The Boy on the Verges

Part 2: The Checkup

As the morning had drawn by, the storm had since passed: golden rays of light glimmered through the gaps of the curtains in every room. 
The exhausted family were still dozing peacefully. Well, that was, except Diluc. Diluc was awake. Creeping out into the lounge, he had a pillow in his hand - he was armed. Sauntering towards the little boy without a single word, he made sure to be as silent as possible. Raising the cushion with both arms, he then whacked it across the little one's head, who immediately jolted upright and started shrieking rather loudly in fear, tears streaming down his cheekbones. Not having anticipated such a reaction from him, he trudged back nervously. "Uh oh…" he murmured, ready to make a run for it. Starting to dart away, he was interrupted by the legs of an awoken Crepus. "Ngh!!" He exclaimed as he tumbled to the floor.

"Diluc Ragnvindr. What did you do? Be honest and you'll be in less trouble." He asked, yawning a bit as he rubbed his eyes drowsily. The man was not a morning person. The red-haired boy began to whine too, shoving his embarrassed face behind the cloth, so that it couldn't be seen.

"I j..just wanted to have a pillow fight…" he sniffled, shuffling his feet on the ground as he clutched his pillow to his chest. Crepus sighed quietly. "Didn't want him to cry... just play games…"

"Diluc, you don't just hit people when they're sleeping. If you want a pillow fight, the person needs to know they're having a pillow fight." He reasoned, prying the object away from his hands and arranging it onto the sofa. "Now, what do you say to him? And, you know the drill, if you do something wrong."

"S..sorry…" he blubbered quietly, opening his arms and approaching the other. Climbing onto the sofa, he embraced the blue-haired boy, then flinched at the unexpected sharpness of his bones. "Daddy, this boy is spikey…" he declared worriedly, wondering if he was going to get injured from the hug. Not at all understanding what was going on, the little one chose to snuggle Diluc back, giggling in appreciation. "He isn't smelly now." He also observed.

"That's because he hasn't had enough food, Di, but we'll make him big and strong in no time, just like you! Alright?" He responded as he nodded enthusiastically. "He had a big bath yesterday, so now he's very clean! He was only smelly because he was outside with no house. Please, make sure you're kind to him!" Crepus continued as his son listened attentively, not minding that the little boy was still hugging him, even if the sensation of his bones was rather uncomfortable. "Now that that's sorted, I'll go cook breakfast. We need to take him to the doctor's to see if he's healthy. Do you want to come with us, or to your grandma's?" He queried.

"Doctor!" Diluc replied, clearly wanting to spend some time with the new child. His father nodded in comprehension, heading for the kitchen.

"Play nicely now. Don't be rough with him, he doesn't understand our language." He spoke just as he vacated, beginning to cook a flavorful meal of pancakes with strawberries and honey. When he departed the room, the red-haired boy glanced at his new friend. Now recognizing that the other wouldn't understand anything he said, he simply waved to the other. Then, he waved back with a delighted smile. A silly face was followed by a mimicked silly face. Before long, the pair were in hysterics, rolling on the sofa in laughter. Soon enough, Crepus returned, looking at them with a proud smile; he was very thankful to see them finally getting along. Putting down two plates for the boys, he signalled at the table to say they could eat. Diluc trotted over immediately and started eating, meanwhile, the little one was weary and took his time to get to the seat. The man gave him a thumbs up to indicate he was perfectly fine to start eating. Once he perched onto the seat, he began devouring the food rather rapidly. Crepus decided to record a video in secret, as proof of his neglect - just in case it was needed. The small boy finished first, to no surprise and was just happily sipping his glass of fresh, cold milk. Diluc had completed his meal about 5 minutes later. "Go get changed, Di. Choose an outfit for this one, too. Take him to have a look in your room!" He spoke.