Lumi winced a bit as Avrey firmly wrapped the scarf around their arm, seeming uneasy, but thankfully leaving it be for now. "Mmkay." He was visibly unsure when Avrey stood up, intimidated by the man's height considering their own small stature, but soon shook off the wariness and followed him anyway. He trotted along behind Avrey, ignoring any disgusted stares from passerby who were far more comfortable with dirty little strays like them sticking to the alleyways.
(Lumi is probably a little over 3 feet tall at this age)
(Awwwwwe)
Avrey kept his unthreatening smile, starting toward his apartment complex slowly so Lumi would be able to keep up. When the sight of them earned disgusted glances, Avrey just glared back and put an arm around Lumi, making sure he wouldn't lose him. "Almost there." He said sweetly as they approached the door and Avrey took out his keys.
Lumi was panting softly as he followed Avrey to his apartment; they were very malnourished, and lacking that nutrition destroyed any chance of him having any amount of endurance. They were riddled with injuries as well, of course, which didn't help, and he definitely needed a nice hot shower. He didn't seem especially comfortable with being touched, but they didn't push Avrey away this time. Once they finally reached the apartment complex (it felt like it had taken ages, although it had only been a few minutes), Lumi stood beside Avrey, struggling to catch his breath.
Avrey gently took his arm off Lumi, clearing his throat while he crossed his arms and opened the door for the boy. "M-m-my car's in the garage th-this way." He smiled, leading them through his small home, pausing to grab a few granola bars, and to the back where his beat up yellow truck lay waiting. He Opened the back door for Lumi, making sure there were functional seatbelts, and then handed him the snacks. "H-here, you can have these." He said softly, before getting in the front and turning on the warm air. He was still very frazzled, with most of his concerned directed toward the well being of Lumi. I really hope he's okay
Lumi followed closely behind Avrey, looking around the apartment curiously during his brief journey through it. They were mostly quiet for now, primarily because he didn't really have much to say, but they seemed to be doing overall okay. He managed to crawl into the backseat of Avrey's truck (its height made it somewhat difficult for them to do so, but he got there in the end) and accepted the granola bars. "Oh, thanks…" They examined the snacks, tugging and struggling with the packaging until he finally managed to rip one open to start eating it.
Avrey managed a small chuckle, before clearing his throat and plugging in the nearest pediatric hospital into his phone. Luckily, it was about a 20 minute drive. He sighed nervously, starting out onto the road while he continued to look back at Lumi. He seemed so frail, so scared. Avrey wanted nothing but to help him.
"D-doing okay?" He asked once they were on the main road. "We're a-almost there"
Lumi soon got the hang of the finicky granola bar wrappers and had managed to open and eat three or four of them by now. He was hungry, clearly, so they were going to eat anything they could get. He looked up when Avrey addressed him, half a granola bar still in their mouth. His feet barely touched the floor of the truck. "Mm? Yeah, I'm… uh… I'm doing fine." They glanced down at their arm, where he had started bleeding through the fabric.
Avrey let out a shaky sigh, pulling into the parking space while he helped Lumi out. "Alright, l-let's go fix you up." He smiled, trying to act as happy as he could. His heart pounded while he fumbled with the buttons on his jacket, trying to calm his racing thoughts.
Avrey opened the doors for Lumi, then strode inside, still anxious as hell. "I-I-I d-don't have an appointment… b-but he needs help." Avrey quickly explained to the receptionist while he gestured to the boy. "D-dog attack."
Lumi allowed Avrey to help them out of the truck and followed him into the hospital, still eating one of the granola bars he'd been given. They looked uneasy in the sterile environment, which felt foreign and unwelcoming even with all of the toys included in the waiting room to help kids feel safer. He looked up at the receptionist and waved when Avrey explained his situation. "Is it gonna hurt to fix my arm?" They asked, standing on his toes and grasping the edge of the counter to see better.
The nurse froze with confusion, then looked down at Lumi and frowned nervously at his malnourished and dirty appearance. ''Are you the guardian?" He asked timidly, looking over Lumi while she promptly started to type something on her computer.
Avrey shook his head, leaning in a bit in an attempt to be out of earshot. "I… I just found them like this. I think he's homeless." He said quietly.
The receptionist pursed her lips, then picked up her phone. "I'm calling the nearest urgent care to send someone over." She stated.
Avrey nodded, still fiddling with his clothes, as he led Lumi over to the glass aquarium on the wall. "Look at those fish!" He said brightly, masking his worry as he went to find toys for the boy to be entertained with
Lumi fidgeted with his hands a bit, shuffling their feet with discomfort. He didn't really like it here, and they didn't like how the receptionist was trying to be hushed and deceptive. He seemed to snap out of it when Avrey led him over to the aquarium, glad for the distraction.
