My Home, His Gift

It's down pouring in the middle of April on a saturday afternoon nonetheless, a young boy runs across the street, tripping and falling in a large puddle of rain water that collected to the side of the street. He quickly stands back up, looking no older than eight, silver coloured hair matted from the rain, deadened red eyes surveying the area, ragged and dirty clothes even more filthy and on top of all that he was now soaking wet. Hearing the rattling sound of a fence, his gaze darts backwards and red eyes widen in slight fear that his pursuers had caught up with him. Letting out a small sigh of relief that they haven't caught up with him when he made that sharp turn two streets ago. But he knows them too well, and he knows that if he continues to just stand in this puddle then they will catch up with him and do God knows what after that. Just as he starts to walk away he hears that sound and two voices arguing, he takes off. Pale legs running as fast as they can for only being child sized, he feels a twinge of pain in his left ankle but carries on, determined not to get caught. As he's running he finds a small building squeezed in between two other larger, newer ones. He stops and stares at it for a moment, ruby irises scanning over the falling facade, coming to an internal conclusion that it is abandoned, he goes up to the old oak door, giving a pull and it doesn't budge. Giving another pull, harder this time, the old rusted hinges creek open, the small boy slowly peeks his inside to see if it is indeed abandoned or not. Again coming to the conclusion that it is, he cautiously walks inside shuffling across the floorboards, smiling in amusement as the layers of dust fly up around him. As he wanders around the old shop, he notices that there are still many objects left in the shop for being abandoned. As he wanders around he comes across an old leather bound book, he carefully picks the book up, looking at the side for what the book is, and it reads 'Frederick the Great, Act one'. That title seemed so familiar to the boy, so he picked it up and kept it by his side, as he goes to turn around his face colloids with something firm but soft he looks up, and his pale face, pales even further realizing that it's not abandoned, just a filthy old store. And here he is face to chest with the store owner, strange the boy thought he expected someone much older to be working there. He continues to stare at the man in front of him, he had jeans, a white button down with a sweater vest over top, blonde hair that looked like a bird was nesting in it, and bright green eyes. He looked average, except for one thing and that one thing is the current struggle of the boy to hold in his laughter, the man's eyebrows. They looked like caterpillars on his face, and not just small ones either. No these were massive. The small boy started to laugh, which caused the man to back up slightly and become eye level with him giving him a confused stare, but inside knowing why he was laughing to himself.

"It's okay, you can laugh" The man gives him a small smile, and the boy gave a quick glance and bursts out laughing. As he was laughing the boy thinks of how fitting the mans english accent fit the rest of him as well.

"So, what's your name?"

"Gilbert, w-who are you?"

"Well, my name's Arthur and I own this shop. I see you've found something you like?" The man asks a humorous and curious tone taking note in his voice. The boy just looks at him wide eyed, terrified for a moment, Arthur quickly catching on to that look back peddles ever so slightly.

"Well, I just meant that you are more than welcome to read it if you want" the brit starts to stutter and trip over his words, and Gilbert just smiles at him lowering his head, and dares to ask the question he was hoping to avoid.

"Thank you, but I have a favor to ask of you. If you don't mind that is." he adds the last part in quickly before going quiet again, the sudden outburst surprised the brit.

"Well, sure I suppose. What is the favor exactly?" he asks slightly concerned about what the boy could be asking of him.

"Well, there are these people chasing after me, and I was wondering if maybe I could stay here for a while, like until I know it's safe to go and get my brother." He looks down ashamed, ruby irises clouding with unshed tears when all of a sudden he feels a warm embrace around his shivering form, when did he start shivering he thought to himself.

"How old is he, and where is he?" Gilbert looks up in confusion only to be met with with a warm smile from the brit. Gilbert gives a small smile back in appreciation of the kind actions from Arthur.

"He's five, got blonde hair and bright blue eyes. He's currently at the local pizza shop because a friend of mines family owns it and said they would look after him for me" A small tear wells in the corner of his eye, and falls down his cheek only for it to be wiped away by the brit.

"Hey no crying, big brave brothers don't cry. Now I'm going to go and get him, and if I run into any trouble I'll call here so you can talk to them, okay?" When he gets a small nod from the young boy he walks over to the coat rack, and says one last thing before departing,

"Now I want you to calm yourself down before we get back okay. Can't have your image of being strong and brave be shattered to your younger brother. And when I get back we'll have some tea and I can read you that book if you like" Arthur gives another small smile at Gilbert before he gets a response that makes him break out into a large grin as well.

"Okay, thanks again Arthur, you're pretty awesome, and I don't say that lightly so take it serious, okay?" Gilbert gives a big smile at the blonde as he chuckles to himself walking out the door.

"Whatever you say kiddo, whatever you say" With that Arthur walks away to go and find Gilbert's younger brother. Little did he know that those two young boys would change his life, just as he would change theirs. He gave them a new home, and they gave him the gift of being able to start over and move on from the past.