Baby Boy || Gay MxM || Omegaverse

3. Reaching Out

I didn't really sleep that night. I'd kept my door open so I could hear if the kid left his room in the middle of the night, but if he had, I'd not noticed it. When the sun was rising, I fought my urge to go check up on him and make sure he was still in his room. He was free to go if he so wanted, I just... I just doubted he'd survive on his own. He'd walk in front of a car or something...

Fifteen minutes later, I lost the battle and got out of bed. I pulled on a robe and tiptoed my way out of my room, across the hallway and to his door. I pressed my ear against it, but heard nothing. I hesitated for a good while, but my curiosity and worry won, and I quietly opened the door.

And there he was, still in bed, under the covers, but the second he heard me, he hurried to sit up, and retreated until he ran out of room.

"Sorry, sorry, didn't mean to spook you," I said soothingly. "Just wanted to see how you're doing."

He turned his head down, retreating into himself, trying to keep his body small. But... there wasn't a lot of fear in him now. He was still scared, but not afraid of his life like yesterday. I let out a relieved breath and slowly approached his bed.

"Are you feeling better? Did you sleep well?" I asked with a friendly smile.

He kept himself turned away from me, but somehow... somehow he seemed more aware now.

"You look better," I noted, studying his face. There was a little more color on his face. "I bet you're hungry."

There was something black on the floor on his side. His jeans? Yeah, he'd taken his jeans off. For some reason, that made me feel so much better. That was such a human thing to do. Maybe... Just maybe...

"Do you mind if I sit? I'll stay on this side," I said, slowly sitting down on the bed, as far away from him as I could. He didn't seem to mind, so I made myself comfortable. I glanced out the window. "It's going to be a really nice day today. Maybe you'd like to spend the morning with me in my garden?"

I could've sworn he was about to look out the window as well, but stopped himself. I studied him, his posture, his expression, even his breathing. I couldn't just be imagining things. There really was more life in him. He was showing interest.

"I have a really nice garden. No thanks to me though. My gardener does all the work. He's amazing," I told the kid. "Or we can stay indoors. I'm sure you could use the rest. I can also stay out of your hair until you feel better. Or completely. It's all up to you."

His head moved a little in my direction. Not even half an inch, and he still kept his gaze down, but he did react to my words. That felt really, really good.

"Do you want me to leave you alone?" I asked tentatively.

He shifted a little, turning away from me. I thought that was his way of telling me to leave, but then he lifted his left hand a little, turning his palm up. I tried to see what he was looking at, but his fingers blocked my view. It looked like he was holding something.

"What is it?" I asked quietly.

He reacted to me again. He didn't look at me exactly, but somewhere in my direction. There was still fear in his eyes. Fear and pain. He hesitated for a really long time, then looked back at his hand. He let out a few deeper breaths as I waited patiently. We were getting somewhere. I knew we were. He just needed a little bit more courage.

"I'd like to see it," I said gently, then held my breath when he turned his whole body toward me. "What do you have there?"

He stared at whatever he was holding, then lifted his head up, his eyes meeting mine. He quickly lowered his gaze, took another deep breath, then moved his hand closer to me. I stayed perfectly still, maintaining my smile.