Little Quirks

Ezra is moving into his new foster house with six eccentric boys. Determined not to fall in with them, he ends up in the line of fire from the school's bullies. Will the others discover his quirk?

JD-5 kindergarten, Vin-9 2nd grade, Ezra-13 7th, Nathan-13 7th grade, Buck-14 8th grade, Chris-14 9th grade, Josiah-15 10th grade

Chris lift a heavy eye lid and yawned. He was still groggy and his vision was still pretty blurry from sleep. Pressed up against his back was a sleeping Vin. The boy must have crawled into his bed during the night again. Twisting his body around till he was facing the younger boy, he took a moment to admire the sleeping figure. He hid his smile as Vin mumbled something in his sleep.

Vin was sleeping with his butt in the air. Chris had asked him how it never hurt his neck or back, but Vin didn't seem to care. Vin's hair was pulled back in a little ponytail that Karen had put in before he went to bed.

Karen, their foster mom had single-handedly mastered how to take care of the six boys. She was proud of success and said that it was like having nine cats without having the 'old' attached to the 'crazy old cat lady' title. People thought she was crazy for taking in so many kids all by herself. However she was determined to do them all right. The older boys had been a big help when were old enough to take on bigger chores like meals. The younger boys were the alarm clocks for the older ones to make sure they got up on time for school.

JD burst through the door as Chris was just starting to sit up. JD was half dressed still, his Spiderman shirt barely hiding his plump belly.

"Chris, Vin It's time to wake up!" he called as he bounded for the bed and pushed on the still sleeping Vin. JD climbed on top of him as if he were riding him like a horse until Chris pulled him off.

"Careful JD that can hurt his neck and back." said Chris tiredly as he set the little boy back on the ground.

Just then Buck burst through the door, a small pair of pants in one hand. He zoned in on JD, "There you are kid. You need to finish getting dressed."

JD squealed and ran to dodge Buck as he launched forward to grab him.

Vin was now beginning to stir when Buck heaved JD over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, "I'll leave you guys to get dressed."

He gave a lazy wave as he walked out the room with a protesting JD in his arms.

"Morn'n Vin." Chris smiled at the boy in his bed before crawling over him and got ready for the day.

Vin mumbled his greeting and sat a bit longer in Chris's bed before finally getting up. The two got dressed in silence, with their backs to each other. Chris had gotten used to this routine.

Vin was pretty shy and didn't like dressing in front of others. It took two months before he was able to dress at the same time with Chris who understood his want for privacy.

When they went into the dining room, the others were already seated. JD was helping himself to a bowl of Lucky Charms which had to be wrenched from his grip after he over poured, again. He then began sifting through to find all the marshmallows and stuck them in his mouth.

Vin sat beside him and grabbed a box of Cocoa Puffs and some milk.

The older boys ate eggs and bacon with orange juice.

It was a controlled chaos as some cereal was spilled after being knocked over by an errant elbow. One of the older boys would just scoop the spilled food and add it to their plate to be eaten.

Karen, who sat at the head of the table next to Chris and Josiah, cleared her throat to get their attention. When all heads swiveled to meet her gaze did she finally begin.

"I have some great news and I hope for all of you to be a help."

"Is it someone's birthday?" asked JD.

"No, Chris's birthday is next and his isn't until next month." said Buck.

"No it isn't a birthday, JD. We're going to have a new addition to our family." she continued and tried to make it sound exciting.

The boys were indeed surprised and began asking questions.

"Are you getting married?" asked Nathan.

"Are we getting a pet?" asked Vin

JD liked the sound of that, "Oh can we get a dog! If we do can I name it?"

"We aren't getting any pets." said Karen finally.

The younger boys began to pout and grew uninterested in who the new member was.

"And I'm unfortunately I am very much still single."

"Don't worry," said Josiah with a smile, "I'm sure Mr Perfect is just trying to get everything ready before asking to marry you."

Karen smiled and wished that were so.

"Is it another kid?" asked Chris, his voice almost lost in the chatter of the younger boys who were arguing over who would name their pet.

"Yes it is. We'll be having a new boy join us!" grinned Karen.

That got everyone's attention again.

"Really?" said JD boisterously, "Is he younger or older?" He had been waiting to have someone come along that was younger than him.

"He's older than you JD. About Nathan's age."

JD huffed and turned back to his cereal, disinterested now in the new boy.

"Why can't we get any girls in the family?" muttered Buck.

"Because they'd be our sister and I think that'd be too hard for you to comprehend." Nathan said for what felt like the hundredth time.

"It's not for me!" bit Buck, "I'm sure Karen would love a girl around, right?" he said the last part to her.

"It would be nice but seeing how I have six boys I don't think that will ever happen."

"Shame." said Buck.

"Where's he gonna sleep?" asked Vin.

"Well, I was thinking that he can stay in Chris and your room."

Vin looked a little unsure and began playing with his cereal.

"Come on brothers, that's no way to act when we hear we're gonna have a new member in our family." said Josiah jovially.

"It would rather have a sister." muttered Buck.

"Or a dog." agreed JD.

Karen crossed her arms in mother mode, "If you boys keep acting like this then I won't let you go to the Playground for a week and you can mope about at home."

"Oh boy, I can't wait to meet my new brother!" JD said in mock excitement.

"I can't wait to share a room with him. Boy aren't we lucky Chris." said Vin, joining JD's fun.

Chris only frowned at the younger boy, cutting the joke short.

"Oh come on, it's not like you're happy about sharing your room with a stranger." Vin pouted.

"He isn't a stranger, Vin, he's to be our brother and that means being nice."

"What if he's mean?" said JD, now thinking the worse, "Should I hide my toys?"

"Ok, enough with you." interrupted Karen, "Hurry up and leave for school before you are all late and I have to make phone calls."

The boys all deposited their dirty dishes in the sink to clean later and cleared the table before grabbing backpacks and shoes.

As they stepped outside to get on their bikes Karen poked her head out the door.

"Make sure you are all back right after school so you can clean up a bit before he arrives."

When she disappeared back inside did JD turn to Buck in shock, "He's coming today?"

"Talk about forewarning." muttered Buck as he climbed on his bike and waited for JD to climb on the back bars.

Chris got on his bike and Vin got on the back of his bars. Nathan and Josiah each had their own bikes and soon they were all situated to leave.

Josiah set off first and soon the others followed.

"If we're getting a new brother then I'm going to fight for at least a pet turtle." called JD

Denver public school was a place of pure torture for the younger boys. The school was divided up and each level was in a separate building. Kindergarteners and elementary students were in one building. Middle school was in the neighboring building while High school was in the furthest building looking like a prison to smaller children. You grow up going to school with the same children and so you never escaped that class bully.

JD was dropped off with Vin at the building for the lower grades while Buck and Nathan went to the one for middle schoolers. Chris and Josiah parked their bikes outside of the high school and parted ways in the halls. The issue of the new boy lost in their school lives.

