There was something different about him, something nobody could pinpoint precisely. But to be perfectly honest, nobody really cared to begin with. Everyone had learned to take any different behavior in him as a blessing. He'd been made out to be heartless, a being without emotions. And that was how he was the majority of the time. Still, even now it was fairly strange to see this sort of behavior out of him. The strangest thing of all was that he'd ran right up to the entrance with three others, and not one of them had their uniforms on.
You'd been guarding the entrance with a partner of yours when he showed up. He was wearing a striped shirt and blue shorts, and you almost didn't recognize him, save for the blue eyes; they were a dead giveaway. You'd opened your mouth to say something(not that anyone would have noticed with that big, pig-like mask over your face), when your partner questioned why they weren't in their uniforms. You thought that was fairly odd, considering one of them was a dog. But you didn't question it, and instead you went to get them their uniforms. You of course accounted for the dog not being able to wear an actual uniform, so you just got him a mask. You came back and gave the four the uniforms, then led them to a space nearby where they could change. "Just change over here and come back to the entrance when you're finished," you told them.
You turned to leave and the young boy gave a small smile, a shy smile you could say. "Thanks for the help," he said.
You took off your mask and saluted him, just like you always did. "Glad I could be of help, sir." You stared at the boy for a moment. "You seem… different, sir. I mean, lately you've been acting fairly odd, but it isn't just your actions this time. Are you alright?" you asked the boy, now eyeing his features. There was definitely something odd, now that you were able to see him clearly. You looked at the others near him who were already dressed in the uniforms. He himself was barely getting started, and it didn't faze you to see him changing. It did, however, seem like he got a little stuck with his coat. That was odd. "Do you need some help, sir?" you asked him. He nodded, so you proceeded to help him.
After you got the coat on him and made sure everything looked alright, you smiled. "Well, looks like you're ready for the day, Commander," you said. The boy looked down when you addressed him as such. You looked at him quizzically. "Is everything alright, sir?" you asked him.
The boy shuffled his feet and refused to make eye contact with you. "Could you maybe not call me that? It just makes me kind of uncomfortable. After all, I'm…" he started, but he trailed off and was abruptly shushed by one of the others, who shook his or her head(you couldn't really remember who was who).
You smiled and ruffled the boy's hair. "You don't have to say anything more. I've already figured everything out. I know you aren't who I thought you were at first, and that's alright. The boy I mistook you for… It was an easy mistake to make. You just look so similar to him. I'd give you a name, but I honestly don't know his name. What's yours? You can tell me, can't you?" you asked the boy with a smile.
He looked at you curiously before he nodded. "My name? My name is Lucas. And these are my friends Duster and Kumatora, and my dog Boney. What's your name?" he asked.
You smiled and shrugged. "My name is [y/n]." It was pretty weird referring to yourself with your name. normally you'd been referred to as 'Soldier' or 'Hey, you', so giving out your name was really something. "So, these are your friends, huh? They must be pretty good people then. I get that vibe from you, Lucas. I get that you're a really good person, so anyone associated with you must also be a good person," you said with a small grin. That was really more than you could say about yourself. You weren't the best person or the worst person, but sometimes it really did feel like you were really bad.
The blond looked down and nodded. "Yeah, I know a lot of good people. Everyone in the village is really nice and kind, and my mother was really kind too. And my brother…" he replied, his voice trailing off. You bent down and wondered if something was wrong. Your face was level with his and you could see small tears rolling down his cheeks.
"Aw, don't do that now. Why are you crying?" you asked him.
He tried his best to wipe the tears away. "It's just that… it's been three years. I've accepted that my mother is dead, but my brother has been missing for about the same amount of time. It's my fault that he's gone, and we don't even know if he's still alive," he said.
You placed a hand on Lucas's shoulder and smiled. "Don't beat yourself up about it too hard. Maybe he just couldn't find his way back home, or he has amnesia. But you can't worry about him being dead, because that won't do any good. You have to hope that he's alive and well. Promise me that you'll have a positive outlook on the situation from now on," you told him. You look off one of your gloves and extended your pinky finger. "We have to promise."
Lucas linked his pinky with yours. "It's a p-promise… as long as you promise to be careful around here. It doesn't seem like the best place to be. I think you need to be extra careful," he said.
You placed your forehead against the blond's. "I promise I'll be careful here. After all, I can't let my new friend suffer again, can I?" you asked him with a grin before you put the head gear back over your face. You grabbed his hand for a moment. "I think you're meant for good things, and it's best that you get back to them now, isn't it?" you said. You took your hand away and led the four back to the entrance.
"What took you so long?" your partner inquired.
You shrugged. "I must've just gotten distracted. I don't really remember. Anyways, since you've gotten your uniforms on, you're all free to go in now," you said. You watched as the boy called Lucas strode in with his companions, and out of the corner of your eye, you could see him mutter a 'Thank you.' You never saw the boy or his companions after that day.