He ended up getting a big jar of peanut butter, a few loaves of cheap bread, and some dollar TV dinners. He also grabbed a big pack of ramen, since it was easy and also quite cheap. His cart definitely didn't end up being the healthiest, but it was the cheapest. 

It also left him with a reasonable amount of money to get one of the cameras Grim told him to buy.  

I'll be able to eat well until my next pay check and get a cool new camera to make Grim happy. 

He was all smiles as he checked out at the front with one of the older ladies that had worked there since he was a boy. 

"Good evening, sweetheart. You seem to be in good spirits today," she said with her own warm smile as she rang up his usual meals. 

Ian nodded with an affirmative "mhm!" as he stacked his little haul on the conveyer belt so that she could start scanning them. 

He noticed that she'd slipped a big Snickers bar in between items, but hadn't scanned it, drawing his eyes up to hers and a faint warmth to his cheeks. 

"You know me, I've already paid for it, hun. Just want to bring a bigger smile to that handsome face of yours," she said, doing exactly what she intended as he beamed at her, excited for the rare dessert. 

"Thank you, ma'am. I really appreciate the treat," he said honestly as he handed her his card to pay for his things.  

Once he had his two bags he stepped back out into the cool evening air, then paused as something to his right caught his eye. 

A little boy? 

Ian turned his head to get a better look, but the boy quickly ducked behind a dirty brick wall next to an alleyway entrance. 

Curious, and also a little worried, he slowly walked closer, but made sure to keep his eyes off of that spot as he approached. 

He was nearly to the entrance of the alley when he saw the little boy peek out from behind the wall again, then immediately disappear, clearly startled by his sudden close proximity. 

"Don't worry, sweetheart. I'm just worried about you," Ian said as he stopped at the entrance and looked inside. 

Oh...

The little boy had run halfway down the dark alley to stand in front of what appeared to be a body. 

Pursing his lips nervously, Ian made the decision to ignore the boy's fear of him and quickly walk over. The kid, surprisingly, stayed standing where he was even as Ian stopped next to him, then knelt down to check and see if the other person was alive. 

Ah, a woman. Maybe his mum? 

She was incredibly dirty and very thin, but to his surprise, he found a pulse at her neck. 

"Let me help your mom, okay?" he told the little boy as he tugged out his old phone and dialed 911. 

They didn't have to wait long for the police to show up, but as soon as people began to swarm the enclosed space, the boy began to shake and cry. 

An officer was trying to calm him down, but nothing seemed to work. Especially after they ended up carting his mom away in an ambulance. 

"Do you happen to know this boys name?" 

Ian looked over his shoulder as he finished speaking with an investigator to see an officer walking over holding the boy's hand. 

The kid was still shaking and clearly stressed out of his mind, but he understood why they hadn't brought him with his mom, considering the state she was in and the possibility of her dying. 

Swallowing down his own nerves, Ian knelt down in front of the little boy and took out a few of the small TV dinners he'd bought. 

They were nearly thawed out by now, which meant that they needed to be eaten or discarded soon. 

"Would it be okay if we go have a bite to eat at the little store down the street?" he asked the boy and the officer at the same time. 

He knew that the kid likely wouldn't be able to stomach much right now, but he also knew that he was clearly starving and very malnourished. Even if he threw it up, if he could keep it down for a little while it might help him. 

"Want to go eat a little while the nice doctors help your mom?" the officer asked with a friendly smile as the boy looked between them both with wide eyes. 

Eventually, thankfully, he nodded, and they all wandered down to the little grocery store that was just about ready to close. 

Thankfully, they seemed to realize that something had happened and gladly kept some of the lights on, as well as let them use their little nook they made for customers who wanted to eat their meal there. 

The little boy decided on, of course, a macaroni and cheese dinner with a little side of chicken nuggets, while Ian had a spaghetti and meatball and the officer, after the boy pointed at the other container for a bit, wanting him to eat, too, ended up eating the lasagna. 

They definitely weren't high end, even for TV dinners, but the boy eagerly shoveled his entire tray of food into his mouth without an ounce of hesitation, likely not even tasting it, anyways. 

Ian ate a good bit slower, so when the boy finished with his meal in less than five minutes, he slid the remainder of his own in front of him. 

It, too, was gone in moments, leaving the boy sleepy and content. 

He was clearly still worried, but the rarity of a full belly wasn't lost on his body, and soon he was snoring quietly with his head cradled within his arms on the little table. 

"Thank you for helping him and his mother," the officer finally said as he finished his meal and wiped a bit of sauce from his mustache. 

Ian smiled sheepishly and shrugged his shoulders a little. 

"It was no problem at all. I'm glad I was there to help." 

He really was glad that he'd been at the right place at the right time. 

I should head home soon. 

It was getting close to midnight and he had work in six hours. He was just about to dismiss himself to go get some rest when the officer's phone rang. 

The conversation was clearly about the boy and his mother, and when he finally hung up about ten minutes later, he sighed and looked across the table at him. 

"It was an overdose. They managed to reverse it with Narcan and she's in stable condition now," he said, prompting Ian to give a quiet sigh of relief as he looked at the sleeping boy beside him. 

