Chapter 15 - 15: Stay Away
Lucifer walked through the city for a long time in search of his house. Unfortunately, he failed to find a place that looked anything like his old house. Not only that, but his body had also started to get hungry.
His stomach made heavy noises as Lucifer walked through the warm roads that were even hotter because of the bright sun above his head.
Hunger was keeping him distracted. He had an urge that eating was something that he shouldn't miss. But for that, he needed to find a place. Every time he tried to get food, things didn't end up the way he hoped.
He wondered if things were going to be different now as he changed the object of his search from his home to a place where he could eat.
He walked around for a little longer before he finally saw a place. It was a small restaurant that had a worn-out board at the front which read, "Home Food."
"Home Food?" he muttered as he started walking towards the entrance of the restaurant.
There was a bell connected to the door, which alerted the owner whenever someone entered the restaurant. It started ringing as Lucifer pushed the door open.
The restaurant seemed to be small. It also didn't have many people inside.
A middle-aged man was sitting behind the counter who stood up subconsciously as he heard the bell. The man seemed like he was in his forties. Except for the man, not a single person could be seen inside.
"We're closed for the day," the man blurted out right away, even before he could see who had arrived.
He soon realized that it was a young kid who had stepped inside.
"Kid? Why are you alone? Where are your parents? From your clothes, it doesn't look like you have parents taking care of you. How can someone as young as you be allowed to walk without a guardian?" he asked Lucifer.
He hadn't expected a ten-year-old boy to be the one who came inside his restaurant.
"I need food," Lucifer said without many expressions on his face.
"Who is it?"
A feminine voice came from the back as a woman stepped out from the kitchen. The dark-haired woman had beautiful blue eyes. She seemed to be in her late thirties. Her gentle eyes gave Lucifer a feeling of closeness.
Lucifer couldn't help but shake his head.
'Don't fall! None of them is actually kind!' he repeated in his head to make sure he didn't make the same mistake as he did with the scientists.
The dark-haired woman was the wife of the middle-aged man.
She and her husband ran the place together. The wife made the dishes while the man served the customers and handled the billing.
The woman was washing the dishes at the moment. As for the restaurant, it had a small board hanging on the doorknob, which said that the restaurant was closed today. Lucifer effectively ignored the words.
"It's a boy. He seems to be hungry; he might be an orphan as well," the middle-aged man answered his wife.
"Only that? It's fine. I'll cook something up for him," the dark-haired woman said as she nodded her head.
She looked back at Lucifer before she continued, "Little guy, Just wait a minute."
The woman stepped inside the kitchen, leaving her husband and Lucifer behind.
"True. Even though we can't help every orphan or every person in need, we can at least feed a kid that comes to our doors," the man muttered as he smiled gently. He strode towards Lucifer to pat his head.
Watching the man approach him, Lucifer couldn't help but take a step back.
"Stay away from me!" Lucifer yelled.
"Ah, alright, alright. I'll stay away," the man stopped, taken aback. He waved his hand gently as he stepped back.
He wondered if Lucifer hated him or he had some trauma that was activated when he walked closer. If it was a trauma, the man didn't want to make things worse for Lucifer.
The middle-aged man and Lucifer both stayed in their position, with no one moving in the slightest.
The silence lasted until the woman came out with a bowl of soup a few minutes later.
"Hmm? What're you doing there? You could at least sit down," the dark-haired woman let out as she smiled.
She looked at her husband and couldn't help but berate him cutely, "You should've asked him to sit down. Come on, where's your head today!"
Watching the woman scold her husband, Lucifer couldn't help but reminisce about his parents. His mother also scolded his father often when they were alive.
There was a little tinge of pain in his heart as he remembered his parents. He clenched his fist so hard that his nails started penetrating his skin.
"Come eat," the dark-haired woman alluded to Lucifer as she placed the bowl of soup on the table.
"He's a little untrusting; I don't think he'll go there as long as you stand there," the middle-aged man informed his wife, stunning her. "Come back here."
The woman was surprised, but she listened to her husband. She stepped back and walked closer to him.
"We won't come close; you can eat in comfort," the middle-aged man told Lucifer with a gentle smile on his face.
Lucifer looked at both of them for a moment before he started walking towards the table. He was still wearing the rubber gloves in his hands.