~Skephalo & Jefhalo - Oneshots, Drafts, and More~

~On the Run pt 4 - 🔵🔴~

Bad eventually had to leave Muffin and go do the chores for the day. The entire time, he couldn't stop thinking about what the smaller boy had said, about having to get away from where he came. Thoughts and theories swirled through his head. Why hadn't he been safe there? Had people been trying to hurt him? Or maybe, he was a runaway criminal, although Bad highly doubted that. Whatever the reason, Muffin had been worried enough to have run for a long time, at night, even. If people were after him, they must have been trying very hard to find him. No wonder Muffin had been so scared at first. He probably thought Bad was gonna hurt him or something.

Bad finished with his chores outside and went back to the house. He entered to find Muffin standing in the kitchen.

"Oh my goodness, what are you doing, you're supposed to be in bed!" Bad rushed over.

"I'm fine!" Muffin giggled. "It doesn't even hurt, see?" He stomped his foot to demonstrate.

"Stop!! What the muffin are you doing?!" Bad's voice continued to rise. "Be careful! You're going to hurt yourself!!"

Muffin simply laughed.

"Oh my goodness," Bad groaned. "Come here before you get hurt." He grabbed the boy by the wrist and gently led him back to the bed. "Sit down," he instructed.

"Aw, Bad, please can I stand up and walk around? I promise I'll be careful." Muffin pouted, making the best puppy eyes he could.

"Yeah, sure you will," Bad rolled his eyes. "I literally just watched you stomp your foot around; you're definitely gonna be careful."

"I'll be fine, really! It doesn't hurt at all," insisted the boy.

"Listen," Bad sighed, "I'll make a deal with you. If you stay in bed today, then tomorrow I'll take you to see the fish in the pond just a little ways away. I'll even introduce you to all the animals in the barn."

"...Bad, I was thinking about... leaving tomorrow." Muffin bit his lip, looking away.

"What? What do you mean?"

"Well, I just don't know if I'll be safe. I mean, I wanted to get as far as I could, and I didn't really have a plan, but I wanted to live on my own, and take care of myself. I'm thankful for everything you've done for me, but the only reason I stayed here was because I got hurt. So as soon as I'm able to, I want to leave and..." He shrugged, "I wanna be self sufficient."

"Yeah... I know, but are you sure you want to do that? Trust me, being self sufficient is great, but it's really hard. Especially in the start. I found this house in ruins, and I had to fix it all by myself.  It's really nice and comfortable to be living here, but it was no easy task to get it this way." He placed a hand on Muffin's shoulder, looking him in the eyes. "Do you think you'll be able to handle something like that on your own? Do you even know how to make basic tools and get materials?"

"W-well... I think I can handle it... I mean, I'm a hard worker..." Muffin didn't seem confident at all.

Bad frowned. "I'm gonna be honest with you - and I'm not trying to be mean or anything - but I don't think you're ready for something like that yet. How about this. You stay here for at least a few months and you can help me out around the place and learn what it's like to be self sufficient and live off of your own land. Then, when you feel more comfortable about doing it on your own, you can leave and go start your own life however you want. That way, you'll have some more experience and confidence."

"A few months is a long time, though... But it would be nice to have an idea of what I'd need to do... Okay, what if I decide to take you up on your offer?" Muffin looked at Bad, trying to make up his mind.