My sweet smol baby bean deserves his own happily ever after and you guys deserve an adorable boy with a smile that spreads like butter. So here you go :)

This one ended up way longer than intended, so I'll have to make it multiple parts. If you like these chapters, please consider leaving a like and some comments. Enjoy!

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You pulled your coat tighter around yourself. It wasn't safe for a woman to be out alone at night, but it wasn't like you had a choice. The owners of the small shop you had been hiding out in for the past few weeks had finally discovered your unwelcome presence and had promptly kicked you out, banning you from the shelter you so desperately needed.

Fine. Whatever. You were fine on the street. As long as you could find a place to sleep that wasn't too soaked in waste water... as well as far away from any potential danger.

As you speed walked through the streets, you heard a scuffle in an alley a few buildings ahead of you.

You heard punches and grunts and laughter. Oh no. See, this is what you were trying to avoid...

Not wanting to endanger yourself, you promptly turned around. Yeah, you could put up a fight, but only against one attacker.

...But then what kind of person would you be if you left a person to get beat to a pulp? They might even die.

You wouldn't be able to forgive yourself if you let that happen.

You ducked into an alley and pressed yourself back against the wall. Yes, you wanted to help, but you also didn't want to end up dead. Best to form a strategy before diving right in.

"And stay down, crippled little piece of garbage." You heard from the alley.

You froze.

These donkey butts were beating up a DISABLED PERSON?!

That's low. And so, so messed up.

"Oops." there was a loud snap. Oh gosh. You prayed that wasn't a bone.

"Sorry, did I bust up your crutch? Heh... You know, your name is right on the dot. Crutchie. Crutchie the Cripple who can't do nothin without bein a burden. I bets that Snyder will be thrilled that we got rid of you for 'im. Won't have to sully up the Refuge with garbage like you."

These little...

Determined, and now very angry, you felt around in your pockets for something that could help. Your hand landed on a thin, cylindrical metal object.

You smirked. Perfect.

You pulled the whistle out of your pocket and blew into it as loudly as you could.

The ear splitting sound rang through the muggy midnight air. After the reverberations faded, not a sound was heard on the street.

"Is there cops round here?!" One mugger cried.

"We can't gets caught, I can't go back to jail!" A different, but also manly voice answered frantically.

"Whatever. The punk's learned his lesson. Let's get outa here before they finds us." The first voice growled. You heard two sets of footsteps dash away, leaving the poor soul they were torturing in the alley.

You heard groaning from the alley, but you forced yourself to stay in your hiding place for a little longer to make sure that those goons from earlier were actually gone.

You couldn't exactly help this person if you were also knocked out.

After thirty seconds, however, you couldn't hold yourself back any longer. You bolted towards the source of the painful grunts, mentally preparing yourself to see the shape the person was in.

When you rounded the corner, you found a crumpled heap of a boy and a skinny wooden beam that had been snapped in half.

Oh dear goodness, this poor little man.

You rushed over and checked that he was breathing. He was, but it definitely sounded like he was in pain.

"Hey, hey, is you awake?" You asked, trying to adjust the boy so he was in a more comfortable position.

"Yeah, I's fine." He mumbled in a voice that was far too cheerful for the predicament he was in. He winced a little and sucked in the occasional sharp breath when you jostled a particularly painful spot.

"You are most certainly not fine. Where's it hurt the worst?" You questioned, trying to get a better view of the boy so you could asses the damage. An alley at midnight is not the ideal lighting for seeing well...

"My head. They soaked me real good. I thinks I's gonna have a black eye tomorrow, not to mention the cuts." He chuckled, as though it were just a big joke. The laughing caused him to wince again, however, and you placed your hands in his shoulders to calm him down a bit.

Wow... this dude is low key ripped.

Focus, (Y/n)! Think of some sort of amphibian...

"Ok. Ok. So you's hurt on your head and your stomach. I don't think I can do much about the stomach but I can patch up that gash on your forehead. One sec." You propped him against the sooty brick wall of the alley and, after ensuring that he wasn't going to fall or pass out or anything, reached up and ripped off one of your shirt sleeves.

"Whoa whoa whoa, you don't gots to rip up your stuff for me. I is gonna be fine, I just need a second." He tried to get up. You placed a hand on his chest and pushed him back down.

"No. Rest. Tryin to push yousself farther than your body can handle isn't gonna help nobody. Just let me help you. Besides, my shirt was already pretty beat up, so this ain't no big deal." You rambled as you tore your shirt sleeve into long strips of fabric.

The boy (you had decided that, based on his voice, this was most likely a boy in his teens) sighed, but didn't protest any further. In fact, he looked a bit sad. Well, at least you thought so. It was too dark to see much of anything, so it could just be that he was in pain.

You crouched down beside him and wrapped the strips of cloth around his head, tying a good knot to secure it.

"There. That should keeps it from bleedin much more."

There was a pause. You didn't know what else to say. Suddenly, the boy spoke again.

"Was it you? Did you blow that whistle to scare away those bast- bad guys?"

You smiled a bit. He didn't want to swear, that's so adorable. Wait... what?