During school, the boys tried to meet up with each other if could manage it. Since Chris and Josiah were in high school and didn't get any recess like the others, they had to wait for lunch. During that time they could only talk to JD who was sitting against the fence in the playground area which had a fence around it.

As soon as the little boy spotted his older brothers he sat up and stuck his little hands through the fence.

"Hey kid, holding up in there?" smiled Chris as he handed the little boy his fruit snacks he got in his lunch.

"You would think that there wouldn't be bullies in kindergarten." the little boy muttered.

"Someone messing with you?" frowned Chris, kneeling down so he was closer to JD's eye level.

"Lucas, but I can't really do anything to him because he has a mean cousin. He's older than Josiah and bigger!"

"James clan." said Chris under his breath.

"What did he do to you JD?" asked Josiah.

Chris turned his attention back to the matter at hand, "Did he hurt you?"

JD shook his head, "He just kept calling me names and then everyone started to laugh and join in. They make fun of me for being a foster kid."

JD'S eyes burned as he held back tears.

Chris did his best to reach through the links in the fence and pulled on JD's Spiderman t shirt until the boy sat down and Chris rubbed the boy on the head and rubbed his back.

"Don't worry about the little snot. If it bothers you to the point that you can't take it anymore then we will deal with him."

"But his cousin." said JD quickly.

Chris stood back up and gave a confident grin, "Don't worry about him. He's all talk. I can easily take him."

As Josiah and Chris walked back inside to continue class did Josiah finally spoke up.

"You know you really haven't won an actual fight with him before right."

"If I ruffle his feathers then that's a good enough win for me. The only problem is that that little snot James is messing with JD during school. It was agreed that school would be off limits."

"You think a first grader is going to keep to that?" smiled Josiah.

"If just hope JD didn't tell Vin. That kid can be a loose cannon when it comes to things like this. The last thing we need is Vin to be sent to the principal's office today."

"Yeah, Karen wouldn't appreciate that very much."

"Try, ready to kill us." muttered Chris.

M7M7M7M7M7M7M7M7M7M7M7M7M7M7M7M7M7M7M7M7M7M7M7M7

After school Josiah, Nathan, Buck and Chris were waiting outside on their bikes waiting for the younger boys.

"What's taking them so long?" frowned Buck, looking to his watch for the fifth time.

"I now know what you mean by being concerned that Vin might do something." said Josiah to Chris.

"What might Vin do?" asked Nathan.

Just then the doors burst opened to the primary school building and JD and Vin ran out together.

"Come on, let's go. What are you waiting for?" shouted Vin as he climbed on Chris's bars.

"What did you do?" called Chris over his shoulder.

The doors opened again and a heavily glittered Lucas came running at them.

"Oh man." chuckled Buck as he put his feet on the pedals.

The boys rode off but didn't get far before they heard people chasing them on bikes.

"You just had to do it didn't you Vin." shouted Chris.

"I think it's funny." Buck laughed.

"If we let these guys trail us all the way back to Karen's then we're dead meat any way you look at it." called Nathan.

"Leave it to me." said Vin. "Chris, you still hate tomatoes?"

"Is that even a question?" laughed Buck.

Vin dug through Chris's bag and retrieved the tomatoes that came in the older boys lunch. Pulling his sling shot out of his back pocket he called to Chris that he was ready.

Chris waited for the hands to wrap around his neck before slowing down his bike and braked hard, turning his bike sideways so Vin had a clear shot of their pursuers.

Vin released his ammo at the boys, getting a direct hit in the chest and face. They stopped their bikes before they crashed and by the time they had wiped the tomatoes off of them the six were gone.

Pulling up in the backyard, the boys finally caught their breaths and began laughing now that the threat was gone.

"You're scary when it comes to how good you are in shooting." grinned Nathan.

"Yeah, and those tomatoes were not soft." smiled Vin, rubbing his nose.

"They should be lucky it wasn't acorns. I swear I still have bruises from them from two weeks ago." muttered Buck.

They continued their discussion as they walked in the back door and kicked their shoes off and put them in their designated places. One by one they stepped into the front room and each stopped talking till it was just JD who was last still laughing about the tomatoes. Soon as he saw Karen with her hands on her hips did he bow his head avoiding her glare.

"I thought I told you boys to come home right after school?" she began, her voice holding back her frustration.

"Vin and JD were late getting out." said Buck, pointing a finger at the two.

The young boys looked mortified and a bit annoyed that they were being thrown under the bus.

Karen sighed, "I guess there's no helping it now." The boys had the decency to look ashamed, "Why don't you come on in and I'll introduce you to our newest member."

"He's here already?" whispered JD under his breath in horror. He didn't get a chance to hide his toys yet.

Buck bit his lip from laughing out loud at the little boy's statement.

From the chair that was facing away from them, stood a boy barely taller than Vin. He was dressed in formal clothes that made all the boys wonder if he was going somewhere fancy. His expression was blank, emotionless, green eyes critiquing each boy.

There was a long silence as they stared at each other.

Josiah could see that the boy was scared despite his outward appearance. Chris saw a kid with a lot of attitude and was already feeling the pain he was going to receive from the boy later on. Buck didn't know what to think about the boy besides he was dressed way too nice to be a foster kid. Nathan felt that the boy thought he was better than them and decided that he didn't like him. Vin could sense the boy was nervous and hoped that the boy would become friends with him. JD was the only one who voiced his thoughts.

"Why are you dressed funny? Karen said you were Nathan's age but you're really short. Vin's almost as tall as you. What's wrong with your face?"

Buck turned his head to hide his laugh.

"Now JD, I want you to be nice ok." said Karen.

JD nodded, "So long as he doesn't touch my stuff without permission."

With that the little boy dismissed himself to go and play. The others introduced themselves and learned that the boy's name was Ezra Standish.

"Isn't that a girl's name? I have a girl in my class named Ezra." said JD, reentering the room.

Buck tried to laugh off the boy's comment and threw the boy over his shoulder, "Why don't we go see how your Lego city is holding up after the last attack by Lex Luther."

"Superman fixed it all up with his super strength." JD informed as they disappeared in their room.

"Ezra, you'll be staying in Chris and Vin's room. Why don't you boys show him around?"

Vin nodded and waited for Chris to take the lead to the room and followed behind the new boy.

When they entered the room Vin frowned, "What happened to our room?"

His bed had been moved so he was sleeping on the bed above Chris's futon bed below. Vin's old bed was now bed up with new sheets and the room was cleared so that the extra desk that had been holding the other boys' junk was now sorted on their own.

Vin grumbled a bit and climbed on his new bed and stared down at the new comer. Now he couldn't see Chris anymore.

Chris gestured to where everything was and where Ezra could put his things before leaving the room to do homework.

Now it was just Vin and Ezra.

Vin shifted in his bed, not sure what he should say.

"You're Tanner correct?" asked Ezra.

Vin frowned but nodded.

