Techie shrieked and scrambled back until he felt a hard wall press against his back. “Puh-please d-don’t hurt me! I’ll d-do anything, anything !!” His terrified blubbering sped up as Foxglove got closer, putting her hands up to show Techie there were no weapons to be found.

Instead, Foxglove held up a roll of bandages and antiseptic wipes, giving him a soothing smile. His voice cut off completely when she crept up into his personal space and grabbed his bleeding arm.

He froze and… let it happen, eyes wide. There was nothing else he could do. Foxglove worked to clean and patch up his wound tight, a few strands of her blond hair falling forward and tickling Techie’s nose.

MaMa, despite being a gang leader as well, never smelled as nice or fixed up his wounds. Foxglove reminded him of warm sunshine and rich soil. He was able to release some of the tension in his shoulders.

When she was done and pulled back to check her work, Techie stuttered out his thanks, awed. Foxglove stood up and offered her hand. “I can show you my gang’s greenhouse, if you like.”

This was a gang he wouldn’t mind joining.