"In your mind... could you ever be, really close to me, I can tell the way you smile..." sang the McDonald's employee Loona was eyeing once more. "If I feel that I... could be certain then, I would say the things I want to say tonight..."
Loona was still impressed at the young worker's smooth singing, and rather fancied him altogether a little, but she still decided to keep her impression to herself, until he could be trusted at least.
She could be an asshole towards some men at times, but she never likes to judge.
"But 'til I can see... that you really care for me... I'll keep trying to hide the way I feel inside..."
At those lyrics, the meal was ready to be served up front.
"Order 146!" the worker shouted.
"There isn't really a lotta people here, dude." retorted Loona with a couple of flat chuckles.
"Meh, force of habit." he replied.
"Whatever." Loona rolled her eyes as the worker walked towards her with her food. "Now don't get any funny ideas."
"Uhh, what are you talking about?" he asked confusingly.
"Come on." grinned the hellhound-in-disguise. "You know what."
Still looking confused, the worker then shrugged it off and handed her the food. She was about to walk off and he was about to get back to work, until...
"Ya know, that was some good singing by the way." she said with her grin again.
The young McDonald's worker's eyes then widened open hearing that, and it made him blush. "Oh, you heard that? But how? I was quiet."
Loona then pointed to her human ears. Thankfully, her pointy wolf-like ones were put away.
"Wow. Now that's impressive too." the worker chuckled in response, making Loona blush as well. "So, what's with the accent? You new around here?"
"Yep. Just moved here from... uh... Boston!" Loona lied. "Uh-huh, I moved up from Boston not too long ago and..."
She was about to finish until Balin walked up to her, noticing the worker she was speaking with.
"Dylan?"
"Oh, my sweet Jesus!" the worker now known as Dylan exclaimed softly. "Balin, mate, is that you?"
The two boys fist-pumped before the older one gave the little one a gentle noogie from the counter.
"You two know each other?" Loona asked the boy in a grin.
"Mmhmm, I've been working here since the store opened, and who was one of the first lucky customers to visit...?" Dylan then said to Balin with a smile.
'Me! Me!" the little boy jumped with joy.
"That's right, little bro." he continued speaking, soon handing him his burger from Loona's meal. "I assume this one is yours?"
The boy then fist-pumped him again, before the store manager clapped in his cheek unhappily.
"Dylan! Get the hell back to work!" she shouted, before walking back into the kitchen herself.
"Damn. What's her problem." Loona retorted again at her.
"That's my manager." groaned Dylan crossly. "Abusive as the other McDonalds' around the world scream about theirs."
"Dude, have you put up with it or something?" Loona began encouraging him a little, unexpectedly. "She may be a B word but you've gotta at least man up for yourself."
"That wasn't a please, little nothing." the manger spoke again, more impatiently. "Work!"
Soon, Dylan took the advice and a deep breath, soon having enough of this abuse. "Ma'am. Cover Balin's ears."
Loona did exactly that as he then turned to the manager and yelled...
"SHUT THE FUCK UP!"
This caused every employee at McDonald's to look at him in shock, but then give him a round of applause a couple of seconds later as she scoffed off.
"Good job." Loona commended him, uncovering Balin's little ears then speaking to him softly. "Balin, why don't you take the stuff back to the table and wait, okay? Don't go eating my salad on me..." she finished speaking with a tease, as he began walking back to the table.
"So... Ms...?"
"Loona. Two 'Os', not a 'U'." she replied flatly as she looked at Balin with her smile. "Don't make me regret telling you."
"Got it." continued Dylan. "How do you two know each other? How long have you two been a thing?"
"Meh, a couple of days now." she replied with little interest, before being more honest. "I tell you, he's the sweetest little boy ever. Like, whatever makes him sad, he seems to cry like he's okay with that. As if he knows he's brave."
"Never heard that one before." Dylan spoke in intrigue hearing that. "If you don't mind me asking, but it's been a while since we spoke last, so what's he been up to?"
"He, uh... probably don't bring this up, because he talks about it but he's sensitive about it too, but..." Loona sighed. "The truth is, I'm not only friends with him, but I'm also his caretaker."
"Caretaker?" Dylan then became intrigued. "Where's his parents at?"
Loona then showed a sympathetic blush on her face.
"Oh no, are they okay?"