"Where might I discover the lavatory?"

"What's a lavatory?" frowned Vin.

"The bathroom. Where can I find the bathroom?" sighed Ezra.

"Oh, it's down the hall across from Buck and JD's room. Just follow the noise and go through the opposite door."

Ezra nodded and walked out.

Vin watched him go and shook his head. Things were definitely going to be different from now on.

M7M7M7M7M7M7M7M7M7M7M7M7M7M7M7M7M7M7M7M7M7M7M7M7M7M7

At dinner it was an awkward affair with Karen trying to bring Ezra into the conversation. The boy seemed quite content to stay out of it though and just observe the others.

He watched the chaos in front of him as JD made a mountain out of his mash potatoes and trees out of his broccoli. Vin was making bubbles in his milk, spilling it as it reached the top. Nathan was arguing with Buck about the latest movie trailer he had just seen.

"Unless Batman has kryptonite then he isn't going to live. I mean Superman killed the other guy from his race that is practically instinct."

Buck went on to make his argument while Ezra looked over to the oldest boys. They were whispering to each other about something he couldn't hear.

"So boys," began Karen, getting everyone's attention, "I want you to go around and tell me what great thing happened to you today."

"Well I got a date with Taylor this weekend." grinned Buck.

Chris smiled at his friend and gave him slap on the back which was returned in a push.

Ezra didn't really understand what all that was about. Did the boy not have much success getting dates or something?

"Got my last test back, 100%." said Nathan, puffing out his chest.

"That's wonderful Nate!" clapped Karen.

Josiah put an arm over Nathan shoulder and the two spoke quiet words to each other before Karen spoke up.

"What about you Josiah?"

"I didn't get a perfect on my test but I did make student council for my grade."

Everyone stopped eating.

"Why the hell would you want to be on the council?" asked Buck. "Do you know that they may be just giving you the position out of guilt."

Chris was silent but his frown spoke a thousand words.

"You're too good to be on the council." Vin tried to explain.

"Well I think it's a good idea. I told him he should run and he won. Why can't you just be happy for him!" growled Nathan.

"You know why!" said Buck.

"Enough boys." Karen said in as calm of a voice as she could muster. "Josiah, I think it's a wonderful that you're a part of the student council."

"Chris, why don't you go next?" she suggested.

"I'll pass."

Karen sighed and turned to JD, "What about you hun?"

"Chris gave me his fruit snacks and then Vin pranked the bully who was messing with me."

"What?" asked Karen.

"JD!" hissed Vin.

Ezra tried not to seem interested but a smile started to crack his poker face. He loved a good prank.

"Vin." Karen said sternly.

"It was just a little prank to get back at the boy for messing with JD." Vin said defensively.

"And how does that not make you a bully?"

Vin slumped in his chair

"I don't want you to do this again, Vincent."

The boy didn't say anything and the dinner ended.

When the dishes were cleaned and put away, the older boys retired to the front room to do their homework while the younger ones entertain themselves with various toys.

JD brought out his Legos and would always run up to Buck, distracting him till he finally joined him.

Chris was working on his algebra homework while Vin sat next to him with his comic book. Occasionally he would lean over and whisper something to Chris. Chris would whisper something in his ear back before going back to his own paper.

Nathan was reading an English book from class while Josiah typed on the computer in the front room. Overall it was quiet except for the noise Buck and JD were making.

Karen sat on the couch watching the boys. None of them had made any attempt to invite Ezra to do anything. The older boys had almost purposefully chose activities that didn't require another person and even Vin was attempting to read his Calvin and Hobbes instead of talking to Ezra. JD messed with Buck until he paid him any attention instead of asking the one person who wasn't doing anything.

She sighed and watched as Ezra seemed content to sit at the dining table and play with his cards.

As always, it was her job to break the ice.

"So Ezra," she began, getting everyone's attention. Each boy listening even though they didn't look up from what they were doing. "You'll be starting school at Denver public with the others in Monday. You said you wanted to be placed in a few higher classes is that correct?"

Ezra understood what she was trying to do, he didn't however like being the center of everyone's attention.

"Is it possible to attend a private school instead?" his accent lingered as the other boys looked form him to Karen to see how she would respond.

"Do you have a problem going to a public school?" she asked.

"I just prefer private schools over public ones. They have better discipline and the students are not as uncouth there. They take learning more seriously and the food is better."

The six boys just stared at him.

"Uncouth?" hissed Buck.

"Are you saying that kids who go to public school don't take school seriously?" frowned Nathan.

"I'm sure he didn't mean everyone Nathan." said Josiah, trying to calm his brother.

"Nathan is really smart in science and is the best in his class!" Vin bit, "And Chris is a year ahead in math. They're both really smart."

"I notice you didn't add yourself Tanner." said Ezra smoothly.

Vin got to his feet, "Want to go midget!"

Karen got to her feet to intercept the young boy from going at Ezra, but Chris just grabbed him by the collar and pulled him back down to his chair.

"You're already in trouble for what happened at school. Don't make it worse." he said in a low voice.

Vin grunted and sent glares at Ezra before turning his attention back to his book.

JD who was watching with Buck on the floor whispered to the bigger boy.

"He's not being nice on purpose."

Buck frowned, not sure if it was JD being JD and was too nice, or it he saw something none of the others saw.

Nathan took his book to his room to be alone and Josiah decided to take a break for the night. Chris nodded to him when he saw the oldest boy go to find their upset brother.

When it was time for bed Vin went to the room first to quickly change before Ezra came in. He dove into bed when the door opened and Ezra entered, not sure why the other boy looked like he was trying to stay as far away from him on purpose. He looked like a hissing cat on the top bunk as his hair was pulled into a pigtail and he crawled under the covers.

Ezra sighed and quickly changed his clothes. He was sure that if not all of the boys hated him then they would all avoid him. He had to admit that he antagonized them on purpose. Nathan and Vin Buck both seemed to hate him and Buck also didn't care for him. JD avoided him and Buck wouldn't allow him near him like he had the plague. Josiah tried to remain friendly and patient, but that would eventually lose to frustration. Chris he wasn't sure of. The older boy didn't try to talk to him, but it seemed like he didn't do much of that anyway. When he stopped Vin from coming at him, he thought he was just trying to save him, or maybe he was protecting both.

Chris walked in and saw Vin huddled under his covers and Ezra sitting on the edge of his bed. He moved across the room and changed into the clothes he slept in and then turned off the lights without saying a word.

After a few minutes of quiet Ezra heard a knocking noise and he looked up to see Vin knock on the wall a couple times then once. It was answered by a knock from Chris. Three taps then once. A knock came from his side of the wall and his heart skipped before he realized it was coming from the other room. Three knocks then two. The two double knocks.

What the hell are they doing? A Morse code before bed.

