Tessa kept herself close to him as they walked towards the little river, and kept a hand firmly on his back, nervous that he'd suddenly fall and hurt himself more or... something like that. She sighed softly and shook her head as they settled down next to the tree, her eyes glued to the spot he'd wrapped up with hopefullt clean cotten. Her brows furrowed slightly, and she rested her head back a little. "You can't blame your parents for fighting like this," she murmured softly to him. She rested her hand on her kness, her eyes soft. "You could have gotten really hurt," she whispered, trying to make some sort of a point. Did he not get tired of it? Constantly hurting and worrying that something might go seriously wrong? Because she was. She was so tired of him running around like an idiot, promising he wouldn't do it again just to go out the next day and do it all over again. She just shook her head as he appologised, and looked back over at the little lake. She wished he didn't have to do this sort of thing, but she knew it wasn't all that easy down here. Always looking over your shoulder, making sure no one was trying to hurt you or... something like that. She was very good at keeping to herself, but Cole... not so much. She'd never seen anyone pull a knife on him, either, and she had to admit it had scared her. The thought of her best friend possibly being pulled away from her hurt more than anything.

Klaus thought about the words Tessa said, "You could have gotten really hurt" ran through his mind a thousand times. He felt like a 16 year old boy running from trouble. Wasn't he supposed to be an adult, act like an adult, but how? How does someone act like an adult? He began to studder out words to try and tell Tessa that he'd change, "I...I..." how could he promise something that he didn't know whether he could keep. "Tessa I can't take it anymore" he finally got out, the knife, the worried look Tessa had in her eyes, it was too much to bear. All this time he was trying to protect her, but maybe it was the other way round. His selfish ways only caused more danger. He held his head in his hands trying to make due as to what he was saying. Nothing would change if he stopped fighting, maybe less scars and near death experience but he was stuck in the slums for the rest of his life. No way out. And Tessa she was going through the same thing he was, if not worse. He couldn't bear to loose her. "Tessa I.. I " a thud from nearby made Klaus stand up. The fire of anger burned in his eyes and he tried desperately hard to fight it back. The man from before was back the same knife still with blood on it. Although this time the man's focus was on Tessa and not on Klaus. "Tessa, Tessa" he said repeatedly as if to warn her. Klaus wanted to walk over there and beat him up but the pain of Tessa's eyes, her words, the knife, it was too much. For once the choice was before him fight or flight.

Tessa watched him for a moment, nodding softly. She knew what he meant. She knew how hard it could be. But she always tried to look on the lighter side—believing that if she worked hard enough, she could get her family out of here. Maybe one day, they’d have a small house on an urban street, somewhere with parks and green spaces. Maybe she’d even have a real job. Something in an office, somewhere more… sophisticated than this.

She’d never forget this place, though. She’d never forget watching her best friend get beaten half to death every other day or the way rats swarmed the corpses left to rot. She’d remember it all—even this moment, as her seemingly fearless Cole let his guard slip in a way she couldn’t quite place. She leaned into him, just a little, nodding again. "I know, I know," she whispered. "It’ll be better one day. But I need you to stay alive until that day comes. Then we’ll get out of here. Somewhere far, far away." She meant it. She had to mean it. But then came the heavy thud.

Her head snapped up as Cole called her name, her eyes locking onto the man standing just ahead. The grin on his face sent something sickly crawling up her spine.They had to go. Right now. The last thing she needed was Cole picking a fight—especially not when he was already hurt.

She grabbed his hand and stood quickly, yanking him up with her. "You're not allowed to fight this man," she said, her voice firm, her hands shoving at his back in a clear signal to start running, anywhere but here. The man was fat and old, and she wanted nothing more than to get as far away from him and possible.

