After wandering around the mall for a little while, we decided to go home. When we got there we saw March sitting in the living room waiting for us. Senri stepped in front of me and addressed March,

"Are you feeling better?"

Senri's voice was calm as March glared at him,

"Don't give me that look. You're the one who went off the deep end and hurt Y/N."

March sighed in defeat before nodding,

"Yeah I'm okay. I needed some extra time to cool down. I'm good now."

Senri's eyes narrowed but he didn't push it. The tension was suffocating me, so I asked Bex if he wouldn't mind helping me put everything away upstairs. He quickly agreed and we scurried up the stairs before anyone could stop us. When we got to my room we looked at each other and giggled like little kids,

"Did you see that look on Senri's face?"

I nodded,

"He looked like he was gonna kill him or something. The tension was crushing me and I wanted to get out of there."

"Yeah me too. Those two are generally at odds. None of us like it when they fight."

I frowned sadly,

"I'm sorry they fight so much. I want to help but I'm worried I'll make it worse."

Bex nodded in understanding as we began folding the clothes and putting them away in the dresser,

"When March lost control we were all so angry. That's why Jackson started drinking. None of us were overly surprised he'd started again, we just didn't want you to find out and see us differently."

I smiled comfortingly at Bex,

"You guys are really important to me. If there's something going on I want to help. I don't want to see any of you suffer. I don't see any of you differently. I know that people aren't always what they appear. Everyone has a hidden darkness."

Bex pulled me into a tight hug,

"You're important to us too. We want you to be happy and we want you in our lives. You're the breath of light we needed."

I returned his hug and smiled into his shoulder,

"Well I'll always be here. You don't need to worry about me oki?"

He hugged me tighter as he nodded. I started smacking his back as hard as I could. When he let go I began gasping for breath and coughing,

"Your hug was too tight."

I rasped our between breaths. His eyes widened,

"Oh no I'm sorry Y/N! I didn't mean to hurt you!"

He sounded like a little kid who was afraid of getting in trouble. I laughed a little and smiled at him,

"Hehe no worries it's okay. I'm alright you don't have to apologize. It was an accident so don't worry about it!"

He sighed in relief,

"Okay! I'll be more careful next time!"

I giggled,

"Oki doki."

We finished putting everything away when I got a call from my boss,

"Y/N, I'm sorry to say this, but Bronze is shutting down. Someone bought us out and is closing us down. Your final check has already been deposited into your account. I'm sorry."

His tone was somber as he spoke, not giving me a chance to respond before he hung up. I leaned back on the bed, confusion and worry etched into my face. Bex must've seen this and decided to sit next to me,

"Hey, are you alright?"

I shook my head,

"That was my boss. I guess someone bought Bronze and is shutting it down. I'm out of a job and I don't know what I'm going to do. The lease on my apartment is almost up and without a job I can't pay my rent."

I ran my hand through my hair in thought as Bex spoke,

"You could stay here with us. I'm sure the others wouldn't mind."

I immediately shook my head,

"No I can't impose on you like that. It's unfair to you."

Bex waved off my words,

"It's alright. Come on, let's go ask the others."

He took my hand and led me out of the room and down the stairs to where everyone was doing their own thing. Senri was reading, Riki and Jackson were on their phones, and March was watching TV. Once we entered the room Bex let go of my hand,

"Everyone! I'm calling a family meeting!"

The four of them glanced towards us,

"What is it?"

Jackson asked curiously. Bex looked to me and I explained,

"Someone bought Bronze and is shutting it down. I'm out of a job and can't pay my rent-"

"So I offered that she could live with us-"

"And I said no because I don't want to impose."

I finished, tossing a glare at Bex for interrupting that he ignored while he spoke to Senri,

"So? Is it okay if she stays?"

Senri nodded,

"Of course. You can stay in the room you're in now for as long as you need."

"Are you sure? I feel like I'm imposing on you guys."

"Nonsense. You need somewhere to stay and we have more than enough room. Stay, I insist."

He had clearly decided I was going to be staying in the house. I sighed in defeat,

"Alright. If you're sure. Are the rest of you okay with it?"

Jackson nodded enthusiastically,

"Yeah!!!!!! It's gonna be great!!"

I giggled at his enthusiasm before turning my attention to Riki and March. Riki smiled at me,

"I'd like it if you stayed. I can help you move any stuff at your apartment, if you'd like."

"I'll help too."

March offered. I smiled at all of them,

"Thank you so much! I don't have many personal belongings at my apartment, but I'll bring what I can! Would you mind terribly if I did that now?"

Senri shook his head,

"Not at all. I'll get my car and we can go down there. The rest of you can ride with Y/N."

Once we got to my apartment I started packing up my clothes and toiletries while Jackson and Bex packed up my art supplies. Riki packed up any food to bring back to the house. March and Senri packed up my books and my video games/video game consoles,

"How'd you get an Xbox One and a PS4?"