Ezra stared up at the ceiling, not really tired. The others had fallen asleep now, leaving him to hear Vin's soft snores and Chris's occasional shift in bed. He wondered what his mother could be doing and when she'd come for him. It was kind of unnerving this time around. There wasn't any letter saying where he should go and how she'd contact him. How was she to know where to find him?

It took him another hour before he finally fell asleep, hoping that the next day would yield some answers.

Ezra was never a morning person, and he hated those who tried to force their beliefs on him. He felt a sixty pound boy fall on top of him before he could understand what was going on.

In his dream he was in a scary room in the dark. The sound of heavy footsteps running towards him intending him harm.

When he opened his eyes, he found a perky JD on top of him, half dressed and wearing a diaper? Ezra frowned and tried to get a clearer image of the boy as JD bounced off his bed. He was unfortunate to receive a surprisingly heavy hand push down on his chest as the boy sprung to go to the bed across the room.

Ezra sat up in his bed and tried to study JD. The boy was definitely wearing some kind of night diaper. Revelation hit him like a train and he checked himself to make sure that he wasn't wet. When he saw JD climb on the 'hill' in Chris's bed he tried to not laugh.

So that's how the older boy slept.

When Chris's head however popped up on the other side of the 'hill' not attached in anyway did Ezra realize it was someone else. Chris plucked JD off and Buck was there to snatch the boy away.

The covers moved and Vin sat up in Chris's bed. Ezra could barely keep his shock from showing on his face. When did he get there?

Chris didn't seem at all effected. Was this normal? Ezra watched as Chris got out of bed and got dressed in all black. He turned to Vin who glanced at me before looking at Chris again. It was as if they were sending messages to each other telepathically.

I'm in a house full of weirdos.

Chris left the room and left us together, staring at each other across the little room.

"Ain't you gonna get dressed?" he said eventually.

"By all means, you go first."

The two stared at each other for another three minutes.

Why doesn't he go already?

The door finally opened and Nathan stuck his head in.

"Vin, you better hurry if you want to go to the Playground. We're leaving in five minutes."

Ezra wondered why anyone their ages would want to go to a playground. That information however brought Vin to life and he sprung out of bed and rummaged through his dresser, pulling out clothes, before heading to the bathroom.

Ezra shrugged and got dressed. Now that it was empty and he could have some privacy.

When he entered the front room, all the boys were dressed and looked like they were about to head out. He wanted to laugh at how excited Buck was to go to the playground. There was no hiding that these boys were nothing but oversize kids, excluding JD and maybe even Vin.

Karen, who just semed to have woken up, walked in.

"You boys heading out already?" she yawned.

"Have to get our spot." Vin explained.
"You boys go there enough that they might as well reserve the table for you."

The boys all grinned at the statement.

"I'm glad you're bringing Ezra along too. That's very sweet of you."

Ezra bristled at the thought of him sitting in a park, trying to 'play' on swings and on slides. He would never allow himself to drop that low even if they paid him- well if it was a lot of money- but these kids were probably broke.

Vin looked a little disappointed at having to bring the odd boy. JD on the other hand was excited to show Ezra around. Nathan acted indifferent, but was curious how the boy would react. The older boys shrugged at one another and nodded.

Ezra had no choice but to go now.

M7M7M7M7M7M7M7M7M7M7M7M7M7M7M7M7M7M7M7M7M7M7M7M7M7M7M7

As the boys stepped outside into the backyard did Vin voice his opinion.

"Do we really have to bring him?"

"You are aware Tanner that I can hear you, right?" said Ezra from behind.

"He can come if he wants to. The place doesn't belong to us." said Chris coolly and walked over to the parked bikes. "How are we going to do this?"

Now that there was an extra person, they had to select who Ezra was going to ride with.

"I'm with Chris." called Vin.

"Buck!" JD said, racing to his partner.

Chris looked at Nathan and Josiah.

Nathan refused to look at him and he sighed.

"Can he ride with you Josiah?"

"Sure thing." Josiah smiled and gestured for Ezra to follow him.

Ezra wanted to point out that he didn't really want to go, but figured he could go for a bit and then walk back. He climbed onto the back bars of Josiah's bike and held onto the bigger boy's shoulders.

"Let's go then." said Chris and he set off first with Vin. The others soon followed.

Ezra gripped Josiah's shoulders as they made their first turn out the driveway. It was a little scary at first, but it was pretty fun riding like this. He looked over at the others who were riding in front of him. He could tell the younger boys had plenty of practice riding on the back. Vin was only holding onto Chris with one hand while eating candy while JD was leaning all the way back while holding onto Buck's belt.

The younger boys began to goof off and started having a competition of who could do the silliest thing. Ezra was sure it was going to end with one of them falling off the back of the bike but there weren't any accidents.

The Playground wasn't an actual playground, but was a frozen yogurt place with a jungle gym attached next door. It was a kid's hangout and there were many groups already there. A few parents with younger children were huddled in the corner on bar stools talking to each other.

"So what do you think of the Playground?" grinned Buck.

Ezra schooled his features but he nodded his approval. He was a little unsure what to do with so many people around and the noise was loud.

Chris led them through the main area where there were tables set up and sat at a table furthest from the jungle gym. The others all sat down, moving to particular seats as if it were assigned seating. Chris pulled up an extra chair and placed it on his left.

"You can sit here."

Ezra inspected the chair to make sure it was clean before sitting down.

Josiah went over the general instructions of how the place functioned. For the most part it was like any frozen yogurt place as far as Ezra could tell. Chris waved a twenty in the air.

"Since it's your first time, and since we'll treat this like your 'welcome to the family' party, I'll buy yours."

Ezra had money, but if the older boy said he was buying then he wasn't going to stop him.

After they had each gotten their yogurt and toppings and were seated again did Chris finally begin talking. Ezra zoned out for most of it and ate his yogurt. He watched as Vin and JD would pick their toppings, which amounted to four inches higher than the brim of their cup, and eat them. When he heard Vin say something about pranks he looked up.

"Vin, I know that the little snot broke the agreement, but you started a clan war in a safe zone." said Chris.

Safe zone? Clan war? Oh my gosh, these guys are in a gang!

"I doubt we're safe from them even here now." sighed Josiah.

"It was my fault not Vin's. If I just let it go then none of this would've happened." JD blurted.

"Doesn't matter what happened anymore, it's what we're going to do about it. We can't really do anything while we're at school. We're split up during that time." Nathan pointed out.

"Stupid architect who thought that was a good idea!" grumbled Buck.

"I say we should go after them. They've been getting away with a lot of crazy stuff and we've been letting them." said Vin.

"I understand your point, brother but that's not always the answer." Josiah mumbled as he finished the last of his yogurt.

The ring of the door made the boys turn to look who it was and they all shared curses and grumbles as they returned their gaze to their food.

Ezra frowned and looked over his shoulder to see a rough looking group of boys approach their table.

"Well at this going to be easy, look the gangs all here!" said the oldest looking boy.

If Ezra had to guess, this was the opposite gang's leader.

