Chapter Text
If Geoff was being honest with himself, he knew there was no way he could take care of a kid. He was barely twenty and had no clue what he was doing with his life at that point. He still wasn’t sure how to take care of himself, surviving on ramen noodles and working long hours after class to put himself through school. If anything, he was simply exhausted.
He caught the kid trying to steal a candy bar from the gas station he worked at and looked absolutely terrified when Geoff caught him. He’d always had a soft spot for kids, and this kid looked desperate. Giving a small sigh, he had slipped one of his own dollars into the register and promptly asked the kid where his parents were. The kid just shrugged, looking down. So, he pushed, trying to get information out of the kid, but he learned fairly quickly that the kid didn’t say much. In fact, he wasn’t sure if the kid even knew how to talk. The kid looked helpless.
He sat the kid down behind the counter, not sure what he was going to do with him. The kid didn’t say anything, just stared at his feet most of the shift, only getting up when he had to use the restroom. Eventually, his shift ended, and not a single person had come in looking for the kid. “I’ll take you home,” he replied gently. The kid continued to stare down, not saying anything. “Your parents have to be worried about you, kid,” he said softly. The kid glanced up, grimacing before he shook his head. “No?” he questioned. The kid shook his head again. “Why not?”
The kid bit his lip, looking hesitant. “They’re gone,” he mumbled, not looking directly at Geoff. The accent caught Geoff off guard, but he shook it off, kneeling to get on the same level as the kid.
“So, you do speak,” he hummed softly. “What do you mean they’re gone?” he asked, looking at the kid with concern. Again, the kid shrugged.
“They’re gone,” he repeated. Geoff let out a long sigh. Standing up, he motioned for the kid to follow him. He’d figure this shit out in the morning, he decided. The two quietly walked to Geoff’s apartment, neither saying a word.
Figuring out how to take care of a kid was harder than he thought. He boiled a pack of ramen noodles, glancing towards the kid currently sitting in his Livingroom staring at the floor. When the noodles were finished, he portioned out two bowls, and carefully carried them to the couch. The boy’s eyes looked up to him, lighting up as he saw the second bowl. Geoff smiled slightly, handing over a bowl. The kid didn’t even hesitate to take the bowl, instead immediately starting to scarf down the noodles. “Slow down kid, you’re going to burn the inside of your mouth,” he sighed, shaking his head as he started to eat his own noodles.
They sat in silence for a bit, eating their noodles. “What’s your name?” Geoff asked. The kid hesitated, much like he had earlier.
“Gavin,” he mumbled. Geoff studied Gavin for a moment. The kid didn’t look more than eight or nine, maybe ten.
“Hi Gavin, I’m Geoff,” he murmured, giving the kid a warm smile. Gavin just nodded, going back to eating his noodles. He couldn’t help but stare slightly, wondering where Gavin’s parents were. The two finished their noodles, and Geoff stood up, reaching out to take the bowl from Gavin. Reluctantly, Gavin handed the bowl over. “You can stay here tonight if you want, Gavin. We’ll figure out where your parents are tomorrow, okay?” he announced. Gavin let out a long sigh.
“They’re gone,” he reminded softly. Geoff grimaced. “They left me here,” he mumbled. Geoff sucked in a deep breath, knowing what that meant. Getting up, he went to his room, and rummaged around, looking for a pillow and blanket for the kid.
He returned, setting it down on the couch, looking at Gavin. “If you want, you can take a shower,” he informed. The kid looked slightly nervous. “I’ll find you something to wear, and we could wash your clothes tomorrow, okay?” he sighed out, looking at the kid tiredly.
He knew that he wasn’t handling this correctly. For all he knew, the kid was lying and his poor parents were out looking for him and this would just end badly for him. He was grateful that he wasn’t scheduled to work the next morning, and didn’t have classes until noon. He was sure it was going to be a long night.
--
After the kid had showered and settled down, he noticed it didn’t take long for the kid to fall asleep. He noticed that the kid had been carrying around a backpack, which had been carefully tucked against the couch. Hesitating, he reached for it, hoping that maybe he’d find something that would tell him about the kid. Most of it was useless, and he wasn’t sure if he was going to find anything on the kid until he came across a small card tucked into a pocket.
