Author: Tenshi-chan
Warnings: Adult language, angst, AU, shounen-ai, some sap, yaoi, lemon.
Pairings: Implied 3+4, 1+2, ?x2
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: Don't own them... wish I did.
Fey Part 1
A.C. 185 - Colony V08744
"And we are here because...?"
The man turned to the boy posing as his son. "I told you once before that I am not at liberty to discuss this assignment with you. It's a solo mission, and you are going to stay put in the hotel for a few days."
The boy turned cold blue eyes up to the adult and shrugged. "What am I supposed to do? Sit and clean the guns?"
Odin Lowe nodded. "You have a point. I'll find something to keep you occupied."
*****
Violet eyes watched the pair. 'They always tell me not to let my eyes deceive me. Still... maybe I can get something from the boy.' He saw his chance and darted for the pair. When the boy turned to him, he realized his error and quickly tried to detour from them. He yelped in pain and fear as someone grabbed his hair. "LEGGO!" He bit back a scream as he was lifted. He started trembling as the man's eyes bore into him. "Lemme go... PLEASE?"
Odin scowled. "I'll let you go all right... straight into the law enforcement. Stealing is a crime, and no one steals from me!"
"Wait!" The boy known as Odin Lowe Jr. tilted his head. "You said you needed to find something to keep me occupied."
Odin turned his gaze from the terrified boy to the determined one and nodded in agreement. He dropped the long-haired child and turned to get their luggage.
Odin Jr. saw that the boy was about to bolt, so he reached out and grabbed his arm. He blinked at the terror in the boy's face. 'What is he so afraid of?' He didn't say anything for about five minutes as he pulled the resisting child along. When he had enough, he turned around. "Either you come willingly, or I knock you unconscious." The fear in the strange boy's eyes rose another notch, but he no longer struggled.
Odin Lowe watched as the two boys entered the cab. The strange child who had obviously planned to pick his pocket was on the verge of tears and just curled into a ball on the seat as if he was trying not to come in contact with either of his captors. He gave the destination to the cab driver and frowned as the child whimpered. He glanced at the child. "What's your name?"
The boy swallowed and answered quietly. "The... the gang calls me Kid. Everyone else that knows me calls me Fey. I don't remember my real name, sir."
Odin Jr. tilted his head and studied the boy who'd introduced himself as Fey. He gathered it was because of the wide violet eyes set in the elfin face. He noted that the boy was terribly thin. "Why are you afraid?"
Fey gazed at the strange boy with the cold, too-old eyes. "There's usually only one reason to take a kid like me off the streets and into a hotel." He bit his lip and buried his face in his knees... letting his hair hide him. "Please... please lemme go."
Realization dawned on Odin, and a new hatred for his target blossomed. 'There should be people to protect children like this one.' He sighed and avoided touching the boy. "I won't harm you. The reason I'm taking you to the hotel is because I have a job to do here, and I needed something to keep my son occupied for the week that I'll be here. He doesn't have anyone he knows that is his own age, and we move around a lot. Look on the bright side. For a week, you'll be sleeping in a soft bed with three meals a day." He almost smiled as the child peeked up at him. "I will not harm you." He frowned suddenly. "Has anyone else ever...?"
"Nah... if they had, I wouldn't still be a street rat. I'd've been claimed, and not let out unless it was for profit. I don' WANNA be one of the corner kids." He shuddered at that. "Corner kids don' live long. People 'round here aren't ever careful, so the kids gets lotsa STDs. Plus they're never admitted to the med center even if they HAVE gots the creds for treatment."
Odin stared straight ahead. Then he noticed that the child sitting beside him was right. There were a lot of children on the streets... most of them standing at the corners. All of them were either attractive, or showed signs of having been attractive at one point in time. He had to admit that the child beside him outshone any of the children and young adults... and he was only maybe five years old. He mentally aged the boy and gulped. If the child lived... in ten years, he would be a gem that anyone would kill to own. No wonder the child was scared.
*****
"Now... I want the both of you to stay here. I have to rendezvous with my contact and synchronize our movements." He nodded and left the room.
Fey quirked a grin at the other boy. "Soooo... ya know MY name... or what passes for my name, but I dunno yours!"
"Odin Lowe Jr." Odin dug into his suitcase and pulled out a pair of shorts and a T-shirt. Now that he was in a well-lit room, he could see that Fey's clothes were tattered and filthy... and the boy himself was just as bad. "Here... you can change in the bathroom after taking a bath. What?"
Fey couldn't believe his ears. "A BATH? I can take a bath? A warm one?" He yipped in delight at the nod he got and impulsively hugged the other boy. "I never had a bath before! Usually I gotsta wait for the rain!" He bounded for the bathroom.
Odin looked up as the door opened again. "What is it?"
Fey blushed. "Ummm... how do I make it work?"
Odin walked over and started instructing Fey how the knobs worked. Then he discovered something else. "You mean you can't read?"
Fey shook his head. "Nope! Where would I learn? It ain't like it's a skill I need ta know!" He frowned at the various bottles. "What's all this stuff?"
Odin sat down and read. "Shampoo... this is used to wash hair." He looked at Fey and shook his head. "I'd better call for some extras." He picked up a second bottle and dumped the contents into the water. "Bubblebath!" He felt a ghost of a smile tug his lips as the boy beside him scooped up some of the bubbles and blew on them. "You know how to use soap, right?" At the boy's bewildered look, Odin dunked a washcloth into the warm water and used the bar of soap on it before scrubbing Fey's cheek. "You should learn how to read. It may not be useful to a street rat, but if you wanna be more..." He frowned at the cloth. "I wonder what you'll look like clean! You want me to wash your back?"
