Unfortunate Catastrophes.

"Rules? Geez kid, we're a gang, not the mafia. Don't worry about rules. Just do things at your pace and be yourself, that'll be enough." Savvy gave him a lighthearted smile. She was certain he wouldn't cause any trouble, and moreover, she had to make him feel as safe and comfortable as she possibly could. He was scared out of his mind first thing in the morning, like he was expecting it. There was no telling what horrible things he's been through up until now, and at such a young age? It almost made her indignant. Still, she composed herself in front of the kid, maintaining her cheerful demeanor. It wasn't him her anger was directed towards.

"Waffles it is! I'll see if I can find a toothbrush for you to use, too..." Savvy mumbled the last part mostly to herself. From what Candy told her, he would probably need help doing most things, but she didn't mind—she just wanted to help as much as she could.

The young woman hurried off to the kitchen. June had left in such a hurry, she didn't have any time to show her where things were. Savvy laughed as searched the pantry for waffle mix or a waffle maker of sorts, but when she didn't find any, searched the freezer for Eggos. Sure enough, June had three boxes worth of frozen waffles. "Huh. She sure likes her waffles." Sav chuckled, tossing them into a toaster before filling a glass of water for Levi. She had already eaten breakfast with Candy before she came, so she didn't prepare anything for herself.

Instead, she went about looking around the bathroom for a clean toothbrush. Mushy followed her around as she moved throughout the house, sniffing her and various other things. She felt a little dirty snooping around June's stuff, but once she entered the bathroom, the first thing she saw was the first aid kid with a toothbrush that had "Levi" written in block letters on the handle. Sav smiled—definitely the work of Candy. That woman always thought of everything. She picked up a plastic glass and filled it with water, leaving it there for after breakfast. She checked the list she'd stuffed into her pocket. Change his bandages after breakfast. Got it.

The familiar pop of the toaster sounded in her ears, and with that she grabbed a tray, plated the waffles, and placed the water alongside it. "Levi? I'm coming in." Sav knocked on his door before she entered, setting the food on the nightstand. She took a seat on the edge of the bed next to him and grinned. "Ya hungry?"

Mushy walked into the room beside her, giving the two a soft ruff, before snuggling into the spot on the other side of Levi, as he had the night before.

===

June pursed her lips, clearly conflicted by his show of petulance. Of course, she didn't want to offend him or make him upset in any way— he had saved her life, and he had been so kind to her, but oh why did he have to go off and do something like this? She ran a frustrated hand through her hair.

Maybe she was being short sighted? Gosh, she didn't know anymore. She looked down and hurriedly scribbled, "It's fine. I have to go now." June huffed, walking off as she weaved her way through the shelves and back to her desk. She would worry about it later.

But for a moment after she sat down, she realized that he had come all the way to visit her at her job, and brought her chocolate too, even if he had stolen it. He even offered to make her dinner. She put her pencil down and lifted her head, scanning the library to see if he was still there. Maybe she was too harsh on him. She didn't even say 'thank you' for stopping by.
 
This time, when Savvy enters the room, Levi's eyes lock at once on the waffles and not, for once, on the person entering. "You - you actually brought some?" he asks softly. He scoffs in disbelief, glancing up at Savvy cautiously. ". . . I can eat these?"

He doesn't dare reach for the food yet. It might be for him, but that doesn't mean it's a meal that will be easy. He might have to work for it first.

~~~

Peter is left stunned in the middle of the library aisle, trying to ignore the gazes of other library patrons around him. June had been so open to the other things of gang life - spying on people, gang wars, even Peter being tasked with murdering somebody - but stealing was something that made her upset? He doesn't understand.

He sighs gently as June wanders off. He'll have to ask Octavious about it. The man's always had good advice for him before. He gently sets the clothes June had lent to him in the book drop-off. Then he turns and quietly walks out the doors the way he came.

The entire way to the hide-out, questions swirl through his mind. Was it something he said? Maybe June just didn't like him showing up unannounced at her library? He's still deep in thought when he strolls into the gang's infirmary. "Hey, um . . . Octavious? Sir? Can I talk to you?" he calls softly.
 
Sav laughed and took the plate of waffles in her lap. "Yeah kid, they're all for you. I was told you weren't supposed to be feeding yourself, so, open up." She cut a small wedge from one part of the waffle and lifted it, waiting for him to open his mouth. "You don't have to force yourself to eat all of it, but you need all the nourishment you can get." She tilted her head a little, softening her eyes as she continued to feed him.

"So. Levi, right? What do you do for fun, Levi?" Savvy prodded gently. She was exploding from the inside with questions and questions and questions, but she didn't want to give him a spook, so she figured she'd take it slow. Give him some time to warm up to her. If she could just get some names, she swore she would pummel whoever hurt this kid into the dirt. And not just the jumping that hurt him—there were clearly deeper wounds imbedded into his heart, and by the looks of it, they've been neglected for a very long time.

==

When June couldn't find him in the library, she sighed and slumped back into her chair. In her peripheral, she caught a plastic bag sitting droopy-like on top of the stack of books in the book return bin. Squinting her eyes, she drew closer, discovering that it was in fact a plastic bag in the book return bin. It was full of clothes. Her clothes. No doubt washed and dried.

Oh, Peter.

June wanted to stick her own head in the darned bin. Gosh, she was so stupid. She had to get a hold of him as soon as she could after getting off of work. Until then, however, she'd do her best sorting and filing for the library.

==

Octavious sat in the infirmary bed he'd been confined to for the past two days, and in one hand, with as much grace and poise a man of his Herculean stature could afford, he held a juice box in his right hand. "Candy... I don't mean impose on your medical judgment as a doctor but, is the juice box really necessary?" The man furrowed his brow at the woman who stood calmly across the room. She gave him a hearty laugh. "Of course."

They both turned their attention to Peter as he walked in. Candy went back to working, straining not to eavesdrop, while Octavious perked his ears up at the seemingly distraught boy.

" 'Course you can, Peter. Take a seat. What's bothering you, son?" He could tell something was up by the way Peter walked in, mind transparently wandering somewhere else.
 
Levi is beside himself in confusion. Is Savvy really allowing him to eat, just like that? He hesitantly stretches his neck out and takes a bite of the waffle, his eyes focused intently on Savvy in case she changes her mind. There's no reprimand. No scolding. He sighs in relief and leans back, taking the waffles without any further hesitation. "Thank you," he murmurs hoarsely.

He hadn't realized how hungry he was until now. At Savvy's next question, he tilts his head a bit, raising an eyebrow. "Fun? Wow, it's been a few days . . . um, amusement parks are pretty fun. And - and playing with animals," he adds, smiling and giving Mushy's head a gentle scratch.

Savvy and her friends have barely reacted to him in any way except a positive one. It's a nice change of pace, but Levi's sure it's only because they don't know his secret. Maybe he'll keep it that way for a while.

