I walked up to the house and then the door opened to reveal Uncle Rico, or maybe Vidal's dad. I wasn't too sure anymore. I just wanted Vidal back.

"V-v-vi-"

"Hey, hey, hey. No... I'll bring him." The man said, seeing the state I'd been reduced to.

Who he was, was not important to me at that moment, I just wanted Vidal back.

"Vidal!"

"What?!" I heard Vidal's voice.

He sounded angry.

He was still angry with me.

I had ruined everything.

I knew I was an idiot for being such a brat and for refusing to hug him.

"Come here! Now!" The man yelled as I sunk to the floor.

I heard Vidal's heavy footsteps, the way he was walking was definitely angry. I felt my heart shatter at the fact that I ruined everything.

"Kiwi?! Oh, no... Baby, what happened?! What're you doing here?" He said, running over and scooping me up into his warm embrace.

I shivered at the warmth, it was far too cold outside for the clothes I was wearing.

"Are you alright, Kiwi?" He asked, rocking me back and forth.

"Y-y-ou-... angry... -cook, cl-cl-clean-... c-come b-ba- home!" I sobbed uncontrollably.

"Oh no, Kiwi. It's ok. I have no idea what you just said but whatever it is, it's all going to be ok." He said to me.

I shook my head and hugged him tightly, hiding my face in his neck.

"Y-you're ok." He said, petting my back and carrying me into the big house and towards a big couch. He sat down on it with me and I couldn't breathe very well through my hiccupping and sobbing.

He tried to get me to put my thumb in my mouth, but I hated it. I just refused, not wanting to be such a baby or a brat anymore. I hated myself for all the things I'd put him through that day.

"Ok... it's fine, Kiwi. It's ok. Try to calm down for me." He said, connecting our foreheads and trying to hold me steady as my body trembled with grief and panic. "Look... hey, look at me. I'm right here and everything is going to be perfectly ok."

I only sobbed harder when he said that. I just needed to get it all out, honestly. I didn't really know what exactly it was that I was freaking out about. But I had no comfort in this place except Vidal and somehow it was becoming enough.

At that moment, I didn't need a stuffed bunny or a soft bed that I could call my own, or a home, or anything really. I had Vidal and that's all that mattered. That in itself was an overwhelming epiphany, and it led to even harder sobbing.

"Come back to me, Kiwi." He said, trying to coax me back from my dazed, scared state.

I had slipped away from him and I was in my own depressing world in that moment, but his words were helping a little.

Vidal could tell I wasn't calming down. So he closed his eyes. He pulled me closer into his lap and wrapped me up really well, then he rocked us back and forth as he spoke.

"Just listen to my voice. Ok? I want you to remember how much fun we had today... remember how we went to the wildlife park and we saw the puppies and the kitties and... what else... we saw bunnies too and snakes, those were cool, weren't they?" He said and I nodded despite my distress.

"What else did we see? There was something else, but I can't remember." He said to me.

"M-m-monk-keys." I said, still struggling to breath properly from all the sobbing.

"Oh yeah. Such a smart girl. Yeah we saw monkeys. One of them climbed your head too, didn't he?" Vidal chuckled and I nodded my head as my sobs started to calm down.

"And you were such a brave girl when you picked up that snake, Kiwi. I was so proud of you, did you know that?" He asked me.

I shook my head.

"You didn't? Well now you know. It was really amazing how brave you were." He said softly, brushing my hair away from my face and removing a few twigs and leaves from it. "You were such a good girl the whole time, Beautiful."

I frowned at the name and he smiled, kissing my forehead.

"That's right. Come back to me, Kiwi." He said softly. "It's ok. I'm right here, Beautiful."

The new nickname wasn't one that I'd ever choose for myself. But he could call me whatever he wanted, I didn't care.

"You really can't see how beautiful you are, can you?" He said with a sigh.

I stared into his light brown eyes and he smiled.

My body was still trembling with sobs, but I was much better than earlier. I needed to suck on my thumb and there was no doubt in either of our minds about it.

All of a sudden, Vidal was gently petting my face, stroking my forehead and brow bone. He slowly urged my eyes to close even as I sobbed and then all of a sudden, his thumb was between my lips and I was sucking on it like a toddler.

"Sh... it's ok. Just calm down, baby. No judgment, remember?" He said gently.

I rested against his chest after a little bit of a struggle and he kissed my forehead. He was still rocking me back and forth and his thumb tasted like icing, but I ignored it and continued to suck and sooth myself. I heard someone try to speak but Vidal had none of it. He shushed them and he turned all his attention back to me.

I felt a lot better with his fingers stroking my temple softly, I was able to return to him like he wanted me to. I wasn't too sad anymore, I didn't need to cry.

"Thank you for listening to me so well and calming down for me." He whispered softly, kissing my cheek.

At this point I was laying in his lap, and my hands were both latched onto one of his, holding it close to my face so his thumb couldn't escape. Eventually I stopped sucking and he slowly removed his poor thumb from my mouth. He rubbed his thumb on his jeans, then he picked me up and tucked my head between his shoulder and neck, holding me protectively.

"Wanna go to bed in my room?" He asked me.

I nodded softly and he stood up, carrying me to his bed and placing me down on the soft surface. He kissed my forehead and then the back of my hand and he stood up.

"You're going to be perfectly ok." He told me.

"Thank you." I whispered, hugging his leg tightly.

"Don't thank me, Kiwi. There's nothing you need to thank me for." He said softly, rubbing my back.

I watched as he wiped away a few tears of his own.

"V-Vi?" I said softly, not completing his name.

"I'm ok. Sorry, baby. I just got really emotional." He told me.

I nodded my head, snuggling with his leg.

"They're waiting for me to go talk to them. Would you like to stay in bed or come with me?" He asked me.

It meant the world to me that I was given choices with Vidal.

"W-w-with you." I whispered very quietly.

He nodded his head and picked me up.

"Last chance to back out. They're probably going to get mad at me again." He told me.

I tightened my grip around him and he sighed.

"Ok. Here we go." He said to me.

I hid my face in his shirt and he took us back to the living room.