March inquired, eyes wide in disbelief. I replied while packing my clothes, shrugging my shoulders nonchalantly,

"I just brought them with me when I left my house. My parents were going to give them to me for my birthday so they weren't in the house at the time of the fire. They were hiding everything in the trunk of my dads car that was parked outside. He had a huge trunk so both consoles fit. The games I bought over time. You can bring the TV too if you want. My room already has one but I don't mind if one of you uses it."

Senri nodded and began unplugging the TV and carried it to his car with March's help. I looked to where Bex and Jackson were and saw them flipping through my sketchbook,

"Y/N, you're an amazing artist! Have you ever thought about entering a contest or something?"

I shook my head,

"No I just do it for fun. Plus most contests want styles I don't like drawing in so I prefer to just do it as a hobby."

Jackson nodded in understanding before closing my sketchbook and packing it away. Once we were all done we carried the boxes out to the cars. We packed my clothes and art supplies in my car, and put the rest in Senri's before heading home. Once we arrived, the boys began fighting over the TV while I brought my clothes, art supplies, and gaming stuff upstairs to my room. I hooked my Xbox and PS4 up to the TV and plugged in the respective controllers. I set my art supplies inside the cupboard of my nightstand and put my clothes in the dresser, hanging up whatever didn't fit in the closet. Unbeknownst to the boys, I had brought my stuffed animals up with me. I smirked evilly as I opened the box, like a sneaky villain about to get away with something. I put some of them on top of my dresser, some on the vanity, some on the single shelves nailed to the wall, and the rest on my bed. Finally, I took the box that contained all my video games and placed it at the foot of my bed. I cracked my door open and heard the boys still arguing about the TV. I giggled to myself before looking through my games for something to play. I decided on Fallout 4 and put it in my Xbox One. I was currently in Nuka-World trying to clear out all the different sections of the park. It was about an hour later that Jackson and Bex came up to my room,

"Hey do you need any-"

Bex was cut off mid sentence as he looked around my room,

"Wow."

Was all he said. I heard Jackson behind him,

"I wanna see!"

He shoved Bex into my room so he could get a better look. He said nothing as he sprinted to the staircase,

"GUYS YOU GOTTA SEE THIS!"

The bluenette exclaimed loudly before racing back to my room and digging through my games,

"Hey, I have them organized, mess that up and I'll hurt you."

My tone was stoic as I continued playing. I was currently killing some super mutants because a settlement needed help. Bex snickered as he knelt down to browse with Jackson. Moments later, Riki, Senri, and March entered the room. The shock on their face was comical,

"You set this up fast."

Senri stated, his surprise evident in his voice. I barely glanced at him as I responded,

"I wanted to play."

I stated simply, blazing my way through Safari Adventure as I killed a Gatorclaw,

"What level are you?"

Riki asked me as he began looking through my games with Bex and Jackson,

"114."

"No shit?"

"No shit."

I wasn't looking but I could almost hear Riki's jaw hit the floor in awe,

"How?!"

"I have a lot of time on my hands."

"Fair enough."

He replied, he seemed impressed by my dedication to gaming. Bex looked up from my stack,

"Hey, can we play games too?"

I nodded,

"Sure thing. Just let me know first. If you guys want we can get extra controllers. I only have two for each console."

"That's a great idea!!"

Bex exclaimed happily as he continued digging through my games and discussing them with Jackson and Riki. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed March was looking through my sketchbook, Senri peeking over his shoulder as he spoke,

"I didn't know you could draw, Y/N."

"You didn't ask. There's a lot you don't know about me."

March snickered at my comment to Senri and continued flipping through my sketchbook,

"Guys, did you see these?"

March held up some of my drawings:

The teens looked up and saw the drawings March held,

"Those are really good!"

Riki complimented. I blushed slightly and smiled,

"Thanks! If any of you want me to draw you anything let me know. It helps me relax when I draw."

They each nodded in agreement,

"Yay!! I'd love it if you drew me something darling~"

Jackson said flirtily. I rolled my eyes, a playful smile on my face,

"I'll draw each of you something. No snooping though!"

"We won't!"

Bex declared proudly. I laughed,

"Good!"

I decided to save my game and back out to the Xbox homescreen,

"So what do you guys want to do now?"

Before anyone could respond, the tune of the doorbell chimes airily, followed by a harsh knocking that echoed through the house. Senri and March went down to investigate while the rest of us stayed in my room. We heard muffled dialogue as March ascended the stairs, footsteps heavy as he approached my room. When he opened the door, the ashen look on his face told us something was wrong,

"Jackson, you'd better come downstairs. She's asking about you. Something about your father."

I looked at Jackson and was taken aback by the vacant look in his eyes. I placed my hand on his shoulder,

"Jackson? Are you alright?"

He turned to me slightly,

"No."

His voice was quiet and distant. Although his body was here his mind was miles away, that much was obvious. He silently left the room and made his way down the hallway. I turned to March in confusion,

"I don't understand. Who's here?"

March hesitated momentarily, but when he did respond my heart sunk into my stomach as unease washed over me,

"His step-mother, Naomi Naoko."