Moving rather quickly xD)

+++

Cole watched the man intently and felt Tessa tugging at his arm, Klaus reluctantly let her drag him away. Not fighting when danger was present, felt eerie. It was different, something Cole had never felt before. Once they were a safe distance away he leaned on wall catching his breath, "Then we'll get out of here?" he said reiterating what Tessa had said. The slums were the only thing he had ever known since birth. Left on the streets this was his home. It fed him but also hurt him and the people he cared about. Waking up every morning not knowing whether it was your last day. Every day was treated like the last. "Leaving....." the thought hurt him in many ways, but it was good pain. Pain that he could handle, "How would we even start? Humans are everywhere we'll never be rid of the unpleasant stench of human". Cole for the first time grabbed Tessa's arm softly, "What if the world out there breaks what we have, I can't bear to loose my bestfriend" he said quietly releasing her arm. 19 years of calling the slums home. 10 years of fighting, wounds, near death experience, for nothing, had this meant nothing to Tessa? He wanted to hear her say something, her feelings. For once it wasn't about Cole and his fights it was about what Tessa wanted. A war within him unlike any physical fight took withold on him. Cole grabbed his chest relieving pressure. Tessa's job, not to mention Klaus's parents. They were out of his life since the moment he was dumped. He knew exactly where they lived and for 5 years walked by the house planning to go inside. Leave them behind never realising the reason as to why they left him, why they never loved him enough to care. Cole buckled over his body staying in the shadows. It was too much to bear all at once. The past 19 years of his life came flooding back into his mind. It was too much to bear.

We can slow it right down if you'd like xD)
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Tessa dragged him along, her pulse pounding in her ears as her mind raced, desperately searching for somewhere—anywhere—they could go. Every alleyway, every corner, every possible escape route flashed through her mind, but eventually, they slipped into a narrow alley, and she was almost sure the man wouldn’t follow them up it. Her hands were shaking. Maybe from fear, maybe from adrenaline. Maybe both. She wanted to taunt Cole, to tell him how much easier that was than taking another beating, how much smarter it was to run instead of stacking up more wounds he’d have to suffer through later. But she knew him. He wouldn’t take it well. Maybe he’d roll his eyes, maybe he’d brush her off, maybe he’d actually listen for once—she’d never know, because she wasn’t going to say it. Instead, she just nodded softly. “We’re getting out of here,” she murmured, her voice firm, unwavering. “One way or another. I’m dragging my family with me, and don’t you think for a second that I’m not dragging you along too.” She meant it. Every word. She exhaled slowly, her body sagging as she leaned back against the damp brick wall and slid down until she was sitting on the mucky ground. Her legs felt weak—maybe from the running, or maybe from the weight of everything pressing down on her. When she looked up at him, that same hopeful spark shone in her eyes, the one she always had, even when she had no right to. “You’re my family too, you know,” she whispered. She had to believe things would get better. She couldn’t afford to let that hope slip away, couldn’t let herself accept this god-awful excuse for a life. It wasn’t right. It wasn’t fair. She sighed, resting her head back against the wall, closing her eyes for a moment as he spoke. The sound of his voice was grounding—until his fingers suddenly wrapped around her arm. A small, startled squeak left her lips, but she didn’t pull away. She let him hold onto her, let him be here, with her. “I dunno,” she mumbled. “It might never happen. But it’s nice to dream, right?” Then, with the smallest of smiles, she bumped his side. “If it does happen, though, I promise you’ll still be my best friend. Hell, seeing you actually settling down instead of throwing yourself into every fight you see might even make me like you more,” she added, though the chuckle that followed was bitter. Because she hated seeing it. Hated the way he ran headfirst into danger. Hated the way he always ended up hurt. Hated that more often than not, he got himself injured for her. She was grateful. Of course, she was grateful. But life didn’t have to be like this. And it was so... tiring. Then, as her gaze flickered up to him again, that bitter amusement faded into something softer. Something worried. “It makes me nervous that you think something good—something like getting far, far away from here—could break what we have,” she murmured, studying him carefully. “I think we’ve been through enough together to know that’s not gonna happen.” It wouldn’t happen. He’d been something like a brother to her for as long as she could remember. And if something happened to that—if something happened to them—devastated wouldn’t even begin to cover it.

