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I felt like I was just going through the motions, waking up, getting a shower, eating breakfast before heading off to school. It felt like my body was so used with having to do this every day. I had barely gotten any sleep after the talk I had with Sergeant McKinnon. I couldn't bring myself to do it. It was like every time I closed my eyes, I went right back to the day that my mom came here. I kept seeing that stupid sad look on her face and I couldn't take it. At one point I just stared at the wall or the bunk above me until something happened and I fell asleep, but eventually I grew bored of that and snuck out of the orphanage and went for a walk and of course returning once it struck five am.

As of right now I was walking the streets, my hands stuffed in my pockets and a beanie on top of my head to keep my ears warm. It was freezing out here and I immediately regretted my decision of not wearing a warmer jacket but once I had gotten out of the building I knew I wasn't going to go back in there until it was early and it was only twelve.

Normally I'd walk around I got tired or went to the park and sat down on a bench and watched the ducks swim around or see a couple walk by every now and again. Honestly, the night time was better than the day time. It was quiet and peaceful and I wasn't going insane for once. It felt like my mind was clear and I could think properly without some haunting memory or a nightmare etching it's way into my life again. For once I felt normal. I was able to focus and it felt good.

I shivered slightly as I crossed the street. There was still a little diner that was opened and honestly, it looked really warm. There were just a few people in there who were eating and chatting away. When I opened up the door, a bell above it rung and a man who looked around from inside the kitchen.

"What can I do for ya kid?" He asked, he seemed really polite and nice.

"Oh um, can I just...can I sit down for a bit?" I asked, he nodded and gestured out towards the near silent dining area. My teeth chattered and I quickly found myself seated near the heater. There was an older couple here, smiling and eating together while looking like they were sickly in love. That made me grin for some reason.

"So what do you want kid?" The man came back out, a towel tossed over his shoulder and a notebook in one hand and a pen in the other.

"I-I don't really have anything on me right now." I mumbled shyly. The man just smiled warmly.

"That's alright, this'll be on the house. You want something hot or cold? You look like you're freezing." He said, I gave a jerky nod and he just chuckled softly before walking away and into the kitchen where he came from. I felt bad about not being able to pay for whatever he was serving, but he seemed happy enough to at least not bother about me paying.

After about thirty minutes the man came back with a Styrofoam cup full of hot chocolate. He carefully sat it down before placing himself in the seat across from me.

"Now, I'm never one to pry. I believe that people's business remains to them, but when a teenage boy who looks no older than sixteen cones wandering into my diner in the middle of the night, I began to wonder and I question things," he said, I should've known he was going to ask questions, but I didn't think much of it. "I don't usually worry so much but considering I have a son who's a couple of years older than you must be, I question. You don't have to tell me kid, you can sit here for as long as you long as you like, hell, you can even come back here as many times as you please- with paying next time of course-" I chuckled softly and shook my head, "but I'd like to know, but that's your choice, of course."

I didn't say anything for the longest time. I kept staring down at the steaming hot cup, watching as the little marshmallows that were inside began to melt. I didn't really know what to say. Deep down I didn't want to say anything to this man. I didn't know and I really didn't want to know, but he seemed nice and opened up. I heard him sigh and began to stand before I spoke up.

"I live in an orphanage," I said, glancing up to see a surprised look on his face before he found his seat again.

"Are you trying to run away?" He asked. Yes, I wanted to. I wanted to leave, but every time I mustered up the courage to do so, I couldn't anymore.

"No, I can't sleep at night and I just... I needed somewhere to go before I went crazy." I muttered.

"As I said kid, you can come here as many times as you please, stay for as long as you want." I nodded, not saying anything else. He began to talk instead and I learned his name Mark, his diner was passed down from several generations and he had three kids. For a couple more hours he just told me stories of a little bit of everything. The couple that was in here had left and eventually I was leaving too, saying a goodbye before heading back to the orphanage. I silently closed the door and crept upstairs without making a sound. I nearly jumped and screamed when I ran into someone. It was still really dark in the hallway.

"What are you doing?" It sounded like Austin, and he was really close and he felt warm. Instantly my cheeks warmed up when he used his phone as a light and I realized he was really close to me.

"I-I um, nothing. Why are you up?" I asked quietly. He looked as if he wanted to keep pressing the matter but shrugged it off.

"I was going downstairs to get something to drink," he said, his eyes raking me up and down. "If you weren't doing anything, why are you dressed like that?"

"Full of questions aren't we?" I muttered, rolling my eyes and walked around him only to have him lightly grab my wrist and turn me around.

"You would tell me if something was bothering you, right?" Austin asked, I let out a quiet sigh.

No, not really.

"Yeah, of course." I mumbled softly. Austin smiled softly and leaned down, gently pressing a kiss to my forehead. My stomach did flips and I found myself grinning as he pulled away. Austin didn't say anything else as he walked away, leaving me there feeling like a goofy idiot. With a soft sigh, I snuck back into my room, changed my clothes and crawled into bed.

。。。

Another update. thanks for the 600+ reads, comments and votes even though I've done a poor job acknowledging them, but it means a lot and all of you are really nice c:

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