A/N - imagine him younger in this picture ^^

-Your POV-

By the time you exited the bathtub, the soapy water was cold and your skin was wrinkled. Now, as you look in the mirror, you feel refreshed and happy. Queenie is certainly a very sweet and good-hearted woman, she let you pick out the bubble bath and helped you untangle your wild-looking hair before leaving you to soak and play in the bubble bath.

Drying off, you look at the clothes  Queenie laid out for you to wear. A f/c dress, which is much too big for you because it belongs to Queenie. It's cute and delicate, nothing like you've ever worn before.

You carefully slip into it and marvel at its soft fabric. Slowly, you open the bathroom door and make your way back to the kitchen area where you hear voices.

"Queenie, we can't just take her in! She has a family-"

"No, that's the point! She doesn't have a family, and those people at the circus hurt her. Teen, we can't just send her away. . ."

Silence creeps in after Queenie's outburst, and you examine the floor, afraid that they will send you back. Back to the place you hate most in the world.

"Queenie, we can't just take her in," the other lady - you suppose this must be Tina, Queenie's sister - says again, gently this time.

No one says anything for a while, so you slowly amble into the kitchen. You keep your eyes steadily fixed on the clean floor as they examine you.

"T-thanks for the dress, I'll pay you back when I can," you address Queenie, nervously biting your lip.

"Honey, you don't have to! Tomorrow we'll go out and buy you some clothes that fit, but for now, that  dress will have to do." She smiles brilliantly.

"But I thought-" You start to say before she interjects.

"Tina just changed her mind, she's gonna go to MACUSA to see what can be done. For now, you're staying here with us. Isn't that great!?" Queenie babbles, her excitement evident on her energetic face.

You smile shyly, "Are you sure? I wouldn't want-"

"Of course we're sure, honey! You won't be a bother at all, we're happy to have you! This is Tina," she motions to her dark-haired sister. Tina has a strict-looking face, but her eyes are kind and she offers you a nice smile.

"Hello, Y/n. It's nice to meet you." She greets you kindly.

You duck your head and return the greeting bashfully.

"It's late, honey. Let's get you off to bed." Queenie smiles and helps you brush your hair and make the guest bed.

"Thanks, Queenie," you tell her, giving her a hug.

She grins and hugs you back, "No problem. See you in the morning Y/n, have a good sleep."

With that farewell, she slowly shuts the door, leaving you in darkness. You look around the room and smile. This beats the cage, you think.

You cautiously hop off the bed and move to the window, looking up at the stars and the moon. I owe them so much already, just for letting me be happy, even if they send me away, you consider Queenie and Tina.

Your thoughts go from the Goldstein sisters to the sad boy you met the other night. He seemed like he needed a friend, and you want to be there for him.

No one should be friendless, you decide determinedly. No matter what, I'm gonna be his friend.

And, maybe he'll be my friend, you smile at this thought and clamber back into the bed.

~

Across the city, a small boy looks out his window, searching the streets for any sign of the puppy from the other night. He dares not hope that the canine will be there again, but he wishes - oh how he wishes - that she will be.

The soft, e/c eyes that seemed to understand his pain had been seared into his memory, and he wanted to see them again.

Somehow, the animal had seemed intelligent. Less animalistic and more human. Only not like the humans that the boy knows. These eyes held compassion and well-wishing. All others that he has seen never held such a look of shared feelings.

Maybe he's going crazy.

A human can't be a dog.

If Mary Lou heard his thoughts, she'd surely hit him and call him blasphemous. But no matter how bad the beatings got, the thing that scared the boy the most, is how she never shows emotion while dealing out his 'punishments'.

She seemed as if cut from harsh stone. No emotion.

And no mercy.

He shudders involuntarily, the cold night air now jarring to his senses. The cuts on his hands are healing nicely, and the bruise on his cheek has brightened to a light purple mixed with green and brown.

He winces and sadly steps back from the window as he remembers how he got those wounds. But he doesn't want to think about it.

Maybe sometime he can escape this place, but for now, this is his home. Even if this 'home' is more of a nightmare conjured from his darkest fears then it is a place of refuge.

His shoulders slumped, he makes his way to the bed and lays down.

His eyes, unblinking, stare out at the dark, as he tries to stop tears from falling. Failing, a teardrop slides down his cheek and drops onto his pillow. He clutches the blankets, desperately longing for comfort. Wishing for happiness that he could never achieve here.

He wishes as he cries. And as he cries, he aches for something he had only had a glance of.

He aches for compassion and, perhaps most importantly, love.

A/N - I hope you enjoyed!