Steven could understand that he was safe, but all he thought about was going home. He was afraid, so horrifically afraid that Allison would show up and afraid she wouldn't.

Hazel looked back at him and grabbed his hand, tenderly squeezing it. "You're doing a really good job. I'm proud of you."

Steven was so tired of crying. Every gentle touch felt like the end of the world wonderful. "Th-thank you." His eyes focused on their hands tightly clasped together. Nothing in him ever wanted to let go, the human contact was tingling up his arm and into his body like a soothing electrical current.

"Hey, we've gotta watch our head for this next part." Hazel crouched and Steven followed suit as he pulled open a bookcase like a door and turned on the lights to the stairwell. "Places like these lack the hiding places and medical grounds a lot of people need during this time in their lives. This is where we treated Connie as best we could when we brought her back." He shook his head solemnly. "Poor girl, she really needs some TLC."

They trampled down them and into another large dark area. Stevens mind wandered to Allison hiding in the dark, ready to grab him and pull him away from his new life by his hair. But then the lights came on and after checking every spot twice, he relaxed a bit to find Hazel watching him.

"She's never going to put her hands on you again. She's not here." Hazel walked him into the room to the left, complete with a standard looking doctor's office decked out with doctor things. "We're gonna run some tests, Adam sho–,"

Adam jogged in with a satchel and started unpacking more doctor gear. "Sorry I'm late. Hey Steven, you look flushed. Are you okay?"

He nodded, still staring at Hazels hand around his. Hazel had warm hands too, like Connie. Allison's hands were always so cold, he wondered if all bad people had cold hands. "Yeah. I guess I'm just tired."

Adam nodded sympathetically, though a tiny smile lifted his face. "It'll pass."

The first thing Hazel had Steven do was stand up straight against the height measurement device. "Like I thought, you're 6'6, Steven."

"How'd you know?" He asked incredulously. Sure he'd been guessing when he said 6'4 as he hadn't been to a doctor since they started dating. Were... were they even dating anymore?

Hazel smiled and tapped his chest. "We're the same height. I think Allison subconsciously taught you to perceive yourself smaller."

Allison wouldn't do that, at least he didn't think so. A lot of the time with her he spent either on his knees or at her feet watching whatever she wanted to watch. Sometimes she'd even pat his head and tell him he was a good boy. At first he hated it, but he found himself suddenly desperate to hear it.

Maybe that's why he hated when people thanked him. He'd rather be praised like a dog than a person.

Adam motioned for him to sit while he took his blood pressure. It was fascinating to see such a comparatively small person dressed in all black like a burglar touch so gently and skillfully take it without making him too uncomfortable. "It's high, but not going to kill him. 165/90." He moved the stethoscope over his heart and checked the clock. "145. Breathing rate is 20 per minute."

"Way to go, Adam." They shared a brief smile and Hazel sat next to Steven. "Okay, so we're a little anxious, huh?"

Steven nodded guiltily. Everything felt overwhelming and quick, despite how careful and slow both were being with him. "I'm s–," Adam tipped his head as if genuinely curious about what he had to say. No, not curious. A quick eye contact told him to tread carefully. "I'm... sorry for being anxious?"

Adam made another buzzer sound and stood. "Nope. That's a natural response to a crazy few 24 hours and not something you can really control. It's always okay to be nervous. I'd say get him a prescription from Leadbetter for anxiety medication if this blood pressure doesn't calm down in a week. His resting heart rates a little fast for my comfort, so maybe check on a small dosage of heart medication. Propranolol maybe." He turned back to Steven and frowned. "I'm sure we don't need to talk about starvation markers."

Hazel now at his computer shook his head. "Not at all. Steven, how often did you eat?"

"Eating?" He wanted to be helpful, he really did, but everything with Allison seemed fine on that end. "Uhm... at least a meal a day?"

