Pillars of Temperature

Calm Before the Storm.

"I'll make sure you don't touch my friend. You won't get to see the sunrise."

~~~

Silver was able to take care of Oat, which helped guard the school. Even a few bullies didn't bother him since Oat really didn't look ok. Silver was able to convince Oat to spend the night with him once, getting a half-hearted answer.

~~~

Oat nervously followed Silver into his home. He wasn't scared, but unsure of what to expect. The house was quiet as he glanced at the living room. Silver glanced at something on the fridge before calling out.

"Dad! I'm home! I have a friend over!" Motion finally hit as someone joined them in the kitchen. Oat shot behind Silver as the older man hummed.

"I didn't think you had any."

"Dad!" A chuckle followed before Oat felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Well, I'll make sure dinner gets made soon. Get your homework done."

"Ok." Oat was dragged into the living room as Silver spoke. "It's ok."

~~~

Silver was able to confirm that Oat had it rough. His school supplies were a broken pencil, an eraser that looked like it had been eaten, and a notebook that looked like it was a victim of a liquid war. The only nice thing he had was a binder that had his assignments protected. But he remembered seeing Black give it to him at the beginning of the year since he joined the Flames.

Food was another thing. He hardly ate breakfast (Always claimed he didn't have the stomach to eat any or there was almost nothing left), his lunch usually had a Jelly Sandwich with a small chance of a apple (He was allergic to peanuts, so his dad forbid any sort of peanuts in the house for his safety). As for dinner, he had no reaction to Silver getting his food first until he got his.

"Here you go." Silver watched the shock cross his face. Obviously he wasn't used to getting dinner..

"Thanks..." He took the food and took his time with it, focusing more on the work in front of him. Interesting.

~~~

The following day (Oat decided not to spend the night for some reason), Oat didn't look good. But what ticked Silver off was the scar on his cheek. It concerned a lot of the others, so he didn't have to approach to find out. Gold was the willing one.

"What happened?" Oat didn't respond, just tried to slip away. Gold grabbed his hand, getting a small yelp before the others went over to check on him. Silver froze as Gold hugged him close, gaining a soft voice.

"Don't hurt me... don't hurt me... don hur m-" Silver went back to what had caused that. All Gold did was grab his hand upon his escape. What happened after he left his place?

~~~

Gold was able to let him know after he calmed down. Apparently Oat's home was more like an adoption center with a Black Market hidden in it. Kids there normally didn't get to do much, especially the necessities. Silver growled a bit at the news.

~~~

Silver carried Oat to his place, since he was worn out. His father took him to heal him while Silver slipped back out.

~~~

"I'll make sure you don't touch my friend. You won't get to see the sunrise."

That's all he told the people at the center before he practically blew the place up. A lot of men died. Many kids were able to escape but the corrupt adults didn't make it. No one could ID him since he hid his face behind a mask.

~~~

Oat silently woke up in warmth. He didn't want to move, but something felt wrong. Something gently shook him as he paused. Sitting up, he was greeted with a warm plate of food. He paused as Silver's voice filled his ears.

"Morning. Eat up." Oat paused as he took the food.

"What-"

"I brought you to my place. It was a good choice. Someone attacked the place you were at." Oat blinked before hearing the hint. He had attacked the place. Not saying anything about it, he smiled.

"Thanks Senior Silver." He paused. "That means I have nowhere to stay."

"You can stay here for the time being." Oat smiled softly.

~~~

Purple smiled as he watched Silver take care of Oat. The younger boy looked a whole lot better and Silver's dangerous presence had calmed down. Silver was right now helping Oat with an assignment while cleaning his face from the bread crumbs that were there.

"Perfect. One down. Two to go."