"Yeah, that was me." You spoke, a little cautious. The boy just chuckled.

"Thanks then, Whistles. You really saved my butt."

"Whistles?"

"Well you blew that whistle back there, right? Seems only fittin to call you Whistles."

"Well, my name's (Y/n), but you can call me whatever you want."

He just stared at you in silence for a moment.

Wait a second...

"Shoot, that came out wrong! I meants that- I's was sayin that you- I didn't- Whistles is fine, thanks." You stumbled over your words.

The boy laughed. It was light and full of mirth, but it was quickly cut off by the sudden pain that overtook his features.

"Oh crap, I's sorry. No laughin, got it? I don't wants you gettin hurt even worse." you hurried, kneeling down closer to him and waving your hands about, wanting to help, but also not wanting to touch a sore spot and hurt him.

He nodded, and you sighed, relaxing back a bit. You looked around at the filthy area the two of you occupied. Wait, was that a rat? There was definitely movement happening by that waste bin... you quickly turned your attention back to the boy.

"Hey, let's see if we can't get you up. We can't exactly spend the whole night in an alley, now can we?" You said, offering the boy your hand. He tentatively took your hand and you smiled, though the happiness quickly faded.

"Do... do you think you could help me? I gots a... a bum leg. And since them bullies snapped my crutch I don't thinks I can walk on my own." He said quietly, a hint of sadness in his tone. Your heart twinged. Oh my goodness, this poor sweet boy couldn't catch a break, could he?

"Of course. Here, lean on me and put your arm around my shoulder. I'll be your crutch tonight, ok?" You said, squatting down and maneuvering into the needed position to get him on his feet.

"Ok, on three, we'll stands up. Ready? 1, 2, 3 up!" You slowly came to a standing position, supporting some of the boy's weight while he stood on his left foot. The right one was twisted at an odd angle. He was a bit heavier than expected, and you grunted under the sudden weight. Once you readjusted, however, you were able to stand up straight. All those years running from Snyder got you some pretty powerful legs.

Ok. You were up. What now? It wasn't like you could stay in the alley all night, especially because he was injured, but where on earth would you go?

Well, you wouldn't get anywhere if you stayed in the alley.

"Let's get back to the Main street. There's more light and people there, so we won't have to worry about them bullies comin back." You said. The boy nodded and the two of you started to slowly make your way towards the street.

Ok. Now that you were walking, you had to figure out where you were walking to. You turned to the boy.

Now that you were out of the alley, his features were more visible. He had a round face, messy, light brown hair and brown eyes that twinkled with happiness despite the situation. You got the feeling that this boy was always positive and happy.

You noticed you were staring for a bit too long right when he turned to look at you. You quickly recovered yourself.

"Hey, do you gots somewhere to stay? Folks maybe?" You asked cautiously. You knew firsthand how the presence of parents, or lack thereof could be a touchy subject.

"I- no. I don't got no folks." He mumbled. You felt your heart break for this random boy you found battered in an alley.

"I don't got no family either. But hey, that's what friends are for, right?" You said softly. You didn't say it would be ok. Not having parents around as a kid was never ok. But you could let him know that he was not alone. You turned away a little bit.

"I's sorry. About your parents..." you murmured.

"Hey, lets not talk about that. Focus on the good stuff." he sais cheerily, as if he wasn't currently hurt and homeless.

"Alright. Then I'm glad I was walking around here tonight, soz I could find you. I guess there's a reason for everything, huh?"

He smiled and nodded a bit.

"I's glad you found me too, Whistles."

You smiled at the name.

"Speaking of, Is there something you wants me to call you? Do you gots a name?" You asked. You didn't want to keep referring to him as 'the boy.'

His mood suddenly darkened.

"Oh um... I don't exactly... well, people call me Crutchie..." he trailed off.

"Crutchie then. Well, it's very nice to meet you, Crutchie. I'm (Y/n). Wait, you already knows that... Hi again, I guess? Great now I sounds like an idiot. Why can't I just talk like a normal person?" You rambled awkwardly. You didn't know exactly what was causing his sudden gloominess, but you wanted to wipe it away as fast as you could. something about him made you want to protect him.

Crutchie's mood lifted almost immediately.

"You know, it's hard not to laugh when you's actin all cute like that." He said, sounding like he was suppressing a wave of chuckles.

Wait...

Oh! Oh no...

Your face filled with heat, as did Crutchie's when he realized what exactly he had just said.

"Wait! No! That ain't what I meant, I's sorry (Y/n). It's not that you aren't cute but- ghaaa!" you laughed at his flustered babbling.

"It's aright, Crutchie. No harm done." You said, cheeks still burning.

"So... uhh..." Crutchie began, searching for something to change the subject.

"Where are we going? You gots a place to stay?" He asked.

"Nah, I got kicked out today. That's why I was out and about so late. I was actually... hey! We could spend the night at the church! I's sure the nuns won't mind at all. You ok wit that?" You gushed. Sleeping on a hard wooden pew didn't sound all that appealing, but it was a roof over you heads and protection from any muggers.

Crutchie smiled.

"Sure. Sounds good to me."

So the two of you slowly but surely began making your way towards the church.