Rescuing the Young(Katherun&Halie)

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Griffin held Sam close. He was happy that the boy was willing to allow him to hold him while he sleep. He knew it was because his son wasn't confident that his father wouldn't disappear while he slept. He frowned at X. The demon seemed uneasy again and Griffin didn't know why. He rummaged through his bag. He took out the blanket that he now considered to belong to X. He held it out to the demon. "Yes we left after breakfast. We have been walking most of the day."
 
X stared dumbly at the blanket Griffin handed to him. He figured he would've covered his son up with it, not given it away to him. Sam obviously needed it more; he was younger, weaker, and could use all the warmth and comfort he could get. But at the same time, the demon appreciated Griffin paying him attention as well. It made him feel wanted. After a moment of hesitation, X took the blanket and gratefully wrapped it around himself. And he scooted just a little closer to Griffin, to leech the warmth off him. He nodded at the man, then looked at his son, letting out a heavy sigh. "He's out, isn't he?" X asked, looking back at Griffin. He was torn between feeling angry with the boy and sad for him; angry that he'd been so lucky to have Griffin, and sad that anything bad happened to him in the first place. Conflicted emotions showed heavily in X's eyes. "I... I didn't do anything mean to him earlier, did I?" X asked hesitantly.
 
"Yes. He is out. The walk exhausted him." He told the demon honestly. He looked down at his son with love bright in his eyes. He looked at X. The light didn't dim or change. He cared for the demon just as much as he cared for his son. X had become family to him. A second son. One that needed his comfort and guidance. He didn't mind the extra burden. He knew that it wouldn't always be easy. It would probably be hard more often than it was easy. Griffin stroked X's head comfortingly. "No X you weren't mean to Sam earlier. You were very helpful when he was frightened.
 
X let his blanket fall from his shoulders, and he turned away from Griffin's hand when it met with his head. His stomach was in knots and his indecisive attitude worsened. Griffin's little one might've appreciated the contact, but X didn't know how he felt about it. "Don't." He turned away. "Don't look at me like that. I'm not your kid." He protested. "I don't like it." He lied. He liked it a lot, but it scared him too, and made him worry that he'd get too attached. At some point, Griffin would get sick of him. He had to; everyone did. And he was scared of getting hurt when it happened. He shivered and kept his back turned to the man.
 
The shouting made Sam whimpered in his sleep. Griffin caressed the boy but he didn't take his off X. "Youre right X. Youre not my child. Your no ones child. If my touch bothers you I will try to remember that and keep my hands to myself. But I want you to know that I care about you deeply. I consider you to be part of my family."
 
No one's child. That statement made X flinch. He knew it was true, but it didn't make it hurt any less. He used to be someone's child. But then they either hadn't wanted him or hadn't the money to keep him and they'd given him away. The demon didn't know which but it made more sense to him that it was the former. "Why?" Why do you care about me? What makes me so important to you? I'm not your kid, I'm not helpful, I'm not anything! I'm just a damn broken mess!" He really tried not to yell, but his emotions for the better of him and he couldn't help but raise his voice.
 
"I care about you because..." Griffin struggled to find the words. "You remind me of myself when I was younger. When I was first free I was pretty much a broken mess." He explained. In some ways he had been worse then X. He hadn't spoke for nearly a year. He hadn't been able to even feed himself. He had been so use to having ever action controlled that he hadn't been able to function at all. He needed to have someone teach him almost everything. He hadn't split the way X had. It might have been better if he had. "You can be more. And I want you to help you discover that."
 
The demon turned his head over his shoulder as best as he could to look at Griffin. He stared at the man, with a heavy mix of confusion and anger in his eyes. He wanted to know more, to clarify what Griffin was trying to tell him. At the same time, X blocked out any ideas of Griffin sharing a remotely similar past as himself. Not only did he not want to believe Griffin had been a slave, but he didn't want to believe that the man had also earned his freedom; something he'd been trying for all his life. X bristled at the comments and glowered at him. "You're just saying that." He accused. "You don't mean it." He'd convinced himself that Griffin was lying to him about it- convinced himself that almost everything nice was a lie.
 
Griffin sighed. He was tired. Tired of comforting everyone and not receiving any in return. He doubt that X would have believed him even if he had been as covered in scars as X was. He was sure the demon would have found a way to explain them away. "Fine X. I'm lying. I can't think of a single reason why I would lie about being a slave. It doesn't seem like a lie anyone would want to tell. But I'm sure you've thought of at least a dozen reason for me to lower myself to such a lowly position."
 
