his bloodied nose and kissed him.
Their kiss was full of pain, of relief, of passion, of love. It was different from every other kiss they had shared to this day and they both took their time enjoying it as it deepened. Tongues clasping, teeth hitting, hands holding. A desperate kiss. A kiss you only experience when you go through something like that. And when they parted, they rested their foreheads together, still holding onto one another, still shaking and crying, but together, nonetheless.