I wouldn't say I hid more avoided the children who were now running around playing a childish game. Most stopped once they gained a cognitive mental state, seemed they didn't reach that.

I stood in the corner surveying the gaggles around me. Everyone was in their groups bar a select few who were mingling. Tala being one of the few strays who were doing neither. We were stood opposite the other, both with our arms folded over our chests. The wife was nowhere to be seen, thankfully she was a mingler.

"Thank you so much" a familiar voice sounded, and as I turned to confirm what I already knew I saw Brooklyn holding a few bags Bryan and Spencer behind holding the rest.

"Yeah, our pleasure" Bryan muttered sarcasm lacing his voice. He rolled his eyes, glaring across at me as he tried to hold in his anger. Bryan was no one's mule.

"Just place them here, our rooms are going to be assigned once everyone's arrived?" He asked, though it was clear he already knew. And as though on cue a mic was tapped, silencing the music, and a familiar overly jolly voice filled the room.

"Good day everyone" Mr Dickinson greeted "my, my, so many fresh yet familiar faces. You've all grown and matured greatly over the years I'm sure. Tyson be quiet" that last part was whispered, the fat old man trying to go unheard over the microphone. Of course, we've all matured, bar Tyson. "Ahem, sorry about that. Anyway, let's all enjoy these few days. I'm sure your days will be filled with fun. Activities will be planned and it's mandatory for you to attend."

I could have sworn I felt his eyes on me, though that couldn't be right, he didn't know where I was.

"Anyway, thank you for your time. I'll set you all free to choose your rooms." Before another syllable could leave his mouth the room poured out, luggage being dragged across the polished floor, a horrid squeal resounding from the wheels.

Grabbing my own bags I hung them over my shoulder and waited for the room to thin out. Just like the rest of my strange family. Once everyone had left it was just me, Bryan, Spencer, Ian and Tala. And the wife.

We all shared greeting nods, despite seeing the other not too long ago.

"Hey, Hiwatari, what gives?" Bryan started, still scowling. "I had to help your little boy toy with his bags. I thought you had a driver, why not make him do it?"

"No one can know we're together, wouldn't want to cause drama, we've spent our lives in the shadows, why change that now?" I answered simply, hiding my smile. Though, honestly, we could always detect emotion in each other. That's what happens when you grow up knowing you're going to die before you hit adulthood. You scrutinise everything and anything about your friends till you know the smallest change.

"Whatever, still took the piss."

"Bryan, language" Spencer spoke up, forever the parents despite his refusal. He wasn't the oldest in the ground, Bryan had that spot, but he was the most paternal no matter how much he hated it.

"Whatever. Look, we're sharing, Spence and I, Tal's with the misses if we want the group you're gonna have to be with shrimp boy." I didn't mind sharing with Ian, I used to love it when I was sixteen and hadn't hit my growth spurt, he was the only one I was taller than back then. So it wasn't a hard decision.

"Alright, could be fun." I did allow myself a smirk then, but only because it was us five left. I wasn't sure where the wife had run off to.

"Great, you can carry some of my bags. I had to carry Brooky's now you're carrying mine." He went to hand me a few bags but I shied away. I wasn't getting roped in to being a mule.

"Not a chance Bryan, besides, you should have left him. He'll be gone soon"

"Gone? Are you two breaking up?" Tala asked completely confused, I cursed my momentary lapse in concentration. I was becoming too forthcoming with my words as of late. A side effect of life out of the abbey.

"No, but we're keeping the relationship secret, so for the remainder of the week we kind of are."

"But, you're not too" Tala added, and I wasn't sure why but it irked me. Why? Probably jealously. He rather me be with Brooklyn than him. I decided not to dwell on the fact that he had no idea of my longing for him.

"No, we not. We're technically together but as far as the world's concerned we're not." I wanted the conversation to end, and the only way I, and any abbey kid, knew how to was to turn and give the cold shoulder. Everyone understood that. And they did. I walked from the room, their feet matching mine as we all walked. The sound was one I'd heard for years as a child, pounding feet against the concrete floors of the abbey. Every child rising and dropping their feet in sync.

