I honestly can't wait until I'm back in the actual plot with this because though it may be a completely shit plot it's pretty decent. ( although its probably cliché af.)

When Jackson awoke he had, as quietly as he could, folded the blanket he had used and crept outside the bedroom and out into the hallway. It was five in the morning, and though there was no alarm clock to wake him up, the habit of waking up at such a time was enough.

He uses the bathroom to change and then he heads downstairs. It was weird not having a cat trying to trip you after so long of knowing only how to dance by the feline every morning. Moxy must have fallen asleep somewhere, as it was obvious she hadn't entered Aster's room last night.

He finds the kitchen easily, standing in the doorway for a moment. Moxy. Did he even pack her some food? Nope. Of course not. It had never even crossed his mind, which was dumb, seeing as how it was his cat and feeding her was routine by now.

Looking in the cabinets showed that there was little to nothing he could give the cat. Cats don't eat chips, obviously. He was tired, okay? Brain not functional right now.

Inside the fridge proved that it was filled - stuffed - with food, though, and luckily he managed to find a carton of eggs. He searches the cabinets again until he finds the bread, preparing to make breakfast.

Now, normally, he'd start making breakfast around nine whenever his mother woke up, but seeing as how he probably won't be allowed to go home - or anywhere near his mother - that would probably begin to change.

It was still a little strange with the fancy house and all, but it did seem homely enough. The only clutter he had really seen so far was Aster's desk and the fridge, though, which wasn't too odd. He admits that there were tons of messes he'd left at home - the closet down the hallway for one - and he could relate to being lazy about it.

He's probably also lucky Jess never took the time to look around her own house.

He heats up some butter on a frying pan, taking a glance out of the window above the sink; still dark out, of course, but that was to be expected.

Just as he is about to crack the eggs into a bowl, he hears footsteps coming from the stairway. A head pokes itself passed the doorway before the person walks in. It's Damien, with probably the worse case of bedhead Jackson had ever seen, glasses askew funnily on his face, as if he had just placed them on without bothering to look through them.

"Morn." The man mumbles out, reaching under his glasses to rub the sleep from his eyes. "Why're you up?"

Jack shrugs, grinning at the disheveled man, before turning back to the stove to crack the eggs. "You want some?" he asks instead.

"Want some of what?"

"French toast."

Damien chuckles. "Been a while since I've had that. Sure." the man goes to grab some dishes from the cabinet. "You didn't have to cook you know, I could have done it for you." he says as he sets the dishes at the table.

Jackson smiles. "Yeah I know. But I got up first."

The man laughs, moving to the fridge to pull out a carton of orange juice. "My sister used to make the same argument."

"You had a sister?" Jack asks. He would have normally gone quiet, but he knew keeping up a conversation was deemed as polite. Especially if the other person is helping you - which is what Damien is doing. Jess had never bothered to set the table or anything.

But then again what would Jess set? One plate for herself. Jack had to earn his meals when he was home, so it was mostly her eating alone and him hiding in his room chewing on a protein bar.

"Yep. She was older then me." Damien reminisces, a far-away look on his face as he poured the drinks. "We liked cooking in our family, so, like clockwork, we'd each fight over who would make the meals each day."

"Must have been nice."

"It was." the man nods, placing the carton back into the fridge. "Though I admit my cooking wasn't the best."

"You ever kill a man?" Jack deadpans.

Damien laughs. "Yes." he says. "If a man were ever considered a skillet full of lettuce, then yes."

Jack nods solemnly. "I think that has happened to us all at one point." he then smiles, laughing.

"Oh. I'd love to eat your wonderful cooking right now, but I just remembered that I have work at six." Damien says, glancing up at the wall clock. He shakes his head. "Wake up Aster when you're done, okay? - Also you don't have school for today." he explains quickly, downing his glass of orange juice and rushing out of the door.

"Er...Yeah?" Jack blinks to the exit the man had disappeared to. "No school? Neat."

The click of the door closing is all Jackson needs to hear to know the man had left. Such a shame, too, not having breakfast, but hey the man could always buy something on his way to work.

Not but five toasts on a plate before a soft nudging at his legs causes him to jump, nearly slapping the spatula to his face in shock; looking down, only a cat stares up at him. She lets out a tiny little gurgle-huff, which, in his opinion, was adorable.

