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'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?"

Maybe they can pop into a clothes shop along the way... For nightwear if nothing else.

"I'm serious about everything."

Spotting a pharmacy he gestures towards it and changes direction. Now that he's on a mission, and there are things to be done, he wastes no time in getting his tasks completed.

He's not thinking too far ahead, either. This is surely a temporary state of affairs, but until everything is sorted he needs to make sure Sakura has what he needs. Even if Logan has no idea what that really entails. He's making it up as he goes along.

Sakura falls quiet, following along and...just...sort of chewing silently on the situation like a cow with its cud. It is so strange, that someone would care. Sure, Logan's name is down at the doctor's office, but that didn't obligate him to take Sakura in. He seemed disgusted by his home. He seems frustrated by everything about his life.

Why? Why does it matter to him so much?

~~It's not like Sakura deserves any more than he already has.~~

In Sakura's defence, Logan is very quick to give orders and expect people to carry them out. While he listens to the instructions for the medicine keenly, once they stop for clothes, Sakura is on the hook.

Logan takes the boy's belongings and simply instructs him to get what he needs. Pyjamas, socks, underwear, some extra shirts... Normally he might actually take to shopping, but he's trying not to get too involved. Letting the boy pick out his own clothes seems reasonable since Logan is making him move house.

As a shopping partner he is the ideal guardian: He waits until it's time to pay, and doesn't alter Sakura's choices.

Afterwards it's straight back home. The building is no palace, but it's still leaps and bounds better than where Sakura was living. There is electricity, water, and heating, for a start. They have to climb a few stairs, but once they get in there's actually room to move about. It's mostly open, with the kitchen, dining area and living room all merging into one. There's also furniture! A fridge and oven, too!

There is, however, one hitch.

"You can take the bedroom." Since there is only one. With a real bed, too. Logan waves towards it dismissively. "Put your things in there for now."

Of course, he assumes Sakura won't snoop through the wardrobe. It really wouldn't do for him to find Logan's sword, and the prince isn't thinking about that. He's too busy rubbing his temple as he rummages through a drawer in the kitchen to pull out some take away menus.

The clothing Sakura picks out is all simple. Sweatpants to sleep in, plain t-shirts. No sign of possessing a fashion sense, favoring grey and black and white. The one thing Sakura goes out of his way for is a new pair of sneakers. He's outgrowing the old ones, to the point of discomfort.

It's all so much, but he doesn't try to argue it, or anything else, until they're at Logan's place and he offers the bedroom.

"I'm not kicking you out of your own bed. I'm fine on the living room floor." Not even the couch? No, the floor.

The protest is actually a little bit reassuring. He'd started to wonder if he was just creeping Sakura out, but it sounds like that's not the problem.

"I'm an insomniac." It's a simple explanation. He's not sure it's medically correct, and it makes him sound a little crazy, but people know what it means. "It doesn't make sense for me to take the bed."

Sakura frowns at that explanation. There's more arguments rolling around his mind, but.

Some part of him almost wants to worry about Logan and his insomnia, and that doesn't make any sense. Why should he care? Rather than examining that thought, he ducks his head, takes his stuff over to the bedroom. Gives himself a little space to think and process it all.

The bed looks so soft, and he just...flops onto it, face down, and closes his eyes. It's too soft. He feels like he could sink right through it. He's never been anywhere so soft before.

Logan has had softer beds. Not that it makes any difference these days. Right now he's just glad that Sakura stopped arguing for two minutes.

Finally alone, he starts to realise how ridiculous this is. He doesn't know Sakura, doesn't know anything about taking care of other people, nevermind a kid! ... But he couldn't leave Sakura on his own, either. Certainly not in that death trap he was living in.

The irony that he's doing his best for some strange kid when he inflicted worse upon those in his country rings a little too close to home. He shakes his head and turns to the thought of food. He really is awful at cooking. Better they have something delivered so that he doesn't accidentally poison Sakura.

Realising that he doesn't actually care what they eat, Logan sets the menus out on the table for when his new guest reappears. Then, with a sigh, he flops onto the couch, tilting his head back to rest for a moment. It's been a long day.

When Sakura comes out of the bedroom, he's wearing one of the new hoodies, hands in his pockets. He seems almost as wrung out from how long a day it's been as Logan is. His whole life has been benevolently uprooted, and he still doesn't actually have a sense of what Logan wants. For all the looks of disappointment and disgust, there hasn't been any yelling. He hasn't been hit yet. It all seems entirely too good to be true.

Something has to give, somewhere.

He pauses, just. Looking at Logan on the couch for a moment. Honestly, there's a moment when he considers slipping right out the front door. But that'd be shitty, after all this. Sakura is feral, but not shitty.

"Hey. Should I leave you alone?"

Logan is so lost in his own thoughts that he doesn't notice Sakura reappear. He sits up when Sakura speaks, turning to look at the boy. It's a good sign that he asked instead of just running away, Logan supposes.

"No, it's fine." A moment and then he concedes, "Unless you want you. You're not being imprisoned."

Leaning forward, he gestures to the menus that have been left out. "You can order something if you're hungry. I'll pay for it, so don't worry about that. Just try to choose something with some vegetables."

"I'm always hungry." The comment comes without any thought. It's partly the, you know, not having any money thing and part being a teenage boy. He walks over to look at the menus, almost overwhelmed by the number of different choices.

No, strike that. Completely overwhelmed by the number of choices. He could stare at the pictures and read the words all day, drooling over the possibilities like most boys his age drool over swimsuit catalogs.

Not quite the response he'd expected, but again Logan's just happy that he doesn't have to argue with him. With how little he eats it would be much more difficult to form a solid argument.

Which makes Sakura's hesitation all the more bizarre. Rather than a kid at a sweet shop, pointing out everything he could want, Sakura just... stares at it all.

After a moment Logan ventures, "Are you all right?"

"I've...never had any of this stuff before. Usually, I get whatever's cheapest at the convenience store. A cup of ramen or a can of tuna. This is...a lot. I don't know where to start."

Sakura doesn't know how to be a kid at a sweet shop.

...Sakura doesn't know how to be a kid.

Logan blinks at him for a moment, and then gets up. He sifts through the menus for a few seconds, and then chooses one with the most variety.

There are a lot of things he's not used to doing, but he can approximate a tasting menu for Sakura. Yes, clothing and shelter are all very important. But it's just as important to know what you like to eat. In Logan's mind, at least.

He picks up the phone to call and... starts listing things. He'll dodge ramen. Sakura has clearly had enough of that. Hopefully Sakura won't get full hearing him make the order. Some miso soup, some donburi, sushi, tempura, curry... He's gone through half the menu by the time he's done.

When he ends the call he looks at Sakura. "We might have to wait a little."

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