Hazel caught his gaze over his shoulder. "In a minute I'm going to weigh you, and it needs to match up with how much you think you're eating or I'm going to guess the worst possible scenario."

Steven sulked and tried to focus on his shoes. He could see his sock poking out where the bottoms were hanging on by a thread. "I forget to eat a lot. My body doesn't feel hunger anymore. I try to only eat five meals a week heavy in protein."

"You try?" Adam urged patiently. "It's okay, you're safe."

Steven swallowed, nodding his head quickly. "Allison told me I was overweight before. I started eating a little bit less before I got sick from it."

He watched Hazels hand twitch shut. Now his eyes were glued there, even when after a couple seconds he unclenched it slowly and set his palm flat. "That's okay, Steven. Did she tell you that's why you should lose weight?" When he nodded he typed that into the computer too. It had what looked like a black sheet over it unless Steven were to move to right in front of it. He remembered doctors having those for confidentiality and wondered how Hazel even got his hands on one.

Adam had him stand and circled around him, taking a visual approach before he stopped at the back. "Hm. Hazel."

Hazel wasn't as careful with his hands. "Heads up, I'm gonna do some poking around over your shirt, okay?" Steven took a deep breath and he pressed against every spot that disrupted the even spread of the shirt. Gosh, he seemed like he should be so big but it was clear he was missing a significant chunk of his mass. "Mhm."

"What does that mean? Am I okay?" Steven pulled his shirt back into place. "Did I do something wrong?"

Adams gaze dropped to the floor and he shook his head. His face stayed mostly blank, besides a wince.

He just couldn't stop provoking people. Maybe they needed to hit him.

"Not wrong! Just... your bones are protruding in various places," Hazel replied professionally. "3 meals a day, a protein shake with breakfast and by god if the boy so much as looks hungry you hand him a snack."

Adam saluted and patted Stevens back. "Of course. You gotta at least try to tell us though, guessing sucks and isn't fair to anyone involved."

Steven scoffed under his breath. "Tell me about it."

"Are you hungry right now?"

Steven's eyes met theirs briefly. "But I just ate breakfast not even an hour ago."

"But are you hungry right now?" Adam pressed. "Food is important."

"Okay." He tried to still his nerves. "Yes."

*

Hazel watched Steven eat out of the corner of his eye. Even in his haste he wasn't messy, and chronically wiped at his face at if it were dirty. Compared to when he'd first met Steven, his cheeks had gotten thin. He looked starving, and he tried to push down the voice telling him it was rude to think that.

When he'd put Steven and Connie together, it hadn't been a hasty decision. The previous sex worker struggled with authenticity. Sure, she was having her moments of clarity and grief. She should. What she went through was so terrible it made him nauseous. Turning his thoughts back to Steven, he fought the urge to sigh. He was hunched over all the time, like he was trying to make himself a smaller target. Like he was afraid.

Starting this program had a lot of nights where he thought it would never become a reality and now here he was, feeding someone another meal. He choked up when Steven stared down at the empty plate thoughtfully.

"Thank you."

Hazel smiled. "For what? I'm more than happy to feed you anything you'd like."

Steven shook his head and looked out the window. The sun was shining at full force on a warm, 70 degree day. Bright and vivid greens and yellows seemed to be calling his name. He gazed out there like he could hear it. "Thank you for saving me."

Hazel was frozen momentarily. Usually he didn't ever expect a thank you, not when he loved his job so dearly. He'd been taken advantage of, assaulted more times than he could count on ten hands, and sometimes thought about giving up. But Steven was already thankful. That big heart inside that matched his was still there, even if he looked rather confused.

"You're welcome. Anything for you, man." His smile was shaky but he gave it anyways. Curse his families affinity with crying.

The man looked at the tears welling in his eyes and sniffled. "I'm sorry I upset you guys so much. I-I'm trying really hard not to, I swear."

"No!" Hazel shot up to grab the plate, putting it away as he scrubbed at his eyes. "You don't upset me at all! I'm just... I'm really happy to have you here in general. I like having you around."

