A Life Changing Moment.

Part Eight

No luck in finding the parents. Another two days of searching and another thirty bucks down the drain from two days of pizza and ice cream. Which was understandably putting Meliodas in a much crankier mood. Especially when withdrawals were definitely reaching their peak. After nearly getting mugged two days ago, all the blond really had to worry about was a bad headache and the usual shakiness, but over the next two days his health deteriorated slowly to the point where he couldn't get a bite of food down without hurling it back up, and he could barely focus on anything around him, including the boy. 

Of course, even in this state, he wasn't stupid. He could tell that anyone looking at him could tell something was off, which meant no parent searching until he could recover. 

And if I can get passed today, I should be good. It's the halfway point to recovery that always hurts like a bit-

"Mewi! Look at aw of dese chickens!" 

Oh yeah, the two were at a park. The blond was so out of it he had nearly forgotten he left the hotel with Zel to resist the temptation of the bag of solutions back home. 

"Those are ducks, kid. Not chickens. Also get back over here, I don't want you so close to the water. I don't have any of those weird floaty things and you don't seem old enough to swim. You aren't, right?"

"I can swimming soooooo well. Pwease let me go back to the chickens? Pwease?"

"Yeah, I'm gonna take that as a no. And again, they are ducks, Zel."

The boy huffed and sat on the bench next to Meliodas with his chubby little arms crossed in apparent anger towards the man about his protective decision. 

"Mewi a meanie..."

"What was that? Thank you for keeping me from drowning in the lake? Why of course, Zel, how kind of you to acknowledge my efforts to keep you safe."

It was clear the toddler paid him no mind once he started using big words like acknowledge, but Meliodas couldn't really blame him. Normally the man spoke in a much simpler, much more slurred fashion, but when his brain fog started to fade during withdrawals, he always regained a bit more of his old vocabulary. Which of course was quite the annoyance to the blond, because at that point his brain never shut up. The dumber he got by frying his brain with a lovely mix of drugs and alcohol, the simpler his thoughts were to match, while the more brain function he recovered, the more thought process went into every one of his decisions. Including the ones about to handle Zel's care. 

Okay so today's what- day five? I said I'd give it a week before talking to the authorities, but getting clean is taking longer than I thought, which means I probably need to wait another week to be sure any testing won't bite me in the ass. Besides, we haven't been able to search as much as what would be ideal considering my current position. Maybe I should check around town to see if any flyers are up of the kid? That'll be a much faster route, and theoretically, if his mom really is looking, there will at least be something right? Maybe an address to check?

Looking over at the boy in question, he was surprised to see that the child was still pouting while glaring cutely at his little shoes. 

Really? He's still upset I won't let him in the water. The kid normally moves on from things so quickly, but this is the hill he wants to die on? Ugh, not helping with my desire to get high, kiddo. You're cute but obnoxious. 

Sighing in defeat, he turned his attention back to the child with a glare more from the sunlight bothering him rather than genuine irritation.

"How about this, we still have some pizza crust left in the box at the motel. Why don't we walk back to go grab it really quickly and then I'll walk over to the pond with you to show you how to feed them properly. Does that sound like fun?"

Zel's mood changed from moody to excited quicker than Meliodas's fatigue changed to nausea during his withdrawals as he tried not to admit how endearing he found the notion. 

"WEALLY!!!!???"

The shrill screech made the man winced, but he ignored that in favor of responding since he doubted the kid would calm down until he confirmed their plans.

"Yes kid, geez. I forgot the lungs you have on you, nearly busted my eardrum. You'll have to be gentle though and listen to me on how to do it okay? Ducks can be... well just change the U to an I and that sums them up pretty well; so, you have to let me help you, so they won't bite. Trust me Zel, I know from experience that it isn't fun getting bitten by a duck. They don't have teeth, but the bills hurt worse than the other kind you get in the mail."

It was obvious he lost the kid by the blank look he got as the man sighed in frustration. 

Keep it simple, stupid. This kind of rambling and the stupid jokes are both exactly why no one likes you when you aren't high.

"Just listen to me and behave, okay?"

"Okie Mew!"

"Good. Now, we better hurry back. It'll be dark soon if we don't."

He shouldn't have said that as the child immediately started acting like the world was going to end if they didn't get back to the hotel in less than a second. Causing Meliodas to groan in pain from the worsening headache before finally he snapped. 

"Listen kid, if you want to see the ducks, you have to shut up, okay? Otherwise, the ducks will get offended and leave and never come back for bread again, got it?"

The child let out a dramatic gasp, but it worked as not another word left his mouth the whole trip back. 

Huh, I guess that trick works on all kids, doesn't it? My dad used to say that every Saturday when I'd beg him to take me, and I believed it every time. Hehehe, kids are so dumb.

Walking back at a slow pace with little Zel being as patient as possible, Meliodas found himself reminiscing on his childhood as the price of reliving the bad memories finally came with the gift of remembering all of the good ones. Although... that only made it harder for him to stay unattached as he realized how much he saw himself in Zel... and how much he desperately wanted to be the one to create these good memories with the boy instead of the home that deep down, the blond knew would be better for him.