Work Text:
Niki jumped a little at the sound of the door opening and almost immediately slamming closed, quickly followed by a stream of rushed apologies. She barely needed to look up from where she was refilling the display case to know it was Ranboo. Only he would apologize so much for closing a door a little loudly.
She stood up, smiling. “Good afternoon, Ranboo. What’s got you in such a hurry this time?”
“Nothing.”
She narrowed her eyes, scanning the boy over. It was most definitely not nothing, judging by the rumpled state of his suit. It finally fit right, meaning it wasn’t so wrinkled all the time because of the way it draped over his skinny frame, so seeing it like this was a bit concerning. Sure, it was never very neat, but this was a bit much. Not to mention the way his hair was all over the place, the white side invading the space of the black, and vice versa. And how his hands were shaking so much she could see it from the other side of the shop.
“Ranboo.”
The boy shrunk under her gaze, somehow managing to look a “normal” height, tail flicking near his ankles and brushing the floor. He didn’t try arguing, though.
“Come over here,” Niki said, walking around the counter and over to the two armchairs by the fireplace. It wasn’t a real fireplace, of course. Just a screen playing a looping video of fire behind a grate. She sat down in one of the chairs. “Sit with me.”
Ranboo nodded and sat in the chair across from her, tail curled up on his lap where his hands rested.
“What happened?” she asked as gently as she could. She didn’t want to scare the kid.
“Someone chased me, is all.” He paused, then smiled. “I didn’t let them get to me this time, though.”
“Who was it? What did they look like?”
“I, uh, didn’t get a good look at them. Too busy running.”
Niki frowned. Prime, how she would’ve loved to beat that idiot up. Whoever tried to hurt Ranboo needed a good talking to. And by talking to, she of course meant a punch. And maybe a threat.
Ranboo laughed at her pout. “Aw, don’t get upset you can’t fight them. You really don’t need to be so protective.”
“I’m not that bad,” she shot back. “I just care about your well-being. And if that means giving someone a bloody nose, I’d be glad to do so.”
The boy smiled that sweet little smile of his, small but genuine. “I know.”
Prime, he was so young. He was only what, 15? No 15 year old should have to run from other people on the regular just to stay safe. It made Niki want to cry and yell and maybe hit something, but right now, Ranboo needed her to be calm. Even if he pretended he was fine, she could tell he was freaked out. She could rant to Puffy later.
So, he shoved her anger down for now and asked, “Would you like a cupcake? It’s on the house, no need to pay.”
Knowing he couldn’t argue, Ranboo nodded. Normally he protested. “Sure. Chocolate, please.”
Niki stood up. “Got it. I’ll get one for both of us, and we can eat together.”
“I’d like that.”
---
Niki turned the open sign around so the side that said closed faced out, then stepped back. She stared out the window into the darkness for a moment, wondering where Ranboo was. She hadn’t seen him in a few days, and she was a bit worried. Usually he came in every couple days, if only to let her know he was doing alright.
Last she saw him was nearly a week ago, when he came in after being chased. She couldn’t help but worry, what if he’d been chased again and got caught? What if he’d been kidnapped, or killed?
Niki shivered at the thought and went back to the counter to start cleaning up. He’d probably show up tomorrow. Hopefully.
When she was facing away from the door, it slowly creaked open. She spun around quickly, and saw that Ranboo was who had opened it. He looked exhausted, tail dragging on the ground. There were fresh burns on his face and hands, and his suit was torn. He looked about to fall over.
Niki rushed over and put her hand on his shoulders, having to reach up quite a bit. She looked him over almost frantically, searching for injuries to tend to. She didn’t find any, and she wasn’t sure whether to be relieved or worried.
Wordlessly, she pulled him over to the chairs and sat him down. She hurried to the back room and grabbed the burn cream she kept there just for Ranboo. She came back and started putting it on his burns, nervously humming to herself. As she did so, Ranboo started talking.
“Sorry for coming in so late… I’m just, really tired. I… haven’t been able to get myself to do much lately. I don’t know. People are just so- so horrible, and it really gets to me sometimes. Y’know?”
Niki pressed her lips together in a thin line. She knew what he meant, and she understood the feeling, but it would never be the same to her. She didn’t know like Ranboo did. Sure, she was a hybrid, but she wasn’t a hybrid like him. She never got hurt for it. She just got called names like “fish girl” in middle school. She was never… hunted down.
It made her sick to think about, how this young teen was hurt so much for nothing. How this kid in front of her was burnt and sad and hurting both physically and mentally because some people just couldn’t handle having someone different from them existing nearby.
She hated it. She wished she could do something, anything, but there was almost nothing to do. She was helpless here. All she could do was take care of this boy with no family, with nobody to go to except her.
She loved him. She loved him like a brother. She loved the way his tail vibrated when he was happy. She loved the way he repeated words to himself. She loved that way his ears flopped down when he pouted. She loved that he trusted her enough to tell her his problems, and to let her take care of him, and to come to her when he needed help.
She loved him, and it hurt so, so much when she couldn’t help.
---
Ranboo came in a week later with a fake smile and something missing. It took Niki much too long to realize what it was.
“What… what happened to your tail?”
Ranboo just laughed wetly, smile wavering.
“Doesn’t matter. Can I have a hug?”