"Excuse me miss... do you have any food?"
You lower your head and then you see him. Oh god, he's a child. He is only a little child. His face is pale, flushed slightly by the cold. He has wavy brown hair that falls in small curls across his forehead. His small body trembles beneath the only gray jacket he is wearing. In his arms he has a small bundle wrapped in blankets, wait... is that a baby?!
"What...?" Your voice is stuck in your throat in amazement.
"I'm sorry, I need food for my brother," he says, and the look in his eyes causes your heart to fall apart. The baby in his arms begins to cry and he press him closer to his chest, as if he wanted to warm him under that dirty gray blanket in which he is wrapped.
"Please... just..." but the sentence does not end, his eyes open wide and he faints, his small body falls with a thud in the snow, causing the baby's crying to increase.
"Oh my god" you quickly pick up the baby from the floor, cradling him with one arm, while you check the other child.
Pulse. You sigh in relief as you pick up the unconscious child and pick him up with your free arm. What can you do now? Should you take them to the police? You do not even know if they have a family...
You sigh... no, too far away, and the older does not seem to be able to go anywhere at this moment. What if you take them to your house? It was not very big, but at least you could take care of them calmly... yes; that was a good idea.
Carefully you walk your way back home, very aware of the two lives that you now carry.
-Timeskip-
Once you get home, you quickly leave your things on the couch. Your look soon is directed at the old child. Carefully you take off his jacket and you lay him on your bed. You rub his forehead with your naked wrist and, as you suspected, he has a fever. You go to the bathroom and get a small wet towel that you place on his forehead, he smiles lightly with relief in his unconsciousness.
Then you focus your attention on the baby, who has stopped crying but he is still whining quietly in your arms.
"Oh my love, what happened to you?" You cuddle the small child, one of his little pale hands grabs your thumb.
You smile.
"Let's going to find you something to eat," you say gently, taking the baby with you to the kitchen.
You look in the drawers until you find what you are looking for: milk powder. You thank God for your time working as a nanny while you heat some milk and put it in a feeding bottle.
Making sure it's not too hot for him, you give the feeding bottle to the little baby. He starts to drink almost immediately, which forces you to slow him down a bit, afraid that he might choke. Once he has finished drinking he belches and lies down in your warm arms, satisfied. You smile and carefully cuddle him until he begins to doze and you place him in the small old crib that you keep in the guest room.
You sigh softly and decide to go back with the other.
-Timeskip-
The little boy moves in his dream, his eyes open lazily and he rubs one of them with his bare hands.
"Oh, you're awake" you say kindly looking at the small and confused child.
You can see the doubt in his eyes when he raises his head to look at you.
"Do you remember something sweetheart" you question gently rubbing his back.
"My name is Kankri" he murmurs "and... and I..."
His eyes open wide suddenly and he begins to move frantically.
"Where is Karkat!?" he says, the extreme concern is reflected in his little brown eyes.
Carefully you place your hand on his shoulder.
"Your brother? He's fine, I brought you two here when you fainted in the snow" you say calmly. His back relaxes and he sighs in relief.
You give him a kind smile. "I can find you something to eat and then I'll take you with him, what do you think?"
He looks at you and then gives you a slight nod but, before he can add anything, his stomach does it for him. You laugh softly as he blushes a strong red and quickly stutters an apology.
"You do not have to apologize for being hungry. Come here sweetie, we'll get something for you."
Carefully you help him get out of your bed and walk witn him to the kitchen. There you sit him on chair and you start to prepare something to eat. Soup seems a good option, not too heavy for his apparently weak body and warm enough to help him warm up.
Thinking this you start with the task of cooking and twenty minutes later a plate of chicken soup is placed on the table in front of him.
"It's hot, so be careful not to burn yourself". He obediently agrees and begins to eat the soup, at first slowly but as the hot liquid disappears from the dish his speed increases. Soon the plate is empty, and you give him a kind smile as you pick it up to put it in the sink.
"Miss..." he says in a shy voice.
"Miss no, (y/n) honey."
He nods and walks behind you "thank you (y/n)" he whispers he hugs the back of your legs. You feel how your heart warms up and you crouch to return the hug to the little child.
"Come, let's see your brother" you say as you offer your hand. Carefully he takes it and you guide him down the hall until you reach the guest room.
The room is silent, the lights off so as not to wake the baby.
The little boy clings to the bars of the cradle observing the peaceful sleep of his young brother, and how his little chest rises and falls in a calm breathing. Carefully you pick him up, crouching to the level of his brother while holding him in your arms. The older child holds his little brother's hand and buries his head in your shoulder. Soon you feel his breathing calm in deep sleep and you smile with tenderness.
It seems you have two more children to take care of.