Happy New Year! I hope everyone's holiday's had something good about it, even if it was something small. I want to thank all of you who have read this story, as you guys give me the motivation to write! Shoutout to Color Gacha Gamer for helping me come up with a title for this chapter! I literally sat, thinking about what to call this chapter for a good hour or so on my own, so thank you so much!

Without further ado, I give you Chapitre Sept!

"I'm going to get you, Ryder!"

Giggles bubbled out of four-year-old Ryder's mouth. Currently, Maman was chasing him through the yard while Papa was in the house working on a big project. See, he was the owner of a tech company. Sometimes, that meant he had to do some of the work himself.

"Ryder, be careful of—!"

The warning came too late. Ryder, who wasn't looking at what was in front of him, ran face-first into his dad's legs, the elder man carrying the project outside for his mother to look at. Luckily, he could hold onto the project and keep Ryder from falling.

"—Papa," she finished sheepishly.

"S-sorry, Papa," Ryder said softly.

"Oh, it's alright," he replied. "Nicole, could you take a peek?"

Nicole, Ryder's mother, had long light brown hair and sky-blue eyes. Her upturned nose and full red lips accented her long legs and slim curves. She stood up and walked over to her husband, Michael. Michael had short dark brown hair that naturally spiked up and bright green eyes. His nose also curved upwards, but not nearly as much as hers.

"What do you need me to look at?" Nicole questioned.

"I can't get the tablet working right. I think the circuitry might be wrong. Wanna give it a look?" Michael asked her with a teasing lilt in his voice.

"Sure, but I think I'll need a little bit of help."

She turned and winked at Ryder, who gave her a toothy grin. She hoisted him up onto her hip to let him see what was in Papa's hands. The tablet was just the inner workings of the device. No outer shell just yet, except for the screen. Ryder immediately saw the problem. He looked to Papa, silently asking for permission to touch. He nodded and gave the inner circuitry of the tablet to his son.

"See, you forgot to add this and connect this to that—" Ryder said while manoeuvring the wires into the correct positions. He knew that Papa wouldn't understand the technical terms as Maman would, so he kept them to himself. Once he was done, he gave Papa another wide smile and handed it back. Michael turned the device on and was pleasantly surprised to see that it worked.

"Well done, my little boy!"

When Ryder woke up, the first thing he noticed was the overwhelming sensation of how weak his body felt. The second thing was how uncomfortable his eyes were.

'My contacts,' he thought. 'I haven't taken them out in—'

He paused. When was the last time he'd taken them out? The more Ryder thought about it, the more he realised that it'd been since before Chase had moved in with him.

'Chase has been with me for almost two weeks, meaning this pair has been in for about a month if I'm doing my math right,' he thought.

Slowly, he blinked his eyes open and was surprised to see Chase laying on him with Jake in the chair next to the bed. Carefully, he took the coloured contacts out, and his thoughts came to a halt when something occurred to him. He knew he was due for a new pair, but how would he get them? Have them shipped to the Lookout? Have them sent to Mr Porter's restaurant? To Frère?

Ryder was brought out of his thoughts when Jake stirred in the chair. The older male froze when he saw the younger staring back.

"You're awake," Jake spoke in French.

The boy could only blink in acknowledgement.

"It's been a few days, bud. It's Wednesday."

At that, Ryder's mismatch-coloured eyes widened.

"Your fever got pretty high. Chase and I took you to the hospital to get the medicine you needed. You were in and out of consciousness the past couple of days. I think the worst temperature you had was forty point six, but that was at the hospital. It has stayed between thirty-nine and thirty-nine point four ever since we got the prescription in you."

Ryder nodded in understanding.

Wait a minute.

"Y-you speak French?" Ryder asked in his native tongue, his vocal cords raspy from disuse.

"Is that what you got out of all that?" Jake teased. "And yes, I do, although I am not as fluent in it as I used to be."

"I see."

"Also, I thought your eyes were brown?"

"Um…"

Ryder didn't know what to say. There was no way Jake would buy a lie, and Ryder didn't feel like telling the whole truth. So, he held up the coloured contacts he'd taken out for Jake to see.

"So, you wear these to hide the colour of your eyes?"

"Mmmhmm."

"Well, why would you hide them? They are pretty."

"But it's weird to have brown hair as well as green and blue eyes."

"I don't think that. I believe it makes you unique."

The boy didn't have a response to that.

"Do you want to get up and move around a little?" Jake questioned.

Ryder shrugged. "Sure."

With his answer, Jake helped Ryder stand up. Chase, feeling movement, woke up from his slumber.

"Ryder!" the puppy said. "You're awake!"

The boy noticed how it was in French.

"I am," Ryder answered in English.

Chase beamed. "And you're okay!"

"I told you I would be."

The trio took a slow trip to the kitchen. Ryder gave a small sigh of relief once he was sitting. Jake placed a bowl filled with puppy food in front of Chase and one full of dry cereal before Ryder. The elder had some cereal with milk in his dish.

