Day 22: Kicked out

Other than a short excursion to the two bars Eldwyn might look for him at, Lucas spent the day at home. He did a couple of chores, but didn't get much else done.

He had just finished his supper when there was a knock at the door. He opened the door and was equal parts relieved and surprised to see Eldrin.

However, that soon changed when he realized the state he was in. He looked miserable. His hair was disheveled, his clothing wrinkled and stained. He wore an open backpack that looked haphazardly packed, and was leaning heavily on the door frame for support. His eyes were slightly puffy and red, like he'd been recently crying.

"Eldrin? Are you all right?" Lucas asked, steadying the struggling elf.

"L-Lucas... I'm so glad you're home. I need your h-help..." he replied. "Th-they found out. They found out."

"Who?" Lucas asked, leading him to a chair. "Sit down and tell me what happened."

Eldrin took a deep breath. "They... they—"

He didn't get further than that, once more breaking into tears. Lucas sat down on the floor beside him and wrapped an arm around him, unsure of what to say or do.

Over the next ten minutes, in fits and starts, in between bursts of tears, he managed to tell his story.

"They... they threw me out. My parents... they must've found out somehow. I thought we were being careful enough, but... My father was so angry, he was screaming at me. My mother tried to get him to quiet down, but... but only so the neighbors wouldn't hear. They didn't care at all about m-me."

The tears came again, but more subdued. Lucas pulled him into an embrace, and Eldrin clung to him like he was a lifetime. Between sobs, he kept repeating "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

Lucas didn't think Eldrin was saying it to him, but he made soothing noises anyway. When his crying subsided to an occasional hiccup, Lucas handed him a handkerchief, which he gratefully took.

He noisily blew his nose then drew away from Lucas, pulling himself upright. "I was just about to leave to meet you. My father stopped me and demanded to see my bag. I had my red dress in there. I tried to stop him, but he just tore it from my hands. That's... that's how it started. I don't know how they knew."

"What are you going to do now?" Lucas asked.

He looked at Lucas with miserable eyes. "I-I don't know. I slept out in the street last night. I guess I should find an inn or something."

"No, you'll stay here tonight." Lucas said firmly. "It's my fault you got thrown out, if I hadn't encouraged you..."

"No!" Eldrin exclaimed, shaking his head. "I mean, it's not your fault. You didn't do anything wrong."

"Even so."

He smiled dolefully. "But... thank you. I... I didn't look forward to going out again tonight."

"Good, it's settled then." Lucas said, helping him to his feet. "You can take the bed, I'll sleep on the couch."

"I couldn't deprive you of your bed! Can't we both..." Eldrin blushed. "I-I mean, I don't want to be alone."

"It'll be a tight fit, you know."

"I don't mind!" Eldrin blurted out, almost before Lucas finished speaking.

He chuckled. "All right then, we'll share the bed. Now, come on, let's get a washcloth and some soap so you can clean up."

Lucas led Eldrin to the washroom, then departed to give him some privacy. "You know where the bedroom is, right? Just come in when you're ready."

Eldrin nodded. "All right."

While he waited, Lucas prepared the bed with clean sheets then changed into his night clothes. In the heat of summer, that was just an old shirt. Judging by how Eldrin offered to share the bed, he figured he wouldn't mind a bit of skin-to-skin contact.

He didn't want to think about Eldrin being **** to sleep in the gutter last night, or wandering through the streets in his delicate condition. His jaw clenched when he thought about the cruelty of Eldrin's parents; they were the lowest of the low for doing that to their own child, whatever he had or hadn't done.

Trying to put it and them out of his mind, he laid back on the bed, put his hands behind his head, and waited for Eldrin to finish getting ready.

It took longer than he expected. In fact, he was just about to check up on the Elf when there was a tentative knock on the door. "C-can I come in?"

"Of course," Lucas replied, raising his voice to be heard through the door. "Come, come."

He was only half-surprised when Eldwyn entered the room, quietly closing the door behind her. She wore the blue chemise Audrey had evidently let her keep, with her hair into two cute little pigtails.

She turned to him nervously. "I thought..."

"It's perfect," Lucas interrupted, smiling to put her at ease. He patted the mattress next to him, inviting her in.

Eldwyn gulped, then nodded and and moved to sit on the edge of the bed, but went no further.

Lucas took her hand in his. "Hey, look at me. You're fine, all right? You're safe."

"A-all right," Eldwyn said softly.

Lucas gently pulled her closer, and they both laid down. It took them a few minutes to figure out the best way to be comfortable, but finally they settled on a position in which Lucas spooned the young Elf's body. The only problem was that he had nowhere to put his right arm. When he wrapped it around Eldwyn, she tensed like a wound coil, but almost immediately she gave a soft sigh as her muscles softened. She let herself be drawn into his bulk.

"I... I've never done anything like this before," Eldwyn whispered.

"Anything like what?" Lucas replied.