"Yeah, yeah, they're safe. At least now." replied Loona. "They're just in witness protection."
"Witness protection? Isn't he supposed to be with them though?"
"I wish." scoffed Loona with an angered look. "If the judge hadn't had called him a goddamn liability risk or some shit."
"WHAT?!" Dylan also became enraged hearing this. "Why the hell would they do that to him?!"
"Whoa dude, chill." she said to him soothingly. "Sure, he wasn't with them at whatever they 'witnessed' so who couldn't blame him. But I agree with you, it was still so wrong to just take him away based off of that, let alone ignore and judge him. A couple of days ago, I found him, took him in, and... and loved him. W-With the help of my, uhh, colleagues. Or whatever."
"Well I admire and commend you, Ms. Loona." Dylan then showed a small smile, looking at both her and the kid. "Must've been hard."
"Nah. It's easy for both of us, apparently." smiled Loona. "Being who I am at heart, I know how he feels."
"Takes guts." chuckled Dylan sympathetically. "Alright, gotta follow boss' orders this time. Nice meeting you, Loona."
"You two, uh, Dylan. Keep up the singing. And hey!" Loona then grabbed a napkin and wrote her number for him. "Call me, whenever. I think I'd like another chat."
"I'd think so too." he replied. "Tell Balin my condolences for me, if possible?"
"Anything." Loona gave him a thumbs-up before walking away from the counter. "Later, dude."
Loona then walked back to Balin as he started digging into his burger and fries. She smiled looking at him eating peacefully, while she sat down and began wolfing down her salad unknowingly like a jaguar on a fresh kill.
This gained Balin's shocked attention.
"Oh. Sorry, kiddo." she chuckled. "It's kinda a hellhound thing. Even with salads."
"No, no, it's okay." said Balin. "But how do you do that in human form?"
"We hellhounds and other demons have a way of doing whatever humans do, but only by instinct." she explained. "But believe me, we can try to control ourselves. But only a little."
"I understand. But, your teeth do look beautiful."
"Thanks. I use a lot of toothpaste and flossing to keep these bad boys shiny and clean everyday." continued Loona. "Take real good care of them, and yours'll be as big as mine one day."
"Cool. Can I take a closer look?" the boy asked curiously.
"Go right ahead." Loona then leaned closer to him and opened her mouth bearing her razor-sharp teeth. "Just be careful."
"Whoa..."
Balin slowly moved one of his fingers into her mouth to feel at least one tooth. Even one was sharper than a mandolin (tomato slicer), yet it was an incredible experience.
...Until a few seconds later where he stabbed his index as he started stroking it.
"OW! OW!" the little boy hissed in pain.
"Oh my God! Balin are you okay?" Loona gasped and got very concerned, speaking in a calm tone. "Oh, I told you to be careful."
"I'm so sorry, Loona." groaned Balin.
"No, it's okay. It's okay."
AFTER LUNCH...
Soon, Loona bought Balin some band-aids at the gas station right next to the McDonald's and straight away patching up the kid's finger.
"There we go." she said. "Now try not to take this one off until it stops bleeding so much."
"Yes, Loona." replied Balin. "Gah! It stings."
"Well, it was just a small prick." continued Loona. "The infection should only last for a little while."
Balin then showed his smile again, looking up at her and glad he was gonna be fine. "Thank you, Loona."
"Don't mention it, dude." she then patted her belly and burped in an adorable way feeling stuffed. "Well, that lunch took it outta me. So you ready?"
"Ready?" repeated Balin nervously.
Loona to give him a sympathy nod, then looked back at the McDonald's where her next potential new friend worked.
"If it makes you feel better, Dylan said he's sorry for what happened to you." smiled Loona, kneeling down to his level. "Just like I am."
"Aww, he's always been a sweet man." said Balin feeling touched.
"Yep, one of a kind. Isn't he?"
"Just like me?"
"Just like you." Loona whispered in his ear as a response, before lifting Balin onto her shoulders for a piggyback ride. "Alright, let's take a trip down memory lane!"
"WHEE!" Balin exclaimed in a fun tone, while a giggling Loona started flying all over the place like a plane.
The two then travelled up the hill past a long line of cars. Some of which honked at her, for obvious reasons, but Loona still took no notice. Especially with the boy riding on her shoulders.
A FEW MOMENTS LATER...
