Safe & Sound//Sebastian Sallow

forty-two.

I let Sebastian and Emery continue to play while I began setting the kitchen table. I plated the food and spread it out so we could easily choose what we wanted. Once finished, I went to Emery's room to get the boys.

"Breakfast is ready," I told them as I stood in the doorway.

"Hear that, Emery? Thea made food for us."

"Thank you, Thea," Emery said as he smiled at me. I melted at the sight and grinned back at him.

"I hope you're hungry because I made a lot. Do you like waffles," I asked.

"I love waffles," he exclaimed as he stood up excitedly. Sebastian and I laughed at his reaction. Emery came over and took my hand so I could lead him to the kitchen. I looked at Sebastian and saw him smiling at us.

The three of us sat at the table and ate together. We'd luckily remembered to get a booster seat for Emery, as the chairs were too big for him on their own. As Sebastian got his plate ready, Emery made sure to say 'please' and 'thank you'. Lira and Charles had taught him excellent table manners.

We talked as we ate and got to learn more about the little boy. His favorite color was green, he liked cats and kneazles, and he LOVED to draw and color. He and Sebastian agreed to draw each other pictures after breakfast.

For being a small kid, Emery could really chow down. He had two waffles, some sausage, a muffin, and apple slices. I had no clue how he managed to eat it all, but was happy that he seemed to like most of the food. Once we were finished, I told the boys to go draw while I cleaned the kitchen.

There was some leftover food, so I made a few plates to take up to the vendors on the hill. I then washed the remaining dishes and wiped down the counters and table. By the time I'd finished, I'd worked up a bit of a sweat.

"Sebastian, Emery," I called as I walked to them. "I'm going to go deliver some food. Would you like to come with me?"

"What do you say, buddy," Sebastian asked.

"Can I fly?"

"Of course you can fly! I told him about the broom," Sebastian told me.

"I'm glad he's just as excited as you are," I laughed. "How about you both show me your drawings and then we leave?"

"Not done yet," Emery said, hiding his paper from me.

"We're working on something for you," Sebastian said. My heart fluttered yet again.

"For me," I asked. I was touched.

"It was Emery's idea. He wanted to make you something."

"That is so nice, Emery! Thank you so much! Can I hug you?" I lowered myself so I was eye-level with him and he ran over to me. We hugged each other, him squeezing as hard as he could. Tears filled my eyes, I was so happy. Sebastian's face lit up at the two of us. I held onto Emery for a long moment before letting him go. "Let's get your broom and we can test it out," I said, quickly wiping my eyes. He let go of me and ran over to Sebastian, who had grabbed his toy broom from an upper shelf.

I loaded a basket with the plates I'd made and then the three of us went outside. Sebastian gave Emery a pep talk and some instructions for how to use the broom before handing it over to the boy. I watched nervously as he mounted it, but was pleasantly surprised at how well he did. Sebastian had been right; the broom only lifted him a few inches off the ground and it didn't go fast at all. Emery giggled as he flew around us, accidentally running into our legs a couple of times. When he got more steady with it, we began our walk up the hill.

"You could be a quidditch player someday," I told Emery as Sebastian and I walked behind him. He just giggled more in response.

"I love this," Sebastian told me. "I love having him here with us."