I gently rubbed Luca’s back as he remained in my arms.
We were still walking down the streets, and he was half-asleep now, clearly tired from all the events that happened today.
I kept my lips thinned as I kept going down the sidewalks, carrying him like a child.
Anyone who dares to hurt someone as precious as him doesn’t deserve to live.
And he was so warm… why would someone want to corrupt something so beautiful?
“Hey,” a man said then, chuckling darkly as he wabbled out from the shadows, “is that you’re cute little man?”
I just threw my hand out and plunged two fingers into his eyes.
He screamed, falling backward as he collapsed with the cement.
I stopped briefly to glance down, finding blood slipping down his cheeks as he covered his eyes and screamed in agony.
“You look at him like that, you never see again,” I stated to him. “Tell that to your little friends.”
He continued screaming in agony, but I started walking, wiping my stained fingers off on my jeans before I went back to rubbing Luca’s back.
He still was half-asleep, huddled against me.
I felt my lashes lower when the other crack addicts in the streets scrambled backward, giving me a large distance.
I continued walking forward before I met another street.
After stepping down that area, I turned into a bundle of shops and went down a set of stairs where a pair of double doors sat.
They opened for me like I entered a store.
After entering the hallway through it, I decided to explain to Luca where we were even though he didn’t ask.
“This is an abandoned mall,” I explained to him. “It used to have a hair solon shop here, but it closed down due to no one coming in here. Now everything’s in shambles.
“This is part of an old town,” I continued explaining, “the buildings here are not allowed to be removed because they are historical. And so, this remains here… unused and empty. So, I took upon the opportunity to use it as my own home.”
I turned into a glass door that resembled a shop and opened it, entering it seconds later.
Luca remained pressed to me when I stepped to the back—where the workers went previously—and I entered the breakroom.
From there I entered another pair of doors that lead to my apartment.
Luca gazed up hazily when I flicked on the lights and closed the doors behind me.
He stared into the living room and glanced over at the kitchen, and then gazed up to scan my wood-floored halls that lead to my bedroom and the guest bedroom.
I just smiled at his curiosity and stepped over to the kitchen, opening the pantry door to pull out a bag of beef jerky.
He didn’t say anything when I stepped back over to the couch and set him down onto it.
He lightly clutched onto me as if he didn’t want to let go, but eventually, he did, and he sank back onto the couch.
“You hungry?” I asked gently, opening the bag of beef jerky.
He shook his head, expression numb.
My lashes lowered then. “Luca, you just ran hundreds of miles… You need protein. Please, eat.”
He just looked down at the bag before his expression somehow grew darker.
He then took the bag from me, making me smile slightly when he pulled a piece of jerky from it and ate it.
I lightly pulled a blanket out from a basket as he chewed, and I gazed up, draping it over him seconds later.
He didn’t respond negative or positively. Just remained unfazed as he continued eating.
“When you’re done, lay back and rest,” I said then. “You need it.”
He remained silent.
I sat there for about ten minutes, until he sniffled and handed me the bag of jerky.
I took it from him. “All done?”
He nodded.
I set it on the coffee table and stood, placing a pillow right before the arm rest on the couch. “Okay, now lay back.”
He just pushed his legs onto the couch and lowered himself onto his side, resting his head on the pillow as he curled up slightly.
I pulled the blanket over him fully, gazing down briefly to find his shoes still on.
I just got down onto one knee and started untying them, not hearing him protest when I pulled them off—along with his socks—and pushed the socks into his shoes.
After setting them aside, I pulled the blanket down to his feet to make sure they were covered.
I then looked up at him, finding his breaths soft when he shut his lashes and gently drifted off to sleep.
I smiled then, stepping over to him as I knelt down and brushed his hair away from his forehead.
His expression was relaxed—brows and eyes—and his lips were parted, letting out soft, cute little breaths.
I just leaned down and lightly kissed his temple. “I’m sorry you lost her. I know you loved her very much.” I sat back up and brushed his hair back in place. “You have nothing to fear now. I won’t let them hurt you. I won’t let anyone even look at you. You don’t have to be afraid anymore, Angel. Because I’m here.”
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