"Hi." he whispers to her.

She meows up at him, a tiny drop of saliva dripping down her chin, and Jack laughs at the sight.

"I don't have food for you, sorry."

Before he even has time to pull out the syrup ( or, in this case, jelly, since he didn't feel like looking around for some.) a knock comes from the front door, in a little tune-like way, before the door is opened up.

A few people crowd inside the living room, from what he could see. The tallest is laughing as a smaller person - a girl, obviously - is chattering excitedly away.

Jackson doesn't realize how completely spooked he was until the cat yowls a hiss at him and runs quickly to the living room. He had accidentally stepped on her tail. Not nice.

"H...hello?" he asks, just as the trespassers appeared. Seeing who it was he rolls his eyes. "Oh God...do you wake him up in the morning or something?"

Nicholas - one of Aster's friends - laughs once more. "No, we just smelled breakfast."

Nicholas was a large man by far, easily towering over Jackson and could easily lift the other up with little to no problem. He was Russian, born and raised, and he often spoke the language with pride.

Jackson had only been introduced to him last year near Christmas, when he was walking home from work and had tripped, spilling the cheap coffee he had been given all over the guy. He had thought he would have a beat-down, and he had panicked for a moment at the time, apologizing over and over as if his life depended on it - only to hear that oh-so familiar laugh.

They weren't friends, but Nicholas did buy him another coffee and invited him to eat out with him and his friends Christmas eve - he refused, since Christmas eve meant he had to get the house ready for Christmas day, when his mother invited her often shrewd guests in for a party. He did thank Nicholas in the end, though.

He smiles. "So, do you guys normally bust inside without knocking?"

From beside Nicholas stood another man, who had been silent thus far. The man quickly pulls his phone up, showing the screen to Jack. 'We asked aster last night if we could. hi im sandy :)'

He was a short fellow, only reaching up to Jackson's shoulders. His blond hair was a goldish color, with just a few strands of brown underneath - meaning he had probably dyed it, which was cool. He looked like a jolly man, so Jack felt a little at ease around him.

They had met before as well, but the man was most likely mute and so no introductions were made, as Jackson had only learned the most simplest of sign language. Mostly colours and common things like 'how are you' and 'wait'.

The man had a locker next to his in school, actually, now that he thought a little about it. They would share a smile with each other in greeting if they ever noticed one another, so in a way they may have been acquaintances, but he never really bothered to remember the other until now.

"Uhm, Hi." Jack replies shortly after reading the message, smiling. "I'm Jack -"

"Oh my gosh!" the girl from before pushes the other two away and looks over Jackson with a wide smile. "I thought Aster was joking or something! - You're here! In his house! -And, oh, you have the most brightest smile!"

Jackson, at this outburst, takes a tiny, nervous step back, before sizzling from behind him has him quickly turning around - he had left the burner on, and the pan had a dark smoke rising from it "-Oh, uhm!" he says as he's turning it off, placing the pan quickly onto the back burner for now. "Hi. And yeah? Why is that a surprise?" he asks, arching an eyebrow at her.

She looks flustered for a moment. "No reason! - Just...yeah." she waves a little bit shyly. "I'm Toothiana - weird name, I know."

Jack laughs. "Toothiana? Like...that sounds like a fairy from one of those kid cartoons."

Toothiana giggles along. "I know!" she agrees. "But you could always use my middle name if you don't like to use that one..."

"No way." Jack shakes his head. "I'll just call you tooth."

"Tooth?" she asks. "Well, it's better than Elisabeth."

"Lizz would be a neat name, but I'm already decided."

Nicholas chuckles, before gesturing to the stove. "Do you need help? We are here, and unwelcome, so we might as well lend hand."

"Unwelcome?" Jack frowns. "You're not unwelcome. Just y'know...next time knock. Or shout. Something." he turns back to the stove, turning it back on. "And yeah, do you know where syrup is? Or jelly. Anything you could put on this?" he gestures to the already finished toast on the plate he had to the side. "Because I couldn't find anything."

Toothiana smiles, before going to the cabinets on the far side, and Nicholas nods, opening the fridge. Sandy took to washing his hands. He went to dip the bread inside of the eggs. Jackson appreciated it. Getting eggs on his fingers wasn't his favorite thing.