Tessa watched him curiously for a moment, as she often did, wondering—not for the first time—how they had even become friends in the first place. They were so different. She held onto hope like a lifeline, always trying to see the good in people, always striving to keep the people she cared about safe, especially Cole. She went out of her way to make sure he was okay, fussing over his cuts and bruises, trying to keep him out of fights, trying to keep him here. Her own family was the same way—tight-knit, protective, always looking out for one another. They didn’t have much, but they had each other, and that was enough. And Cole? He was part of that, whether he wanted to be or not. He was as much her family as any of them, and if they ever got the chance to get out of this place—even just a little further away from the filth and danger—then there was no doubt in her mind that he’d be coming with them. No questions asked. No hesitation. That was just how it was. She offered him a small, knowing smile as he stood up to leave, her voice light despite the exhaustion weighing on her shoulders. "I'll see you tomorrow, hm?" she chirped, watching him saunter off until he disappeared into the night. And then, as always, the quiet settled around her. It always felt too still when he was gone—no laughter, no teasing, none of his sharp-edged humor that never quite felt mean when it came from him. But she didn’t have time to dwell on it. There was still work to be done.

With a deep breath, she pushed herself up and started making her way toward the nearest inn. The evenings were spent here, waiting tables, checking on guests, sometimes tidying up the rooms when asked. It wasn’t difficult work, just tiring, and she supposed she didn’t hate it. The pay wasn’t much, but it was something, and every little helped. The people weren’t great—not exactly the kind of crowd she wanted to be around—but she kept her head down and did her job. Nine o’clock rolled around, and she was finally free, stepping out into the cool night air with an exhausted sigh. Her body ached, her feet were sore, and she could already feel the weight of tomorrow pressing down on her. But she walked on, letting the familiar path guide her home, her thoughts drifting between the warm glow of hope she always tried to hold onto and the ever-present, gnawing worry for a boy who never seemed to care enough about his own survival.

Teresa moved through the streets at a steady pace, weaving between the bustling market stalls as she picked up what little food she could afford with the money she’d made that day. It wasn’t much, but it was enough. Enough to keep everyone going, to keep them from starving—not full, not satisfied, just alive. Her brothers would tear through whatever she brought home like wild animals, while she and her mother would take what they could before leaving the rest for them. It was just the way things were. They were healthy enough, she supposed. She pulled her shawl tighter around her shoulders, shielding the small bag at her side from the press of bodies around her, carefully navigating her way out of the crowd. The sky had darkened by now, the air cooling as the day wound down. It had to be close to ten. If she was lucky, she’d be home in another ten minutes. But luck wasn’t something she relied on—not when the streets grew quiet, and the wrong kind of people started lurking in the shadows. She slipped down a narrow alley, taking a shortcut. Not smart, maybe, but she didn’t want to be out any later than necessary. The sooner she got home, the better.

Then she heard them. Footsteps. Heavy ones, trailing behind her, close enough that the sound sent an uneasy chill creeping up her spine. Her pulse quickened, and before she could even think about it, her pace picked up. She wasn’t stupid. She knew exactly what it meant to be alone in a place like this. She should have asked Cole to stick around a little longer—he’d stayed at her place a few times before, usually when the weather was bad or when he was too beaten up for her to feel comfortable letting him leave. But she never wanted to burden him, never wanted to ask him to go out of his way for her. Still, the thought nagged at her. Where did he go after their meetings? Was it safe? Was it warm? Did he even have a place to sleep? Her stomach twisted at the thought. She was always worrying about him, about what kind of trouble he’d get himself into, about whether he was eating, about whether he’d even make it to see the next day. And yet he never seemed to worry about himself. She let out a slow, steady breath, trying to keep her head level as the footsteps behind her grew quicker. Just a few more minutes, she told herself. Just get home.

.