𝟎𝟑
The world was a canvas.
A canvas filled with color and life, a work of art which was constantly changing with time.
Kilian was a painter.
In a moment, he could change the appearance of the world. Temporarily, through the use of vivid and life-like illusions, but enough to impact people around him.
He could paint new realities in the blink of an eye, only visible to those he wanted his art to be seen by.
However, if he spent too much time painting these vivid illusions, he'd run into a little something called artist's block. The paint which formed his illusions would begin to run, it would slowly become less and less life-like to the point where those who beheld his art would be able to see through the cracks in this painted reality they'd been trapped in.
Of course, practice could fix this problem.
But Kilian had no interest in practicing.
Rather than relying on his illusions, he preferred to lean on knowledge and people skills.
Anya, on the other hand, was very different.
She used her telepathy to tell when Kilian was sleeping or not so she could harass him into getting her peanuts from the truck that always dropped random things each time it rolled by.
She used her telepathy to find Kilian whenever he was hiding from her and the other children.
On top of that, she managed to find a way to see through Kilian's illusions through the use of telepathy, deciphering what was real and what was not based on his thoughts.
He had multiple ways of preventing this, but he had neither the materials nor determination for it.
All of Kilian's problems stemmed from the esper abilities which both him and Anya happened to possess.
Every. Single. One.
And that wasn't an overestimation, it was true.
"Ian! When is your Mob Boss Aunt gonna come?"
"Hush! Keep your voice down!!!" Kilian hissed, as Anya joined him by the window and scrambled onto the wooden crate so she could peek outside with him, "She's here."
He pressed a finger against the window, Anya following it and her eyes landing up a young woman who shared Kilian's s/c skin and beauty mark.
"That's her right there." Kilian explained before pointing to the dark skinned young man who was helping the familiar Hot Cocoa Lady out of the car, "That one is my Aunt's bodyguard, he was assigned to her shortly after my Dad's death so it's likely he's still protecting her, and the Hot Cocoa Lady is here too!"
"Woah... they all look so intimidating..." Anya murmured, "Who's the blonde lady right there?"
When she received no reply, she turned her gaze to Kilian with a curious, "Ian? What's wrong?"
Kilian and sunk a little lower until only his eyes were peeking above the windowsill, an unusually nauseous look upon his face.
"I'm not sure... but she's giving me really scary vibes..." Kilian grumbled before hopping off the crate, "Come on, we've gotta head back to our spot and look as inconspicuous as possible!"
"Right! Let's go be inn-mon-pick-you-oos!" Anya exclaimed, following Kilian. Just as the two children hurried around the corner, the middle aged Orphanage Owner opened the door for the visitors.
"Huh? It's you again." he realized when he recognized the Hot Cocoa Lady, "What do you want this time?"
"We're here for a kid." the woman replied simply before glancing at y/n, "Well, she is. May we enter?"
The Orphanage let out a long sigh, "Yeah, whatever. Come on in, is there any particular kind of kid you're looking for?"
"A little boy with dark brown hair, gray eyes, and a beauty mark by his left eye." y/n spoke up, entering while Zain remained outside.
He looked like a sad puppy as the blonde woman entered along with y/n and the Hot Cocoa Lady who's real name was just Serafina, 'Noooo, I wanna walk with Elena... man, maybe next time.'
Anya peeked around the corner with curious eyes and was in awe as she laid eyes upon y/n.
She looked nothing like what she thought a Mob Boss would look like. Instead, she looked like any other pretty lady. Well, not like any other, there was something about Kilian's Aunt that made her unique to Anya.
Mm... what were her thoughts like?
Anya decided to take a little peek and instantly regretted it, backing out as soon as images of very violent things came rushing into her mind.
She was shocked, staring at y/n with a look of horror but was dragged around the corner by Kilian just before she could be spotted.
"A beauty mark by the left eye, huh?" the alcoholic man murmured, "One kid fits that description, he's one of the smartest brats here."
Y/n's small smile turned into a glare as she stared down the Orphanage Owner, damn near startling him back to soberness.
'Kilian? A brat?' y/n thought, 'Hmph, the nerve. Perhaps I could make him disappear as well. Maybe assign someone to look after the children here and get the place back into top quality shape as well.'
"I... uh— I'll take you to him!" the man said quickly, turning and hurrying down the hall past many children who stared at y/n, Elena, and Serafina in awe and with curiosity.
Y/n relaxed once more, following the man while Serafina remained by her side, "Nervous, y/n?"
"Huh? How could you tell?" y/n demanded and the dark skinned woman chuckled, her eyes glimmering with amusement.