"Thanks." he says to the three, and receives a thumbs up in reply.

Aster woke up smelling something that his groggy mind could only describe as heavenly. Damien must have made breakfast, Aster assumed, until he turned to his clock, and seeing that it was 5:37. Who the hell even woke up at this hour? He wakes up around six, but getting up any earlier is pushing it.

He groans into his pillow for a moment, before reluctantly pushing himself up and out of bed. Jack had folded the blanket he had used last night and placed it and the pillow to the side, which was convenient, and meant he didn't have to play a game of hopscotch.

With the time being as it was, Damien was most likely driving to work - or already at work - by now, so the only one Aster could think of making breakfast was Jack.

Checking his phone and sitting back down onto the bed, he furrows his eyebrows at the bright screen.

2:47 AM

T: hey im bringing everyone over tomorrow

T: want to see if jack rly there

He sighs, rubbing a hand at one of his eyes. Only Toothiana would do something such as invite herself over when he was asleep. He didn't think she'd be here, though, as she only usually shows up at six when she's bringing Nicholas and Sandy along. If it's herself she shows up earlier, but he doubts she'd lie in her texts. The drive to school normally took a good hour if Nicholas was the one driving, though, so perhaps they did come over earlier than expected? Who knows.

He stands up again to root around his dresser for some clothes, before his phone vibrates. He sighs, yanking out an old, paint-splotched shirt and a pair of jeans, before grabbing the device to look across the text that had come up.

Da: called school dont go talk 2 you when i get back

Oh. No school? Awesome. He could live with that - only, the thought of having extra work tomorrow was a little worrying. He could deal, though. He'd get Jack to help him if he got stuck, since the mischief maker was probably the reason Damien had called the school in the first place anyway.

Though that did lead to the question of why Damien had grabbed Jack away from home - sure, Jack and his mother had a fight or something, but surely they'd want to say goodbye to each other, if he was staying for a while?

Aster knows he had wanted to say goodbye to his own mother. It wasn't as dire of a situation as cancer - which his mother had fallen to - but Jack surely must love Jessica still. It was probably one of those teenager moods Jack went into, and that's why they both fought in the first place. Dumb, but still, Jessica was leaving Friday or so, and though it was a good four days away, he's sure Jack wouldn't mind meeting with her to clear up whatever spat they had.

Nodding his head, he pulls the shirt on quickly. He'll bring Jack over to his house so maybe the other could apologize. And while he was at it, maybe take Jack out to get a drink or something. Would that be too suspicious? Maybe instead just walk to the park or something?

Heck, just spending time with Jack felt like a little too much. Like maybe he was doing it all wrong. Perhaps he could just outright tell Jack about his crush on him? –No. No that wouldn't do at all and may make things awkward. (Also he wasn't that brave of a person. He'd most likely mess it up if he were to ask Jack out on a date.)

Man…he needed help. Romance wasn't his best forte.

Pulling the rest of his clothes on, he grabs the phone and shoves it in his pocket before making his way downstairs.

As he is about to walk in the kitchen he pauses, surprised, because there, sitting at the table and chattering away was Toothiana, Nicholas, and Sandy. Jack was grabbing some more cups out of the cabinet, and, really, it would look like some kind of messed up family breakfast if it weren't for the fact they stopped their chattering to grin at him.

Well, it wasn't too surprising, but they should have at least called before barging in. Did Jack answer the door for them, or did they bust in yet again?

"Oh, God." Aster says, rubbing a hand down the side of his face with a sigh. "You broke in again, didn't you?" he asks.

Nicholas laughs. "Yes - I have a key, so why not use it?"

"I'm changing the locks."

Toothiana smiles. "You said that last year and look what happened."

'Nothing' Sandy signs. Aster could read a few signs, from being with the mute for so long, but whatever else the little man was signing, he didn't catch much of.

"Oh!" Toothiana then turns to Jack, who is setting the cups on the table. "Jack made breakfast! - Isn't he so adorable?" she gushes, sending Aster a teasing look.

"We all made breakfast, though." Jack corrects, not catching on to her teasing.

