A Soft Place to land

27

The two of them were locked in a staring contest - something that Wolf noticed he was doing more often. At some point he decided that trying to battle with Gray via eye contact was not working nor will ever work (Wolf cringed, effectively remembering his highschool edginess), so instead he dragged his chair back and stood up from the small table to pace around his kitchen.

He had a lot to think about, Gray's living situation at the forefront of his mind because he knew that there was absolutely no way he'd willingly allow him to live in his home, rent free atleast.

Reasonably so, since they didn't really know each other like that.

Besides their washed up high school memories, Wolf had no idea what Gray was really like, and Gray never really got to know Wolf vice versa. For all he knew, he could be letting a murderer into his home.

"Wolf-" Gray's voice cut through his pacing, and he immediately swung around to look at him, ready to snap back retaliate. But when he saw the expression Gray had on his face, his words died in his throat.

"Wolf, please.." Gray's face was screwed up tight, a look of embarrassment and shame donning his face, a look that Wolf was all too familiar with. "I... need your help."

He looked desperate.
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He was desperate.

Wolf was at his breaking point. No food, no money, no home. His t-shirt stunk of vomit and alcohol, smelling much worse than the usual rebellious nineteen year old walking the streets. This is mostly because instead of just walking in the streets, he was actually living in the streets - just barely living on chip bags he had stolen from a collection of convenience stores.

And he was only two weeks in on having been kicked out.

Being the stuck up young man he was, he thought that he would be just fine living away from his parents with the entire 'I'll be more successful by myself anyways' mindset - which was honestly not very effective at the moment. It was nearing fall, meaning that it was beginning to get colder.

Soon enough his dirty throw blanket wouldn't be enough for him to not get sick , and if he were to get sick he wouldn't have a warm place to stay nor would he be able to buy any medicine due to his lack of funds. And as much as he would hate to admit it - the strength he came in with was running thin.

With every cold bench he had to sleep on and every public washroom he had to raid, despite his very short experience of the real world without any real connections, he was already feeling the fear of death creep into the back of his mind.

He didn't want to die- not yet.

He wanted to go back, he wanted to have a bed and food. Wolf was beginning to miss the warmth of his bedroom, he could almost feel it on the tips of his fingers - only for the feeling to slip away just as fast as it had appeared.

So when Uncle Kyung came across him sleeping in the train station, he thought he was dreaming.

Feeling something lightly nudge his shoulder was enough for his eyes to shoot open - his fight or flight taking over. Ever since he almost got mugged a couple of days back, Wolf hasn't been able to sleep as well as he used to. It was like he always slept with one eye open, just in case there was a threat around the corner. Of course, because of this, he had developed deep eyebags unfitting for a boy his age.

Wolf had awoken to an older man with a briefcase in a classy looking suit, squatting down to his lying form. At first he was one hundred percent sure that this guy was a threat, and was already beginning to panic about the fact that he was way too vulnerable, but he stopped himself when he recognized the man's face.

"Wolf... is that you? What are you doing out here kid?"

At that moment Wolf's world slowed - he didn't have his glasses anymore, having lost them somewhere in the streets - yet, he could see Uncle Kyung so clearly. He could see every detail of his face, the folds, the wrinkles and his eyes.

The ever present concern swimming in his eyes.

Relief fell over Wolf so hard that his face scrunched up, the thin layer of moisture already coating his eyes finally began to spill into streaks of tears running down his face. Behind his relief though, was also the feeling of shame and embarrassment. Shame that he couldn't help but cry upon seeing a familiar face, and embarrassment that he was allowing his uncle to see him in such a state of weakness.

But despite that, Uncle Kyung's look of concern softened and Wolf was pulled into a tight embrace that he didn't have the strength to resist. That night was something that Wolf would remember forever - Uncle Kyung's warmth enveloping him and his promising words.

"Let's go home, Wolf."