"So, Mr Porter said he'd be back later today," Jake spoke, "but he seemed hesitant to tell me."

"Why do you think that is?" Chase asked.

"I don't know. I know Mr Porter was watching his grandson, Alex. Maybe something happened, and he's not sure when he'll be back?"

"Maybe."

The boy hid a frown behind his spoonful of cereal. If he wasn't anxious about Mr Porter's return before, he certainly was now.

Ryder, Jake, and Chase were on the couch watching T.V. when they heard the front door open, jangling keys unlocking it from the outside. Looking out the window, the older male noticed that it was dark. Three sets of eyes fell upon Mr Porter, carrying a sleeping toddler in his arms.

"Sorry it's so late," he apologised. "I didn't know what else to do."

"What happened?" Jake asked.

"I—"

Mr Porter side-eyed Ryder and Chase. The boy blinked back at the older man (he'd long since put the contacts back in; he didn't want to scare the man away).

"Well," Mr Porter started, his voice low. "Alex's parents aren't going to be home for a while. They were in a car accident, and there's no telling if or when they'll get back on their feet."

Ryder's eyes widened before he looked away, memories flooding his mind.

"Ryder? Are you coming?"

"Yes, Maman," Ryder replied.

"Alright, my little boy," Nicole smiled. "Now, since it's your fifth birthday, Papa and I have agreed to let you design your own tablet for you to have!"

"Really?"

"Yes, really."

Five-year-old Ryder was excited. Sure, there was the project the two of them were working on, but to be able to create his own thing was an incredible feeling.

"Now, come on, Ryder."

Suddenly, Ryder watched as Nicole's foot slipped on the floor. Suddenly, she was hanging on with one hand on the catwalk right over the liquid metal. Ryder reached down to grab her hand when she stopped him.

"My little boy," she spoke. "Go get Papa. Please."

The five-year-old froze and turned to go find Michael when her hand slipped. Nicole let out a terrified scream.

"RYDER!"

"MAMAN! NO!"

Time seemed to slow into a crawl as his mother fell, down, down into the gigantic vat.

"I love you, my little boy," she mouthed (or, maybe it was whispered, Ryder would never know).

Two large hands covered his eyes right before he could see Maman become one with the metal. The scent of burning flesh filled the air, burning his nose and throat. Ryder turned his face into the body of his father, near-silent tears making their way down his cheeks.

"Papa," he whispered, his voice breaking. "Maman, she—"

"I know, Ryder," Michael murmured into his son's hair. "I know."

The two stayed there, curled up in each other's arms, crying their sorrows away.

"Ryder?"

The eight-year-old blinked back into reality with a hesitant smile.

"I'm here," he murmured before clearing his throat. "Will they be okay?"

"I don't know," Mr Porter answered. "I just don't know."

The boy looked at the toddler in Mr Porter's grasp.

"How old is he?"

"Alex is three years old. He'll be four in late January."

Ryder winced internally.

"I hope his parents are okay," Ryder spoke softly.

"Me too, kiddo," Mr Porter answered. "Me too."

Later that night, Alex was tucked up in his bedroom (fresh sheets and all) while Mr Porter, Ryder, Jake, and Chase sat in the living room, talking here and there.

"Alright," Mr Porter said, standing up from the chair. "I think it's time for bed."

Ryder looked at the older man, blinking slowly. Mr Porter seemed to catch Ryder's unasked question.

"You're welcome to share the bed with Alex if you'd like. Or, there's always the couch out here."

The eight-year-old didn't bother to move; Chase was already settled at his feet.

"I might head home," Jake announced. "It's only half an hour to my place, so I should be fine."

"If you're sure," Mr Porter spoke. "Alright, you have a safe trip back, okay? Text me when you get there, so I know you made it."

"Always."

The two shared a slight hug before Jake walked over to ruffle Ryder's hair.

"I'll see you around, dude," Jake grinned. "Don't miss me too much."

"I'll try," Ryder smiled.

Jake started to pull away when Ryder leapt up. Quickly, his arms circled Jake for a proper hug.

"Thank you," the boy murmured in his native tongue. "For everything."

"Anytime," Jake replied in French. "Whenever you need me, I'll be there."

When they pulled apart, Mr Porter and Chase were smiling. Ryder felt his cheeks turn pink. For the first time since he'd left the only home he'd known, the boy felt like he belonged. No longer did he feel like an outcast.

Ryder felt his thoughts come screaming to a halt.

What was he doing? He wasn't supposed to get close with anyone! He wasn't allowed that privilege! Frère was the only person he could feel safe with.

So, how did Jake and Mr Porter manage to slip in through the cracks?

OoOoOo, is Ryder learning to trust again? Haha, who knows (not even I know yet)? So, was it good? Bad? Meh? Lemme know! I love hearing from you guys :)

School will be starting up once again within the next week or so, and I'm not sure when I'll be able to write next, but I hope you all have a good year ahead of you! If it feels like life is rough, don't worry, it'll get better!

~*MegaMon2580*~