Mentally shaking my head I forced the image from my head. It wasn't healthy to be thinking of the abbey. Soon enough those images would become more graphic. The ones I'd tried to repress. The ones of beatings, starvation, poisonings. Killing, me to other abbey kids. The kind of images that cause trauma to people simply hearing about it. I, along with every other abbey child, had seen things that would make grown men cry.

My thoughts had lasted longer than I'd initially thought. We had arrived at the reception to gather our keys and were already at the front of the line. I hope I didn't look spaced out as I walked, I'd have never lived it down if the others realised I was out of it for even a minute. A lack of preparation for an abbey child was a great crime.

Taking the key I was offered, Ian too small to reach the counter, the group left. No one mentioned anything as we walked, everyone unaware that I wasn't focused.

I zoned out once more, Ian babbling about random stuff, things we'd undoubtedly heard before. But none had the heart to tell him to shut up. He was the baby of the group after all. He was in his twenties and was the same size he was when he was fourteen.

We stopped outside our room after some time, ours being the first one we reached.

"See ya in a bit Kai." Bryan gave me a quick wave over the shoulder as we entered out dimly lit room.

"Yeah, whatever." It was customary to never give a real farewell. We never saw the point.

Closing the door behind us I let out a long breath, the continuous false coldness we showed around others shedding as soon as I heard our resident dwarf click the lock shut.

"Finally." He sighed smiling up at me.

"Tell me about it."

"No, how about you tell me something. Like a new plan on getting Tala. I wanna hear the latest version."

"What makes you think I've been thinking about this? What if my latest plan is to hope for the best?"

"That's like saying I don't pray to grow. You never don't plan. It's not in your nature." I smirked at my small friend. It was true. But did I want to tell him? It wasn't refined, my plan had some flaw. I was sure. I wanted it set in stone. I wanted it concrete before I voiced it to anyone. My former ones were as solid as Swiss cheese.

"I'll tell you once I have it refined. Don't get your hopes up though. It hardly involves you." I couldn't help smirk, I was a very good liar I had to admit.

"So, what're we doing now?" He questioned, trying to change the subject but I could hear the disappointment in his tone.

"Not sure, I don't particularly want to participate in anything today. I say we stick here. The wife may want to join but Tala won't. I'm sure of that." The big nosed boy nodded his head.

"Alright, I guess we unpack." The reunion was starting out boring, but I was sure it would soon pick up pace. Once the wife was out of the picture I could steal my redhead and leave my other crying alone. I doubt Brooklyn would be heartbroken though, he'd just buy another bird.

oooo

The hours spent unpacking were passed quickly, neither of us cared to talk, there was no point. We weren't ones for idle chitchat, a few minutes of silence wouldn't kill us.

As I was lining my clothes up in the drawer perfectly a knock came at the door, shattering my peaceful moment. Righting myself I answered, not because I wanted to but because it was possible Tala was there.

Pulling the door open I came face to face, not with Tala, but with Tyson. That loud mouthed brat, hopefully he'd calmed down a little with the years he'd had to mature.

"Hey Kai!" Apparently not.

"What do you want Tyson?" I usually didn't grant him the honour of more than two words but I wanted him gone. Quickly.

"Same ol' Kai. Anyway, we're going to the swimming pool down stairs, wanna come?" There was so much I could say. I could insult his animated style of talking, his wide grin. The audacity he had to even ask. But no, I stuck with my old favourite. Slamming the door in his face. "Is that a no then?"

Shaking my head I turned to continue unpacking. Drowning out his voice.

It wasn't that I disliked swimming, I had my own pool back home, it was just, around others. I wasn't going to. As much as I hate to admit it, it took me a month just to let Brooklyn see me without a shirt. I wasn't insecure about my body, no really, I had a good figure that I'd worked hard for. It was my back that was the problem. The aftermath of the abbey. Numerous scars that contrasted greatly with my pale skin.