After a few minutes of walking, Loona and Balin soon made it to his old suburban paradise. They walked past lots of different houses in the first street before turning right around the bend, which took them a few houses before they finally arrived at their destination.
He was surprised to see it actually hadn't changed so much since last time. Except, for the 'for sale' sign.
Loona crouched down again for Balin to hop off her shoulders, then stood up to brush them off.
"Thank you for the ride, Loona." said Balin gratefully. "But wasn't I too heavy for you?"
"Nah, not at all. Another thing we hellhound demons have under our disguises? Super strength." explained Loona. "I once had to carry your three favourite imps on my back during one of my missions for a few minutes, so... I can carry almost 300 kilos."
Balin was still modest, but now mind-blown hearing this from the hellhound.
Nonetheless, he slowly walked up towards his house, staying aware in case there was anyone else living in the house. But thanks to the 'for sale' sign, nobody was. It was just empty, judging by the windows he then looked through.
In that window, Balin saw the living room, and all the great memories he had from spending the last 4 years of his life in that house before all this.
Flashbacks began appearing in little forms of sparks of magic dust.
FLASHBACK ONE:
AGE 5: Balin was watching some DVDs on his small living room TV, including one where he followed some dance choreography by a kid's TV group.
FLASHBACK TWO:
AGE 5: He and his family were then sitting at the dinner table, where he tried sweet potato and peas for the first time and actually enjoyed them. His mom gave his cheek a kiss, while his dad just ruffled his hair.
FLASHBACK THREE:
AGE 3: The three were gathered around the Christmas tree with the rest of his family and lots of Xmas meals prepped on said table, as Balin opened one of his presents. Underneath the wrapping paper was the teddy bear he showed Loona before snuggling it in bed last night, still looking clean and fresh as it did coming from his backpack.
Balin, having thought of all those happy memories, exhaled and lowered his head feeling very emotional, as he slowly took his hand away from the window, having touched it to regain all those memories one last time.
Loona was there to witness it all, and once again, her heart broke but melted for him. She hated seeing him sad as he walked back to her.
"So... this was your old crib, huh?" she asked, softly and quietly, as she rubbed her head.
"Yeah." sighed Balin. "It was. Before..." he then sounded like he was about to cry again.
Loona looked around the neighbourhood for a place to privately cuddle his tears out, then saw a shortcut in between two of the houses along the street. So holding the boy's hand, while no-one was watching, she sat down cross-legged and changed back to her hellhound form.
"C'mere, sweetheart." she opened her arms to him with a smile.
Balin then sat on Loona's lap, buried his head in her fluffy belly, and began crying as they wrapped their arms around each other.
*SOBS*
"Shhhhhh. There, there. Loona's here, you can let it all out."
As Balin continued sobbing, Loona unknowingly had tears of her own streaming down her cheek.
This affection lasted a couple of minutes before the boy ran out of tears. By then, Loona decided to lay down on his lap again to let him give her back scratches.
It was with a small sniffle with one of his tissues where Balin breathed in and out, before running his fingers through Loona's back fur, making her whimper like a puppy as she did a downward dog pose on all fours.
Seeing this silly yet affectionate behaviour, Balin then laughed a little smile back onto his face, as if he was forgetting why he was sad in the first place. He may've still known why, but having her with him in that moment was indeed comforting.
After another minute, Balin then heard an owner and his dog playing fetch close by, and that gave him an idea.
"Hey Loona?"
"Yeah, sweetie?" Loona's attention then went up to him. "Feelin' better now?"
"Only a little." replied Balin, with a little flustered look on his face. "I was just wondering, do hellhounds like to, uhh...?"
Loona looked to where he was looking at, and widened her eyes in surprise seeing the dog and his owner.
Nobody in Hell ever knew if hellhounds would be interested in a game of fetch or any other doggy-style games, especially not a caught-dead Loona. But after having a thought, she looked at the kid with a hearty smile.
"Balin... do you wanna play fetch with, me?" she teased him with a sing-song voice.
"Uhm, I..." he stuttered a little.
"It's okay. I guess I'm up for a game or two." Loona then chuckled lightly. "Is there a park close by we can play at?"
"There is." replied Balin before making a suggestion. "And there's a small shopping centre with a sports store. We can grab a ball or two before we get started."
"Great thinking, kiddo." Loona said with a smirk.