A low growling sound made itself known and Fey blushed. "Ummm... sorry."
Odin nodded. "I'll order something for us to eat and request some extra shampoo be sent up. You get started. In the tub." With that, he walked into the main room and picked up the house phone. "Hello... I'm in room 395 and I'd like some extra shampoo to be sent up along with three children's burger platters. Yes... put it on the bill." He lost his battle with the grin as he watched Fey's obvious delight as the boy played in the water.
Fey waved. "C'mon in! The water's great!" He watched as Odin walked over and smiled brightly. "You gonna wash my back now?"
Odin quickly undressed and got into the tub. He pushed the tangled mass of hair out of his way and rubbed the cloth against Fey's back. "I can help you wash your hair, you know." He lifted the plug from the tub and let the water drain out. He frowned slightly when he saw how thin Fey really was. The boy's ribs stood out sharply. "Okay..." He turned the shower on and emptied the entire bottle of shampoo into his hands and started working on Fey's scalp. He winced at how snarled and tangled the hair was... no wonder it looked like it had a lot of body. He massaged the entire mess for about four minutes before he let the warm water rinse all the soap out.
Fey blinked as Odin picked up another bottle. "What's that stuff?"
Odin dumped the contents onto Fey's head. "Conditioner... it's supposed to help with tangles." He patiently worked the cream through the entire length of Fey's hair and felt a certain amount of satisfaction as the tangles loosened. He heard the door. "Stay in the shower until the conditioner is all out." He hopped out and quickly dried off before stepping into a pair of shorts and running to the door.
The girl who brought dinner seemed surprised. "So... your father was serious when he said that he took Fey in to keep you company." She smiled a little as she pushed the cart in and placed the trays on the table. "If I may be so bold... why three?"
Odin jerked his head towards the bathroom. "I don't know when the last time he ate was. He's too thin."
The girl smiled warmly. "Ahh... don't fatten him up too much, though. If he's that sweet-looking when he's not being cared for, who knows... oh my..." She stared at the child that came out of the bathroom and grabbed Odin's arm. "Come with me outside for a second."
Odin motioned for Fey to start eating without him and stepped out. "What is it?"
"Do whatever you have to do to protect him. There are far too many people out there who won't care if he's taken care of... all they'll care about is a pretty face." She fished in her pockets and pulled a small rod out. "Here... before you and your father leave this colony, claim him. You may not be interested in him, but it will protect that child from the wolves that will eat him alive." With that, she left.
Fey looked up from the second plate. He had finished the first in record time. "What was all THAT about?" He paled slightly when he saw the rod.
Odin frowned at the object. "She... she said she wanted me to claim you... to protect you from the people who will turn you into a corner kid." He stuck the object into his pocket.
Fey suddenly backed away from the table. "Oh no you don't! Don't come near me with that thing!" He let out a yelp and tried to bolt as Odin took a step closer.
Odin found he had to, once again, grab Fey's arm before the boy could run away. He was confused as Fey started struggling. "Will you cut it OUT?"
"LEGGO! I don' WANNA be claimed! I ain't no piece o'meat to be passed out! I don' WANNA end up like the corner kids! I said so b'fore! Get that thing AWAY from me!" Fey whimpered and managed to get away from Odin, but not before he realized that Odin was blocking the only exit from the room. Seeing he was trapped, he pressed himself into a corner and let himself slide down so he could curl into a ball. "What'd I do? What'd I do that was so bad? I'm just tryin' ta live!"
Odin cleared his throat and waited until Fey was looking at him. "I am not going to hurt you, Fey. She gave this to me to protect you... so you don't have to worry about being a corner kid. She said it'd keep you safe from the people who won't care if you eat right or sleep in a warm room. If you don't want this, then I won't do anything. I promise you that." He opened a drawer and put the small rod in. "There. See? It's not going to harm you. Don't be afraid of me." He carefully approached the fragile-looking boy. "Are you sleepy?" He let his expression soften when Fey nodded. "Then you should get some sleep." He let his jaw drop when Fey nodded again and curled up on the floor. "You can sleep in the bed. The bed is soft and warm... you look cold."
Fey nodded and edged towards the bed. As he climbed up, he bit back a sigh. The bed was a cloud when compared the cold hard ground that he was used to. He was just getting used to the soft mattress when something equally soft covered him. He fingered the thick blanket with something akin to wonder. Not being able to stop it, he yawned and let the soft warmth soothe him to sleep.
Odin watched Fey for a moment until he was sure that Fey was asleep. He returned to the table and quickly ate his dinner. He finished up just as Fey started whimpering. He walked over to the bed and noticed the distress in the other boy's face. After debating the pros and cons for a moment, he climbed into bed next to Fey.
No sooner had he gotten comfortable under the blankets than Fey turned and latched onto him. Odin frowned a moment as the strange boy who had tried to run away from him just a short time ago now clung to him as if his young life depended on it. Odin wasn't used to the contact. He wasn't exactly uncomfortable with it, but it was strange. Still... he couldn't fail to notice that Fey's whimpers had ceased and that the boy now had a slight smile on his face. He decided to not wake Fey up. When they left, Odin was unsure if the little orphan would get a good night's sleep again. He let his eyes close.
Odin Lowe returned to the room two hours later and paused at the sight that met his eyes. The child, Fey, had latched onto the boy posing as his son. What made him pause was the fact that Odin Jr. had wrapped one arm around Fey and the other hand was clasped in one of Fey's. 'No good! Don't get attached to anyone, boy!' Still... he didn't want to awaken the children, so he simply kicked his shoes off and climbed into the second bed. 'Don't get attached to anyone... not even me!'
TBC...
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