They were ugly, a part of myself I'd never accepted, if I couldn't how could anyone else? My family though, my abbey brothers, they were a different story. They had scars just as I did, I didn't have to hide from them.

"Who were it?" Ian asked craning his head up to stare me in the eye.

"Tyson." Was my one word answer.

"Oh, Loudmouth." Ian had his nicknames for my team. Ones I'd insisted be used as frequently as possible. Tyson was loudmouth, unsurprisingly. Max was sugar rush, it was difficult to find a more hurtful one for him. He was annoyingly cheerful and that's it. Ray was cat boy. And Kenny was geek. Hillary, she was loudmouth too, if she was around Tyson was glutton. It's apparent these nicknames were thought up when we were teenagers.

I wasn't too fond of them anymore. I wanted to change them, make them more insulting, we were older and smarter. I was sure we could come up with things far more hurtful. But, I was supposed to be the mature one. I could never 'let my hair down'.

"Yeah him, he wanted to go swimming. As though I'd ever agree to that."

"I wouldn't have minded" Ian, being the youngest, didn't have as many scars as the rest of us. His could be explained away, they were on his arms, legs and only a few on his back.

"Go down then, I'm sure they won't complain. They're too overly happy to complain about anything."

"I will" the small boy left me a few seconds after that, retreating into his room to snatch a pair of trunks before running to follow after my brattish teammates. I was already regretting coming here. A week of idiocy and stupidity, all I had to look forward to was leaving with Tala on my arm.

It would have been all worth it, but a nagging feeling in my gut told me that Tyson was determined to ruin everything. And he'd do it without even trying.

Another knock sounded at the door and I didn't even bother to answer. Calling out instead.

"Go away Tyson, I'm not going swimming." I couldn't hear anything else so I presumed he'd left, maybe he got the picture. Not a moment later the faint sound of a lock sounded in the silent room. Guess not. "Go away Tyson."

"I've never been called Tyson before" a very familiar voice spoke behind me, my eyes snapped wide. It wasn't often that I was caught off guard but now was one of those rare times.

"Tala" a small smile spread across his face.

"Yep, what're you doing Kai?" He asked easily, perching himself on the edge of my bed.

"Unpacking"

"Why?" He asked. Tala and I were alike in many ways, but this wasn't one of them. While I liked to get things done he was a professional procrastinator when it came to mundane chores.

"Because I don't like clutter."

"Always the perfectionist Kai" he teased, smiling as he leaned back on his hands.

"At least I'm not hiding from my wife."

"I'm not hiding." He protested, pushing his lips into a pout. "She knows I'm here, she just doesn't know whose room this is or how long I'm staying." I smiled at that, he was already beginning to lie to her. And I'd done nothing but return to the picture.

"Of course. Why aren't you going down with Ian? I'm sure he tried to drag you along." I was sure he knew where they were going, he tended to know most things.

"Yeah, I ran into him on the way here, he wanted me to follow but I'm not stupid. Like you I'd rather keep the number of people knowing about my scars to a minimum." I nodded, we were similar like that. The more we spoke the more similarities came to light. It increased since we were children.

"Are you going to talk?" I asked simply returning to the few things I had left to unpack.

"I don't know, I just kind of wanted to be here for a little while." Offering him little more than a noise I kept my back to him. He could stay if he wanted, I wasn't desperate after all. "You don't mind do you?" He sounded genuinely curious so I offered a shake of my head.

I had never been one for talking and wasn't about to start now, he could stay, but he'd be providing the conversation.

"Kai. I'm glad you're here. I don't know what I'd do otherwise." Smiling to myself I closed the drawer, sitting beside him and placing my hand over the one he had unconsciously left close to me.

"Me either" I responded, before doing something impulsive and probably stupid. I pressed my lips to his in a kiss. One I've been wanting since we were children.

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