"You started it, and you ended it, so technically you made breakfast." Toothiana says. "I'm sure Aster would love to taste your cooking."

"Tooth..." Jack starts, before trailing off, giving up on the subject, before taking the orange juice back out of the fridge, to hand it to Nicholas, who started to pour his own drink.

"Tooth?" Aster questions, taking a seat at the table.

"My new name!" Toothiana smiles. "Jack made it." she says as Jack also takes a seat.

They all pass around the plate of French toast and condiments, before settling down to eat.

"Thanks, sweet tooth!" Toothiana smiles, cutting a piece of her toast up before tasting it.

Nicholas scrunches his nose up at her. "No syrup? No nothing? Bah. Crazy woman."

She looks up indignantly. "I have butter on it."

The other man shakes his head. "Very crazy." he mutters, sending her a playful smile.

Sandy, after a few minutes, waves his hand at Jack, giving the other a thumbs up.

"Didn't you guys eat breakfast before you left home?" Jack asks, blushing in embarrassment at the compliments.

Sandy raises his hand, before making a 'small' sign. Aster was sure there was a sign there for 'toast', but he wasn't an expert. What he did know, though, was that Jack hadn't even eaten any of his food for the past minute or so, and it was kind of concerning.

He points his fork at the other's plate. "Is it poisoned?" he asks.

Jack shakes his head. "No? Why would it be?"

"-Aster!" Toothiana pouts. "That isn't very nice."

"You haven't even touched it." Aster says.

Jack blinks at him for a moment in thought. "I was waiting?" he asks. "Aren't you supposed to wait for everyone else to eat after you made something?"

Everyone looks over at him as if he had grown another head. "No." Toothiana answers. "You eat with everyone else. Who told you that?"

"What?" Jack smiles. "I thought that you had to wait. Whoops!" he laughs, albeit nervously.

"Bah. Forget rules!" Nicholas huffs. "In my family, if you see food on plate, you eat it."

"If your family saw a pig on the street, they'd eat it." Aster rolls his eyes.

Nicholas looks about to retaliate, but pauses, going to scratch at his chin in thought. "Actually..."

"Oh my..." Toothiana says. "They did that once?"

"With deer, but yes." Nicholas smiles. "Was wonderful feast, though! Had food in the fridge for months!"

Jack gasps. "You killed bambi?"

"Who is this bambi?" Nicholas asks, flabbergasted, until Jack laughs.

'Movie :P' Sandy shows his phone to North.

"It's a very old movie." Toothiana also answers, hiding an obvious smile behind her drink. Nicholas may have been in Burgess for a while, now, but he didn't seem to know some things. He still struggled with English, too, but it wasn't too bad. Besides, him not knowing one of the most memorable movies had its perks sometimes. Those sometimes being movie nights.

Aster nods. "I haven't seen it, but it's about deer from what I saw. Some kind of Disney movie."

"I read a book it was based on..." Jack says. "I couldn't afford to get the movie, but the book was cool."

"There was a book?" Toothiana asks, leaning forward a little. "Do you know what it's called? - My sisters loved the movie to bits. I think they'd love the book."

Jack cringes. "It's not light and fluffy, like the movie." he takes a sip of orange juice before continuing. "It was at the library, though. Maybe you could ask them?"

"We have a library here?" Nicholas chuckles. "I had no clue."

"It's kind of hidden. I work right across the street from it."

"Where is it hidden?" Aster asks, pouring some more jelly on his toast.

Jack shrugs. "You guys ever been to the fat cat diner? Just across the street from that, around the corner from the art shop."

Sandy nods, raising his hand up, smiling.

Nicholas hums. "I've only been there once, but not to eat. Are they any good?"

Toothiana pushes her empty plate to the side. "The food there would taste absolutely wonderful if Jack were the one cooking," she glances to Aster, mischievous smile on her face. "Right?"

Aster, choosing to ignore her, takes another bite. "I haven't even seen the place..." he trails off, looking to the side, thinking. "Then again I haven't been to town much."

"It's nice." Jack replies. "I never really tried much from the menu, but I've heard it was nice." he shyly looks toward Aster, pushing his toast around with his fork in thought. "...I could take you there, later?" he asks, glancing around the group anxiously.