"I heard what your little brother did to my cousin, Larabee." he spat Chris's name out.

Chris who had been sitting quiet, turned in his seat as if he wasn't even speaking to a boy who looked ready to fight. Ezra was impressed with his composure.

"And I heard that it was that runny nose cousin of yours that started this by antagonizing my little brother." Chris gave him a deadly glare, "So what are we going to do about that?"

"There won't be any more safe zones." Stewart warned.

"Did he just say he was scared JD?" asked Chris over his shoulder.

"I think he did Chris." JD grinned.

"It was hinted at least." Ezra couldn't help but add.

The older boy snarled, "Fine, I'll take you right now then."

Chris sighed, "You boys really have no sense in timing. Can't you see that we're trying to hold a party here?"

"All I hear is you being chicken." Stewart grinned.

Chris stood up from his seat. Vin moved to stand up next to him but Buck pushed him back down.

"Why don't we take this somewhere a little less public?"

He led Chris to the back where the bathrooms were located. Stewart's followers blocked Josiah and the others from following them.

"Whatcha look'n at bucky?" snarled Vin.

The boy who had buck teeth glared down at Vin, "Don't start something you may regret, string bean."

Vin was shoved back in his chair by Josiah this time.

Ezra made a move to stand and one of Stewart's boys made a move to stop him. Behind him, Josiah and Buck were there to fight them off.

"Will you all please calm yourselves? I'm just throwing my trash in the waste receptacle."

The boys looked at each other as if not understanding what he was saying, but eventually stepped out of the way.

Ezra walked by with his trash to the far end of the room and threw it away. He made sure they weren't watching him before sneaking into the restrooms.

He wasn't sure why he was going in, but part of him wanted to at least make sure Chris was ok.

Peeking his head in, he heard a lot of grunt noises coming from a stall.

You can't get many good blows in there.

He debated what he should do. Going in was definitely not an option. The stall was locked and the only way in was underneath and he wasn't going to be crawling on any public restroom floors into a stall. Plus going in would create less space and only get him injured.

The only alternative was to go get an adult figure and get rid of the hooligan. It would probably get Chris kicked out too, but it had to be better, right?

Ezra was just about to leave when the door to the stall opened and Chris stumbled out. His heart leaped in his chest and he was about to go to him.

The older boy looked disheveled and his clothes looked pulled and stretched. Stewart then stepped out and Ezra had to keep himself from gasping at the sight of the older boy.

He had a big red bruise on the side of his neck.

Ezra's mind started to go there without permission.

What had the older boy make Chris do?

He never had a dirty mind and prided himself a gentleman, but he had seen his uncle watching some weird things on his computer and he was wondering if this was it.

Chris is gay?!

A gasp did escape him this time and he saw Chris's head turn in his direction. He could feel himself blushing and he darted out of the restroom.

Chris was tired and sore. As he stepped out of the stall, he tried to catch his breath after the blows that had hit him in the abdomen. He didn't see Ezra standing there with his eyes bulging at the two of them until the boy vanished.

Too tired to actually care, he looked back at Stewart who was now sporting two bruises on his neck after the boy tried to break his back. Chris had managed to get his hands free in time and twist the sides of the bigger boy's neck to release him before he was seriously hurt. He also got a punch in, and Stewart's eye was beginning to darken.

Chris felt that he had won this round, even though it had cost him.

He frowned when the older boy began to laugh.

"You must be crazy. Why are you laughing?" Chris huffed, "I won."

Stewart shook his head and grinned, "He's the new boy right? He doesn't know you right? What images and thoughts about you did you just put in his head right now?"

As the other boy laughed at him Chris frowned, trying to think of how the younger boy's mind would've interpret the scene. If he were JD, he'd think nothing other than a fight. So would Vin, but they knew him. Chris looked at Stewart and saw the red bruises he had made and then it struck him. He didn't want to think it was a possibility, but it was like a neon sign.

As the information registered on Chris's face, Stewart laughed again and pushed past Chris.

Chris pushed his hair out of his face and splashed water over it before going out. Now he had another problem on his hands.

When he reached his table he noticed that Stewart and his boys were gone. Vin ran up to him asking what happened.

"We fought." his words directed at Ezra who had his back to him, "I won fight but lost the battle."

Vin didn't quite understand, "What did you lose? Is he going to go after us at school?"

Chris dug his hands in his pockets and smiled down at his younger brother, "We should be fine as long as he knows that messing with one of us means he has the rest to deal with."

"We should probably head back so you can clean up before lunch." Josiah suggested.

They all got up and left the building finding their bikes chained to a tree outside.

Ezra paused at the bikes and the others looked at him.

"Something wrong brother?" asked Josiah.

"We are not related so you can stop calling me that before you start."

"Geez man what's your deal. You were almost likeable a little while ago." said Buck, crossing his arms.

"Do you have more you want to share with us?" asked Chris, seeing that Ezra was looking at him warily.

"I would appreciate it if you would not associate with me during my stay here. That includes school. I don't want any of your trouble involving me."

"But we're a family now and that means-"

"I don't ever recall saying I wanted to be a part of your family." Ezra interrupted Vin.

There was a long silence before Chris nodded, "Okay. If that's what you want. We'll take you home and we'll cut all ties."

M7M7M7M7M7M7M7M7M7M7M7M7M7M7M7M7M7M7M7M7M7M7M7M7M7M7

It was a somber party that entered Karen's that afternoon. Chris went to change and Vin went into the backyard to hide away in the treehouse. Buck took JD to their room to distract him, Nathan and Josiah went into the basement to study somewhere quiet. Ezra sat down at the dining table and played with his cards. They fluttered on the table as he finally sat them down and rested his head in his arms.

It shouldn't matter if he is gay or not.

He wanted to scream he was so upset at letting himself be effected. It wasn't even as if Chris was trying to do something to him.

Thoughts like that made him start to think of the things Chris had done so far and made him think there was an underline meaning. He groaned and raked his hair in frustration.

This is why he never had friends. He was never liked in the first place because everyone thought he was weird. Now he just pushes people away so they didn't have to bother doing it themselves. So it wouldn't be him hurting. The whole day was weird. JD in diapers. Vin in Chris's bed. Chris being gay. Gang wars.

He sighed. Where the hell did they place me?

"I didn't hear you boys come in." said Karen, getting Ezra's attention. "Did you enjoy the Playground?"

"It was quite the surprise when I discovered that it wasn't indeed a playground."

"The boys love going there all the time to hold their little meetings." she smiled.

Thinking back to the Playground made him think about the restroom.

"Is everyone here…peculiar?" he tried to find the right word that wouldn't single one person out.

"I'm sure even you have your little quirks. The other boys have just grown so close that they're used to each other's little habits. Vin's the only one who's private still. He's the most recent one to have joined our family, but he loves being with Chris. Their like two peas in a pod. Chris is always good at helping the new boys get adjusted, Josiah too."

