Leopika Oneshot||Second Book Published

-Cookies-

AU: Modern Childhood/Children
TW: Implications of Abuse

The frustrated scream could be heard throughout the park. The woman on the bench flinched. She knew that scream was her son. And judging by the glares she got, so did everyone else.

"Mommy," Kurapika yelled as he stormed up to her. He pointed further down the park. "Some kid stole my cookies!" His mom nervously laughed. "Kurapika," she said. "Calm down now. Who stole them?" "I don't know! Some... Boy! He looked about eleven!" "Why would a eleven-year-old steal cookies from you? You're eight." "He might not be eleven! Just looked like it! Help me get them back!"

Kurapika's mom sighed. She stood and her son grabbed her arm, pulling her along. He stopped at the far end of the playground. He glared. "Don't hide," he said. "I brought my mommy over." A boy emerged from behind one of the poles. Seeing his looks, Kurapika's mom was upset by her son's behavior.

The boy was taller than Kurapika. His hair was brown and shaggy, obviously cut at home. His eyes were the same color as his hair. Despite the boy looking older, they gave off the same youthful shine as Kurapika's. He was possibly the same age as him. He had brown skin, presumably darker from the sun.

But what made the heart of Kurapika's mom shatter was his clothes and face. The tank top he was wearing was baggy. Too baggy. It was hard to tell if it was just too big or if he was skinny. But upon closer inspection, you could see down the sleeves. He was incredibly thin. You could see his ribs poking out through his skin. His pants were just as baggy. The boy's body was covered in either bruises or dirt. Maybe both. But either one meant he didn't have a good home life. He stole from Kurapika for a reason. A good reason.

The boy reached his hands out. "¡Lo siento," he yelled. "¡Lo siento! ¡Aquí! ¡Llévenselos!" Kurapika's mom jumped back. It was obvious the boy was trying to give the bag of cookies back. "Hey, hey," she said. "It's okay. Do you speak English? Inglés?" The boy lifted his hand and pinched his fingers. "A little," he replied. He tried handing the bag back again. "Take."

Kurapika's mom shook her head. "No," she said. "You can keep them. They're yours." The boy then shook his head. "His." He gestured towards Kurapika, who smiled. "Yes," he said, smugly. "They are mine. And I will be taking them back." He reached out to take the bag but his mom grabbed his wrist.

"Kurapika," she hissed. "We have more at home." Kurapika stuck his lip out in a pout. "But you made them for me, " he whined. "So why can't I have them?" His mom glared at him, "Kurapika. Look at this boy. Does he look healthy? Well-fed?" Kurapika looked the boy up and down. "No," he replied. For a second his mom felt relieved. Then Kurapika continued to speak. "But that's his problem, not mine. I shouldn't have to be affected by it. If he needs food, he should get some money. Instead of stealing from other kids on the playground."

At that moment, Kurapika's mom wished that it was legal to slap her son. What a brat. The other boy glared at Kurapika before mumbling something. "What was that," Kurapika asked. The boy repeated himself, "Puta." Kurapika gasped and looked up at his mom. "Mommy," he whined. "He called me the b-word! He called me the b-word!" Kurapika's mom sighed. "Kurapika," she said. "How do you know what that means? And you," she turned to the other boy, "What's your name?" He tilted his head in confusion, "No entiendo."

Kurapika's mom was about to speak again but was interrupted by a man yelling. "Leorio! Leorio, ¿dónde estàs tú?" The boy, presumably Leorio, perked up. "Papa," he whispered. He turned back to the people in front of him. Again, he pushed out his hand. "Take las galletas." Kurapika's mom shook her head. "No," she replied. "Keep them."

At that moment, a man walked up behind Leorio. He smiled and walked over, squatted and putting his hand on the boy's shoulder. Leorio flinched. "Ah, Leorio, ahí estás," the man said. "Te he estado buscando," his grip tightened, "No vuelvas a escapar."

The man looked up, saw Kurapika with his mom, and smiled. "I'm sorry," he said. "Was he causing trouble? He's always like this." Kurapika's mom took a moment to respond. Something about the man seemed off to her. "Um no," she replied. "Actually, my son was the problem. Well, we should get going. My husband said dinner is almost ready." She grabbed Kurapika's hand and ran to the car.

As they drove away, Kurapika looked out the window. He saw Leorio looking guilty. His dad was yelling at him. Suddenly, he snatched the cookies and threw them is the trash. Leorio began to cry. Kurapika didn't see what happened next. He turned ahead of him.

"I'm mad at you," Kurapika said. His mom looked in the rearview mirror. "Is it because I let that boy have your cookies?" "He stole them. You always said stealing was bad." "He needed them. It's not like they cost anything." "You made them. They cost your time." "Like you care about wasting my time." The car fell silent.

After a minute Kurapika said something, "Leorio..." "What was that?" "Leorio. That's what his dad called him. It must be his name!" "Why do you care about his name, sweetheart?" "I dunno. Maybe I'll see him again." "Maybe." "Can I have a cookie when we get home?" "Of course, dear."