"Fish!" They trilled brightly as they placed their small hands on the glass. His eyes were wide with curiosity, and he stared at the colorful little fish as they darted around in the aquarium. Thankfully, he seemed to have forgotten about his injury for the time being, and they weren't asking any more questions.
Avrey chuckled, pointing out some fish. "Th-that super bright one is called a yellow tang, and that funny orange one inside that w-weird looking plant is a clownfish." He explained in a hushed, gentle tone. He then paused, looking over Lumi with curiosity. Their ears and tail twitched, drawing his attention to them. "I-I-I don't think you ever told me your name." Avrey said, holding out a hand. "I'm Avrey."
Lumi smiled for the first time as they watched the fish, clearly intrigued by them. They felt so separated from what he was used to; a glowing, clean, fluorescent tank full of creatures that weren't sick like him. But that foreign feeling was what made him so drawn to them.
They looked up when Avrey addressed them. He stared at Avrey's hand, evidently entirely unsure what he was supposed to do with it, and so ignored it for now. "Um… my name is Lumi." They replied softly. "I live outside."
Avrey quickly put his hand in his pocket, embarrassed that he even implied the gesture. He watched Lumi as they admired the fish, only wondering what he was thinking.
"Th-that's a really cool name." He smiled, then pursed his lips at the boy's last response. "Would y-you rather… live somewhere? In a warm house? wh-where someone can take care of you?"
"Hm? I guess so. It's been a while since I lived in a house." Lumi hummed thoughtfully, evidently trying to remember the last time he had lived in a house. Considering they didn't really know how to do basic math, this task was more difficult. "I dunno… my mom gave me up and I was in a couple of… 'foster homes'? Is that what they're called? Well, they didn't like me either, so I ran away and now I live by myself." They nodded decisively.
Avrey smiled leaning down again so he wouldn't have to look down at Lumi, he tried to hide the sadness, the fear, the remorse for the poor child from his face the best he could while talking in his nervous, yet calmed tone. How on earth could they give him up??
"G-guess what? I-I've been needing a roommate, a-a-and you seem like the perfect fit. would you want to stay with me? m-maybe?" He asked nervously, wanting nothing but for the boy to be safe
"Mm…" Lumi trained his eyes back on the aquarium, considering. It would be nice to have somewhere to live again, but what if Avrey just kicked them out too? He'd gotten tired of being tossed between foster homes, which was a big part of why they'd run away. His past trauma and issues subsequently caused by it were too much for most foster parents looking for a quiet, well behaved kid. If Lumi didn't want to do something, they refused to do it, even if it meant being rude. He didn't like to be told what to do, and would often do the opposite solely out of spite. Avrey didn't know what he was getting into, but… maybe he could handle it
"I don't have anything to lose at this point, so I guess so. They said I'm not old enough to get a job, though. I can't exactly help you with a whole lot." Lumi yawned and sneezed, shuddering as he looked around. "Why are we still just standing here? Are they gonna stab me with those… those needles? I don't like the needles…"
Avrey watched the emotions play across Lumi's face, left wondering what his past families and experiences had done to him. He really knew he had to give them a supportive environment, and he would stop at nothing to do just that.
"Hey… hey it's okay. Y-you don't have to do anything for me, alright? I-I just want to take care of you." He assured, smiling softly. "S-some doctors are coming to pick us up soon so they can help you b-bite. A-a-and… Oh, uh… they… um… they might have to." He muttered, feeling incredibly sorry. He himself was still afriad of needles.
He was about to go back to naming the fish, when he felt a tap on his shoulder from a redheaded girl… levitating about a foot in the air behind him.
"What are you doing? You're supposed to be the smart one! And you're taking in this kid??" She ranted, very confused.
Avrey seemed unfazed by this. looking around before lowering his voice. After all, it was a little strange to be taking to your late sister whom no one else could see.
"A-a-and you're supposed to be supportive! He's hurt, a-and hungry, and scared!" He whispered angrily
Lumi tried to keep his focus on the fish, struggling to force away any feelings of unease. This is good, right? I'll get taken care of, both the bite and in general moving forward. I'll have a place to stay. Even with these thoughts, their chest was tight, as though a balloon were uncomfortably expanding within his ribcage. "I don't want needles… I don't like letting people stab me."
They glanced up when they heard Avrey talking, very confused to find him talking to… himself? It seemed like he was having a conversation, but Lumi couldn't see anyone or hear the other side. Great… I guess he's a weirdo. Oh well. It's better than nothing, still. "U-Uh… are the doctors coming soon?"
Avrey turned red, noticing Lumi's confused expression while he cleared his throat and looked out the windows.
"Okay. M-maybe I can convince them to give you something else. I-I hate needles too, to be honest."
He swallowed hard, thinking maybe Lumi didn't want to be around him. Maybe he could just… find the kid a different home? No no no that was a terrible idea. Besides, he needed to take care of them.