Ezra wanted to say there was nothing private about Vin sleeping in Chris's bed, but he kept his mouth shut.

During lunch the boys talked little like the day before and at night it was pretty much the same. Ezra put up his barriers so no one would bother him. JD had tried to talk to him, but Buck told him to stop.

Ezra was completely alone.

~Conceal, don't feel. Put on a show! Make one wrong move and everyone will know! ~

"Put me out of my misery!" groaned Buck as he watched from the far couch. The younger boys had put on Frozen and they were happily singing along. JD taking Ana since he was the youngest and Vin taking Elsa.

"Hey, you bought it for them last Christmas. It's your own fault." Nathan reminded him.

Buck threw a pillow at him but missed.

"Can't you guys watch Tangled or something?" Buck groaned again.

"That's next. Then Princess and the Frog." said JD.

"Shoot me." Buck said into a pillow.

"You don't have to watch you know." said Chris who was on another couch doing homework.

"They have the TV! I can't watch anything else."

"Don't you have your date with Taylor soon anyway?"

"Yeah." Buck stood up, "What do you think? Too casual?"

"I'd say don't over think it."

Buck grinned and checked the time.

"If you're so nervous about being late then just go already."

"I'll be back late." he grinned wolfishly.

"You'll do no such thing!" called Karen from the kitchen before peeking out, "Good luck sweetie."

Buck huffed, "You guys keep on saying good luck and will probably destroy the whole thing."

After he was gone did the younger boys finally decide they were done with the TV and went to play with the Legos.

Chris smiled at them as they went into JD's room.

Ezra, who was in his shared room, only heard what was going on. Buck must really blow with the ladies if everyone insisted on saying good luck. He watched as Vin and JD passed the door. JD stopped to say something, but was quickly pulled away by Vin.

He could hear them through the walls as they talked.

"Why was Ez cranky today? Was it cause I jumped on him this morning?" asked JD.

"He probably is just a butt all the time." Vin said dismissively.

"Maybe he's just sad like when I was sad when my mommy died."

"Maybe, but I doubt it. There's no excuse for his piss poor attitude towards us right after Chris got him yogurt."

"I've been saving up money for Chris's gift, but maybe it'll better if I just gave him money. It's not as fun to unwrap though."

"I'm sure whatever you were planning on buying is fine JD. Chris will probably have enough money for that PlayStation by the time his birthday comes around."

"Do you think he'll let me play it?"

"I'm sure he will. I'm getting him Star Wars: Battlefront."

"I thought he wanted the new Assassins Creed game?"

"He does but there's no harm in getting a game I want to play too. Besides he may grumble a bit about it but he'll play it."

The boys went on to talk about other PlayStation games and Ezra tuned them out. He had to prepare for Monday which was right around the corner.

Sunday was uneventful and the six boys spent the whole day out. When they returned at night some of them were clearly upset about something but didn't talk about it.

Monday morning wasn't any better than his first morning as Ezra heard JD's heavy footsteps enter the room, piercing the veil of sleep. He couldn't hear him which was different and he looked over his shoulder to see Vin already up and dressed. That was new. Vin said something to JD before the young boy, still half-dressed ran out of the room. Vin shook Chris awake and they spoke softly. After Vin had left for breakfast and Chris was getting dressed did he finally hear the older boy say anything.

"I don't care if you're planning on avoiding us, but I suggest you don't be late for your first day."

Ezra didn't know if he knew he was awake or not, but he waited till the older boy was gone before getting out of bed.

The boys all ate a quick breakfast and were outside by the time Ezra made his way into the kitchen.

"I am hurt by what he said, but do we have to leave him to find the school on his own? What if he gets lost? Even if he does make it to school, how will he know his way around?" asked JD.

"He can ask someone." said Buck. "I still can't believe you're still being nice to him Chris after he literally threw your kindness back in your face with the yogurt."

"I ain't giving him a kidney Buck so calm down."

They waited until Ezra stepped out of the house. Six pairs of eyes watched him. Ezra readjusted his backpack and prepared to walk down the driveway when Josiah called his name.

"So you'll make it to school on time. You can follow us from a distance if you don't want to ride with us. That way you'll know how to get there and back on your own."

He pointed to a bike that looked brand new and was red, white and black. The name on it read Chaucer. Ezra just stared at it.

"Don't tell me he ain't gonna use it." Huffed Buck, "That was Chris's-"

"You don't have to use it if you don't want it." Chris interrupted and began down the driveway with Vin. The others followed him.

Ezra touched the bike in reverence. He really liked it, but didn't know if he should take it. A bike lock was thoughtfully placed on the main body of the bike. He got on and sat down, taking a minute to let it all sink in.

"You coming or not?" came a voice that sounded like Buck's.

He put his feet on the pedals and started off.

The boys were waiting a couple houses down and when they saw him exit the driveway they began again.

Josiah was the one who showed Ezra the different buildings and where to go for his upper level classes. To his chagrin he had algebra trig with Chris.

They sat on opposite sides of the room and they didn't acknowledge one another. He also had chemistry in the upperclassman building, but apparently that was a freshman level class and Chris was already taking bio which was for sophomores.

At first everything was fine. He got many weird looks when he was in trig or chem, but he dismissed them. However the looks began to change and it turned into whispers going around the room.

In algebra one morning while the teacher had his back to the class, a boy threw a paper ball at him. It landed in his lap and it appeared to have some message written in it. He waited to make sure the teacher wasn't looking before opening it.

GO BACK TO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL YOU MIDGET!

Ezra balled it back up and stuck it under his desk, keeping his features calm and unaffected. He did steal a glance to Chris, seeing if he had noticed the letter, but the older boy was listening to the teacher and ignoring him.

The notes grew worse and soon it wasn't just in his algebra and chemistry class. People would push him into lockers in the halls. Tape things to his back and make noises at him.

All of this he ignored.

Chris and the others sat at the Playground with their yogurt after school. They sat in silence. The chair that Ezra had sat in had still yet to be removed.

"It's getting worse." began Josiah.

"I know." Chris sighed and raked his hair.

"It's his own fault for making himself an easy target. 'I don't want to be associated with you guys', it doesn't even matter anymore if he knows us or not. He had a better chance with us protecting him. Since he wanted to go all independent, Stewart is having a field day. The boy is too smart for his own good. Taking high school level classes will gain you immediate hate." Buck huffed as he sat back and ate his yogurt.

"I think I heard some kids call him a foster boy, but he didn't even flinch. I've been pulling off as many of the stickers they tape on him as possible. I could start a scrapbook with how many I have." Josiah said, pulling out the wadded up papers.

"Maybe if we talk to him. Explain what's going on." Vin suggested.

"I thought you guys decided to ignore him?" Chris rose an eyebrow.

"Yeah that was before Stewart decided to mess with him. No one messes with family but family." said Buck.

"But he doesn't want to be a part of our family." Nathan pointed.