~~~

Peter's distracted from his original question the moment Octavious calls him "son." His eyes flick up towards the gang leader, and he bites his lower lip. "Son?" he murmurs, barely loud enough to hear. "You still want to call me son after - no, never mind. That's not important."

He pulls in a breath and tries again. "I think June's mad at me, but I don't know what I did. I stole some chocolate candy to share with her - you know, like how a lot of our gang does - and brought it to the library. Then I dropped off the clothes she'd borrowed me and invited her to dinner here since I'm making spaghetti. I don't . . . I don't know where I went wrong," he stammers out. He slumps into a nearby chair, shrugging before he fiddles with one of the candies. "Maybe she read my lips wrong? Or maybe she's allergic to chocolate?"
 
"Ahh, amusement parks," Savvy smiled as she repeated after him, reminiscing about how they used to make her bounce off the walls in excitement. "You know, there's one not too far from here. Once you're all patched up, maybe we can all go with the rest of the gang. It'll be fun!" Savvy said, her voice spilling with enthusiasm. She was down to the last bits of the stack of waffles before she spoke again.

"So you like animals? You got a favorite one?" Sav asked, handing him the glass of water.

==

After listening closely to Peter explain his source of confusion, Octavious scratched the back of his head. Ahh, he was never really good with the whole sensitivity thing, especially not when handling women. But Peter sounded really worked up over this thing with June, and he was relying on him for advice.

"You know, Peter, June is still probably pretty unfamiliar with how things run around here. Civilian life is kind of... far away from gang life." Octavious said slowly. From across the room, Candy looked over her shoulder and pursed her lips to the side, thinking.

"She's probably experiencing some form of culture shock. I mean, you said you stole the chocolates, right? That's usually not sometimes civilians do, and is kinda frowned upon." Candy piped in. She strode across the room and put a hand on Peter's shoulder, bending down a little to talk to him. "I'm sure if you just talk to her about it, with both of your heads cool, she'll understand. She's a nice girl. Try talking to her again tonight." Candy said, winking, before she went off again to resume working.

Octavious silently thanked her for her input, but something still bothered him about the way Peter was acting.

"Before you go, Peter," Octavious reached for his arm, making sure to look him in the eye. Though he held his gaze steady, Octavious' eyes were soft, his eyebrows arching up slightly. "I don't think of you any differently after what happened, and I don't plan on treating you any different. You're still like a son to me. I'd trust you with my life, like I would trust any other Raven. Don't forget that." He let go of Peter's arm. A toothy grin spread across his face, and he pulled the young man in for a noogie, rubbing his knuckles against the top of his head. He hoped his hearty chuckles assuaged any doubt Peter still had about himself and his place in the gang. Octavious could tell something was wrong when he stopped using his nickname Octopus, even when the mood was light.
 
Levi nearly spits out his waffle. "Really?!" he bursts out, his normally dull eyes glittering. "Th - that would be amazing! I'd love to!" All at once, he realizes how energetic he sounds, and he sinks back against the pillows with a shy smile. "Um . . . I mean . . . sounds good," he murmurs.

He gulps the glass of water down and sets it gently on the nearby bed stand. "I guess my favorite animal would probably be a dog. Do you have a favorite?" he adds.

~~~

As Octavious gives him advice, Peter listens carefully, his gaze glued to the man. He nods and smiles when Candy adds her input as well. "Thanks. Both of you. I'll talk to her tonight after I get supper ready for the gang - maybe at supper if she decides to come."

He hops out of the chair and starts to leave, only to flinch when Octavious grabs his arm. Peter turns hesitantly to find the gang leader's expression gentle and welcoming. He swallows as tears brim in his eyes, but before they can get a chance to fully form, the man grabs him close and ruffles his hair, and he bursts out laughing. "Ah! Octopus!" he squeals.

Peter struggles out of the gang leader's grip with a bright smile, and he heaves a deep sigh of contentment. ". . . Thanks. I - I don't know what I'd do without a dad like you." He gives Octopus one more hug. Then he waves and scampers off towards the gang's kitchen. "I'll be making spaghetti if anybody needs me, okay?"
 
*le bump*

Hi, friend! Just poking in to see how things are going :)
 
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