"I-I think so." He muttered softly as he receptionist stood, letting in some emts who had parked a non-sirening ambulance. "They're over there." She explained, pointing to the odd pair
Lumi noticed the EMTs as they came into the building and grabbed him, which they were clearly unhappy about. He yelled in protest, squirming against their grasp so much that it was decided that they should be restrained into a hospital bed. He was horribly dehydrated as well as malnourished, so they needed an IV first and foremost. He screamed at the top of his lungs when he felt the needle go into his arm and stay there.
Eventually, Lumi's shrill, angry, desperate protests and attempts to flail about led to the decision to sedate him somewhat. He was given a sedative through his IV, which would allow them to stay conscious, but too weak and tired to protest anymore. Once the sedative had taken effect, Lumi lay quietly on the cot, his eyes stinging with tears.
Avrey watched the boy struggle with fear, and fury. His hands started to heat up as his blue colored eye began to glow just slightly. But before he could intervene, they too calmed him down, explaining how this was for Lumi's own good as they held Avrey back.
He started to tear, mind flashing back to when he was in a similar situation, and suddenly not wanting to go to a hospital. Gently, once it was decided that he wasn't aggressive anymore, Avrey made his way to the weak Lumi, pursing his lips while his wet eyes gazed into the boy's and he put his hand on theirs.
"I-I-It's going to be okay. I promise. Th-they're helping you."
Lumi held onto Avrey's hand weakly, trembling and whining softly whenever one of the doctors touched him. They cleaned him off, taking their clothes and replacing them with a hospital gown. He was checked over for injuries, which he had plenty of, and those injuries were treated as gently as possible. When they were given another injection, they whined a bit louder in fearful protest and tried to pull away, a couple of tears rolling down his cheeks.
Avrey started to sob, memories of his sister lying helpless on a bed as doctors tried to resuscitate her flooded his helpless mind. He held Lumi's hand tighter, stroking their other arm with gentleness and occasionally smoothing their hair.
"Shhh…. I-It's okay. Y-you're safe." He stammered, before pulling out his phone and quickly finding a video he took of some quite theatrical squirrels he saw while hiking.
"D-d-do you like going on walks? I can take you to this really a-amazing spot. A-a-and maybe we can see these squirrels!"
Lumi screwed his eyes shut for a bit, trembling in Avrey's grasp. Their ears were flattened back, and he seemed much more meek now that they actually couldn't be aggressive due to the restraints. He opened his eyes again when Avrey was trying to show him something, and they were able to concentrate on the squirrels somewhat. "Mmnh… m-maybe…" Their voice was weak and shaky, and his eyelids were fluttering with exhaustion as his adrenaline began to fade.
Avrey continued comforting Lumi, trying his hardest not to shake with anxiety while wiping tears with his free hand. It hurt to see Lumi like this. It hurt so bad. All avrey wanted was to help, but all this only seemed to traumatize the boy even more. He hated seeing anyone this scared.
A few of his ghostly companions watched, in their own state of sorrow and hope while they watched the pair. The feeling in the room seemed to soften with their presence while Avrey continued trying to cheer Lumi up, hoping they would trust him.
Lumi's grip on Avrey's hand began to weaken as his eyes fell closed. They weren't being poked or prodded much anymore. His bite wound had been properly cleaned and bandaged, as had several other small wounds littering their body, and he had been sponged off somewhat so he wouldn't be quite so dirty. There was a shower in the bathroom of their room, so he could at least use that once he had recovered some.
He was unconscious now, at least; whether from exhaustion or fear was unclear. All things considered, being asleep at the moment was keeping them considerably more calm and relaxed, which made everyone's lives easier. It seemed like it would be a while before he woke up again.
(Feel free to timeskip or do something here idk ssfhjk)
(Okay XD)
Avrey, contented that Lumi had finally gotten the rest they needed, slumped back in a chair where he took a nap himself.
Much later, he awoke, and not to his surprise, Lumi was still asleep. Avrey smiled, brushing back the boy's hair while he looked for something to watch on the tv, then began to organize the room from the chaos that had happened earlier.
He requested a few things from the nurse, then sat back, waiting for Lumi to wake up
Lumi eventually stirred, shifting and whining softly in his sleep. They gripped the sheets tightly with their tiny fists, his brows furrowing for a moment as he fought with his thoughts and struggled to wake up. After a minute or two of this, they finally opened their eyes and glanced around blearily. He still had an IV, but the restraints were gone, and there weren't any more doctors in the room. "Mm… h-hullo…?" He called out, their voice croaky and weak.
Avrey was at their side in a heartbeat, slowly going back to comforting Lumi while putting on a soft smile. "H-hey, i'ts alright.Remember me?" He chuckled, adjusting the sheets. "N-no more needles. You're safe."
