bakerstreet | Stray

Stray

S T R A Y

Taking in strays is, all in all, an understandable vice. The dips in between their ribs, those large and forlorn eyes, they can help you forget the claws and the teeth and the danger lurking beneath fur. But the habit's a knife edge; your efforts may not be rewarded with kindness (animal instincts aren't discretionary) and you may get bit despite what you've overlooked. A stray doesn't care about pity. All it can know is survival.

These warnings apply to strays of the more human(oid) sort, too.

But what may even more perilous with this type than any drawn blood is what you can get when they grow to trust you. You can earn their undying loyalty...or their love. Either from such a wild thing is a precarious path to go down, if you allow yourself to do it.

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ғɪɴᴅɪɴɢ — Who's that? They're no ordinary passersby! Were they in an accident? Are they foreign? ...should you approach them?

ʀᴀɪɴ, ʀᴀɪɴ, ɢᴏ ᴀᴡᴀʏ — The elements make this night no time to sleep out of doors.

ʙᴀᴄᴋ ᴛᴏ ʜᴇᴀʟᴛʜ — Cuts, broken bones, injuries all of sorts...you have to stitch them back up, then make sure they don't get any

ɢᴏᴏᴅ ɢᴜᴇsᴛ — It's all you can do to show gratitude to the person who took you in. Fix them a meal, care for their house, whatever you can do once you're able.

ʙᴀᴅ ɢᴜᴇsᴛ — FUCK THIS PERSON AND FUCK THEIR COUCH. You didn't ask to be brought here. Let them clean up after you, you don't even care.

ᴡʜᴏ ᴀᴍ ɪ? — How you got into this situation is a mystery. Even more of a mystery is your identity, and why the person you were would be so displaced.

sᴇʟғʟᴇssɴᴇss —

ʟᴇᴀʀɴɪɴɢ — If you've been injured badly enough or can't remember all too well, you might have to relearn a good deal. Luckily, you have a helping hand.

sᴄᴀʀs — Scars from the encounter that lead you here or scars from prior, you don't want them to see either. You still have your secrets to keep.

sᴛᴜʙʙᴏʀɴ — Ugh, your house guest is so stubborn! They always get up when they should be resting, have the worst habits, and completely disrespect your home! You'll get to them, one way or another. Or you'll throw them out. You don't want to, but you will.

ᴄᴏᴍғᴏʀᴛ — Bad memories or nightmares wreck you; your host and nurse comes to your side unexpectedly.

ᴄᴜʟᴛᴜʀᴇ ᴄʟᴀsʜ — The person who's taken you in is from a different culture or lifestyle than you, and adapting is harder than you thought.

ᴄʀᴇᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ ғᴇᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ — Think learning about a new culture is hard? Try being a different species. Can you keep your little eccentricities at bay for the good of your station?

ᴊᴇᴀʟᴏᴜsʏ — Now that your emotions towards your caretaker/host/jailer are softening, you're finding yourself unusually jealous of those in their life who were close to them before.

ɴᴇᴡ ᴀᴄᴛɪᴠɪᴛɪᴇs — You never thought you'd have fun after all that's happened, yet such simple gestures as a picnic or a movie make all the difference.

ʀᴇᴀʟɪᴢᴀᴛɪᴏɴ — You love them, this person who's taken you in or this person you've found. It's not a pity or a thankfulness, it's love, and you know that now. What you choose to do with this information is

ʜɪsᴛᴏʀʏ — Suddenly, the person who's been so nice to you finds out that the two of you have a history. You killed their loved ones or caused something terrible. How can they forgive you?

ᴘʀᴏᴛᴇᴄᴛ — So much has been done for you. The least you can do in return for the one who helped you at your lowest is make sure they never have such a low point.

ᴅᴀɴɢᴇʀ ᴄᴏᴍᴇs ᴋɴᴏᴄᴋɪɴɢ — Anyone in the way of getting to you will be destroyed, and that includes the person you're staying with.

ʟɪᴠᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇᴍ — You've been given a home, maybe which you've never had before. You don't want to leave.

ʀᴏᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ — Not only are you living with them, but you're starting a proper life with them.

ʀᴇᴠᴇᴀʟ — All secrets are laid out on the table. You've decided to tell about your past and what lead you here.

ʀᴇᴠᴜʟsɪᴏɴ — What you've done and who you are is so heinous, they want nothing more to do. You're to leave their home and leave them alone.

ᴀᴄᴄᴇᴘᴛᴀɴᴄᴇ — It doesn't matter what they've done. You've opened your home and your heart to them, and nothing's changed.

ᴘᴀʀᴛɪɴɢ — All things must come to an end. No matter what you feel for each other, it's time to leave. Hopefully, you'll see each other again.

ʜᴀᴘᴘɪʟʏ ᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴀғᴛᴇʀ — Come what may, you've decided to stay at your new home with the person you love. Now, it's safe enough to do so.

ᴡɪʟᴅᴄᴀʀᴅ

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Logan nods, spins his hand and points to the door in a gesture for Sakura to turn around and march.

He's not going to let Sakura do this alone, and not just because he's the one with the money. Even with his little 'pep talk' he suspects Sakura might just run if left alone. Besides, he's more than comfortable with a bit of bureaucracy in the form filling.

The woman behind the counter is nice enough, and Logan takes the clipboard and starts filling out what he can. It's not much, of course, and he has to keep asking Sakura for information.

Which brings him to: "Do you have an emergency contact? Your parents, perhaps?"

"I don't have parents. And there's no one else who would care that I'm hurt."

