A loud knock on the door shook Darien awake. He looked around, disoriented, realizing he must've fallen asleep. The knock repeated.

"Come in," he called in a raspy voice.

Bailey popped her head in the room. "Dinner's ready."

She and Darien held eye contact for a moment. Bailey's eyes studied his frame, and he was very aware of how little coverage his wife beater was providing. He looked away from her, feeling his face grow warm. Bailey stepped toward where he was laying on the mat, offering him a hand up.

"Did you have a good nap?" she asked with a smile.

Darien grabbed her hand and stood up. "I guess," he said softly. "I didn't realize I fell asleep."

"Well, food is on the table. Everyone is waiting for us," Bailey said.

Darien looked down at his scantily clad chest then back up, where he met Bailey's gaze.

"I think I need to put on a shirt first," he said, grabbing his flannel from the backpack. He slid his arms in and buttoned it up, leaving the top buttons undone. "Better."

"What are those from?" Bailey asked, gently touching the scars around his wrists.

He pulled away quickly. "I'd rather not talk about it."

He closed his eyes for a moment, praying the flashbacks wouldn't flood in. His hands were clenched into fists, knuckles going white as he warded off his personal demons.

Bailey cautiously took a step back. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize it was a sensitive topic. I wouldn't have asked."

Darien snapped back to reality and his posture softened. "It's okay. You didn't know." He met Bailey's gaze and gave a half-hearted smile. "Let's go eat."

Bailey led Darien out to where everyone was seated around the long wooden dining table. Darien sat on the bench, as far away from everyone as he could get, making sure the buttons on his sleeves were securely fastened.

Dinner was simple. Luke grilled up some flank steak, and Macy stir-fried some vegetables. The meat and vegetables were served with steaming hot jasmine rice and topped with a ginger-soy sauce mixture. The group ate in silence. Jackson and Darien were the first to finish their plates. They hadn't had a home-cooked meal in a long time.

In one town a few years prior, they stayed with an elderly woman, taking care of her, in exchange for food and a place to stay. She treated them well and didn't look into their pasts, which Darien was eternally appreciative of. She passed away a few months after the boys had come to help her, and they were forced to return to the streets.

Darien's eyes started to water, and he snapped out of reminiscence. Luke stood up, grabbing the dirty plates, and bringing them to the sink.

"I can do dishes," Darien offered.

Luke looked at him. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I've not had the luxury of doing dishes in a long time. It'd be nice to feel more human for a bit."

Luke shrugged and set the dishes on the counter for Darien to wash. He filled the sink with soapy water and got to work. After a sizeable amount of dishes were ready to be dried, Bailey came over and started drying.

"I can do that, it's okay," Darien told her.

She smiled. "I know, but I want to help."

Darien sighed and kept washing. When he had finished, he helped put the dishes away.

"Macy, Jacob, and I are gonna play Monopoly in a bit. Wanna join us?" Bailey invited.

"I think I'm gonna try to get some more sleep," he replied, putting the last cup away.

"Okay," she said. "Another time?"

Darien smiled, "Maybe, I don't know how long we're staying."

He walked off to the room he was sharing with Jackson and closed the door. He took off his flannel and sat on the mat, back against the wall.

He wasn't used to kindness. He wasn't used to home-cooked meals. He wasn't used to a cushion under him, or blankets to cover him while he slept. He wasn't used to any of this, and it made his skin crawl. The comfort that so many take for granted he couldn't get away from fast enough.