Lion (manxboy)

Chapter 3

Lion sat on the bench nearest to the Police office, his palms sweaty and his clothing torn. On his last day to make the final decision, his mother called Shawn and spoke to him. It was all up to Lion now. He played with the hem of his shirt nervously, tugging at his lips as he overthought the consequences.

Come on, Lion, be a man!

He mentally cursed himself, his eyes focusing on a stray cat eating out of the garbage can opposite the road. His mother would have wanted this for him, and so that was the only reason he'd be doing this, living with a cop. "Hey kid, are you just gonna sit there and sulk, or are you gonna move your ugly ass so I can have the bench, you runt." His daze snapped away from the cat as he looked over at the tall man standing next to him.

Lion stood from his comfort zone, his face inches away from the tall man, "what did you just call me?" His eyes held menace, approaching the man with tight fists, "why don't you call me that again!?" He began making a scene, catching the attention of officers standing in front of the building, "say it! You cunt*!" He roared, the man reaching for Lion and punching him.

The boy filled himself with rage as he pounced on the man and knocked him onto his back, straddling him as he continuously landed punches on his face, "Lion!" A familiar voice yelled, but Lion kept punching, seeing blood splatter around him, "Lion, stop!" Lion was pulled back by a strong force, large hands holding onto his flexing body, "you idiot, you shouldn't be acting like a moron," Elijah spoke to the man grunting on the ground, "come on, Lion, your okay." He hushed the boy as he helped him to his feet.

Lion's eyes watered as he turned around and hugged Elijah, crying into his chest, "I'm sorry, Elijah, I didn't mean to lose it, I'm sorry!" He hiccuped, tears running down his bruised cheek.

Elijah hushed Lion the best he could; people observing the action; whispers echoing around them, "you guys take care of this moron. I'll take Lion inside," the men nodded, rushing towards the bleeding man who whimpered and rolled on the sidewalk, "come on, Lion. Let's get you something to drink and get you some ointment for that bruise." Lion nodded, slowly following Elijah, his eyes making waterfalls as he couldn't stop himself from feeling guilty and crying. "You did well standing up for yourself, but I think you went a little overboard." Elijah chuckled, peeking a glance at the weeping boy, "you're not in trouble, Lion."

Lion raised his head, reaching a hand to wipe his cheeks but winced once remembering the bruise, "I'm not?" He questioned, sniffling a few times, continuing to hold a guilty expression.

"No, your not. If you were, I would have you in cuffs, but standing up is a right, and you did great." He smiled softly towards the boy, arriving at the door and opening it wide, letting Lion step in first.

A lady rushed towards Lion with a first aid kit and a glass of water, smiling sweetly, "hello, I saw what happened, and I rushed to get these things as quickly as I could." She squeaked, earning a slow nod from Lion.

Elijah chuckled, grabbing the water and the kit, passing the glass to Lion, who seemed a bit like a lost puppy, which only made Elijah's smile turn into a grin, "I- thank you." Lion smiled back at the man, slowly walking towards his desk and sitting in his chair, sipping from the water glass.

"What happened to your clothes?" Elijah questioned as he pulled another chair forward and sat in front of Lion, "this won't hurt a bit." He smiled, putting the first aid kit on his desk and opening it, reaching for the ointment.

Lion sighed, watching him pick out the items, "I got sick and needed to wipe my face, so I ripped my sleeve off and wiped myself with it." He set the glass of water onto the desk, leaning forward as Elijah began applying the cream, "and I got stolen from." He giggled softly.