His voice is heavy and flat at the same time there. He technically has a foster family. Technically. But he also...well, he's not just overexaggerating like teenagers do, when he says he has no one who would care. There is no melodrama, no angst. It's just the truth of his current situation.

All right then... He's just going to put himself down and hope they don't ask too many questions.

"I'm sorry. About your parents... Do you go to school?" He's starting to realise how little he knows about kids, even reasonably grown ones.

"Yeah. I'm at Furin High."

You know, the lowest ranked school in the country, known mostly for the delinquents who attend it.

Logan's pen stops for a moment. He's only barely come into town, but that has still been long enough for him to hear of Furin's reputation. He has to remind himself that he isn't Sakura's guardian. He can't pull the kid out of school and enrol him somewhere else.

Without another word, he finishes the form and hands it over before returning to sit next to Sakura. "They'll call you in a few minutes."

Sakura nods, looking down at the carpet. It's weird, having someone help him. Having someone care. Even when Logan turns that look of disappointment on him, it feels warm and heavy in his chest, in a way he can't remember ever feeling before.

~~His foster family keeps him in a shed out behind their house, separate from their actual son, as if they fear he might be contagious or something.~~

The doctor calls him on, and Sakura glances at Logan to see if he's planning on coming in for the exam or not.

Logan hadn't made to move, but the way Sakura looks at him catches him out. He blinks, looking between the doctor and the kid.

After a second he asks, "Would you like me to come with you?"

"You don't have to." The response is immediate, but.

It's not a no.

That is definitely not a no. Logan nods, and stands, making sure Sakura is with him before heading in with the doctor.

He did not mean to end up with a kid. He really didn't. But he couldn't just leave Sakura on the street continuously getting into fights with people bigger than him.

But he's more than capable of nudging Sakura to follow the doctor's instructions, and answer why they're here if the boy is reluctant. Or if he tries to dodge any of the details.

Sakura is clearly nervous, like he hasn't seen a doctor in...maybe ever? At least not in recent memory. And the doctor seems to grow more concerned as the exam goes on.

After checking Sakura's weight and height, the doctor hits Logan with a bit of a look of his own. "Are you feeding this boy? He's showing signs of being malnourished."

Sakura, pointedly, doesn't say anything.

Logan's eyes slide to Sakura. His expression doesn't change but if he were a telepath Sakura would be getting a very loud 'What in Skorm are you doing to yourself??'. Instead Logan's gaze slides back to the doctor.

"I'm not a very good cook. I will take some classes."

He has no idea of that's the right response, but it's worth a go. It's also true. Bad cooking is what you get when you've never had to cook for yourself before.

"You had better. I'd like to see him again in three months. Sooner, if he gets himself banged up like this again. But it'd be better if you found a way to keep him out of trouble."

Sakura grimaces, face turning red at the implied rebuke.

Wait a minute. What happens if he doesn't bring Sakura back? Will they call him about it? Will the police go looking for Sakura? What happens?

Suddenly it's a pretty sincere, "I will do my best."

Much easier said than done.

"It's not his fault." Sakura finally speaks up, though it's quiet, like he's not sure he's a part of this conversation. "He isn't why I'm like this."

The doctor looks doubtful, but beyond writing a recommendation for a multivitamin and an antibiotic ointment, he seems to be ready to move on from this. "If anything seems to be getting infected badly, that's another reason to come back sooner. Hot, red, puffy, gross discharge."

The quiet little outburst gets a surprised blink from the prince, but he's as eager for this to be over as the doctor, so he focuses on what the doctor has to say. He's relieved when it's more instructions and fewer warnings.

Logan takes the paper, and nods as he stands. "Thank you, doctor."

He motions for Sakura to come along as he heads for the door, assuming the kid will follow him.

Right, so Sakura doesn't have a guardian present, and school only accounts for school hours. And there's no one else looking out for him?

As soon as they're outside again, he asks, "Where do you live?"

"I...have a place near school. I live by myself."

He's sure that Logan will have a reaction, if he sees what the place is like.

Logan already eyes him suspiciously at that. "Is it an actual place with water and heating, or is it somewhere you're not supposed to be?"

"It has water. And my foster parents pay the rent. I'm not, like, squatting."

...but. The fact that he didn't even consider his foster parents as a potential emergency contact says something, huh? As does the avoidance of the subject of heating.

He takes a moment to sigh and then waves at him. "Show me."

"Why?"

Sakura gives Logan a doubtful little look. At some point, there's going to be a cost, some tit-for-tat coming, something he owes for this concern, and he's not sure he can afford it, at this point.

"Why do you care about where I'm living?"

Logan faces Sakura properly, his tone firm. "Because I've just put my name and contact information down as your emergency contact, and if something happens to you they're going to call me. I don't know if that means the police will come looking for either of us, but I'd like to make sure you're not likely to be sent to the doctor again, at the very least."

Sakura huffs quietly, but that explanation at least makes enough sense for him to go with it. Even if he's expecting a reaction to his home. Hands in his pockets, he starts walking towards that shitty part of town where Furin is.

Logic is a lot easier to trot out than anything more emotive. Besides which, it's just far more comfortable to boss people into being taken care of than being touchy-feely. Given that (somehow) they're walking without any protest from Sakura, the kid likely feels the same.

"Do your teachers know about where you're living?"

"The school has my address on file." And he has a home address, so that's all that matters. It's not like anyone is going out of their way to check in on him or the other students.

"And they don't think it's strange that you're not living with your guardians?"

No, he's not Sakura's guardian. So no, he shouldn't want to give the school an earful...

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