Mending Her Beast (A NaLu FanFiction)

Chapter Seven: Caring

Chapter Seven: Caring

Holding the boy to her chest like you would a child, Lucy's heart melts. Stroking the back of his neck, she can feel as the boy calms. She can feel his breathing start to slow, and his eyes stop crying. His eyelashes brush against her skin, tickling her gently. Lucy moves her hand to the side of the boys face, cupping his jaw and stroking his face gently. She tries to expel her tranquillity onto him, hoping that he can be settled when he sees her.

I'm not the enemy. I just need to prove that to him.

Slowly pulling away, Lucy reaches back to the plate. The boy's body goes rigid, his form stiff as a plank. His large eyes study Lucy as she moves, his body shaking slightly, like he is shivering. Moving to sit next to him, Lucy picks up the sandwich and holds it out to him. The boy stares at it quizzically, unsure what to do. He starts to wonder why she is always to close to him.

Reaching out slowly, Lucy tries to grab his hand. But the boy pulls back, shifting away from her. Lucy frowns sadly. I think this is going to be harder than I thought. She moves to sit in front of the boy this time, the sandwich still in hand. And for the first time, Lucy notices his pink hair. Pink hair? That's strange...

Her eyes take in the salmon locks, remembering that yesterday they had been too dirty to distinguish. That's right – Jude cleaned him last night. Shaking away her thoughts on the boy's strange coloured hair, she brings the sandwich closer to her mouth. She knows that words won't work, so she is hoping that demonstrations might.

Making sure that the boy is watching her carefully, Lucy brings the sandwich to her lips, taking a small bite from it. Chewing slowly, Lucy keeps her eyes trained on the boy. From the look in the boy's hungry eyes, he now understands that he can eat what she is offering. Holding out the sandwich for the boy, he timidly approaches her. Lucy reaches her other hand out to him, gently taking his hand when he is close enough. The boy moves to jerk his hand out of Lucy's grip, but she places the sandwich in his palm before he has the chance. He studies the food closely, his nose sniffing it cautiously. Just as Lucy retracts her hand from the boy, he shovels the sandwich into his mouth like a starved animal. Lucy laughs gently, before she hands him the second sandwich. He takes it from her cautiously, before devouring it in the same manner. Looks like I could have made more sandwiches. Lucy is glad that the boy liked them.

The boy doesn't look as frightened now. His eyes are still wide, and his lips trembling slightly. Lucy smiles at him kindly.

She sits up straighter, before she points to her chest, "Lucy." When she states her name, her voice is clear and soft. The boy looks surprised by the sudden sound of her voice, his eyes darting around the room sharply. Lucy moves to capture his attention once more. When he is looking at her, his eyes staring deeply into hers, Lucy smiles again. "Lucy," she points to her chest again. The boy continues to stare at her strangely. Lucy sighs loudly.

I guess that was a bit to far for me to be pushing things. He only just ate the sandwich... How long have I been down here now?

Twisting her wrist to check her watch, she finds that she still has an hour before seven. If I'm going to make this a regular thing, I need to give myself a time limit, so that I can keep it the same every day. Lucy stares at the boy, smiling gently. Maybe I should leave now. I'll hang out around the corner, until Jude gets home...

Grabbing the plate from the concrete floor, Lucy rises to her feet. The boy watches her cautiously, his eyes widening. He scampers away from her sudden movement, shifting to the edge of his chains. Lucy sends him a look of sorrow, as she slowly closes the gap between them.