Vin shook his head, "Shouldn't matter. He lives with us so he's one of us."

Chris smiled, "Well, I guess we need to do a better job at protecting our brother then."

It was Friday morning when Ezra saw that the boys started to act differently around him. It was very subtle, well all except JD who was now more than willing to let him play with his toys. He figured that Karen had told them to be nicer. It didn't matter to him, though the stress at the house had been alleviated which was nice.

School, which used to be his safe place from the abusive homes he stayed at now became his living hell. Hell, he'd rather have Larabee yell at him and shake him like a ragdoll than the constant bullying he received in the high school.

The taunts had begun to start in the middle school building and soon everything felt like one big struggle.

Today however, he was going to present his Chemistry project. He was pretty happy with his project and nothing was going to ruin that. He was extra careful when he got dressed today, wearing a suit as if he was attending the school dance and not presenting.

Vin entered the room just as he finished getting dressed. He felt his heart skip. He wasn't sure if Vin had seen it or not. The other boy's expression however showed no signs that he did.

Ezra had been very careful to keep his secret from the other boys. It was hard to whenever it was time to change clothes. He'd often seen Vin leave the room to change and wondered why. Chris didn't seem to care who saw him change and would get dressed in front of him as if he was in the room by himself.

Ezra wasn't ashamed of his quirk, he just didn't want others to know to use it against him. His mother said that people like to use your weakness against you. Ezra made certain that would never happen.

"What's the special occasion?" frowned Vin as he looked Ezra over.

"I have a presentation in Chemistry. I'm showing off my project today." Ezra smiled. He couldn't help it. He loved his project.

Vin and JD had been helping him experiment with different things and they eventually came up with his end project.

"Well I don't think you should wear nice clothes for it. What if you set yourself on fire?" Vin laughed.

Ezra however frowned, "I'm presenting a project, and therefor you're supposed to look nice."

"I can understand looking nice, but I don't see why you have to look immaculate."

Vin didn't allow him time to respond since the boy gathered his things and took off.

Sighing, Ezra checked himself one more time before following him.

Ezra still rode behind the rest on the way to school even though they had asked him to join them on several occasions. He parked his bike outside the middle school and went inside while the others dropped the younger boys off.

The first part of the day was uneventful. When lunch was over he had to head over to the high school building to have class with Chris.

He found the older boy in his usual seat, head resting on the desk, waiting for class to begin.

Ezra sat in his desk and pulled out his notebook. Just as he did a hand swiped it off onto the floor.

He looked up and saw an older boy give him a smug look before taking his own seat.

His eyes flickered to Chris who was now paying attention. He looked at Ezra and then at the boy who had knocked over his things, his message was clear. 'Do you want me to take care of them?'

Ezra shook his head and picked up his notebook. It was only an immature joke and he wasn't going to cry for help because of it.

When class ended, he packed his things eagerly to go to Chemistry. Chris had already left the room, his seat right next to the door.

In the hall, Ezra joined the chaos as students weaved their way through the crowds to class.

He didn't see the boys who were following till he was too late. A hand grabbed him by his backpack and yanked him violently to the bathroom.

Ezra fought back and got his foot to connect with one of the boy's shin.

The boy cursed and the bullies pushed him into a stall. Ezra began to panic, the last time he remembered something like this happen was Chris and the big boy in the Playground. He wasn't going to let that happen to him.

The bullies however only dunked him in the toilet, effectively drenching his suit. They laughed as Ezra pushed his way out of the stall. He was too embarrassed to look up and he ran into someone.

A hand steadied him and he heard a low voice that sent him shivers.

"You alright Ezra?"

It was Chris. He looked up, and even though his face was wet, the other boy could probably tell that he was crying.

Chris stepped around him and addressed the two boys who were now backing away. They didn't want to deal with Larabee.

As soon as Chris was a few feet from them, the bullies fled. Chris went to chase them down and pound the mess out of them but Ezra called him back.

"It isn't worth it."

Chris returned to Ezra's side. Ezra shivered internally. He wasn't sure how to respond to the cold steel eyes that looked down on him. If I don't stop them then they'll continue to bully you."

Ezra straightened up, "I will not be frightened off by bullies."

He hoped that Chris would believe him and not pursue in his resolve to pulverize his bullies.

Chris sighed, "I'm sorry about your clothes. Vin said you were wearing them for your presentation."

Ezra looked down at his soaked clothes.

"Yeah, I have it right now."

Chris pulled his backpack off and fished inside, he produced a sweatshirt and a t-shirt.

"Why don't you wear these? I know they aren't fancy."

"Thank you." Ezra smiled and took the clothes, he went into a stall to change.

The shirt almost fit him since Chris wore tight t-shirts, the sweatpants however had to be rolled up so that they didn't drag on the floor. He felt weird wearing the other boy's clothes but shrugged and walked out the stall. Chris had already left while he was changing. Using some paper towels, he tried to dry off his hair before going to class.

His teacher marked him tardy as he sat down at his desk. She gave a few reminders of the test that was to be next Wednesday before she let the presentations begin.

Ezra enjoyed the lab experiments that others in his class did, and clapped when they were finished. When it was his turn, he felt a surge of adrenaline and stepped forward.

The class all muttered to themselves, but he ignored them. He set up his equipment and then nodded to his teacher that he was ready. When she signaled for him to start he began.

"Today I'm going to do a little demonstration on how you can hold fire without burning yourself. This can be done using a few items you may have around the house. It shouldn't however be done without supervision and preferably outdoors."

"I think that's for you pipsqueak." Snickered a boy.

Ezra bristled but didn't make a comment.

He continued to explain what he was doing.

Add dishwashing soap to the water and make sure there were a lot of bubbles by using an axe can. Next he scooped up the bubbles and held a lighter to it. The bubbles went up in flames and for a moment it looked like he was holding fire until he had to blow it out.

"Why don't you do it again?" asked the teacher.

Ezra nodded and scooped up a bigger amount of bubbles as he lit it on fire he heard some boys whispering.

"Figures a foster boy to be carrying around a lighter."

As the bubbles went up in flames, there came a loud siren overhead.

Some students began to panic and the teacher began to give orders to line up to leave the building.

"The pipsqueak set the alarms off!" howled one of the boys.

Others began to nod.

"He didn't set the alarm off, there was a scheduled fire drill that I forgot about." The teacher said as they walked out the building.

Ezra still could hear the others in his class tell other kids in the hall that he had set the alarm off with his project.

The whole school stood outdoors with their class. Ezra could see Chris and Josiah standing with their respective groups. They were near enough to each other to be able to talk to one another. Ezra looked at his class. There was no one to pass the time with while he waited.

To his surprise and unease a group of boys approached him.

"Well done setting off the alarms. What, trying to push back the test because you're scared you might fail it?"

"No. The teacher already explained that today we were supposed to have a fire drill."
"Pretty convenient timing for you. You might have set the building on fire. I don't see how you were even allowed to have a lighter on campus. You should be expelled."