"Am I allowed to ask for a hug?" Steven asked so quietly it was almost lost to the low buzz of the fridge. He seemed embarrassed for asking but he didn't take it back. His eyes were glistening at him, the need to be touched looked like it was overwhelming him.

Hazel nodded and crushed him in a hug first. If there was anything he wanted to do, it was hug him until he was content. The way Steven shook and tightened it made him ache. "You're always allowed to ask for a hug. Whenever you want one, ask for one. Someone will always have the time."

"I'm annoying myself," He mumbled into his neck. "I feel annoying."

Hazel impulsively pulled back and turned away. "You're not annoying. Let's go sit on the swing, I wanna take you outside."

It happened pretty naturally. They sat and watched the wind blow through the trees, and Connie in the grass with her coloring book forgotten. She brushed her fingers over the lush green, humming a song he couldn't quite catch all of the notes for. The swing shifted and he kept his eyes forward as Steven scrunched himself to lie his head on his lap.

It was nice, and even when he fell asleep, Hazel let him stay. He snored a little, just barely. It was cute.

"He's touch starved?" Connie asked, amusement lacing her tone. He could see it in her eyes, the way she swept her gaze over him and looked away. Most of her was simply sizing him up, a skill she learned on the streets. Her flower sleeve was on full display today, as were her scars. The most ghastly one was hidden away on her waist, where her abuser had threatened to rip her open a little before Jacob put a bullet in his skull at full rage. And then another and another until Adam had shouted his name in a panic and tackled him.

"Yeah. Allison never touched him it seems like." Steven shifted and Hazel rested a hand on his head. He was so pale, you could see the tiredness reaching all the way inside of him. "He's cute."

Connie scoffed and rolled her eyes. "He's soft. Too innocent."

Hazel chuckled. "You think you're a whole gangster, don't you?"

She nodded emphatically and sat on the edge of the porch. "It's what I was made to do."

"You weren't made to be a slave, Connie. Something like a therapist, maybe. But not a sex slave."

"Funny, it's all I'm good at and not what I was made for." She sighed heavily. "I think I make him nervous. I used to be good at getting clients to loosen up."

"He's not a client." Hazel smirked and carefully reached forward to ruffle her hair. "You made everyone nervous at first. You pulled a knife on me the second you got here."

She giggled and glanced back at the sleeping man. "You think he likes roses, too?"

Hazel thought about it one more time. It probably wasn't in his best interest to influence her to try to make even just one friend, but Steven needed one and she did too.

"Why don't you ask him?"

*

Connie didn't know why Hazel wouldn't give up on her. She was the most fucked up a person could get. She thought she was better than most, and yet suicide was a constant lingering thought. According to Scott, death was only worthy of the whores that lived outside his jurisdiction. And she was the very top, his Bottom Bitch.

The Bottom Bitch lived a better life as opposed to the others, though "better" was generous. She ate more often, she was clothed in the best and had access to whatever drug she wanted so long as she asked.

But the cons far outweighed the pros. There wasn't a bone in her body that could be ignorant to the flaws of how Scott treated her. For every manipulative kiss there was a punch in her stomach that knocked the wind out of her. For every gentle touch there was a knife held to her body when he raped her. For every meal there were ten or fifteen men using her until she started to cry, and she always took a long time to grow tired enough to cry.

She hated men. She hated them to her very core. One trip to the grocery store had turned violent quickly when a guy catcalled her. It triggered her, he sounded like one of her regulars. She started beating the shit out of him and sobbing. Adam had to tackle and pin her into a hold. Vaguely she remembered thinking he possessed too much strength for someone she had three inches on, and it infuriated her. It had taken her a long time to warm up to Hazel, too. She'd let them kidnap her without a peep, and as soon as they entered the house she'd nicked him with her blade before Jacob disarmed her with a flick of his wrist and kind words she'd never forget.