She did sense a sports centre nearby after all, judging by the commotion of boisterous teenage boys. So once again, she changed into her human form, stood up and stretched, before holding his hand as they walked up a dirt hill leading to the store.
AT THE SPORTS STORE...
Balin and Loona grabbed as many balls as they wanted for their little fun afternoon at the park, from a couple of fetching balls to even a cricket bat and a football.
They soon placed the stuff at a counter where the cashier was a gothic sports geek, also on her phone just like Loona.
"Just those for today?" she asked in her bogan accent, not bothering to look up from her phone.
"Uh-huh. Just moved to the country to be this bro's caretaker." replied Loona in a perfectly thought-out lie. "Plus... we have a dog, so what better place to get some new toys and stuff?"
The cashier then looked up from her phone at the two with some newfound interest.
"Well, welcome aboard." she said with a better tone to her voice. "Have a nice day you two."
Loona paid with her phone before she and Balin grabbed the stuff and left the store, while the cashier looked at the Eftpos machine for a moment, confused for a moment.
"What the fuck kinda American Express is this?" she asked herself dazed and surprised.
AT THE PARK...
Balin and Loona arrived at the park near the shopping centre, then Loona handed him one of the fetching balls as she got on all fours, pretending to be a real dog as she followed it and panted excitedly.
"Ah... do you want the ball, Loona? Do ya want the ball?" he began cooing, seeing what she wanted him to do. "Da ball?!"
Loona then let out a few happy barks as her tail wagged in the air.
"You want it? You want it?! Then... FETCH!"
Balin then threw the ball all the way across the park, which made Loona chase after it at lightning speed as she barked again. She then caught it in her mouth before it could hit the grass from a few feet away, then brought it back to him for a few more throws.
Soon, the two were enjoying their little park playtime on Earth.
The two then played some cricket, before playing a game of Rugby League. ...As soon as Loona searched up what that was on her phone.
The two began passing the ball to one another trying to see who could make it to the field-goal posts with the ball first. And Loona would always win, seeing as though she had the mad speeding skills of a hellhound and that she was able to evade Balin in each throw.
Turns out, even when new to the country, Loona was a natural at Australian sports.
Finally, the two played hide-and-seek along the playground filled with lots of play equipment, as Loona searched in her human form promising not to use her nose and sense of smell.
Loona would search every structure trying to find the kid, and Balin would often turn around to see her getting close before running away to find a new one. Soon, she managed to find him that way.
"Come here you!" she giggled, as she pinned him to one of the trees nearby and began kissing all over his face repeatedly.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!" laughed Balin with tears of laughter. "Stop, Loona! It tickles...!"
"Awww, but I wanna see you smile, little cutie." cooed Loona playfully as she then tickled his tummy with her nails.
Thankfully, they didn't leave a scratch on him since they were still claws.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
LATER ON...
Dusk finally fell in No-Name Town, and after the day of fun they had in the boy's hometown, Loona laid down on one of the benches at the shopping centre as Balin cuddled in her arms, whilst drinking some milkshakes in the sunset.
Loona thought that sunset was just as beautiful as Balin, but still thought he was adorable in that light.
So taking a picture of that orange sun with her shake in the shot, she then looked down at Balin and rubbed his head, before gently kissing his forehead and giving his cheek a gentle lick.
She may have been in her human form, but like she and I said, she still had her hellhound instincts from time to time.
Seeing the boy smile once again after all that fun she had with sad little him really made her day even better than his. But she soon got a text from Blitzø saying:
'O K Loonie! Were reddy now!'
Loona rolled her eyes seeing this from her adoptive dad who couldn't really spell properly, but she was glad it was time to show Balin her surprise she discussed at the start of the morning with the crew.
"Hey? Hey, kiddo." she gently nudged him awake. "C'mon, wake up, it's time to go home now."
Balin then gave a happy yawn and said: "OK, Loona. I'm ready."
She then put their empty milkshake cups in the nearby bin and snuck to a more private location nearby where she rubbed the crystal and opened a portal back to Hell.
Before walking through it, an emotional Balin then looked back at the sunset "I'll see you later, old world." he breathed, waving to the sun one last time as it finally set into night-time.
Soon, Loona gently grabbed his hand and turned back into her hound form before returning home to Hell through the portal.
A/N: (GUEST STARRING)
TYLER POSEY as Dylan
...
See y'all in the next chapter.