Sutton knew that there was something wrong. Eleanor, who was normally one of the chattier members of group, had been silent and stony-faced during their breakfast meal, and Colette wasn't her usual cheerful self either. It had to be because of Kaspar, of course, nothing else would be able to drive a wedge between the two friends.

After finishing his meal, he walked down the corridor, passing his room and instead stopping in front of Kaspar's. Their new lodger had joined them for breakfast, and there was no way he didn't notice tension across the table. He felt a pang of sympathy for Kaspar. Although Sutton would have preferred to have had a say in who they chose as their lodger, Kaspar didn't seem like a bad person, and he certainly didn't deserve to feel unwelcome. He raised his hand, knocking carefully on the door.

"Who is it?" Kaspar called out. Sutton couldn't tell if his voice was sounding particularly wary or cautious, or whether that was what he always sounded like.

"It's me," he replied, "Sutton," he clarified, realising that 'it's me' was not the best way to identify yourself to someone you barely knew. "Can I come in?" he continued.

There was a short pause, before the door opened, and Kaspar stepped to the side to let him enter. The boy was still wearing the same strange clothes from the previous day, but Sutton wasn't one to judge people for their fashion choices. If Kaspar wanted to make a bold statement with his clothing, then he wasn't going to stop him.

"Hello," Kaspar said eventually, shutting the door behind Sutton, and moving to sit down on his bed, "Can I help you?" he asked. The room was, for the most part, empty, and Sutton couldn't help but wonder if Kaspar even owned anything other than the things he was carrying when he arrived. There was definitely something more to him, but he couldn't tell what.

He looked at him from up close. Kaspar had dark eyes, so dark they almost could be made out of obsidian. His facial features were soft and warm. His lips were rosy pink.

"Oh, no, no, I just thought you might want some company," he replied. He was hovering, stepping from side to side, not sure whether he was supposed to sit down or not.

This earned him a smile from Kaspar, who shuffled over slightly, and gestured for Sutton to sit down next to him. "Well, thank you, I guess," he said. He paused, before looking at Sutton, "Is it okay for me to be here?" he asked tentatively, "Something seemed off at breakfast, and I feel like my appearance has thrown something off balance. If I'm not wanted, you can tell me, I don't mind."

"Not at all!" he replied quickly, taking a seat next to him. There was a small, concerned frown on Sutton's face, "I mean, yes, yes it's fine for you to be here! The others, they don't mind you being here, it's just we thought it was going to be a group decision, we would all choose our lodger. It's just a bit of a surprise, it's nothing against you," he reassured.

Kaspar nodded, letting out a small breath, "Alright, thank you. I mean, I don't know how long I'll be here, I don't want to cause you all any problems. You seem like good people," he told him.

Sutton gave him a warm smile, "Thank you. And really, you can stay as long as you need, you're not causing us any trouble," he told him, giving him a small shrug. "So, what do you study?" he asked, changing the topic.

"Study?" Kaspar replied, his forehead creasing slightly. His eyes then widened, and he shook his head, "Oh, right. I'm not a student, I just live here," he explained, rubbing the back of his neck

"Well, that's still cool," he replied, shrugging, "I study Nuclear Science, if you were interested," he then told him.

Kaspar's eyebrows raised at this statement, and he looked at him, "Really? That's quite interesting, you must be quite intelligent then," he commented.

Sutton could feel his cheeks burning slightly, "Oh no, not really," he replied, "But thank you," he added, looking back at Kaspar. He paused for a moment, trying to find something to say. "Do you have a job, then?" he asked carefully.

"In a way," he replied slowly, turning his glance away from Sutton. "I mainly just do volunteer work, for charities and all that," he explained, giving a small shrug.

A grin crept up on Sutton's face, although he couldn't exactly explain why. "You do? That's really cool," he told him, "I would love to volunteer somewhere if I had more time," he continued. He would have continued speaking, but he trailed off as he noticed a distant look on Kaspar's face. "Is everything okay?" he asked.

"Huh? Oh, yes, sorry," he said, blinking and looking back at Sutton, "I've just got a lot going on in my life right now," he told him, running a hand through his hair.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he offered, "Whenever I have something bothering me, I find it helps to talk about it," he explained.

"Sure, I guess I could try. Thank you," he said, looking over at Sutton, a grateful look on his face, "It's just, well, my grandmother has gone missing, and I'm worried about her, especially as it might be indirectly my fault," he said, letting out a sigh.

Sutton frowned, reaching out to put a hand on Kaspar's shoulder before he even realised what he was doing. "I'm sorry," he said softly, "Is there anything I could do to help you look for her? Like for example call the police?" he asked.

Kaspar shook his head, "No, it's okay, thank you for offering though," he told him, "It's something I need to work out on my own, something the police can't fix, don't worry I'm not a drug dealer. I'll try and contact her, or people who might be able to help. It's just a lot to deal with."

Sutton nodded, watching him, "It's okay, it'll be alright. Still, if there's anything I can do for you, please let me know," he added.

A faint smile appeared on Kaspar's face, "Thank you," he told him, "Sorry, I shouldn't be unloading all my problems onto you, we barely know each other."

Sutton shrugged slightly, "I guess that just means we'll have to get to know each other more," he replied, grinning at Kaspar. He was aware of how he still had his hand on Kaspar's shoulder, but he made no effort to move it.

"I wouldn't mind that," Kaspar told him, nodding to Sutton, "I think I would like that, in fact," he added.

Sutton felt a sticky substance on the palm of his hand, he had started to sweat, because of a hot flash. He was unsure why right now his body had decided to act like a woman in her menopause.

He cleared his throat. "Uhm, I'm glad about that. Do you want a hug?" Sutton had this overwhelming feeling that Kasper needed one.

Without hesitation, he felt two strong arms around him and was encased by a perfume he didn't know, it certainly wasn't Calvin Klein or Tom Ford.

Sutton slowly patted his back and truly wished that everyone in their flat would give Kaspar a chance.