"You have a very scary look on your face." she commented, "Loosen up, little Kilian is just how you remember him. A bit taller, and certainly just as stone faced as his father was, but the same person."
Y/n gulped and nodded once.
"You look very tired, ma'am." Elena, the blonde one, commented with curious eyes, "Did you sleep at all last night?"
"No. Yuri and I were up till seven this morning." y/n replied shamelessly before letting out a long yawn while the two young woman with her gave her amused looks, "Whew... we were at it all night..."
Serafina and Elena had the wrong idea.
Y/n and Yuri had stayed up late at the house, the two idiots planning out a room for Kilian. Y/n had been super into it, and her excitement was infectious when it came to her husband so he was just as hyped as she was.
Plus, he got head-pats out of it in addition to the chance to rest his head on his wife's lap. It wasn't a huge surprise for him to be happy as well.
That morning, both of them were in a hurry to get out the house since they overslept. The manner in which the young couple scrambled from the apartment complex and went their separate ways was rather comical in the eyes of their neighbors. Especially when they ran back to one another to give each other a lil kiss before hurrying away again.
Y/n had been a wreck when she got to the manor where Serafina, Elena, and Zain were waiting, much to Laurence's amusement and slight concern.
When asked if she was alright, she waved off her right hand man then ushered Serafina, Elena and Zain to the car.
Maybe y/n had brought too many people... she was perfectly fine with protecting herself so she could've just had Zain not go at all.
Then, it'd just be her, Serafina, and Elena.
Kilian had always been a little shy around large groups of people he wasn't familiar with, people he didn't know in general, so y/n hoped she wouldn't make him nervous.
These fluffy and worried thoughts coming from the same woman who was thinking about mutilating someone were a little scary for Anya, but she found it funny how the woman was just as nervous as her nephew.
Anya glanced at Kilian and was not impressed to find him trying and failing to look like he was reading. Huh, it was the first time she'd seen him not invested in a book.
Anya wasn't an expert on people, but it became rather easy to pick up on signs of nervousness when you went to hell and back with someone,
Kilian was fidgeting, much more than he usually would when he had nothing to do, and he was holding onto the book as though it would slip out of his hands.
Anya tried to think of a way to comfort the boy, but all ideas she had would result in him scowling at her and saying something mean to shoo her away.
Hm... what were his thoughts like?
'What if she doesn't like me? What if taking care of a kid is too much of a burden for her? Oh no... what if I get killed by the same folks who killed Papa?!'
Anya deadpanned, "Woah."
It was super unusual for Kilian to freak out.
Normally, she'd find his rare panic amusing, but she actually kinda felt bad for her friend.
'No, no, Papa used to say that Aunt Y/n never let anyone off easy! Surely she would've... well...'
Kilian let out a sigh and perked up with an alarmed look when Anya crouched beside him and pat his head.
"It's okay, you don't have to be scared." Anya said with a sweet little smile, "Your Auntie is a nice lady!"
Mostly, setting aside the fact that her thoughts were violent and very graphic in terms of gore and all that good stuff.
Anya was a little proud of herself though. Usually it was Kilian giving her awkward reassurance, or half-heartedly lying to make her feel better, but for once it was Anya being the comforting one!
"Anya..."
The pink haired girl turned her head to Kilian, expecting a teary eyed smile and a grateful look.
Instead she got an ice cold, mildly confused and somehow almost disgusted looking stare.
"Don't touch me."
"Y-Yes boss..."
"Here he is." Anya was surprised by Kilian's sudden change in demeanor, the boy quickly pushing down his worries thoughts and moving so that he was blocking his little pink haired side kick from the source of the voice.
There the Orphanage Owner was, he was drunk again from the looks of it, but someone else was there.
That blonde lady from before was with him, staring down at Anya and Kilian with sparkling eyes, 'Aww... look at Young Master Kilian! He's so adorable, and he's protecting his little friend too! Such precious children!'
Hot Cocoa Lady was there as well, much to Anya's delight, but she remained quiet behind Kilian.
"Kilian, Anya, it's nice to see you both." Serafina greeted with a warm smile and Anya nodded shyly, Kilian seemed to be lagging a bit again.
"Awww, you're such a cutie...!" the blonde lady, Elena, cooed as she crouched to the duo's level and scooped up Anya, "You and all the other kids! I just wanna take you all home!!!"
"They're not stray kittens, Elena." Serafina sighed as Elena rubbed her face against the dazzled looking Anya, almost in the same manner which a mother cat would.
"But all of them could live in the manor, couldn't they?" Elena whined as an image of an immensely large house popped up in her mind, "Right, B- I mean... Miss Y/n?"