It was one of those cards most parents put into their children’s backpack, contact information sprawled neatly on the card. Feeling relieved, he was grateful he could get the mess figured out. Pocketing the card, he put the bag back and wandered off to his room. Climbing into bed, he stared up at the ceiling, trying to figure out what the kid really had meant about his parents being gone.
Eventually, he dozed off, forgetting about the kid currently sleeping on the couch.
--
When he woke up the next morning, his initial reaction was to check on the kid. He was relieved to see Gavin still curled up on the couch where he had left him the night before. Biting his lip, he returned to his room and pulled out his phone to call the number that had been written on the card. The number rang and rang, but no one picked up. Frustrated, he tried to call again. No answer.
Hesitating, he studied the address. It wasn’t far, he was sure that he could walk to the house and be back before Gavin woke up. He slipped out of his apartment quietly and quickly walked down the street.
When he eventually arrived, it looked as though the house hadn’t been maintained or that anyone had been there in a couple of days. A neighbor sitting on her porch looked at him, looking slightly interested in why he was there. “If you’re looking for the Frees, they’re not here,” she announced, looking slightly sad. Geoff blinked slightly, confused.
“Do you know when they’ll be back?” he asked. The lady sighed, looking down.
“The whole family is gone, it was a huge freak accident apparently. Last I saw them was yesterday, but the couple was on the news this morning. The whole family passed away. It was a terrible loss, they were such a sweet couple and their son was a cutie,” the lady admitted sadly. Geoff swallowed hard, not sure if he understood what he was hearing.
“Oh,” he murmured, looking down. He felt sick to his stomach, not sure he really understood what was happening. He left quickly, thanking the lady for telling him. She looked at him strangely but told him he was welcome. He raced back to his apartment, praying the kid was still asleep.
When he arrived, the kid was sitting up, back to staring at his feet. He briefly looked up when Geoff walked back in, but was back to staring at his feet. Geoff let out a long sigh, plopping down next to Gavin. “Gavin, does anyone know where you are?” he asked softly. Gavin shook his head. “Do you have someone you can call?” he asked. Gavin shook his head again. “What about a grandparent? Or maybe an uncle or aunt?” he continued to prompt. Again, Gavin shook his head.
“Mum and dad never talked to any of them. Never met any of them,” he admitted softly. Geoff slouched slightly. This was almost too much for him.
“Okay well, why don’t we go talk to the police, they’ll be able to help us find someone from your family,” he said softly. Gavin’s eyes went wide, shaking his head. “Why not?” he asked. Gavin looked reluctant again, unsure if he should say anything.
“Dad said the police here are bad people and that I shouldn’t trust them,” he whimpered softly. Geoff sighed out. The kid had a point. He knew that LSPD was corrupt, any civilian knew that, but they were still the police.
“We have to do something Gavin, I can’t just keep you here, that could get both of us in trouble,” he mumbled. Gavin slumped slightly.
“Don’t make me go to them, please...” the kid begged, looking at Geoff desperately. Geoff wasn’t entirely sure why the kid was so desperate. He closed his eyes, knowing he really should take the kid to the police, that was the responsible thing to do, especially since he was pretty sure he couldn’t take care of a kid. Still, the kid looked terrified.
--
Eventually, the two had marched down to the laundry room in his apartment building, washing both of their clothes. Geoff wasn’t entirely sure what he was going to do. He knew he couldn’t just leave the kid at home, yet he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to bring the kid to class and work.
Reluctantly, he pulled his phone out, scrolling through his contacts till he found who he was looking for. The phone rang over and over until finally, he heard the familiar sound of his friend.
“Hello?” a female voice called out.
“Hey, Jack, uh, are you busy?” he asked. Jack didn’t respond at first.
“Well, I was working on homework but otherwise not really. What’s going on?” she asked. Geoff glanced at the kid, who was watching the clothes tumble in the dryer.
“Could you come over? I really need a favor from you,” he mumbled. There was a long sigh and a rustle on the other side of the phone.
“I’ll be there in ten,” she murmured.
“Thanks.”