"He'll likely go into foster care while his mom does rehab, but I'll try my best to keep them in contact with each other. Losing family is never a good thing," the officer said, making Ian fidget on the inside. 

He wouldn't argue that losing his family had hurt a little, but it had also likely saved his life. 

It wasn't worth bursting the man's bubble by saying that, though. Besides, he agreed in this situation. The boy still clearly cared for his mother and he knew that drugs could do terrible things to people. As soon as she was lucid, he didn't doubt that she'd worry about where her little boy was. 

"I'm glad. I hope things work out for them. I'm going to head home now," he said as he quietly got up, leaving the sleeping boy with the officer as he cleaned up, then took his remaining bag of food and headed out. 

He intended to go home, but a sign across the street drew his attention as it flashed open. Then, right next to that sign, he saw one of the cameras Grim had told him to get. 

It's still open...

After hesitating for only a moment, he hurried across the street, but then turned toward the store and made the short walk over. 

The store looked like it was about to close, too, so he hesitated even walking in, but when he saw another one of the cameras behind the register, he walked inside and pointed up at it. 

"Could I buy that please?" 

The guy that had been cleaning up behind the desk looked up to where he was pointing and smiled. 

"Sure man!" he said as he reached up and took down the fancy looking streaming camera. 

"It's on sale, too. Fifty dollars off," he said as he rang it up for him. 

Two-hundred and fifty. 

It really was cheaper than the same one online.

Wait, that means I can add the fifty dollar savings to my bills. 

It was a good night! 

He was all smiles as he took his items home and got the meager supply of food put away. 

As much as he wanted to play with the camera and talk to Grim, he was about ready to keel over. 

Thus, he just set the box on his worn desk, then went into his tiny bathroom to rinse off, brush his teeth, and wash his hands. 

Once everything was done, he tossed his clothing into his dirty hamper and pulled on a clean pair of boxers, then, finally, settled down onto his little floor mat. 

It definitely wasn't a bed, but it was padded well enough so that he could sleep without waking up too sore in the morning. His feet also didn't hang over the edge... if he curled up a bit. 

Once he was all settled, he turned his phone on and went to Grim's channel and played the first video on his list as he tugged his blanket up and over his head, building himself a little tent to hide away from the world for a bit. 

It was the video of his most recent stream where they were playing together. As soon as the young man's face came up on the corner of the screen, Ian couldn't help but smile. 

When he got to the part where he told his followers that he belonged to him, Ian felt his heart thump harder in his chest. 

I am yours, and it makes me happy just hearing you say that. 

He didn't dare wish for me, because he already had way more than he ever thought he would. There was a roof over his head, food in his belly, and someone who was waiting for him that called him theirs. 

He let the video continue playing, since his phone was hooked up to the charger, and closed his eyes. Before it even finished it, he was out cold, his smile still settled on his pale lips. 

Unfortunately, it didn't feel like he'd been asleep for long before he heard his phone buzzing with a strange, unfamiliar sound. 

Reaching blindly in its direction, he eventually managed to grab it, then bring it over in front of his bleary eyes. 

When, after a few blinks and a bit of squinting, he finally figured out what was going on, he quickly sat up, startled, and hit the accept button on the Discord call. 

"Hello?" he rasped tiredly as his eyes closed again of their own accord. 

"The hell do you mean, hello? Didn't you forget something?" Grim admonished, making Ian groan quietly and shake his head, trying to rid his fuzzy mind of the haze of sleep settled within it. 

It didn't really help, so he decided to just go the placate route and mumbled a groggy "I'm sorry." 

There was a long pause before Grim replied, seemingly having gotten lost in thought... or he was just multitasking, since he often stayed up way later than him. 

"Babe, is everything okay?" 

Trying his best to stay upright, Ian rubbed at his left eye as he processed Grim's question. 

"I was just sleeping," he eventually ended up saying, unsure what his friend was trying to get at. 

Grim paused again for a moment and Ian could hear some shuffling sounds on the other end of the line. 

"I got that part, cause you sound sexy as fuck, but since you aren't seeming to understand, I was just checking in because you never messaged me good night like you always do before you go to bed." 

 Oh!

Suddenly a decent bit more awake, Ian felt his face warm as he yawned, then shook his head again.

"I-I'm sorry, I ran into some people near the store when I went to get food, then I bought the camera you wanted me to get," he replied, though he knew he was just rambling excuses. 

Another few moments and some more shuffling sounds later, Grim replied. 

"Alright, good. Just wanted to make sure nobody kidnapped my bitch." 

Ian couldn't help but smile, then chuckle sleepily. 

"Thank you, love. I appreciate you checking in on me," he said as he finally settled back down, then yawned again. 

"Damn right, now go to sleep. You sound exhausted but fuckable and it's becoming distracting," Grim said before he heard him yawn on the other end. 

So cute...

"Alright, good night, Grim. See you later." 

Grim scoffed, then yawned again. 

"Damn right! Don't show anyone else your face before me," he said sternly, though his sleepiness made his warning just sound adorable. 

"Yes sir, good night," Ian replied as he nuzzled into his pillow, pretending that it was Grim, a smile firmly settled on his face. 

"G'night," Grim echoed.  

Ian was out cold moments later, having completely forgotten to even end the Discord call.