"Oo, we could go after school, if you all want?" Toothiana says, before taking her juice and pouring the rest in Nicholas' cup. Nicholas doesn't even glimpse at her, but Aster could see the slight tilt of the other's mouth that he was amused.

"Nah, sheila." Aster smirks. "Da called the school; Snowflake and I have the day off."

"Yikes. What for?" Nicholas asks.

"Beats me. Probably so we can get his room ready."

"Room?" Toothiana leans forward in her chair. "He has a room?" she shoots Aster a scandalous expression. "You told us he was 'just visiting', and here we find he has a room?"

"Is that bad?" Jack shrinks into his chair at her miniature outburst.

"what?" she scoffs. "No! Now we can crash here and hang out with the both of you! Two birds, one stone!"

"You..." Jack blinks at what she said for a moment, in surprise. "You want to hang out with me?"

"Yep!" Toothiana nods. "Why wouldn't we? Aster couldn't stop talking about you!"

Aster felt the sudden urge to flip his syrup-laden plate at her, but instead placed a hand over his eyes in embarrassment. "Please don't-"

"Awe, you talked about me? What'd you say?" Jack asks, smirking while reaching across the table to poke at him with an unused butter knife. "Did you tell them how amazing I was?"

"No, I told them how completely bonkers you were." Aster grumbles, reaching up to rub at the shoulder he was poked in.

"You bet he did!" Nicholas snorts, ignoring Aster's grumbling. "He wouldn't shut up about you when his father picked him up. Told us you were 'visiting'. Bah."

"I bloody did not!" Aster denies.

"Oh yeah, he also spoke of inviting you to join us at Sandy's house tomorrow!" Toothiana cut in. "We were going to have dinner together and - and just basically have a huge sleep-over!"

"A sleep-over?" Jack asks. "Aren't we all a bit old for those?"

Sandy shakes his head, holding a hand up as to say 'stop'.

"You're never too old to do something you like." Toothiana states. "Besides, sleep-overs in our age group involve R-rated movies and horrible puns. Also video games. Who doesn't love those?"

"You have a point." Jack admits. "But you'd have to tone it down on the R-rated movies. I don't like a lot of those."

"That's fine." Nicholas reassures. "The only one we have is the pool dead."

"Deadpool." Aster corrects.

"Oh. Also Sherlock - you may like that one." Toothiana adds in. "And if not we can just rent a bunch of Disney movies. Nicholas needs to be educated."

Jack coughs out a sudden laugh. "Sure!" he answers happily. "I'm the master at those; my sister used to make me watch them with her!"

Toothiana opened her mouth to ask him about that, when, throughout the mildly quiet house, a loud alarm had rung - Aster's alarm clock, which he had left untouched, was ringing like the mad machine it was made to be. It wasn't the cutesy little 'ring ring' you would hear, oh no, this was a loud and seemingly never-ending shriek of terror. Kind of like the noise that comes from a cat when you step on it's tail, but continuous.

It was loud enough to cause everyone to flinch, Nicholas had accidentally slammed his fork right into his hand - not puncturing it, thank the heavens - Sandy, who had been scrolling through his phone, had played a short version of hot potato with himself before inevitably tossing it across the room, Toothiana had ducked down, as if a bomb had gone off, while Aster and Jackson covered their ears.

"Shit dammit!" Aster roars over the loud shrieks. "I'm going to throw that blasted machine out!"

No one stopped the man from standing up from the table to trot quickly up the stairs, two steps at a time. They could only sigh as the clock was turned off, the silence ringing in their ears like a blessing.

"That...clock..." Nicholas, rubbing the hand that he had jabbed before, then breaks that quiet, his voice a little louder than it was before. "Is that even a clock?"

"We heard that all the way from Aster's room?" Toothiana mutters.

Sandy lets out a little whimper-sniffle noise at his phone, which now looked to have a large crack running across the screen. The newest touch-screen phones weren't very durable. Or, well, the one he had, at least.

"Yikes." Jackson whispers to the shorter, leaning over the other's shoulder a bit to glance at the phone. He wasn't one to normally pry, but, man, would you look at that? Looks like Aster might have to buy another phone for someone. That's okay. Jack doesn't need a phone anyways. He could always ask Aster to buy Sandy one instead.

