The days following the purchase were quiet. Almost too quiet after all of Jason's work the week before. He often stayed in his room, trying to research for his new assignment. Otherwise, he'd be in the lounge room, napping on the couch, playing an x-box game or watching the two monsters and their odd antics.

Cardinal seemed to have really taken a liking to Comrade. He'd often be seen following the boy around, and Comrade loved the attention. Jason was glad that the boy had gained such a strong bond in such a short time.

Blue Jay was a different story.

He'd often stay at the walls or corners, where he could watch the whole room. He'd never really stray too far from the taller skeleton, either. Whenever Comrade and the monster interacted on the table, the smaller skeleton would crane back his neck to keep the other in his sights. Every time Jason saw the show of concern he'd smile. It was sweet.

When he had first bought the small skeleton, he had been almost unnerved by how scared and distrustful he'd been. Though really he hadn't been very surprised, the store had been owned by a Bolt. Who knew what he'd done to make the monster so distrustful? As a result, Jason quickly stopped interacting with the monster, though his brother still hadn't gotten the hint yet. He just left the skeleton alone so he'd get used to his new surroundings and warm up to them at his own pace.

So he'd been quite surprised when the skeleton walked over to him. In the past two days he had noticed how the skeleton had been watching him from afar. He would flinch whenever Jason would acknowledge him, but he'd never run off. In a way, it had worried the shifter, but he decided to let it slide.

Now, as he lay down on the couch, Blue Jay approached him. He was slow and cautious; those pinprick white eyes darting from his curious face, to his still hand and back. His permanent grin was small, almost forced. Finally, he stopped just below Jason's head, looking up at him.

Slowly, so not to startle the monster, he rolled to his side. The monster tensed at the movement, but didn't run.

'Well, hello to you, too.' He chirped quietly. Slowly, he held out his hand, giving the monster plenty time to show his discomfort. Again, the monster tensed, but he seemed to step closer to the hand, his gaze never leaving Jason's own. Carefully, he began to stroke the skeletons skull, trying desperately not to injure the tiny creature.

Then he wrapped his arms around his fingers, holding tightly. Jason froze at the contact. The skeleton was shaking, his eye sockets tightly shut. Distantly, Jason wondered how it was possible for bone to be so pliable.

'Hey, hey, calm down.' He cooed, gently scooping the monster into his empty hand, allowing him to continue holding his two captured fingers. His bones were shivering, and a tiny whine was seeping from him. Jason sat up, hugging the monster close as he shushed him, unsure of what else he could do to calm the trembling creature.

After a while, the monster quietened. He was leaning against Jason, balling up some of his shirt in his fists. Jason chuckled.

'There now. Feeling better?' A blue tinge briefly crossed the skeletons cheekbones, as if he were embarrassed. He leaned in closer, hiding his face in the fabric. This just made Jason laugh.

'Oh man, you're adorable, Blue Jay.' He muttered, hugging the monster closer.

Then the front door slammed open.

Jason jumped, looking up at Comrade. His eyes were red and he was sniffling. He gently placed Blue Jay onto the armrest, rushing to his brother's side.

'Dude, what happened?' He demanded, pushing the hood and strands of hair out of his face.

'I-it was… Dean again.' He whimpered, wrapping his arms around Jason as he sobbed into his shirt. Jason ran his hand through Comrade's hair, trying to be comforting. He never had been good at being supportive when someone was emotionally distressed.

'Who cares about that dick? He's nothing.' He muttered. Comrade shook his head.

'You don't understand, he… he c-called me a useless child that nobody wants,' He pulled away, looking up at Jason with teary eyes, 'He said I'm the reason they all got killed.'

Jason froze. Dean had been abusing Comrade for weeks now. He had tried to get the headmaster to do something about him, but he had only been committing minor things like name calling. It wasn't serious enough to get drastic attention. But if he had used that to attack Comrade… His breathing quickened and he wanted to find the man, drag him to a secluded area, and–

'Jason… Your eyes…'

Jason closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, held it, and exhaled. He smiled down at is brother. He could deal with the rogue at a later time. At that moment, he had to make Comrade smile again.

'Sit down and get comfy!' He ordered, already dashing around the floor to get things ready. Comrade did as he was told, watching curiously as his brother rushed around. Blue Jay seemed to sense his distress and hugged his hand, which made Comrade smile a bit. When Cardinal came over, probably to see what the fuss had been about, the boy lifted him so he could sit next to the other skeleton.

Jason dumped a few bowls on the small coffee table in front of the couch. One was a bowl of popcorn, another filled with candy, and the third filled with chocolate. Two bottles of soft drink sat either side. He then unfurled a blanket, covering his brother in it. Comrade looked at the fluffy fabric, to the food, then at his brother as he settled himself beside him.

'Disney movie marathon time?' He asked hopefully. Jason grinned.

'Disney movie marathon time!' He snapped his fingers, and the Disney playlist began to play on the giant screen.

They had gone through almost four movies when Jason looked back at the armrest. The two skeletons were huddled under a corner of the fluffy blanket, the taller one holding the sleeping smaller one in his arms. Jason snickered quietly so as to not wake either of them up. He hadn't realised that he and his brother were mirroring the sleeping skeletons position until then.

Now, a dark, angry side of him mused, what are we going to do with Dean, then?

That can wait. With that, Jason turned off the TV and slept, quite happy that he had been able to cheer up his baby brother.