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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"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...

"No one's said anything about it. I mean, they know I'm a transfer from out of town, that I moved here specifically to come to Furin."

They're approaching a building that looks...well, it's still standing at least. Ivy growing up the outside, paint peeling and old. Sakura's unit is a second-story walk-up, and as he unlocks the door, there's a bit of a glance back at Logan and a frown. He feels...is it shame? Something like that.

The studio apartment is tiny, but that's fine, because there's no furniture at all, besides a futon and threadbare blue comforter folded in one corner. There's no decorations, not even curtains in the one window the apartment has. There's not really a kitchen, either. Sure, there's a sink and some cupboards, but no appliances at all. He has...nothing. Shit, not even a pillow.

Logan's eyes slide to Sakura as they approach a building that they should definitely not be entering. He's rather sure nobody else is living here. Nobody should be living here.

Yet he says nothing, following Sakura as heads up the stairs and opens a door into a room. A room which is masquerading as an apartment. Logan's current place isn't big, but this is a closet!

The disdain is clear on his face as he looks around. He considers testing that the tap actually works, but the idea of touching it and risking tetanus or something equally absurd stops him.

After a minute, he shakes his head.

"No. Pack your things. You're not staying here."

"Huh?! Where else am I going to go?"

He bristles, glancing around the place, and then back at Logan, clearly confused. The shame grows even stronger, with an urge to try to defend the place somehow, but he can't get the words to come out.

"You'll stay with me until we can get you somewhere better."

It's not ideal, not by a long shot, but anything is better than here. He doesn't want to have some intrusion on his privacy, but what else is he going to do? If he leaves Sakura here the kid is definitely going to get sick.

Sakura blinks like Logan's suddenly started to speak in a language he doesn't understand. And perhaps he has. That sort of kindness, it's not something anyone has ever shown him before. He can't even fully wrap his mind around it.

"Someplace better? Why?"

It's all right because Logan is equally confused by Sakura's reaction. He speaks slowly, but firmly, as if that might help the boy understand. "Because no one should live like this."

"It's better than where I used to live."

That...probably doesn't actually help his argument, huh?

It really doesn't. Logan stares at him for another minute and then, "Pack. Now."

It takes no time at all for Sakura to do so. He literally has one change of clothes beside his school uniform. A couple pairs of underwear. There's an all in one shower gel/shampoo from the equivalent of a dollar store in the bathroom. The futon and comforter. And that's it.

How does this manage to get bleaker and bleaker?

"That's it?" He tries to sound matter-of fact, rather than sceptical, but won't linger on the answer. Instead he steps back outside. "Come on. We have to get the medicine on the way."

"How much stuff do most people need?"

It's just shy of being a serious question, instead of rhetorical, as Sakura follows with everything in tow.

"More than that," is the easy response.

Hopefully he'll keep up with Logan who, now more determined than ever to get things sorted, forgets his long-legged advantage as he strides back to town.

"How many sets of clothes do you have? Is there anything you're missing?"

"I've got my school uniform, some spare white t-shirts for under the uniform jacket, and a hoodie and jeans for weekends." So. One set of clothing besides the uniform. No pajamas or anything.

He will do his very best to keep up, even if he's more jogging than walking.

"You're really serious about all this, huh?"

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