[discontinued] Golden Days (Sleepy Bois Inc+ fic)

The Cookie Jar [Chapter Three]

Slowly, the boy leaned forward and crawled out from the pots and pans. He let out a frightened squeak as one of the pans tipped over and crashed into his side, causing him to throw himself onto the floor outside of the cabnet. He landed with a hard thump on the tiles, looking up at the man. His eyes grew wide again, feeling his tears rush to his eyes once more. He stopped breathing for a few moments, freezing in another rush of fear. His head was swarming with thoughts to run and cry, but he couldn't seem to move.

The man crouched down and offered his hand to the boy, who scurried across the floor away from the man, finding his ability to move once more. He shook his head at the man's offer to help him up, and he began to breath quickly like a rabbit caught in a trap. Slowly, he picked himself back up and sniffled, struggling to breath through his tight chest still.

"Calm down, it's aligh'. I'm not gonna hurt you, I promise," the man slowly told the boy, taking a few steps away to give him space. The boy sniffled and used his sleves to wipe his nose. His legs shook and he had to use the wall for support, and he continued to stare at the man with wide and frightened eyes.

The man could see the boy better now that he was in the light rather than the dim cupboard. The boy was wearing an oversized, yellow sweater, along with a pair of ripped up and muddied blue jeans. He seemed to have mud and dirt on his face and the elbows of the sweater, and there was a strong look of hunger in his eyes.

"You can go sit in the dining room across the hall- I'll bring you some food once I clean the cookie jar up," the man paused, looking from the mess of the pots and back at the boy, "Alright?"

The boy quickly looked up from staring at the table and going over what had just happened as he heard footsteps drawn nearer. He quickly slouched down in the chair- which was already very large- and hid half of his face behind the table. The man walked in with two plates- a sandwhich on one and a seprate plate of cookies. The boy stared at the cookies, remembering that he loved cookies. He couldn't remember too much but one thing he did remember was the taste of freshly baked cookied and how they were goo-y. He loved how cookies made him feel happy and safe... But he had no idea if these cookies were the same.

"Here's the plan," the man said as he neared the boy's side of the table- who shrunk back as the man neared. "You seem starved, so if you eat this sandwhich, you can have some cookies afterwards, alright?" he set the plate with the sandwhich down infront of the boy.

The boy looked after the cookies longingly as the man walked over to the other side of the table and sat down with them. He frowned, hoping that the man wouldn't eat the cookies to taunt him or to be mean. The boy thought he remembered people doing that to him a few days ago... But he couldn't be sure. Slowly, the boy's eyes returned to the sandwhich infront of him, wondering if it was posioned or if it had spiders in it. He drew himself closer in on himself.

"I didn't do anything to it!" the man laughed as he watched the boy analize it, "Its just bread, ham, and cheese, trust me."

Still, the boy refused to even touch it as he looked at it with fear and speculation. Slowly he looked back up towards the man with an even deeper look of distrust.

Slowly, the man let out a breath and he stood up with the plate of cookies. Instantaly, the boy sat up a bit more as he watched the plate of heavenly treats draw nearer. The man walked closer until he sat a chair away from the boy, and he set down the plate infront of himself once more. He gave a soft smile to the boy as he tilted his head slightly.

"Right... You don't trust me. I don't blame ya! I wouldn't trust a random guy givin' me food either," he pointed out before he sat up slightly, "Why don't we start with introductions?"

The boy's attention continued to flicker from the plate of cookies to the man, torn between what to focus on. He gave no response to the man besides his gaze of untrust and hunger.

"Alright... Well my name is Philza. I- er- live alone here in this house and I have for a little while," the man- who the boy now knew as Philza- explained. "And you?"

The boy quickly looked down again as Philza returned the question of introduction, feeling his heart race with fear. The boy grabbed his own wrist tightly, almost as if trying to get rid of his nerves somehow. He opened his mouth before he shook his head and he quickly shut his mouth again. The boy slouched down slightly and closed his eyes, wanting to cry again.

Philza let out a hmm after a few moments went by. He still noticed the untouched sandwhich on the boy's plate and he spoke up once more.

"Here," he grabbed a hold of the sandwhich which caused the boy to quickly look up once more. Philza tore off a small peice before he quickly popped it in his mouth and he returned the sandwhich to the boy's plate.

"See?" he managed to get out though his biteful of sandwhich, "Its okay to eat!"

The boy finally sat up enough to get his arms onto the table again. He took a trembling hand and he grabbed the sandwhich before bringing it off the plate and towards his mouth. He supposed that if Philza would eat it... that meant it was truly good to eat? He took a small bite, chewing quickly the moment it his his tounge. His brain finally reconized it as food and his numbed hunger returned. Suddenly, the boy began to wolf down the sandwhich quickly, nearling finishing it in the matter of two minutes.

"Hey- Jesus Christ- Calm down before you choke!" Philza laughed, slowing pushing the plate of cookies towards the boy as he took the now-empty place. "Do you trust me now?"

The boy picked up a cookie, feeling the random edges were chocolate chips jutted out. He could smell the sweet scent of the baked good and he was almost drooling over it. He began to quickly finish the cookie, not yet answering Philza's question.

Finally, after a few long moments of silence ticked by, a single word broke through the air, causing Philza to raise his eyebrows.

"Wilbur..." the boy quietly whispered before grabbing another cookie. He began to eat it, more slowly now that he knew the food wasn't going to be taken from him and that he could enjoy the cookies.

Philza smiled, "Wilbur," he repeated. He gave a small nod before he stood up with the empty plate.

"Well, Wilbur, I am gonna put this plate in the sink and come back to see what we should do next. You just uh... Enjoy those cookies," Philza told Wilbur as he quietly walked out of the dining room.

Wilbur watched Philza leave, not even realizing that his trembling had calmed or that the tears upon his face had dried. For now, he swam in the taste and smell of the chocolate chip cookies.