i'll save you when you're weak

Part 5

The cook that Raon brought home was scary.

Kim Rok Soo avoided him when he could. He didn't know a lot but he knew that anyone who could brandish a knife with that much proficiency with that ominous look on his face was definitely bad news and Kim Rok Soo wanted absolutely nothing to do with it.

...except for the fact that the cook's food was heavenly.

Kim Rok Soo had been more than happy to eat the slop that Raon cooked, even if most of the time it was burnt or undercooked or just mismanaged, but he wasn't sure he'd ever be able to recover from the delicious blessing to his palette that was Beacrox's cooking.

He still didn't want to be left alone with the scary bastard though. And he spent most of the time when Beacrox was around clinging to Raon's side.

Raon had apparently headhunted one of the best chefs in the region and Kim Rok Soo lived in blissful fear over it.

Of course, that wasn't the only thing that was due to change.

"How do you feel about coming to the city with me?" Raon was crouched down to match his height, a troubled smile on his face as Kim Rok Soo had been silently protesting being left alone in the castle with Beacrox.

"...okay."

Kim Rok Soo was a bit curious, despite himself, about the world outside the castle walls. He knew that the forest that surrounded them was deadly because of Raon's warnings and his own brief observations from when he'd climbed up the walls and peeked outside. But there were apparently cities here and chefs to be headhunted and theoretically, there was a bookstore.

Kim Rok Soo was slowly and tiresomely learning to read the books that Eruhaben had given him under Raon's careful tutelage but the going was slow and he wanted to get some better beginners level texts.

Also maybe some novels for when he could read more.

Reading had been Kim Rok Soo's only solace back when he lived with his uncle and while he didn't really need a solace anymore, he still enjoyed the hobby.

Raon's rules for going to the city were simple: stay close, don't get lost, and if anyone bothers you I'll deal with them.

He was a direct sort of person, even if he was rather vicious. Kim Rok Soo appreciated that about him.

The city was a bit more and a bit less than Kim Rok Soo had expected though. It was definitely a fantasy setting and this was certainly a rich town full of people and bursting with commerce. There were all sorts of familiar things intermingled with unfamiliar things and it was all a bit more overwhelming than Kim Rok Soo had anticipated.

He held Raon's hand tightly as they walked, staying squeezed to his side as he took in all the information that he could. Were cities always this overwhelming? Perhaps Kim Rok Soo had just never noticed because he was used to Korea. With everything being new and different, he couldn't help but be overwhelmed with sensory data.

Raon noticed when his tiny hand started to tremble and he scooped the child up into his arms. "What's wrong?" He asked, concern knitting up his expression. "Did something happen?"

Kim Rok Soo shook his head with his eyes closed, feeling like a pathetic child for feeling so overstimulated by just walking through a city.

Raon frowned and searched for a quiet place to take Kim Rok Soo so he could rest. He could just take the child home but he wanted to make sure nothing happened first.

A poetry and tea room caught his eye and he made a beeline for it, paying for the entire third floor to be reserved and plopping Kim Rok Soo down on a chair up there, kneeling before it and checking him for injuries worriedly.

He was actually already starting to look better, the trembling had stopped and he was slowly opening his eyes again.

Raon smiled at his weak human, was the noise too much for him out there? One of his child-books had said that some children were sensitive to noise and new environments. Weston City had both.

"Do you want to rest here for a bit?"

Kim Rok Soo nodded mutely, one of his hands still unconsciously clinging to Raon's shirt as he slowly calmed down.

It turned out to be for the best. The tea was good, there were plenty of books, and Kim Rok Soo was able to observe the town through the window without experiencing the hustle and bustle of it firsthand. When he felt it was too much, he could just look away and he was still in the tea room with Raon at his side.

It was the first time in a very long time that Kim Rok Soo felt like a child.

He'd had a childish fear and felt crushed beneath it. And when it became too much to cope with... well, he hadn't needed to cope with it.

Kim Rok Soo's life until now had dictated that he just cope. No matter how stressful the stimuli. No matter how much he wanted to run away. No matter how badly it hurt. He just had to cope and deal with it and find a way to force himself to be okay.

He didn't have to be okay.

He was allowed to be scared and overwhelmed and childish and Raon would be there to protect him through it.

It was a bit mortifying for Kim Rok Soo, who was mature enough to know how to handle this on his own, but it was also so relieving that he could cry.

Right here and right now, all he had to do was live in the moment and there was someone at his side to protect him.

Quietly, as the day set into evening and Kim Rok Soo was starting to feel a bit sleepy, he said the words that had played on his heart for the last few hours.

"...thank you."

Raon smiled softly and squeezed his hand to comfort him. "Anytime. I'll always protect you."

Kim Rok Soo was a little scared to realize that he was starting to believe it.