𝗗𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗹𝘆 𝗡𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗱𝗲

8- 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗕𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗣𝘁.𝟭

"Hey, buddy" Elias spoke as he walked over to Axel, who was sat at the table playing with some toys.

As he approached him, he bear hugged him, kissing him on the head. Axel laughed slightly as Elias sat down next to him.

"What have you been doing?" Elias asked him, but he didn't expect an answer. Axel didn't like to talk much.

"We've been playing with some building blocks and watching some shows, haven't we?" The babysitter told him and Axel just nodded, looking towards Elias.

He showed him a toy that resembled a cookie and Elias could tell what he was doing. They'd gotten very good at communicating without using words.

"Do you want some cookies?" Elias asked him and Axel nodded, a smile starting to form on his face.

"Alright then, let's go get you some cookies" Elias told him, chuckling slightly to himself as Axel got off the chair and began walking.

Elias held his hand to direct him, he always needed that sense of reassurance. Despite the blood that once coated his hands, Axel still grasped onto it as if it was the thing keeping him alive.

"Let's have a look" Elias muttered to himself as they entered the kitchen. He looked through the cupboard, but apparently the pack of cookies they once had was eaten.

And that's when an idea hit him. He bent down to Axel's level and tried to make it seem like he was telling him a secret. This always got him way more excited.

"How about we make some cookies?" Elias asked him and Axel's face lit up as he nodded his head.

"Let's get you up on here then" Elias told him as he picked Axel up, setting him down on the counter.

Elias grabbed a few ingredients and placed them near Axel, ready to start making them. He grabbed all the equipment and held the bag of flour out to Axel.

"Do you want to pour it in?" Elias asked him and he nodded. Elias helped him to grab the bag and pour it into the bowl.

"Good job" Elias told him, holding his hand out for Axel to high five. However, Axel just stood there in bewilderment.

He was worried for Axel. He didn't know who dropped him off at his door or what his life was like before that- but he knew it can't have been good if he didn't even know what a high five was.

They carried on for the next ten or so minutes making these cookies, and Elias even let Axel sneakily eat a chocolate chip- yet the look of surprise on his face as he ate it showed him that he didn't even know what chocolate was either.

Elias wished he had met this boy sooner and managed to save him from whatever hell he had endured. He wished that he could take his pain and make it his own, like he wished he could've done with Natalia.

Elias opened the oven and put the cookies in, but he couldn't stop Axel before his hand touched the burning hot oven.

"Axel-" Elias shouted out as he touched it, forcing him to let go.

But his facial expression showed anything but pain.

"Here, it's gonna be fine" Elias told him as he put his hand under the tap, allowing the cold water to cool the burn.

With his other arm, he bent down and closed the oven. He didn't need anyone else burning themselves.

After a good ten minutes had gone by, Elias took his hand away from the tap and wrapped it in cling film. Yes, he actually had done his research.

He had looked up everything about children and hazards that are most common- and thankfully burns happened to be one of those.

Axel began to yawn slightly and Elias could see he was tired. He'd forgotten he'd been out all day with business things, it was probably his bedtime.