--
Jack stared at the kid, looking back and forth between Geoff and Gavin. “You’re kidding, right?” she said quietly. Geoff shook his head, reaching out. He gently pulled Jack away and shook his head.
“Jack…I don’t know what to do. I tried to find the kids family, but according to the neighbor, they’re dead, but then again, according to the neighbor, so is Gavin, so I’m not sure what to say there. I was going to take him to LSPD, but the kid was really against that,” he explained. Jack glanced at Gavin, frowning.
“You can’t just keep him, Geoff. He’s not a stray kitten, you can’t just take him in and not report it,” she said softly. Geoff shrugged.
“I know, but what am I supposed to do? The kid begged me not to take him to the police,” he murmured. Jack glanced back at the kid. Suddenly a loud beep echoed through the laundry room, warning that the clothes were almost dry. “Look, I have class in an hour and then I have work until midnight. I could probably keep the kid at work, but I can’t bring him to class and I’d honestly do whatever you wanted me to do for you if you could just watch the kid till I go to work, and then bring him to the convenience store afterward?” he asked, looking desperate.
Jack just shrugged, nodding. “Sure. You owe me, but sure,” she replied. He grinned, reaching for his best friend. He hugged her tightly and then marched over to Gavin.
“Hey, Gavin? This is my friend Jack. She’s really cool. I have to go to class, but Jack’s going to hang out with you till tonight,” he announced. Gavin shrugged, glancing briefly at Jack, before turning back to the dryer. Shooting one more thankful look to Jack, he sprinted away.
--
Geoff strolled to work, not wanting to go in. In the distance, he could hear sirens. He let out a long sigh, wishing that for once, there wouldn’t be drama in the city going on. He wasn’t really in the mood to deal with crimes right then, not when all he wanted to do was go home.
When he arrived at his convenience store, he froze. Where the store used to be was now just a big pile of rubble. Eyes wide, he looked around. He swallowed hard, forcing himself to move forward. He approaches a police officer but is almost too shocked to say anything. “Son, I’m going to have to ask you to take a step back,” a police officer announces as he steps towards the building.
“I…work here?” he said, looking hard at the shop. The police officer sighed.
“Not anymore,” the man muttered under his breath.
Approaching the store, he stared at it. His phone started ringing. Pulling it out, Geoff saw his boss’s number. “Hello?” he asked.
“Oh thank god you’re alive Ramsey. I wasn’t sure if you would have gotten to work yet or not,” his boss spoke, relieved.
“The shops gone,” Geoff replied, still staring. A long sigh came from the other side.
“I know…” The older man said. There was silence. “Go home Geoff, I have to figure out all of this. Don’t worry about work tonight,” the man added. Geoff nodded, but quickly realized that the man couldn’t see him.
“Thank you, sir,” he replied.
“No problem. I’ll call you when I figure out what to do. I might move you to the other location, but I have to see what I can do. Take care of yourself, Ramsey,” the man said.
“Yes sir, thank you. Have a good night,” he replied. There was a click on the other side of the phone, and the call went dead. Taking a deep breath, he started to turn to walk away before a sick feeling hit him. Jack and Gavin. They were going to meet him there at the shop. Instantly, he felt himself bolt towards his apartment, praying that for whatever reason, they hadn’t left yet.
He could hardly breathe by the time he was at his apartment building, but he gathered all his energy to run up the three flights of stairs, heart pounding. “Please be home,” he mumbled to himself. When he reached the door, he felt his hands shaking as he tried to slam the key into the keyhole.
Flinging the door open, he threw himself into the house and looked around wildly. His body instantly relaxed as Jack looked up at him, slightly confused. She held a deck of cards in one hand, and a box in the other. “Geoff?” she asked, tilting her head. He kneeled, pulling her tightly into a hug. “Geoff? What’s wrong?” she asked.
“I thought…I don’t know. The stores gone, and I just…I told you to meet me there and I just was scared that you guys had already gone,” he admitted. Jack pulled away, eyes wide.
“Another store was targeted?” she said softly. He nodded. “I’m really glad you didn’t have to work then,” she mumbled, reaching for Geoff. Gavin looked between the two of them but didn’t say any word.