"As I already said, it's a fire drill. My project couldn't start a fire. It was in a controlled environment." Ezra snapped.

"Oh, pipsqueak actually has a voice now." Huffed a boy.

Ezra pushed the boy and a chorus of oooo's followed.
The boy's friends began to circle him until he was surrounded. They began shoving him around in their small circle.

Ezra felt dizzy and he tried to steady himself. The older boys only kept pushing him. One yanked at Ezra's sweatpants and they fell to Ezra's ankles.

The howling grew and they decided that they were finished pushing him around by throwing him outside of their circle and into the open.

The boy who pants him called, "He's going commando!"

Other students turned to see and soon everyone around him was laughing at him while he tried to cover himself up and keep from crying.

A boy stepped on Ezra's pants, preventing him from pulling them up.

"Somebody quick, take a picture!"

NO! Please stop!

There was a grunt noise and the boy who had been standing on his pants was on the ground, his lip bleeding.

He looked up and saw Chris bend down to help him. Ezra pulled the pants up and Chris shielded him from other kids who tried to take pictures. Chris glared at those around them till the crowd went away. Chris helped Ezra up and led him away from everyone.

Chris stopped once they were by the tree he and his friends met underneath. Ezra's face was still in his shirt. He laid a hand on the boy's head.

"I should've stopped them a long time ago."

Ezra pushed himself away from Chris.

"Is that what you say after seeing me- after what happened?"

Chris frowned, "What were you expecting?"

Ezra wiped the tears from his face, "I don't know, mockery, something queer related."

"I'm not going to mock- wait, did you just say queer?"

Ezra gave a little shrug, "I mean I don't care if you're gay or anything. It's ok-"

"I know there's no problem being gay but I ain't gay!"

"But at the Playground?"

Chris groaned, "I knew you took that the wrong way. What happened at the playground was just a normal fight. He was practically breaking my back with that bear hug and I pinch and twisted the sides of his neck to make him stop. You didn't see the black eye I gave him either."

"So you aren't gay, but what about Vin always sleeping with you?"

"Vin leaves his bed when he sleeps. Sometimes from nightmares and other times I'm not really too sure about."

Chris sat down and rested against the tree. Ezra hesitantly followed his lead.

They sat in silence which he was beginning to appreciate about Chris.

The older boy was texting on his phone when he finally spoke again.

"Karen said that everyone in the home had quirks."

Chris nodded, "Yeah pretty much."

"Then what's yours?"

"Anger management and the ability to get kicked out of every foster home I've been in up to this point."

Ezra saw the other boys coming to meet them, "What made you stay longer at Karen's?"

"She's as stubborn as me. She wants us to be a family. She's worked hard to make it so. We didn't all like each other at first, but we came together eventually and are closer than brothers. You're one of us now and we always protect family."

"You're gang?" Ezra said sarcastically.

"Our 'gang' basically stops James' gang from bullying other students. We're like the anti-bullies."

Ezra wanted to keep talking about it but the others had finally reached them.

"Heard what happened," began Buck, "I think we should stop this once and for all."

"You ok?" asked Vin, his voice carrying concern.

Ezra sensed an understanding between the two of them. They were both pretty private people when it came to themselves.

"I will be." he smiled.

The boys all sat down in a circle.

Ezra felt everyone's eyes on him, "I feel I'm at a disadvantage since everyone knows my big secret."

"You're acting like you're the only person who likes to hang loose and go commando." laughed Buck.
"I don't think any person who does likes to have that publicly revealed Buck." Chris reprimanded.

"Well, we can go around and say one weird quirk we have." Josiah suggested.

"Yeah, I'll start!" Buck volunteered, "JD still wets the bed."

"Buck!" JD piped. The others couldn't help their chuckles. Ezra smiled, he knew already since the boy still wore the night diapers.

"Why don't you actually share one of your quirks, Buck?" Chris tried again.

"I don't have any. I'm a positive peanut. I love anything and everything and everyone. Except James and his gang." he made a face at the end.

"Do you have another date with Taylor?" asked Nathan.

"No, he and I are too different. Still I'll remember him as my first."

Ezra's eyes grew big, clarity rushing over him, Buck must've been the one who was gay or bi, must've came out of the closet recently too.

He looked to Chris who smiled back.

"I'm a little OCD." said Nathan.

"A little? You wouldn't let me go into the room when you first arrived till it was 'perfect'." huffed Josiah.

"What about you then?" Nathan said, arching an eyebrow to his roommate.

"I'm one of those people who can't go through the day without saying quoting someone."

Ezra nodded, he heard him quote a few famous lines he knew.

He turned to Vin who was last. The boy didn't seem willing to share whatever his quirk was. Ezra took pity on him.

"Chris told me that you sleep walk."

Vin looked at him in surprise but nodded quickly.

Chris, who knew about the boy's fear of people watching him dress, didn't say anything. Glad Ezra didn't press his friend.

"Well, how about we all go on back to Karen's. I'm sick of being at school. She can yell at me for having you all ditch." grinned Chris.

Everyone was more than willing to skip school and they all grabbed their bikes and went home.

Epilogue:

Karen was tick that she had to make phone calls to the school to tell them that the boys had to leave for family reasons, but after hearing about Ezra's day, she was more than willing.

For the rest of the day they continued to talk, growing closer to one another. Chris felt that a gap had been filled. He smiled as Vin and Ezra talked quietly to one another. Yes, they had all become his family.

When it was Chris's birthday, he was greeted with the birthday dog pile. They spent the whole day giving him birthday licks until he was sore. At night Karen made a special dinner with everything Chris liked. Afterwards they began the unwrapping of gifts.

Chris smiled knowingly at Vin when he opened his gift. Vin gave him a cheeky grin. Josiah got a poncho. JD got him candy, which he ended up giving to JD to eat after he cried when Buck teased him too much. Nathan gave him a book he was interested in reading. Buck gave him a gag gift before producing his real present which was an airsoft gun.

Chris wasn't expecting anything from Ezra, but the boy handed him a card before taking his seat again on the couch.

Chris read the letter and then got up to go to his room. The others followed. On his bed was the Play Station he had wanted.

He turned to Ezra who stood to the side.

"Hope you like it. I know you had to spend your money to buy my bike so I figured-"

Chris cut him off when he brought him in for a hug. The others laughed and without asking, joined in.

Ezra felt suffocated and squished. He could only manage to turn his head. All around him were boys that he now considered as brothers. A couple of months ago Ezra wouldn't have thought of doing any of this. He wouldn't have talked to them. Wouldn't participate in playing with Legos with Vin and JD. Never would fathom buying something as expensive as a Play Station.

He smiled. Maybe this one time his mother was wrong. His quirk wasn't used against him. They all embraced their awkward ways, and if somebody tried to exploit them, the others would be there to help put a stop to it.

Perhaps Chris, I too can learn to call you all my family.