Sleeping peacefully, they were abruptly awoken by the sound of chatter. They quickly hid amongst the leaves of the tree, just giving themselves a little place to peek out from. They saw what they assumed to be three men judging by the voices. All were wearing red. Two were in red cloaks that covered them entirely, the other a familiar figure. Tall, red sweater, red face paint, and devil horns. Their weakening state didn't allow them to hear properly, they only picked up a few words though. Most they assumed were parts of threats.
Not wanting to be seen by the cloaked men, they waited until the two left. The man in devil costume yelled at them, a few swears here and there, before walking in the opposite direction of the other two, shooing them away. He seemed annoyed, aggravated even. He took a seat at the bench they'd agreed to meet up at again the night before. The man hid his face behind his hands. The kid jumped down from the tree, careful not to fall or accidentally hurt themselves. They made their way to the bench where the man sat at. They stepped on a few leaves which crunched under their feet, informing the man of their presence. His head jerked to the sound of the leaves, a rather intimidating look on his face. The glare caused the kid to slip on the leaves, falling on their back while letting out an 'oof' sound. The man's expression softened noticing it was the kid he had met the night before. He gasped softly before standing, turning his anger into concern. He swore loudly, making his way toward them. "Oh dear, I'm so sorry honey! Are you alright?" He asked, lifting them, careful not to hurt them. The kid nodded, smiling to the best of their ability. Unsure of their answer, the man picked them up and made his way back to the bench, sitting down and sitting the kid next to them. The two smiled at each other, seemingly communicating through the smiles they exchanged. The man suddenly came to his senses, snapping himself back into reality.
"Right! Again, I'm so sorry 'bout that dear, but I'm so glad to see you again!" He stated. The kid smiled at him, his accent bringing them an unusual sense of comfort and joy. "Same here for you!" the kid exclaimed, standing up and hugging the man's arm. They looked tiny compared to the large man. It was kinda funny though. The man chuckled and pulled them into a big ol' bear hug. "Oh, I'm so relieved you're okay as well! I was so worried, I should've never left you all on your own!" He said, rocking the kid back and forth in his arms. They laughed softly. "What do you mean?" The kid questioned. "What do I mean? Sweetheart, you're only a kid! God knows what could've happened to you, especially in this damned town.." He stated, letting go of them so they wouldn't suffocate, still holding them in his arms though. His face showed genuine concern which upset the black-haired kid. It felt odd, no one before had seemed to care for them so it was unusual for them. "Well, at least I'm okay! Right..?" They inquired, hoping to get the man to smile again. The man nodded as he let out a sigh. He set them down beside him again. The kid sat with their feet hanging off the bench, kicking them back and forth.
The two talked about anything. They went over each other's day and whatnot. The man wanted to assure they'd been alright. He felt sorrow and worry for them. Especially after information he'd received the night before. Leaving them again was no longer an option.
To the best of their ability, the kid told the man in the devil costume most if not all of what they'd done today, things they saw, all that. They smiled brightly, happy to have someone to talk to. Sure, they'd made friends earlier but being around them didn't feel the same. They placed more trust in the man with the devil costume. Odd, but whatever. They spoke with an ease and confidence they'd never felt before. Along with that, they were also the type to move their hands when speaking, but with their little energy left, that was a struggle. The man noticed that lack of energy. Suddenly he remembered the mentioned lack of food. He waited for the kid to finish talking, actually paying attention and being quite amused.
"Seems like you had quite the day today," He said, chuckling softly. The kid nodded. "How about you?" The kid asked, obviously curious.
"Oh, me? Emm nothing much. Just work, more work, cult activities, even more work."
"What?"
"What?"
He laughed awkwardly. "I really just worked today, sweetie. That's about it," he said with a sigh. The kid smiled before yawning lightly, their eyelids growing heavy. "Tired?" The man asked, earning a nod in response. He smiled with worry at the kid. Looking to the tree he'd left them on the night before, he furrowed his brows, upset at himself. He turned himself in the direction of the kid, extending his arms out and forward, inviting the for another hug. The kid hesitated for a bit but ended up jumping towards him, wrapping their arms around his neck. They held one another in a warm embrace, the man lightly patting the kid on the back. “You go on and rest, sweetie. You need it.” He said, in a low comforting tone. The soft fabric of the man’s sweater comforted the kid, allowing them to fall asleep much easier. Not long after, they fell sound asleep.
The man rocked back and forth, trying to keep himself awake. He couldn’t risk himself or the kid’s safety. He wasn’t really the best man so simply being out here was a risk of being found by the police. If you haven’t figured it out by now, this is cannibal serial killer Bob Velseb we’re talking about. Calling back to the night before, when the two first met he did initially intend on.. Well… y’know. You read what happened. But something inside him just entirely flipped. He for once felt sympathy. Odd. It could have been the tragic story he was told, their physical state at the moment, or even the courage they showed upon their first encounter even if they were in obvious danger. Or maybe it was all of those. It was. It was all of that plus their two encounters that made him grow fond of the kid. It wasn’t always, but he’d wished for someone to accompany him in his hell of a life. He refused to admit it but he did. Seeing this kid, he wanted to make they were kept safe. Especially after getting to know that a little better. There was no way in hell he could ever trust anyone else for that task. He would have to take matters into his own hands, so he left that task up to himself. Knowing their situation, he made himself the promise to raise them better than anyone, especially their birth parents, ever could. He was going to raise them as his own. He didn’t care what struggles he went through, he would, he will, keep them safe and ensure them a happy life.
---
{ A/N } Last chapter lied, sorry about that. I tried, but recently I've just been feeling like absolute shit and I couldn't get myself to finish this until now. I'm sorry if it's bad, I tried, but I hope you enjoyed :)
CITEȘTI
{ Blood Dusted Souls } || { Character Backstory ( Self and Oc inserts ) }
Fanfiction(( CURRENTLY REWRITING.. )) --- "Now, aren't you a curious little creature" --- Being only six years of age, they'd already ran away from home and this was no stunt they were pulling for whatever reason. They were dead serious. Nothing in hand...
