Dying Ichor

EIGHT

Elias returned home without much fanfare.

His parents were extreme worried about their child being kidnapped again, so they tried sending out more guards for protection. Elias was quick to put a stop to it by leaving earlier than they expected, but he managed to swipe some of their money which should last him several weeks if he was careful with it.

As soon as he and Lapetus came back, Elias collapsed on his rusty bed and grew drowsy. He almost forgot about Lapetus inside the house with him until the man briefly commented on checking their garden.

The boy waved him off and finally dozed away, falling asleep for several hours until he was gently shook awake. The first thing he noticed wasn't Lapetus peering down at him gently, nor did he notice his old attire being switched out for comfortable ones.

He was much more interested with the bowl of delicious food sitting right in front of him.

"Aren't you going to eat with me?" Elias questioned Lapetus.

"I'm not that hungry."

He gave Lapetus a look. "You should eat with me. I like your company."

Elias wasn't all that surprised when Lapetus got up to follow his order. He only wanted the man to eat more since he was still a little picky about food. Sometimes, Lapetus would stare down at his plate and would accidentally let his food grow cold.

He didn't know why the man didn't dig in, but he never questioned Lapetus and only kept a careful eye on him.

"I like your cooking. This tastes really good," Elias sighed. "It was a good thing I put you in charge of the garden. I always struggled making things grow."

Lapetus offered a smile, clearly pleased with the small praise the male gave him.

"That reminds me, we should go and visit the ones who watched over our house while we're gone. It'd be good to say thanks."

"I can do it myself. You should stay inside and rest for a few more days."

"Huh? That's boring though. Why would I want to stay inside?"

Lapetus frowned. "I'm still hesitant about letting you go out. You've went through an exhausting event with those bastards who crashed our carriage. Not to mention, that man you met... it sounded like you had a rough time at his camp. You've truly suffered."

Elias blinked twice. How did Lapetus get that thought in his mind?

He definitely enjoyed his time over at Ares' camp. Although the food wasn't always good and the weather was a bit rocky from time to time, he played with a lot of the kids Ares and his men saved so he always had things to do.

He also missed teaching those soldiers a bit. It was always nice talking with them and hearing stories about how they joined Ares and how they fought with the man.

Elias sighed, "You're wrong. I'm doing perfectly fine. I didn't get a single injury, you know?"

Lapetus glanced at the dark haired male's head. He vaguely remembered a trickle of blood coming down from the side of Elias' face. He casted his gaze down right after.

"I still think you should stay here. You don't have to worry about the chores. I'll do them."

"I'm not hurt, you don't have to do everything by yourself. I can stay inside and do housework while you can go outside and play or whatever it is you do."

Lapetus knew it wasn't going to get any better than this so he agreed. Elias relaxed and continued eating his dinner happily, a little satisfied to know that he had more time to himself.