Y/n didn't reply, staring down at Kilian with slightly rounded eyes. He was staring back at her with an equally blank look, as silent as she was.
The last time y/n had seen her nephew, he was three years old. Three, and a sneaky little thing.
'For a private meeting, Auntie's visitors are really loud.'
A smaller Kilian stood around a corner, peering at the door which led to a room where business was being conducted. It had been a short while since his Father passed, and the usually precocious and outgoing boy had become rather quiet.
His Mother was nowhere in sight, likely shopping her pain away. Her words, not Kilian's.
The little boy was curious.
His once cheerful auntie had been just as quiet as he was recently. What was she like now that she was Boss?
Kilian silently made his way towards the door.
'Nobody is watching the room.'
He stood up on his toes just a little bit so he could silently open the door, cracking it open to peek inside.
There were several men and women gathered in the room, and he could just barely make out his Aunt's h/c hair from where she was seated at the other end of the desk.
"It was definitely Isaac and his goons! They've been waiting for the chance to take down Achille for years and—!" one of the men was shouting.
Kilian recognized y/n's hand as she raised it, the nail polish she'd let him apply was there, a sign that she wanted silence. She waved her hand and the people moved aside.
Ah, Kilian had been caught.
"Kilian, did you need something?" y/n inquired.
The boy was silent, observing the other people in the room. Hm, faceless as usual. Despite not being able to see their faces clearly, Kilian knew what type of expressions they wore.
"It's nothing, I'll go—"
"Do you want to sit in on the meeting?"
Kilian perked up, looking surprised while the other people in the room seemed just as shocked.
"Y-Y/n, you can't just-!" one began but stopped when y/n fixed him with a piercing stare. It was cold, but familiar to Kilian.
"Y/n?" she repeated, voice soft but with a sharp edge.
"I, uh..." the one who had spoke lowered his head with a quiet, "Apologies, Boss. Never mind..."
"Hm." y/n glanced back to Kilian before smiling warmly and gesturing for him to come on over.
Kilian took one hesitant step into the room before hurrying over to his Aunt and stopping by her chair.
Huh, he was used to seeing his Father there.
Kilian lifted up his arms and his Aunt picked him up, setting him down on her lap so he could see the whole room.
It was quiet. Too quiet.
"Auntie... are you gonna find the one who killed Papa?" Kilian whispered to his Aunt and she smiled.
"Yea, Auntie will track them down." y/n confirmed with a sad little smile, "That way, I can ensure your safety."
"Um! I'll... I'll help too! In any way I can!" Kilian exclaimed, buzzing with determination, "Let's work together to find them!"
Y/n only chuckled, "Of course, Kilian."
'His hair...' The hair was different, but this was definitely Kilian. This was her nephew. Definitely.
Y/n knelt so that she was at Kilian's level, "Kil, do you remember me? I'm your Papa's younger sister."
"Auntie." Kilian suddenly spoke up, "You're my Dad's younger sister, so... you're my Auntie. Auntie Y/n."
'Huu... he probably doesn't remember all that much aside from my name...' y/n thought miserably and Anya glanced at Kilian.
He seemed to have noticed his Aunt's brief look of worry and suddenly blurted, "C-Cake! You used to take me out the get y-y...yummy strawberry c-cake!"
Anya blinked, 'He sounds like he's holding in a fart.'
He was just incredibly nervous.
"A-And you'd read me stories to help me sleep, let me sit on your lap during important meetings, and... and...!" Kilian's legs were shaking a little, 'You'd call me Kil-Kil, and promise to keep it a secret from Papa whenever Grandpa let me sit in the front seat of the car...! AAAAA, I WANT TO SAY MORE, BUT THEN I'D START RAMBLING AND IT'D BE INCREDIBLY AWKWARD!!!'
Anya couldn't help but grin at the usually composed and stoic Kilian's thoughts became an absolute mess, 'Heh, Ian is super nervous.'
"Aha, so you do remember." y/n exhaled in relief before smiling warmly, "I'd figured since it's been so long, you would've forgotten, so— oh!"
Kilian ran to y/n and hugged her, hiding his face in her clothing with a, "You're here to take me home, right? You'll never have to worry about visiting since we'll be living together, and I can sit with you in meetings again!"
"Kilian—"
"I promise I'll behave! I just..." 'I want to go home.'
Y/n hummed quietly before scooping up her nephew, standing upright once more with a, "As usual, you're incredibly perceptive. Yes, Kil, I'm here to take you back home."
Kilian didn't budge, only relaxed in his Aunt's embrace and rested his head against her chest with his face still hidden from sight, "That's... that's good."
Despite his simple and rather plain response, the boy could feel his eyes burning with oncoming tears.
He was finally going home.
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