Author's note: Ages: Kai - 17, Ronan - 14, Eli - 16, 'Jem, 12

When Ronan woke up the next morning, it was to see Kai still seated in front of the remains of the fire, propped up on his Keyblade seemingly lost in thought. Sitting up, he heard a noise to his left and nearly jumped as a mug was suddenly held in front of his face. The blonde girl was smiling at him, wiggling it gently so it wouldn't spill.

"I made hot chocolate! Want some?"

"Um...sure."

He reached out and took it, blowing the steam away. His gaze drifted back to Kai, who hadn't moved. Frowning, he took a sip. Ow, still hot. There was a sudden yelp from the trees beyond them, and the brown-haired boy came stumbling out into the open, using the bottom of his shirt as a carryall.

"Breakfast! Part of it, anyway. Hope you guys like blueberries."

Kai finally looked over, the Keyblade vanishing.

"Took you long enough. How many did you pick? There're only four of us."

"Well yeah, now there're four of us. I didn't want anyone to miss out." He grinned at Ronan before going over to spill the berries into a bowl someone had set out. Kai shook his head, turning to give Ronan a smile of his own.

"He gets overexcited sometimes. Ronan, this is Eli, that's 'Jem. I already filled them in on last night."

"...Okay." Taking another, very small sip, Ronan watched the three of them get the meal ready. They seemed really comfortable with each other, like this was something they did a lot. Good friends.

He didn't want to ruin it for them, and if he stayed...

"Ronan, catch!"

There was a granola bar being tossed at him suddenly, and his eyes widened. His fingers gripped the mug tighter, and a portal of Darkness warped open in front of him, swallowing the granola bar before swirling shut.

"Eli! Don't scare him!"

"I didn't know he'd do that!"

Wincing, Ronan set the mug down and freed himself from the sleeping bag, which took a minute because he'd actually forgotten to take his sneakers off before climbing in. Stupid.

"No, it was my fault, I'm sorry, I didn't mean- I'll just get some berries and get going, it was really nice of you to think of me, and Kai, thanks for last night, and-"

His brother fixed him with a look that made his rambling die in his throat, and he sank back down onto the bag, absently pulling at his shoelaces.

"And where do you think you're going?"

"...Somewhere else. He's just going to come back, you know. And you don't need to be in danger because of me. So-"

Kai snorted, holding out another granola bar. Ronan eyed it warily before reaching out to grab it. His brother settled back and watched him unwrap it, then sighed.

"You'd do better with us."

"But...there'll be trouble."

Eli laughed suddenly, popping a berry in his mouth. "Don't worry about it, 'trouble' is Kai's middle name! We can handle your father if he shows up again."

Ronan wasn't sure about that, but he ate his breakfast in silence, listening to them talk about things they needed to do that day, and what world they were headed to next. When he'd finished, he stuffed the wrapper in his pocket and pulled his knees up, wrapping his arms around them.

"Kai."

"Yeah?" He'd been busy trying to bean Eli on the head with a couple berries, but paused at the tone in Ronan's voice. "What's wrong?"

"You're sure you want me to stay? Positive? Because- He's going to be really angry. He doesn't like not getting his way."

Amethyst eyes darkened at that, then Kai smiled. It wasn't a happy one. "Oh, I know he doesn't. Yes, we want you to stay. You'll be safe with us, promise. How'd you end up with him anyway? I mean, if you'd been with him forever, I think you'd be more..."

He waved a hand absently. "...More like him."

Ronan shook his head. Thank goodness he hadn't been. "Only a year. Before that, I lived with mom. He left when I was really little, maybe two or three. I barely remembered him when he showed up again."

He set his chin on his knees, thinking. It'd been beyond creepy, being collected the way he had. What kind of father just showed up out of the blue after being out of his kid's life for nearly eleven years?

"Mom got really sick and was in and out of the hospital a lot. After she died, I thought I was going to end up in a foster home someplace, because there wasn't anybody else. And then he showed up and...well."

Shifting uncomfortably, he chanced a glance up at the three of them. They looked surprised, and sad, and Kai...

Kai looked almost like someone had punched him in the chest.

"Sorry." Ronan murmured, looking away. A few seconds passed before an arm was suddenly thrown around him, and he realized that Kai had moved.

"What for? Sorry about your mom. I know what it's like, kind of. Not as bad as her being-"

He cut himself off. For all he knew...but he hoped not. Instead he just hugged Ronan while the younger boy closed his eyes.

"We'll look after you. He's never getting near you again."