'I know your entire body says to fight, but you don't have to anymore.'

She'd scoffed, trying to protect the feelings bubbling to the surface. They came out anyways and they'd sat with her while she cried. By the time she was done it was morning. Everything had been pushed back a day so she could sleep.

Just as she got comfortable-ish, she'd had a dream of Scott being killed. She panicked and fled in the night to him. They didn't have a security system, everyone was free to leave as they wished as long as they were only out during daytime hours.

Before she even got too close, she was kidnapped again. It happened so quickly she barely had time to process anything before she was on her knees in front of Scott. He knocked her nearly unconscious with a fist, and dragged her limp body by her hair back up to look at him.

"You worthless slut!" He screamed. She could barely see out of one eye, and her head hurt enough that she felt like she was going to be sick. He wouldn't care, he didn't love her. "I'm gonna kill your bitch ass and make an example of you." He reached for his weapon and she didn't even flinch.

So be it.

He cocked his gun, loading it with a chilling click. Connie pressed her forehead against the barrel and prayed it would be quick and painless. Three seconds probably, that's all she would last when he pulled the trigger. She thought back to how violently he had just raped her, how her body ached with the rough friction with no lubricant. He'd beaten her senseless then too, slapping his hand against her rapidly swelling eye and spitting on her like a filthy animal. Choking her, going as far to slice across her abdomen even. She thought back to her childhood, innocent and free. She thought about Hazel and The House Of Angels and she felt regret just under the thick layer of numbness.

More than anything in the world, she wished they would come and save her again.

She wouldn't take it for granted this time.

Glass shattered, blood sprayed on her, and the door was practically kicked down. Behind Hazel and Adam, she could see Scott's Pigs lying in various positions and their eyes were rapidly blinking as smoke poured out from there. Scott fell over, choking on his blood as Hazel grabbed her and pulled her behind him.

Jacob kicked the glass in, his face twisted in fury as he fired another and another bullet, splattering Scott's remains until Adam shouted his name and tackled him to the ground. Jacob sobbed from the pit of his stomach, nearly curling into himself if Adam wasn't pining him down by his wrists and digging his knees into Jacob's thighs. "Jacob, Jacob he's gone! You're going to be okay, she's okay! Please, please calm down. I'll never let anyone hurt you."

Before Connie had gone unconscious she'd seen how Adam's face was contorted in pain, how he'd cried and begged Jacob to take a deep breath.

She remembered wishing she cared about anyone that much.

And now she was here, locked in another staring contest with that Steven kid. His face was bright red and he looked horrified, but no matter how she refused to back down, he did too. Or maybe he was stuck. She didn't know.

"Are you gonna be okay?" She asked with a laugh. "You're staring at me."

"I think you maybe were staring at me first," He sighed and turned face down into his pillow. "Sorry."

She sat up in bed and watched him suffocate himself with interest. Factually, Connie could keep her cool for around 30 seconds without oxygen. Steven chickened out at seven and peeked back out at her. "Have you never slept in a room with a girl before? I can talk to Hazel if it makes you uncomfortable."

He shook his head quickly and sat up too. "I'm okay! It's okay. I just... I'm nervous."

She shrugged and leaned against the wall. Hazel was pretty insistent, even though he didn't directly say it, that she should try to be friends with him. More often than not she had to soften up nervous clients anyways. But he wasn't a client. Right. "Do you like roses? Our tattoos almost match."

His eyes landed there and he smiled a little. "Wow. Y-yeah. It's my favorite flower." It dropped as quickly as it came, his smile evaporated immediately. "It's the flower for romance. Love. Weirdly enough all it's done is bring me the exact opposite."

"Hey, after what happened today I think I deserve more of a pity party than you," She teased.

He shifted and found his lips curving up again. She was kind of infuriating. "I didn't see anything, I already told you that. Can't you share?"

Her heartbeat stuttered a little and she sighed deeply. "I suppose."