X turned his head again, this time away from Griffin when the other huffed at him. X didn't like how he'd just given up so... aggressively. It made him want to explain himself, where he knew he shouldn't. "Because you bought me!" He remembered that. Of all the things that'd happened to him, he remembered Griffin buying him with vivid clarity. And he hated it. "Why! Why would you do that if you know how awful it is?!" X couldn't help himself. His emotions got the better of him and he yelled, most definitely more than loud enough to wake Sam up. "You- you want me to-to-to-to- li-listen to you," He stammered. The words were caught in his throat, and he spoke quieter. "S-s-so- y-you lie to me, so I'll- I will- will- like you more." Tears streamed down his cheeks, and he was shivering from both the cold and trying to keep himself from sobbing uncontrollably. When he gained a bit more control over himself, the demon continued, entirely off track of what he was saying just a moment ago, "You're not like everyone else! And it's weird, and I'm scared, and I don't want to be sad when you get sick of me! Because everyone does..." X pulled his knees close to his chest and buried his face in them. He shuddered and let himself cry after that. The demon retreated into himself, forcing Griffin's little one out.
 
Griffin had a comeback ready. It was perched on hialips ready to deliver but it died. Sam woke swing and crying. And he saw the change in X and knew the which had occured. Sometimes it just didn't pay to be an adult. There where days where he wanted to go back to his cell. Life was simple there. He just had to follow orders. He didn't have to think or feel. He could shut himself down. But that wasn't an option for him. Not anymore. Not with two lives depending on him. He sighed. With his son crying and hitting him, Griffin pulled his little one to him. He held both of them tightly against him and whispered. "Its alright. I'm here. You're safe now."
 
X jumped when Sam woke up, and he flinched, trying to shy away when Griffin pulled him closer to the screaming child. His own crying hushed after that, but he still shuddered trying to keep himself from doing it. X hadn't felt safe Not with him and Sam crying. X tried to push himself away from Griffin so he wouldn't be near his boy's fists when he swung.
 
"No neither are pulling away. We're going to do this together." Griffin told X as he pulled the demon close. He whispered calming words to his son. The boy stopped swinging before he stopped crying. But it didn't take long for the boy to go from crying to sobbing and then whimpering. Before long the boy drifted of again. "We're safe as long as we are together."
 
X whimpered just as Sam did, and unlike the boy, Griffin's calming words did little to reassure him that he was okay. The demon didn't go to sleep after Sam did, not did he relax his scared, tense posture. He tried pulling away more when Sam went back to sleep, promising that he wouldn't wake the boy up again and that he wouldn't run away in a frantic, hushed whisper.
 
Griffin let go of X. He knew that X would be mad at him either was. So he let the demon go. He sighed. He wished he could reach the demon as easily as he reached Sam. But his son knew that he could trust him. Despite what happened his son knew that he always been there for him. Griffin hoped that his son still believed that he always would be there for him.
 
X scrambled to get away as soon as Griffin released his hold on him. Like he promised, he didn't go far; just out of arms reach. He curled himself up in a little ball to hide his face and keep warm. Quiet little sobs escaped him, though they were muffled with the way he sat. "I didn't mean to wake him up!" He spoke just a little louder, so Griffin could hear him. "I'm s-sorry." Everything Griffin said to Sam had gone over his head. In one ear and out the other, X heard it, but none of it registered. He still believed now he was in trouble. And for all the aggravation and heartache he'd put Griffin through, the demon couldn't see why he wouldn't be.
 
Griffin smile sadly. "I know X. It will take time for us to get use to each other. You and Sam have to get to know each other before you can try trusting each other. I'm not expecting miracles. Just try to remember that Sam s young and small. He needs us to protect him. I expect you to help me with that."
 
X continued to sob and shiver, unable to bring himself to stop, even with Griffin's kind words. In some ways, that made him cry a little too. When he managed to get it under control, X came closer to Griffin for the hug the man tried to offer earlier. While the verbal reassurance was nice in its own right, X really craved physical confirmation. Hugs and gentle touches, hands combing through his hair... It made him feel safe, and put new meaning to the promises. The demon nodded and wrapped his arms around Griffin after moving close enough for a hug. He wanted to feel warm and close and needed. He wanted to feel loved. "I'll be a good boy; I'll help." He said quietly. "I'll never be mean, I promise."
 
"Dont make promises you can't keep X. Promises are important." Griffin told the demon. "I know you want to be a good boy and that's important. Not everyone wants to be good. All I ask is that you try. I'm going to need your help with Sam. We're going to want to avoid villages if we can. The less we're seen the harder it will be for the poachers to track us."
 
X looked up at the man with sad eyes. It hurt, hearing that he wasn't supposed to make promises, especially if he couldn't keep them. How was there any way of knowing that a promise would be kept, if it was never made? "B-but- I promised," He sniffled. "I mean it, I'll help!" He insisted, before quieting down again as Griffin made clear their plans to stay away from villages. He liked that; he didn't like going near them to begin with.
 
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