Chapter 4

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Lion stepped outside of his room, rubbing the sleep away from his eyes as he stretched his tiny body. He'd never slept this well in a long time. His eyes opened wide when spotting Elijah standing at the stove, hugging himself as he shyly padded towards the man, "how many eggs do you want?" Elijah spoke, gruff voice escaping his yawning mouth.

The boy stayed confused, unknowing of how he knew, dark eyes wide, "uh, two?" He reverted the question, earning a deep chuckle from Elijah, "your shower was the best last night." He continued, sitting on a tall stool near the kitchen island, making himself comfortable as he played with the small plant, gently petting its leaves.

"I saw the face cloth you used... it wasn't pretty to look at." He sighed, turning around with the eggs sizzling in the large pan, gently placing them in Lion's plate, "Lion, when was the last time you took a shower?" He asked, his light blue eyes locking with Lion.

Lion stuttered a bit, reaching for his plate and looking down at it, "maybe... two months ago?" He tried his best to remember but only tugged at his lip, unsure.

Elijah stayed silent, placing the pan in the sink and leaning his body against the counter, his hands holding onto the sides tightly. His mind raced about Lion, trying to see how this boy thrived independently, without anyone to help him out, even the slightest bit; he felt remorse for the boy, unknowing of how it felt to live without money, food, or clothing.

"I see." He sighed, standing at his full height, inhaling deeply before turning around and sitting with the confused boy, "I have some rules I want to settle with you." He picked at his food, gulping down a few bites, and watching Lion eat.

Lion needled at his food with his fork, unable to chew on anything he'd try sending towards his face. It becomes pale when the mention of rules came to his ears. He looked up at Elijah, swallowing down some air as if getting ready to be lectured.

Elijah's face softened, placing his fork down and smiling softly, "I know getting a job isn't going to be easy for you, so I made some adjustments to the papers last night." Lion's eyes grew even more expansive, his mouth opening and closing like a fish, "I decided, since you going to be staying here, you might as well work online." The boy relaxed, his hands trembling from the sudden breeze, "I've noticed you aren't very good with people." Elijah picked up his fork once more, shoving another bite of food down his throat, "but while you're working here, I want you to clean and do other things than lazy around all day, got it?" Lion slowly nodded, looking down to his plate and pocking at his food.

"What if I don't?" He questioned, curiosity running through him. He didn't expect himself to have the courage to tease this way, especially a man twice his size.

Elijah paused, keeping his eyes locked onto the boy's bruised cheek, a sly smirk forming, "I'd have to punish you."

Lion stood from his seat, pushing his plate away with shaky hands, "I'm full; you can have the rest." He said quickly, rushing towards his room and closing the door shut behind him. His back pressed against the large wooden frame as he slid down, trying to calm his heartbeat, inhaling and exhaling the best he could. He wondered where he'd gotten this sudden urge of confidence, being able to tease a bigger man the way Lion did, and still getting the response he'd hoped. Lion was beet red, his hands gently rubbing his face as he leaned against his knees, mentally cursing himself for being such an idiot.

Elijah sat still at the counter, a deep grunt coming from his throat as he eyed the boy's plate, picking it up along with his own and bringing them to the sink. He peeked towards the door, seeing a shadow at the bottom of it and letting a long sigh pass his plump lips, his jaw clenching. He wanted Lion to gain a little more weight, even if it was the slightest; he hated seeing him this skinny, seeing his bones. Elijah began walking towards the bedroom door, gently knocking on it, hearing shuffling coming from inside.

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