Sandy nods sadly, holding the thing in two hands, treating the broken thing gently. Aster's footsteps stomping down the stairs drag all eyes to him.

"What the heck kind of alarm clock was that?" Toothiana asks.

"The kind that wakes you up." Aster smirks, standing in the doorway of the kitchen. "Also it's six. You should all be headin' for school, yeah?"

Jackson huffs, amused. "It was nice talking to you." he says, smiling to everyone. "Also, Aster, you should buy Sandy a new phone. His broke."

"What?" Aster frowns, furrowing his eyebrows. "How?"

"He tried to use it as a fork." Jack rolls his eyes. "How do you think?"

"When your clock chimed, he accidentally threw it across the room." Toothiana explains, standing up and gathering her empty plate.

"You don't have to put your plate up." Jack murmurs lowly, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. "I can get it."

"Nonsense!" she says hastily. "I'm up, my plate is empty, it goes in the sink!"

"Oh. Okay. Just saying." Jack shrugs, before standing up himself, Sandy and Nicholas following his example of pushing the chairs back in their place by the table.

Aster huffs at them for a moment, before going in to pick up all the used dishes to pile them in the sink. Sandy makes sure to wipe the table clean with a napkin, before they all stop to look at their completed task.

"Thanks." Jackson smiles. "That was quick."

"Indeed." Nicholas agrees, before chuckling. "Let us hope our trip to school is faster, still! It is six already!"

Toothiana, at the reminder of the time, quickly goes to give Jackson a hug. "It was so nice to meet you! Can't wait to meet again! Bye!" she then flies out the front door, not a care in the world about the way she had slammed it open. The momentum causing the thing to snap closed.

Sandy laughs a little breathy-wheezy laugh, his cheeks flushed in embarrassment. He makes a fist in his right hand and runs it in a circle on his chest. 'Sorry.'

"Ah, it's alright, mate. Sheila tends to worry about being late." Aster says, nodding once to the door. "You should all go, too, before she ends up leaving you here."

"She won't." Nicholas smirks. "We took Sandy's car. He has the key."

Sandy smiles bashfully, making a small gesture as if to say 'what can ya do?'

Aster chuckles. "About time you took that thing outside."

"I asked him to." Nicholas says. "Phil had to borrow mine."

"His break down?"

"Believe it or not, no, it was completely smashed." Nicholas frowns. "Phil had woken this morning to see the hood bent, and the side crushed in." he then scoffs. "Probably some punkish rogue, yes? -Watch yourselves."

"Wow. Tell him to send pictures later."

Nicholas laughs. "Will do!" he turns his attention to Jack, giving him a wink. "It was very nice to meet you again."

Jack nods, grinning. "Yeah. Just, uhm, next time don't break in okay? Knocking is nice." he pulls at the sleeves of his hoodie nervously.

Sandy moves to pat him on the arm, offering a reassuring smile. Nicholas nods along. "Yes, yes, we'll knock. Wouldn't want to have frostbite."

"Oh, God. Not you, too."

Nicholas heads out the door, Sandy following closely, laughing. "Of course not." he says, before the door closes behind them, leaving Aster and Jack the only ones in the house. Unless you counted the cat.

It was silent, which, if you've ever had noisy company over, and they had stepped out of the house, you would understand the weird ear-numbing silence that fell across them. The faint humming of a vehicle starting up and driving down the driveway was probably the only noise they heard for a moment or two.

Jackson sighs, turning around to face Aster. "So...no school huh?"

"For today." Aster answers, looking the other over for a moment. "What do you want to do?" he asks quietly, only turning his head away to look at the cat, which had just entered the room.

"Oh!" Jack reaches down to pet Moxy. "I need to feed my cat..."

Aster nods. "Well, I can't drive, but if you're up for it, we can walk to town." he sheepishly rubs the back of his head. "Y'know...get you a phone and stuff while we're at it?"

"And Sandy?"

"Yeah, yeah. Him, too."

I'm going to take this slow since fanfiction is being nutty. So no major plot development here and there I'm so sorry. (Though a bit of plot IS in this chapter. I hate introductions.)

and sandy is stronger than me if i had a phone and i broke it id be a complete baby

also thank you for all your reviews! I love you guys!

O if you liked, X if you didn't!